Weekend Getaways from Goa - Fort Tiracol - Goa's Northern Jewel

In early December 2016, friends at GTDC (Goa Tourism Development Corporation) extended a very exciting weekend offer for a stay at the newly restored Fort Tiracol in North Goa. It was a nostalgic trip for my wife, as it may be for anyone who has grown up in Goa, and have probably visited the Fort as young children.

Fort Tiracol, sometimes known as Terekhol Fort, is a fort in Goa, India. The name probably originated from the Marathi tir-khol meaning "steep river-bank". (Source Wikipedia)

The fort was originally built by Maharaja Khem Sawant Bhonsle, the Raja of Sawantwadi, in the 17th century. The site chosen was a hillock on the Northern (right) bank of the river, which gave a commanding view of the Arabian sea. The Bhonsles of Sawantwadi kept a sizeable fleet of native vessels which sheltered in the Tiracol River. The fort initially consisted of 12 guns, a barrack and a chapel. (Source Wikipedia)

In 1746, the Portuguese under the 44th Viceroy of Goa, Pedro Miguel de Almeida Portugal e Vasconcelos, conde de Assumar, marquis de Alorna, waged war against the Raja of Sawantwadi. On 16 November 1746, de Almeida brought the Portuguese fleet up to the River Kaisuva, waged a fierce maritime engagement against the naval forces of the Raja of Sawantwadi in which the Portuguese defeated the Sawantwadi forces utterly. Several skirmishes on land followed and Fort Tiracol was finally surrendered on 23 November 1746 to the Portuguese. (Source Wikipedia)

The fort became an important part of Portuguese maritime defences; being extensively revamped in 1764. It remained in Portuguese control till December 1961 when the last of Portuguese territorial positions in the subcontinent were forcibly annexed by India.

On 17 February 1819, following the defeat of the Marathas, a treaty was signed by Raja Bhonsle Khem Sawunt of Savantwadi who recognised British suzerainty. This treaty effectively abolished the strategic importance of the fort, as it became an enclave in territory controlled by British allies.

During the Portuguese Civil War, the fort served as a rebel stronghold during an uprising in 1825 against the Portuguese led by Dr. Bernardo Peres da Silva, the first Goan born Viceroy of Goa. It was greatly damaged but the fort and the chapel were later rebuilt. A ruthless Commandant, "Tiger-killer" da Cunha entered the fort and ordered the beheading of the entire garrison and the placing of the heads on stakes. (Source Wikipedia)

Fort Tiracol was a symbolic location where freedom fighters from Goa demonstrated from time to time. On 15 August 1954, Satyagrahis protesting Portuguese rule entered Goa from three different directions - one of which was from the North to Fort Tiracol, which was occupied and flew the Indian flag for a day before they were captured and imprisoned.

A Church for the Holy Trinity was constructed in the fort courtyard by de Almeida after its capture. This later became the century old Church of St. Anthony. (Source Wikipedia)

Now, in a state of ruins, Fort Tiracol has been converted into a hotel, the Fort Tiracol Heritage Hotel. The church is not open to the general public except on certain occasions, such as the annual feast that is usually held in May. 

The Fort Tiracol Heritage Hotel is managed by GTDC (Goa Tourism Development Corporation) and is described by them as a Luxury Hotel. The recently renovated and redesigned boutique hotel that was launched in October 2016 has 5 "Deluxe Rooms" and 2 "Luxury Suites" named after the 7 days of the week - Monday through to Sunday. 

We were given a choice of the "Friday" Suite or the "Saturday" Deluxe room, however although the "Friday" was larger, we loved the layout and the view from "Saturday" and opted for this room.

Each room has been uniquely conceptualized and designed, the design style being both Indo Portuguese and contemporary. Every room is equipped with King size beds, AC, satellite 42 “ flat screen TVs, coffee maker, electronic safe and modern bathrooms with rain shower.

A welcome plate of assorted Goan Sweets were sent to the room. The bed was very comfortable, the Bathroom amenities were good and the shower pressure was awesome...always so important points for us when booking a hotel stay.

View from "Saturday"

View of the side of the Fort from "Saturday"

The Hotel has 2 restaurants - the "TAVERN" which has outdoor verandah seating too, with a birds eye view of the Tiracol Bay. One can spot dolphins easily from here.

Dinner is included in the package and you are spoilt for choice from an a la carte selection that includes local goan specialities, some traditional indian selections and a signature selection of dishes, inspired and composed by Chris Saleem (Sublime, Morjim) that is a contemporary blend of fresh local ingredients and inspired by traditional local indo portuguese cuisine.

View from the Tavern

The Fort has a stone step path that leads to the base of the Fort. 

Spotting Dolphins and watching the sunset at the Look Out Point at the base of the fort.

Driving Route from Panjim

Although there are 3 different routes to Fort Tiracol, we stuck with the coastal route via Arambol. Earlier one had to cross a ferry at Kerim (Querim), however we were able to cross the Terekol River via the Kirapani Aronda Bridge which enters into Maharashtra. Take a left after the bride to head back into Goa and eventually reach the Fort.

Weekend Getaway - Agonda Beach, South Goa

Growing up, I remember that weekends were something we kids looked up to, as it meant picnics, a visit to the beach, a fishing trip, or a long drive followed by Lunch in some interesting fur flung corner of Goa. 

But as we grew up into adults with a family and a career and responsibilities, a weekend getaway becomes a luxury...not money wise but because "Time" is a Luxury. However, 2017's resolution is "Work Life balance" which to me means disconnecting from the rest of the world and taking some time off to spend time with the people that love and support you the most - FAMILY.

So armed with a new DSLR Camera, my husband's 2017 Resolution to take the time to stop and appreciate the beauty in life through the lens of a Camera, and capture these images for my blog....we took ourselves off to Agonda.

We took the highway route to Agonda, it was a fairly pleasant drive and in less than an hour (probably 40 mins) we were at our destination. 

Agonda is a large village located in Canacona in South Goa, India. Agonda is famous for its beach and It is one of the only four beaches designated as turtle nesting sites under the Coastal Regulation Zone 2011 notification.

Agonda Beach is a public beach located in Agonda village in Goa, India, about 9.2 kilometres (5.7 mi) north of Palolem Beach in South Goa, and about an hour from Margao.

During the month of September, the beach serves as a nesting groundfor olive ridley sea turtles.

In 2016 it was ranked on TripAdvisor's "Travelers Choice" as fourth in Asia by Tripadvisor 2016 and first in India. (Source:Wikipedia)

The Bay Agonda is a quiet resort at one end of the Agonda beach where the back water creek cuts across the white sand beach to meet the sea near the cliff side.

The resort website elaborates further : Twenty-one Goa cottages, 11 of them river view cottages and 10 of them beach cottages, all come with private balconies and soul-enriching views of Agonda Bay or the Indian Ocean. Each cottage is drenched in sunlight but blissfully chilled with A/C, and features its own private, open air bath and rainforest shower. These cottages make you feel like you are in a 5 star hotel, even though our package deals make this beach resort one of the most affordable places in Goa. So True!

The resort style is charmingly rustic. Little stone pathways lead to through green gardens to the River side Villas. 

Pathway leading to the Reception

River side Villas

The Verandah and the interesting Door Lock

The attached open air bathroom

The Treetop Tava restaurant with a birds eye view of the bay.
An organic welcome on arrival

View from the Treetop tava restaurant

The Beach Villas are across from the Creek, and they have this ingenious boat crossing system to get across, you hop on and are pulled to the other side.

The opposite side of the creek.

The Beach Villas

We chose to have Lunch at The Bay Agonda's beach side restaurant Grand Mariposa. Nothing too grand though, it's really small shack, located at the back of the Beach Villas with a view of the creek. Personally, we preferred the Treetop Tava, which certainly had more charm and character.

The Grand Mariposa

We spend the day a the beach side, where the waters are relatively calm and our son enjoyed collecting a variety of shells. There are options for choosing boat rides for dolphin watching or a trip to the next beach (Cola Beach)

One can also opt for a river boat ride through the back waters, where if you are lucky, you can spot a few birds like kingfishers.

We wound up the evening enjoying a lazy sunset on the beach.

Evening in Agonda have it's own charm, and the resort is tastefully lit up.

The following day, we enjoyed a light breakfast which is part of the package.

We ended our visit to Agonda with Lunch at a Shack further down the beach.

We returned to Margao via another route, a quieter coastal road that connects via Betul to the Cavolossim to Colva road.

Summer - the season for "I Do"s in Russia

I travelled to Moscow and St Petersburg in the month of July a few years back
(2008) to experience the famous "White Nights". This curious phenomenon is most evident in St Petersburg due to it's very northerly geographical location. At 59 degrees 57' North, St. Petersburg is the world's most northern city, and it stands at such a high latitude that the sun does not descend below the horizon enough for the sky to grow dark. In fact night becomes curiously indistinguishable from day, so much so that the authorities never need to turn the city's streetlights on!

The phenomenon begins from late May to early July, with the brightest period, the White Nights, normally lasting from June 11^th to July 2^nd. 

These pictures above, were taken after 9PM!

This is apparently also a popular season for weddings in Russia, for wherever we went, we were surrounded by beautiful Bridal couples. It appears to be some sort of tradition to have their photographs taken in front of popular monuments, churches, palaces and gardens. So gaping at all those beautiful brides, visible at every tourist spot that we were visiting, was an added plus on our holiday.

Curious about weddings in Russia, I read up on them when I returned. As their traditions are a somewhat unique, I thought I would share some information about it with ayou (courtesy : http://www.womenrussia.com/wedding.htm), along with the pictures I took on my Holiday.

Russian wedding protocol is quite different from what you are used to. For example, there are no bridesmaids, a best man and flower girls. 

First of all, let's start with engagement. Frankly speaking, there is no such a thing. A man asks a woman if she marry him, that's it. No rings are given; no one is informed about the event excepting closest friends and family. If the man is gallant, he will give his lady flowers, but this is not mandatory.



The wedding is usually planned soon, within 1-3 months. The couple is supposed to apply in writing to the department of registrations asking to register their marriage. The department will give them available dates but according to the law there must be at least 1 month of "waiting period", probably because people in Russia marry early, mostly at the age of 18-22, and this may give them some time to rethink in case they have made a hasty decision. During Soviet time this period was 3 months, so the two had time to cool down.

After the couple has applied to the department of registration, they are considered as being a bride and a groom; but Russians do not talk about being engaged, they say "They handed in the application".

Russians call "engagement rings" the rings that the couple exchanges during the wedding ceremony. The two buy them together; the groom pays; this is the necessary part of the wedding tradition. Russian engagement rings are in reality just plain wedding bands of gold, without diamonds or stones, and they wear them on the RIGHT hand on the finger next to the "pinky". (An "engagement ring" on the LEFT hand on the same finger will mean for Russians that the person is divorced or widowed, i.e. is not currently married but was married before.)

 



The bride's dress is usually made specially for the occasion because it's cheaper than buying it. All Russian women can sew (sewing is compulsory in the course of 'domestic labor' subject for girls in Russian schools - boys learn to make furniture and fix taps etc). Many girls sew beautifully; so brides often opt for making their wedding dresses themselves.



The necessary part of the wedding ceremony is a wedding train of several cars. Big black cars are considered as luxury in Russia (they used to be available for Soviet government elite only), and usually if the couple has money, they will hire at least one for the bride. The more cars participating in the wedding train, the more proud the couple will be. Usually they ask all their friends and relatives who have cars to join the ceremony. The cars are used to collect the bride, and go to Department of registration for the ceremony.

You'll probably be interested to note that a Russian wedding lasts for 2 days!! (Well, at least. Some weddings last as long as a week, and this is something to be proud of and remember for years: it means the couple had enough liquor to go on and on, and enough devoted friends to stay.)

Read more about Day 1 of a Russian Wedding here : Russian Wedding Day 1

Read more about Day 2 of a Russian Wedding here : Russian Wedding Day 2