These days, I’ve been talking about travel more than actually undertaking any substantial travel. It’s an occupational hazard - I promote clients in the travel space, you see.
So I could fake a big, colourful travelogue of goodish length on Goa replete with "azure skies and sea" that melt into each other, without even stepping a foot on to the rich, red Goan soil.
This is pretty tragic because anyone who is working hard to promote this beautiful, tiny state deserves to spend some time relaxing their hinies there even though that person has holidayed Goa at least six times.
Such is the eternal magic of Goa.
I remember one monsoon wandering the charming Fontainhas neighbourhood, upset about not being part of this culture, when I stumbled upon the quaintest little hotel i have ever seen by the name of Panjim Inn (under the WelcomHeritage brand of ITC).
This old Latin quarter in the city of Panjim maintains its Portuguese influence to this day in terms of its architecture and layout such as narrow streets, old villas and buildings painted in colours that would instil dread if it was in another Indian city.
It saddened me to think that my friends and i had to make-do with a modern serviced apartment in the most ridiculously-touristy location of Goa called Calangute.
But little did i know then that i was to find myself two monsoons later staying at that same Panjim Inn for a surreal three days! What a delicious slice of Goa it was!
It was probably the beautiful full-grown Christmas tree right outside our window or the four-poster bed that looked like it had been used by the Portuguese themselves that did me in.
Or possibly the Portuguese Planters chair (that appealed to me in so many ways), the pretty mosaic tile work in every house, and the various Portuguese-style boutiques all mixed together with the help of some stiffish LITs at Down The Road, which is just er... down the road from Panjim Inn.
Whatever it was, it was muito bem!
So I could fake a big, colourful travelogue of goodish length on Goa replete with "azure skies and sea" that melt into each other, without even stepping a foot on to the rich, red Goan soil.
This is pretty tragic because anyone who is working hard to promote this beautiful, tiny state deserves to spend some time relaxing their hinies there even though that person has holidayed Goa at least six times.
Such is the eternal magic of Goa.
I remember one monsoon wandering the charming Fontainhas neighbourhood, upset about not being part of this culture, when I stumbled upon the quaintest little hotel i have ever seen by the name of Panjim Inn (under the WelcomHeritage brand of ITC).
This old Latin quarter in the city of Panjim maintains its Portuguese influence to this day in terms of its architecture and layout such as narrow streets, old villas and buildings painted in colours that would instil dread if it was in another Indian city.
It saddened me to think that my friends and i had to make-do with a modern serviced apartment in the most ridiculously-touristy location of Goa called Calangute.
But little did i know then that i was to find myself two monsoons later staying at that same Panjim Inn for a surreal three days! What a delicious slice of Goa it was!
It was probably the beautiful full-grown Christmas tree right outside our window or the four-poster bed that looked like it had been used by the Portuguese themselves that did me in.
Or possibly the Portuguese Planters chair (that appealed to me in so many ways), the pretty mosaic tile work in every house, and the various Portuguese-style boutiques all mixed together with the help of some stiffish LITs at Down The Road, which is just er... down the road from Panjim Inn.
Whatever it was, it was muito bem!
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