Comments on: Goa http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/08/05/goa/ London to Shanghai, by land Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:55:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0 by: mick http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/08/05/goa/#comment-113480 Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:27:47 +0000 http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/08/05/goa/#comment-113480 I stumbled across this site while idly surfing the web trying to find out if there had been any full moon parties in Goa this year. Sad to hear that there's not much going on there now, Typical that the guidebook was way out of date. Its a waste of time traveling in India with a guidebook - better to borrow other people's or pay some baksheesh to someone to sort out whatever you need. Sounds like the hippies are still living the same dream. I first went to Goa and my first full moon party in 1992/93 - and then went every year for about 10 years, staying in Anjuna, Arambol and Palolem for anything up to a couple of months, often as a stopping off point on other travels around India and SE Asia. I had similar experiences to yourselves the first year I went: * incredulity at the westerners bargaining an extra 10 rupees off someone who earns in a lifetime what they earn in 6 months back home to fund their 6 months escapism - and just so they can spend it on drugs and booze * amazement that the vast majority of westerners wintering in Goa are lazy so-and-so's who've never done any travelling in India - most likely because they can't indulge in their escapist fantasies in the real India as its too scary for them * boredom at their tiresome tales of competitive drug-taking and childish "I've been coming here since God was a boy" boasts * the ludicrous clothes, posing and social hierarchy that these so called hippies are so obsessed with Nothing's changed - they were trotting out that nonsense when i was there. As for Simon's comments that "people will listen to yuh talking about the world, and what yuh’ve seen… They’ll listen for a while… Boot fifteen minutes later they’ll be talking about what was on telly last night" If you go travelling you don't do it for other people or so you can impress someone in a pub - you do it for yourself. Maybe Simon hadn't worked that out? Clearly though, I don't need to tell you that. Had a look at some of your other travel writing and am now, in equal measures, impressed by your journey and the quality of your writing and envious that I am now stuck in an office in London - but I shall catch the tube home tonight dreaming of India. Boomshanka I stumbled across this site while idly surfing the web trying to find out if there had been any full moon parties in Goa this year.
Sad to hear that there’s not much going on there now, Typical that the guidebook was way out of date. Its a waste of time traveling in India with a guidebook - better to borrow other people’s or pay some baksheesh to someone to sort out whatever you need. Sounds like the hippies are still living the same dream.
I first went to Goa and my first full moon party in 1992/93 - and then went every year for about 10 years, staying in Anjuna, Arambol and Palolem for anything up to a couple of months, often as a stopping off point on other travels around India and SE Asia.
I had similar experiences to yourselves the first year I went:
* incredulity at the westerners bargaining an extra 10 rupees off someone who earns in a lifetime what they earn in 6 months back home to fund their 6 months escapism - and just so they can spend it on drugs and booze
* amazement that the vast majority of westerners wintering in Goa are lazy so-and-so’s who’ve never done any travelling in India - most likely because they can’t indulge in their escapist fantasies in the real India as its too scary for them
* boredom at their tiresome tales of competitive drug-taking and childish “I’ve been coming here since God was a boy” boasts
* the ludicrous clothes, posing and social hierarchy that these so called hippies are so obsessed with
Nothing’s changed - they were trotting out that nonsense when i was there.
As for Simon’s comments that “people will listen to yuh talking about the world, and what yuh’ve seen… They’ll listen for a while… Boot fifteen minutes later they’ll be talking about what was on telly last night”
If you go travelling you don’t do it for other people or so you can impress someone in a pub - you do it for yourself. Maybe Simon hadn’t worked that out?
Clearly though, I don’t need to tell you that.
Had a look at some of your other travel writing and am now, in equal measures, impressed by your journey and the quality of your writing and envious that I am now stuck in an office in London - but I shall catch the tube home tonight dreaming of India.
Boomshanka

]]> by: Heather http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/08/05/goa/#comment-51321 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:22:44 +0000 http://www.oldworldwandering.com/2007/08/05/goa/#comment-51321 Fascinating and somewhat frightening; a good lesson on the dangers of being stuck in the past. I'm off to destroy my 60's memorabilia! Fascinating and somewhat frightening; a good lesson on the dangers of being stuck in the past. I’m off to destroy my 60’s memorabilia!

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