We at Streets love the concept of Citizen Journalism and want to hear stories from you, malady our readers. If there’s any topic that interests/concerns you and you think should be read by the people of Goa, do send in your write­ups at streets@goastreets.in. This week, we start with Ginza George (Twitter handle: @GOAgaga) and her piece on romance and Goa’s monsoon. Enjoy!

Wet, wet, wet. I take my suitcase and bag out of the Rajdhani Express and into the silver rain. Still heady from the bliss of devouring Tar Baby on the train and the light­headedness of a runaway mom, I surprise myself when I wink at the winsome rain. The ‘off­season’ in Goa during the monsoon strikes a dreary note with bleak, rain­filled days clouding the senses. But I look up and smile at the fierce drops slicing their way right to my feet.

It’s just difficult to get anything done in the rain. And I had so much to do! But the unsullied delight of the overwhelming surrounding green tipped me off balance. It was not just the landscape that pinched my bottom, but the romance trapped in the air bewitched me with its unfailing poetry. You need to be here to experience it. And you really need this hog­wild weather and broken rules to feed your soul. The good weather can wait.

‘Off­season’ is an underrated term for Goa’s monsoon. It’s definitely the best time and the best place to be sipping hot chai and munching poi from the local stall. You can’t but enjoy the land touched by the rain and bred to copious green fertility. You can’t but unleash the latent romance in you in those busty cold winds. The roads are so uncluttered and the pavements scream for some action. (Two­wheelers for those who love to rain­dance and four­wheelers for those who want their cottons unruffled.) While many favourite eat­outs remain closed, you will be sweetly surprised at how many hidden nuggets you manage to unearth. There are the upscale bars to swing your polished hips in and the rustic shacks to stumble out swaggering in the chilly night air, the heat of alcohol nipping its way through your body.

I enjoyed licking the masala in the Prawn Chilly at Crazy Crabs in its dingy light. I equally loved the sophistication of Malts n Wines and digging into steaks and warm camaraderie at the House of Llyods or The Backyard!

So you see, there’s good food, wine and seduction happening in the soggy air, unlike the ‘season’ when you’re gutted by a chockfull of options and breathless planning. The rains provide you a trance of calm and restfulness to soothe your frayed nerves.

I traipsed the lush fields one fine drizzly morning. It was cold. Soulful. Fluorescent green. Just lovely. Trust me, you would get as besotted with Goa as I was, with the gushing rains ripping open the skies ruthlessly!