i.
We arrive in Assagao late for lunch, the bus from Hyderabad having suffered a punctured tire in the majestic Chorla Ghats, and wait for over half an hour as the maître d’ struggles to seat the swelling crowd of hungry humans at Vinayak Bar and Restaurant. Eating is top of the list of things to do in Assagao and that is why we are here: eat at some of the country’s best eateries. And it’s not without reason that this chaotic mass of humans has zeroed upon this paddy-field facing eatery far from the sunny beaches of Goa: Vinayak is renowned for this fish thali and when it arrives finally after what seems like an aeon, our hunger pangs have been exacerbated watching the servers carry plates and plates of mouth-watering seafood from the kitchen. So, we dig in, without any ado, into the rawa-fried fish, the curried prawns, the clams, the fish curry, the kismur, and the runny kokum chutney. On the side, we order a plate of big, fat, juicy rawa-fried prawns.
Then retire for siesta into our room, big enough to be a 2 BHK in any of India’s breathless cities, in an old Portuguese-style mansion on one of the many meandering lanes of Assagao.
ii.
And that’s how our days go in Assagao: eat, walk, sleep. Once known as the flower village, fulanchem gav, Assagao today is an expensive, exclusive bubble of real estate. Drawn by the bucolic charms of this scissor-shaped stretch, artists and restauranteurs, filmmakers and artistes, writers and entrepreneurs from around the globe have settled here. Grand Portuguese villas line the narrow lanes. The tropical greenery of their lush gardens is shot with the splashes of crimson and magenta bougainvillaea. Dogs laze on sunny lawns. Birds chitter in the orchards. Some of these, like the villas that house restaurants like Jamun and SEA, have been painstakingly restored. Others have received a fresh lease of life as the vacation homes of the wealthy. Still others stand in various stages of decay. As more and more luxury condominiums and villas mushroom along the hillside, more and more heritage mansions are mown flat to make space. More and more trees are hewn to death.
iii.
But at night, Assagao is a different beast. This little bubble of affluence is exactly what it is: a bubble of affluence and once the sun has set, the roads and lanes are sheathed in darkness so deep that you hardly want to step out unless you have a car or a scooter at your disposal. Our walk back from Gunpowder, one of India’s top restaurants, to our homestay was fraught with tension. With fear. The roads: startingly empty with not a pedestrian in sight. Only cars and scooters zipping by. We sprint back, under the shades of sleeping tropical foliage, through a colony where a lone woman stands behind the counter of a convenience store and men perch on construction material, on the sides of the road, in the shade, their faces lit with the glow of their phone screens. We sprint past magnificent Portuguese villas, pools of dim light spilling from the windows of some, others poised eerily in their empty, unloved shells. I hardly sleep that night. A dream or a vision of five faceless men standing in front of an old villa keeps hanging relentlessly before my eyes, clawing out every drop of sleep.
Also read: Find out about our favourite restaurants to eat in Panaji on Where to Eat in Panaji.
iv.
We have breakfast at Kefi. Beautiful pancakes smeared in butter and honey, eggs, fruit juices, devilled eggs, and coffee. Then we walk, the sun bearing down on us, down the road, past St. Michael’s Church and pretty hamlets ringed by swaying coconuts, past old villas painted in bright pastel shades, past a fishmonger displaying some of his day’s catch, past speeding cars and sleepy restaurants and endless paddy fields, till we loop back to our homestay. The houses here are reminiscent of Portuguese Goa: laterite walls so thick you’d struggle to find mobile connectivity in the rooms, sloping red-tiled roofs and high ceilings, mother-of-pearl shell windows in various shapes, and the balcão. The balcão, according to Lester Silveira, “is described as an extended porch that has seats built into the sides reached from a flight of steps. The balcão was a device to open the house out to the outer world. It was a space at the threshold of the house where residents could interact with passers-by, have conversations, share the daily gossip, or simply just relax. It also became a symbol of status – the more the number of steps and the more lavish, the more powerful one would be in society.” It reminds me of the Bengali roak, the balcony-ish space at the entrance with built-in seats where residents gathered for addas.
v.
There are not a lot of things to do in Assagao, especially in the off-season. The crowds, if they are ever here, are gone. Life is slow; there’s no rush to go anywhere, do anything. We linger for hours at the table during mealtimes and our walks become loopy rambles. The one or two roadside stalls are empty except for a soul or two getting their morning or evening fix of chai and bhajis. Or, perhaps some poi and curry, or an omelette or two. We walked and ate and walked some more. Stopping here and there, on the side of the road to admire a plant or poke a touch-me-not and watch its leaves fold shyly. To watch the birds whose names we did not know. We did not take photos. We did not plan to write a blog. We watched the coconut palms sway, the sunlight bathing the rolling hills, and the birds doing their daily gymnastics on the electricity wires. We marvelled at the palm-fronded and bougainvillea-laced villas, their wide verandahs and their gloriously tall windows, and wondered if we could move to the countryside someday.
Also read: Explore the beautiful village of Vagator with our Complete Guide to Vagator.
How to Reach Assagao
Assagao is 4 km west of Mapusa. From the Mapusa bus stand, you can either hop on a local bus or hire an autorickshaw for INR 200.
Things to Do in Assagao
There are lots of things to do in Assagao.
Eat! Assagao has a cluster of popular restaurants like Vinayak, Gunpowder, Jamun, SEA, Sublime, Villa Blanche Bistro, Kefi, Escobar, and Suzie’s.
Walk! Empty roads that wind through paddy fields, past whitewashed shrines, and grand villas offer the pretty invitation to go on long, aimless walks. Sign up for Felly Gomes’ heritage walks to learn about the history of Assagao and meet and chat with locals.
Hike up the hill to the local church, St. Cajetan’s, whose imposing all-white facade gleams in the Goan sun. Built in 1776, it was one of 23 churches that the Portuguese built in Bardez to spread Christianity.
Take a week-long yoga course at Purple Valley Yoga Retreat or drop into a session at SWAN Yoga.
The Assagao Mehfil is a monthly event musical gathering featuring performers from around the world. Check their Facebook page for dates and schedules.
If shopping is what brings you joy, Assagao has a number of stores like People Tree, Indian Story, and Rangeela specialising in sustainable and ethical fashion. For jewellery, drop by the Cheshire Cat Gallery.
Top Tours in North Goa
Where to Stay in Assagao
From heritage properties to hipster guesthouses, Assagao has some of the best hotels in Goa.
Casa Aluizio, where we stayed, is a charming Portuguese villa near Vinayak Bar and Restaurant. The owner, Shailesh, doesn’t live on the premises but he’s just a call away should you need anything. Dharma and her family look after the property and they’ll attend to you during your stay.
Namaste Jungle is a cluster of wooden cottages hidden amidst the dense foliage.
The Project Cafe, heritage and hipster, is a guesthouse, art cafe, and art store rolled into one exquisite 130-year-old Goan villa.
Botanique, run by model Carol Gracias, is an intimate guesthouse with a swimming pool. The property also houses a French restaurant.
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