GOA: Fun Unlimited... Day 4

Ahh... The last day. Till then, we explored North Goa, had seen the paradise in South Goa, had a cruise ride, then water sports. So the final day was dedicated to explore Old Goa. Anyways, Jishu and Me woke up early and went to Anjuna for a small visit till Judha and Jethu get ready.

Anjuna is a very popular beach in North Goa just above Baga. The golden sands of the beach and the red Laterite rocks create a unique arrangement. Anjuna is known as Freak Capital of the World for the freaking beach parties here held. Now a days, parties are being highly discouraged by authorities. But the full moon parties and the less known black moon parties on the beach is certainly something to go to. These parties sometimes happen in Arambol.

Sunbatheing of cows at Anjuna Beach

Anyways, we missed those parties and the famous Flea Market of Anjuna. In between, Jethu called us for breakfast at Baga. We hopped into beach shack at Baga with foreigners sunbathing in front. We converted our breakfast into brunch. before leaving Baga, let's have a small info on Baga.

Baga is the extension of Calangute beach towards north and similarly crowded. It has almost all the facilities that has Calangute. Main attraction is Tito's, an infamous nightspot established in 1971 which attracted many celebs like Beatles, Matt Damon, Richard Gere, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Dutt, Kate Moss etc.

After Judha had the body massage, we started for Old Goa.

Jethu with "English Breakfast"

Old Goa is the former colonial capital of Goa. Full of history, it today is home to some scenic churches and convents, that are well maintained and worth a visit. Its Renaissance architecture is breathtaking and the UNESCO has declared it as a World Heritage Site. It was known to the world as Golden Goa or Pearl of the Orient.

The Church and Convent of St. Francis of Assisi was created by the Franciscan friars, eight of whom came to Old Goa in 1517. The Church contiguous to the Convent  was demolished in 1661 and rebuilt retaining its old gate made of black stone and exquisitely carved.  The interior is heavily gilded with scenes from the bible and the walls have frescoes showing intricate floral designs. 

Once you reach Old Goa, the first church on your right hand is Church of St. Francis of Assisi.

Se Cathedral is the largest church in Goa, India and reportedly all Asia.  The original building was constructed of mud and stones and straw and was erected in 1510 and was dedicated to St. Catherine for it was on St. Catherine's day -Nov 25th that Alfonso de Albuquerque conquered Goa. It underwent modifications subsequently and a second church was constructed in 1515. The building does not seem very imposing in its outward appearance. But the interior of the Cathedral is majestic and it has a high vaulted ceiling.

The adjacent church to Church of St. Francis of Assisi is Se Cathedral. Both the churches are at the same compound.

 

Church and Convent of St. Cajetan was build by Italian friars of the order of Theatines in 1640. The Church of St. Cajetan has been modeled after the Basilica of St. Peter's in Rome. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Divine Providence but is popularly called St. Cajetan, the founder of the Order of Theatines. The convent can be seen standing in front of the church. Today the convent houses the a functioning theological college, the Pius X Pastoral institute.

The church is at behind of Se Cathedral compound.

Beside St. Cajetan church, there's ferry ghat called Divar Ferry covered by painted palm trees.

Basilica of Bom Jesus is the most revered and famous of all the churches in Old Goa. It contains the relics of St. Francis Xavier, Patron saint of Goa, Apostle of the Indies and for most Goans "Goencho Saib". Its construction was begun in 1594 and the church was consecrated in May 1605 by the archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. In 1946, it became the first church in India to be elevated to the status of a minor basilica.

The three storey facade, built of black laterite, is a combination of Doric, Corinthian and Composite style architecture.  The interior of the Basilica built in the Mosaic-Corinthian style is remarkable for its simplicity.

Once you reach Old Goa, this church is on your right hand.

Convent and Church of St. Augustine now completely in ruins was constructed by 12 Augustinian friars in 1572 immediately after their arrival at Goa. It was reportedly in good shape until it was abandoned in 1835 following the banning of religious orders by the Portuguese government. The church fell into neglect and its vault collapsed in 1842. The facade collapsed on 1931. All that is left today  is a bell tower without the bell. The bell was moved to the Fort Aguada Light House initially (1841-1871) and in 1871 was moved to the Church of Our lady of Immaculate Conception at Panaji where it remains functioning to this day.

Opposite to Basilica there's tiny road, through which a 10 minutes walk will take you to the ruins.

We wanted to spend more time in Old Goa, but time's up. Jishu and me wanted to see Dona Paula as well, so I fired up my Impulse and rushed to Dona Paula.

Dona Paula is a secluded bay, nestled on the south side of the rocky, hammer-shaped headland that divides the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries. Dona Paula is known as “Lovers Paradise” which is named after Dona Paula de Menezes.

 

It's to go home. Jishu, Judha and Jethu... The 3 Js left to catch there buses to Banglore. No matter how late I was, I was still standing on Calangute beach to see the last sunset.

Good bye Goa.

GOA: Fun Unlimited... Day 3

"Oh, damn!!! It's 12 o'clock". The first thing came into my mind after I woke up. I called everybody up and got ready for water sports. It's the first time in 3days, we're in Calangute beach in day light. And sadly, it's highly overcrowded.

Calangute is a census town and beach here is known as Queen of Beaches as it remains crowded at off-seasons as well. The beach itself isn't anything special, with steeply shelving sand, however it's capacity is large enough to accommodate the huge number of high-season visitors. It's the largest beach in North Goa.

We bargained for all the water sports @ 4000 bucks (for all). Actually it's 4800 bucks for 4 person. As Judha was absent that morning, we three had the fun ourselves. There are four types of water sports they are providing. First, we started with Banana Ride. It's fun to float in the middle of the sea. The next one is bumper ride. This one also cool. Third, we went for para-sailing, the best one. They are charging extra 300 bucks for water dip. But that's worth. Lastly, we had the water scooter ride. Frankly, there is no fun until and unless you are gonna ride this by your own.

It took long 4 hours to complete all the activities due to the heavy crowd. Anyways, we went back to hotel, took bath and had a quick lunch. And then go out for Aguada Fort.

Fort Aguada and its lighthouse is a well-preserved seventeenth-century Portuguese fort. The fort was constructed in 1612 to guard against the Dutch and the Marathas. This old Portuguese fort stands on the beach south of Candolim, at the shore of the Mandovi River. A freshwater spring within the fort provided water supply to the ships that used to stop by. This is how the fort got its name: Aguada, meaning Water.

The original fort is now converted into a five star hotel which is at Sinquerim beach. The light house is a situated little far from the fort. The are two light house in that area. One is the old light house, which has a bigger area and is shown to tourists as Fort Aguada. It's open till 6pm. We're late. Could not make it inside. Once you go along the road by passing the old light house, you'll reach the new light house. An entry fee of Rs. 10 is being charged. This light house is also closed by 6pm. But somehow we managed to the top.

View from Aguada Light House

As it was darken outside, we called Judha to come at Panaji. Once he reached, we went on a cruise ride. It costs 200 bucks per head. It's 2 hours ride on Mandovi River. There were some programs held over cruise deck. But the main attraction is spectacular view of Panjim at night. The last cruise is at 8 pm.

There was a disc at the basement of the cruise with a entry of Rs. 50 for men and free for ladies. Alas! When we entered there're only 4-5 men and a single woman dancing though the kept our request for "Gangnam Style".

We had dinner in Panjim itself with Crab and Prawns. And went to watch the church of Shahrukh starrer Josh fame.

Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church at Panjim is one of the oldest churches in Goa, which existed from the year 1540. It was rebuilt in 1619. After Panjim became the capital city , the great bell of the Church of Our Lady of Grace in Old Goa or the "Bell of the Inquisition" was moved to this church from Aguada in 1841. At the same time, the renovation created the four tiered steps leading to the church.

As it was midnight the church was closed. We could not manage to see what's inside. On our return to hotel, we saw a nice church at Saligao.

Mae De Deus which literally translates to Mother of God is a Gothic style church in North Goa. Built in 1867, where most of the prominent churches are located in the south, Mae de Deus is a pleasant addition to the list of North Goa attractions.

Judha and Jethu went for a drink to the bar at beach. Jishu and me slept onto bed. Old Goa Calling.