I was recently in Goa for the opening of another Smile Bar store (exciting!!) and I really did not expect it to be so amazing. I had heard great things about Goa from friends and family but it is different when you actually get to experience a new place for yourself.
The weather was hot and humid and midday gets scorching but I am okay with hot weather, it is the cold I cant really deal with too well, so I was fine. The place itself was so chilled out and relaxing it just made me want to sit down and do nothing all day (not the best way to feel when you are there for a store opening) but aside from Smile Bar related issues we covered quite a lot in a very short amount of time as we were with a family friend who knows Goa very well.
We went to some amazing restaurants and the food we had over the course of our short stay was absolutely amazing, I must have had lobster about 3 times and dessert everyday (oops)! We also had some traditional Goan food which was ridiculously spicy but so incredibly tasty. I am originally Indian so I should be able to take a little bit of spice but I really cant. In saying that however, I couldn’t resist! To be honest, temptations were too high and I couldn’t resist any of the food that was ordered throughout our stay, I always have to at least taste new food or I feel as though I have missed out on something great. This is a personal dilemma of mine and it involves my passion for health/fitness and my love for food + big appetite. In saying that however I was working out the entire trip so i didn’t mind indulging here and there 🙂 My mums appetite is tiny and she isn’t really a dessert person’ (so she always says…) ….why didn’t I get those genes?! *hufff*
The beauty of Goa in my eyes was that nothing was over polished or pristine and that was what I liked the most, that was what gave it charm. You didn’t have to dress up at any point and I wore flip flops day and night!
One of my most favourite parts of the trip was the Flea Market we went to on the Saturday evening, now this was some market alright. It was the most amazing market I have ever been to in my life! It was set out in layers, with market stalls selling clothes to bags to spices to tea to necklaces, to you name it, they had everything. There were bars all over the place blasting deep house and there was even live music, the whole place was buzzing! Again the food was incredible and we ate at a number of different stalls because It was just too difficult to just pick from one!
One last thing that I would like to mention is that a lot of the times we would be in the car driving down a street along the coast, suddenly we would take a turn down into a shady looking dirt track and then we would be faced with an absolutely beautiful beach bar or restaurent. It is really difficult for me to explain but it seemed like everything was hidden and secretive and we were the lucky ones who got to experience it. I know that is not true , but thats what it felt like. The whole place was so quaint, rustic and unique, the vibes were just so chilled it made me want to stay forever.
One thing is for sure though, I will definitely be heading back as I have heard the beach parties are incredible. For now though enjoy some of the photos I took along the way. Unfortunately i didn’t have my big camera with me so apologies for the quality.
simplysneaks 