Caught In A Trance On A Tour To Goa

A beauty darted with thorns, a thought that resonates with the glorious haven of beaches and thrills that make Goa. Vicious for some, joyous for others, your tour to Goa could have a flavor of its own. Back in the 60’s and 70’s, before it was discovered by the wandering hippies of the world, Goa was but a newly declared state imprinted by the Portuguese influence. What followed over the decades was a culture that blended a sense of carefree spirit, peace, love and music that set you in a trance. The darker side is a hush-hush affair; the clever ones know best to keep away. rnEager to cash in on the surging tourist success and the cult that Goa was beginning to embody, the state was influenced by local smugglers, drug dealers and some whisper the likes of Russian mafia too. These vices cast a spell across the revelries of the club scene in Goa. rnIn an attempt to control the increasing accounts of crimes and illegal activities at this tourist paradise, the government now imposes restrictions and bans, one of which include a no-partying ban post 10 pm. Though, personally we doubt if this restraint in particular is practiced. A friend of mine recently planned a group tour to Goa where she took a detour to a certain night club. They partied till the wee hours of night at the plush club and witnessed no sign of illegal activity other than some suspiciously happy souls loitering outside the luxurious loos of the open spaced club! A heavy stress on the word suspicious here. However, when you aren’t warding off uber happy souls, you will lose yourself to the music and the elegant performances of fire dancers at such clubs. rnIn other happenings, the commercially famed Sunburn Festival in its pilot year was interposed a couple of times by authorities too and eventually the event observed an early closure. This impacted ticket sales, the many moods of trance goers and the heavy tourism garnered by the fest in the given month, all in lieu of controlled public demeanor at such a high end event. The fest has now come to assume more success, popularity and acceptance and is graced by world famous DJs. rnThe other popular genres of party scenes in Goa are the ones booming with Techno or House music. However, trance rules the roost and finds its heavy influences at Anjuna, the epicenter of rave parties. Here trance further branches out into another cult music genre – Psychedelic trance. Psychedelic music is worshipped and played here at beaches like the Curlies, Hilltop and Shiva Valley in South Anjuna. Walls and faces splayed with hypnotic colors and art, the environment in itself will put you in a trance of sorts. Owing to the fact that this part of Goa isn’t locally inhabited by residents, cops don’t bother frequenting this zone. Don’t be too surprised if you come across foreign tourists smoking up weird plants against a backdrop of fluorescent dipped art that displays aliens, mushrooms, other plant forms, Indian deities, abstract forms, spaceships, etc. While you should experience the serenity of this place during your tour to Goa, a tiny advice would be to keep off any kind of smoking and trouble. rnSundays at Hilltop mark the day for trance and rave parties, cleverly scheduled on the particular day to evade the dormant Police clique away spending time with their families. Here, the crowds start pouring in as early as 3 in the afternoon and the party comes alive as the sun goes down the Goan waters in the distant horizon. And the party goes on withstanding migrations to other shores within Goa from time to time. rnWhether you’re a 60 year old, a family, a group of friends or a couple for that matter, the happy go lucky Goan vibe will touch your heart in some way or the other. Rave on your tour to Goa, but pray don’t dive in too deep and stay alert! Cheers!