The next day we flew to Goa for the second portion of the trip: palm trees, clean ocean air, fresh seafood, and lots of lazy beach time. We each had our own bungalow at Village Susegat Beach Resort on Morjim Beach, which offered us easy walking access to the beach, proximity to a few great bars and restaurants, a logo that would make a man-spreader blush, and the ominous sounds of crows day in and day out. It was perfect.
After a great sunset walk on the beach, we walked a bit past our resort to Chia Lounge, one of the best dining options on the beach. After a fantastic dinner and some beers at a bar down the beach, we called it a night.
The next day was more of the same, until the evening, when we hired a driver for the night to meet up with Mo’s aunt and uncle and family friends, who have a permanent place in Goa. And by “place” I really mean “compound”, where multiple families live, complete with security guards, private pools, art installations, and some really beautiful, colorful homes.
Our hosts treated us to drinks and snacks at their place before we set out for Gunpowder, an amazing restaurant in their neighborhood. We had a phenomenal meal there, with definitely the spiciest food on the trip, but also some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had. 100% recommended should you ever find yourself in the area.
After dinner, we (sneakily) treated everyone to gelato at an ice cream shop not too far away, before we all split up for the rest of the evening. The boys set their course for a house/techno party at Cafe Lilliput, an institution on Anjuna Beach, so we could have a taste of that Goa party life. Once we arrived, I realized it was the same club I had been to on my previous trip! It was complete dumb luck that I ended up here again, as this was the only big event happening that night, since the peak season hadn’t really started yet.
The music was great and we had a blast going back and forth between the dance floor and the beach below, where we could dance in the small waves, watch the fireworks over the water, sip our beers, and still hear the music perfectly. While it was something of a pilgrimage for me – Anjuna is the spiritual home of Above & Beyond and trance – it was, more importantly, a fun, memorable evening with great friends, and a chance for all of them to experience a little bit of the Goa nightlife scene too.
Saturday was a great lazy beach day – our last full day in Goa – culminating in a really nice dinner at Jardin d’Ulysse, the best restaurant on the beach. We treated ourselves to lots of wonderful fusion food, cocktails, wine, and hours of live music.
Sunday was a deceptively long travel day back to Delhi, basically a long layover before our flight to the north. We didn’t get back to Delhi until after sunset, at which point we made our final trip to the tailor to get our finished suits and settle the bill. Mo’s dad came to the rescue again with a ride home, followed by another amazing home-cooked meal.