The Coco Beach - where from the Grande Island trip commences
A video the start of the journey for Grand Island trip
After having enjoyed the trip to Dudhsagar falls, we were back to our
service apartment known as Treebo Zeebo in Arpora by late evening.Being dead tired from the trek and the ride, as
described in my earlier blog, we decided to have dinner at the complex
itself.Although the apartment has a tie
up with some local restaurant, who provides for food on order, we decided to
try the local in house cook known as Anna.We decided the dinner menu based on local Goanese cuisine and the cook
went to the market to personally purchase the ingredients required.My Son who does not partake either fish or
Sea food decided to try out the chicken preparation from the small road side
eatery run by a lady just across the road.To say the least, we were all just swept of our feet’s, by the sheer
taste and freshness of the food served and decided to have dinner at the
complex itself for the remaining days of our stay.After enjoying the hearty dinner, we had a
great night’s sleep, as the Grande Island trip was scheduled for the next day, was
to commence at late morning hours.The
next day, after having had the complimentary B’fast that was included in our
package at the apartment complex, we started for the Grande Island trip at
around 9.00 A.M, by the Tempo traveller that picked us up as the first guests
and later on the others and took us to the jetty at Coco Beach, wherefrom all
the boats ferrying passengers for Grande Island tour set sail.
The small shack just across the apartment in Arpora run by local lady
A plethora of birds near Coco beach
The inlet from Sea that leads to Coco Beach
A Lesser fish Eagle at Coco Beach
A copy of the pamphlet showing various trips organized in Goa
Copy of hind side of the Pamphlet depicting
Grande popularly known as the Grande Island or Bat Island is one of the
most sought after tour destination in Goa that has been especially designed
keeping in view the likes and dislikes of the younger generation. The only way
to reach Ilha Grande is by traversing the Sea on a sailing boat. The package
tour to the Island usually includes activities like snorkelling, scuba diving,
fishing and a scrumptious lunch at the Monkey Beach, where the aroma of the
barbeque fish is mouth-watering.After
the meal, one can also enjoy swimming in the sea.However, the tour no longer ferries
passengers to the Grande Island or Ilha Grande, as the same has been taken over
by the Indian Navy, which has a base there, but a few nautical miles away from
it.There are a plethora of tour
operators offering this package and the cost varies based on the facilities
being offered by the tour operators and I am enclosing one of the pamphlets
that are circulated to visitors.
The lighthouse atop Fort Auguda as seen from boat
The merchant's villa as seen from the boat
The panoramic view of Fort Auguda with the jail as seen from the boat
Another group of tourists on a trip
A Sea Gull in flight
The mechanized boat leaves a trail in the sea water
After a long wait at the Coco Beach, the boat ride commenced at around
11.00 A.M and after about 15 minutes of ride, the crew served some patties, but
as we had already had our B’fast in Hotel itself, we did not partake the
same.Thereafter, cold drinks were
served and also beer to all desirous of having the same, actually the number of
persons having beer outnumbered the cold drink fellas by one is to ten ratio.We spotted many of Sea Gulls following the
boat and we quickly found that they were in look out for some quick snacks and
the boatmen were throwing the patty pieces, which these birds were eagerly
snatching either in air or from the Sea.The other interesting part about this trip is that one gets a different
perspective all together of various landmarks of Goa, from the Sea i.e. Aguada
fort, merchant’s bungalow, central jail and a few beaches and big ships
stationed or moving in the mid sea.
A large Ocean liner docked
View of Monkey Beach from the boat
Just engrossed in the boat ride
Snorkeling in the sea
Other tour groups enjoying the activities
A fast Navy boat traverses across the Grande Island periphery
Video of snorkeling during the trip - shot by Mr.Deepak (tour operator)
Video of Scuba diving shot by professional divers during the trip
Having travelled for a good hour or so in the Sea, we first reached the
Monkey Island, where a few of the crew members de-boarded alongwith the tents
and cooking utensils etc. to arrange for the lunch.Also there being a small toilet complex, the
passengers were also allowed to disembark and use the utilities.After a break of about 15 minutes, we again
boarded the boat and headed towards the Bat Island, where the other activities
like swimming in the Arabian Sea, fishing, Snorkelling, scuba diving etc. takes
place and there were many boats anchored around and tourists therein too were
enjoying the activities.As the
unfettered supply of Beer had started taking its toll on many of the youngsters
and we had a verbal spat with a group of Engineering students who had come in
from Vellore Institute of Technology. This spat occurred, as the camera and
other equipment that were kept on the boat got drenched in sea water, as these
boys started jumping into the Sea from the roof of the boat and the splashed
Sea water, which almost drenched our equipment.As we were more on reserved side viz a viz a Tamilian family that was
enjoying the birthday of one of their family members and guzzling beer in
barrels and also other alcoholic hard drinks, were not within their selves but
at a boisterous high, we were quietly branded by them as the Angry Bird
family.After about two hours fun and
frolic, wherein I too got the Scuba diving and Snorkelling videos shot by the
crew members, we headed back to the Monkey Island.By the time we reached Monkey Island, the
tide had started surging and the crew was finding it difficult to put the
anchor and finally after much effort they could do it and then we had to wade
through waist high water to the island for having lunch.The lunch definitely was scrumptious with
non-vegetarian Goanese cuisine being the main course.Having had lunch and others enjoying a few
more rounds of beer alongwith with hard alcoholic drinks, especially the family
described hereinabove, the return journey commenced and my description of these
persons can be gauged from the video enclosed.
As the tide had begun rising - the crew found it difficult to anchor the boat at Monkey beach
Having lunch at the Monkey beach
The Grande Island trip is designed basically for the youngsters or
persons with happy go lucky attitude, but it is worth every penny spent and the
pictorial depiction and videos would do more justice to the description of the
trip viz a viz the written description of the same.However, the only downside of the trip is
that they offer Dolphin viewing, but that rarely happens, as it only by chance
that Dolphins can be spotted and not always.
Video of the return journey - check out details as indicated in the blog
