Goa in Monsoons

Goa. That piece of land with abundant sunshine, fresh sea breeze, gentle waves, cheaper-than-water alcohol and yes everything nice. Now picture this. Goa. The same piece of land but this time with a sun playing hide-n-seek with the clouds, light drizzles to heavy showers, sometimes a bright sunny day, roaring waves, the same old cheaper-than-water alcohol and yes everything resplendent in every possible hue of green. That my friend is Goa in Monsoons for you!

                The Europeans, desperate for some sunshine, throng Goa in the summer and winter seasons. It’s during the monsoons that Goa is much neglected. And that’s your chance to enjoy Goa as God made it – lush green grass, tall palm trees dotting every road, the fragrance of fresh wet soil, the beautiful sea made even grander by the rains and yes the more than benevolent Sun God! Take my word; this is the season to visit Goa! And as it has always happened, it didn’t rain on 2 out of the 3 days we went there. So you have the benefit of a crowdless and dearth cheap Goa but with added benefits of being closer to Nature than you ever can imagine here. Goa in monsoons transforms itself into a rare combination of Kerala and Uttarakhand. It’s sheer brilliance.

                So first you need to get your place of stay right. The North is the more popular one. The South is more on the calmer side. Never and I mean never stay at the Central Goan beaches as they are way too much in the west. So every time you need to go anywhere, you end up travelling 20kms by default.  My suggestion would be to either stick to the extreme South beaches or the extreme North beaches. Personally I feel South has not been much explored. So that’s a better place to stay as there are many places close by from there which are more than just beaches.

                Now that the location is sorted, let’s get down to business. Goa has seriously more things to offer than just the beaches. Yes beaches are important but one needs to realise that all beaches have the same water, the same sand and are pretty much the same. So what matters is you choose a cleaner, a less crowded beach. Go try the Palolem, Butterfly or the Colva beaches in South or the Candolim in the north. In monsoons, most shacks are shut and so also the water sports. So there is no point in going to Baga or Calungute or the likes as they won’t have anything more to offer in monsoons.  Butterfly beach has this nice little island and is quite a secluded beach.  Candolim is just besides Calangute but is still unadulterated. There is a permanent shack there called ‘Sunny side up’. It’s a must go for lunch. Good food coupled with a breezy table by the beach. That’s heaven!

                Try out good food places in Goa. ‘Martins’ is a very famous joint and the one very easily approachable is the one at Madgaon.  Then there are the local khaanavals which will serve you authentic Goan Konkani cuisine at really cheap prices. Try locating the one at Madgaon or any other town in Goa and you’ll be glad. The signature dishes to try are the Pork (or chicken if you don’t consume pork) Vindaloo or the Sarpotel. Fish is always welcome so try out some fresh salt water fish. When it comes to alcohol, you don’t have to go far. It sells so cheap there that it’s actually almost cheaper than water. The local feni made from cashewnuts is worth a try.

                Goa in the monsoons means the abundant greenery. Just hire bikes and roam around absorbing the greens which are such a rare species back home in the metros. Stop by temples in Phonda like Mangueshi and Shantadurga. These are pretty old temples and much revered by locals and tourists alike. The churches of Old Goa are a must visit if this is your first time. If you have the time and the patience to ride for 2-3 hours on the bikes then the Dudhsagar falls are a must visit. These majestic waterfalls right on the border of Goa and Karnataka are an awesome sight in monsoons. And then there are the wildlife sanctuaries in case you are a wildlife enthusiast. Cotigao or Dr. Salim Ali Sanctuary can be converted into a day trip. Also try out the River cruise on the Mandovi in the evening and catch the sunset on the horizon. Just ensure that you carry some spare fuel on you just in case your bike runs out of it. And mind the cops!

So all in all you won’t be left stranded on a beach. Goa gets more exciting in the monsoons and it’s upto you to explore the beauty.  Goa never disappoints. It always has something up its sleeves to charm you and make you fall in love with it all over again. I have been there around a dozen times and always want to go there again. That’s the charisma of Goa. It will bind you in a serene spell of freedom, zest and all things nice. Go Goa this Monsoon and especially in the Hindu month of Shravan as it rains relatively less. And remember – in Goa life is always sushegaat!

         Goa Tourism Site - Goa Tourism

Kolad - A white water rafting getaway.

  

In the Rapids

Think rafting and the first place to cross your mind is Rishikesh. Nestled in the Himalayas, with the mighty Ganga flowing by, Rishikesh is an ideal rafting spot. But then it’s not all that close by, is it? What if there were a place for white water rafting just a few hours’ drive from Mumbai? It might not have the same degree of rapids as Rishikesh but then at the end of the day you will have rafted, right? Enter Kolad. At a mere 135 odd km from Mumbai, Kolad is a small town close to where the Kundalika river flows. The river, aided by the water released by Tata Power Co. for its hydel power plant, is an ideal place for rafting. It’s mostly independent of the monsoon so it can be done all year round.

Rafting @ Kundalika

The rafting stretch is of about 12km and lasts for around 2.5 hours. The river has around 3-4 rapids. For first timers like me it was sheer joy with the waves crashing in on us in the rapids. The river meanders its way and there are a few calm stretches of water. Here the instructors allow you to jump into the river and let you swim. This I feel is one of the most exciting parts, after you are down with the rapids I mean. Simply floating in the river, buoyed up by the life vest that you are wearing, you hardly have to even move a leg to keep yourself afloat. You can swim, play around, dive, race, float or even try wading against the current. The instructor will then ask you to enter the raft after a while but you can always try to coax him into letting you be in there for some more time or even let you into the water at a different spot.

Rafting is surely tiring though and as you near the end most people in your raft won’t be rowing. So ensure you sit with people who are really enthusiastic else you will be left rowing the raft alone and that certainly is not an easy task. After alighting from the raft you need to carry it to the top of a small hillock with the help of your co-rafters. When you reach the top you will be greeted with piping hot vadas and pakodas with their super spicy chutni. Tea, coffee and other such stuff is also available so don’t forget to carry money on you. From there, you need to walk a little to each your vehicle. In case you have come with a driver, instruct the driver to come to this point. In case you don’t have a driver but have your vehicle, you’ll have to hitch a ride back to the starting point as that’s where your car would ideally be parked.

Our cottages @ Pooja's Farm

One session of rafting costs Rs650 on weekdays and Rs1250 on weekends. Rates may change in the monsoons. In case you are staying at one of the farm houses you need not pay the rafting guys there and can later pay the farm house guy, so no need to carry all the cash around. We stayed at Pooja’s farm and he arranged the rafting for us. I would strongly recommend Pooja’s farm for its sheer beauty and scenic surroundings. Check it here Pooja's farm. The owner, Mr. Dinesh Tawate,  is a very decent guy and will ensure your trip is sans hiccups.

Kayaking is fun!

Next day we went for water sports. This place is a little away on the road to Roha. Here the river is again pretty still and it offers not only water sports but tents by the Riviera too. That’s something to try out! You have kayaking, bumper rides, water biking, river crossing, etc. Mr. Sanap would help you with this. He can be contacted here Adventure Kolad. The same rules apply here regarding payment. Carry money if you are not staying at any of the nearby farmhouses. Else the farm house owners will guide you how to go about it. The costs per activity are different. Kayaking cost us Rs350 and the bumper rides Rs500 per head.

Tumbling on the Bumper Ride

Kolad is a good weekend getaway. You can either do a day trip by leaving very early in the morning and coming back a little exhausted or can space it out over 2 days like we did. The ideal thing is to leave Friday evening and come back Sunday night. This way you can enjoy the environment and the good food at Pooja’s farm as well. Just a word of advice – make sure you get the directions correct before proceeding. 

Directions for Pooja's farm - Google Maps