Travel Goa under Budget : Day 1 (Bogmola and back to Margao)

NOTE : This post is a part of “Travel Goa under Budget” which is a travelogue providing trip advise and travel plan to keep your expenses to the minimum so that you can enjoy the beauty of Goa in a cheap and inexpensive manner but at the same time safe and memorable.

9 July 2011

Wandering in Vasco : Bogmola

It was around 6pm and I boarded a bus that would take me to Bogmola another of the mandatory place which I had to visit according to the deal.

The bus was almost fully occupied when the driver fired the ignition and the bus moved out of the terminus finding its way across the busy streets of Vasco. Soon I was confronted with a church, well churches are pretty common in Goa but this one was big enough to grab my attention. The bus climbed up a gradual slope before it entered plain sight once again and grabbed speed. Had to admit that the ride was a bit bumpy as I was sitting directly above the rear wheels.

The bus took me through Navy Children’s School and then the next stop by the look of which anyone could identify it as a Airport. This place had a name of its own and is called Dabolim. Soon the  bus plied over what appeared to me as a highway for about 10 minutes when it took a sharp turn towards the left when my head bumped with the window shutter.

And after traveling through narrow streets  I finally arrived at the beach and the first thing you can’t help noticing is the huge hotel Bogmola beach resort.

side view of Bogmola beach resort

It wasn’t crowded even on a Saturday evening .This wasn’t something I expected as it was against the views which were shown about the beaches in Goa.

Then I learnt from the local shops that this isn’t a busy beach in the off season as it was very far from the mainland.

The term “far from the mainland” is something which I couldn’t take it because it was hardly 10 km from Vasco and that is half the distance I travel to reach my college everyday back home.

On further conversation it was revealed that this beach wasn’t as popular as the beaches in North Goa and it always doesn’t attract much rush as the other beaches attract even in main season.

So if you want to spend a nice peaceful day in sun away from the madding crowd in other popular beaches of Goa this is definitely one place you could plan for.

Yeah but other thing which I noticed here was that bus service wasn’t that frequent from here.

But this beach to had a fair amount of shops were both local cuisine and other delicious foods are available to opt from. It also had fair amount of shops that sell handicrafts.

the hillock at Bogmola extending into the beach

And in case if you have noticed I haven’t had anything substantial to eat since the morning except for the homemade snack which I carried with me.

Therefore I ordered a plate of fried fishes with egg bhujia. I am not sure of the fish variety but it was very small hardly the length of the little finger and being mixed with egg it tasted really very good.

It was also inexpensive as it costed me only Rs 30. I took the plate and sat on the seashore to enjoy my meal on an already moonlit beach.

Sounded interesting to me I never had such experience in my life.

It was half past seven and I haven’t decide on my accommodation yet except the fact that I have made up my mind to hunt it in Margao.

People at the Bogmola beach

And luckily there was a train from Vasco leaving for Bangalore at I guess 8:30 pm that would be halting at margoa.

So I decided to take the railway route as it is always cheaper than the bus route. I am talking about the fare in general compartment. Therefore I had close to 45 minutes in order to catch the train.

Luckily there was a bus which was leaving for Vasco and incidentally this was the last bus that would be departing from here.

I was pretty surprised by this as I have heard that this was the state that never sleeps and the public transport closes so early.

Any ways now the thing which was creeping in my mind was about my accommodation.

The night view which the city offers after we entered Dabolim was attractive.

The Beach View

And we finally arrived at Vasco and I hurried to the Cloak room and got my luggage. Also I had to get a ticket to Margao.

But the train was delayed by more than an hour and finally it took off from the platform at 10:15 pm .

And meanwhile my mom called me and asked me whether I have found a room for myself or not.

This was a coincidence that the train also halted for signal.

And when the conversation begin I lied to her that I have found a room. My intention wasn’t to cheat her but just to convince her that I am safe. Moreover the conception which not just my mother but others had in our locality was that Goa was the most unsafe place at night .They even exaggerated to accommodate the fact that teenagers go there to spoil themselves, get addicted to drugs, drinks, alcohol and even girls.

Vasco city at night

But it is very  important to establish here that the one who had this conceptions had never ever gone anywhere near Goa and were just fantasizing on the rumors that goes around the air.

On the other hand my mother who was fully aware about me and the reason why I am in Goa had no such issues, but after all she is still a mother and although she would panic if  she knows that her son is even in the slightest of trouble.

poster of Marmugao Port trust outside the Vasco station

The train moved and halted again and this procedure would have continued for atleast another dozen times before it arrived at Margao at 12:10 am .yeah the journey took almost two hours for the distance which is covered by any express under half an hour.

Now wandering in Goa at this hour wasn’t a very interesting idea to me .

So I decided to spend the night at the Waiting room. Strangely here there was a general waiting room and to the best of my knowledge you need not have a ticket or a General ticket would do. And let me remind you that this isn’t the Sleeper class Waiting room as found in the other stations I have been to.

But to use the washroom services here you have to pay for it.

Then I deposited my travel bag at the cloak room with my valuables.

I slept at the waiting room with a backpack ,my mobile and my debit card and cash safely put in my trousers inner pocket.

And yeah then I spread my bed sheet in the space available as most of the space there was occupied by other travelers.

And then what I went off to sleep after a rather long day  covering  Doodhsagar ,Vasco, Marmugao Japanese Garden, Bogmola and back to Margao.

In case if you have noticed my next day has already begin even before my previous day ended bringing along with hopes of other interesting places and experience which Goa had to offer me.

 PS: all photos poste here are blurry because they were taken in poor light condition with my mobile camera and i hardly had any photography skills then