I was going through my phone gallery when I realized that it has been more than two years now since I went on a trip to Goa. Of all the things that corona deprived us of, travelling and exploring new places had the biggest setback. But, to have the memories of a two year old trip still afresh in your mind like it was yesterday, perfectly describes just how indelible the journey was. I still remember the exact feeling of emancipation which I felt while walking along the rebellious yet beautiful waves of the Arabian sea.

Talking of Goa and not mentioning beaches is like talking of science fiction movies and not mentioning Interstellar. On our first day of the trip we went to the Calangute beach, one of the most popular holiday destinations in Goa. Before going to the beach with the whole party, me and my sister decided to rent a scooty and visit the beach while the sun was still down, because someone had said that the beach at night looks really beautiful.

Beaches are usually closed at night because of the risk of high tidal waves, so when we reached there it was just us and the vast moonlit Arabian sea. It was dawn, the full moon was still shining above the carpet of water, pulling it up time to time, making it look like Aladdin’s magic carpet, ready to fly. The moon was shining so brightly and the reflection from water was so strong that it could almost trick people into thinking of it being daytime. The only difference was the calmness due to the lack of people. It seemed like the sea was resting, getting ready to welcome thousands of people again during the day. As the sun slowly started to replace the moon, me and my sister went back to the villa to come back again with everyone.

When we came to the beach during daytime, it was a completely different site. There were many people, mostly non locals like us and many foreigners too. People, wearing swimsuits, were lying down on the sand, some beneath the coconut trees, some were playing volleyball and others were enjoying water sports like surfing, jet skiing, boating or just swimming. For someone like me, who belongs to a tropical region, what I was seeing in front of me was a whole different culture. Just how much change a different climate pattern can bring into the lifestyle of people was very apparent at that moment.

After strolling around the beach a little and clicking pictures that will allow us to visit this beautiful place again virtually, our crew decided to go on a boat ride. At first the waves threw a little tantrum and kept throwing our boat back to the shore. The empty beer bottles in the boat got filled with seawater due to the speed with which the waves were crashing on our boat. But finally the waves gave way for our boat to step in. The boatman was a local Goan who throughout our boat journey told us about other places to visit in Goa. Looking at him I realised that our perception of Goa is actually all about the tourists visiting here. But this man, right here, and many more like him, making sure that every person visiting Goa enjoys their stay here, so that they can earn livelihood, are the true representatives of Goa.

Outside the beach there were many coconut vendors and the marketplace was filled with stalls of handicrafts, jewelleries, bags, beachwear, etc. The jewelleries and handicrafts were mostly made of coconut, sea shells and corals.

At night, we went on a cruise party near Mandovi bridge, built over the Mandovi river. Apart from the loud DJ music, there were some cultural programs as well, that gave us a glimpse into the Portuguese history of Goa. Dance, music, drinks, everything was there, but what I needed was to feel the touch of pleasant wind blowing over the sea on my face. So, I rushed towards the deck. From the deck, I could clearly see the Mandovi bridge lit up with different colored lights, and right beneath it was another bridge exactly the same as the one above, lying underwater, peaceful and serene. It was a sight to behold. But my movie mind kept thinking of Titanic, and the iconic Jack and Rose deck scene and then whatever followed. In order to avoid these thoughts I rushed back to the party.

The next day was even more exciting. I have never been a beach person. I always wanted to visit mountains, forests and waterfalls. A waterfall in Goa was unheard of for me, but there is actually a waterfall in Goa, called the Dudhsagar falls. Located in the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, Dudhsagar literally means the ‘sea of milk’. There are two ways to access this waterfall. You can either take a train which passes through the falls or you can go through the Wildlife Sanctuary. We took the later route.

When we entered the Mahaveer Sanctuary, we were asked to wear life jackets. From there, we boarded a Bolero, and through the muddy pathways, surrounded with trees and occasionally interrupted by the shallow parts of our old friend, the Mandovi river, we reached a wooden bridge. That is where the Bolero left us. There is one thing worth mentioning here; there are no concrete bridges inside the sanctuary and because of that, while crossing the river some water even entered the Bolero. The reason for not building bridges, as explained by our driver, is to keep nature intact and not obstruct the natural flow of the river.

After boarding off the Bolero we walked a great deal before reaching the breathtaking sight of one of the tallest waterfalls in India. Falling down from a height that used the maximum of your head tilt to be able to see where the waterfall is originating from, the water looked completely white in colour, till it met with the river. As we were wearing life jackets, we decided to step into the water, although none of us knew how to swim. Completely opposed to the warm, rather moderate, sea water we had met with the previous day, the water falling from above was chilling cold. Ironically the calm and moderate sea water is a symbol of chill lifestyle, meanwhile the cold and angry waterfall symbolises the serenity of nature. After spending some time in the water, I came out and sat on one of the rocks, just looking at the giant waterfall and thinking how much variety nature has to offer in such a small state as Goa.

Dudhsagar falls was the last destination of our short trip to Goa. On the way back to our villa, we boarded a bus and I took the window seat . The icy cold water of the river still had its effect on me, but the slightly warm weather was slowly balancing it. Looking outside of the window, with my favourite song playing in the earphones, I started contemplating how this whole journey made me feel. The reason I called Goa a paradox in the title is because, despite being the ‘party capital of India’, what Goa gave me was a sense of relaxation. Indeed the beaches are meant to chill and relax but as someone who hates crowded places, calling the Goa visit my favorite trip so far is quite paradoxical. And then ofcourse the contrast of sea and waterfall.

It was near dusk, the sky was slowly changing its colour, as was the sun. The magical nightlife of Goa was taking control of the marketplaces and I was trying to capture every beautiful scenery I could into my memory lane. With a little bit of sadness and lots of sweet memories it was now time for me to say goodbye to Goa.