Lots of you asked for more information about Goa, so here’s my very personal take. North Goa has the more upmarket hotels but it’s a bit too touristy for me. Head south of the airport and there’s a 30-mile beach, and further south still is my favourite spot, where I’ve been coming for ten years. It’s the Goa of many years ago – no high-rises, no wall-to-wall sunbeds – although even I’ve seen it change a lot in the last few years.
And then, of course, there’s the food:
- A chef’s special coconut soup with shredded prawn – so simple, so delicious, and perfect for lunch even in the heat. It’s on my list of dishes to recreate at home.
- A restaurant called Greenland (no, Donald Trump doesn’t want to buy it) where you choose your own fish and tell them how to cook it – I go for tandoori or spicy.
- Crispy sweetcorn and capsicum fritters, peri peri chicken wings that were so hot they hurt my lips, and a fair few cocktails – a feni and lime “Goan Delight”, a fresh watermelon and vodka number, and a pretty pink guava chilli martini for Friday cocktail hour.
I also share a little bit about me – including how I first started travelling solo in 2023, with six weeks across America, mostly by train. And thank you, all of you, for the follows and the support. It means the world, and I hope it helps me get that book published!