Goa

It is Goa, it is Goa, it is Goa. Well, I know that the comment was made about GOd’s land Kashmir.

But people like us born into the terrorism have not really had the good fortune of having visited that place. So the next best heaven in India, could well be Goa.

People like to frequent Goa during the last week of the year. But all the times that I have been there has never been during the festive season.

Trust me, Goa is still fun. It is just the spirit of the place and the people that puts you in a festive mood. As it does put you in the relaxation mood.

There is no activity that takes place in Goa in the afternoons. Everything from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. is shut. People who open their shops at 12 in the noon also take a siesta in the afternoon. The people there are that chilled.

It is not that the people are lazy, it is just that Goa in the afternoons is too hot to do anything except have a cold beer. And it is the same all around the year. The evening are cooler. Obviously what did you expect in a place next to the sea?!

Goa as we all know has some beautiful beaches and some really pretty churches too go around to have a look at. The beaches although situated at different places are all the same - clean, clean and clean. Being a Mumbaite it is really a shame to come back home to really unkept and dirty beaches. Blame it on the government, shall we!

The tourism department in Goa is well aware that tourists are the main means of making good money and well the main attraction cannot be tampered with.

For those of you familiar with the place, a visit to Goa cannot be complete without boogieng at Tito’s - which is situated at Baga beach.

Or for those of you who love Italian food - there is a restaurant called Little Italy which serves amazing vegetarian Italian food. Why vegetarian? Because although the creative chef is an Italian guy, the investor is a Gujarati and his only condition was that the food served would be pure vegetarian.

Then of course there are the day activities. Like the boat ride to watch the dolphins. Or the water sports - which are quite affordable. Well, even if none of these excite you, Goa is still the place for you. ’cause Goa is the place of the sun, the sea, the sand .......

Well this review was written almost five years ago and since many a trips have happened to Goa... a lot many actually ...

so thought would update my review

Well to begin with Goa is much more than Baga ... as in my earlier and first time experience.. while then it was Titos .. now my favourite restaurant is Brittos!!!!

Actually the beauty about Goa is that wherever you chose to stay it is an experience in itself.

The party scene might be hot in Baga when the season is on but there are just other many places which might make your trip interesting

For starters in the north itself, there is Vagator beach which has some nice basic places to live in and one can enjoy the hippie scene there.

Then there is this really Goan hotel in Candolim by the name of beach resort which is by far the most economical place I have ever lived in .. it has a pool and an amazing restaurant and is just metres away from the beach..

My favourite hotel however is the MArquis Resort at Siquerim beach ... it is a home away from home. With 3 star service and humble staff and not to forget the great ayurvedic massage ...

There are some nice shopping plazas at Siquerium if you want to do the usual in Goa and also this place is very close to the TAj Village... one of my favourite eating hotels.. Taj has a variety of restaurants offering multi cuisines.

If we move to the South there is of course Colva.. which is the hub ... the best part about Colva is that although it is crowded it still feels like a Goan beach unlike Baga which when crowded feels like a Mumbai beach.

The South still gets a mixed crowd vis-a-vis the Mumbai-Delhi crowd that flocks the north.

Colva again has some great restaurants in the vicinity.. with some yummy goan delicasies.

Hey and if you missing Mumbai too much there is also a chaat joint .. a la typical Delhi chaat house.. it also has the most expanse Cafe Coffee Day recently opened up. Also Colva has an array of water sports like para gliding and dolphin rides which can make it worthwhile..

If you go to the extreme South there is the white sand beach also known as Palolem... if you really want to have the most of Goa beaches then the best thing to do is to stay at one of the bamboo huts in Palolem ... right on the beach... they are the most simplistic huts with just a mattress and a mosquito net ... a wooden staircase leads you up to the room and the washroom is downstairs... hey but be careful because the washroom doesn’t have cemented walls.... so look out for the peepers...

Also one word of advice.. if you go shopping be careful .. Palolem is known as a firang beach and sadly the locals do not really care much for Indians.. have had a fight or two myself...

Other than that ... Goa here I come ......