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Published: February 4th 2010
Going off
The dancefloor in full swing - it's not really possible to capture in a photo, but trust me - it was awesome!!After a couple of beautiful, sun-soaked weeks, Mel & I decided that it was finally time to move on to the next part of our trip. There is just so much to see in India, and unfortunately our time is limited. There was one more thing I really wanted to do before we left the southwest coast though. For nearly 20 years now I have been a fan of psytrance music, and over 20 years ago, certain places in the state of Goa were some of the foundations and epicenters of the genre. I was determined to seek out and experience the remnants of the original Goa trance scene - who knows when or if I'll ever get back there, so I figured I had to do it now.
For this reason we moved from Arambol down the coast to Vagator, which I'd read was a place where the odd trance party could still be found. We were surprised to find that Vagator was actually smaller and quieter than Arambol. We found a nice guesthouse, where the owners made us feel right at home. It was very pleasant and relaxing - we really enjoyed the serenity, but it was not
Our Vagator home
This guesthouse (called 'Doris guest house') was one of the friendliest places we've stayed - not to mention the two resident frogs who took care of our mosquito issues all night! exactly what I was looking for there.
When we were at the Anjuna (another infamous yet surprisingly quiet 'party beach') market, I was handed a flyer for a party that was happening in a nearby town. Mel and I talked about going, but it was going to be difficult to get there and back, so we decided to skip it and go to the one club in town instead. This turned out to be an open-air space with an incredible sound system, a large stage, a great DJ and an impressive light show on the palm tree and black light-lined dance floor. It was finally a taste of what I'd been looking for, and I loved it - except that due to local bylaws, it shut down at 10pm sharp. We had a good time anyway, and I was glad that we'd managed to find it.
I'd also seen a poster for another party at yet another beach nearby, and we decided to check that out the following night (Mel gets HUGE points for patience with me and my party chasing during these few days - what a wonderful woman!). This one had a long list of DJs,
Party poster
This was the one and only poster I saw for the event - even most of the locals didn't know where it was - I was amazed how many people turned up including a duo called GMS I've been a fan of for years, having seen them at events in Japan and Vancouver. We got set up in a Cocohut on Ashwem Beach, rented a bike, and after recharging our batteries in the beach, set out to check out the party. Again it was an open-air 'club' (what a concept!) in the hills near the beach. And again, there was a fantastic sound system, a great lineup of artists, mind bending lights and decorations, all in a stunning tropical setting - and this one was an all-nighter!
So just when I was beginning to think that the trance scene in Goa was well and truly dead, I got my fill with a long night of dancing to top-notch Goa trance. Mel was a trooper - she made it until about 2am before I took her home on the bike. I went back and grooved until sunrise at 6am. The scene certainly isn't what it once was in Goa (just as my stamina isn't what it once was, I realized!), but I feel like I got a solid taste of what I was after, and I left Goa feeling more than satisfied
Our Ashwem cocohut
A cocohut is a beach hut constructed primarily of bamboo and palm fronds - we had the deluxe version though - with indoor plumbing! with that.
Now it's on to the north, and the next chapter of our adventure!
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Brendan
non-member comment
Found your Goa party, eh? Well done. There is certainly something very special about dancing into dawn. What's in store for you next?