Thanks for the information, I have never been to Vagator as of now, planning in few weeks though. I am not sure if you mentioned about the scam for liquor anywhere on your website or any other blog.

The liquor is surely cheap and the vendor/ retailers never provide enough information about travelling with liquor. It is banned to take outside goa and they inform the cops who confiscate it on the border, charge you heavily and send half of it back to the vendor/ retailer.

In my opinion readers could ask for the authentic license on the shop as well for very cheap that could be shown on the border to have a hassle free exit.

awesome I hope you have the best time! if you want more tips, I just released an ebook about Goa but for just three days, this blog post is probably all you need to know! have fun!

I am with you here !!

I think you need to read them again – Those are not my comments they are a reader’s comments to a post I wrote about how great Goa is … in my comments I say I have adopted stray dogs, love the beach, and the whole article is about good restaurants cafes and bars! literally don’t even know what you’re talking about.

-> Other places in the world are free from accidents?
(people use helmet in goa)

-> Other countries dogs didn’t harm anyone?
( i think they won’t harm you until you disturb them)

-> All beaches of world are free from sand flies/fleas?

-> And goa is a very small territory of india… Goa is not high tech city.
( Goa have good restaurant, cafes and bars too it’s all about where you are spending your money)

Jesus Christ why do you even travel Lu? How devoid of any form of common sense are you that you would travel to somewhere like India if you like things ‘clean and sanitary.’ What the hell did you expect? Maybe next time take a weekend away instead and stay in a 5-star hotel where you can be as anal retentive and boring as you please.

That’s awesome – I’m happy that my blog helped you in your trip & it’s great that you’ve started one of your own about your time in India :D

The dogs can be fun :) we’ve taken in two (shanti and omni) & they are family now! omni is a bit dense haha but shanti is clever :) you’re right about the litter. it’s a real shame.

P.s Iam an ocd clean freak and I can’t believe I’m able to live in Goa lol. It’s called loving the “rustic” life and being one with the natural elements. There are sand fleas everywhere. Just use Dr. Bronners soap and take a proper shower scrub and they won’t follow you to bed. When I first came here, I was surprised how every resturant has a sink to wash in, in India. It is not a barbaric place. It’s just natural! Sometimes I joke about wishing I had my uv air filter from Costco, instead of using a fan at night, but India hasn’t smothered mother earth’s natural flaws. It’s a good thing. That’s why they stay unique.

Thanks! Sounds like we’d definitely be better off in Goa over that time. Any specific recommendations for where we should stay to enjoy the festivities?

Diwali is a lot different in Goa and not as big as the cities – but I don’t know if you’d like the big city diwali! it’s full of smoke from firecracks and fireworks and with the haze already my friends who live in mumbai and delhi all want to leave at these times as it’s hard to breathe, traffic is crazy, and the men get very drunk

Hi Lu, it’s a shame you had such a bad time. Mandrem is one of the nicest beaches. In my “this is india” series I share A LOT about the things in India which are upsetting like slums, bike accidents (I lost a very good friend in one), kids without helmets, trash, and issues with stray dogs – Goa may be a cool beach town but it’s still India, and unfortunately India isn’t for everyone.