ANJUNA FLEA MARKET, GOA (INDIA)

Once just a backpacker and hippy hangout selling kaftans and chillums. The Anjuna Flea Market is now more commercial with a broad range of goods on sale. Traders from all over India come to sell their wares. Lamani women from Karnataka dressed in their traditional garb sell colourful, elaborately woven clothes, Kashmiri stalls display silver and papier mache boxes and Tibetans preside over orderly rows of sundry Himalayan curios. Even if not planning to haggle for anything the market is a great place to watch the world go by and mingle with bands of musicians, snake charmers, beggars and the inevitable juggling hippies.

During the Wednesday flea market, people come from the beaches all over Goa. There is a large selection of items for sale, and the place has a fascinating atmosphere in its setting amid the palm trees and next to the sea. It is an interesting experience.

If you want to look hip at the all-night parties, this is definitely the place to get outfitted. There is a good selection of clothes (Indonesian styles, etc.) sold or designed by Westerners (they often carry European price tags). You may want to look out for the European-type jewelry made by foreigners, which is often good and cannot be found in any other place in India.

If you plan on buying Rajasthani or Nepali goods, note that the items from these places sold at the flea markets are often double the price you would pay in either Rajasthan or Nepal.

You can get all types of clothes, Nepali goods, Tibetan goods, embroidered items, incense, a good selection of jewelry, semiprecious stones, crystals, fancy knives, handicrafts, hammocks, bedspreads, and other items at the flea market. There are also several people who sell the latest techno tapes, and there are good places to eat Indian, Israeli, or Western food. There are Ayurvedic doctors, professional hair cutters and colorers (foreigners), dreadlocks makers, and nose and body piercers. You can have your hair cut and painted in any style imaginable. You can also have different designs painted on your body which look like tattoos, but which last only a few weeks. I was quoted Rs 150 for temporary henna tattoo, but bargained them down to Rs 50. Even if you don’t purchase anything, you will enjoy walking around. If you do plan to buy, be prepared to bargain hard.

The flea market opens around 8 am and closes at 6 pm. It is busiest in the early afternoon. Fishing boats depart from Baga to the market—Rs 50 (approximately USD 1)for the trip. Tour buses and taxis come from all over Goa.