Goa Beaches
» ANJUNA BEACH

With
its fluorescent painted palm trees and infamous full moon parties, ANJUNA, 8-km
west of Mapusa, is Goa at its most "alternative". Designer leather
and lycra may have superseded cotton Kaftans, but most people's reasons for
coming are the same as they were in the 1970s: dancing and lying on the beach
slurping tropical fruit. While browsing in the area have a day trip to the famous
flea market.
One of the main sources of Anjuna's enduring popularity as a hippy hang out
is its superb beach. Fringed by groves of swaying coconut palms, the curve of
soft white sand conforms more closely to the archetypal vision of paradise than
any other beach on the north coast. Bathing is generally safer than at most
of the nearby resorts, too, especially at the more peaceful southern end, where
a rocky headland keeps the sea calm and the undertow to a minimum.
North of the market ground, the beach broadens, running in an uninterrupted
kilometre long stretch of steeply shelving sand to a low red cliff. The village
bus park lies on top of this high ground, near a crop of small cafes, bars and
Kashmiri handicraft stalls. Every lunch hour, tour parties from Panjim pull
in here for a beer, before heading home again, leaving the ragged army of sun
weary westerners to enjoy the sunset.
Anjuna attracts a variety of tourists touring Goa, and the crowd includes from
the happy go lucky kinds to overlanders, monks, defiant ex-hippies, gentle lunatics,
artists, artisans, seers, searchers etc. Even those particular kinds of tourists
who prefer to travel within the limit of their tour itinerary, cannot resist
visiting this charming beach site.
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» BAGA BEACH

Baga,
10-km west of Mapusa, is basically an extension of Calangute; even the locals
are unable to decide where ends and the other begin. Lying in the lee of a rocky,
wooded headland, the only difference between this far northern end of the beach
and its more congested centre is that the scenery here is marginally more varied
and picturesque.
A small river flows into the sea at the top of the village, below a broad spur
of soft white sand, from where a dirt track strikes across an expanse of paddy
fields towards Anjuna. The old red tiled fishers houses behind the dunes have
long been swamped by gaudily lit bars, Tandoori terrace restaurants and handicraft
shops, but one doesn't feel quite so hemmed in as at Calangute.
A fishing seashore lined with thickets of shady palm trees that provides a stunning
view against the playful sea waves, Baga Beach is secluded enough to gain popularity
among the topless sunbathers, though it is not among the famous 'nude' beaches.
The flat beach of Baga has white clean sands and is safe for swimming. Besides
water sports and fishing, there are lively watering holes with dance floors
that pep up the Goa's nightlife.
Baga is a fishing beach that sees a lot of international tourists sun-bathing
in its golden sun, as a grove of palms gently sways in the wind. The Baga River
flows along one side of Baga beach Goa offering a good alternative for children
and those who are not too confident about swimming in the sea. On one of the
far ends of the beach, lies a group of black rocks against which the sea crashes
in dramatic explosions of spray.
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» BOGMALO BEACH

When
compared with Calangute Or Colva, Bogmalo still seems a small-scale beach resort,
still there's something about seclusion that one finds over here that makes
one visit this beach area every time one visit's Goa. Beside this beach site
is a reasonably safer site for swimming and have quite good eating joints and
shopping options in Goa. The beach is clean and not too crowded, the water reasonably
safe for swimming, and there are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. If,
on the other hand, one is looking for somewhere not yet, on the package tourist
map, one'll be better off further south, at the far end of Colva Beach or beyond.
Immediately south of the airport, the Mormugao peninsula's sun parched central
plateau tumbles to a flat-bottomed valley lined with coconut trees and redbrick
huts. The sandy beach at the end of the cove would be even more picturesque
were it not for the monstrous multi-storey edifice perched above it. Until Oberoi
erected a huge five star hotel here, Bogmalo was just another small fishing
village, hemmed in by a pair of palm fringed headlands at the northern end of
Colva bay.
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» CHAPORA BEACH
Crouched in the shadow of a Portuguese fort on the opposite, northern side of
the headland from Vagator, Chapora, 10-km from Mapusa, is a lot busier than
most north coast villages. Dependent on fishing and boat building, it has, to
a great extent, retained a life of its own independent of tourism. The leisure
purpose is very well served by the Main Street, lined with as many regular stores
as travellers cafes and restaurants.
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