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Money and Shopping in Goa


Money and Shopping in Goa

From wines to cashew-nuts, enchanting local music to alternative books and handicrafts, Goa has a lot. Goa's handicrafts are clearly under-rated and under-appreciated, even while being reasonably priced. Their range includes carved furniture, brassware, crochet and more (see section on the government-run Aparant emporia). Global items come in amazing diversity specially at the night markets of North Goa. In Panjim, the 18th June Road is faster emerging as a lure for shoppers and tourists. Mapusa, while hosting a traditional market each Friday, attracts a number of tourists, specially foreigners. Goa's talented goldsmiths are neatly located in a line at Mapusa's market, and in parts of Margao and Panjim. Check out traditional Goan lacquerware toys (available at the Aparant emporia). Every major hotel has its own bookshop, of varying quality. Books tend to be priced amazingly inexpensively in India, including in Goa. For the best collection of books related to 'alternative India' and the environment, visit the almost hidden Other India Bookstore. It sits atop the old Mapusa Clinic, at Mapusa's Feira Alta locality. Entrance from the behind. Broadways Book Centre at 18th June Road (near Caculo Traffic Island); Confidant's Golden Heart Emproium in Margao (2732450); Mandovi Square near Cine Nacional (2234241); and Varsha Book Stall (2425832) near the Bank of India and Azad Maidan. The last two focus on newspapers and magazines coming in from the rest of the country and abroad. Reading Habit, at Campal on the way to Miramar Beach, has a wide variety of books. One Goan unique product is that of hand-painted ceramics. *Furniture is another area of interest, in terms of shopping options, despite its bulky nature. Antiques are also a growing business here. Foreign tourists increasingly go "shopping" for medical services. There are a number of outlets that offer a form of 'health tourism'. These include centers like Dr Pimenta's Dental Practice (www.goadentist.com) at Romano Chambers (near the Old Petrol Pump in Calangute) and Lake Plaza near Nehru Stadium in Margao.

The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Goa

Goabooks

To understand a complex region like Goa, it's best to get started by reading on it. This is a melting pot of cultures, histories, languages and complexities.

Bookshops in Goa include the Panjim-based Broadway Book Centre (Ashirvada Building, at the end of 18th June Road, Panjim), the Golden Heart Emporium functioning out of an old house in Margao's Abade Faria Road locality, the tourism-belt based Literati Bookshop (near Tarcar Ice Factory, along the main Calangute-Sinquerim road), and Upper Storey at Arcon Arcade at the Fort Aguada Road in Candolim.

There are also other bookshops scattered around the state, including Varsha's and Mandovi Hotel's (in close proximity to the Azad Maidan, Panjim; the alternativish Other India Bookstore almost hiding atop the old Mapusa Clinic in Mapusa (entry from behind); among others. Don't miss the rare books section of the Central Library in the oldstyle colonial Institute Menezes Braganza (Panjim), and the municipality libraries in the main towns, including Mapusa's Athaide Library.

Other research institutions with good collections include the Xavier Centre of Historical Research at Alto Porvorim, the also-Jesuit run Thomas Stevens Konknni Kendra nextdoor at Porvorim, the Goa University, and a quaint Konkani-focussed library called Amchem Diaz (Our Traditions) that functions out of the first floor of a commercial establishment not far from the Margao bus stand and the local court.


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Goa Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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