India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (98 page)
If you’re taking a break from the beaches and lust for a bit of culture but don’t have time to tour any of the heritage homes recommended in the southern part of Goa, drop in at the
Calizz museum
(Bammon Vaddo, Candolim;
0832/325-0000;
www.calizz.com
; daily 10am–9:30pm). Curators here have made an impressive attempt to trace the evolution of local architecture and re-create traditional Goan homes. Each house is filled with intriguing artifacts and antiques, kitchen utensils, maps, paintings, medical paraphernalia, spectacle frames, jars, bottles, and so on—some of it several hundred years old, and painstakingly collected over the years by Laxmikant Kudchadkar. You can also see the differences in Goan-Portuguese and Hindu styles of architecture and enjoy a taste of traditional cuisine. The guided tour ends with a bizarre 3-D display of Hindu gods and mythologies—perhaps the only sore point in this grand affair.
Shopping the Global Village Markets
Anjuna is the site of Goa’s
Wednesday market,
where a nonstop trance soundtrack sets the scene and 1,000 stalls sell everything from futuristic rave gear to hammocks that you can string up between two palm trees on the nearby beach. It’s a wonderful place to meet people from all over the world as well as Rajasthanis, Gujaratis, Tibetans—even drought-impoverished Karnataka farmers with “fortune-telling” cows. It’s a bit like London’s Camden, but everyone’s tanned and the weather’s almost always wonderful. Come the weekend, Goa’s global residents have traditionally headed for either of the two
Saturday Night Bazaars
—
Ingo’s
or
Mackie’s
—where most of the spending has always seemed to involve liquor and food. In Arpora, Ingo’s is on a larger scale—but, according to rumors, no longer run by Ingo himself, but by the owner of the grounds upon which the market was established—and both dole out essentially the same ingredients of live music, eclectic cuisine, and shops galore selling semi-precious stones, paintings, books, clothes, music, and handicrafts churned out by long-term international visitors. There have long been disputes between locals and the organizers of these markets, however, so they frequently close down or relocate; best to ask someone local for the latest gossip. In any case, the more interesting markets are the local ones. Once a week, folk from villages all across Goa breeze into Mapusa
for the
Friday Market, where they set up large tables groaning under the weight of extraordinarily large-size vegetables, strings of homemade pork sausages, basketfuls of kokum, pickles like chepnim and miscut made out of tender mangoes, prawn balchao and Bombay duck pickles, a freshly baked assortment of Goan breads, all kinds of confectionary goodies like bebinca and dodol, guava cheese, and wines. Of course, the market is just as packed with mundane items ranging from knockoff designer underwear to masonry bits and cheap plastic slippers. If you have space to take home a souvenir, look for the red rooster water jug—you’ll find one in every Goan home, ostensibly to chase away evil spirits. When you’re pooped from shopping, drop into
Café Xaviers
(opposite the banana section), which sells refreshingly cold coffee shakes and delicious Goan sausage with poee (flat Goan bread). Another reason to come is the interesting
Other India Bookstore
(next to New Mapusa Clinic;
www.otherindiabookstore.com
), which stocks up on academic books related to issues like the environment, agriculture, and spirituality. On Thursdays, there’s a lively market in
Pernem,
in the far north of Goa—it’s pretty much undiscovered by tourists, so an altogether enchanting experience.
WHERE TO STAY
North Goa offers a wide range of accommodations, but we’ve handpicked those that afford a sense of exclusivity and are more likely to satisfy any craving for tranquillity or an experience other than the mass-market humdrum defined by package tourism. Perhaps the finest place in all-Goa is
Nilaya Hermitage,
where aesthetic splendor wrestles with a sublime, untouched location for poll position as its top selling point. At Goa’s very northernmost point is the rather remote enclave of Tiracol, where the owners of Nilaya Hermitage have restored seven rooms in the old headland fort. If you’re design conscious, want to be relatively close to the beach and in the heart of the tourist zone—yet keen on a boutique “nonhotel” experience, another top option is
Pousada Tauma
(reviewed below). If you’re looking for something more midrange, head for
Siolim House
or
Panchavatti
(reviewed below), or one of the
Casa
properties, a small chain of boutique hotels. But if you’re here to be left alone to simply enjoy the beach with as few intrusions as possible, you’ll definitely want to check out the selection of top villa-style stay in our round-up.
Villas, Goan-Style
Goa’s reemergence as a more fashionable, suddenly trendy Arabian Sea hangout has much to do with the launch of world-class villas such as Ajai Lakhanpal’s awesome
Aashyana Lakhanpal(Escrivao Vaddo, Candolim;
or -9276.
www.aashyanalakhanpal.com
; Rs 199,500–Rs 622,650 per week), a haven of impeccable style and sophistication that attracts utterly savvy world travelers, aristocrats, and their favorite dinnertime companions. Ajai one of a few savvy beach lovers who’s turned a piece of prime Goan real estate into a luxurious hideaway, providing the ultimate getaway for the fortunate few. The gorgeous five-bedroom villa has every imaginable luxury—beautiful pool, romantic sleeping quarters, elegant furnishings, and decor that’s a careful mix of antique and modern—all in a setting that is both tropical idyll and luxurious mansion. Rates include breakfast, airport transfers, and a private staff. Ajai also has two more villas:
Aashyana Casinhas,
which consists of
three cottages, each with two bedrooms (Rs 45,500–Rs 144,500 per week), and
Villa Venus,
a
three-bedroom villa (Rs 174,300–Rs 249,900 per week).
