10 November,2011 11:26 AM IST | | Manjari Bhatnagar
Model, VJ and actor Pia Trivedi decided to hop on her Harley Davidson and do a Goa darshan in hippy-meets-happy fashion. Get a sneak peek into her roadhouse rendezvous. Ride on!
Dayu00a0one
Being a model I've travelled extensively and connected with many places across the globe. Goa happens to be one of them. I like its serene beaches, lush fields, its laid back attitude and most of all, its food. This time, I decided to drive down to Goa. The Old Bombay-Goa Road is bumpy but it makes for a beautiful stretch.
Pia Trivedi takes a breather on the highway en route to Goa
I began the previous night so that I reach at the break of dawn. It was one of the most beautiful daybreaks I've ever seen. When the first rays of the sun reached me cutting through the darkness of the night and filtering through the tall coconut trees, it made for a divine sight! Within minutes the dark cover of the night made way for a bright and beautiful morning.
Piau00a0 engages in serious R&R in the middle of the calm Arabian Sea
Half an hour later I was home. Yes, I own a house here. About four hours went into cleaning the place as it was closed for the monsoon. I took my dog out for a walk through a secluded forest area near my home. I love walking through itu00a0 -- trampling the dried leaves and watching the sun rays struggling to reach the ground through the dense cover of the tall trees. A shower later I headed to the Baba Ram Restaurant in the vicinity, for breakfast. This cosy place has French owners. I am addicted to their fruit salad.
Pia Trivedi and a friend chill on the beach
Back home I packed my beach bags, strapped them to my prized possession -- Harley Davidson and headed to the beach. My Goan friends were already there. Together, we played racket ball and frisbee. Mid afternoon we settled down at Gopal Shack. This is a beach restaurant and serves the most amazing Schezwan Noodles and Prawn Chilly. I dug into generous portions because I knew I won't be savouring these delicious treats at least for the next couple of months.
Back on the beach it was time for sunbathing. By the time I finished reading a book it was time to pack up. I walked down the beach at sunset. On my way back, I stopped at the Anand Bar at Anjuna. They serve the most wholesome and delectable sea food thalis. I particularly love the fish thali here. It made for an awesome, culinary trip!
Day two
Early morning, my sister Binal, and our model friends, Bhavna Sharma and Carol Gracias flew in from Mumbai. The house was suddenly packed and chirpy. After breakfast the girl gang went to the flea market where we picked up interesting artefacts. The Saturday market is a rage here so we hopped over. All of us bought swimsuits. Famished and over loaded with shopping bags we headed to a dhaba at Palm Grove where I dug into a prawn thali. Yum.
That afternoon we decided to take a friend's boat out into the serene waters of the Arabian Sea. It was adventure time. In the middle of the ocean we jumped into the water. It was so liberating! I had done this before but the girls went berserk! They were in and out of water like fish. That day we watched sunset in the water. When we returned to the beach we were wearing big smiles on our faces.
For dinner we arrived at a close friend Sanjeev Mulchandani's Twilight restaurant. He cooks the most amazing sausages! We had a lovely long dinner with him. I chose to have an early night because the next morning I was the designated driverto drive the girls back to Mumbai.
(As told to Manjari Bhatnagar)
How to get there
' Apart from using the old Mumbai Goa route, you can also take NH-7, which is the newer, less patchy route.
' Many trains ply along the Konkan Railway that will reach you to North or South Goa. Check indianrail.gov.in
What to do
' November to February is ideal for long bouts of beach bumming in the balmy Goan sun
' Sign up for snorkeling or scuba diving. The waters are safe
' Check with the locals on dates when the flea markets are open
'u00a0Cashew nuts and feni are a good buy anytime of the year
