Goa Blog

In the wake of the recent murder, subsequent arrests and reports of a thriving drug mafia in Goa, here’s how to return home alive (and without getting conned) from the party paradise.

Party Paradise or Druggie Haven?
Even viewed from the window of the plane, Goa begins to work its balm. The tiny state lolls on India’s western coast: a lazy sweep of coconut palms, lush river valleys, and shimmering beaches caressed by the Arabian Sea.

It’s about an hour-long flight from Mumbai, where I live, but it feels like another subcontinent. Today Goa is known as a sort of countercultural paradise dating back to the ’60s that jet-setting partygoers flock to.

The main thing for the traveler in Goa is to keep some kind of balance. The Goa stories of drug busts, robberies, flip outs and motorbike crashes can be all a bit much. Especially if you find yourself voyaging the stars on psychedelics you need to find calm, quiet space to give yourself some balance.

A good start is to find a quiet, shady place to live where you can wash your clothes and feet in the mornings without 500 Israeli travellers calling round to pack chillums.
You can go into the heat of the party scene any time you want but make your home outside it.

Tourist Traps
Beach peddlers (your very own shopping mall on the beach). Most of them are from Karnataka, selling sarongs, bags, bracelets and bangles and mainly junk. Others are from Kashmir, dealing in jewellery and wood and stone carvings.

There is no escaping them, so play along, but stay friendly and have fun with them. If you do decide to buy, haggle hard, because if at first you don’t succeed, they will be back, and most of the stuff is cheaper at Anjuna market. If they become too persistent, be firm, send them on their way, but keep that smile on your face. Personally, I think they are never “in your face”, and in fact, are a source of fun and chat.

But be careful in this deceptive paradise, you will be robbed with a smile.

Drowning Pool
However beautiful and serene it may seem, Goa could be wicked during the period from June to September. There’s an old English saying, ‘When it rains, it pours’. This would not apply more to any other place as much as Goa during the monsoons. Most of the shacks are closed during this time and the tourists are scarcer. Even the sea rages almost with a vengeance of its own. You probably would want to give this region a miss during this time unless you’re the type who would like to sit at a lonely table in a shack on a beach sipping your beer and watching the sea powerfully rip at the shoreline.

The Greater Of Two Evils
Drug peddlers can be easily found in Anjuna, Vagator and most places in North Goa. Actually, they find you and come behind you, asking you if you need grass, hash, lsd, ecstasy etc. Let me tell you the scam that is involved. These guys will sell you the drugs and inform the police (with whom they have an understanding) on duty in that particular area that you’re carrying illegal substances. So when the police catch you, you end up paying heavy bribes or land up in Aguada Jail while the peddlers make a neat commission.

When In Goa…
You don’t need to go to trance parties or take drugs in Goa to have a good time. You can swim, eat good food, meet interesting people, make music, check out the sunsets and walk in the moonlight without going near the party scene. Be safe, drug-free and have fun!

Courtesy: lifestyle