The Goa Carnaval concluded for this year, the state is now gearing up for some more festivals that is up its sleeve.
The tourism board of Goa is keen on promoting the state as a place for celebrations - and not just a destination for beaches.
Goa's Shigmo festival
This is why it is promoting and packaging festivals. So if you have missed the carnaval, you can still look forward to the Cashew & Coconut Festival in May, Shigmo (Goa's answer to Holi), Sao Jao, Bonderam and Tirpurari Purnima.
These festivals have some quaint traditions associated with them and one can see the heritage and cultural lineage of the state shine through.
See Goa's event calender here to plan your next holiday. It has something going on throughout the year.
Just as the end of winter season threatens to squeeze the
tourist footfalls, Goa plays another ace that is up its sleeve on the table.
The Goa Carnaval.
The highlight of Goa’s annual calendar, the Carnaval is
deliberately spelled with an ‘a’ to make it sound authentic – the Goan way of
pronouncing it. But the change is not just superficial. Efforts are on to continuously
improve on the event, to get it closer to the way a carnival was
originally meant to be.
The dates for this year’s five-day carnival
are from February 28 to March 4.
Since it is a tribute to the state’s diverse population and heritage, it will showcase
Goan food and culture through its music and dance.
At the press conference in Mumbai: (L-R): Nikhil Desai, MD of GTDC and Director of Tourism, Government of Goa, Tourism Minister of Goa Dilip
Parulekar, and stars of the upcoming movie 'Youngistan' Neha Sharma and Jackky Bhagnani
It will jumpstart the event with the Food and Culture festival that was such
a hit last year and will also feature participation from other states. Specifics for this
have not yet been revealed though.
To add an element of glamour, a Brazilian troupe will be especially flown in for an electrifying
Samba performance. Prominent music bands including the Raghu Dixit Project and Strings
along with some famous home-grown bands will also perform at the festival.
This year’s novelty however will be the street performances by
musicians at vantage points across the state, a King Momo contest and increased
prize money. Goa Tourism is also planning to include a fashion show in the
celebrations but nothing is confirmed yet.
If you are seriously planning to go
during this time though, you need to book your flight/train tickets and accommodation
immediately. Goa gets completely booked close to the Carnaval. This year
round, it is geared up to accommodate over 2.5 lakh tourists! The press conference to announce the Carnaval was held at Mumbai's Bungalow 9 that made for a fantastic venue with it's old-world Goan charm located in a leafy Bandra neighbourhood. Read a review by Mumbai Boss. And just in case, you were wondering what the Bollywood "stars" were doing at this press conference, 'Youngistaan' is the official movie partner for Goa Carnaval 2014!
Isn't it amazing how some destinations can be visited over and
over again and still manage to offer the most exhilarating, yet an altogether
different experience each and every time?!
Ladakh is one of them. It’s the most fascinating and intriguing
destination in my view and therefore figures six times on my bucket list.
What can I say about Ladakh that hasn't been said, written, or
spoken about before? Not much. So I’ll dispense with the adjectives for now and
list down six different ways in which Ladakh can be experienced.
a)Do a road trip
Seeing Ladakh by road is an experience in itself. There are two
ways to do this – from Kashmir Valley via Kargil and from Manali to Leh. The wonder
of these two roads is that each one will offer not just a different landscape but
also conjure a different emotion within you.
The route from Kargil remains open for traffic from early June to November. The
most fascinating part of this road journey is passing the Zoji-La that stands
at 11,500 feet and serves as the gateway to Ladakh.
The Manali-Leh road is open for traffic from around mid-June to
early October. A bus journey will take you around 19 hours (or two days) with
an overnight halt in camps in between.
See this National Geographic documentary on crossing the Khardung
la to Nubra Valley by road titled ‘Perilous Journey Crossing the Himalayas.’ It
does get a bit monotonous at times but the host Marsh Mokhtari will keep you
engaged – sometimes with the information and sometimes with his good looks!
b) Raft
down Zanskar
A rafting expedition on the Zanskar river – a tributary of the
great river Indus – is one of the most surreal experiences you will ever have.
It will take you down an extremely desolate, remote and sheer Zanskar gorge
with walls rising a few thousand feet from the river bed.
You can also do a rafting expedition on the Indus.
d)Walk down Zanskar! (Chadar Trek)
The Chadar trek is taking the same route as rafting but instead
of paddling in a raft, you will be walking on crampons. Here, you will
experience Ladakh at its harshest. Temperatures plummeting to -25 degree
Celcius with no basic amenities and absolutely no connection to the outside
world until you reach Leh! Read my (rather incomplete) post on the Chadar trek for more.
c)Trek
There are so many trekking routes in this region, that you can
do 10 trips just trekking all of them. The one that tops my list is the Stok
Kangri trek. It will take you to India's highest trekable summit at 20,086 feet!
The terrain and the altitude make it a very difficult trek. The
Stok Kangri base camp lies at 16,300 feet and is a collage of colourful tents. Check
this site for more details on the trek; it has dedicated itself to it.
e)See the sights
You can do the usual sightseeing routine and
still never get bored in Ladakh. Visit the Thicksey and the Hemis monasteries
as well as the Shanti Stupa. Dare to wet your feet in the Pangong lake. Shop at the Leh market (but beware, the summer
rates are high). Taste the awesome local dishes of momos and thukpa.
f)Attend the festivals
Ladakh is extremely popular
for its annual festivals. The most famous of them all is the Hemis festival
that takes place every June. There is also the Thiksey Gustor (Gustor literally
means ‘sacrifice of the 29th date’), which is a two-day festival and marks the
victory of good over evil. It takes place at the different monasteries of Spituk,
Thiksey and Karsha Zanskar in different months of the year. I found this site on Ladakh very informative. You can try it too.
