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Top 10 reasons to live in Goa

Did you know that in Mumbai you have to have a permit to drink in a bar, just in case a friendly neighborhood cop taps you on the shoulder? Or that in Delhi after 7 pm, the whole city feels like some kind of dark alley, unsafe for both men and women? Or that in Bangalore, bouncers patrol pubs to keep you from doing anything illegal, including dancing? (OK, an outright ban on Bangalore dancing was removed, but joints still must have a licensed dance floor in order for it to take place. So much for spontaneous grooving.) Goa might not be perfect, but there are very good reasons to live here. Aside from the above three – you don’t need a permit to drink, it’s not scary and you’re allowed to dance whenever you like – here are the top 10 other reasons, in my admittedly partial opinion, to live in and/or love Goa, in no particular order:

 

 

1. Nature’s beauty. (Yes…beaches!)

Yes, I know it’s pretty clichĂ©d, but so what? Most locals fall into their comfort zones and may visit the beach just once a year and fail to understand why Goa’s beaches are so famous. There is abundant beauty not only at the horizon and the shore, but also in the places around it. The dense hilly mountains are breathtaking and they give the beaches a beautiful backdrop. These hills are easily approachable and waiting to be discovered. Not to forget the open fields that keep running with you wherever you go.

 

 

2. Waterfronts

Nature has blessed Goa not just with a big beautiful sea, but also with abundant rivers, streams and lakes found in all corners of the state. Every evening when you cross a lake or river, you will almost always notice a few people chatting and fishing on the banks of these water bodies which have an amazing enchanted charm to them.

 

3. Water Sports

All major beaches in Goa now play host to all kinds of water sports, including paragliding, surfing, banana boating and jet skiing. If you’re lucky, the beach won’t be too crowded and you can enjoy these sports at your own pace. And when you become better at these sports, you can also buy your own equipment and start enjoying the waves on your own time. Then nothing can stop you from being a full-time beach bum.

 

4. Multicultural crowd

A lot of delightful social activities and festivals, covering art, music and food have been initiated by either foreigners or by the attraction of the foreign tourist’s currency. Take the hippie mecca of Arambol, for example. When you visit there, the air still feels like the 60s. Maybe that’s because no one has taken a bath since, but you know what I mean. The night markets in Arpora and Anjuna have also flourished under the multicultural tourist influx. There are places in Goa where it’s hard to tell you’re not in Great Britain or Russia. And let’s not forget about Indians. Anyone who’s anyone in this vast nation wants a piece of Goa, and the result is a melting pot of fascinating individuals.

 

5. Fuel prices

Hopefully our great nation and the world over will substitute all fuel cars with alternative eco friendly fuels, and we will all join hands and live as one. But until then we have battle at our hands. Fuel prices in Mumbai and Bangalore and the rest of the country are sky high. Goa, on the other hand, has managed to keep petrol prices relatively affordable. The difference is 13 rupees a litre. Unless you are a person who has no need to ever go anywhere, that matters.

 

6. Alcohol prices

Who was it that said that beer is proof that God loves us? And it’s not just beer, every kind of alcohol is reasonably priced, around 20% lower than in other states. Any decent bar will give you a superb cocktail for Rs 150.

 

7. Women enjoy more freedom/rights

As one very frustrated and angry female local friend puts it, every Indian guy comes to Goa expecting that all the women here are dancing in their bikinis at the beach all the time. This assumption is surely nothing more than a horny fantasy, but women here do celebrate a higher degree of freedom compared to other parts of India. Wining, dining and dancing are an accepted and important part of the culture, which women are free to enjoy. These activities do not carry the same ‘wayward’ connotation that they do in other parts of the country. Freedom is visible not just socially, but legally too. The laws of inheritance recognise women as equal holders of their fathers’ and grandfathers’ property, a remnant of colonial Portuguese law which thankfully, still persists.

 

8. Unique Indo-Portuguese Heritage

 

Where else in India do the East and the West blend so seamlessly? Here, 451 years of Portuguese rule have left an indelible mark – on architecture, culture, heritage and the very psyche of the Goan people. It’s too wide and complex a topic to do it justice in this cute little article. But it’s an extraordinary phenomenon that makes Goa very special.

 

9. Cheap/ Free transport

It might be difficult to vouch for the quality of public buses, and yes it feels like the minibuses were designed in a time when the tallest man in Goa was 4 foot 11 inches, but they are damn cheap. Small distances between villages can be covered within Rs 5, while inter-city travel costs around 10 to 20 rupees (half of this if you are a student). And it gets cheaper. A ferry trip across Goa’s many rivers is totally free for pedestrians and two wheelers. Awesome!

 

10. Communal peace, state of governance

Much of the rest of India is embroiled in some communal conflict or the other. Luckily Goa has been spared this fate. Ever since Goa’s liberation, it has remained comparatively peaceful, and hopefully will remain so forever. It can be argued that Goa has one of the most corrupt set of politicians, but the stats say that Goa is doing very well in the fields of health, education, literacy, mortality and other key indicators. Credit where credit is due.