Some places evoke a feeling of belonging. You long for them. All the unsettling thoughts and turmoil inside you begin to smooth over, in such places. You come here again and again & do the same things over and over. With the passage of time, you develop rituals. And these rituals only become meaningful when you are in that place. Soon, you feel that you belong to that place and crave to be there year after year.

For most of the Indians, Goa evokes a feeling of belonging and we crave to fly to Goa year after year. Last week, a colleague told me that he has been flying to Goa since 2009 every year around December. He, along with his friends, meet each other in Goa and party in Sunburn. My ex-boss, who heads training in Adidas, loves Goa so much that she has already bought an apartment in North Goa. She plans to be with beaches, sand and churches after retirement. Like my colleague and boss, most of my friends visit Goa, many times in a year. It’s either on the pretext of a bachelorette party or a short break from the craziness at work. Some go to Goa to find solace while others like to par-tay-yy (party). 😀

There is no falling short of reasons when you long for Goa, because the place evokes belonging.

Goa of Sunburn!

Every year around 15th December, people start swarming Goa. The prices begin to spike and hit the zenith on Christmas for Goa holds the biggest party of the nation from 27th to 30th December – the Sunburn festival. Last year alone, Goa witnessed a footfall of 3, 50, 000 with people flying from 50+ countries. Imagine!

For its 10th anniversary, Sunburn has ditched Goa and chose Pune instead for the grand celebration on 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st December.

Goa of every reason and all seasons!

All seasons

Goa is a beloved of many. And we can cook up reasons for a date with our beloved, any day. While many prefer visiting Goa between November to February, I can enjoy the view of ‘Agonda beach’ even in Summers. Spending an evening with a book on the Colva beach thrills me in the months of April and June as much as it does in October and November.

If you speak of the beaches, you must mention ‘Vagator’. Oh Vagator! Such a deception you are. The beach is all cam and serene during the day. Come evening, and the ‘rave’ starts to take over – the ‘substances’, the liquor and the techno music. Where else do you get to see such transformation?! Vagator was the gracious host of Sunburn 2015 too.

All reasons

It’s not only the beaches; it’s our pet cafes too. The lasagna of Jaime’s, fish of Martin’s corner and vegetarian platter of Britto’s can make me drool any time of the year.

I love Goa not only for the beaches & food, but also for the churches and forts. I love Goa for it is a melange of the most unrelated items: the winding roads, the haunted places, the deserted houses & the colorful roofs.

Also read: An unusual day in Goa – Agonda and Chapora fort!

A walk down the market pulls you in multiple directions. What would you want to buy? – the beach dresses hanging outside the shops, the crunchy cashew nuts, the sea-shells or the caps and hats that come in all sizes and colors. More than the shopping, it’s the experience of browsing through the knick and knacks & picking one just for the heck of it. Years later, when you find these items buried under the heaps of dust and untangle them from the cobwebs in one of the forgotten corners of your house, it reminds you of your days in Goa. And you know, it’s time to book another trip to ‘the pearl of the orient’.

Goa of new year!

It’s that time of the year when you look back and anticipate ahead. It’s the time to forget some old and make some new year resolutions. It’s the time of the year to curse your eating habits & your weight while you binge watch ‘Friends’ over plates of rum-raisin cakes. It’s the time of the year when the ‘book-lovers’ close their books, the introverts put on their fancy dresses and rest all of us go crazy. It’s the time of the year when all of us let our guards down and indulge in a bit of (or a lot of) craziness.

It’s the time of the new year and it calls for a celebration. It’s the time to start afresh and it’s the time to party!

What better place for a party than Goa?!

Goa lets you party and Goa lets you be.

Goa can indulge your senses & Goa can satiate your cravings. 

Come to Goa for if it’s  a new year party, it has to happen in Goa.