Goa Trip is the dream of every youth. What’s not in Goa! Beach beauty, adventure, water sports, seafood, casino, partying, nightlife, biking – all these collectively define what Goa is. This beach getaway is as much a favorite of couples as popular with a group of singles. Recently National Geographic listed Goa as the sixth best nightlife destination in the world. On Travel Beats, Indian Eagle brings a Goa trip story from Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa, a public speaker on the Law of Attraction, to inspire you for Goa travel.

I badly needed a holiday for some refreshment the last month. My friends – Kaushal Yadav, Rajesh Yadav and Ronnie Braganza set their minds on Goa. I agreed. This time we decided to travel in the traditional Indian way: bus and train.

I have spent most of my professional life in New Delhi. Since mid-December I have been staying in Lucknow in order to start a new business venture in the telecom industry. A hell lot of research and development for the business left us tired. Out of restless for a breath of fresh air, we left for a happening week in Goa. It was an altogether new experience for me but Kaushal visited Goa twice.

On February 8, we left for Goa from Lucknow via New Delhi and Mumbai. The ride by Volvo on the Delhi-Lucknow route was so comfortable that I fell asleep the moment the journey began and woke up in the morning. This always happens with me. Luckily, we got the Duronto Express booking from New Delhi to Mumbai Central.

We stayed in Delhi for one day. It was the February 10, the election counting day. The air of Delhi was heavy with anxiety and excitement which intensely felt in Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk was unusually crowded that day. Thousands of people were glued to a big LED screen till the result was announced. By the time Arvind Kejriwal won the battle, we boarded the train.

We retired to sleep around midnight and got up at 7 am. Breakfast was served at 8 am. In India, if you travel by Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express and Duronto Express, you get the meals, juice, dessert, snack, soup and tea / coffee. Journey by these trains is always comfortable and convenient. We de-boarded the train in Boriwali at 4 pm as we had our Volvo bus booked from Bandra to Goa. But the bus was scheduled for departure by 10 pm.

We stared at each other wondering what to do in the spare time. We had two options; either to get a hotel for 4-5 hours or spend quality time at some nearby places. I opposed the idea of staying behind the closed door of a hotel room. Then we booked a cab and started roaming around for 4-5 hours. We visited a few places in such a short interval and had lunch at a place by the sea side. We were amazed to know that the taxi driver was a freelance writer and journalist. He writes for a Bollywood entertainment and lifestyle magazine. Taxi driving is his part time work.

At 9:30 pm, he dropped us at the place where the bus was about to leave for Goa from. It was a Volvo sleeper bus. The bus reached the destination by 11 am the next day. I saw many driving scooties there. One having a driver’s license can easily get a bike or car on rent. A valid document as identity proof is to be deposited with the vehicle owner. The rent for a scooty is about Rs. 300-350 for a day, Rs. 800 for an Enfield bike and Rs. 1200-1400 for a car. We checked in a cottage hotel. Goa has several beaches. Colangute and Bagha beaches in north Goa are favorites of most travelers. Stay in a cottage hotel on the beach gives a real feel of Goa.

We organized a barbeque night on the cottage hotel to make our tour a bit more amazing and enjoyable. I am a good cook, as my friends say. I just wanted to entertain others with my culinary art. I cooked Chicken Qorma, Fish Barbeque and Chicken Barbeque in a North Indian style. Then we spent some time dancing at Baga Beach. I don’t drink but music makes me go wild and dance like an alcoholic. Every night in Goa was a lively event for us.

One day I tweeted “Being single here is an offence”. Finding a good partner in Goa is a good idea too. There are many night clubs and discs in Goa. Club Cabana, Mambo’s, Tito’s, and Curlies are some of the most famous. In Mambo’s we got guest entries twice but we were treated as stags in Curlies on Anjuna beach. Curlies was mostly crowded by Russians. We found a good dance floor in Curlies. I really liked the way Russians dance. What I found the most amazing about them is that when they dance, they just dance. A couple of girls approached me to dance with them. We left the place saying goodbye to the girls in the wee hours.

The very next day was Goa carnival. It was my first experience of the carnival. The crowd was so dense during the procession that we were not able to stand properly even for 2-3 minutes. We returned to Baga beach at the day end and spent the night there. It was the Valentine’s Day too. We found many couples in the swing of celebration.

Adventure in Goa is an integral part of the tour. Apart from natural beauty of the beaches, water sports define the frenzy of Goa. We enjoyed parasailing, water skating and kayaking. The Goa holiday was so fabulous that we stayed longer than one week. There is nothing to be bored of.

[pullquote]Check our guide on Goa Cuisine” – Indian Eagle[/pullquote]  The cuisine of Goa was our next venture. Almost every restaurant serves the best food of Goa. The Goan food has its own distinction which the cuisines of other Indian states cannot match. Goa is one of the best seafood destinations in India. The Goan cuisine comprises Italian, Russian, Portuguese, English, French and Thai dishes. Being a foodie I visited a few restaurants in Goa including O’pescador Restaurant at Baga Beach, and Waterfront Terrace & Bar managed by Marriot in Panaji. Both are fine dining restaurants with different specialties.

Fortunately the Bikers’ Week was celebrated when we were there. Bikers from across India gathered for the event in Goa. I have never seen such a huge rally of Harley Davidson, Triumph, Ducati and many other bikes. The brimming enthusiasm of the bikers made me play with the idea of buying a Harley Davidson, though biking is not my cup of tea. I love cars.

We found the Central Jail of Goa, a home of prisoners, while roaming around. One of the offbeat places in Goa, it is located in a very peaceful corner. We spent one night in Panaji too. Casino is the main attraction of Panaji, and that too on a cruise. I think Goa is the only place in India where casinos are legalized. The casinos in Panaji remain open day in and out. We visited Candolim Beach where I caught up with a couple of Manchester girls who liked Indian Rum – Old Monk.

My overall Goa trip is a fabulous experience. Being a frequent traveler I would like to visit Goa the second time this year. Goa sleeps in the wee hours and springs into activity at in the evening. Goa is a must visit, at least once in lifetime. I am sure, you’ll never forget.

October to May is the best time to visit Goa. As the season of Goa tourism is about to fall, Indian Eagle is booking international flights to Goa from the USA at the lowest airfare. Many American cities have air connectivity with Goa via the Middle East airports.

About the Author 

Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa is a young, dynamic management pass-out from one of the premier institutes in India. He has nearly 8 years of corporate experience in the domains of HR, IT, Telecom, EXIM and Aviation. He is a traveler, public speaker, party lover and a preacher of Law of Attraction. He is recognized as one of the 10 Best Dressed Male Entrepreneurs in India after Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay Malya and Sabeer Bhatia. He is an influencer on Twitter. Follow him @MANooriBajwa.

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The Coconut & Cashew Festival of Goa is scheduled to continue from May 21 to 25 in Panjim. The agrarian economy of Goa mostly depends on cultivation of cashew and coconut. The role of coconut and cashew nut in the Goan cuisine is the theme of the festival. The fest will witness several engaging activities, to say culinary shows, cocktail demos, wine testing, cooking workshops, handicraft exhibitions, cashew stomping sessions and display of coconut byproducts. Such a tourist-friendly initiative by Goa Tourism inspired us to take on the traditional Goan cuisine and food culture, at Indian Eagle.

The Staple Food of Goa

Tourist restaurants across the beaches of Goa serve plates of seafood dishes with fried potato slices and fresh salad. The restaurants apart, the Goan villagers feed on red rice, a locally cultivated food grain. Besides red rice, Sanna is sort of staple food for the natives of Goa. It is white dough made from rice flour and coconut milk. Sanna is eaten with meats.

Festive Goan Desserts

Goans boast a heritage of desserts too. A plate of dishes is incomplete without Bebinca, one of the most popular local sweets. Bebinca is a festive dessert made in abundance for Christmas. This Goan dessert is a ten-layered cake made from a mix of refined flour, egg yolk, sugar and coconut milk. It waters the mouths of the lovers of old styled puddings. Batica is another Goan dessert rich in coconut essence and served with scoops of ice cream. Dodol is a must mention among the festive desserts that Goa celebrates Christmas with. It is made from the dough of rice flour and jaggery in coconut milk and flavored with cashew nuts.

The fishy affair of Goa

Goa is a seafood destination with distinctions from other beach destinations of India. Fish is the signature seafood of Goa. Rice and fish curry make an exclusive gastronomic experience for tourists. Local chefs cook seafood delicacies with Goan flavors. Dishes of kingfisher, tuna, mackerel, shark, and pomfret are common items on the menu served at the tourist restaurants. The seafood delicacies of crabs, prawns, shrimps and lobsters are very popular in Goa. Some seafood dishes are fried, some are grilled, and some are cooked in garlic sauce.

Signature Seafood Dishes

Ambot Tik, Caldeirada, Racheiado and Balchao are some of the signature seafood dishes that the Goan cuisine boasts of. Ambot Tik is a sour fish or meat curry. Fish is the main ingredient for this dish, most of the times. Caldeirada is a mildly aromatic delight which is prepared by cooking seafood with fresh vegetables. Some wine is added to it for a rich taste. Racheildo is a whole fish preparation. It is cooked by slotting a mackerel in the middle and filling with a rich red sauce.

The Meaty Affair of Goa

Sorpotel is a most delicious meat delicacy on the Goan menu. It is flavored in a thick, spicy sauce. Sorpotel tastes better if left for a few days. Xacuti is another Goan meat dish, Chicken, flavored in coconut milk apart from spices. It is a mild curry with a distinctive flavor. Goa owes Chourico sausage to the age-old Portuguese culinary traditions. It is salted and dried in the sun. Goans consume it with rice and spicy sauce during the monsoon. Cafrial is a dry but spicy chicken delicacy. The meat is smeared with a paste of chili, garlic and ginger first and then it is baked dry.

Traditional Goan Beverage

Feni is the most popular local beverage in Goa. It is available in two different varieties. One is coconut oil or palm feni, locally known as Toddy. The other one is cashew or kaju feni which is abundantly available during the cashew season in March and April. Cashew is a mostly cultivated seasonal crop in Goa. Feni is prepared through fermentation. This regional drink of Goa has an alcoholic limit of 30 – 35%. Feni goes higher on the taste ‘o’ meter when mixed with soft drinks like Coke or Pepsi or Limca.

Goan Cooking Tidbits

The local ingredients are used in cooking most of the Goan delicacies though the Goan cuisine reflects some culinary characteristics of different parts of the country. Using every bit of coconut from oil to milk and pulp in flavoring dishes is unique to the cuisine of Goa. The Goan cooking style entails liberal use of spices in fish and meat curries for distinctive aroma. Cumin, turmeric, garlic, chilli and coriander are the most common spices. Kokum is another local spicy ingredient used in curries. Some dishes such as Racheiado, Caldeirada and Cabidela are added to the Goan cuisine as part of the culinary heritage from the Portuguese.

IndianEagle encourages food travel to India by booking trips at the lowest airfare throughout the year. Don’t miss the cheapest flight to Goa on IndianEagle.com.

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