My Budget Vacation in Goa - Day 5 - Siolem and Morjem

Cheap Travel and Hotel Rooms Around Goa Made Our Trip Real Great !

On Day 5 of our budget vacation in Goa we took the bus to Siolim, a small village with rice fields in North Goa. We got off at St. Anthony's Church and walked around watching the farmers plowing their fields followed by a line of white herons. Walking along the banks of the Chapora River we watched the ferry and fishing boats dodge the reeds as they rowed forward. We then caught a six seater auto rickshaw over the bridge to Morjem Beach.


Morjem - was a quiet long beach with fine white sand. It was also a nesting ground for Olive Ridley sea turtles, but we did'nt see any there. There were a few interntional tourists getting a sun tan on the beach beds for hire.


Tourists were staying in rented tents and cocohuts ( houses made of bamboo and thatched coconut leaves. Shacks with restaurants had been hired by rich socialites from Mumbai for private parties, which we realised after being asked to leave when we tried to place an order for Lunch. We got up in annoyance and walked to a neighbouring shack and where we ordered of simple Goan fish curry, rice and wine. The food arrived as cold as the waves we had just splashed through and we sent it back for reheating. The portions were small and the bill when it arrived was scandalous. We left no tip.

We took the early bus back to Mapusa as we were leaving for Delhi and had to pack. At Mapusa, we went to the muncipal market for some last minute shopping. We bought bottles of wine and feni for our friends. Also, some more Goan sweets, dried fish and various pickles. After having a Falooda (strawberry sundae with noodles) we rushed back to the apartment and got on with the packing.

We ordered takeaway again for dinner from Heera Restaurant - Chicken Cafrael, Nan and Paranthas. As our train was leaving at 5.00 the next morning we went to bed for a few hours. Our host rang the bell to wake us exactly at 3.00 am. We paid him for the rooms and piled into the taxi he had hired to take us to Tivim raiway station. It was really cold at Tivim and I was thankful for the jackets we had brought along from Delhi.

We looked through the windows of the Ernakulam Express as we sped back to Delhi thinking of all the magnificent beaches and churches we had visited. It was a real miracle and a bit of planning that lead us to have such an awesome holiday at an unbelievably low rate at one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world.

Expenses on Day 5 of my Budget Vacation in Goa
Bus Tickets - 80
Lunch at Morjem - 550
Shopping at Mapusa - 500
Snacks and Breakfast - 125
Rent for Apartment for 4 days/5 people - 2000
Taxi to Railway Station - 250
Train to Delhi for 5 folks - 2533
Total - 6038 Rupees

Day 1 - Rs. 3828 - Mapusa
Day 2 - Rs. 915 - Old Goa Churches, Panjim, Miramar Beach
Day 3 - Rs. 1450 - Mapusa, Dolphin Boat Ride, Sinquerim, Fort Aguada, Candolim, Calangute
Day 4 - Rs. 985 - Vasco Da Gama, Mormugao, Hollant, Anjuna
Day 5 - Rs. 6038 - Siolem, Morjim and Mapusa

Total- Rs. 13216 for a 5 day vacation in Goa covering to and fro fare by train, lodging, food, transport, sightseeing and shopping for five adults. I'd say it real cheap - what about you ?

Tags Goa india Mapusa Siolim Morjim beaches Budget Holiday

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

My Budget Vacation in Goa - Day 3

Boat Ride and Cheap Sightseeing in Goa - Majestic Beaches

Our host had arranged a boat that would take us out to sea to view Dolphins at close range. It was 8.00 am when we climbed into the blue wooden boat with an outboard motor at the Sinquerim jetty. We had no lifejackets nor were there any safety devices on the boat and we were a bit nervous as the boat sped and bounced about on the choppy sea. In the distance we could see prisoners waving out off the jails of Fort Aguada and the River Princess grounded at Candolim as we sailed over the horizon into deeper waters.

Our sun burnt captain drove to a preplanned area, set the anchor down and told us to wait a bit. A few minutes later we spied the first Dolphin. Very soon it was joined by other dolphins that circled the boat begging for tidbits. We relaxed in the boat listening to the enchanting myths of the sea told by the boatman. A while later we saw a thick, long sea snake slithering about on the surface of the water. Suddenly our host had a massive bout of sea sickness. At first we laughed but then he had a panic attack which freaked us out real bad that we cut shot the ride and headed back to land. At Sinquerim, our now embarrassed host insisted that he was alright and apologised offering to take us sightseeing in his car for free.

We drove up a nearby hill to the church of St. Lawrence who is known to protect ships and sailors. Looking back, I recall having seen many boats with pictures or statues of St. Lawrence on the stern. The entire coast was visible from high up in the church garden. Our host pointed out the cellular jail at Aguada and the swanky penthouses owned by Mumbai millionaires.

We then drove to Fort Aguada which was built in 1612. It had an old lighthouse and jails and thick walls on which we walked and posed for photographs. We had a fun time swinging on a gate that lead down to some haunted passages underground. We also saw a film unit shooting some scenes for a Bollywood flick.

Sinquerim Beach - was below the hill on which Fort Aguada stood. There was another smaller fort on the beach from which we could saw folks taking off on boat rides. There were facilities for surfing, waterskiiing and parasailing. The crowd was mostly honeymooners from the nearby Taj Aguada Hermitage Hotel - a bit of Indians in sarees and flabby international tourists.

Our host dropped us off at the Mapusa Muncipal Market around midday and headed home. We had lunch at the Francis Xavier restaurant which was decorated for Chrismas with figures of snowmen, Santa and Disney characters painted on large mirrors. The price was low, the food was good but the servings were real small.

We looked through the wares on sale at the Mapusa Bazar - spices, garlands of flowers, dried fish and saplings of trees. We bought some Goan sweets like Bebinca Bolinia, Ball and Dodol and pickles to take back home to Delhi. At the bus terminus we caught the bus to Candolim Beach.

Candolim Beach was relatively empty even though it was peak season basically because of the dangerous sea currents that take many lives every year. There were shacks, beach beds for suntanning and fishing boats all along the coastline. We took a closer look at the ship 'River Princess' beached on the shore before walking through the waves northward along the coast to Calangute.

Calangute Beach - was crowded with Indian tourists and stalls selling Indian snacks like bhelpuri, golgappa, falooda, naryal pani and vada paon. Hippies moved about pedalling their cameras and watches to pay for their daily dose of drugs. There were lots of shops selling funky beach jewellery and 'I love Goa' T-shirts. We watched the sun set into the sea as the sky turned a magnificent red.

Back at Mapusa we checked our email at a Sify I-way internet cafe in Corleim. We had dinner at 'Delicious' which I can say served the most delicious mouthwatering chinese food I've had for ages, that too at a very reasonable rate.

Budget Vaccation to Goa - Day 2 Expenses
Dolphin boat ride @100/person - 500
Bus Tickets - 70
Breafast/Snacks - 130
Mapusa shopping - 300
Lunch at Mapusa - 200
Dinner at Corleim - 250
Total - 1450

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.


Technorati Tags Goa India Mapusa Sinquerim Candolim Calangute
River Princess Fort Aguada

My Budget Vacation in Goa - Day 2

Cheap Travel And Rooms For Backpackers In Goa

We were woken up by the ringing of the doorbell at 7 am by our hostess who walked in carrying a tray loaded with scrumptous cakes and tea. We chatted for a while asking her for directions to Old Goa, which we had heard was popular with backpackers for the majestic churches. She told us to go to Panjim to catch a bus as there was no direct bus from Mapusa.

Panjim - situated on the other side of the Mandovi Bridge is the capital of Goa state in India. It was a mix of modern and traditional architechture. Lots of modern malls have come up selling branded shoes and jeans.

We found the right bus easily and an hour later we were backpacking in Old Goa where we huddled around a location map of the tourist attractions nearby.

St. Francis of Assisi Church - built in the early 16th century, it had wood carvings painted in gold and large paintings. There were no benches inside and lots of signs saying that 'no photography of persons were allowed'.

Bom Jesus Basalica - built in 1605, it has the remains of Saint Francis Xavier a Christan missionary whose body had miraculously not decomposed for hundred's of years. Here you get anything that you pray for - you just have to write it on a note and put it in a box.The altar had gold carvings of angels and looked stunning.

St. Catherine's Church or Se Cathedral - was a white church with slanting Christmas trees in the front garden. It was built in 1510 and is the largest church in India. It had a miraculous cross that grows in size that people were praying to.

Viceroy's Arch - an arch with a statue of Vasco Da Gama on it that lead down a tree lined lane to the Mandovi River. At the jetty, there was a ferry boat - called a gazoline that carried the locals and thier vehicles across the river. We sat on some black rocks nearby with only crabs for company and watched the barges carrying iron ore go downstream.

Adil Shah's Gate - originally there was a large palace here, but it was deserted and broken down after an epidemic and now only the gate stands. We originally thought it was an ornate device for hanging medieval convicts.

St. Cajetan's Church - built in 1640. We spent the time peering through a hole in the altar floor trying to glimse a tiny pinprick of light reflected from the dome above in the water tank below that showed the precision constuction of the building.

Gandhi Circle - was the usual statue of Mahatma Gandhi displayed on a roundabout in the middle of the road.

We had lunch of Goan Fish Curry and rice in an open air restaurant filled with folks backpacking in Goa that was run by Kashmiri refugees. Strolling through the stalls filled with the fragrance of incense we looked for some gifts we could take back for our friends. After glancing through twinkling religious articles and monkeys made of coconut shells I finally settled for a wide hat made of coconut palm leaves while my friends bought rings and shells.

The extra wine we had for lunch saw us sprawled in the shade of a large Banyan tree on the lawns of the Se Cathedral. I lay in the fuzzy grass watching the radiant blue kingfishers playing about on the branches above.

We reluctantly picked ourselves up and caught the bus back to Panjim. At Panjim, on the spur of the moment we jumped onto a bus filled with backpackers who were headed to Miramar Beach to view the sunset.

Miramar Beach, also known as Gaspar Dias Beach is situated at the point where the Mandovi River meets up with the Arabian Sea. Across the river we could see the Aguada Fort. The beach reminded me a bit of Chowpatti in Mumbai - no one was stepping into the sea. There were also lots of Indian families out for an evening walk buying chana or toys from hawkers. Brightly lit cruise boats filled with tourists dancing to Goan folk songs floated past, it was New Years Day after all.

Back at the apartment, for dinner we placed an order for Chicken Xacuti and rice with Heera Restaurant. The rates were economical and the portions were large and delicious when they were delivered.

We washed our clothes and hung them out to dry and planned the next move for our Budget Vacation to Goa Backbacking trip.

Budget Vacation to Goa - Day 2 Expenses
Bus Tickets - 190
Lunch at Old Goa - 250
Limesoda/Coconut Water/Snacks - 175
Hat and other souvenirs - 150
Takeaway Dinner - 150
Total - Rs 915

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.


Technorati Tags Goa India Budget Vacation Beaches Old Goa Churches Panjim Miramar

My Budget Vacation in Goa - Day 1

My Budget Backpacking Trip to Goa on New Year's Eve

At the height of peak backpacking season in December my friends and I took off on a budget vacation to Goa on the western coast of India. We took a train from Delhi that would reach Goa at about four pm on New Year's eve so that we would have the whole night to party. The view of the western ghats from the windows of the Mandovi Express was simply breathtaking.

Goa has hotels with prices ranging from Rs 10000 a day for luxury resorts to Rs. 50 a day for a tent, shack or cocohut. Prices are higher at hotels near popular beaches. Earlier, we had reserved an apartment near Mapusa - a town with a main bus terminus. Basically, we were just looking for a safe place to sleep at night and cheap transport to any beach in Goa. Our train was late and we reached Thivim Station just as the last bus to Mapusa had left, so we hired a prepaid taxi to take us to the Goa flat.

The backpackers apartment was homely, neat and spacious. It had running hot water, a kitchen, extra mattresses and lots of Christmas Decorations. Our host greeted us with hot soup and sandwiches telling us about the various places we could visit, transport and other facilities available. As it was New Year's Eve we thought we'ed go look for a nice place to party.

A hot bath later, we were roaming on the winding roads on the hills around Mapusa looking for a suitable backpacker joint to have dinner. We found that the only place open for miles was an Udipi Restaurant. I was real starving to care that they served only vegetarian food and no alcohol and quickly ordered lemon rice and sambhar.

Contrary to the media hype that Goa is a gigantic party zone for backpackers on New Year's Eve we soon realised that the action was resticted only to a few beaches. Most locals have a few drinks at home with their families and watch television. The roads were also empty except for the odd international tourist speeding about on hired moterbikes.

The place was quite deserted and we caught an autorickshaw back reaching the flat just as the clock struck twelve. Kids poured out on the streets to light firecrackers. We wished each other 'A happy new year' as the din of howing dogs and popping fireworks filled the air. Sinking into my bed I could'nt help but wonder what tomorrow would bring for us five backpackers.


Budget vacation in Goa - Day 1 Expenses
Train Tickets - 3Tier Non A/c - 3,453
Prepaid Taxi - Rs. 175
Dinner at Udipi Restaurant - Rs. 150
Autorickshaw - Rs. 50
Total - Rupees 3,828

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 goa india budget vacation holiday destination mapusa new year
Backpackers