3.4.12: Bike Tour: Panaji, Goa

You have to understand that all the shots were done in a hurry.  If not for this blog, I won't take photos of Panaji and will just enjoy the bike ride with my fiance.  But I love you my readers so I did this for you.  :-P

Goa is best explored with a motorbike.  I know that by experience. It's not your usual beach destination on a small island. Well it's not an island to start with.  It is more like a developed city with big roads and intersections. You can travel by auto-rickshaws too but that will cost you lots of money.  A motorbike can go for 250 Rupees for 24 hours but you have to pay for the gas.  We paid 400 Rupees for a full tank but used half of it for more than 30 kilometers bike ride.  It was the most fun I've been in India.  I thank Luke for being my driver in India and putting up with me when I got frustrated looking for the tourist spots.

As you all know, Luke like to buy guide books.  I found a page telling us how to explore Panaji.  The directions was badly done though we ended up near Miramar beach.  The spot was actually the beginning of Panaji. If you see the Our Lady of the Immaculate Concepcion church then you know that you went too far.  It was a good starting point for our trip though.  We took the small road at the right side of the church and kept on driving from there until we found the St. Sebastian Chapel. It is another white church on the right side of the road so keep you eyes peeled.  It is fittingly located in St. Sebastian Road.

Our trip started with the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception,

 Pato Bridge

Do not go on Sundays. Churches are closed.  St. Sebastian Road where the St. Sebastian Chapel is. It is adjacent to Rua Natale.

  The next 3 photos were taken in Rua Natale

 Rua Natale is filled with multi coloured houses.

This reminded me of Nando's.  The chicken triggered it!

and ended with Maruti Temple.

I google mapped(if there's such a thing as google mapped) the direction to show you roughly how we did our tour. It was less than 2 km apart.

  Did I tell you that Panaji used to be a Portuguese settlement?  This explains the colour coded and colourful houses and tiled signages.  This also explains why there are so many churches in Goa.  I've never been to a place with churches and chapels 5 minutes away from each other.  More than what my country have!