Along with my husband and two nephews, I trekked in Goa, in the month of December through YHAI. The photo is of the Devil’s Canyon and it is from an era when I did not have a digital camera.
Goa is a fabulous place but gets too crowded for words in December. But by trekking, we avoided the crowds most of the time. It was a first for both my nephews! They had never trekked before. For us too, we associated trekking with mountains and not with a place like Goa! So we went to Goa in December but with a difference!
There was a point on this trek when we got lost. The saving grace was that we got lost in a big group! My younger nephew, my husband and I got a lift in a truck for part of the way but Dilip my elder nephew had to walk it all! But the good kids they are, they never complained!
But then, I wrote about this trip and it got published at GoNOMAD’s website. Do go and check it out. The story is narrated there in detail.
This is my first published travel story and I hope I will be able to write a few more. The best part is GoNOMAD pays for every article it publishes. I am relishing my experience and I thought I would share it on my blog too. Here is a short excerpt from the article-
For my nephews, it was quite an experience to walk through the dark and mysterious tunnels that they previously had crossed only by sitting inside a train. We arrived at Dudh Sagar waterfalls near midday. After spending an hour and a half at this scenic spot we went ahead. Further on our way was a huge pond where we sat by watching fish swimming in its shallow waters. From this spot our campsite was only one and one-half hours away.
ur article in go-nomad was superb. the devil’s canyon and hansa beach are soo beautiful. one day, i will go there…
That’s awesome Mridula! You’re now a published writer and my dream job (if I could only be so lucky) would be “travel writer”. Your writing is so beautiful and descriptive too, and I hope to do a 3wk. grand tour of India oneday!
Wow, Mridula! I’m so impressed. You are quite talented! 🙂
Very nice article…I’ve always wanted to visit Goa.Have you been to Mangalore? I bet you’ll like the place.
Congratulations on being published! I’m so glad I found your blog. I get more excited about coming to India every time I read it.
Poison, YHAI plans a trek in Goa every December and they charge very little for it. The only thing is, they keep changing the route. I had a look at this year’s route and it is pretty diffirent than what we did. Still, there treks are generally good. If you have time, try it out sometime.Crystal, even my dream job would be travel writer but I guess I will never earn enough through it, so as to quit my day job, which as of now is quite decent. Only it doesn’t pay so much that I could travel abroad.Thank you Mo, but this was the last of the series, I guess there is nothing in the pipeline. I hope, I will be able to write a piece on my Ladakh trip and send it somewhere.Hi Deepak, I have not been to Mangalore, and as I said to Poison, why don’t you try the YHAI trek this December if you have time?Lily, I am sure you will enjoy India, I wish I could one day travel to toher parts of the world.
trekking in Goa…seems interesting..i have gone to Goa on a official tour.i just visited Margaon and the beach …i think…Kolba ( I cant remember the name exactly..but it is 6 km away from Margaon )…anyway nice post….
Checked the links…pic is awesome..And congratulations for the story published!!
i am envying you! :)in a good sense 🙂
Hey Mridula,Sorry I haven’t responded to your comments. Been extremely busy at work. I am still making plans about my vacation and I do intend to write to you. Just that during the week, it becomes extremely impossible to get down to even “penning” a mail. Will do so by the end of this week. Thank you once again for offering to give me the information. I shall revert with all my questions.I read your GoNomad article. Really nice. I have been to Goa but never realized you could do it this way. I should try out that trek you had mentioned.
Also, wanted to say, I agree with your comment – about us being the lucky ones in the sense that they are no expectations. Thank the Good Lord daily 🙂 LOL! But seriously, you are right – this thing does anger me, yet somehow there are moments when I just find it plain preposterous. We as a nation have changed so much, yet so much more remains just the same.
The wanderer, I too thought trekking in Goa to be very nice experience, I have seen very little of the city otherwise.Ganga, thank you so much,Gulnaz, you are kidding.Emma, thanks a lot for both your comments. Take your time.
thanks for the support… i am in an all time low..thts it.
hi mridula …. thanx for dropping by … :)try coorg …………… itz an awesome place …. am still very much in love w/ the place … esp the buddhist monastery there …
had read ur comments on some of my friends’ blogs …. was wondering when u’d read mine 😉
So have you ever been to the States and in Europe? And also–what’s the minimum amount of time that it takes to see the major sites in India (2wks? 3wks?).
Ashok, you are welcome. take care.Deepa, thanks for both the comments, it is a pleasure reading your blog.Crystal, I have been to a few places in Europe for academic conferences. I have been to Italy, Athens and the Netherlands but the stays were very short and little time for tourism. Have been to Singapore too but till date not to the USA. India is a very big country. In 2 or 3 weeks you can cover only some part and the attractions but not all.
Its a pity have lived most of my life in Bombay, never got a chance to visit Goa :(..someday i shall!
Congratulations on your first story, Mridula, your check has been mailed out and you will be receiving it soon. Max HartshorneEditor, Gonomad.com
Mustang, it is indeed a pity. rectify it at the earliest possible time :)Max, what a pleasent surprise to see you here. Thanks for the good news.
hey,that was a nice article on your vist.nicely done,felt i was there treking alongside.curious to know how many days did you do all this treking?did you get any sun burns?wasnt the sea water cold in dec?how did u travel to goa bus train air?what is convienent?thanks for sharing your terk…gets us more prepared.god bless
Hi Luis, Goa is December is not cold, unlike north India. In fact December and January are the season in Goa and hence very crowded. We took a train from Delhi to Goa and back. The trek was organized by Youth Hostel Association on India and I am sure their website http://www.yhaiindia.org will display the itinerary. I don’t think I got sunburned or at least not bad enough to remember.