Goa

Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region. It is geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. Goa was the capital of the eastern Portuguese empire until 1961. It is India’s smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Panaji (Panjim) is the state’s capital, while Vasco da Gama is its largest city by population. The state’s official language is Konkani, spoken by the majority of its inhabitants.

It is THE go to beach holiday destination in India. Many of my friends don’t believe that I had never been there till I was in my 30s, having only seen 3rd class beaches.

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2018 Trip

The first time I went there was with my college friends. They were all in party mood, so we stayed at Baga in North Goa. We stayed in an AirBnB near the beach with 4 rooms surrounding a courtyard.

We spent most of our time drinking (from morning to night) and eating.

We went to Chapora fort to recreate scenes from the famous coming-of-age Indian movie, Dil Chahta hai. The views from there were breathtaking. I can understand why the Portuguese refused to let go of their control of this place till as late as 1961.

The thing that made the strongest impression on me during this trip was the monsoon weather and the greenery. I swore to come back again, soon.

2019 Trip

And so I did, the next monsoon, with my family. Unlike the previous one, this trip was very different. We stayed at South Goa at a resort in Cavelossim and spent time exploring the contemporary sights of Goa.

We explored the churches of Goa, something which my friends had laughed at, when I proposed it the previous year. They are all grand and beautiful.

But, like all Indian tourist spots, people spread filth, misbehave with others and generally create a bad name for Inia. I hope the locals were a bit more strict with such people.