|
Travelouge
|
|
The annual school tour to Mumbai and
Goa |
 |
|
It was the morning of 13 October 2010, when
I woke up in excitement and anticipation of
timely boarding the train to Goa via Nagpur
and Pune with my KPS family on a nine day
long tour, which included Mumbai as well. The
frenzy generated in the company of our friends
and teachers at the Railway Station, in the
train and during the journey was unbelievable.
Time flew so fast and as we were laughing around, enjoying the game of cards, listening
to music with delicious food served enroute, cracking jokes and witnessing the changing
landscape during the journey from barren Deccan to lush green sugar belt around Pune
to the cool breeze emanating from Goan seas, flowing across rows of palms around
dawn, welcoming us to India's hot tourist destination….
By Abhimanyu Kale
Class XI A
|
|
Goa- commenced with the visit to beaches,
mainly-
|
| Colva beach |
 |
|
Our resort being on the shores of
the sea at Colva Beach facilitated us to enjoy
waves by swirling up and down in the company of
friends. We were completely taken aback by the
force and strength of the sea waves which hit us
across, drenched and then withdrew completely,
leaving us awe struck. Some of us made
structures out of white beach sand only to see
the whole formation getting wiped out with an
eye blink by the swirling waves of the emerald
Arabian Sea. What a relaxing time it was after the long journey!
|
| |
| Basailica of Bom Jesus |
 |
|
We boarded our tour buses, via Old Goa, halting briefly at a
temple of Goddess Durga and headed towards an important landmark of Old Goa;
Basailica of Bom Jesus , a world heritage
monument of Portuguese architecture, one
of the finest Baroque church in the whole of
Goa, built between 1594-1605. For all the
grandeur contained in it, nothing could
possibly surpass the mortal remains of St.
Francis Xavier of Spanish origin kept in a
silver casket. He worked for the propagation
of Christianity and played an instrumental
role in founding the Society of Jesus. |
| |
| Museum of Christian Art |
 |
|
As we moved
out of the Basillica, a magnificient white
the
building caught everyone's attention. It was
the museum of Christian art, the home to
many artistic and antique collections from
across the world, like ancient relics of
Portugese and Christian history, various
types and sizes of metal objects such as
hammer, compass, bows, arrows and huge
collection of Portugese currency. Also, were
currencies of metal coinage from all over
Europe depicting voyages and religions. It
was simply breathtaking to see all such
wonderful collections. Being an art
museum, the upper galleries contained famous paintings by artists of the Christian era
such as Gionvanni , Bernnini, Miro, Da Vinci etc.and extraordinary sculptures by
Rapheal Santi and Michealangelo were replicated and beautifully displayed. |
| |
| Donna Paula Jetty |
| Our last destination of the first day was the famous Donna Paula
Jetty, known for its splendid sea landscape lined with ships and boats in the horizon,
clear skies, marketplace and of course, the beautiful sunset.
We enjoyed camp fire, organized in the hotel on reaching back and danced merrily on
soundtracks, around the log fire, anticipating further excitement on the second day
,which was marked by a visit to : |
| |
| Vagator Beach and the Aguada Fort |
| The Vagator beach has been quite different
from Colva Beach , as it was more uneven, rocky and constituted a lot of corals and little
reefs but still was as beautiful as any beach, I have ever come across. Not too far from
the Vagator was the famous Aguada Fort once used as a prison by the Portugese
Colonists. It had several imprisonment cells in the open for the tourists to witness and
was indeed another masterpiece of Portugese architecture. The huge stone walls made
it look like a fortress with a beautiful view of the blue sea over it. |
| |
| Calangute Beach and Our Cruise |
| Calangute Beach is a real hotspot and a major
tourist attraction of Goa, because of its famous market that has various shops of
famous brands, antiques, tattoos and various rides. The weather suddenly turned
windy with dark clouds hovering and the view of the blue sea water of Calangute with its
high rising waves was something unforgettable. I rode on a jet skii which was extremely
scary but great fun too. It began to rain heavily, encouraging us to get drenched in
excitement, jumping around and making
merry. We had to be coaxed to board our
cruise ship Princessa , on a short trip to
witness various dance performances and
folk dances of Goan culture, which we
enjoyed thoroughly. Now it was the time
to pack up and head towards our next
destination !!!
………… |
| |
| Mumbai |
 |
|
We reached Mumbai the next morning
and while entering the city, we could feel
its liveliness and were all glued to the
Donna Paula Jetty
Vagator Beach and the Aguada Fort
Calangute Beach and Our Cruise
sight of huge sky scrappers. After getting ready
and proceeding for sightseeing, we reached our
first destination
|
| |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Science Center |
 |
|
The
Science park was situated in a huge complex and
displayed the phenomenon of gravitational pull,
planetary motions, laws of motion, human
evolution, micro to macro organisms and ancient
life forms through working equipments and
models. The wooden models of dinosaurs,
human organs and famous personalities were
placed in the park. |
| |
| Gateway of India |
 |
|
The famous landmark on the coast of Mumbai, a witness to the
horrifying attacks of 26/11, stood tall representing the honour of the people of the city
and of the whole country. We headed forward
after clicking pictures of the landmark and
Taj Hotel. |
| |
| Fashion Street |
| Among the most popular
market streets in Mumbai, it has huge lines of
shops by small sellers selling clothes and
various accessories. A hotspot for shopping
and bargaining while shopping, it is a really
popular place that attracts hundreds of
tourists everyday. |
| |
| Juhu Beach and 'Chowpaty' |
| It was dusk
as the first day flew by and our next stop
seemed like the best relaxation after a long day of exploring the city. The calm waters of
the Juhu beach, the 'Kala Khatta' with garma garam 'Pav bhaji' were a perfect treat. |
| |
| Essel World |
 |
|
The next morning's destination was what we were longing for- the
thrilling amusement park. As we reached there on a ferry, the enormity of the park got
us ready for the unforgettable fun.We took rides like the roller coaster, the thunder ride,
the enterprise and even went into the haunted mansion and the funny mirror maze.
After lunch we danced to our heart's
elation on the tunes of the DJ in the rocking
alley while some went for bowling and ice
skating. What a day….!
The next morning, I woke up with a
heavy heart, knowing that after a few
hours all of it will be over. While
contemplating at everyone's laughing
faces, I too felt as if brimming with
unforgettable memories which will act as
the oil of virtue for the lamp of friendship
and childhood. |
| |
| Rendezvous With Soul Of SPAIN |
 |
|
Spain had been my dream destination
for a while, when I finally got a chance to
spend a week, soaked in the scenic, cultural
and historic delights of the country. Depicting
its varied essence, offering a diverse
gastronomy, I wrote copious notes…..
There's a calm in the air and also in my
soul, while recollecting many aspects of its
lifestyle and culture.
The passionate form of flamboyant
dance, Flamenco was originally considered to
be a gypsy dance. It is accompanied by the
soulful tunes of the guitar and a song (cante).
Its songs of lament, bitter romance and oppressions had a real chilling effect. |
|
|
Watching Bullfight, the most popular of all the Spanish traditions was a perfect
treat. Originally, the sport involved men riding horses and fighting raging bulls, but it
eventually changed to men, or matadors, fighting bulls off without the aid of horses.
What happens during a bullfight?:Firstly the bull is let into the ring. Then, the top
bullfighter called the Matador, watches his chief assistant wave a bright yellow and
magenta cape in front of the bull to make it charge. Then a trumpet is sounded and
several fighters called Picadores weaken the bull by placing spears into it. Another
trumpet is sounded and the Matador now removes his black winged hat and dedicates
the death of the bull to the President or the
crowd before beginning his faena, which is the
most beautiful and skillful section of the fight
and where the Matador must prove his
courage and artistry. It is basically a dance
with death.
The World Soccer Champions’ craze is
evident when it comes to spectator ship and
participation in Club matches hosting Real
Madrid. These football fans are amongst the
most fervent
and dedicated in the whole Europe. The energy of
bullfighting, the hypnotic beauty of the flamenco, fine
quality saffron, majestic buildings, noiseless traffic,
are just a few of the fabulous experiences one can
always remember Spectacular Spain for! It is a quaint
mix between the Old World charm and the New World
flamboyance.
Mrs.Bhawna Sareen
|
|
|