The major roads in Goa are a driver’s delight, well maintained and bordered with palm trees. The side roads are very narrow but in good repair. Bike culture is rampant in Goa and it would be wise to watch out for motorcyclists zooming about on hired bikes. You will rarely get lost in Goa courtesy of the well-displayed signboards that guide you to your destination.

Goa also has many bridges that traverse the various canals and rivers which run into the sea. If a bridge is closed, you can always take a flat-bottomed ferry — which transports five or six cars at a time — across to your destination.

Let it all go! That’s what you do in Goa. The Goans have a Portuguese word that describes their land: socegado, which translates to feelings of peace and fun — indeed the essence of Goa with its beaches and full-moon parties. Words are not the only thing the Portuguese left behind. Old Goa’s churches are a legacy from the days when the Cidade de Goa rivalled Lisbon and London in magnificence.

If that’s food for thought, there’s food for your belly too — and what a spread it is. Fiery curries, choicest seafood, spicy Goan sausages all washed down with locally distilled feni. An added bonus is the local population who are friendly, relaxed and easygoing.

Where you head in Goa really depends on what you are looking for. If you consider life a beach, then head to the Northern Goa stretch from the Fort Aguada beach to Anjuna beach. Calangute and Baga are safe beaches where you can go for a swim, get a tan while you lie on a deckchair and get a massage from the local ‘maalishwalas’. The most happening times are from October to May, and along the beach you can indulge in parasailing and a dolphin trip, where boats take you into the sea and show you dolphins frolicking.

You can do your own frolicking at the full-moon parties that are held at Anjuna b

each. Let your hair down and all that but hang on to your senses because cops do bust people doing drugs.

The Anjuna flea market is held every Wednesday and you’ll be surprised at the kind of stuff on sale, from vintage spectacles to camera lenses, hand-painted shirts to a tattoo-making kit, and from German bread and Italian pasta to Chinese woks. You could even get a hand-made guitar or a rare songbook. Come 5pm on Saturday, and the hippy market is thrown open. An easygoing atmosphere with a few bands jamming, food stalls and second-hand stuff on sale is what this market is all about.

For some peace and quiet and time with yourself, head for the beaches in South Goa, namely Majorda, Colva or Benaulim, which aren’t very crowded. If it’s an awesome blast from the past you’re looking for then head for Old Goa early in the morning and lose yourself among the fine architecture. Almost all the churches there were built before the 17th century and are World Heritage Buildings. The red stone-built Basilica of Bom Jesus houses the incorruptible remains of St Francis Xavier and across the main road is the Convent and Church of St Francis of Assisi that houses the Archaeological Museum (opens at 10am). Other churches are the Church of St Cajetan, which is supposed to be modelled on St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and the Se Cathedral — the largest church in Goa — housing the golden bell, so called for its rich chime.

The entire beach stretch from Aguada to Baga is dotted with little beach restaurants that serve some tasty treats. In the evening these shacks set out tables on the beach where you can have a meal. The speciality in Goan cuisine is seafood. Seafood does not only mean expensive lobsters but also includes mussels, clams and squid. The shrimps and squid prepared in the special Goan ginger-garlic sauce is very highly recommended, as are grilled tiger prawns.

A Goan speciality is chicken cafreale, which is traditionally a recipe from Mozambique that the Portuguese brought to India and has since evolved to suit the Indian taste. Ginger-garlic masala, green chillies, coriander, peppercorns and vinegar go into its preparation. If you opt for Goan sausage, try the traditional stew rather than the chilly fry. And to top your meal try bibinca, the Goan seven-layered sweetmeat that is painstakingly made. You have a choice of spirits to wash down your meal but do remember that drinking and driving is not safe and not sensible.

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