Uncovering Goa: Part 1 – South

Greetings from the sunny shores of Goa!

India has welcomed us with open arms and beautiful weather, with sunshine and temperatures ranging from 30-35°C. I’ve been fortunate that there hasn’t been any rain during the first week of my travels, as if the monsoon season decided to take a break upon my arrival.

Currently, the streets and beaches are relatively peaceful, by local standards, as the bustling tourist season in Goa doesn’t kick off until November and winds down around Easter.

First steps towards the south Goa

My destination for the first few nights was Palolem in southern Goa. Palolem is known for its magnificent white sand beach, which attracts masses of tourists from around the world. It’s the perfect location for people who just want to find that piece of serenity and hang out with friends, family, or locals in Palolem’s chilled cafes and restaurants. During the holiday season, Palolem offers beach activities, yoga sessions, and spa & massage treatments.

The easiest way to get to Palolem Beach from Dabolim airport is to take a taxi. Taxi prices in Goa are generally relatively high in comparison to the overall price level. Even though haggling is part of everyday life, with taxi drivers there is less room for price negotiations, but it is surely worth a try.

The 60km drive from Dabolim takes around 1.5 hours, depending on the traffic, and will cost you, depending on your haggling skills, around 2500 rupees, which converts to slightly over 28€ at the moment of writing this. You can pay by card directly in the taxi office by the airport, or you need to first find an ATM to get some cash to pay the driver directly. Be prepared to pay ₹50 extra for the toll at the airport exit.

Where to get cash

Most smaller ATMs charge higher fees for cash withdrawals, and generally, you can only withdraw a maximum of 10,000 rupees. I tried getting cash from the ATM at Dabolim airport in the middle of the night, but transactions were not possible with any of my credit cards. It is likely that the ATM just did not have any cash to give out, which is relatively common to happen. If you haggle yourself a good deal from the driver directly and would pay with cash, you can ask him to drive you first to the nearest ATM. I found the best rates so far to be in the air conditioned HDFC bank ATMs.

Rent a bike

After settling in Palolem, I usually start to explore the nearby area by walking, but I quickly noticed that the busy and noisy narrow streets in Goa are not ideal for long walks amongst buses, cars, rickshaws, bikes, cows, and people. The cheapest and most convenient way to get around is with scooter mopeds, also known as bikes. That is if you feel adventurous and confident enough to join the Indian left-handed traffic where most of the signaling is given with the horn.

The cost to rent a bike depends on the region and the condition of the bike itself. In Palolem, they will ask ₹500 per day for a newer bike and ₹400 for an older one. You can, however, negotiate the price, especially if you would like to keep it for multiple days. The bikes always have 1 liter of fuel inside, and instead of trying to first find the gas station, you can buy 1-liter bottles of fuel from almost any kiosk.

You are required by law to wear a helmet when you ride the bike on the streets. However, passengers are not required to wear a helmet, so do not give your helmet to your partner, as you’ll be stopped by the police and fined ₹1000.

Avoid pre-booking long-term accommodation

While most people like to pre-book their accommodation months ahead to catch those early booking deals, in this case, you might not want to bind yourself to one location for a longer period of time, especially if you are not traveling in the hot season from December to February. The pictures of the accommodations seen on Booking.com, for example, do not give the real idea about the place you are going to spend your precious holidays. That also depends on what type of accommodation you are looking for – a fancy spa hotel, a rugged bungalow, or something in between?

I would consider booking only 1-3 nights in advance and either negotiate additional nights at the site or, better yet, stay in multiple locations around Goa. A good way would be to call the hosts after you have gotten your Indian SIM card.

Staying connected

Goa is a beautiful place to go adventuring or just to chill and get rid of the stress and tension under the palm trees while the cool breeze and sounds of waves from the Arabian Sea will soothe you into relaxation. You don’t want to miss this experience by focusing on your Instagram or Facebook feed, but being able to navigate without a Wi-Fi connection and call a taxi or other services at any time is worth getting a local SIM card.

Getting a SIM card in India is fairly easy and quick, and it won’t strain your purse. You can find a kiosk where they sell SIM cards almost anywhere by just asking the locals for directions. I needed only my passport for the application, but it is a good idea to take one passport picture as well. In October 2023, one SIM card with 1 month prepaid connection cost around ₹700-900, and with it, you’ll get unlimited calls within India, 200 SMSs, and 1.5GB of data per day, 5G internet connection.

Cafe & Restaurant recommendations for Palolem

My absolute favorite place in Palolem for breakfast or lunch was Nireas – Healthy Haven where, as a standard, the quality exceeds expectations. Their salty and sweet breakfast options especially are all worth trying. Not only was their food delicious to both the eyes and the soul, but the atmosphere itself invites you to take a good book or a nap on their couches during the hottest part of the day.

After the day has turned to dusk and you’ll start to look for dinner options around Palolem beach, my first recommendation would be the Big Bull Beach Bar. They are easy to spot from the large bull head painting on the rock by the southern end of the beach. Big Bull Beach Bar has a great menu of drinks and food, especially for cocktails. Their mushroom Biryani was mighty delicious and easy on the wallet. You can go there also for live music performances or just have a few drinks while watching a game of cricket with the locals.

Money’s worth of bus ride

Even though Palolem beach is an absolute gem, at some point you just have to pack your things and move forward. Taxis are the most comfortable and fastest way to get around, as mentioned earlier, but to save that money for a deluxe dinner instead, you can also take a bus to your next adventure. The bus network in Goa works well and is surprisingly punctual.

The easiest way to figure out where you can catch the bus is just to ask your local host or contact, or do some googling. To get from Palolem to my next destination Calangute in North-Goa, you’ll need to get first a rickshaw or taxi to Canacona, which is 3km away from the beach. From Canacona, I took an air-conditioned electric bus that stopped first in Margao, one of the central bus stations. The same bus unloaded and continued towards Panaji, and from Panaji, I jumped to another old diesel bus which drove through Calangute. Those three rides cost in total ₹140 (1.6€), which is a fair price for the three-hour journey.

The AC-equipped electric bus should be the most comfortable way to travel cost-effectively, but my early morning bus ride was full of university students, so I ended up standing for the first 1.5 hours. It was still worth it to save 30€ or more, and the experience was quite enjoyable.

The Journey goes on

My next stop for this Fintastic Journey will be Calangute in northern Goa. Thank you for reading my first blog post. If you enjoyed it and would like to see more pictures and get more stories, you can follow me on Instagram @fintasticjourney, and you can also share this post on social media. The direct link to my profile is also on the top part of the homepage.

I leave you with this thought:

Life is like a sunset. Enjoy it while it lasts but don´t rush it. The sweetest bit might be at the very end.

Stay curious and enjoy your day,

Jesse