Further south again, South Goa lays claim to the very best of the state's beaches, a slower pace both of life and of tourism development, and a heady combination of emerald paddy fields, white sands beaches and warm, azure waters.

BBC: Goa's boutique gems

The food for which the enclave is renowned traces the route by which the Portuguese came to Macau--past Africa, the southern Middle East, Goa and Malacca--and by the ingredients available on the south China coast.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Visions of China: Macau

South India is different, as if an invisible line had been drawn across the country below Goa and its hordes of tourists and ravers.

CNN: ASIANOW - TIME Asia | Travel Watch | Afoot and Afloat, Kerala Is Worth the Journey

Considered by many visitors to be the most beautiful part of the state, Goa's stretch of southern coast running from Betul down to largely forgotten Polem in the very south, is a beach-lover's dream of golden sands, gentle surf, and the mellowest vibe imaginable.

BBC: Uncovering the best beaches of Goa