My ode to Goa

Kainaz had predicted that the first place that I will write about in my travel site will be Goa.

I have fallen in love with the place. I must have averaged a trip a year to Goa in the last five years or so. I have celebrated most of my birthdays there recently. I would love to retire there someday.

There are many things that I love about Goa. The languorous, balmy pace of life. Nothing is rushed. Things happen in due course. This is of course a tourist's perspective.

The food is lovely. In fact it is a non vegetarian's paradise. Local Goan food is very tasty. At the same time you get a lot of international cuisines, especially European (even less easily available ones such as German, Russian), thanks to the high proportion of tourists. The traditional North and South Indian fares are available in abundance.

There are a variety of places to stay in from five stars to boutiques to small villas and even places which fit a backpacker's budget. Accommodation at Goa is getting pricier by the day though and it is quite difficult to get a good place during high season - November to end February.

What I like best about Goa is that there is a huge range of things to do there. Just look at the range of holidays I have had there:

• an office conference/ junket at the Taj, a five star in South Goa
• a wild trip in my bachelor days to Baga Beach. A first for my fairly straight jacketed life till then. We stayed at a tiny place at Baga.
• our honeymoon in Holiday Inn
• Kainaz and my recent mini getaways to Baga where we eat, read, eat, sleep, eat, shop, drink, eat

As you can see there is a lot to do here. And I have not even included things like swimming or rave parties which are quite popular here.

The important thing about 'Goa' is that it is not a single town. It is a state/ province with a number of beaches, rivers, hills and a few small towns and villages. A convenient rule of thumb is that North Goa is the more active/ 'happening' place while South Goa is quieter and has the more luxurious hotel properties.

I plan to write about things to do, places to stay, eats, etc in Goa over the nest few days.