NEW YEAR AND X-MAS PARTIES IN GOA

For the ultimate nightlife experience travel Goa. The best bet for finding a good party is to hang out around whatever appears to be the most popular beach shack of the season, and chat up the locals (but be wary of getting lifts to unknown venues with strangers). Other excellent spots for picking up the scent of out-of-the-way parties are Ingo's Saturday Night Bazaar, Anjuna's Wednesday Market, or ever-popular Tito's-- still the most happening nightclub in Goa (closed off season).

This local institution has been going for years and attracts anyone and everyone who's up for a party. For a less rocking atmosphere accompanied by fairly good food, check out Kamaki, a lounge bar up the road from Tito's that's open 24 hours; or hang out at Mambo's, an open-air pub where DJs Ajit and Yuri spin 1980s rock music. For a cooler, more fashionable night out, try Congo Lounge -- its pink and jungle-green decor forms a great backdrop for the designer-wear-clad patrons. 2008 Goa promises a lot of pleasant surprises for party revelers.

Psychedelic Journeys --
Rave parties are now almost as synonymous with Goa as hippie culture. Music in Goa has changed with times. Goa trance is the buzzword. If you want to attend one of the winter rave parties, held around full moon, you have to ask around at shacks. Goa music is popular as it is widely played in the nightclubs around the country. Location is often kept secret until late in the evening to avoid harassment from cops, and is disclosed only few hours before the party starts.

These underground dance and music parties usually start at 11pm and go on till at least 8am; sometimes they carry on for 3 to 4 days, as the party moves from one location to another. Various intoxicants are freely available and consumed, and local women set up stalls outside selling chai and snacks. DJs play techno/psychedelic/trance music; ravers often dress up in old-fashioned costumes and wear rave belts and colorful clothes, all part of setting the mood for their psychedelic journey. Regulars insist that these are not just massive techno freak-outs where everybody is "tripping," but a mystical, devotional experience akin to a spiritual encounter.

Shopping

Travel to Goa for shopping in the Global Village Markets -- Anjuna is the site of Goa's wonderful Wednesday market, where a nonstop trance soundtrack sets the scene, and a thousand stalls sell everything from futuristic rave gear to hammocks that you can string up between two palm trees on the nearby beach.

It's a wonderful place to meet people from all over the world as well as Rajasthanis, Gujaratis, Tibetans -- even drought-impoverished Karnataka farmers with "fortune-telling" cows. It's a bit like London's Camden, but everyone's tanned and the weather's almost always wonderful. When the crowd gets too much, pull up a chair at Mango Shade, an outdoor family-run restaurant at the edge of the market. Come the weekend, Goa's global residents head for Ingo's Saturday Night Bazaar, where most of the spending seems to involve liquor and food. Scores of happy-go-lucky revelers dance and cruise, exchanging plans for the remainder of the evening.

North of Panjim
Besides the vibrant markets, Calangute has a variety of options worth checking out. Casa Goa is designer wear by celebrated Goan designer Wendell Rodricks, as well as local artwork, silk drapes, and a variety of antiques .Then take a look at Leela Art Palace nearby; with any luck, proprietor Ravi will be in. You might find yourself agreeing to accompany him on an exotic journey into some of the country's remotest regions, where he regularly treks to source tribal art. Also in Calangute, Subodh Kerkar Art Gallery, run by Goa's well-known watercolorist, showcases contemporary Indian art including ceramics, hand-painted chests, and Rajasthani sculptures. Each Tuesday, an interesting classical dance and music performance is held at the gallery.

Located in a 200-year-old Portuguese mansion, Sangolda is the lifestyle boutique venture by the dynamic duo behind the boutique hotel Nilaya Hermitage; here you can shop for unusual home accessories and furniture sourced from all over India -- from rattan loungers from Kerala to Rajasthani chests. Attached is a gallery-cum-coffee-shop. Also in Sangolda is Monsoon Heritage, a contemporary design studio created by internationally renowned designers Yahel Chirinian and Doris Zacheres , who pair huge discarded tropical trees with mirrors and glass to create exclusive design pieces for the rich and famous. You'll find their showrooms in Paris and Santa Monica, but their main base (and inspiration) is Goa.

For authentic Goan souvenirs, proceed to Velha Goa Galleria in Fountainhas, Panjim, for azulejos, attractive Portuguese-style hand-painted tiles and ceramics. They will also pack these delicate items carefully so that they survive the journey home. Also in Panjim, the government-run Craft Complex stocks basic handicrafts from all over Goa.

Fashionistas will be pleased with Wendell Rodricks Design Space in Altinho, Panjim. Wendell believes in affordable designer wear, and his store has everything from evening gowns to casual wear. And then there's Sosa's, a trendy fashion store stocking couture by Goan designer Savio Jon as well as other young and rising designers . Not far from Panjim on Ribander Road, Camelot is an über-chic store housed in an old villa on the Mandovi River. Surrounded by walls painted gold, fuchsia, and royal blue, you can shop for designer clothing as well as exquisite silks, objets d'art, linen, and furniture.

Beaches

Go Goa for the paradisiacal experience on the Goa beaches. Goa beaches have a reputation as some of the world's best beaches is well-deserved, the better known beaches in Goa being Palolem, Mabor, Aguada, Calangute, Baga, Miramar, Majorda, Anjuna. Unfortunately, commercialization has taken its toll, with the infamous Baga-to-Calangute area now part of a tourist-infested strip of sun loungers, backed by beach shacks serving beer, cocktails, and fresh seafood -- the sort of packaged beach experience best avoided.

A little north of Baga, Anjuna comes alive with parties and trance music during the winter, when full-moon festivals get the crowds howling. It also has a fabulous Wednesday market. Just north of Anjuna is lovely Vagator, with Chapora Fort overlooked by stark red cliffs. But the real northern paradise starts at Asvem, which has somehow managed to remain off the beaten tourist road. A little north of Asvem, Arambol, seductively far away from the package-tour masses, is one of the last refuges of hard-core hippies. Though there are no private beaches in Goa, the southern beaches generally become the private domain of the five-star resorts fronting them, because of the sheer sizes of property they occupy.

In the far south, gorgeous Palolem has just one large resort close by, and gets our vote for the best beach in Goa: Although it's become increasingly popular in the high season and is home to a sizable hippie community, it has yet to be overwhelmed by day-trippers. Just 7km (4 miles) north of Palolem, Agonda is even more isolated and peaceful, while to the south, Galgibaga is another remote haven with eucalyptus trees and empty stretches of sand. And then, of course, there's Om Beach, just over the border, an hour into neighboring state of Karnataka, considered by many to be the best beach in India and one of the most beautiful in the world. However, the hippies have zeroed in on it, so don't expect seclusion. Other beaches of Goa are Varca, Colva, Dona Paula, Agonda, Cavelossim, Benaulim, Vagator, Bogmalo, and Arambol

Where to Stay
There are plenty of hotels in Goa covering a wide cross-section of visitors. Goa hotel are beautifully designed with tastefully decorated interiors and well-appointed rooms.

ORGANIZED TOURS

There are lot of Goa 2008 tour packages. The Goa Tourism Development Corporation has full-day tours, aimed primarily at domestic tourists, of the north and the south. For personalized adventure expeditions to any number of Goan destinations.

MGM International Travels has offices in both Panjim and Calangute . Other reliable travel agents include Trade Wings . Goa Sea Travels Agency , and Coastal Tours and Travels.

Walking Tours

Exploring Old Goa On Foot
The once-bustling Goan capital is said to have been the richest and most splendid city in Asia during the late 16th and early 17th centuries, before a spate of cholera and malaria epidemics forced a move in 1759. Today, this World Heritage Site is tepid testament to the splendor it once enjoyed. The tranquillity behind this well-preserved tourist site belies the fact that it was built on plunder and forced conversions, though you'll see little evidence of the mass destruction of the Hindu temples initiated by fervent colonialists.

The entire area can easily be explored on foot because the most interesting buildings are clustered together. To the northwest is the Arch of the Viceroys, built in 1597 in commemoration of the arrival of Vasco da Gama in India. Nearby, the Corinthian-styled Church of St. Cajetan (1651) was built by Italian friars of the Theatine order, who modeled it after St. Peter's in Rome. Under the church is a crypt in which embalmed Portuguese governors were kept before being shipped back to Lisbon -- in 1992, three forgoAdtten cadavers were removed. St. Cajetan's is a short walk down the lane from il Shah's Gate, a simple lintel supported by two black basalt columns.

Southwest of St. Cajetan's are the highlights of Old Goa: splendid Sé Cathedral, which took nearly 80 years to build and is said to be larger than any church in Portugal; and the Basilica of Bom Jesus (Cathedral of the Good Jesus). The so-called Miraculous Cross, housed in a box in a chapel behind a decorative screen, was brought here from a Goan village after a vision of Christ was seen on it -- apparently a single touch (there is a hole in the glass for just this purpose) will cure the sick.

The surviving tower of the Sé's whitewashed Tuscan exterior houses the Golden Bell, whose tolling indicated commencement of the auto da fés, brutal public spectacles in which suspected heretics were tortured and burnt at the stake. Nearby, the Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi (now an unimpressive archaeological museum) has a floor of gravestones and coats of arms; note that the images of Mary and Christ are darker-skinned than usual.

Opposite the Sé, the Basilica of Bom was built between 1594 and 1605 as a resting place for the remains of the patron saint of Goa, Francis Xavier (one of the original seven founders of the Jesuit order and responsible for most of the 16th-c. conversions). The withered body of the venerated saint lies in a silver casket to the right of the altar, his corpse surprisingly well-preserved (although one arm is on display in Rome and a missing toe is believed to have been bitten off in 1634 by an overzealous devotee looking to take home her very own relic, during the first exposition of the body -- now a decennial event).

Up the hill from the Basilica are the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine; below is the Church and Convent of Santa Monica and Chapel of the Weeping Cross, where a miraculous image of the crucified Christ is said to have once regularly bled, spoken, and opened its eyes.

Basilica de Bom Jesus: Mon-Sat 6am-6:30 pm. Sé Cathedral: daily 7:30am-6pm. Archaeological Museum: daily 9am-12.30pm and 3-6.30pm; admission Rs 5 (10¢). Convent and Church of St. Francis of Assisi: Mon-Sat 7:30am-6:30 pm. Church of St. Cajetan: daily 9am-5:30pm.

Hindu Christians -- In 1623 the pope agreed to tolerate converted Brahmin Catholics, who were then allowed to wear the marks of their Hindu caste. This extraordinary concession played its part in allowing Goa to ultimately adopt a practice of syncretism that embraced Hindus and Christians alike, though it drew its fair share of criticism from the more narrow-minded: The British adventurer Sir Richard Burton once noted that the "good" Hindus converted to Catholicism by the Portuguese were simply "bad" Christians.

Side Trips

Om Beach: Escape to Paradise -- Often cited as the top beach in India and one of the best in the world, Paradisiacal Om Beach lies south in Gokarna, an hour across the border into Karnataka. Black rocks divide the superb white sand into three interconnected bays that more or less resemble the Sanskrit "om" symbol, the invocation that created the universe.

Infrastructure here remains practically nonexistent, but new shacks and small "guesthouses" emerge every season. Alternatively, tranquil Devbagh Beach Resort in Karwar, slightly north of Gokarna, makes for a pleasant getaway. Guests stay in log cabins on stilts among groves of casuarina trees -- spend your days snorkeling , visiting outlying islands, beachcombing, or lazing in your hammock.

Places To Visit:

Dudhsagar Falls situated 60 Km from Margoa, is one of the highest waterfalls in India, On the border of Karnataka and Goa, the Dudhsagar Falls drop to a spectacular 600m.
Dudhsagar falls are in the forests of western ghats.

Getting there:

The falls can be reached by a train from Margoa. The train takes around 2 hours. Alternatively, taxis and buses can be hired. Motorcycles are not recommended as the way to falls have many rivers and canals, which often overflow.

Things to do at falls:

Swimming is a good options at the bottom of the falls. The sure-footed adventurers could try and climb up to the head of the falls through bushes, boulders and water. It’s a tough climb, which takes at least a couple of hours. The fall's surrounding area form a good picnic spot. While visiting Dudhsagar falls, one should ensure that at least entire day is spent near the falls.

Goa beaches:

Go Goa for the paradisaical experience on the Goa beaches. Goa beaches have a reputation as some of the world's best beaches is well-deserved, the better known beaches in Goa being Palolem, Mabor, Aguada, Calangute, Baga, Miramar, Majorda, Anjuna. A little north of Baga, Anjuna comes alive with parties and trance music during the winter, when full-moon festivals get the crowds howling. It also has a fabulous Wednesday market. Just north of Anjuna is lovely Vagator, with Chapora Fort overlooked by stark red cliffs. But the real northern paradise starts at Asvem, which has somehow managed to remain off the beaten tourist road. A little north of Asvem, Arambol, seductively far away from the package-tour masses, is one of the last refuges of hard-core hippies.

Though there are no private beaches in Goa, the southern beaches generally become the private domain of the five-star resorts fronting them, because of the sheer sizes of property they occupy. In the far south, gorgeous Palolem has just one large resort close by (the Inter Continental Grand, a few kilometers south in Cancona), and gets our vote for the best beach in Goa: Although it's become increasingly popular in the high season and is home to a sizable hippie community, it has yet to be overwhelmed by day-trippers. Just 7km (4 miles) north of Palolem, Agonda is even more isolated and peaceful, while to the south, Galgibaga is another remote haven with eucalyptus trees and empty stretches of sand. And then, of course, there's Om Beach, just over the border, an hour into neighboring state of Karnataka, considered by many to be the best beach in India and one of the most beautiful in the world. However, the hippies have zeroed in on it, so don't expect seclusion. Other beaches of Goa are Varca, Colva, Dona Paula, Agonda, Cavelossim, Benaulim, Vagator, Bogmalo, and Arambol