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.
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!