2022 has been a lot pretty intense year so far, with wonderful highs as well as some unfortunate lows. I actually visited Goa thrice this year, which is probably a personal record?

Trip #3 is the most recent one, a short getaway with dear friends who moved cities a few months ago. It was something we talked about for months & as the date drew closer, my excitement (& anxiety) mounted! I can’t remember the last time I visited in the rainy season. While I will be sharing some vlogs from the trip, now that a month has passed I thought it’d be a great time to share some memories through a little photo diary (all captured on my phone)

The Idyllic Vistadome Journey

There’s a lot of ways to get to Goa from Mumbai – road (car / van / bus), train, flight. I have definitely tried them all. While a flight is the quickest, the inaccessibility of the airport is the reason I usually chose the overnight bus. Tejas, who I was travelling with suggested travelling by the fancy vistadome coach on the Jan Shatabdi. It was one of the highlights of the trip, with panoramic views of the Konkan (which is so lush at this time of the year!)

I think I packed light for the first time in my life – a simple, streamlined wardrobe that was both location & weather appropriate. I’m wearing a crop top, Fjallraven kanken sling as well as nylon cargo / trackpant hybrid (that have lots of pockets & repel water, double whammy!) I wore Crocs & didn’t carry any spares because they were just the only thing I needed. Accessories were super simple- gold earrings, a couple of my favorite rings & my treasured HMT watch (I should’ve skipped the watch, considering the weather).

Beach Day

Mom hooked us up with amazing rooms at our favorite resort in Benaulim, a village that sorta feels like home. It was nice to take Rydell & Tejas around, to show them my favorite spots & introduce them to the local vendors for kadak chai & freshly made steak pav. We intentionally abstained from planning too much & just decided to take each day as it comes. One of our first major outings was an afternoon at the beach, which is luckily just walking distance away. We settled in at one of the beach shacks & since I was feeling adventurous, I thought it’d be fun to try urrak, a traditional Goan liquor distilled from cashew fruit.

The urrak (with limca) was so refreshing, we had to get a second round! Afterwards, we took a nice little walk on the seashore as the sun set.

Furry Friends

It was my second time at the same resort in just a few months (I was there with mom in the summer) so I had befriended the local cats & dog, & I was delighted to see them remember me so we could pick up where we left off!

The cats are so wonderful (they’re both female, with completely divergent personalities) & the dog is large, brown & extremely friendly! I made regular detours to feed the cats throughout the day. The dog roams where she wants & she would find us outside our rooms or on our walks.

A day trip to the city

On our last full day in Goa, we hired scooters & took a day trip to Margao, the nearest city. It’s customary for non resident Goans to visit the local spots & bring our favorite foods back home with us.

We started the day by heading to the choris stall (local Goan sausages – they’re to die for), dropped by Zantye’s for some cashew nuts & decided to lunch at the iconic Longuinos.

I had taken slightly ill at this time so I decided it’d be a good idea to have a shot of cashew feni (very potent local liquor) which has long been considered a home remedy for cold & cough. Drinking it feels like you’ve set your oesophagus on fire momentarily. I’m not sure if it helped with the cough but it did succeed in get me day drunk, I’m quite the lightweight.

Five days passed by in the blink of an eye, but I’m reviling the trip through the photos & video! All of these were taken on my Pixel 6a. I hope this inspires you to try something different on your next getaway. x