Goa in a day

How can you possibly explore Goa in a day? Well we did and here are a few different things you can do too, when you have a whole day to spend in Goa.

What you can expect from this post

“This looks just like Kerala” my husband remarked, as we entered Goa, aboard the Jan Shatabdi Express. It had been an 8 hour ride from Mumbai and we were more than excited to start off our adventure.

Except that we hadn’t planned much.

We were yet to decide on our ride to and in Panaji, our place of accomodation. After much consideration with the options in hand, we decided to go for an online service called bookanywhere.in

With their proactive customer service, our booking turned out to be quick and effortless and we found a clean Suzuki Dezire parked at the railway station, when we reached.

I was happy to be in Goa again. The last trip with my gang of girls had left a certain fondness within me, for this city. The narrow roads, the muddy pastures, the colourful bikes, all reminded me of the adventures we had as college students, some eight years back.

Yet, I was also deeply saddened by the quantum of plastic waste that lay by the side of these roads. Was this the result of the winter carnival in Goa? I wondered.

Time to plan

The day had already come to a close by the time we reached our accomodation and freshened up. So we decided to try a cafe nearby and plan the next morning activities.

Goa in a day - itinerary, experience and expense — My husband and I

After spending some time there, we set off again to find a place for dinner. We settled for Chilli n Spice, since it offered authentic Goan food with a great dining experience.

Plain rice with Prawn curry in coconut milk

The kids ofcourse, found their own entertainment

In our small discussion at the Black Vanilla Cafe, we booked a small heritage tour for ourselves on soultravelling.in, an online service that offers interesting trails and local Goan experiences.

Most of us had already been to the popular tourist spots in Goa. This time, we wanted to experience something that would bring us closer to the true essence of Goa and its cultural diversity. ‘Soul Travelling’ claimed to give us that.

The Fontainhas trail experience in Goa- 8:30 am

We were requested to gather at the Panjim Post Office to meet our guide Satyajit. A young chap with a background in architecture, he led the trail, giving us an in-depth understanding of the history and culture of Goa, in the most engaging way- piquing our curiosity and encouraging our questions all along!

The first thing that was brought to our attention, as soon as we started, was the Panjim postal code. Apparently this post office shares its code (403001) with an Indian research center based in Antarctica!

Recognized as a heritage zone by UNESCO in 1984, Fontainhas definitely takes you back to the colonial times with its fluorescent coloured houses and cottages, built in Portuguese style.

Satyajit explained that what was originally a coconut plantation, was transformed into a residential area for Portuguese officials, after a plague hit Old Goa in the 1800s.

Fontainhas colony — Bright Fontainhas houses.

Fontainhas name plates — Bright Fontainhas houses.

As we walked along the trail, we found many statues on these houses. We were told that they were all related to Portuguese beliefs and traditions.

For example, soldier statues on a house meant that a family member belonged to the Portuguese army. The rooster on every house here, signified the Portuguese symbol for honesty, integrity, trust and honour, and is considered to bring about good luck.

Another common aspect in all these houses was the oyster shelled windows. In the earlier times, Portuguese Goans had the tradition of using flattened oyster-shell sheets for covering the windows of their house, to maintain privacy and still get sunlight.

After a while, we were served breakfast at a local restaurant called Anita Tea house. We tried different types of “Ondo”(Goan bread) with some vegetable side dishes.

They seemed very similar to the buns we get in Mumbai and Kerala but had their own special flavour to it.

Very near to this place is an old bakery called Confeitaria 31 de Janario which has freshly baked bread and authentic Goan sweets and savouries. We didn’t try this out but we have heard good reviews about it.

Post our breakfast, Satyajit took us to a Portuguese house. Right from the interiors to its layout, the house spoke volumes of the legacy it held. Even more heartwarming was the owner. I cannot recall his name right now but he was such a jolly person!

After this beautiful visit we walked to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church. It is a popular spot and having seen it in many Bollywood movies, it felt good to be there. Built on a hill, this church was originally made for Portuguese sailors and has a bell that is the second largest in all of Goa.

Goa in a day- Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church — Goa in a day- Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church

As we came to the end of our trail and back to the post office, Satyajit laid out some postcards for us. He wanted us to post it to our dear ones anywhere in the world! My niece promptly wrote one, for her best friend in Mumbai. The rest of us kept them as souvenirs. I thought it was a nice gesture.

We loved the “soul-travelling” experience and really appreciated the effort by the locals to keep the Goan legacy alive.

Reis Magos Fort- 11:30 am

After a brief stop for coffee we drove to a less popular fort in Goa called the Reis Magos Fort.

Originally a defense fortress for Adil Shah of Bijapur in 1493, the fort was transformed into a jail by the Portuguese and then served as an abode for freedom fighters during the 1950s, before Goa got its independence from the Portuguese rule in 1961.

The watch tower — The view from the watch tower

Dolphin spotting at Coco beach- 1:00 pm

Very close to the fort is a dolphin spotting point. There were many boat rides there and so we simply picked one and sailed off. On the way the boatman pointed out the Central Jail of Aguada, the Aguada fort, and a millionaires bungalow that was used for the Bollywood movie “Haseena Maan Jayegi”.

Did we spot the Dolphins? Just 3 glimpses. But it was nice and I was grateful that they atleast showed up.

We then drove ahead to have lunch at the nearest restaurant since it was already 2pm and the kids were hungry. Rita bar and restaurant gave us quite the pleasure with their authentic Goan dishes.We tried rava fish fry, chicken lolipop (not Goan) and their original lunch thali (meal).

Our lunch at Rita's — Our lunch at Rita’s

We had had a long day and so we decided to go back to our flat and rest for a while, before heading on to our next destination.

Miramar beach – 5:00 pm

Who can go to Goa and not enjoy its beaches? We spent the evening that day, enjoying the sunset, while the kids had their fun with sand and water. It was Steve’s first experience with the Arabian Sea and he was a little scared of the intense waves.

At 7.30 pm, we returned to our accommodation, freshened up and drove to a well reviewed place for dinner. It is called Bay 15 and is located just by the seashore.

The climate, the raw scent of the sea and the restaurant’s own ambiance added to our appetite and we enjoyed our last activity of the day with much gratitude and contentment.