Goa Carnival is like the annual meeting of Travelers Inc. because it attracts tourists not only from within Indian borders but also from all over the world. In case you have been dreaming of attending the Rio Carnival all your life and haven’t been able to do so for whatever reasons then starting with this one is a pretty good idea!

1. Celebrate India – Goa Carnival with Yatra.com
Avid travelers are usually perceived as extroverts, especially by those who aren’t one of us. It
would seem so because we spend so much time and energy in alien places with alien people.
However, from my personal experience I would say we travelers are more introverts types.
Otherwise how would you explain the ever ready bag packs, the round hat that envelopes us
completely, the over grown beard, the dirty t-shirt, the 3/4th cargo pants whose pockets are
filled with god-knows-what and finally a map in one hand and a lonely planet guide book in the
other. These are signs of an individual who likes spending more time inside his head than
outside regardless of wherever he might be. How else would we be able to make sense of the
alien people and alien worlds that we throw
ourselves into, all the time? If you are
interested in finding out the truth for yourself
then the place you might want to head to is
the Goa Carnival, because that is where you’ll
find this species in abundance and great
variety.
Goa Carnival is like the annual meeting of
Travelers Inc. because it attracts tourists not
only from within Indian borders but also from
all over the world. In case you have been dreaming of attending the Rio Carnival all your life
and haven’t been able to do so for whatever reasons then starting with this one is a pretty good
idea!
By the way the travelers’ look that I outlined above is exactly the way I looked during the
carnival, minus the map and the lonely planet of course. I have been there so often I practically
know my way around town like the back of my hand. However, the transformation that the
entire town goes through during the festival even boggled a regular me.
There are plenty of carnivals celebrated throughout the country but what lends Goa Carnival its
distinct flavor is the cross between the Goan and Portuguese culture. The carnival was first
celebrated in the year 1961, during which the Goan territory was still under the influence of the
Portuguese colonizers. That is why even though the carnival is celebrated on Indian soil, its
flavor is not so Indian.
Colorful dresses, weird masks, lively dancing, jazzy music, street performances and larger than
life parades are all that occupy the duration of the festival. I say, do you even need anything

2. else? I am glad I was all alone because celebrating with the locals in traditional Goan style was
one hell of an experience. One thing I learnt then…….Goan people seriously know how to party
hard and that too in style. And, where else would those parties be if not on those spectacular
Goa beaches. Just can’t get enough of them, can you?
With thousands of people crowding the streets, I was glad no one was paying attention to me
due to which I could do all my weird dance moves without any inhibitions. I’m sure I didn’t
manage to impress any girls, but who cares! Jokes apart; Goa Carnival is the perfect time to see
Goa in its entire splendor with all the pomp and show driving your adrenaline level higher and
higher.
However, personally my best memory of the festival was watching Remo perform live. The guy
is a born live performer and he sure did live up to his reputation. I’ll take your leave now but I’ll
pray that you too are lucky enough to see him perform live. So now all you gotta do now is
book those tickets, pack your bags, get a hat, a map, a lonely planet guide book, those essential
3/4th cargos and you are all set for the Goan experience.
This is Joy signing off,
Happy Travel to you all,
Until next time,
Ciao.