At times, we tend to ignore the simple joys of living, living the slow life, with no rush to chase the day, sit back, relax and live life as it comes to you… Well Goa, it allows you to do all that and perhaps a little more….
So we decided to take out time from our otherwise busy life and to make the most of it, here we were, sitting on an airplane headed to Goa. Well, I had been to Goa quite a few times, but this time, it was different because this time around, I was here with my partner, my companion of a lifetime, my dearest friend, my lovely wife, Shreya. This time around, we decided to chuck the busy streets of North Goa and sought after the serene peaceful time in South Goa.
As soon as you land in Goa, the air feels different. You can smell the freshness of the ocean in the cool breeze, a feeling that we yearned for a while now. To make the most of our trip, we rented out a self-drive experience through Zoomcar. After a bit of hustle, the car was delivered to us at the Dabolim Airport, and soon we set off to our very first destination on the list, Agonda
We were in Goa during the peak season and our choices of stay were limited as most of the properties were already sold out. After much consideration, we settled for The Bay Agonda, a boutique beachfront cottage. They have a lovely restaurant by the name Treetop Tava which gives a glimpse of the ocean and the backwaters of Agonda. Another property that we highly recommend is The Goa Cottages, an incredibly well-wrought garden landscaping and cottage run by an Indo-German couple Anastasia and Ingo. Well, all we did was to head out for a morning stroll by the beach, letting the shores wash our feet, come back to fill our belly with lip-smacking breakfast, and then head back for a splash in the ocean, soak in the sun during the lazy afternoon on the hammock, followed with a stroll as we watched the sun setting by leaving a magical trail of golden hour, only to be back to our favorite place to tap our feet to some live music, that’s the Goa we yearned for, a perfect hideout to unwind the tired urban souls.
South Goa has a lot to offer for offbeat travellers. We started the day by kayaking in the backwaters of Agonda which was stunningly beautiful. The sounds of rowing were combined with the chirping of the migratory birds which made the experience heavenly. For breakfast, we would highly recommend The Zest Cafe, which serves lip-smacking vegan breakfast. We then headed out for lunch at the beautiful cliffside restaurant by the name The Red Crab at Cabo de Rama fort which is about 40 mins from Agonda. The views from this place were simply breathtaking, we enjoyed our lunch watching the dolphins jumping over the surface leaving behind a magical spell. If you are fascinated by sunsets, then Cabo de Rama is the place for you. Watching the setting sun, as it left behind its trail of orange hues was absolutely worth the hike.
The next morning we took the country roads to head down further south to Palolem which is perhaps the most sought-after beaches of South Goa. There’s a lot to South Goa than just the beaches. You get to meet a bunch of people who have left there otherwise mundane city life and chosen the slow-paced life. One of such finds was this cafe by the name The Mill, an old rice mill converted to a cozy little cafe that serves nourishing breakfast along with freshly brewed coffee. A place wherein you would simply feel to lie down and let time trick you as if you have forever. This trip of ours lead us into Cafe hopping as we discovered another gem by the name Nireas, located on the main market road in Palolem. Next morning. we were off to Galgibaga beach, on the borders of Goa and Karnataka. There’s this serenity that lies with quaintly known places and we wish these places to remain undiscovered for their beauty to remain preserved, Galgibaga is one such place. Tucked away from fame, this beach is simply mesmerising for its long coastline, trailing white sands, turquoise blue water, and absolutely no one around to hinder the peace that this place offers, leaving you ample time to reflect upon the choices around slow-paced life.
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Our favorite snaps from Series Goa
