[Sawyer]

We left the Mayekar home at Malvan early on day 5, via Dhamapur lake, which did not impress. Turned right on to NH 17, heading south into Goa.
A teaser - where is the menu from?!

[Sawyer]

Before the Goa details, here is stab of a panorama of Chivala. I realized that with changing wave formations, it is not a suitable subject for a panorama but even so, I still have lots to learn about how to get this right!

[laluks]

Sawyer, good pics and a nice trip.
Just heard from the news its raining cats and dogs in Goa. Hope the rains did not spoil your fun!

[StarVegabond]

Hey Sawyer

this part of the world is my personal favourite as it reminds me of my very first long (10 days) driving holiday of 10 days way back in Dec 2004

at that time i did not had a still camera, but only SONY Digital CamCoder
i have in all 6-7 mini DV cassets full of videos .

keep the photo's coming, I will watch my video's once again coming week end.

[Sawyer]

We were lucky with the rains and the weather. Konkan was pretty ok, not as humid as I had expected, and not as humid - though sunny - as Goa was. It started raining in Goa only on our last night there, and the cloud cover actually made for a much more pleasant drive yesterday from Goa all the way to Pune, with no sign of the sun all day.

[naren_gs1]

Good to hear that you had a nice trip. Few quick points:
- Direct to Malvan should not be difficult drive from Pune. Its around 400 kms and only issues are 1) Crossing Kolhapur city and the ghat to a certain extent
- NH17 (like any other two labe NH) is not great fun to drvie on. There is good amount of traffic everywhere.
- Solkdhi is is really simple pure drink!
- Did you not try snorkelling while in Malvan? Dolphins?

Rgds

[neofromcapone]

DAy 5....We left the Mayekar home at Malvan early on day 5, via Dhamapur lake, which did not impress. Turned right on to NH 17, heading south into Goa.
A teaser - where is the menu from?

This is Lila's Beach Cafe Lila Cafe Goa - The Best Restaurant & Cafe in Goa : About Us. ahh memories

[Mpower]

Nice. How does the Gypsy do on the highways. Can be quite a jumping jack at high speeds.

[NullRock]

aaah just breath taking pictures. This is what makes me to come back to India.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

DAy 5....We left the Mayekar home at Malvan early on day 5, via Dhamapur lake, which did not impress. Turned right on to NH 17, heading south into Goa.
A teaser - where is the menu from?

This is Lila's Beach Cafe Lila Cafe Goa - The Best Restaurant & Cafe in Goa : About Us. ahh memories

Right, and it remains the best and was our first pit stop directly after reaching Baga! We were staying at the Alidia cottages, about a kilometer away from Lilas, on the Baga strip, and as soon as we had checked in there and unloaded the car, that is where we went to kick off the great Goan food and drink festival!
Having seen the beach scene numerous times, this time around the plan for four days in Goa was to explore all the fine dining places there. Expensive, but when does one splurge if not on a holiday?! And staying with Lidia compensated, the cottages are excellent value for money and a haven of peace just a short remove from the hustle and bustle of Baga, which seems to be ground zero of all the tourist activity in Goa these days.
Here is look at a part of the cottage complex from the balcony of our room:

[Ramsagar]

wow a nice travelogue. How abt the mileage you achieved during the whole run.

[Prithvi]

Fantastic, I envy you for taking this trip. When did you pick up a Gypsy. What happened to the Pajero. Am sure the trip would have been more comfortable in it.

[Sawyer]

Having travelled to Goa as often as I have, I did not see much there that I felt like shooting, so there are no pictures to speak of from our time at Baga. Later of course, we were in Wildernest where the camera was busy again, but Baga was all about food, and this time around I was able to find the best of eating in a small area around the hotel, with a lunch visit to Panjim to the Ritz Classic.
On the first morning, Lila was more brunch than breakfast. I had heard about the place, but never visited it, so it was a pleasant surprise. Expectations exceeded always are, and they were so throughout this trip, barring a few minor exceptions. Lila is great eating for all tastes, and for all meals except dinner, because they close by the evening. The cafe is airy, clean, laid back, and has a menu that is German/European styled with satisfyingly large portions. Even something as simple as mozarella tomato was well presented and very easy on the tongue! Washed down with beer, a great start to the Goa leg of the trip. One can sit there all day, as observant as a grandfather clock measuring out every second with reflection....
With that done we wandered down to St Anthony's, next to Brittos, and both these establishments were the two lowlights of the trip. The fish at Anthony's was underdone and the replacement prawns were just tolerable. And cashew feni was out of stock....in a beach shack in Goa, that is a mortal sin! The waiter did run around and procure me some after a time, but the food put us off and we drifted to Brittos after a while of seeing the backs of people on deck chairs by the overly crowded beach, to check out their fabled desserts. Again, the taste was, to my palate, nowhere as good as the appearance of the chocolate pie I selected.
We had some travellers needs to fulfil and that took us to Newtons, the superstore by local standards on the left, towards Candolim, moving on towards Aguada. As soon as one enters there it feels like being in England - the ambience, the store shelves and the shoppers. Not sure I like it, but the airconditioning works well, the shelves have all one could need that is mass produced and the service is unobtrusive. Including some value for money cigars that I smoke only on holidays, that I wish I had bought more of! On second thoughts, I would have then smoked them at home, so that is actually a good thing, that I bought just a pack of 5.
All that done, we meandered back to the cottage to sleep off the heat - Goa was still as humid as its wont in October. I had hoped that this would not be still the case, and the Konkan weather earlier encountered encouraged that hope, but the sapping humidity in Goa was a drag. It forced me to cut down the Baga stay to three days and head into the hills a day early - but more of that later.
In the evening we strolled across the creek via the new bridge, crossed it and directly ahead was our dinner venue - le poisson rouge. Run by a French expat, this offers french style cooking, using fresh local produce and a touch of local spices to give a great dining experience. The meal for two with drinks and dessert was close to Rs 2000 for two, but a similar meal in France would run to many times that amount, and even one in Mumbai would be more than Rs 5000. Perfect first day in Goa, down to the walk back under a fullish moon. Except for having to peel off one's shirt in the room afterward because it was drenched with sweat!

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Prithvi

Fantastic, I envy you for taking this trip. When did you pick up a Gypsy. What happened to the Pajero. Am sure the trip would have been more comfortable in it.

Prithvi, the Pajero would be more comfortable, but the Gypsy allows for the feel and the smell of the places one is driving through. That's why the Gypsy has replaced the Pajero. It is also a smaller car, more suited for two peoples needs.

[Sawyer]

Before going further, here is another picture of something that is totally wacky and out of place - any guesses for where its at?!