It was the terrifying moment a lorry came hurtling round a
corner on our side of the road that I thought it was all over.

With no seatbelt – hell, I didn’t even have a seat – I was
hanging on for dear life at the front of our rickety little bus as
we negotiated the villages of Goa, where drivers make up the rules
of the road as they go along.

Cars and lorries share the roads with cattle, the odd elephant
and more scooters than you can count – many with women on the back
clutching babies.

No one represents this chilled-out attitude more than our driver
Sanjay, who expertly negotiated the traffic without so much as
breaking into a sweat.

For despite the apparent chaos, road users manage to work things
out among themselves in Goa, where things are as laid-back as they
come.

Perhaps because during the late 1960s and 1970s it was
synonymous with hedonistic hippies, mesmerised by sunsets over the
Arabian Sea and full-moon beach parties.

While most of the hippies have gone, they have left behind a
relaxed feel that sets India’s smallest and most liberal state
apart from the rest of the country.

I travelled on Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight from London to Goa,
via the airline’s main hub of Doha.

The faultless service of its award-winning business class made
it easy to see why it calls itself the world’s five-star
airline.

Even travelling the leg from Doha to Goa in economy class –
Qatar Airways’ economy seats have the world’s most generous legroom
– left me feeling more relaxed than I ever have after a long-haul
flight.

We spent our first three nights at Taj Vivanta, a
six-month-old city hotel in the capital Panjim. It’s the perfect
base to explore Goa’s Portuguese heritage – it was under the
country’s rule until 1961 – and the tiny streets of its Latin
quarter that could easily be on the Algarve.

Touring the remains of Old Goa – it was burned down after the
devastating 1843 plague and is now a World Heritage site – is a
delight.

On a visit to the Sahakari spice farm, one of Goa’s
largest, we were treated to a traditional welcome complete with
dancing, confetti and floral garlands.

An equally unique experience was haggling my heart out at the
hippie flea market on Anjuna beach.

Hawkers flogged jewellery, fabrics and trinkets from all over
India, their wares spread out under the shade of palm trees in an
enchanting riot of colour overlooking the sea.

We spent our final two nights at the luxurious Taj Holiday
Village, in the coastal village of Sinquerim, which has a
touch of Bali about it and is next to the landmark Fort
Aguada Beach Resort, also in the Taj empire.

Both are just a stone’s throw from some of the best beaches in
Goa’s 80 miles of rugged coastline and close to the tourist hub of
Baga, with its tacky shops, bars pumping 1980s club classics
and eateries selling everything from sausage and mash to chicken
nuggets and chips.

Thankfully, traditional Goan food blends the Latin love of meat
and fish with India’s taste for spices.

It’s just one of the things that make Goa the jewel in India’s
tourism crown.

But if you plan to spice up your next holiday with a trip to
Goa, just make sure somebody else does the driving.