My Budget Vacation in Goa - Day 4 - Vasco and Anjuna

The Fourth Day of our Cheap Goa Trip - Visit to South Goa

Today we took the bus to Vasco da Gama also known as Vasco which is at the mouth of the Zuari River. It has a railway station and is near to Dabolim Airport. Vasco was a well planned city and had lots of mid budget hotels and cheap eating places. We first visted St Andrew's Church near the bus terminus and then caught a bus uphill towards Marmagoa and Headland.

Marmagoa or Marmugao is a natural harbour and an important shipping center. Looking down from the hill we could see containers coming off a train and being loaded onto ships. The barges that we saw on the Mandovi River at Old Goa were anchored a bit off the coast dropping off the material they were carrying. There were lots of signs saying No Photography Allowed. We later, went to explore the rickety Marmagoa Fort, from which we got a panoramic view of the port.

We walked down a flight of steps hewn through the rock through a Japanese garden with ornate bridges and fountains to a rocky beach . The beach was empty except for some fishermen sitting nearby casting their hook and lines into the water. The beach had thicky grainy sand and exquisite sea shells.

We climbed back up and took a taxi to Hollant Beach near Vasco. Hollant was a small crowded beach (mostly locals) with fine gray sand that looked like cement. This calm cove had no hint of a wave which was why many folks were swimming safely with pool toys. We spent the afternoon trekking through the hills around the beach and climbing rocks before eating lunch from a packed picnic basket.

A bus ride later via Mapusa and we were at Anjuna Beach in Gao. The beach was a walk down from a cliff from where we saw the sun setting over the ocean that was bathed in a thin mist. The beach had lots of red rocks filled with little pools of water and sand. Swimming in the holes were tiny fishes and crabs, and if you are'nt careful (like me) you can easily step into the holes that look just like a part of the sandy beach and have a nasty accident.

Anjuna Beach was filled with hippies only. Other than us we saw no Indian tourist. There were shacks around serving all types of International cuisine - Israeli, Thai, even African food. The sickening smell of drugs was heavy in the air. Stalls selling Nepali, Kashmiri and Gujarati handicrafts manned by Banjarans and refugees from Kashmir and Nepal were crowded with firangs (foreigners) who were buying stuff at extremely high prices. Other shops selling trance music CD's and Janpath style T-shirts of Shiva and other Hindu gods interested us zero percent. Pubs were filled with goras (whites) having rave parties while listening to trance music. Feeling really out of place we took the bus back to Mapusa where we ordered takeaway for dinner.

Expenses of Day 4 of My Budget Vacation in Goa

Bus tickets - 215
Taxi to Hollant/Vasco Bus Station - 200
Picnic Lunch - 200
Takeaway Dinner - 220
Beakfast and Snacks - 150
Total - 985

Day 1 - Mapusa on New Year's Eve.
Day 2 - Old Goa Churches, Panjim and Miramar Beach.
Day 3 - Mapusa, Dolphin Boat Ride, Sinquerim, Fort Aguada, Candolim and Calangute Beach.
Day 4 - Vasco Da Gama, Mormugao, Hollant and Anjuna Beach.
Day 5 - Siolim and Morjim.

Tags Budget Vacation in Goa Vasco Da Gama Mormugao Hollant Anjuna Beaches Goa India