Our Goan Getaway ...




24th December, 2007 ! We landed at the Dabolim Airport around 3 pm and headed off straight to Moira, Taryn's original home ! My in laws and their 3 dogs live in this old Portuguese bungalow they call Tristar ! Mama is usually busy in the kitchen or watching TV, in particular TBATB ! If not, you'd find her on the phone talking to her best friend, Aunty Anna for hours together ! Sure she'll "What Rubbish ?" it as exaggeration ! Dada is busy dealing with the nuances of the English language and shooting off to the Bar as and when required !The lush green background gives Tristar a very earthy village feel ! Time moves slow in Moira. You tend to get lost in the sounds of nature out there in the woods ! Fury, Smokie & Snow White, the 3 dogs at Tristar add on to the wilderness feel with their evident presence ! Fury Rodrigues is in charge here, no questions asked ! While Snow White has a persistent appetite for anything sweet, Smokie is constantly battling egos with Fury or doing his trot, prodding you to take him out for a walk !


The Christmas midnight mass at the Chapel was good ! The sandwiches, patties & the coffee were more than welcome post the sermons, short acts depicting virtuous living and high octave singing from the village ladies ! We woke up the next morning had an authentic Moira breakfast comprising of eggs, sausages, butter, cheese, the home delivered village bread and some left over Sorpotel which Taryn was primarily on while we were in Goa. I think this was the day after Christmas, please excuse my inability to recall timelines in Goa.


South Anjuna was as usual busy with party boppers moving in and out shuttling between various hangouts in and around Anjuna ! Shiva Valley, Curlies, 9 Bar, Prim Rose, Hilltop, Banyan Tree and Westend saw some big parties this season. The Psychedelic Goa Trance vibe was buzzing all around Anjuna !!! We caught some parties at Curlies and 9 Bar the first few days and then Shiva Valley happened on the 30th and then again on the 31st ! These guys at Shiva Valley got together some monster sound from Mapusa and some killer DJ's ... I think they were Karan, Sanjay Grover, Nigel ... The sound was nice and PHAT ! Dec 30th, 2006 Dolce Vita was one of the best times I've ever had in Goa ...


The grumpy old aunties at their Chai stalls were busy recycling tea leaves and threatening to hack anyone who steps on their mats inspite of repeated warnings. To be in their space means to keep them in business. Fair enough i guess, but the music does kinda get to the locals. Some get infuriated, some happily move along trying to get into the same effortless ecstasy they see everyone around in. The people started pouring in post midnight and the scene went from boom to supernova in a matter of minutes ! Twisted night time tunes from the likes of Kindzadza and Psykovsky thumped our audible consciousness till the first rays of the sun brought in some Full On Morning Magic ! The drunk vagabonds, the mentally flustered and the exhausted had long left for their cozy beds, now the colors began to show in my pristine Californian intervention !


The 1st of January, 2008 was beautiful and the Farmer's breakfast at Alcove ( Next to 9 Bar ) couldn't have tasted any better ! Vagator / Ozra were way less crowded a handful of old timers and some psychedelic happy people ! Some casual shopping from a bunch of well accented and persistent Indian hawker girls fetched us some nice bargains. The sea was nice and salty bringing in the occasional big wave throwing us off balance. A good hour in the water and the pangs of hunger got to us ! We satiated ourselves with some decent Prawn curry rice and crispy fried Kingfish washed down with some Banana Shake !


Our Goan getaway was a full on experience to recharge ourselves to face another eventful year whole heartedly ! All we are left with now are some good memories of the time we had and an uprising within to get back to Goa !

! Soglem Borem Ha ( Pronounced Sog-Ley Baw-Ray HA ~ HAHAHAHA ) :)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It’s over 20 years since I witnessed the exotic beauty of India, and the wild and whacky beach parties of Goa. Reading about your trip has triggered a desire to visit this fabulous country again. Christmas in Goa – you lucky bloggers;-D

Cosmic ૐ Oneness said...

Guess 20 years back Goa was a totally different experience ! Can imagine what it would've been like with so much MagiC in the air ! It's changed with all the anti-rave propaganda and the excess of tourists who can't seem to handle the cultural overload ! The party meter is still on though ! Turning on, Tuning in and dropping out ! :) Goa is evolving and we hope we get to see more shiny happy people in the jungles and on the beaches of Goa stomping away full power !
You should come to Goa with your family and friends sometime soon !

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