“What will YOU do in Goa, the party capital of India?! You don’t even drink or eat non-veg! And who goes to Goa in March end? Are you crazy?” My friends exclaim. Well, all of us do have a bit of craziness in us. 🙂 Part 1 of my trip.
Before I begin, some trivia – Goa is the richest Indian state per capita and receives among the highest number of international tourists in India. It is known for its beaches, old Portuguese monuments and its open culture.
I reached Panjim on Friday morning after an overnight bus drive. The last hour turned out to be very nauseating, when our bus crossed over the steep Western Ghats and entered Goa via Anmod.
My friends wanted to avoid all the usual hotspots. So I had rooms booked in a hotel in Baga, a small town in North Goa (Sun Village Boutique Resort – highly recommended from personal experience).
While waiting for a friend at the Panjim bus stand, I glanced across an article in a local newspaper – the Goan Govt. had registered its protest against the new Bollywood movie Go Goa Gone since it portrayed the state in bad light. I support the Goan Govt. on this!
Goa is what urban India would look like if it was tidier! The rivers, lagoons, lakes, if not pristine, were definitely clean.
And there is respect towards outsiders. Everyone we met was very friendly. A change from the conservative South and the rough North. 🙂
When I visited Goa 20 years ago, I thought this is how Europe might look like, with its clean and empty roads, and the old-style buildings. On this trip, I thought all foreigners had immigrated here! There were so many tourists! And that too, when people said that this was the off-season! So much so, that we are actually asking directions from the foreigners.
Transport is insanely expensive in Goa as per Indian standards. The buses don’t have that good a reach. We managed with the best possible transport – 2 wheelers on rent.
Our main haunt was the Baga beach. All the beaches have restaurants cum bars known as shacks, which keep playing party songs through the day (Hookah bar seemed to be a favorite). You can sit on their sun beds and enjoy a drink or sit on the low chairs in the sand and enjoy your food. Less crowded than the Calungate, this beach is beautiful and happening.
In the night, we headed to the famous Tito’s lane. Some night life! Goa is truly a party state. 🙂
Read part 2 here.
Peaceful Restlessness 
Wonderful hearing about Goa, did you taste pheni the local brew, I called it arak when I had it in 1960s and we discarded the bottle little realizing that it was sheer temptation for our waiter wo I presume HE HAD a really tipsy night!! Did not show up the next day. The hotel was Manldovi . Its the laid back latin influence of Portuguese life style that the Goans have inherited and hence the friendliness and warmth- more smiles than frowns, and not the hurried puritanical air of greeting which suggests waste of time if you are not working… Wish you`d follow=up next week with some encounters of the trip. Pritimasi,
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I had heard “feni” has a very bad taste, so didn’t try. Yes, I will write some more of the trip in the 2nd part. Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
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Wow Pranav, beautiful blog and phos are enchanting! You do get around! Good for yoyu! Love, Bindu masi
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Thanks. Well, I don’t really travel that much, I just pen down when I travel. 🙂
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