I visited Goa last June. My client took me on a 4-day work trip. We were supposed to work on the first two days and have fun in the last two.

I got sick on the morning of the third day, and I’ve been in bed all my trip. Basically, I was in Goa but didn’t step out of the resort. ugh!

When such experiences occur, you don’t want to revisit the same place.

It was traumatic.But last week, I visited Goa again, and I am happy to say I got my closure with Goa.

Now I’d love to visit Goa more often.

What changed everything?

1. At least I moved around, lol. Last time, I was lying helpless in my room. But on my latest trip, I covered seven beaches and some decent food places.

2. People. Last time, I couldn’t vibe with my client’s colleagues. They had known each other for years. They were all having fun together and I felt out of place. This time, I was with a close friend and friends of friends. These are all lovely people. I totally felt comfortable + had fun around them.

3. My health: I’ve been conscious about what I’m eating (and how much) because getting sick on the trip is the worst that can happen. Being cautious with 2023 travel is one of my best actions.

So that’s the context and the backstory. Let’s skip to the good part:

What I loved in Goa ✨🤌🏻

The Beach Life

I visited seven beaches.

What amazes me is the same sand and water on the same coastal line radiates different energy and vibe at different points (popularly known as beaches).

It’s crazy how the setup changes everything.

Beaches and Sunsets: When two beautiful scenics converge

I love water. I love beaches. But Beach + Sunset is an entirely new level of wholesomeness.

It was the first time I noticed the sun moving down—like properly setting every second.

Galgibaga and Cabo De Rama Beaches have the most beautiful sunsets in Goa. They make you want to get lost in their serene beauty, leaving everything behind. The last ninety seconds of sunset are just magical.

Never knew sunsets could be this mesmerizing 👇

Palolem at Day, Palolem at Night

I noticed different beaches have different prime hours—The time when beaches fan out peak aura.

For some beaches, it’s early morning.For some, it’s post 8 am.For some, the sunsets.And for some, it is late nights.

Palolem was one beach that maintained a handsome vibe throughout the day. I liked the night vibe more, but the day energy was no less.

If you want me to recommend, have dinner at Dropadi or Café Silver Star. They got good food + beach view. (BONUS: They serve pretty fast)

Also, I don’t know the place's name, but just beside Dropadi is a restaurant where you can have a candlelight dinner by the beach.

It looked romantic from a distance. If you’re with your date, you should give it a try.

Butterfly Beach is overrated

It is beautiful no doubt, but not as beautiful as everyone hyped me about it. I felt nothing different from what I had felt at other beaches—as in every beach has an energy of its own, which I felt was missing in Butterfly.

Or I failed to grasp that energy.Or I just visited at the wrong time.Peeps say it’s majestic in the mornings.

The sexy part is the boat drive from Palolem to Butterfly. Good short twenty-minute ride if you love water and sea travel.

Btw, Palolem view from the boat on the way to Butterfly is SO DAMN SEXYY!!

Kayaking at Cola

Cola Beach is surreal. I felt a completely different mood at this incredibly alluring seaside.

I travelled to different parts of India, but everything felt Indian; everything felt home. I don’t know how to explain this, but for the first time in all my life’s travel, I felt I was outside India. Like this is the kind of place that you watch in movies and dream of travelling to one day.

I am not sure if others around me felt this but trust me, I’m not exaggerating.

Plus, Kayaking here is peaceful. It’s not a long route—you don’t enjoy kayaking kayaking (repetition intended), but it’s a good atmosphere to spend time solo or with the right people.

Anjuna Beach at 3 am

Anjuna Beach was more about what we did—the memories associated with Anjuna make Anjuna beautiful for me.

Scooty ride at 3 am on these cute single-lane roads with the wind brushing through your hair are the kind of moments that make locations memorable.

It was nice to observe the sea level rise at night—Twenty minutes in at Anjuna, and the water covered a couple of more meters of the shore than earlier.

Partying at Baga

Baga’s soul is stunning. The music, the food, the energy—all very dynamic.

People say Baga is overcrowded during the season, but I went in the off-season. There were enough people to carry the energy and not make the place overcrowded.

There is always loud music, and you have to scream in people’s ears to talk to them. Has to be my favourite part about Baga.

I went to Sam’s Shack, and it’s dope if you enjoy dancing and partying.

The only disappointing part was (Warning: Might be triggering to women) a lot of locals were taking pictures and videos of women dancing. They were even zooming in on private parts, making women uncomfortable and creeped out.

A few of them were asked to shut down their cameras, but there were a lot of them—imagine at least twenty people around with their phones pointing towards you. It was creepy AF.

Strangely, there were no security or bouncers to whom we could report to.

Except for that incident, Baga was cool.

Tito’s lane (adjacent to Baga) represents what Goa is popularly known for—wild partying. You gotta be here for the explosive energy and to explore the nightlife.

Food in Goa

I’d say the food in Goa is disappointing. It was harder than usual to find decent food. I tried some seafood, though. It was okay.

Plus, the food was expensive. It wasn’t worth the price.

Three food places I felt have decent food:

• Café Silver Star on Palolem Beach

• Burger Factory near Anjuna Beach

• Any shawarma place on Tito’s Lane

Driving around in Goa

I already mentioned why I love driving cars in one of my previous issues. I absolutely enjoyed a couple of drives:

• There is a 45-minute period while travelling from Dabolim Airport to South Goa. It was all green with winding roads. I hope I’ll drive again during the monsoon someday.

• The 10-15 minute drive before reaching Cola is challenging and super fun! The locals warned us against self-driving and even provided transportation services because it’s difficult. But we took our vehicle, and it was totally worth it.

That’s pretty much it from the Goa trip.

Few more pictures 👇

See ya next Sunday!

Oops, I almost forgot. 🙆‍♂️

Most people voted to write on relationships in the last poll.

I shared a short write-up on relationships in my previous issue. In case you missed it, read it here.

Have fun! Take care.