GOA TRIP - As I see it...
After innumerable group discussions on the location, budget
and not to forget the “fun” quotient, we finally zeroed in on Goa to be our
offsite destination. Saurabh’s herculean effort to convince the team for Jim
Corbett almost proved futile but the high spirited guy he is, he more than made
amends in Goa with his wit, intellect and humour (this is not to please him but
actually a fact).
So we set ourselves for the journey on 9th Jan, clad in half tees to embrace
the cosy weather at Goa and half sweaters to tackle the wicked winters here.
Initially, Yuvaraj seemed to be in his own groove, earphones plugged in his
ears while taking a walk near the check in counter and maintaining safe
distance from the team on the flight. But Saurabh grabbed the 5 rater
opportunity and sat besides him during the flight. His witty talks, re
christening some folks in the team (Bittoo Boss for instance) went on for the
entire journey and did keep us hooked, can’t say the same about Yuvaraj though.
It was hard to make out if he was enjoying sitting alone or with SK :)
We landed in Goa at around 5 pm and prayed silently within, “Goa,
you better be good to us.” Seating ourselves in the tempo traveller, we took no
time in laying our hands upon few beer crates and “Chakna”. Poor non-drinkers
had to remain content with a Pepsi and Coke but as they say, such is life’s miseries.
Just then, I got a call which blew me apart. Yet another drama on an offsite
for me, this time I forgot my laptop bag at the Airport. Let me be honest, this
was more gruesome than missing the bus on an unknown highway during the last
trip. Luckily, my bag went into safe hands and the guy was helpful enough to
drop it in our hotel. My heart was in my mouth all this while, but when I got
my laptop back, I was all smiles again. Coming back to the trip, HR team was
already getting into the mood. The body part guess game with weird hints and some
raised eyebrows was a testimony of the things lined up for us for the next
three days, courtesy Saurabh. Soon we checked in at the Nazri Resort near Baga
Beach which was a magnificent property, surrounded by lush green fields and
seemed to be an ideal place for discerning travelers like us who wanted nothing
more than being in the lap of fun, excitement and contentment for the next few
days. The resort was conveniently located in the heart of North Goa and
a few minutes’ drive would take us to some of the most stunning places known. We
decided to head off to St. Anthony’s for dinner and special thanks to Chetan
and Arun for reserving the seats for the rest of the lazy bums. Poor guys had
to be out there as early as 8 pm to block the seats because as per Chetan, “Waha
late jaate to seat milna mushkil hi nahi, na mumkin tha..8 baje se baithe hain inke liye
tab bhi koi kadar nahi”.
The table was set and apart from the overflowing and
ubiquitous Daaru(Beer in plenty, Whisky lovers
were few but Chandan, WINE wala asli
hero was only you) we ordered almost the entire non vegetarian that they could
offer and some vegetarian for the “pure veg” folks. Post wrapping up the table,
one could see Gupi and Arun placing zillions of orders at the bar counter while
Chetan decided to shake a leg at the DJ with a beer bottle in his hand which did offend the bouncer. Risking life at the dance floor when a bouncer is ready to pounce on you was never a good idea and Chetan made a note of that quickly. Nitya
wanted to be the singing sensation and was adamant about “It’s my life” at the
Karaoke. She even declined Yuvaraj’s offer to sing for all of us in the
hotel since the mike and the crowd cheering around would be a dream come true for
her and not just the HR team. “Sir, mike pe gaa ke feel aa jati hai”
was what she had to say to Yuvaraj. On the other hand, Richa was high owing to
the excess chocolate in her Oreo shake and we made her sit and relax, till she
was okay. We all began to take the walk back to the hotel around 2 am when we
later found that some of them were missing. Yuvaraj decided to have some fun in
his own way and conceived the plan of “Richa’s disappearance”. Nitya used her cry baby tone on the phone to perfection and informed the group
on the beach about Richa’s disappearance. SK, RB,CS,GG,AS,GP came rushing back
to the hotel, eyes red, faces in horror and mouth big wide open. The high-ness
was gone in thin air as Yuvaraj ripped them apart in no time. He ordered them
to look for her in town and they all rushed back to the Goa streets to hunt for
Richa like a headless chicken. In the meanwhile, Richa was taking a nap in YS’s
room comfortably but forgot to switch off her phone. Finally, after the futile
efforts, we all gathered at Yuvaraj’s room and disclosed the bluff immediately.
They all were shell shocked, to say the least, what happened next,
unfortunately needs to be censored. :)
The next day, the sun shone bright and it was a pleasant day.
After a lazy morning and an unplanned day ahead, we set ourselves for lunch at
Brittos. After an agonizing wait, all came out in true Goa colours. Guys were
in comfortable tees and shorts/bermudas (barring Arjun who wore full clothes to
protect himself from tanning that’s what I can guess) while girls rocked with skirts,
shorts, tees and displayed flamboyance and carried it off elegantly. Post filling
ourselves, it was time for some relaxation so we headed to Arambol beach. Recommendation came from none other than SK and once we reached there,
really none of us complained. SK had no qualms in referring to it as the nude beach while asking for directions. Yuvaraj drove us to the place in the jeep with
full vigour and style, flaunting the new tattoo on his biceps. It was a gorgeous
beach and the sun set view was exquisite. Guys relaxed with their tees off and
some preferred massage while the rest lied down with a can of beer, enjoying
the breathtaking view. Soon, after satisfying our palate, we headed back to Panvel.
Yes Panvel, courtesy Gupi’s reverse pointed GPS and some more technical errors,
we found ourselves lost on the Mumbai Goa highway. Eventually, we managed to reach the hotel in another hour or so. That
night, girls were enjoying themselves at the flea market and then Club Cabana
while the guys decided to stay back after the long drive and have some more drink
sessions along the pool side. With some lip smacking non veg and countless beer
bottles, we ended up in SK’s room to have the best night of the trip. It was a
sort of Nach Baliye but with couples performing on weird songs. TC and CC kicked
off the event with flair. Apparently, it was hard for TC to match CC’s steps so
she taught him her own and the performance went really well. There were decent
performances from Arun/Tanisha, Poorva/Chetan, Arjun/Amrita (disqualified) but
the stellar performance was from SK and Richa. This performance had masala,
enthusiasm, flavor, rhythm and some what dance too. The last, toughest but
least acknowledged performance were from me, GP and Jaggi who danced at “Lukka
Chuppi”, clearly the trickiest song but we managed well somehow, though I still
complain of our group pic not being taken :(
Yuvaraj bid adieu that night or rather morning but we set
ourselves for yet another, but unfortunately our last day of the trip. After a
filling and amazing lunch, we headed to Fort Chapora (Dil Chahta Hai) which
came across as an iconic location. The rocky surface, picturesque view and the
sun set, was extremely mesmerizing and was a writer’s delight. We patiently
waited for the sun to set and when it did, it brought smiles and contentment
all around. That night, was HR team’s party night, no holds barred. The venue
was none other than LPK (Love Passion Karma). TC taught us a simple way to
remember the name, “we all saw PK movie, just prefix L to it and its LPK.” It
was the most happening place of Goa that night and we added much more value to
it. The DJ floor was brimming with dancers and romantic couples and the music got
all of us going too. We couldn’t stop but shake a leg at almost every tune the
DJ played. Alongside, we did make full use of the free “drink till you drop”
alcohol service and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
Sadly, the next day arrived pretty soon and we were all
packing our bags to check out on time. We checked in at the airport and later, boarded
our flights quietly. The enthusiasm and chirpy team clearly looked tired and
disappointed because it was an end, end to one of the most fascinating trips
ever. Via this blog, I wish to thank you all for being a part of not just this
trip, but memories galore which will be etched in our minds and hearts forever
!!
