On the hallowed grounds of Goa - III

We set out north of Siolim the next day with anticipation about the new place we were about to visit and trepidation about this day being our last one in Goa. The destination was Fort Tiracol – also known as Terekhol to the locals – situated on the mouth of the river Terekhol where it joins the Arabian Sea. Though it is a 17^th century fort, several renovations have been done to this fort to convert it into a hotel, a fact we didn’t know when we set out. Nevertheless, the journey and the view once you reach the fort more or less made up for the disappointment of seeing a hotel where we expected to finally see a fort.

The journey to Tiracol fort requires one to take a ferry from Querim. The ferry takes both people as well as vehicles for the fort is situated a few kilometers from the wharf. The fort, originally built by Maharaja Khem Sawant Bhonsle, the Raja of Sawantwadi, was later captured by the Portuguese in mid 1700’s. And the Portuguese influence is quite apparent when you visit the fort. There’s a small cross sheltered under the trees just outside the fort. Inside the fort, there’s a church built for the Holy Trinity and a statue of St. Andrew dominates the center of the courtyard. However, the rest of the fort is quite unremarkable. The top of the fort though, affords a great view of the Terekhol River joining the Arabian Sea. Besides, you can also see the Querim beach on the far side of the sea. The roof of the fort has now been converted into a restaurant.

Having seen whatever little there was to see, we decided to have lunch in the roof top restaurant. However, the maitre‘d informed us that there was a better restaurant situated a little off the road leading to the fort. Though we never found out the reason for this particular advice (though it might have had something to do with the fact that one of our friend was a local and spoke the local language fluently), we were definitely thankful to the maitre’d for his suggestion. That meal in on our last day in Goa was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Apart from the usual fare of prawns and surmai, we also got to taste some excellent squid. 

That done, we took one last look at the confluence of the Terekhol river and the Arabian Sea and set out on our way to Mapusa where we were supposed to drop a friend and shop for some delicacies. A few Bibincas, prawn pickles, and port wines later, we were headed back home with nothing but memories.

P. S: As I write this, another trip to Goa beckons in a few hours.