My Basic Exploration of Goa – More than Beaches & Beer

Check my recent article talking about Goa and Konkan

“TO wander is to be ALIVE”

GOA – Tourist destination, cheap beer, lots of beaches and done! That’s all that comes to mind when you think of Goa, not that you are wrong, but there’s always more when you scratch the surface. This is my first entry of my thoughts on what Goa is from my perspective.

Why Am I In Goa?

I’ve recently joined as a technical writer and my base location is Goa and so I relocated to Goa, not as a tourist. I’ve been to Goa in past and as a tourist, my perspective the first time was different compared to the current one. My thoughts were similar to what I have mentioned in first para, but of course, things change and so does thoughts.

Unlike my first visit, when I had limited interaction with locals, now I have been interacting with locals on daily basis, meeting new people, learning more about the place and people.

So, basically I am a writer in Goa, what more do I need 🙂

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Sinquerim Beach, Goa.

What’s more than Beaches & Beer in Goa?

Well, there’ a lot more than you can experience on 3-4 days vacation. So, if you wish to explore Goa the way I did, plan a longer vacation and try to avoid crowded spots like famous beaches, churches and museums.

Late night ride around old buildings and shops around Panji. One of the room mate, who has been a student at IHM Goa, took me on a ride and introduced me to few of the old and must-visit places. Over the ride, we passed The Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, which you might remember from few videos or movies.

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Immaculate Conception Church

We rode in and around Fontainhas, gorgeous neighborhood in heart of Panji with colourful old houses. Worthy of your time. On the same route, we stopped by Joseph Bar. It is the oldest bar in Goa and gives you enough reason to stop by and have a drink, don’t hesitate.

Moving on, when you are staying in Goa for work, with weekends off, you’ll soon end up with simple question, Where to go now? and to answer this question, I, along with a buddy, visited a Greece styled café in Sangolda, just a few minutes away from my place. Café La Di Da, lovely place to enjoy a cup of coffee, along or otherwise. Cozy place with bright walls like Greece homes and blue frames.

One of the interesting place to experience local culture and meet locals is the local market and I have been exploring the Mapusa Market. Quite a few times, I have been visiting the market, checking out shops and what they offer, trying to find best deals, etc.

By far, this is what I have been doing in last three months of me being in Goa. Though, I keep travelling between Pune – Goa & Konkan – Goa. and it does seems very little, but this is all I get to do with my professional work schedule and minding my business at PG where I stay.

Places Suggested By Peers That I’m Yet To Explore, But You Should:

One of my mate works as Head Stew at one of the Casinos in Goa. If you’ve been to Goa, you’ll see cruises floating still in river Mandovi. These cruises are where Casinos are hosted and it has been on my bucket list to visit one of the casino, for once and see what it offers and what it snatches.

Another is to visit and have a tour of one of the Brewery in Goa. Then there is Spice Farm, a must visit and highly recommended Goan location to know about the spices and Goan food. It is an amazing place that you should not miss.

On my list up next: Broken Bridge, Dudhsagar Water fall post monsoon, Torda Lake, etc.

If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment.

TO CONCLUDE: There’s a lot more to Goa than beaches and beer, if you know where to look. I hope this has been a good read for you just as it was an amazing write for me. Next time you are in Goa, try have more than just a tourist view of place. This is just an initial entry for what I’m experiencing in Goa.

Happy Travelling!

Sulaksh More Written by:

Writer, Traveller, Tea-Coffee-Movies Lover.