It's all about that one evening at the Colva Beach of Goa!

Belonging to the coastal area of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, I even extended my connections to another coastal area of Mangalore in Karnataka, I claim myself as an ardent Thalassophile and my love for the beaches is never ending and that's the precise reason why I visit Goa every year even though I regularly have my beach days at my hometowns. As part of my last year's Goan holiday plan, I stayed at Colva, which is nearer to Madgaon of South Goa during the most happening time of the year ending in December.

One of my pals dropped me at the beach from our homestay on our rented bike and asked me to return once I get satisfied with my beach time. They all know and respect my me-time moments. I was in typical beach wear with shorts, a vest and a pair of grassy flip-flops, a bag with gadgets and books. I completely prepared myself to spend at least three hours in the evening.

Compared to beaches in North Goa, the crowd is manageable in south goa beaches. Colva Beach is also one among them with its limited territories, good beach shacks, restaurants, bars, food stalls, shopping stores, and vendors who see typical beach stuff. The government of Goa manages every beach pretty well with well-connected roads, amenities, parks for children, bay watch sectors, washrooms and of course police security around the clock for the safety of citizens. Even though Colva is one of those small South Goan beach villages, it is popular for its scenic views and adventure games.

Many tourists and travellers visit this beach and at the entrance of the beach where a broad road connects to the bridge-type structure that allows visitors to enter, one can find many tourist buses and taxis, which specify the flow at the beach. If you want to have a peaceful secluded time, then you need to walk a bit ahead from the happening spots of the beach towards the Benaulim side. The centre of the Colva beach spot is right opposite the bay-watch hut and where all these water sports like paragliding, surfing happens but if you walk to the right side after crossing the public washrooms, you can find shacks, restaurants and bars that give you exactly what you need, a happy time right opposite to the beach waves at the shore.

I always love spending time at such beach shacks. Instead of spending money on renting a shack at the shore, it is always recommended to get into the restaurant that provides food and drinks, on your lap and you can use all their beach chairs, resting beds and sliding chairs to have a proper beach time. That's why soon after I entered the beach, I walked to the right and went to a restaurant shack called "Boomerang", the one which I visited on the first day of this vacation to meet one of my girl pals. So, I thought it would be good if I spend time at this place during that evening.

But it's goa and I'm a people person who can't hesitate to socialize especially when people approach me. That was how I met four Europeans from the UK who came to India for a vacation. It was my flip-flops that drew their attention and they complimented me. We spoke for around 20 minutes as they were about to leave the shack after their beach shower. Seeing this scene, there came another woman who surprised me with her linguistic skills. In Goa, you find women who sell necklaces, anklets, shells and various accessories. They are not dumb and they have pretty good marketing skills and can speak English fluently indeed better than many educated people.

This time, my long hair drew her attention. She approached me by asking about my basic details and I found that she wanted to have a conversation. I gave break for my book reading and spoke with her for a good half hour. Her English made me talk to her even more. She was innocent yet smart, lovely and warm and somehow she made me buy a few accessories for a good deal though. Random things and random strangers make you feel special and give you feel-good experiences in Goa. Don't miss them by hesitating and overthinking about safety. But also be cautious!

In the moment of digesting my book, I completely skipped the evening scenic views by only feeling the beach breeze. Soon after I saw the candy orange ball in the sky, I felt mesmerized by the view. I picked up my gadgets and clicked the surroundings, myself and the beautiful sunset. It was already late evening, and the night was slowly taking its shift. I clearly remember every detail because I witnessed every perspective of the transformation of day to night. The lights suddenly got turned on and as it was Christmas Week, the beach lit up like a beautiful Christmas tree. It was indeed the day before Christmas Eve and the whole of Colva was getting ready to celebrate.

It was a happy time for me because there was no crowd, no loud music, and no typical Goan hyped-up culture. It was a pleasant evening with soothing music, cosy vibes, warm people, chilled beers, fresh beach breeze, silent waves, aromatic seafood and most importantly joyful Christmas weather. After I paid my bill, I left the shack and walked all over the beach and walked to our homestay to join my pals.