INDIA -GOA

FASCINATING GOA 

Those who haven’t visited Goa tend to imagine it as some kind of Indian Costa Brava but with more cosmic karma and thanks to this image, many people vow never to set foot there. Hhopora.

However, Goa, like everywhere in India, is never quite what you expect. In places the infamous hash- fuelled days of Goa’s golden hippy years are still alive and kicking, especially around Vagator & Chopora, while in others, like Calangute & Baga, the all-inclusive package holiday is king. 

Head into Panaji ( Panjim ), one of India’s smallest and most likeable state capitals and instead of self-contained tourist resorts and trinket –selling dreadlocks, you will discover a Portuguese pantry of flaking architectural delicacies spiced up with Indian exuberance

 Inland, you can stand in greener than green fields picking vanilla pods, bathe with elephants or visit market towns like Mapusa. The main draws of Goa are the beaches, such as Anjuna, which are every bit as cliché – beautiful as they are supposed to be.

OUR TOP PICKS:

1.       ARAMBOL : Sink Kingfishers at a cliff side restaurant as the sun sinks into the Arabian Sea

2.       Mapusa Market : Get away from the tourists and into the thick of things.

3.       OLD GOA : Visit the body of St Xaxier in the resplendent former capital of  Goa

4.       ANJUNA BEACH : Buy souvenirs from hippies who never left then head for parties that never end.

5.       PANAJI : Explore laneways line with crumbling Portuguese buildings and age old charm