GO GOA :

Goa as seen in Bollywood films is a paradise for the Romantics or the ones who dream more of Romance.I too was one who also dreamt of visiting the beaches, Nightclubs and dancebars to see if it is in reality or it is in one's imagination. I wanted to see it for myself. May be I thought I will have plenty of attractive women in the Beaches who are willing to explore Love and Romance near the beaches! I always had plenty of Romance with strangers especially on the beaches in my dreams.

So, there I was! On September 10th 2005, I thought to visit Goa through Bombay as I wanted to witness the Ganpati Feastival in Mumbai and Goa. So,I took the day flight from NewDelhi at 1300hrs to reach Mumbai at 1500hrs. After visiting Mumbai on a Cab that gave me a quick look at the Ganpati Festival pandals there, I went to check, if I could get a train Ticket to Goa as I wanted to see the picturesqe beauty of Konkan Railway that connects Mumbai to Goa. Luckily, there was a Ganpati Special Train for the festival season then.I took the train at 1a.m. and reached in Madgaon next day at around noon. The sight  was really beautiful. After  that I checked in to a Youth Hostel at Miramar, in Panjim which has its boundry walls and on one  side it nearly touches the rough sea.The sea-current is very strong there.The scenery on the way was very beautiful. The backwaters, the greeneries, the sorroundings  were just very romantic.It was raining a little, when I reached Goa.The weather was otherwise quite pleasant.The Miramar road was very beautiful with flowering trees on both of its sides.There were some good hotels nearby, including the Marriot. During my four days of stay there , I visited almost all the beaches. Went to all  markets.  The wine and alcohol there is very cheap and of  high quality. So, I enjoyed a good amount of it alongwith Fish which Goans cook very deliciously. It is spicy, with less of chillies in it. So, it's very tasty. The meals at Madgaon Railway Station by a Caterer is very sumptuous and delicious at a very reasonable price(It was Rs. 30/- , with Rice, Fish fry,Fish curry, Puris and 4 other subjis). If you are a foodie, you must try your meals here.The place around Dona Paula, is also quite beautiful. You can see a number of Cargo Ships from the Cliff of a monument there. It's quite picturesque'. Calangute is another place with a sea beach with good shopping avenues. You find leading designers there with their Boutiques.The beach is quite beautiful with foreigners around. If you are there by around noon , you can have a bath in the sea. It feels good , with some bikini beauties around.They are very open. If you are decent enough , you can strike a conversation with any of the bikini clad beauties. May be, you can end up with an affair to remenber..., if you are pleasing. I did not go that far, although I made some female friends.They were very nice. I had some bottles of beer with them on the beach ( There are some huts there,  who provide beer and wine. You can change your dress there, if you want to have a bath ). My evenings were spent around Goa, visiting Ganesh pandals there. The festive spirit is  quite high there as with the Mumbaikars in Mumbai.Cultural festivities accompanied wherever there were pooja pandals.A good number of children played and enjoyed rides and food there alongwith their families.The people were very receptive.

Goa, is very beautiful with greeneries, waterfronts. It's less crowded, has  decent localities with people very accomodating and helpful.Overall , it's a very nice place to visit. But to think of it as a haven for Romance with raunchy girls is not true.One must avoid roadside bars which provide cheap liquor and it could be risky.

Overall, an enjoyable trip.