Why some people gravitate to some places

Why Do People Gravitate To Some Places & Why Is Goa That Place For Me?

Reading Time: 5 minutes

I recently read an article on why Manali never gets old for some people. And it made me think most people had a place like that for themselves. Did I have such a place for me? Where would I go to be me, all the time, anytime?

Goa came and stuck in my head. So, let’s talk about why Goa is that place for me.

Over the years Goa has become home. Not home in the way that I have shifted residences, settled down, or found work (maybe someday I will). But Goa has become the place where I will head to. Goa feels like it. It just feels peaceful, as if, even if Armageddon were to strike, Goanese would just shrug their shoulders and turn back to their beers. So long as the sun shines and rain falls, Goa will endure.

To me Goa isn’t just the land of sandy beaches and spectacular sunsets – it is a world that lives in a lot of peace with itself. ‘Susegad’ is a word that roughly translates into the Goanese sense of contentment. Go with the flow, they say.

Sense of contentment
Image credit: Seun

To me, Goa is the land of peace. The land where the coconut trees will always sway in the wind. The land where some rain will always fall, and the sun will shine. You may say that Sun shines and coconut trees sway in a lot of other parts of India. Sure, it does. But where else does the world not care at all, about what you are up to? Where could you live, for less than 20k a month, comfortably? 

The Lure- Sand, Seafood & Beer

Delicious seafood is one of the lures of Goa
Image Credit: Pixabay

It doesn’t hurt at all that Goans have a thriving food culture. From Konkani influences to Portuguese dishes, to Marathi cooking, Goa has multiple cuisines that can keep you engaged. And the seafood is to die for! Enjoy some of the best culinary experiences at these handpicked seafood restaurants in Goa.

Hear me out, I am not demeaning other places. Most places hold fond memories for a lot of people. I could share a million lovely memories of other places that I have spent time in. Kolkata – every lane has a food memory, Mumbai – alive even at 3 am, Bangalore –go for work and stay for the beer, Manali – combination of vibes and food and cold mountain air. But its something about Goa that the moment the flight lands (or train reaches – if that is how you travel), you start to feel your shoulders easing back a bit, your nose breathing the salty ocean air in, and the thought of a beer very soon in your hand egging you on.

Learning The Art Of Doing Nothing

All you need is good food and beer
All you need is someone to keep replacing your beer

So what do I do when I get to Goa? Nothing, absolutely nothing. In so far as I can, Goa is the place for me to do nothing. I sit quietly at a place and listen to nothing. I sit there and say nothing. I lie down not even reading. And eventually, the brain and mind start to calm down. You reach a place of meditation just by doing nothing. You watch the sea and the sea watches you. You pay someone to keep replacing your beer and – yeah – do nothing else.

You don’t have to be someone who enjoys partying too much. Just find your hammock or your book corner and curl up. Doesn’t matter whether you found a sea-facing accommodation or something that lets you see the abundant greenery. Watch the water or the green trees and you will find the peace you were so desperately looking for.

The Soothing Effect

Something about the calm sea is very soothing
Image credit: Kwame

Another reason why I love Goa – is the weather. It will never be cold. It will also never be too hot. The temperature will always remain between 20 and 35 no matter the time of the year. Yes, it does mean more insects and more humidity but imagine the savings in clothes.

Is it my age? Maybe, I have become old enough to appreciate the joys of sitting still but nothing beats a world where you could sit and literally feel your eyes cooling down watching the soothing sea or the verdant greens.

Green forest areas of Goa
Image credit: Seun

Growing up in relatively worse-off circumstances, going to a place and not sightseeing was a sacrilege. If you had money, you went on a holiday and you got your money’s worth. You saw everything there was to see in that place and then, you went to a different place for a holiday. Going to the same place again and again, who did that? Well, turns out I am doing that. Because now, Goa isn’t a place that is a holiday. Yes, I pack a bag and catch a flight sure, but I feel like I am still going home.

Goa has seasons. It rains, it has a summer, and it has months leading to summer. Previously, people went to Goa mostly after monsoons had ended and summer was still months away. Tourists would flock during those months and then Goa would be left alone between March to September. So, if you really wanted to be alone, you went to Goa when tourists wouldn’t. Now, the concept of seasons has been broken by Work from Anywhere and you will always find people. Thankfully, however, the numbers continue to be much lesser than season. For me, that’s a good enough reason to be there when others aren’t.

Will there be a time when I tire of Goa? I hope not.

I will end with one of the brilliant phrases about Goa that precisely sums it all up!
“Goa…Paradise in a wheelie bin

Endless view of the sea
Image credit: Seun

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Sud
Sud
1 year ago

lovely write up Seun!

V M
V M
1 year ago

Felt it all of this while reading your article. It makes me want to go there.