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Fresh / Sweet Water Lake - Goa

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So as promised in my last blog, here I am with another on Sweet / fresh water Lake.

Fresh water Lake happened by chance. While I was playing around  the beach at Aarambol , I saw this old man sitting beside the beach, scantily clad and playing remarkable flute (Murali, Bansi, Baashi, Baanhi). Occasionally, he dived in to the water, swam for some time and then went back to playing flute again. It was a beautiful morning and the sound of the flute added to its charm. I thought him to be a Naga, went and sat beside him and began chatting. So, this old guy was not a Naga after all. He did not tell me about his nationality, but did tell me that he has been staying in Goa near  the Fresh Water Lake for many years. (Well, who wouldn’t want….: D).

I was curious to see this sweet water lake so near and immediately wanted to go. I looked for my husband, who was lying on the bed and gazing at the sea and thought best not to disturb him.

 

Post lunch, we let the scooty parked beside the shack and began our journey. We had to walk down for almost 15 - 20 minutes nonstop further north to reach the lake. The beach is completely secluded, and not accessible by road. It offers an adventurous experience in that it is only accessible via foot. It was mid December, yet extremely hot and humid. Blame it to the heat, food or the endless beers; we had to almost drag ourselves sweating profusely all along.

Some pictures along the way.

 

We could see the first glimpse of the beach and the lake separated by palm trees, walked further and reached the lake.

 

 

 

 

 

Words fail me to describe how beautiful was the place. I was mesmerized by the beauty and sheer calmness of the place. For hours, we sat in complete silence,our feet dipped in the cold water admiring the vastness of nature. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was an absolute silence, only to be broken occasionally by hawkers selling pineapple, water or trinkets. I could see a couple swimming in the lake, a group of boys smoking weed, a middle-aged man lying beside a tree and reading a book. But no one spoke, as if speaking would be profanity against this tranquil place.

 

 

 

 

 

The sweet water lake or fresh water lake is supposedly fed by a small stream of hot spring. The water here is a mixture of fresh water and sea water (I tasted it, though it was not exactly sweet, it was not as salty as the sea water). People usually have a sea bath, followed by a mud bath at the stream above the lake (it’s said to have healing effect for the skin) and followed by a bath at the fresh water lake. Water of this lake is believed to have curative properties, as the mud of the lake comprises sulphur.

Of all the firsts of life, for the first time I saw this dog in the lake fishing. A fisher dog....:D. And yes, the lake water was full of dragonflies. Later, I did some research on Google and found that dragonflies are primarily aquatic!

 

 

These huts are like cabins rented to travellers who want to stay right here on the beach.

 

 

 

 

The restaurant beside the lake.

 

 

 

And yes, Mr. Husband got my name tattooed on his hand (People do such things under the influence of love or may be alcohol....:p). Though it was the temprory one, it stayed for some good 20 days......:D

 

 

 

 

So, this is how our day went by at Aarambol and the lake. We have planned another trip to Goa this year and I am just keeping my fingers crossed. Goa remains the favourite for life time.

PS: Please excuse me for my poor photography skills. I will try to hone it, so that i can put better photographs.

Aarambol - A delight in Goa!

Goa.........
For me, Goa is a place, where I want to go every year (Mattha Tekene Types...:P). I love standing by the sea during the night gazing at the sky and listening to the noise the high tides creates.
I love the early morning drive to the Anjana Beach followed by the endless dips in the sea water, the breakfast at the nearby shack. I love dressing up for some amazing night life at Baga Beach, the fabulous music, beer at the cheapest possible price.

I feel like a careless child here, uninhibited, happy and of course high (well most of the times).

This time I was there with my husband. And we were there for our first vacation post marriage in December 2012. By the time we reached Goa, it was late in afternoon. We were beaming with excitement and decided to skip lunch and first hire a scooty for our next three days stay. In Goa, one can hire a scooty / bike / jeep / car on nominal rates and can travel in and around at one's own convenience.

I had already been to Goa twice, hence had a travel plan in my mind.
Mr Husband had never been here. He who has always been a backpacker and travels almost without a plan by conversing with locals, spoke with the hotel waiters who advised us to chuck the famous beaches and head to further north for some beautiful secluded beaches. After some rounds of persuasion, I did give up on my plan.

Next day morning at 6:30 am, I was almost thrown off from the bed. Oh Yeah! we had decided for an early start. At around 7:30 am, we started for Aarambol Beach from our hotel located right on Baga Beach.

Mr. Husband had already done his research and saved the directions on his cellphone. An hour's drive amidst the beautiful countryside of Goa.

Goan Countryside

And we were here, witnessing beautiful pristine beaches of Goa. It was amazingly serene. The early start was a good idea after all...:):)

Aarambol



The beach was almost empty, except some early morning swimmers. We hired a bed beside a shack for Rs. 100 (I know its dirt chaep) and were settled for the day.

Aarambol

The shack served some amazing food.  

Shack

Even as the day progressed, the sea-side remained secluded as compared to other beaches of Goa.

Aarambol

PS: We did not spend the whole day at the beach and in the late afternoon headed towards the Sweet Water lake, which is a 15 minutes walk from the beach. I will cover that in the next blog...:):) Till than, TAAAATAAAAA, Byeee bYeeee.....................