Living in Goa
Goa offers you the kind of living, breathing easy-going culture that requires experiencing rather than guidebooks. The cuisine here leaves you hungering for more. The music is infectious, the people friendly and accessible, and time simply seems to adjust to a different clock.
The spray of the sea, the laze inducing sun, grey gold beaches where you and your family can finally put that phone away. Let the children run free. Share a sunset together again. Rekindle romance, relive a slower time.
HISTORY AND CULTURE
A former Portugese colony, Goa has blended deep rich European cultural influences with its own Indian coastal culture that lies at the cusp of the north and the south of the subcontinent. Rich in folk dance, music, visual and performing arts, the local folk are a colourful lot. In the hinterland you will discover stunning old architecture from grand cathedrals to quaint churches and crumbling forts. History is not a relic in a museum here but a dynamic breathing part of every day life.
There is a staggering range of music here, and genres to suit every taste, from jazz to EDM, and Konkani folk to classical. The caliber of the musicians is evident in the various live performances that dot the state. Live art and showings are not restricted to galleries but spill into cafes and other interactive spaces. In fact Goa is quite the A hub for creative and alternate retreats and workshops, be it in art, music, writing, yoga, theatre or craft.
The sharing of Indo-latin festivals, bustling bazaars and night markets, multi-ethnicity habits and customs, religious rituals of the Catholics, the Hindus & the Muslims have made Goans a merry, tolerant and peaceful lot. Live and let live could well be the motto here.
CLOSE TO NATURE
Sometimes, in the city, we start thinking of nature as some remote exotica. But here, in Goa, nature comes and lovingly wraps itself around you every moment. All senses feel heightened at every step. The sand that tickles your toes as you walk down a beach road, bird song in the morning, the rhythmic chirp of crickets in the night, deep yellow mangoes ripening on lush green branches heavy with fruit, the slender tall coconut trees swaying in tandem with the sea breeze, the riot of colours amidst myriad types of blossoms, and then of course the mighty Arabian sea, permeating the very essence of Goa… Nature is present and participative.
Of course there is the sea, the sand, the beaches. But do make the time to visit Goa’s secret waterways: the hidden lush tropical rivers, with such thick foliage that the blue turns green with reflections. Take a boat trip to explore, or go swimming in a lagoon.
The magnificence as well as the friendliness of nature, is best experienced during a relaxed trip to Goa.
BEACHES
Watercolour art at vast breathtaking proportions is what you experience when you watch a sunset at a Goa beach. Fluid splashes of orange, red, purple and pink seem to leak into the blue grey of the ocean, turning the entire expanse in front of you into a riotous colour palette.
As you sip on the cooler of your choice and marvel at the majesty of nature, don’t hold back the urge to rush into the waters for a sunset swim. If you’ve been lazing all day, shaded from the bright beach side, reading and snoozing on the decks, then some exercise may well be good. Of course if you’ve been sporty enough to play beach volleyball or throw a Frisbee around all day, then getting up may well be difficult.
But as the ink blue of the sea and the sky merge and the twinkling lights of the Goa coastline come on, you will sigh with pure pleasure. And wonder if you can burrow here forever like that crab you just saw emerge from the sand and scuttle away.
FOOD
How does water catch fire? When the catch of the sea meets coastal spices. Traditional food in Goa is not a subtle experience. The flavours are intense, the aromas heady.
However, perish the thought that that is the only way to eat here. There is organic wholesome produce fresh from local markets and farms, healthy juices and coconut water, fruit and vegetables untouched by chemicals, hot fresh bakery products, and a variety of cuisine offerings that spoil you for choice.
Whatever your food style is: brave and intense, or subtle and flavourful; indulgent or healthy, spiced up or Spartan, just remember to savour every mouthful. Because every bite is a burst of textures and flavours on the tongue, and meant to be enjoyed at leisure. Goa food is slow food.
