It was at the end of monsoon time when we arrived in India and most of the west coast was affected by the rain. We’ve been told that Goa looks more beautiful during the monsoon and while the sun isn’t necessarily the first thing we search for when we travel to a beach area, we got very curious about our second stop in the country.

Goa covers a large area and is one of the favorite destinations for holidayers, which makes it also quite an expensive location. So we decided to stay in the northern part where accommodation was cheaper.

 

When going to Goa you can decide between North and South Goa. It is said that during high season, North Goa is more a Party place instead the South is quieter. But as we have been there during the off-season, we had a really quiet time even in the North.  We chose a guesthouse hidden between green fields in Anjuna, where we stayed for 4 nights.

 

We didn’t plan anything extraordinary during our stay and just spent lots of time walking around the area, up the green hills and along the beach.

 

As one of Miriam’s previous colleagues was from Goa, we spent a day meeting with him and, as a bonus, he offered us a tour around the area, giving us the chance to discover more of what the place had to offer. We finished the tour with a delicious dinner when, among other dishes, we tasted the local fish curry and tried the traditional drink of Goa, the Fenny.

Moving around

When traveling to Goa, it is important to know a few details about transportation methods. There are no mobile apps that can be used like in other parts of India, no cheap tuk-tuks waiting in front of the airport, but only bus transfers organized by the hotels or expensive taxi rides.

 

If you are on a tight budget and don’t mind traveling with the most of the time crowded buses, then you should know that the local buses offer very low prices compared to taxis, although you might have to change a few buses depending on what your destination is.

 

Just walk outside the airport area and look or ask for the bus stop. We took the local bus on the way back to the airport and changed three buses in total, with a longer stop in Panaji, where we spent a few hours before our flight. The city has a lot of charm and color, due to its many buildings dating back to the colonial era.

We were now ready for a new city experience, in one of the biggest and most crowded cities on the planet, Mumbai.