I want to thank Mannat, the lovely and very intelligent daughter of my Axis Bank banker, Tarun Dhingra, for creating beautiful and highly artistic portraits from my pictures. These are not photoshopped but rather an artist’s interpretation of my photos, which I took with my iPhone. They are truly funny and incredibly cute.

Mannat

So, thank you, Mannat, for these wonderful murals of love that you have created for me and your dad.

Goa is full of fascinating restaurants, and I, for one, dined in one called Peep Kitchen. Peep Kitchen was started by two brothers, Gaurish and Amey. They opened the restaurant so they could sell their mother’s cooking to the local Goans. The name “Peep” has a meaning: it stands for “Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place.” The AC section of Peep Kitchen is very spacious, and there is light background music playing all the while. The waiters are well-dressed, very cordial, and helpful as well.

I quite enjoyed the food, especially the Mutton Kolhapuri and the Crab Curry. The joint also has the best Scotch and single malt whisky. One must try the caramel pudding. Peep is located in Panaji, on Teligaon Road in Goa. The fish here is the best, from prawns and lobsters to crabs. One can get all kinds of fish in gravy at Peep. The Fish Thali is also very reasonably priced at Rs 150. It’s very economical—one gets lots of rice, prawn curry, battered fish, oysters, and even shellfish in the grand fish thali.

Peep Kitchen

At the entrance, there is a black slate with the main menu written on it with chalk. As one enters, you face the grand bar where all the foreign liquor is stacked. You have waiters dressed in black, taking orders and running around to serve the guests. The decor and look of the restaurant are very pleasing to the eye, with subtle shades of color used. Turquoise blue is the primary color of this particular restaurant. There is a large space in front of the restaurant for car parking, so one need not worry about that issue.

The portions are large, and I had to have my mutton curry packed. But what I liked most was that the gravies were not overtly spicy, and I felt they were just right. Generally, I am not able to enjoy very spicy food as it doesn’t suit my palate anymore, but the mutton gravy was perfect for me. I quite enjoyed it with parathas and a portion of naan. I skipped having the single malt as I had already bought a bottle of Glenlivet for Rs 6000. If one has a double peg of single malt whiskey at a restaurant, it costs Rs 2000. It’s much better to buy a bottle, and it’s much cheaper as well.

Yes, I am back—well and truly back—in Goa after spending the last few weeks in Delhi. It took me a few days to settle back into my Goa routine, as my mind was still occupied with thoughts of Delhi and an investment deal, I had just closed. But there was still a bit of restlessness in my heart. The only way to shake it off was to find a new dining spot in Goa—a restaurant called Mom’s Recipe.

This is a typical Goan restaurant that serves moist, succulent chicken vindaloo, along with crab curry and jumbo prawns. Mom’s Recipe has a charming ambiance and well-designed interiors. There is a vintage Lambretta parked just outside the restaurant, like a showpiece or a trophy of some sort. I even managed to get a picture clicked on the scooter, which is nearly sixty years old. The Lambretta was first manufactured in Italy in 1974, and it is displayed in all its glory in front of Mom’s Recipe.

Mom’s Recipe

The interiors were beautifully done, and I tucked into a delicious chicken vindaloo with rice, while my mate Ani enjoyed fish and prawns. We ended our meal with a delightful caramel pudding. During my visit, I had the chance to chat with the owner—a gentle lady who runs two outlets of the same restaurant in Goa. I introduced myself and showed her my blog.

“Madam, I am a travel blogger, and I would love to cover your restaurant and promote it on my blog,” I told her. She listened with keen interest, and by the end of my pitch, she was convinced. In return for my promotion, she even offered me a 15% discount on the food!

The food was truly traditional Goan, with puddings and serradura as desserts.

Mom’s recipes were founded by Mr.Amit Naik burye (a hotel management graduate) in 2007 (first outlet at Verna industrial estate) followed by the Goa velha outlet in 2022. Moms’ recipes have been awarded The Times Food award in two categories for the year 2024 best Goan cuisine and best multi cuisine.

The owners have resisted the temptation to turn it into a multi-cuisine restaurant. Instead, they honor the traditional cooking of mothers and grandmothers, who have been preparing tantalizing prawn curries for generations. In a heartwarming touch, each dish is named after the chef who first created it.

Mom’s Recipe was also awarded the Top Restaurant Award in 2017.

I wanted a fine dining experience, and what better place to try out the best Asian cuisine—Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese—than Mama Mi Gardens? I loved it! A fine dining restaurant located right next to a quiet, sandy beach—truly the perfect spot to enjoy some amazing sushi and Nasi Goreng. The wine and liquor selection were excellent, and there was a cozy corner where a guitarist performed ballads and songs, keeping the dinner guests entertained at all times.

Since I had just gotten back into driving, I took the wheel at all times. My mate, Ani, sat beside me, gripping his seat with palpitations every time I took a turn or made a sharp cut.

Creamy Sands of Goa

The team at Mama Mi Gardens also did a promotion with me. A new brand of whisky had just been launched at the restaurant—Makazai. The name sounded very Japanese to me, but the liquor itself was sweet, seemingly brewed with jaggery. It reminded me of a Jamaican liqueur called Drambuie—sweet, but with a sharp aftertaste. I liked it a lot and enjoyed three small glasses of it.

I even posed with the bottle alongside the marketing manager of the company. I highly recommend this whisky, Makazai. It’s not too expensive—only Rs 650 for a bottle—so go out and try it! The high is smooth, and so is the taste of this fine brand of liquor.

Just before dinner, we walked along some of the finest beaches in Goa. The sand was creamy in color, and the skyline glowed orange. I sat under a shack, sipping my favorite beach drink—Piña Colada.

The sushi was excellent—I had a whole boat full of it! Crab, prawn, lobster, and raw fish. For dessert, the fried ice cream was exactly what my palate craved, and it was my absolute favorite.

The restaurant is well-lit and has a groovy vibe. There were plenty of foreigners enjoying the flavors of the Far East. A must-visit fine dining experience for anyone visiting these shores.

This post title surely sounds like the name of one of Ram Gopal Verma’s wacky and crazy films, but that’s exactly how I feel about this trip to Goa. It has been one hell of an invigorating experience for my mind, body, and soul. The food, the sun, the air, and the sea have kept me completely engrossed. I feel more in control and even more aware of my thoughts and actions—I have become more watchful. The dizzy spells of being lost in the deep recesses of my mind have faded away. I see my thoughts with more clarity, and just by observing them, I ensure they have no impact on me. They simply come and go as they please.

The sun beats down mercilessly in the afternoon, making it best to stay indoors and enjoy a siesta. It’s only after five that one feels like venturing out into the city.

I have eaten the fish thali, had my vitamins, enjoyed shopping at the flea market, walked on the beach, and fought with the waves. I have made new friends and won new hearts.

This has been a delightful treat of sun and sand—the alcohol museum, the churches, and even an impromptu gate-crash into a Goan wedding! Most of all, I enjoy strolling along the footpaths and wandering through the narrow street markets. I lose myself in idle window shopping. My distracted mind wavers at times as new thoughts come and go, but I regain my alertness from time to time.

I have pampered myself at hair salons and bought some amazing Goa memorabilia. I am so grateful I came here to relive memories of my past.

Tourism is big in Goa, and the entire city of Panaji is being dug up to lay cables as part of the government’s plan to transform it into a smart city. You do see some streets and corners under construction when driving around, but that is normal here. New flyovers are also being built to ease traffic congestion.

Goans like to relax, and on Sundays, most shops and offices are closed. Even in the afternoon, many Goans shut their shops for a nap as it gets very hot.

There is always a carnival happening in Goa, with laser shows and fireworks lighting up the night sky—especially visible from my balcony. I have indulged in the local cuisine and savored the shellfish here. But what I crave the most right now is some sushi, which I will be enjoying very soon.

When one is in Goa, a visit to a cigarette shop is a must. Goa has many such shops, all selling rolling tobacco, papers, glass hookahs, lighters, and whatnot. I just did that and was amazed at everything the store had to offer.

Most of the grocery shopping we did was from local stores like Farm Fresh and Café Farm Fresh, which were well-stocked. I have really enjoyed grocery shopping, not to mention the coconut water I have consumed in this city.

Sometimes, to break the monotony, I would also dine at the local McDonald’s for a change. The city of Goa is vibrant, with its cafés, bars, gymkhanas, old churches, and many beaches. The leisurely shacks and the Goan beer keep me occupied, not to mention my daily swims in the pool. The swim and the walk on the beach are especially invigorating.

Cigarette and Hookah Shops

The locals are helpful, and the place is teeming with foreigners. The casino business is booming here, and property prices have gone up. There is a lot of new construction of flats and villas as more and more families move to this holiday destination.

When not grocery shopping, Ani and I enjoy night drives, which often remind me of our MBA days when we would drive all around Delhi, losing our bearings from time to time but always finding our way in the end. I guess that is what life is—one keeps losing one’s way from time to time, but eventually, we always reach our destination and finally get what we want from our lives.

This visit to Goa has been a nostalgic one for me, but I have managed to get a glimpse of who I once was and the life I once lived.

The only drawback of this beach town is that it gets very hot in the afternoon, and the tropical weather hardly changes throughout the year. Even in winter, the sun is out, so getting a tan here is easy. It took me ten days to get fully tanned in Goa.

The Mario Gallery is another fascinating place one must visit in Goa. This is a curio and artist boutique that sells everything from T-shirts to paintings, posters, and mugs, along with bubblers and other interesting wall decorations that embody the Goan vibe. It is a shop owned by the well-renowned Goan artist Mario.

Just in front of the shop window stand three huge statues of characters from the world of Mario—one is a waiter, another is a smoking drunk, and the third is a fat man playing the trumpet. The shop has a Disney-like feel, but there is enough to keep you interested, and one can easily spend an hour just wandering around the store.

Mario Gallery

There are exotic pillow covers, wall hangings, and other decorations that bear Mario’s trademark style. I managed to get a few wall paintings and even gifted one to my friends. The gallery is a must-visit if one wants to buy something that will remind them of their trip to Goa.

The afternoon sun was beating down on us, and I decided to get on the wheels once again. As I told you, I have once again started enjoying driving.

Our next stop, across the lazy winding roads of Goa, was an ice cream shop that sold gelato—something I now enjoy with relish. After that, I drove towards the open fields of Goa, and we found a scenic spot in the open wilderness with a large water pond in the middle. With the sun beating down on us, this was a perfect place to take pictures and soak in the beauty of Goa’s open landscapes.

The Goan air makes one dizzy and lightheaded. We have been dining at the Goa Gymkhana quite regularly, and I just can’t stop ordering the fish thali—it has become my favorite meal these days.

This is a city where hardly anyone honks, and the traffic is very well regulated. Thus, driving is fun most of the time, but one must watch the speed limit.

I have kept a strict diet of fish, fruits, poha, and khichdi, which has helped with my weight loss as well.

A trip to Goa would not be complete without a visit to the Hilltop Flea Market. We decided to venture out and experience this vibrant and chaotic place. There is an entry fee of Rs. 50 per person, after which you can enter the market. This is where one truly witnesses the essence of hippie fashion.

As I entered, I was immediately drawn to a particular stall selling colorful hand gear and accessories made from bird feathers. The colors were mesmerizing—ranging from purple to red, pink, and even yellow. I stopped to check out the collection but eventually decided against making a purchase.

Flea Market

Music filled the air, and there was a designated free area for dancing. Food stalls sold everything from hot dogs to gelato ice cream. I was particularly intrigued by a stall offering tarot card readings, where a woman was passionately teaching others about the mystical art. Her card tricks were captivating, but soon, I was distracted by other stalls selling hippie clothing and jewelry.

The flea market is a great place to find good bargains, and if you’re a tourist, it’s the perfect spot to pick up some Goan memorabilia. I quite enjoyed my hot dog, washing it down with a cold beer. By the evening, the atmosphere became even livelier, with music playing and a distinct aroma of excitement (and perhaps some intoxication) in the air. I suddenly felt the urge to dance—and so I did. I had been feeling lighter after shedding some much-needed weight, and for the first time in a long while, I truly let my hair down.

After a few hours, my friend Ani and I walked out, only to be greeted by a dazzling laser show. Shimmering white beams of light danced in the sky—dozens of them, tall and thick, moving in mesmerizing patterns. Just watching them put me in a meditative state of mind.

The flea market is a shopper’s delight and a must-visit for those wanting to experience authentic hippie culture and fashion. The walls were decorated with vibrant colors and adorned with graffiti art, adding to the market’s bohemian charm.

Parking was not an issue, as there was a large field nearby offering ample space for vehicles. The market is a family-friendly place, where people come not just to shop but also to relax and soak in the unique vibe.

The entire market was decorated with stars and exotic fabric drapes, illuminated by green and purple lights, making it feel like a festival. A live band played orchestral music, adding to the ambiance. There was even a shop selling liquor for those who wanted to get a little tipsy. As for me, I just wanted to dance—and so I did, for a while.

This trip was also special because, after a decade, I finally drove a car across Goa again. Initially, I felt a bit rusty, but soon, I got back into my groove—just like a boxer never forgets his jab or a diver never forgets his gear. Through this trip, I found myself reflecting on my past and the journey that has brought me to where I am today.

Ani and his wife, Soma, have been my closest friends for over thirty years, and being with them helped me reconnect with a part of my youth that often feels like it’s slipping away with time.

More than anything, this trip has helped me connect with my core self—who I truly am. In that sense, it has been a deeply therapeutic experience, one that I will cherish forever. I am grateful that I made the decision to come to Goa.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has raised alarms over the alarming levels of faecal coliform bacteria in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers at Prayagraj, especially as millions gather to take a dip at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh. This concern follows a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), submitted on February 3, which highlighted significantly high bacterial contamination at various locations near the Sangam, particularly on Shahi Snan days. But what does this mean for public health, and how serious is the risk?

Faecal coliform bacteria enter water bodies primarily through human and animal waste. Their presence serves as a key indicator of water quality and potential contamination by harmful, disease-causing pathogens.

The CPCB report revealed shocking figures—total coliform levels in the Ganga were approximately 1,400 times above the acceptable standard, while the Yamuna exhibited contamination levels up to 660 times higher at certain points in Prayagraj.

Additionally, the report found that the river water failed to meet the required standards for bathing due to excessive biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). It also did not comply with primary water quality criteria for safe bathing concerning faecal coliform levels.

According to the US-based water research initiative KnowYourH2O, untreated faecal waste releases excess organic material into water bodies. As this material decomposes, it depletes oxygen levels in the water, posing a severe threat to aquatic life. This not only endangers marine ecosystems but also increases health risks for those exposed to contaminated water.

Given these findings, the presence of high faecal coliform levels in the Sangam is a serious public health concern, raising urgent questions about water safety and pollution control measures.

Goa, sweet Goa—the sun has truly seeped into my bones, and the taste of the tangy fish thali still lingers on my tongue. The sea breeze drifts through my open window in the morning, as my room faces east and the first rays of sunlight shine in. My daily swims keep me busy, but it had been a while since we went out. Today was the day we decided to have lunch at Karavello’s Hut.

This small Goan joint is very basic in nature and is run by a local named Karavello. He and his wife cook for travelers, serving some great food at very cheap prices. The family has a couple of dogs—one of them almost bit me when I ventured into the kitchen to see how Madam Karavello was cooking her crabs and lobsters. The great thing about this place is that everything is freshly made. The fish and prawns are caught fresh and cooked on the spot when ordered. In fact, we had to wait for an hour for our food, as it was being prepared only after we placed the order.

Karavello’s Café

I had a plate full of crabs, while my mate Ani and his wife feasted on prawns and sea fish. The baked fish, wrapped in a green banana leaf, was the best. I even enjoyed munching on sardines, which were amazing. We had plenty of lemon, which we generously squeezed onto the baked fish. After sipping my Carlsberg beer, I decided to order some squid as well. Karavello told me that the most expensive dish on the menu was the lobster curry, as lobster was indeed very pricey.

After our meal, I moved further towards the Chapora River, and to my delight, I spotted a bunch of foreigners fishing. They were leisurely standing by the river’s edge, hoping to catch some river fish as they dangled their hooks in anticipation of a prized catch. It was meditative just watching and waiting for a fish to bite. I realized that fishing is all about patience—one must simply wait for the fish to take the bait. It is also a sport of skill, requiring knowledge of how to handle a line and a hook.

I thoroughly enjoyed my excursion and was happy to breathe in the cool and soothing Goan air.