My Goan Holiday

 

The lesser known Goa, through my lens

Goa had been on my bucket list for the longest time- almost three decades from the time I graduated from university. We holidayed at places not on the bucket list but somehow Goa kept getting pushed to the backburner. The holiday finally happened early this year, with me in my mid fifties and my husband a solid sixty. But no regrets about that: this was the first holiday the husband and I took alone since the arrival of the first child some 28 years back. And it worked!

We were in Goa for five magical days. I had heard a lot from people about the place – and from that had images of sun kissed tourists dressed in lovely beach wear, drinking feni and indulging in PDA firmly entrenched in my mind. We landed in Goa all prepared to be the proverbial uncle ji and aunty ji, but soon realized that the place lets you be yourself.

Half the charm of the holiday was that we stayed at my husband’s cousin’s place. Cousin is a retired babu who, very wisely, bought himself a very cute villa in north Goa post retirement. He stays half the year in Goa and the other half in Delhi. The six months he is in Goa, family and friends make sure he is never alone. When we were at his place, his younger brother- another retired babu- was also staying with him. The housekeeper is a very pleasant Nepalese, who makes the most awesome food. I finally mastered the art of making upma from her- as also the thinnest softest moong ki daal chillas. A young boy, forever smiling, serves as the Man Friday.

Our daughter, considering herself a Goa veteran, had made a detailed day wise itinerary which included the ‘must see’ spots as per her and her friends. But when we returned from our holiday and exchanged notes, she had a blank look at almost all the places we mentioned! That’s when I decided to pen my own ‘Must visit Goa spots’ for all kindred souls who want to experience this charming city away from all the normal touristy spots.

 

 

The places we ate at:

Cafe Chocolatti

Café Chocolatti is on Fort Aguada Road in Candolim. It is a charming place, with outside seating and the sun peeping in through lush green palms and other tropical foliage. We went twice here, both times for our mid morning coffee. Definitely a must visit.

Amavi by Sumera

Amavi is in Calangute. We visited the place for dinner on our second night.  Smart décor, live music and singing and a great European menu even for vegetarians like the four of us.

 

 

 

 

Mum’s Kitchen 

A must visit, Mum’s Kitchen is in Panjim. When you enter the place, you feel you are entering someone’s well maintained residence. 

 

 

 

 

Mum’s Kitchen is a celebration of Goan legacy: recipes that have been handed down from one generation to the next. The place also has an extremely well appointed washroom, proving that small spaces too can be done up well !

The husband enjoying his relaxed afternoon at Mum’s

 

 

 

Bhojan in Hotel Fidalgo

Fidalgo in Panaji has a restaurant serving authentic Gujariti – Marathi food in huge thalis. Bhojan is a no fuss place with amazing food- which just keeps on coming. Go here on an empty tummy:)

Mojigao

The place is located in a forested and well landscaped part of Assagaon. The cafe at Mojigao offers delectable vegetarian and vegan items on the menu, with fresh fruit juices and delicious desserts. This eco haven in Assagao is a must experience.

 

The Lazy Dog

                      

The Lazy Dog is located at the back of Mandrem beach and is the perfect location to view the beautiful beach. It has comfortable settees and chairs for drinks or dining. The varied menu offers light snacks to a full meal. Nice!

Places we visited and recommend

Altinho Hill

If there is an address to die for in Goa, then it is Altinho Hill. The hill has a picture perfect location and offers a splendid view of the city from the hilltop. It neighbours Panaji and houses the Archbishop's Palace, the house of the Chief Minister, the All India Radio Station and Government Servant Quarters.

                                              The Archbishop's Palace

Reis Magos Fort

The Reis Magos Fort is located in North Goa and is a must visit. The short walk up from the main road is a delight to traverse. Reis Magos fort was originally a fortess and later used as a jail.

                    

            

The fort is extremely well maintained and probably offers the best view in the whole of Goa

 

Museum of Goa

Another memorable part of our trip to Goa was our visit to the Museum of Goa, a private museum conceptualized by Mr. Subodh Kerkar. Art exhibitions are held here throughout the year. The day of our visit, Mr Subodh Kelkar was there, happily mingling with the visitors and answering questions. We purchased a lovely print from the Souvenir shop. The girl at the shop got it framed in wood for us within fifteen minutes. We spent that time chatting with Mr Kelkar.

 

Friday Night Market at Little Vagator

The Friday night market is again a must visit- if only to soak in the ambience and atmosphere. It has great live music, with DJs and the whole works, food, shops/ stalls. Parking is free and the whole thing is well organized.

 

 

 

Mario Miranda’s Gallery

Mario Gallery at Calangute was an absolute delight. The artist’s body of work is on display, as are curios, posters, cushions, lamp shades, prints etc. We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours browsing through Mario Miranda’s vision of Goa.

The Quirky entrance to Mario’s gallery

 

 

 

Fab India Gallery in North Goa

We went to Fab India because our host wanted to pick up some spreads. The place is on my list only because it is one of the very well-appointed Fab India outlet- comparable, if not better, to any Delhi outlet.

Fountainhas Walk by Make it Happen

This walk definitely has to be one of the highlights of our trip. Fontainhas is not only the oldest but the largest Latin quarter of Asia. The walk guide was a young enthusiastic Goan who took us through the whole walk without losing either his smile or his energy.

We saw heritage homes

A hindu heritage home

 

 

 

 

 

Portuguese architecture

 

 

Met some wonderful people

 

 

 

 

Ate delicacies from the oldest bakery in Goa

 

And met a renowned Goan musician who played Fado and Latin music for us. The Make it Happen guys are definitely doing a good job.

 

We also did these

Saw ‘Jimmy’s House’ from far. Jimmy apparently was another Vijay Mallya type tycoon. Entertained film stars and politicians and threw lavish parties. Hasina Maan Jayegi was shot in his house.

Took the Dolphin ride (comme ci comme ca), saw quite a few churches (beautiful), indulged in a Spa session( expensive), saw the old and the new light house, drank fresh sugarcane juice, went for morning walks and ate fresh pois daily.

And then some more poi ! If food is religion in Goa, then it starts with paos and pois from family-run bakeries.  In fact, poi can be a meal in itself, with fresh salad vegetables. We had them slathered with melted butter and sinful garlic cheese. The poi delivery boys (called ‘poder’) cycle to every house at dawn and dusk, announcing their arrival with a ringing of the cycle bell.

I also ‘did’ a weekly local market- it was quaintness and sweetness personified. Tables were set up in the square and locals/ nearby residents had set out their home cooked / home prepared ware. I was there for almost an hour and was amused to see the table owners hopping across to other tables to sample and purchase.

The People

We found the local residents to be well informed, educated – and laid back. Almost everyone we met was politically very aware.

What just didn’t work for us in Goa

If there was one thing which really didn’t work, it was that there is almost no system of transport for people like us. Used to Uber in almost all the places we had visited in the past few years, we just took it for granted that Uber would certainly be in a tourist hot spot like Goa. But no, forget Uber, there is no taxi service worth its name. Yes, Goa Miles is there, but we soon realized that it is highly unreliable and almost always cancels a trip after taking the booking. The local cabbies have mastered the art of fleecing and charge very pocket unfriendly rates.

Advisory: carry your driving license (which husband did not do!!) and hire a car.

 

Would I like to visit Goa again? Yes, definitely yes. Fingers crossed that the second doesn’t take another three decades!