Trip Log:
Members:
2
Start
time: 7:30 AM, Wednesday, 15th Aug, 2012
End
time: 9:00 PM, Monday, 20th Aug, 2012
Duration: 6 days, 5 nights
Total
travel: 1850+ Kms (Self-driven car, Single driver – that’s me :P)
Trip
Type: Road Trip
Total
expense: INR 22K, inclusive
of fuel, accommodation, food and everything else for two of us J (yeah it’s was budget trip
What
went great:
- Beautiful
monsoon road trip
-
Whole Goa explored including suburbs
-
Fort Reis Magos – A discovery
-
Awesome sunny weather on all days at Goa
- Binging and
Drinking everyday
- The Wife :)
Pain
points:
- Accommodation confusion on first day
- Big to-dos
Weather:
Cold, Rainy, Sunny, Windy
Vehicle:
Our car (Ford Figo Diesel)
Day 1: 15th Aug - The Start
Bangalore
-> Hassan -> Mudigere -> Karkala -> Manipal
7:30 AM: The plan
was to start at 4:00 AM. But as always…J
Start
Navigator cum cleaner cum Biwi -Start
11:00 AM: Tea halt
after Hassan (15 min)
3:00 PM: Omlette bread at Coffee corner
3:00 PM: Omlette bread at Coffee corner
4:30 PM: Kadambi
falls (on the way)
5:00 PM: Kudremukh (beautiful
but tiring western ghats driving)
7:00 PM: Manipal
Hotel checkin
Met Shanky (Parul’s
sis) and her friend at Manipal.
10:30 PM: Great
Dinner Saiba,Manipal. Good value for money. Yes, that can happen only in
college crowded areas. Try Pepper Kababs there.
Day
2: 16th Aug – Goa calling
Manipal
-> Murudeshwar -> Honavar -> Jog falls -> Honavar -> Gokarna
-> Karwar -> Palolem
10 AM: Breakfast at
The Cosmos Café, Manipal
10:30 AM: Start
12:30 PM: Honavar
2:30 PM: Jog falls, Big disappointment compared to what I expected in a monsoon season. It was Jog falls revisited after 6 years
2:30 PM: Jog falls, Big disappointment compared to what I expected in a monsoon season. It was Jog falls revisited after 6 years
Now, August 2012
Then, Aug 2006
3:00 PM: Lunch at Jog falls. Realized that we have lost significant day time
4:00 PM: Non-stop drag Honavar
7:00 PM: Karwar
Karwar Ship museum
8:30 PM: Non-stop
drag till Palolem
Confusion on accommodation
Delighted with the
beach thing…Biwi wanted to stay in a beach resort but rooms were not great.
Varun wanted to stay 2 km away in a good resort but alas…room was available
only for 1 night. Varun keeping an idea of home-stay enquired at Pande
Residency, a decent homestay but biwi wanted to just stay on beach. So, finally
we booked room at Palolem beach resort.
10:30 PM: Checked
in at Palolem Beach Resort. Great location but old room
11 PM: Dropadi
Beach Restaurant, guess it’s the best beach restaurant in palolem. I have been
there in 2006 and it’s exactly the same even now.
Dropadi Restaurant (same lighting as it was in 2006)
Bday boy 2012
12:00 AM: My b’day…Party,
party, party J
Change in Plan - 1
Biwi never visited
South Goa, so we planned for 2 days of South Goa stay. South Goa is laid back,
relaxed. So, now, biwi suggested (read as instructed) to head for south goa for
more happening life. Ok will think tomorrow.
Keeping your own
conveyance and no advance booking always helps in making flexible plans. Thank
God, my woman understands this. J
Day
3: 17th Aug – South to
North Goa
Palolem
-> Panajim -> Baga
10:30 AM: Check out
11:00 AM: Palolem Beach walk
11:00 AM: Breakfast at Seagull, Palolem. Very Good breakfast.
12:30 PM: Started for North with a very slow pace. The day is relaxed!
Beautiful Palolem beach
11:00 AM: Breakfast at Seagull, Palolem. Very Good breakfast.
@Seagull restaurant, Palolem
12:30 PM: Started for North with a very slow pace. The day is relaxed!
Took the halt at
several scenic place on the route.
Backwaters on the way
Rather taking the main-highway, we opted for the beach road (figured out the road in our GPS). The road is scening, well laid with no traffic at all however it’s narrow. This alternative path could be taken if you want to check various beaches of Goa.
2:30 PM: Panajim.
Parking issue, circumventing the roads.
3:30 PM: Reached
Café Ritz but closed for lunch L
Located Café Ritz
as the best place for Goa food. But as always we were late and it got closed for
lunch just 10 min back. :P
3:45 PM: Reached
‘The Upper House’ while searching for Shere-e-Punjab. Hehe. A lovely place.
Biwi is happy! Must go restaurant in Panaji.
The upper house restaurant, Panaji
5:00 PM: Visited ‘Church
of our Lady of Immaculate Conception’ at Panaji
6:30 PM: Baga
beach. Checked in at May Flower resort, Baga. Good resort with bad hospitality
and untrained staff. Rest time!
AC working (not working)
Room’s AC was on
power but not cooling. Complained. Reply received – ‘sir, voltage fluctuation
in the area. Can’t help.’ I gave up after lot of argument. Who would like to
waste time and energy when party outside is waiting!
10:00 PM: Baga
beach walk. Plan was to go Brittos via beach. Sudden rain-shower so thought of
being at Teetos lane.
Teetos and Mambos...None
Yeah I know about
these places…but heavy entry fee for clubbing…Sorry… I have not been programmed
like that. You must charge for food, drinks but an entry fee like a zoo? Ahem.
Teetos had
unlimited drinks on offer. But unlimited drinks offer have never been great with
me. Crowd was more than expected there. So, left the idea.
Went to Kamaki and had a great time till late night.
Day
4: 18th Aug – A Relaxed
day in North Goa
Baga Beach -> Aguada Fort -> Reis Magos Fort
-> Vagator beach stay
10:00 AM: Hotel check-out
11:00 AM: Brunch @Brittos.
A lovely place at Baga. Must go.
Brittos
Show outside Brittos on the beach
1:00 PM: Started
for Auada fort, amazing weather.
Took the alternate route, just parallel to beaches
Took the alternate route, just parallel to beaches
2:00 PM: Aguada
fort. Lots of photography session including model photography ;P
@Aguada fort
3:15 PM: Banyan
tree on the way
3:30 PM: Aguada
jail. Thought that’s some kind of historic place but oops that’s a real
jail…U-turn :D
4:30 PM: Three
kings church.
5:00 PM: Fort Reis
Magos. One of the well-kept fort, I have ever seen. Recently restored. The art
gallery was awesome. Wished I would have had more time and biwi wouldn’t have
had crying for hunger…as always. Grrr…
@Fort Reis Magos
Fort Reis Magos inside
Alone but Strong!
7:00 PM: Checked in
at Asterix hostel, Vagator (extreme North Goa). Rest!
Not very good experience at Asterix
It was reviewed as
#1 hostel in goa on tripadvisor and we booked it only to experience the hostel.
Met Amber who was great at hospitality. Hostel looked amazing and we were
happy. But oops… the room he showed was not in the hostel premises. He booked
us a room which was half km away from hostel in another lane. As per my
understanding, they have taken this another house on rent, which is no way near
to their existing hostel. The room was AC, clean and decent. But there was
nothing else in premises. Amber mentioned that we could use main hostel
amenities but a disappointed mind consoled - it’s not worth to give it a walk
now.
We booked Asterix
for getting hostel experience. Room in another facility not at all matching to the
existing facility should be told while booking.
Guess what…we
quickly cut short our plan to stay at Asterix from 2 days to just 1 night.
11:30: Started for Brittos.
Late night!
12:15 AM: Oops…Brittos
closed. Head to Teetos lane. Traffic jam
1:30 AM: Saying No to
Mambos and Teetos…went to Valencio’s…lot of hustle bustle but still with ample
open space and yes we got a silent corner to relax. And yes we got a waiter who
delighted us with his amazing hospitality.
Party, party, party till
4 AM!!
@Valencios, Baga
Chhar baj gaye lekin party abi baaki hai
Change in Plan - 2
Our earlier plan was to
leave Bangalore on 20th but realizing our laziness, biwi and I
decided to start for Bangalore tomorrow itself with a relaxed mood. Also we
were done with beaches and parties. Wanted to go back home now. Yeah Bangalore
home is also a party place. ;)
Day 4: 19th Aug: Meeting Kirti and yet one more day at Goa!
Vagator Beach -> Candolim beach -> Palolem (stay)
11:30 AM: Check out of
Asterix.
12:30 PM: Sunnysideup
Restaurant at Candolim beach. Met ‘married’ Kirti ;) and her hubby
Kirti and Gaurav
2:30 PM: Café Coffee day
3:00 PM: Bid good bye to
Kirti and left from Candolim. Already realized we have again lost significant
day light to drive. We planned to reach Hubli at least.
6:00 PM: Reached till
Palolem
Change in Plan - 3
Hubli was still 3-4
hours drive. So thought of taking halt at Palolem beach itself. Reason: Still
in Goa, beach still there, party still possible, easily available
accommodation.
Lot of research for
accommodation this time. Finally zeroes upon Pentacon resort. One of the best
place to stay at Palolem (after 7-star Lalit resorts) but yes it’s not exactly
on the beach. But no problem…we were already were done with beaches.
Hospitality, Services,
Snacks, Dinner…everything was good. Confortable stay.
And yes, logically we
ultimately spent 2 evenings at Palolem. As per plan
11:00 PM: Good night for
a long drive tomorrow
Day 5: 20th August – Bangalore calling
Palolem -> Karwar -> Ankola -> Hubli ->
Davanagare -> Chitradurga -> Tumkur -> Neelamangala -> Bangalore (home..sweet
home)
8:00 AM: Breakfast
and Checked out
9:00 AM: Dragging till Ankola
11:00 AM: Non-stop
drag Drag Hubli. Very good single track road.
1:00 PM: Non stop drag till Haveri/Ranebennur
1:00 PM: Non stop drag till Haveri/Ranebennur
An amazing view of
the Wind mills. Took left in a village for better Wind mill view and
photography.
GPS failed
Observing the road
map…the plan was to take a small route in village and en-route hit the highway
(NH-4) again. Alas..no network inside village. Lot of wrong paths, village
streets taken. Took us almost 1.5 hrs to come out. Probably we could have taken
U-turn. Still, must say - experience of wind mills farms was worthwhile.
2:30 PM: Back on
NH-4.
3:00 PM: Non-stop
drag till Davanagare
Benne Dosa
During trip
planning, we found very good reviews about Benne Dosa of Davanagare. Entered in
the city to reach famous - Kottureshwara Benne dosa. Oopps dosa not available. Will
reopen by 3:30 PM. Disappointed.
Hungry. Started
back. Way back saw another Benne dosa shop. May not be famous but still it said
‘something’ and Benne dosa on board. Yeye!
Great dosa. Biwi
said just ok for dosa. Promised to make better dosa that that on weekend.
(which she failed to make better while I am writing this blog…he he)
4:30 PM:
Chitradurga. Small break here and there for photography. Traffic
6:00 PM: Drag till Tumkur.
Heavy traffic now
7:00 PM:
Neelamagala. Very heavy traffic
7:30 PM: Nice road.
9:00 PM: Home sweet
home!
PS: Thanks Team-bhp, tripadvisor, off course Google Maps and last but not the least, my navigator cum cleaner - Parul (biwi) for planning this road trip. :)
PS: Thanks Team-bhp, tripadvisor, off course Google Maps and last but not the least, my navigator cum cleaner - Parul (biwi) for planning this road trip. :)
