[kutlee]

thanks Zappo. That's helpful. Do these essar and other pumps have 91 octane fuels?
I thought of enlarging my fuel tank on long trips because i doubted good 91 octanes on long trips. i am planning to leave may 1st week.
Did you do the river crossing??
Is you Indica a petrol or Diesel?

[Zappo]

I am not very sure on the availability of higher octane fuel in the pumps of smaller towns. But then again, is not 91 octane fuel now the norm? I thought with the BS-III norms all the fuel pumps now also make available 91 octane fuel. Or is it that they still sell 87 octane?

We took a Turbo Indica, that is a diesel car. And it can pull long distances over a tankful. How many kms will your car cover in a tankful? If it can cover 400kms then you will reach Bijapur. If you take the Maharashtra route you will reach Solapur before Bijapur. I think you should get decent quality fuel in Solapur as well.

[vnabhi]

Wow, Zappo, that was one helluva trip! Zipping at 160 on an Indica is something that may go down in the annals of history !

Can you enlighten me on this 'K&N filter'? I've read a lot of threads about it, but not enough to know whether it applies only to diesel cars. How much does it cost?

[Zappo]

Hmmm... Its going to be mighty OT. But this once let it be.

Actually the 68bhp Turbo Indica is a very capable car. Anyhow a well run-in engine can touch 140 without missing a beat. We did that umpteen number of times. And when you have enough road it also touches 150.

However the K&N filter actually made it go on and on. So much so that our tires gave up but the car was still eager to go higher. The K&N filter is made out of a different material (as opposed to the standard paper filter) and hence the car breathes more freely. And as we know a free breathing engine obviously means a better performing one as well.

In fact as opposed to being only for diesel its known to be the other way round. Everyone puts it on a Petrol engined car. For long I asked people but never got a very satisfactory response on whether a diesel engine with its typical traits, so different from a petrol engine, also benefits as much as a petrol engine does. However I never got a very satisfactory response. So this time around when we put the filter in a Turbo Indica (diesel) it was a revelation. At the lower end the difference is not very palpable. Except for a whooshing sound. However its on highways where you get to gun the car you realize the difference as well. The top whack definitely goes up. So does the briskness. The speedo climbs a little faster than usual.

[vnabhi]

Thanks for the info, Zappo. How much does the K&N filter cost? Looks like I may go for it after my extended warranty lapses.

[mobike008]

Deb, amazing to see that you finally got some time to post the remaining of the travelogue, amazing trip i must say and the pictures came out good. especially the Goa fury ones, almost professional.

I was digging into Prawns Masala Fry and Fish's galore all through my trip last month, squids, mussels, crabs are something i haven't ever eaten yet

[Zappo]

Thanks for the compliments avi. Goa has many colors, and many lesser explored sides. It was an issue to search the albums to get the few that could be posted.

And of course Goa is foodies paradise. Its exotic and its fun. The variety is something that has to be tried to believe. Even the quaint shacks on lesser beaches turn up fare thats truly amazing at times.

[vnabhi]

Hi guys,
I have never so far visited Goa, and am planning a trip with family by road sometime in August or October. I plan to go via Gulbarga-Belgaum-Sawantwadi, breaking journey at Belgaum so that we don't miss the scenes on the Amboli stretch. On the return, I may return via Karwar-Yellapur-Hubli-Raichur, or even the same way I had gone, but in a single day.
So my questions to you veterans are:-
1. Which will be a better time--Aug or Oct?
2. Would a week suffice for the trip, including journey time?
3. What beaches should I cover, assuming I get to spend 4 full days there?
4. Do hotels have car parking, and how much price should I estimate?
5. Are there places other than beaches in Goa worth visiting?

Thanks,

[Spitfire]

Nice travelogue, i always like to read what my fellow countrymen have to say about my home state.

The Palolem you see today is very different from what it was before. 10 years back when i was studying in a college in Margao, we used to bunk classes and ride all the way here. Very less tourists and a much prettier beach.

Palolem is slowly dying the death most of the goan beaches have today.

Only during the monsoons when the beach chairs and the shacks are closed when there are less people around it brings back the memories of the days gone by.

In post #84 pics 3 and 4 where you see the shacks or hotels on the rocks, they were not there before if was clear. How awfully ugly it looks now with the plastic covered shack. There is one huge rock there where we used to sit on its tip and laugh and chat to glory.

Hope you got to go to Cabo De Rama there is a fort there and its one of the last surviving beaches in Goa where you can see how really beautiful these beaches once were.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

So my questions to you veterans are:-
1. Which will be a better time--Aug or Oct?
2. Would a week suffice for the trip, including journey time?
3. What beaches should I cover, assuming I get to spend 4 full days there?
4. Do hotels have car parking, and how much price should I estimate?
5. Are there places other than beaches in Goa worth visiting?

Thanks,

Ummm... Fag end of the rainy season? Well. You can go during the time. However I think a better time will be November, early winter. Those wintery evenings on the beaches of goa are something else altogether.

I think a week is a pretty decent time to have in hand. 4 days in Goa, specially if it is your first time is definitely suggested.

Now which beaches and how much should be the hotel charges can be clubbed together. First of all you tell me the budget. Depending on the budget there can be some really good hotels that you can pick from. Most good hotels will have parking. ICG for one has a fab parking lot (North, where I stayed the last time). The rates for the South Goa hotels are normally very different from that of the North Goa hotels. However the type of beaches and the ones you can cover will vary depending on the place you decide to put up.

If you ask me, I would say for a first timer North Goa is a better bet. You get to cover a lot many beaches, more urban milieu, the Arpora night bazaar, Forts, The Velha Goa churches, Nature tourism, Adventure sports, hogging on exotic food (if you are a non-veg foodie like me even more so) and even some shopping on the night before you leave, all these and more can be done if you are in the North. From the south it is a little more of a drive to do many of these things. South goa is for those who have been to goa several times and are not exactly looking for what the regular tourists do. This time I stayed put in the south. And I loved it.

Lastly, I would say where you should stop overnight while heading for Goa is dependant on when you start from here. Normally I always start on a weekday (mostly fridays, but also thursday) around 3pm, after half a day in office (I pack my bags into the boot in the morning and go to office). So I need to stopover for the night. If on the other hand you start early, say at 5am in the morning you may even think of covering the distance in one go. I do that always in the return journey. Normally I reach home by 8.30-9pm if I start by 5am from North goa. Again that is dependant on your driving speed.

Lastly, if you plan to stay somewhere I think Bijapur is a far better option than Belgaum as its about mid-way and also very pocket friendly to stay there. The next morning you can start by 7 from Bijapur and reach Goa by 3pm enjoying all the scenary on the way.
By the way I am not entirely sure about the Hubli route as in between you encounter huge mela of trucks coming out of the mines and then of course the tractors as well. Roads in-between are also a bit of a suspect as I understand it.

@spitfire: Goa is beautiful, period. And its also amazingly exhilerating. For foodies like me its a double bonanza of course. By the way inspite of all that crap commercialization that mar the approach to the beaches and also to an extent their beauty I still found Palolem beautiful. And Agonda is of course still very much an isolated non-discovered beach till this day. Most other well known and tom-tommed ones like Baga, Calangute, Miramar have of course turned into fish-markets.

[vnabhi]

Zappo, thanks for your instantaneous response. I plan to start early morning, but in reality, with kids, this might work out to 7 am, even though I plan for 5 am.

This being so, I thought Belgaum would be better to break journey at, after around 10 to 12 hours of driving. Bijapur comes too early--around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. But are you sure the hotels there are more pocket-friendly? How much would I have to shell out for an overnight stay? I don't wanna spend too much on hotels en route.
Even at Goa, a budget hotel with car parking is all I need. I am more interested in moving around and enjoying the exotic beaches. It need not be Air conditioned, but a TV would be nice to have.
Looks like I'll stick to North Goa this time. I may even avoid the Yellapur route, going by your advice reg heavy truck traffic. Do you suggest I return via the Londa route--the one you took in your April, 2008 trip? Is that shorter than the Sawantwadi route?
Sorry for bugging you with so many questions! But I know you are a seasoned traveller to Goa.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Zappo, thanks for your instantaneous response. I plan to start early morning, but in reality, with kids, this might work out to 7 am, even though I plan for 5 am.

Do you suggest I return via the Londa route--the one you took in your April, 2008 trip? Is that shorter than the Sawantwadi route?
Sorry for bugging you with so many questions! But I know you are a seasoned traveller to Goa.

Venu, nice to see your planning a trip to Goa. Even i try my best to visit goa twice a year and once already happened this year in Feb, already planned for the second visit during independence day holiday.

August would still be quite rainy and if you don't mind a wet drive and also don't mind spending much time at the beach ( due to the rains) then you can visit in August. Goa is extremely pretty in rainy season and green to the core. However, i would advise you october month as it will be more fun then.

I always take this route as i found this road to be mostly good. Hyd-Sholapur-Pandarpur-Kolapur-Satwandi-Panjim : 775km

If you start at 7am-8am you can think of taking a stop at Kolaphur which is 550kms from Hyd and get up at 5am and reach Goa by around 9-10am.

I too recommend staying at North Goa so you can have best of both world, some silent beaches and amazing nightlife. If your there on wednesday, don't miss the flea market at anjuna and you can easily cover 2-3 beaches in south in a day like Palolem, Benaulim, Colva and also mid-way take a detour and go to old goa and visit the famous Fracises xavier church and you can cover this in a single day if you start at 9am from North. This may not happen if you decide for palolem as its the furthest in the south.

Distances typically range between 10kms to 55kms between beaches and between North and South Goa ranges between 50kms-70kms

I can recommend Hotel Osbourne in North Goa which is about 1.5km from the beach and is decent hotel with 3 swimming pools ( 1 for each building), AC, in-house restuarants etc. I paid 1.5K/night during Feb, so during off-season in Aug it may be even cheaper. Oct it may be same rate. PM me if you need this hotel's number.

I love Goa so much, somebody discussing a holiday there reminds me that even i should be making plans to go again. I reckon i should stay away from Goa threads

[theodore_ftw]

I can recommend a good place to stay in South Goa by the name of Jack's Place. This place is located behind Haathi Mahal. Its basically a house (bungalow with 6 rooms) + garden restaurant and he lets out the rooms (with AC and attached bathroom) on a daily basis to guests. He basically runs the dolphin seeing / fishing trips from this place. Very reasonable in terms of pricing and location. He charges approx 1000/1100 inclusive of breakfast and is located about 5 mins walking from South Goa beaches.

[theodore_ftw]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I love Goa so much, somebody discussing a holiday there reminds me that even i should be making plans to go again. I reckon i should stay away from Goa threads

Wanna plan out 15th August to Goa? Lemme know! Driving with family and we can take turns driving so wont be too stressful!

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Venu, nice to see your planning a trip to Goa. Even i try my best to visit goa twice a year and once already happened this year in Feb, already planned for the second visit during independence day holiday.

August would still be quite rainy and if you don't mind a wet drive and also don't mind spending much time at the beach ( due to the rains) then you can visit in August. Goa is extremely pretty in rainy season and green to the core. However, i would advise you october month as it will be more fun then.

I always take this route as i found this road to be mostly good. Hyd-Sholapur-Pandarpur-Kolapur-Satwandi-Panjim : 775km

If you start at 7am-8am you can think of taking a stop at Kolaphur which is 550kms from Hyd and get up at 5am and reach Goa by around 9-10am.

I too recommend staying at North Goa so you can have best of both world, some silent beaches and amazing nightlife. If your there on wednesday, don't miss the flea market at anjuna and you can easily cover 2-3 beaches in south in a day like Palolem, Benaulim, Colva and also mid-way take a detour and go to old goa and visit the famous Fracises xavier church and you can cover this in a single day if you start at 9am from North. This may not happen if you decide for palolem as its the furthest in the south.

Distances typically range between 10kms to 55kms between beaches and between North and South Goa ranges between 50kms-70kms

I can recommend Hotel Osbourne in North Goa which is about 1.5km from the beach and is decent hotel with 3 swimming pools ( 1 for each building), AC, in-house restuarants etc. I paid 1.5K/night during Feb, so during off-season in Aug it may be even cheaper. Oct it may be same rate. PM me if you need this hotel's number.

I love Goa so much, somebody discussing a holiday there reminds me that even i should be making plans to go again. I reckon i should stay away from Goa threads

Thanks Avi. Looks like I may defer my trip to Sep last week, as my daughter's holidays start on Sep 27th. Now I gotta see my son's schedule, and I can't till 24th, when his college reopens.