What you need to know when going to winter in Goa

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A quick guide for those planning to travel to Goa

Do you dream of a warm winter somewhere on the ocean shore and without a significant blow to your wallet? Then Goa is for you. Often it is even more profitable to spend the winter in Goa than to spend the winter in your own cold city, and if you are not tied to a place for work, then you are doubly lucky.

Kostya and Katya travel a lot, but lately they most often go to Goa in winter. They told Lifehacker about it through the prism of their experience.

Each of us at least once in his life dreamed of living in some other country. It is desirable where it is always warm, where the ocean and sky are always blue, where coconuts can be picked right from the palms and where everyone around you is happy. I am writing about Goa. Having been there for the third time, I realized that yes, it is still a great place for wintering.

Who is suitable for wintering in Goa

If you are a free soul, not attached to any stereotypes, if you are able to enjoy the most ordinary things in life, appreciate foreign culture and are ready for adventure, then this place is definitely for you. Goa has two sides.

Good - this is a unique nature, beaches, sunsets and people. Delicious food, unrealistically cheap life, freedom of movement and choice. These are nights in a bungalow on the shores of the Indian Ocean, fishing at sunset, fresh juices, mountains, clubs. There are no weekdays in Goa, every day is Friday. If you see India from the same side, then you will definitely fall in love with this place.

The other side of Goa - this is what people themselves have done. Some did not pass the test of freedom and went downhill. In Goa, although not officially, all drugs are allowed, so lately there are more and more strange characters. This is what saddened me the last time I stay. Goa is not suitable for those people who expect increased comfort and sterile cleanliness. Usually, you see all these disadvantages only at first, after the expiration of time, the advantages begin to prevail.

When to go

The season is from October to March. At other times, in my subjective opinion, the climate is not very pleasant. Stuffiness, insects, rain. Goa is suitable for wintering. Tickets to Goa will cost approximately € 700 per person. You can fly either by charter or by regular flight, through Delhi or Mumbai.

Which region to choose

1. North Goa is a movement. Beach parties, perpetual motion, clubs, lots of people, shops, markets. However, in the north you can find secluded places, for example, if you go to the end of Aranbol beach or come to Morjim beach.
2. South Goa is romance, tranquility, the sound of waves, ebb, flow, sunsets. This is fishing, boat trips to the islands to the blue lagoon and to the beaches with white sand.

I believe that in Goa it is worth visiting both parts and living for a while in each place.

Accommodation

This is the most interesting thing. There are many options. But it is better not to search for any of them or book in advance. In my opinion, it is best to live in different places. All beaches are unique, and almost all of them have bungalows. Bungalows are palm leaf houses. Bed, fan, shower and toilet. Almost every bungalow has a cafe with excellent Wi-Fi. If you are a freelancer, then you can work right at the bungalow, for example, here:

These houses are located on the Aranbol beach. There is a restaurant at the houses where the food is simply delicious.

Bungalow price per night - € 12. But if you are renting a house for a long time, you can bargain well for up to half the price. You just need to book a house on the spot. You come to the beach, and then they will find you, offer and shelter you.

There are more serious houses near the beaches of Anjuna, Ashvem, Morzhim. Basically, our local compatriots live in them.

They look like this:

If you book a cottage in advance, the price will be higher than if you find and agree on the spot. A small cottage with two rooms will cost € 35-60 per day. Do not be afraid to look for housing on the spot. In Goa it is very easy to do this.

There are also villas in Goa. Some are more chic, others are more modest. If you have a large company or family, it turns out very profitable - about € 200 per person per month. A complete villa with 3-6 bedrooms costs from € 1,000 per month.

Food in Goa

The longer you stay in Goa, the more you realize that you can eat almost for free. In the first weeks, you want to go around all the restaurants, try all the local delicacies, which, by the way, are already inexpensive. Subsequently, you can eat on your own, buying food in the market, and fresh fish from the fishermen. Buy spices, rice and noodles and improvise in the kitchen every night. In Goa, you will be "nourished" so that no illness in your cold homeland will take you. In Goa, you can eat for € 200 a month.

Vehicle

In Goa, this is a moped. And there can be no other conversations. Convenient, cheap and practical. If you are taking a moped for a long time, then you can negotiate for € 2-3 per day. Traffic slogan: "Signal and Herach". You need ordinary (international) rights. Gasoline costs 100 rupees per liter.

The most important thing for freelancers is the Internet

More about this.

1. Internet cafes are available in almost all villages in North and South Goa. The cost of an hour on the Web ranges from 40 to 60 rupees on average. Speed - as luck would have it, but usually not very high.
2. Wi-Fi - found in most cafes and bars. It can be both paid and free. Need to find. The number of restaurants connected to the Internet is increasing every season. Wi-Fi is provided in some guest houses / hotels.
3. ADSL and leased line - wired telephone line connection. Usually these are services from BSNL (bsnl.co.in), Sify Broadband (sifybroadband.com), EthernetXpress (ethernetxpress.com), Gwave (gwave.in). Usually issued to the owner of the house. It only makes sense if you are renting a house for a long time.
4. GPRS / EDGE (2G) - GPRS in Goa is available wherever the network of the selected operator catches, and EDGE is where it is supported by base stations. But in general, EDGE coverage in Goa is normal. The real Internet speed of GPRS is on average 32–64 Kbps (4–8 Kbps), EDGE - 80–240 Kbps (10–30 Kbps). GPRS / EDGE in Goa works in cellular networks Airtel, Idea, Vodafone.
5. 3G in CDMA standard (EV-DO) - offered by operators MTS, Reliance, Tata. For use, a special USB modem is required, which, when connected, sell for € 24-30. The speed of such an Internet is up to 3.1 Mbps. In practice, as in other cases of mobile data transmission, it all depends on the congestion and settings of the network and the quality of the reception. But on average, speeds up to 1, 5-2 Mbit are quite real.

Children in Goa

I do not recommend going to Goa with children. This place is not childish. Choose Thailand or Cambodia.

How to survive in Goa if you run out of money. You never know … it happens

1. In Goa, your belongings can be exchanged for other things or food. Checked.
2. In Goa, you can take a fishing rod and fish for a good dinner.
3. In Goa, you can pick coconuts.
4. It is safe to spend the night on the beach.

What to take with you

• A minimum of clothes. You don't need your city clothes, and you can buy everything “goash” on the spot very cheaply.
• Computer, camera, phone.
• Money and insurance.

Everything else you can buy here cheaper. And if, God forbid, you need medicine, there are many pharmacies and Ayurvedic centers in Goa where you will be cured.

Goa is freedom. If you can live there for at least two months, do it. The main thing is not to get sucked in. In Goa, the brain rests, inspiration comes, new facets open up, values change.