Go go Goaaa!

Have deep pockets. First advice. Enjai. Second advice.

The one incident that will be etched in memory is the banana ride at calangute. Never have friends who will not give full info... atleast don't have them when you get into something like a banana ride!!!

Being the innocent guy that I am, I never knew that you will be thrown into the deep sea taking a banana ride! Me and Joni (I will introduce the characters along the way) took the ride. Not knowing swimming, moi was totally careful to catch onto the straps of the balloon with all might. Once into the sea- a Km inside, I saw the boat take a 90 degree turn. And what more, right inside went the floating balloon on which we sat! And with it went poor me.. with half a mind to let go of the strap and other half still deciding if this was intended or a mishap.. held onto the strap of the balloon underwater :-)

When I could hold my breath no more.. came out onto the surface. Did I have a good laugh afterwards.. yes sir. Sure did. But, plz plz.. make sure to ask all the stupid questions- like what will happen when you take up something you do not know. Its better to be stupid than scary :-)

Hmm... let me give you a peek into the paradise called GOA now-

Hire a bike when you reach Panaji. Usually costs 200-300 bucks/day. We could only get Activa's for the 2 days we stayed on. Here Aniket aka Bhau, Kiran and moi pose in front of St. Andrews. The forth person in trip Joni is busy taking the pic.

Water sports are famous in Goa. One should not miss out on the popular ones- water biking, banana rides, para gliding, rafting, etc. Usually the main beaches in south- Baga, Calangute, Vagator are preferred ones.. Up north Arambol is the best bet.

Roads are quite un-indian. Reminds me of Singapore- winding streets with no pot holes. Most roads have good sign boards with clear indications.

Old Goa! Heaven. I was half convinced that I should settle here during sometime later in my life. Since my school days, I have been in awe of the old churches, cathedrals. Christianity is my second religion I think. St. Francis of Assisi chapel here-

The chapel of St Catherine- Medival Europe come alive.

At the Basilica of Bom Jesus- Red cathedral with towering minarets.. over crowded, worth a visit to offer silent prayers to one of the great saints- Fr Francis Xavier.

The majestic Fort Aguda. Well preserved. Strategically built with a panaromic view of the Arabian Sea.

Chapora fort- lamentable lack of maintenance. We had a wonderful ride through the Chapora village before reaching the fort. Lined on one of the best beaches in Goa- Vagator, this remains one of the unexplored old beauties..

Back in Panaji- the city takes you into 20th century Europe. The architecture, cathedrals, malls, roads, bridges, everything is so symbolic of the times Goa had seen before being passed into Indian hands. Here Bhau gives out a silent prayer to Mary Magdalene. God save Goa and preserve its beauty!

Well folks, hope you enjoyed the short travel piece. Don't spoil the beauty if you do go there. Afterall if you go to Goa once, you are sure to visit a second, third and a forth time.. Keep the place clean for your own sake :-)

Ciao till next time...Harsha

Yana, Gokarna and Jog

I am updating this blog after quite sometime. I had been to one of the most breath taking places in K'taka in the time gone by..

Abhi, Prem, Sridhar, Manhar, Prabudh and myself went to explore our beautiful coastline.. Malnad area is known for 2 things- beautiful females and beautiful nature spots!

Let me present here a collage of pics.. some of the most breathtaking beaches, water falls and nature spots!

The Yana rock formations: 16Kms from Kumta. A short trek of 3 kms takes you to the rock side.

Careful! don't stamp.. a beautiful insect captured by Abhi..

The tree grown in between the rocks... I loved that tree ;-)

The gang, sans Abhi

Om Beach, Gokarna... Am I in India or abroad? Could find more foreigners than Indians. Lovely blue water..

Water pardy!

Shadow play... Kiran and myself!

This is one of the best sunsets I have seen in my life.. Om Beach- awesome, display of bright colours in the sky.

That is the name of beach-side hotel at Paradise beach. Not for fun is it named Paradise..

Aerial view- Paradise Beach. We tried to trek along the thorn filled hillock nearby. More tiresome than we envisaged.. But as they say, you have to climb the hill to enjoy the view!

Twilight setting in.. no mood to go back (why don't I just buy up some real estate nearby, Bangalore is already over-crowded)..

Where does the water end and sky begins? An artists dream come true..

Can I exchange the boat dear man? He is unaware that we are taking his pic. But, the beautiful sight of Sharavathi river in Honnavar would be etched in my mind.. One day I would want to spend more than just a fleeting glance here!

Jog- devoid of water. But this offered us an excellent opportunity to climb down to the base- a trek which seemed easy but we came to know it is 1.5Kms! (so- all of us were in pitiable condition once we had put in 3Kms trek)..

Picture perfect? Nah... not talking about me, its the rainbow behind. I can assure you its not a product of deft photoshop effort!

With nightfall we were travelling back to Bangalore... 2,500 Rs (approx $63) well spent for a 3 day trip... We had gone in a Qualis. The deparding pic of the setting sun was bringing curtains down on one of the best beach-side trips I have been to!

Well! if you are a nature lover- Gokarna, Karwar and Jog is like Arabian nights come true. Truly magical. I would love to hear back if you know a better place through your comments!

Ciao till next time... Harsha