Exclusive: Vishal Kotian plans his Goa trip; find out what's on his checklist

Vishal Kotian in Goa

Vishal Kotian, last seen on Salman Khan's Bigg Boss 15, speaks to mid-day.com as he plans a trip to Goa, his favourite getaway! Join him on the ride...

Where are you off to today?
I have lot of favourite destinations and I wish to visit them some day, but my work and my finances sometimes don't allow me to do it. I would love to visit Scotland, Christ Church in New Zealand but as an actor we hardly get time for anything else. I have been shooting continuously since 2014, and after the lockdown I entered the Bigg Boss house. So my favourite destinations for all these years has to be Goa. Two reasons for it, firstly I don't get time to explore and secondly Goa is very close, it's cheap and it's the best place to go. For me it's always the company that matters, more than the place. So I love going to Goa with my friends, where we have a blast and I love relaxing at the beach with my friends.

What's on the itinerary?
A lot of people have the perception of Goa with beaches and parties but when I go to Goa, I like to visit the old places and I'm not into the hustle-bustle of Goa. I go there to calm myself and have peace, visit old Portuguese churches, meet old people, have conversation with locals, sit by the beach and watch sunsets because that is very soothing and calming. One thing that I always do when I visit Goa is visit Mario Miranda's gallery. I have been a big fan of his work, he's the biggest cartoonist India has ever seen. I go there, I visit his gallery and get lots of Mario Miranda memories. His cartoons and T-shirts are available all over Goa. Whenever you go to Goa, please visit this place. It's just amazing.

What's on the menu?
When you are in Goa it has to be Casa Waters, amazing ambience and amazing food. If you are in Goa please visit Casa Waters.

Your fondest memories with friends and family...
For me it's always the company that matters, and I visit Goa on New Year's when I get my few days off. So we go there, we visit Casa Waters, eat lot of fish. The vibe of Goa is amazing and very friendly.

The craziest thing you have done in Goa...
The craziest thing I have done is to miss out on 1st of January celebrations, we got so drunk on 31st that I directly woke up on 2nd of January. So the craziest thing I have done on New Year's is to not be awake on New Year's.

What are you packing for the trip?
I mean who packs anything when they go to Goa? Just wear anything, go wherever you want to buy stuff from goa. You get amazing hair bands, you get amazing cheap ganjis and my favourite Om shirts. Just wear that, be in Goa and feel the vibe. Don't panic about anything when you go Goa, that's the sense of feeling you get when you go Goa. Just nothing to pack, go there, buy the things you get there from the streets. Just enjoy Goa.

Your holiday playlist...
Well usually on my playlist it's always Kishore Kumar and RD Burman's songs. I have grown up in the 90s with his songs. When I go to Goa I listen to a lot of Goan songs and don't understand them much since they are Konkani but the vibe is very nice. So this is what you should do when you visit Goa, just plug into Goan songs.

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