Paradise is Goa and
everything that we'd heard, read and seen about it was far surpassed, when we spent a two
week fully inclusive holiday at the Cidade-de-Goa Holiday Resort in Central Goa during November 2003.
Click here to take a look at my pictures from several days spent on the Konkan Railway.
Anjuna
Beach.....Flea Market
The
Anjuna Flea Market is held each Wednesday adjacent the glorious beach some
twenty miles north of our holiday resort and is an excellent place to find
holiday souvenirs.
Glorious Beach
Flea Market viewed from the beach
Cidade-de-Goa Holiday
Resort
Cidade-de-Goa is
probably the finest holiday resort in Central Goa and is situated on the Vainguinim Beach
overlooking the Arabian Sea. Take a look at the exotic facilities offered
by the Cidade-de-Goa Holiday resort by clicking here. Three of their
lovely mermaids feature on the image to the left as they prepare for
sunset over the Arabian Sea.
Here are a selection of images
taken from inside the resort.
Sunset
through the palms
Dona
Paula through the palms
Boat on
the beach
Sunset
over Dona Paula
The
pool
What a Menu!
Layout
of the resort
Beach
in front of the resort
...And not forgetting the Hospitality Staff.
Ashwini
Augustine
and Alison who kept me suitably refreshed at the poolside bar with
"Augustine Special Palm Fenni - Firewater"
Lareina
James the Bellboy
Dona Paula
Dona Paula is situated two miles along
the Vainguinim Beach towards the Arabian Sea and is visible from the
Cidade-De-Goa Holiday Resort. Excellent sunset pictures can be taken from
the tower at the end of the head.
Sunset
over the Arabian sea without the mermaids
Overlooking Vainguinim Beach
Dona
Paula
Sunset
over the Arabian Sea
Dudhsagar
Waterfalls
Fantastic
Waterfall some 600m high with the Konkan Railway passing across. The
Waterfall can only be accessed by road using a 4x4 for the last 12km.
There's plenty of monkeys about so bring plenty of Bananas.
Monkey
12km to Dudhsagar by 4x4
600m high
Beautiful
Goan
People
Here's a selection of pictures of Goan
people and in most cases a small payment of 40Rb was made for the
privalege.
A couple of elephant trainers
A lovely lady with her three children
awaiting a train at Margao station
These women were taking a short cut
along the track to the market and were tough negotiators before they
allowed me to take the pictures
Spent twenty minutes haggling with
this lady for a couple of bags at the Anjuna Market and she threw in the
pictures for the price.
Uuh. Indian punk rocker or should I
say a Rajistan lady
This lady was making tea at Anjuna
Market and asked for double the price to take the pictures
This tramp was loitering around Margao
station and gladly accepted some money for the picture
These guys didn't want to miss out
either
Jungle
Book
Spent a night sleeping
in a pretty basic mudhut with lethal electrics in the jungle and enjoyed a
one and one half hour gruelling jungle walk to the magnificent and
relatively unknown Surla Waterfall some 400m high. At the camp there were
four elephants and some bullocks giving rides. Great fun eh.
Mudhut reception
Julia having an elephant ride
Elephants bathing and giving free
showers to the punters
The infamous mudhuts - never again!
Kola Beach
Kola Beach in South Goa was the
setting for a romantic castaway night sleeping on the beach in a superior
tent. The beach was deserted except for several fishing boats that
returned the following morning with their catches. From the beach one
could view dolphins and other fish leaping out the water and eagles
hovering overhead. The sunset was stunning.
Our
Tent
Dining
area
View
from the beach
Sunset
Horizontal palm
Tremendous undercurrent
Fishermans boat
Cove
Bringing the boat in
Crab
Lobster
Pulling
the nets
Mandovi
River
Iron Ore is Goa's
biggest money spinner followed by tourism. Iron Ore is mined in the
mountains and conveyed by road, barge and railway to the large ships
waiting at Vasco-de-Gama docks and anchored off the Arabian Sea for export
to Japan.
Loaded Iron Ore
Empty iron Ore
Loaded iron Ore
Sunset
Surla
Waterfall
The magnificent
Surla Waterfall accessed by a gruelling one and one half hour walk from
Jungle Book.
400m Fall
Taxi
Service
Gerald Ferandes - This mans a must for all your jaunts out the holiday
resort. Not the fastest driver in the world but he'll recommend and take
you to all the sights and shopping outlets in Goa for a mere £12.50 per day.
Send him a message by contacting him at gf4685@ladiffmail.com or give him a ring on his mobile at 942 263 9004.
Transportation
Well there's
plenty to see in all shapes and sizes. Air conditioned coaches means mini
fans fitted above the seat. Don't even think about hiring a car, its
bloody dangerous out there and the Goan papers are riddled with death
crashes.
