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