Recapping my Jan-2014 trip to Goa Started From: Hyderabad, AP Destination: Goa Transport: Pvt. Bus (Rs. 1200 one way) Journey Time: 14 hours. Our Gang: 5 guys Lodging: Kieran Park, Booked a 2 BHK Appartment near Calangute Beach for 4 days. Cost 4k per day. So a trip to Goa was always on the cards but due to conflicting work schedules our small gang of friends from School could never put one together. However with the imminent announcement of falling of one of our comrades from the ranks of Bachelorhood, we were sprung into a "now or never: Goa or bust" mode !! The dates were set towards Jan end, College placements would be over - holidays taken from work & livers rested after the New Years. After a somewhat unpleasant Bus journey from Hyderabad, we reach at Panjim. Local transportation is expensive mind you and also unavoidable at the moment you arrive. Taking an Auto upto Calangute (Rs. 450) we arrive at our vacation abode. ## We avoided booking a hotel since our numbers could not be finalized until the last moment, so instead we went for a proper fully furnished apartment in in the middle of Calangute itself. 4k for a day got a 2BHK flat with all amenities (including a working Kitchen + Washing Machine) .. this allowed for lot more relaxed atmosphere since you wouldn't have to worry about Hotel staff & rules etc & essentially cheaper as well. Once you get the keys to the flat we were on our own for the next 3 days "Room Service" was available by way of a local eatery which would deliver breakfast within 15 mins and a person would come in every morning to clean the place up. So all in all no luxuries were missed. Arriving on a Thursday let us beat the weekend rush and get good bookings too. Now the next step for once you step out is to book some vehicles. The options included an Open Jeep, Bajaj Avengers, Yamaha FZ16 & the good 'ol Activa. Between the 5 of us we picked up 3 Activa scooters because traversing Goa tourist traffic is a pain & parking a 4 wheeler would be tough. One very important tip would be bargain like crazy but also make sure that once you get your vehicle - You do some basic checks primarily 1. Making sure all gauges work 2. The suspension is good for two persons. 3. The headlights & turn signals all work fine. Ignoring #1 & #2 was something we regretted a lot. And travelling down bumpy side roads tortured the spine. Now onto Business !! Now this being my first time to Goa & the east coast - I had 3 priorities 1. Cheap Alcohol. 2. Amazing Continental Food (Lasagna) + Sea Food + Steaks Steak Steaks !!. 3. Relaxing on beautiful Beaches. The itinerary of the entire trip involved just cycling through the above. 1. Cheap Alcohol - Oh my word !! (Let me recuperate from the memories and I shall write down some more) 2. Food - First & foremost a shoutout to Brittos on Baga Beach for the awesome food we had and kept going back for more. 3. North for parties, South to Relax - Middle for the food + crowds. <Work in Progress>
aah .. was about to visit the place in jan too .. trip got cancelled as my friends had their exams rescheduled ...
