india dispatch #3: goa

I took my first trip this past week, to Goa. In my mind, a beach vacation in India means going to Goa, and I’ve wanted to go for several years. I’m not sure there’s ever a time where lying on the beach and drinking cocktails doesn’t feel like an escape, even though I don’t have anything much to escape from at the moment. I loved seeing a new part of India and being a tourist for a little bit. I came back with a longer list than I started with of things to do and see in Goa, but that always seems to be the case for me. I’ll just have to come back.

We stayed in North Goa, about an hour from the capital. We were right on the beach, which made the heat and humidity a tad more bearable during the day, and extremely pleasant at night. The breeze coming off the Arabian Sea (not the Indian Ocean, to my disappointment) was strong enough that I could see the sand rippling on the beach. We were always gritty with sand by the time we came back. The water was refreshing in the mornings and warm enough for a bath by noon. The waves were tall, and quite forceful, so people were encouraged not to go too far in. Most people were loitering in the shallows or walking along the beach. Ladies in saris and baseball caps were walking around each day, offering massages and hair braiding to the tourists lounging in the shade. Dogs slept under the chaises, also looking for a reprieve from the heat.

Sunsets were a highlight of the trip. The first night, we watched the sun set right over the beach. Other nights, we went to sundowner spots, which meant going to a bar right on the water to watch the sun set with cocktails and food. Slow Tide was a quiet spot at 5pm when we arrived, but by 6pm all the tables and perches closest to the water were full. The beach in Anjuna was rocky compared to where we were staying, but the sunset was just as brilliant, and the drinks were excellent. Another night, we went to Jolene by the Sea, which was a scene. It was packed when we got there, and stayed packed until 9pm or so. So many people were dressed up and posing for pictures with the sunset in the background. The clothes were beach-inflected but fancy, totally different from what I’d seen in Delhi so far. I saw short black dresses, crop tops, beach print shirts, shorts, even a crochet lehenga.

I spent one afternoon exploring Panaji, the capital. I signed up for a walking tour of Fontainhas, the Portuguese quarter in Panaji, and spent some time walking around before and afterward, too. The houses have the blue tiled names I remember seeing in Portugal, but are tightly built together, each individual house only identifiable by the different colors. I didn’t realize the Portuguese were in Goa for over 400 years, and didn’t leave until 1961, more than 10 years after the British had gone. The windowpanes used to be made from windowpane oyster shells (which are naturally flat), to give people privacy but also allow light in. Fun fact from the tour: Panaji shares a zip code with Antarctica. We visited a shop full of Mario Miranda’s work, which I realized was everywhere once I could identify it. I tried feni, the local liquor made from cashewfruit, which burned on the way down. They traditionally serve it with a chile in it, so you can’t completely lose your senses because your lips are burning.

I wished I had gotten to see some of the old churches, but this area wasn’t quite the right place for them, and also, it was Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday) and mass was happening at the churches we walked by as the tour finished up. People were crowded both inside and outside, and mass was conducted in Konkani. We noticed more people at the beach on Friday; India gives Good Friday off and creates a long weekend for Easter. By comparison, it had been much quieter at the beginning of the week, since the official tourist season had wound up a few weeks earlier.

I love seafood, and Goa is brimming with it. I had a coconutty curry with prawns for lunch one day, and xacuti another. The xacuti I want to try and make at home; it was spicy and tangy and yet I couldn’t stop eating it, even in the heat. There was a lot of non-Indian food on offer nearly everywhere, likely to cater to the international tourists that come to Goa. At Slow Tide, we had jackfruit fritters and mooga vadi, simple dishes transformed into elegant small plates. In Panaji, I had a Goan style Scotch egg that was absolutely delicious, with pickled onions over the top and a smooth sauce on the bottom that reminded me of the xacuti. Another night we had fries with chaat masala, which is something I’ll need to start doing at home. And the fresh fruit juice available everywhere was just wonderful in the heat.

Back before the pandemic in New York, there was an Indian restaurant called Paowalla owned by Floyd Cardoz*, who was from Goa. I took my dad for dinner there one night when he was in town. I don’t remember the details of the whole meal now, but I do remember that we tried the bebinca for dessert. It’s a layered cake with coconut milk that, from my recollection, melts in your mouth. Chef had come out to say hello and mentioned that the bebinca recipe was his wife’s. Since then, I’ve wanted to try it again, and that was high on my list for Goa. I found a bakery in Panaji that had been open for nearly 100 years, and got a warm slice to eat as lunch along with some puff pastry snacks. It was just as good as I remembered.

*Sadly, Floyd Cardoz passed away from COVID in 2020.

1: Graffiti of a traditional fisherwoman asking if you want some fish
2: Mario Miranda mural
3 & 4: Fontainhas
5 & 6: Cocktails at Slow Tide
7: Loved this sign at the restaurant down the beach, particularly after the recent heist
8: Sunset over Ashvem Beach