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.
10 July 2012
In and around the Capital : Day 2 (Aguada)
After five hours of sound sleep I woke up at 5:30 am to the
sight of a train that has just arrived on Platform No.1 and there was a mad
rush there .Then I regained all my senses and begin to prepare for my great day
ahead.
I folded my bed sheet and placed it in my bag and then I headed
to the wash room within the waiting hall and freshened up within 15 minutes. Since
this was the general waiting room I had to pay Rs10 for using the washroom .
Then I headed towards the cloak room and obtained my travel
bag to exchange some stuffs as I put my bed sheet , previous day dresses and
towel into the travel bag and I took my Net book and placed it in my backpack. The
net book provided a source of power to
charge my cell phone as for the major part of the trip I was using it as a
camera.
I deposited the bag in the cloak room, Ofcourse I had to pay for it for doing so.
After a brief conversation with the attendant at the cloak
room I learnt that I had to walk a little more than a kilometer to get a bus to Margao bus terminus from
where I will get a bus to Panaji and importantly I have to move out via the
rear exit.
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| My plan for today: Aguada |
The transport here was a bit inconvenient for me as compared
to Vasco as the station and bus terminus there were nearby.
Then I did as directed and took a bus that dropped me at
Margao bus terminus from where I took a shuttle service which is a point to
point bus service to Panaji and Vasco. I boarded the one to Panaji and I was
informed that it will take roughly 40 minutes to reach there.
Since I was a bit tired I dozed off immediately after
boarding the bus.
My eyes opened only after the conductor woke me up and
informed me that we have arrived at our destination, Panaji. I stepped out and
the air was cool enough to provide a refreshing effect the moment it touched
me.
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| The shop from where i drink juice and cold coffee in Panaji bus terminus |
The Bus Terminus was a bit untidy but definitely a lot
cleaner than the Bus terminus at our National Capital New Delhi.
I looked around for some food and zeroed in on to treat
myself with Cold Coffee especially when it was available at a price which I never
imagined Rs10.The name of this shop was KESARKAR MILK PARLOUR.
Then I asked the vendor on how to reach Aguada. He told me
there is hardly any direct bus there and even it is there it is infrequent.
So he advised me to take any bus going to Calangute and they
will drop me at a place that is 3 odd kilometer from Aguada.
It wasn’t a sunny day and it was only 8 in the morning and
also the cold coffee tasted great which revitalized me and was ready to walk
that 4 km.
Then I boarded a bus going to Calangute and asked me to drop
me at the place as told by the coffee shop vendor.
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| The first sight of the Lighthouse |
The moment the bus left the bus stand I was introduced to
the beauty of the city.
It felt as if I have moved from a slum to a foreign land(not
taking away anything from the decently managed Bus terminus) but I have to
admit that I was never exposed to such cleanliness and when the bus climbed up
the Mandovi bridge, the iconic bridge that connects the two parts of Panaji separated
by the Mandovi river.
The city presented a very modern and developed outlook and I
was very much impressed by the first look that the city offered me.
It had beautifully statues place in round turn, ships and
casinos on water, boats lined up and toed to the land, it was all so beautiful
and I was definitely enjoying the developed and well maintained view of the
capital.
Then the bus crossed the bridge and took a left turn and at
few kilometers ahead I could see the sign board on the popular naval unit INS Mandovi.
And later we crossed many of boats and launch which were tied to their
respective posts on land which were actually the one I saw from the Mandovi
Bridge.
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| The resort where certain sequence of the movie Haseena maan jayegi |
And the bus plied through some small towns and villages and
finally the cross roads came where I had to get down as the bus was turning
right but my destination was towards the left.
I started walking and was lucky enough to get a lift who
dropped me at another set of cross road from where I had to climb a gradually
steepy road which would lead me to the Aguada Fort.
I started walking and finally I came to know that I have
neared the location when I saw the century old light house which I have seen in
many movies especially in one of my favorite Aarya 2 starring my favorite
actress Kajal Agarwal. Also one of the song from the popular movie The Businessman
was also shot here.
Also a particular sequence of the movie Qayamat was also
shot here.
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| A Cross near the premises of Aguada fort |
There were a lot of tourists hanging around which included
many foreigners too. And there were a lot of tourist guides too who were
explaining the history of the place and pointed out at a resort and said that
it was the location where many scenes of the movie Haseena Maan Jayegi was shot.
Despite the fact that the fort is not intact you cannot
ignore that the place still is ideal not only for sightseeing but also for
holidaying.
The lighthouse was still intact and was standing tall
majestically and has its own charm that manages to attract thousands of
visitors from across the globe.
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| A Church near the fort |
But to accept the fact this feature (lighthouse) of the
entire complex is the most prominent among the others.
Though there are not many shops and one literally don’t have
much choice to choose from but eatables are available which can temporarily reduce
your hunger.
But it is always adviseable to pack your own lunches and
tiffin if you are planning for a picnic there.It is ideal to spend an evening
there partying around and having fun.
NOTE: This place is quite secluded from the mainland and
there are not much transport facility that directly leads to this place. It is
crowded only by the tourists as there are not much local residents coming here
for leisure. So it is adviseable to exercise caution so one can prevent any
mishap from happening .
As I was wandering around pleasing myself with the
delightful view, I heard a guide say something that really surprised me as this
was the only fort that remained free from invasions for over 5 century during
the Portugese rule.
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| View of the sea below |
The other fact which he revealed was something I was aware
of that this was the oldest lighthouse of its kind in Asia as it used oil lamp
for providing light.
Another interesting feature I learned about was that the
area around the fort housed a large well and a number of springs that provided
fresh drinking water to the voyagers that arrived by ship. "Agua" in
Portuguese means water, thus the fort derived its name "Aguada" to
denote a place where water is accumulated.
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| The walls of the fort |
Enough of history I guess.
I too felt so and started photographing this picturesque
location and also learnt that I could also view the Miramar Beach from here.
There was some kind of a courtyard which particularly
appeared greenish that day.
And this complex also has a prison and this happens to be
the largest in the state.
And what, having spent a couple of hours here I was once
again lucky to get a lift and managed to reach the Calangute cross roads from
where I boarded a bus back to Panaji.
And yes needless to say this was also another location which
was on the must watch place my friend had asked me to see to accomplish the
challenge of completing my entire Goa vacation under Rs 1000.
The bus entered the terminus and I straightaway walked to
them the juice shop where I have filled my stomach with cold coffee.
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| Standing Tall: the lighthouse at Aguada |
This time around I also filled my water bottle ( basically a
1 liter soft drink bottle)as I hardly purchase drinking water and manage to
fill it from public taps in railway stations, bus terminuses, public
parks, and other public places where it
is available.
My next destination was another iconic location within the
city.
Do watch this space to check it out….
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