Blogs from Panaji, Goa, India, Asia

Hugging 162 klm of the west coast, with 54 beaches lapped by waves from the Arabian Sea, Goa is the smallest and richest state in India. It’s well known for sandy beaches, scrumptious seafood and it’s Portuguese heritage. Goa has a long history as a Portuguese colony, dating from 1510 until they were forced out in 1961. Their indelible mark is still evident in the state’s baroque architecture, whitewashed churches, crumbling forts, and the stunning cathedrals of Old Goa. Panaji is the capital, though Vasco De Garma is the largest city. Our train pulled into the station at Margao, 40klm south of Panaji at 6.00am on Friday morning, 45 minutes late. Margao is the second largest city by population, and the commercial and cultural capital of Goa. For tourists, it’s mainly a transport hub, somewhere they ... read more

Arriving in Vasco Da Gamma at just after 6am we were surprised at how quiet it was. There were no auto rickshaws waiting outside and most of the stalls and shops were shut. There were, however, a lot of taxi drivers. These seem to be replacing the tuk tuks in Goa. Deciding a taxi was far too expensive we walked straight out of the station, past the deserted tuk tuk stand, and managed to find ourselves a bus to Panaji. Perfect! And only 40 rupees each... The bus stand in Panaji turned out to be a mere 2km from our hostel so we walked there. Unfortunately we were somewhat early. Reception don’t start until 8am, breakfast isn’t until 830 and check in is after 230pm - welcome to laid back Goa! We are staying in the ... read more

GOA This place has got some charm and addiction too. I have almost visited Goa for more than 10-12 times still never get bored of this place. Here the bike ride also give us joy. I don't want to reach any destination, just want to roam around everywhere. Here the churches are so beautiful specially THE BASILICA OF BOM JESUS in Old Goa. It is such a beautiful heritage. The BAGA Beach is one more beautiful spot that every tourist must go. The Panjim city,which is also the capital of Goa,is so beautiful, even the buildings and offices are so colorful here that no body want to get back to their places. Goa is so peaceful. I LOVE GOA. GOA IS LIKE HEAVEN FOR ME. Everyone must visit GOA atleast once in their life. Hence I'm ... read more

Day 21 & 22 - Heartfelt move to Goa....marathon sleep! Today Kyla, Jude and I shopped all day, finding, or not finding in my case, all the last minute bits and pieces It was a difficult night. The first to leave the rooftop, firework party was Patrick. Patrick was eccentric at times, but special to all. He drove you mad, but then you loved him for it. A hard act to follow. Lucy, Rebecca, Laura, Zoe, Hannah and Rachel left shortly after. Jude, Kyla, Tom and Ankur and I had a tough night after that. We have become so incredibly close over the time together. Tom was leaving first, at 3am. He had made the choice of not going to bed. Jude and I stayed up and had a few drinks, but we also had to ... read more

(Again, photos will be uploaded later. For now, please refer to Instagram: @ryantanna) Morning Westerners, It looks like I'll have to come back to India again... there's just not enough time to see everything! For those of you who are unaware - I now have a travelling companion, Kate, who is joining me for my final two weeks in India. I picked Kate up on the 22nd from Chennai airport after my 10.5hr train ride from Madurai ('sore bum' doesn't begin to cover it!) and then we quickly got busy setting out a plan for our journey. We decided on which places we wanted to visit and, using a map, we devised the most time-efficient route. Unsurprisingly, our chosen route includes: Chennai, Mysore, Goa, Mumbai and Delhi. This is, quite evidently, a lot of places to ... read more