Mapusa

Friday is the big market day in Mapusa (pronounced map-sa)—the main town in the Bardez district. People from adjoining villages and even transplanted hippies convene to sell everything from vegetables to blue jeans to handicrafts. It's an ideal place to buy souvenirs. Mapusa is not a place you'd want to stay for the night, and there's really nothing much to see here, but like Margao in the south, the town is good for brief forays to shop and take care of other necessities. Steer clear of it as much as possible if you want to maintain a cheerful mood—except for the lively Friday market, the town is a bit dreary.