[ampere]

The route map that you posted, sums up every thing that you want to achieve!
Congrats.

[arindamray]

Hope with the broadband connection at your disposal we will get ample doses.

[sanjayc]

SS Da..awesome!

So, the Orissa highways are still at the same stage, even after 5+ months when I crossed last in Jan'10.

Keep those gorgeous pictures pouring in.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by akp

Welcome back, SS.

Lovely photographs, looking forward to more.

When did you reach back?

Thanks, akp. Got home at 3:45 AM today (though we were at Agra by 11 PM, after which we were held up by one traffic jam after another - the worst being at Badarpur border).

Originally Posted by v&v

Doc,
welcome back. this calls for an impromptu meet.

cheers
vinod

Thanks, Vinod. Let's meet over the next week, any evening - tied up tomorrow.

Originally Posted by ampere

The route map that you posted, sums up every thing that you want to achieve!
Congrats.

Thanks, ampere.

Originally Posted by arindamray

Hope with the broadband connection at your disposal we will get ample doses.

Oh yes!

Originally Posted by sanjayc

SS Da..awesome!

So, the Orissa highways are still at the same stage, even after 5+ months when I crossed last in Jan'10.

Keep those gorgeous pictures pouring in.

Thanks, Sanjay.

Worse than in Jan., I'm sure. The rain made sure of that. Ichchhapuram was an absolute mess, and needed 4WD to let me go off-road and escape a part of the jam. I'm sure I'd have needed at least a couple of hours more to get past that area in a sedan/hatch.

Originally Posted by vkochar

Looking forward to more pics SS !! What mileage ?

Oh yes - the numbers! Here goes...

Days of travel: 23 days.
Departure: 3 June 2010, 7:30 PM.
Arrival: 26 June 2010, 3:45 AM.

Distance travelled: 7373.7 km.
Total diesel consumption: 641.09 litres (Fuel grade: Normal).
Total cost of diesel: 24763.32 INR.
Overall mileage: 11.50 km/litre. (100% AC usage)
Best mileage: 13.51 km/l (full tank at Tirumala Super Service Stn., Bangalore, followed by full tank at Reliance Nayudupeta (401.4 km on 29.71 litres).
Worst mileage: Kolkata city running - 9.94 km/l. (263.1 km on 26.46 litres. The AC ran more than the car did).

[SS-Traveller]

Interesting tidbit: Goa wasn't part of India till 19 December 1961. I didn't know that...

When on a trip to Goa, do what all tourists do. So we did. Apart from beach-hopping, we went looking at some of the structures the Portuguese had been building. First stop, the Aguada Fort. It's a bit of a let-down after the majestic forts in the Delhi-Agra-Rajasthan circuit, and it certainly was hot, sunny and humid, but I'd rather be in Goa in June than in Jaisalmer!




















Mandovi River meets Arabian Sea...

[SS-Traveller]

Goa is about churches. So many beautiful churches dot the countryside. But we wanted to see the biggest and best. And ended up at the Se Cathedral.

Se Cathedral (Sé Cathedral of Santa Catarina) is a cathedral dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, located in Old Goa. It is the cathedral of the Latin Rite Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, and the seat of the Patriarch of the East Indies. It is one of the oldest and most celebrated religious buildings in Goa and is one of the largest churches in Asia.

The Se Cathedral was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese under Afonso de Albuquerque over a Muslim army, leading to the capture of the city of Goa in 1510. Since the day of the victory happened to be on the feast of Saint Catherine, the cathedral was dedicated to her.

There's a museum inside which is off-limits for photography, but here are the permitted images. The pics don't do justice to the actual proportions.

[SS-Traveller]

Across the road from the Se Cathedral is the Basilica of Bom Jesus.

'Bom Jesus' (literally, 'Good (or Holy) Jesus') is the name used for the infant Jesus. The Jesuit church is India’s first Minor Basilica, and is considered as one of the best examples of baroque architecture in India.
Construction work on the church began in 1594 and was consecrated in May of 1605 by Archbishop, Dom Fr. Aleixo de Menezes. This world heritage monument has emerged as a landmark in the history of Christianity. It contains the body of St. Francis Xavier; a very close friend of St. Ignatius Loyola with whom he founded the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Francis Xavier died on the Sancian island while enroute to Continental China (December 2, 1552).

The body of Francis Xavier was first taken to Malacca and two years later shipped back to Goa. It is said that the saint's body was as fresh as the day it was buried. The remains of the saint still attract a huge number of devotees (Christian and non-Christian alike) from all over the world, especially during the public viewing of his body every ten years (last held in 2004). The saint is said to have miraculous powers of healing, and pilgrims come from all over the country.

This is one of the oldest churches in Goa and as well as in India,is carpeted with marble flooring and inlaid with precious stones. Apart from the elaborate gilded altars, the interior of the church is simple. The church also holds paintings with scenes taken from the life of St. Francis Xavier. The mausoleum on the top of which is placed the silver casket with the body of St. Francis Xavier (1696) was the gift of the last of the Medicis, Cosimo III, the Grand Duke of Tuscany.

A small show on the life and times of St. Xavier is held in a separate part of the basilica, and we enjoyed it.

[ampere]

SS, I thought Fort Aguada is a Taj property.
Or are there separate markings?

[harishnayak]

Originally Posted by ampere

SS, I thought Fort Aguada is a Taj property.
Or are there separate markings?

The actual fort aguada is not a Taj property however a small extension of it does fall under the Taj Aguada hotel.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by ampere

SS, I thought Fort Aguada is a Taj property.
Or are there separate markings?

Fort Aguada is a fort. The Taj Fort Aguada beach resort is about 500 metres north of the main fort, and since is called that because it's in the vicinity. The resort does not use any part of the actual fort AFAIK, unlike say the Fort Hotels in Udaipur or Jodhpur.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

What makes you think that a day of driving is stressful for me? For you, maybe...

I drive to de-stress! I do not take the wheel to set records or drive competitively - it's for the pure pleasure.

ha ha ha.

Arre. aaram se padh toh lete. I meant for your family - while they'd be unwinding after the drive, they'd see you posting away in glory!

Seems you don't get a "enough of these forums for now .. " types message

Awesome trip and great stats too! You really visited these places in depth!

[harishnayak]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Fort Aguada is a fort. The Taj Fort Aguada beach resort is about 500 metres north of the main fort, and since is called that because it's in the vicinity. The resort does not use any part of the actual fort AFAIK, unlike say the Fort Hotels in Udaipur or Jodhpur.

They partially use the land ( beach ) which is the private taj aguada beach and non-residents of Taj are not allowed there.

I've been there multiple times and have confirmed this,

[SS-Traveller]

We'd had our fill of forts and churches, and it was time to drive around Panaji for the pleasures of non-specific sightseeing. Traffic was low in the city, and the weather was cloudy.










We go up to see the gates of the Raj Bhavan...


...and a wrong turn later we are inside a fishermen's village. Never mind that it was tough to turn the Hawk-on-fours around, but the view of the sea was glorious.







Ok, we're out of there, and our next destination - Dona Paula.

[SS-Traveller]

A nice place to stroll around, and if you enjoy riding fast boats on choppy waters, here's the place for you.












Some shopping opportunities too, which for us meant buying footwear out of necessity.


What's a great place to take your pug for a run? Well, the beach of course!

[SS-Traveller]

...and then, on the afternoon of 10th of June, the monsoon arrived in Goa. And what a splendid view it was!















Even the crows were overjoyed...


Looking at the rain outside from our hotel balcony