Goa - Dona Paula

Saturday, January 31, 2015

On Tuesday morning when I woke up, I told Namrata, lets do Dona Paula today. to this she asked me, "What's there?" I told her that the jetty offers a beautiful view of the sea and the land in a distance.

Statue of Dona Paula perched on the rocks

I told her that we would also do Reis Magos Fort and Fort Aguada as they are located close by.

So we got ourselves a bike at Margao City Garden and headed off to Dona Paula. Dona Paula is located very close to Panjim. 

Dona Paula jetty

On our way we saw police constables posted on either side of the road at a distance of 50 meters from each other. Not sure why they were there in the middle of nowhere.

View from thebike on the way to Dona Paula

We were then stopped by the Traffic Police, he checked our licenses, "aha, Mumbai License" not sure why he checked both our licenses. As one was driving and the other pillion. Then he asked, "Are you guys from Mumbai?" to which Namrata replied, "Ye, that's why the license." He then let us go. Out of curiosity I asked him, why are there so many police men on either side of the road, to this replied, "Modi is coming today, so.."

People getting lashed by waves at Dona Paula jetty

We then headed off to see Dona Paula, like always we asked around and managed to find out way to Donna Paula. The ride offered a fantastic view of the colorful row houses in the middle of nowhere and then the sea at a distance. Though the road was rough we still rode on.

A little bit of history about Donna Paula. This place was named after Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior, the daughter of the Portuguese Viceroy of Jaffnapatnam, in Sri Lanka. Their family arrived in Goa in 1644. Dona Paula did a lot of charity while she was here which benefited the villagers dearly and so after her death in December 1682 , they named the village as Dona Paula.  The village was initially called Oddavell. 

Rough Sea

Now it was a rough day at sea, we were nearing the the jetty,  people were there watching the sea and taking selfies of themselves when all or a sudden a huge wave rose from the sea and lashed on to them. People were taken by surprise and they all receded from the portions of jetty close to the sea. But some people na, never learn.

Another view of waves lashing onto the rocks

One of the attractions is a white colored statue high up on the rocks. This statue was sculptured by Baroness Yrse Von Leistner in the year 1969. Not sure the significance of this statue. But I overheard a local guide telling a bunch of tourists from down south that they were two lovers who jumped in the sea because their parents opposed their marriage. Rich Girl and Poor Boy, like our typical hindi movie love story. LOL.

We then climbed up the podium to get a better view of the sea and land in a distance. The sea was rough and we could see the waves lash against the rocks in a distance. The weather was dull and the sky was dark, windy but no sign of the rain. I love this kind of weather. loved the sea flavored wind then we decided to visit Reis Magos Fort. 

View of the jetty from the podium

On seeing the place Namrata immediately said that Singham was shot here, where Ajay Devgn chases the bad guys. Nice :)