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Goa’s charms still enchant today

The tiny Indian state of Goa — hugging the Arabian Sea along the nation’s western coastline — brims with a joie de vivre that feels different from the rest of the country in character, layout, style and ambience. It is this difference that draws the two million visitors who touch its balmy shores every year. India is synonymous with the three Cs — crowds, chaos and cacophony; Goa is an exception. It offers instead the three Bs: Beaches, beauty and booze. It’s a heady combination for blossoming romances, parties and decadent relaxation.

The tiny Indian state of Goa — hugging the Arabian Sea along the nation’s western coastline — brims with a joie de vivre that feels different from the rest of the country in character, layout, style and ambience. It is this difference that draws the two million visitors who touch its balmy shores every year. India is synonymous with the three Cs — crowds, chaos and cacophony; Goa is an exception. It offers instead the three Bs: Beaches, beauty and booze. It’s a heady combination for blossoming romances, parties and decadent relaxation.

Visitors can start on the sandy coastlines that stretch more than 100km. The most popular beaches are Calangute, Baga, Anjuna and Vagator in the north, with Colva dominating the south. These seafront locations, which exude a kind of Ibizan aura, are sprinkled with countless resorts, restaurants, bars and nightclubs and shops that hawk swimwear, slippers, sunglasses and summer clothes.

Yet the pace is languid, especially in the evenings — watching the sun plunge into the Arabian Sea was therapy at its best for this urbanite. The colours of dusk were in direct contrast to the neon signs starting to light up from the nearby nightclubs, their pumping music rocking the beachside calm.

Music, singing and dancing are an intrinsic part of the Goa lifestyle. The Goans are a passionate bunch with a love for rhythm. This flamboyance could be attributed to the Portuguese who laid claim to this land in 1510 and, during their 451 years of stay, created a way of life more distinctively Latin than other parts of India. The people here still enjoy an afternoon siesta — many of the shops close from 1pm to 4pm.

That’s the perfect time to amble through the streets, feasting on the countless baroque churches and ruins of medieval fortifications. As in any European town, the main civic centres are presided by squares, surrounded by red brick and pastel-coloured buildings portraying the history of the place in stone and stucco, while tree-lined avenues are flanked by colonial villas with sprays of hot-pink bougainvillea climbing the high boundary walls.

The best of Portuguese heritage can be seen in Old Goa, a sleepy quarter located on the shores of River Mandovi, about 10km east of state capital Panaji. It was here the Portuguese first landed and they subsequently developed the site as the capital of their empire in the Indian sub-continent. During its heyday, Old Goa was no less important and grander than Lisbon.

The labyrinth of winding streets, piazzas and grand cottages have long gone. All that remain are a score of ecclesiastical and administrative edifices, their spires and bell towers reminding us of the magnificence of Goa’s past. The most touristy joint is the Basilica of Bom Jesus, a World Heritage Site which houses the mortal remains of St Francis Xavier, the renowned 16th-century missionary who spent several years in the state. Thousands of Catholics flock here to see his relics every decade and the last exposition was held last November.

Towards the late 19th century, the capital was shifted to Panaji (then called Panjim). It’s currently the principal city of Goa and still evokes a strong Portuguese influence, particularly in the atmospheric Fontainhas quarter (it’s said to be similar to one in Lisbon). Here, the narrow alleyways are fringed by classic Iberian-style buildings with red-tiled roofs and overhanging balconies, all painted in traditional colours of pale yellow, green, blue and pink.

For me, however, the showpiece has to be the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception built in 1541. The edifice stands on the top of a hillock with a gleaming white processional stairway, reminding me of the Spanish Steps in Rome.

And if you like Indian culinary delights such as vindaloo or xacuti, you can thank Goa and the Portuguese for them. In fact, it was the Portuguese who took chillies from the New World to its colonies in Africa and India by way of Goa. Eating out in Goa was a joy. There were plenty of choices: From fine dining restaurants such as The Verandah (situated in the Panjim Inn) and Thalassa Goa (in Vagator) to the many beachside eateries opened by Western hippies who came in droves back in the ’60s and ’70s.

They rented grungy houses along the beaches and lived on meals from shabby shacks that mushroomed to cater to their appetites. Later, these makeshift cafes, made of bamboo poles and palm leaves, became an institution of Goan life. Some still survive and have earned a reputation for serving delicious local recipes to be washed down with cashew feni, a local alcoholic beverage. Another attraction from the hippie era is the flea market at Anjuna beach in North Goa, which was started by hippies who sold their possessions — clothes, guitars, watches and music records — to get some money. This bazaar has since become a major attraction for locals and outsiders hoping to pick up a bargain or odds and ends they’ve been looking for.

These days, North Goa boasts a decidedly more upmarket appeal — with boutiques opened by the likes of Jade Jagger, along with ultra-exclusive hotels such as Elsewhere (where Brad and Angelina holed up when they were there).

However, when you have beaches as lovely as the relatively unspoilt Ashwem Beach, there really is no need to go elsewhere.

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