Goa - Fort Aguada

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

After visiting Reis Magos Fort we headed off to Fort Aguada.

History of Fort Aguada

A little bit of history about this place via the photo.

It took us around 30 minutes to reach here. 

Moat to enter the Fort

Have to say that this Fort is again very well  maintained. Also it gathers a huge crowd. Both locals and foreigners. 

The fort calls and external walls

Old Light House in Fort premises

There is no fee to view this fort unlike Reis Magos, the timings are from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM. This fort is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. 

Old Light House and underground dungeons

The Fort is not tall in height also there is a moat to enter the fort. The fort is 3/4 on land and 1/4 exposed to the sea. The fort has an internal wall and external wall. in the rains water gets filled between the walls. It had historic significance, refer to photo for the history bit. 

View of the fort from the fort walls

Again this fort is made of chire. Prime stone used in the construction of houses and forts in Goa. Certain entrances or rooms in the fort premises are under lock and key. Maybe due to hideous activities which happened there. The fort has a light house and under ground dungeons which are closed to the public. There is no shade within the fort premises. There is a small house which is closed and no trees in it. 

One of the fort bastions

One thing I observed here is that there is no graffiti on it. Which is a good sign. The walls of the fort are very well maintained. Also the fort premises is very clean. So please don't dirty it by throwing wrappers and water bottles around. 

Fortification

The fort is square in shape and can be done by walking on the broad walls of the fort. The fort offers a panaromic view of the sea on one end and the land on the other. One can also see the New Light House built very close to it. 

View from the fort

The new light house is functional and open to public but for  a small fee. The light house offers an amazing 360 degree view of the surrounding. Photography is strictly prohibited here.

Church in a distance

There is no food and refreshments available in the fort and new light house premises. Outside there are a lot of stalls that cater to food and water but they charge a premium fee.

Fort Aguada

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 :)