We had a lot of ground to cover, all the historic sights on the northern beaches up til sunset, and check our Goan nightlife to-do list all in one day.
First was the old Portuguese fort in Vagator...
With stunning views of Vagator Beach and the forest nearby.
This used to be one of the secret locations of Vagator's notorious rave parties.
Now it's under constant surveilance by the police, and the parties have shifted... someplace else.
Then we went to Anjuna, hippie headquarters since the 70s.
It used to be famous for its weekly flea markets, although now it's all the same tourist crap like we saw in Arambol.
It was the first time I got to have real crab!
After a long lunch break and a few detours in Anjuna, we went to Aguada Fort, passing through Baga and posh Calangute.
Then we went to the chapel overlooking the fort to offer a prayer before sunset. It was small, intimate and had an old world feel.
We speeded back in the direction of the beach, the dolphin-watching boats on the river looked pretty in the light of the setting sun so I hopped off the Enfield to take a picture or five. The coconut groves were beginning to mist over, and it was beginning to get chilly.
Sunset at the Taj.
After sunset we had ice cream at Baskin & Robbins then headed to Curlies, which was recommended by an Aussie girl we met in Alleppey. There were vendors making omelettes and sandwiches on the beach so we had one before we hit the night market in Baga after passing through Apora.
There was a crepes salée stand at the night market, but since we already had sandwiches at Curlies, we didn't have the appetite for anything. After scoping the stands for Nag Champa incense, (we didn't buy from there because they sell the boxes for 20 to 30 Rs more than the real price) we rode off again, this time back to Baga. It is famous for the clubs and bars along Tito's Road, so named because it is the address of the most famous club in Goa: Tito's. But it was too early and we were unconvinced by the entrance fee (300 Rs for males and free for the ladies) so we said we'd grab a drink on the beach first then see if the mood changes after 12.
On the beach, we had some fries and drinks. The waiter tipped us on 2 other clubs that allegedly play better music than Tito's, and where mostly foreigners hung out. On our way back, we took a peek at Tito's and its sister club, Mambo's, and we didn't like the atmosphere. We went to Cape Town instead and surprise! There was no entrance fee and the music was ok. Henri met some French boys and then joined me on the dance floor. Clubbing in Goa? Check!
We left Cape Town at 3am and were thinking of hitting the other club the waiter told us about but they were playing the same songs there. So we decided to have some dinner instead at a cheap place on the street. We were not expecting anything spectacular but OHMYGOD, it was the best fried rice I had in India thus far. Henri was all hype about his chinese noodles too. We had stumbled into the best restaurant in Baga, and it was a shack.
Still left with a little room in our tummies, we passed by Mambo's and saw they were selling street food. The restaurant there looked fancy, so of course we wanted to try their street food version! Henri got a samosa and I had the best carrot cake in India!
We're not our old selves anymore so we went home at 4 am tired and spent - it was cold so my fingers felt like icicles, but I hadn't felt as alive as I did then. There was a long stretch of road illuminated by the waxing moon, to our left were the mountains, and the river, sparkling in the night... no bike ride in the moonlight could have been better art directed. I was happy at that moment, for the things I had seen so far that not a lot of people are lucky enough to see, to have Henri taking my freezing hands and warming them up in his... And, yeah, I was finally really glad about being in India... until Henri hit a speed bump and my dinner went in my throat and I spent the next 10 minutes vomiting :p
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