Gayathri Sunderesan
V. S. Ramana
| The ECC Recreation Club (comprising the staff members of L&T - ECC, the construction arm of Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Chennai) chartered a special train for its 700 picnic-frenzy members, to undertake a five-day holiday in Goa. A recount of the trip. |
The statistics: a five-day trip, 712 passengers, one chartered train with 11 bogies, 20 buses, 2 beach resorts in Goa, 230 rooms. All of this for one big family... the L&T - ECC Division, Chennai.
The specially chartered L&T-ECC Express bound for Vasco da Gama, left the Chennai Central Railway Station on October 1, 2003, albeit delayed, amidst much fanfare.
The train was loaded with lunch for the entire team (including the motor men and the guard), arranged from the city's best restaurant. Water, biscuits and other munchies were not in short supply. Dinner was tied up mid-way. There were to be no predictable anxieties of any kind. But, as hours passed, it dawned on us that the `special' train had no special privileges in the railway parlance!
The train began inching its way, running far behind time-schedule. So much so, the afternoon tea came at 8.30 p.m. and dinner at mid-night! During the night, as we found out, the train was stationary for longer time than it moved on its wheels!
At daybreak on October 2, we realised that it was not yet time to alight - our scheduled arrival was 7 a.m.! We had barely entered Karnataka and had at least another six to seven hours of travel - that too if the train kept moving!
But we geared up to enjoy the ghat section of the route, which we would have otherwise missed during the night travel. As the train chugged ahead, it was truly a beautiful stretch - the winding tracks, the lush vegetation all around, a sudden rise here, a glimpse of a peaceful valley there, the dark tunnels, and the huge waterfall at Dudhsagar, which suddenly came upon us, so close to the track! The water came gushing down in a torrent, spreading and falling in a wide arch - then, all gone in a flash! As we settled down again after that breath-taking surprise, it suddenly reappeared into view on the other side, as the train took a turn of the mountain, tantalisingly appearing and disappearing again and again!
Eventually, at 12.45 p.m., the train seemed to approach Madgoan � its first destination for the 350 odd who were to be put up at the Holiday Inn Resort at Cavelossim. But surprises never cease - an anti-climax was in store for us. The train, which had till then been stopping at every signal, now sped past the first alighting point � the Madgaon station! We were dazed for a few moments wondering if there could be another `Margao' station. (Goa is full of this dual names - Panaji is also Panjim, like Madgaon is Margao).
By this time, we had overshot by 12 km when one of the organisers managed to communicate with the guard as well as the driver, and soon brought the train to a grinding halt - in the middle of nowhere! As the rest of us waited patiently, the organisers, along with the Railway authorities, after some argument, found a workable solution and lo, the train went on reverse for 12 kmand halted at the next station � Majorda Junction. Messages were sent out to divert the 11 buses waiting at Madgaon to move over Majorda Junction and fetch the stranded 350-odd.
Elders, children and infants � across 70 years to toddlers � were a bit dull and fagged out due to heat and hunger. Volunteer groups got formed as they fetched and moved the luggage in a jiffy. It was a pleasant surprise when our T S Venkatesh took over the PA system at Majorda's railway station and announced the given situation and the POA. And we bid adieu to the remaining 350 in the train who were heading to Vasco da Gama for their stay at the Bogmollo Resort.
Having lost considerable time (half-a-day), we had to make the best of the remaining time. We left for Colva beach, with our tour guide Prameela reminding us that this was the second largest beach in India after Chennai's Marina. The sand is said to shine like silver in the sunlight; but we missed seeing � it was already sundown! The sea was truly calm and looked deceptively safe to venture. We spent a balmy and pleasant hour there. As we drove off Colva beach, the Olympian Suresh Singh was seen slugging his way to his title in the flyweight title at the Goa International Boxing Championship that was underway then.
It reflected that Goans were sport lovers - boxing championship apart, we observed many friendly football matches being played. At every major teashop across villages and towns, a black board also carried information of the day's fixtures. On October 3, the day saw us rise up and ready early for walk along the pristine beach and to ambitiously cover the rest of the sightseeing spots of Goa. The Goan countryside can be mistaken for Sri Lanka or even Kerala - it is so similar. With winding roads going up and down and the lush greenery, freshly washed by the monsoon, Goa still retains the quiet, old-world charm. Quaint cottages with pillars, pediments and verandas, typical red flooring and pyols and balconies with decorative balustrades and sloping roofs � the architecture reminded one of the Portugal reign. While Christian homes typically had a large cross, the Hindu home had their courtyard feature a tulsi, on a decked-up pedestal. Here again, our guide Prameela corrected the perception of some of the tourists � that Goa, of its 14-lakh population, has 60 per cent Hindus � a fact that is often skewed by the Bollywood producers.
Our first stop was the Mangeshi or Manguerishi temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and there are separate sanctums for Ganapati, Devi, Lakshminarayan and the guardian deity. The structure itself was built later and is a mixture of Hindu, Christian and Muslim styles.
We moved next to the world-famous heritage monument � the Basilica of Bom Jesus or Infant Jesus. It is about 400 years old and holds the mortal remains (relics) of St Francis Xavier. It has five altars. The main altar is beautifully carved and plated with nearly 110 kg of gold. The outer wall of the church has been left unplastered to exhibit the original beauty of the structure.
We next reached the Calangute Beach, which is the queen of the 30 beaches of Goa, and next in size to Colva. Though it was just past noon and the sun beat down on us, we did not feel the heat as we stood knee deep in water. The sea was very rough and the waves came thrashing down.
Post lunch, we had a long ride to Panjim, where we were to take the Royal Boat Cruise on Santa Monica. As we were early, we rode on to Miramar Beach and had enough time to view it from the bus. The Fort Aguada at the far end posed to be truly impressive. Driving past the Gymkhana, the Football Stadium and the Kala Academy as well as the posh locality that also the home of Remo Fernandez, we headed for the boarding point. The hour-long cruise down the Mandovi took us to its mouth where the river turbulently joins the sea. We were entertained with Goan music and dance by the Carlos Showline artists during the ride. The view along the Arabian Sea and the city was breathtaking.
After all the sightseeing, can we miss shopping? So on to the shopping plaza of Panjim. The combined list of purchases done was endless � from sarong to feni, cashews, and precious stones. Coming to the close of our holiday, a final get-together was organised at the hotel.
The next morning � October 4 � we could afford to be lazy as we had the whole morning to ourselves. The beach right behind the hotel was most inviting and almost all of us made our way there and bathed in the sea. Here the waters were calm, the shore recedes gradually so we could venture out quite far out into the sea.
Having had our fill, it was noon time, and time to pack, lunch and leave. This time it was a short ride to the well-maintained Madgaon Station, which we overshot on our arrival. After a short wait, the train, laden with our 350 odd friends from Vasco, chugged into the platform and as the train left, the overcast skies of Goa bid us farewell with a heavy shower. We retraced the ghat section, and we were ready with our cameras to catch the waterfall on film this time!
But nature had much more in store for us, as the clouds had descended even further down, and nestled on the crests of the hilltops. At one stretch, the fog was so thick that visibility was almost nil! Throughout this journey, the sun remained hidden and we enjoyed a very pleasant trip back home.
Picture courtesy:
ECC Photo Unit / The Hindu Business Line
- Old article, but worth reading in the details......
Forwarded by www.goa-world.com
Do you Yahoo!?
Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.
http://www.goa-world.com
http://www.live365.com/stations/61664 Live Konkani Music
http://www.mahableshwar.com/
Addresses:
Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
List owner: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
URL to this page:
http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/gulf-goans
| Yahoo! Groups Sponsor | |
|
|
Yahoo! Groups Links
- To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gulf-goans/
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
