Around 1. December I arrived in that fabled and mythic place called Goa, a small state in southern India. Goa is a world of its own. Known for its beautiful beaches, pulsing nightlife, electric atmosphere and haunted by scores of tourist and seekers from all over the world - including India itself - there are a million different reasons why one should go to Goa, and no reasons why one shouldn�t go to Goa. The place itself is a treasure chest of opportunities, whether you are the package-tourist-type just looking for a beautiful beachspot, or the mystic-revelation seeking technohippie, who want to know what all the fuss is about. For my part I was seeking clarification on certain myths about the place that I had manifested solidly in my mind, and I was searching for the fabled Goa-trance scene that I felt bonded to from thousands of miles across the earth.

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It is very possible to live in Goa for a long time without ever seeing a glimpse of Ultraviolet Blacklight or hearing a beat of 808 or the aggressive roar of 303. The larger part of the state is run by the package-tourist-resorts, and I was lucky to know the names of �the places to be�, that is the villages of Anjuna, Vagator and Chapora, in the Bardez-area of Goa. When I mention prices and so forth bear in mind that it is this part of Goa I am referring to. Prices may be drastically different 20 km south from there.

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I know that Goa is a place that is changing, many say for the worse (when it comes to the techno-scene), so maybe some of the information I share with you will be outdated when you read this. It isn�t difficult at all to enter the �scene� and take part in all the wonderful and crazy going-ons that are happening, namely the parties, which happen more or less every second or third night (sometimes there is a party every night, and sometimes a whole week can pass) in the season, which should be from around December to the end of February.

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In my eyes one of the best things about Goa is the social contact you suddenly experience with other tourists. So many like-minded people are crammed into one place, and on a deeper level all these people are there for the same things, so it isn�t hard to make new contacts and friends here. Each afternoon beautiful people would gather at a place called Nine Bar in Vagator. There they would sit and relax heavily, listen to wonderful techno-music and watch the sun set over the calm heavenly blue ocean. Here you meet and exchange those little stories about what you have been doing, and here the first rumors of an eventual party starts spreading.

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When the sun has left for distant shores and the stars have come out people leave for their individual purposes and meet again at the Primrose Caf� (also in Vagator) around 10 o�clock in the evening. Each night there is a �semi-party� at Primrose; there is very loud, usually very good, music, some people are dancing and usually hundreds of people will be there, waiting for news about an eventual party. The main annoyance about the way it all works is that you never know for sure if there is a party before you are actually at the party. Usually by 01 o�clock people know if it is going to happen tonight or not. Then slowly people start leaving for the selected spot, on their rented motorbikes or on taxi-motorbikes. The main factor that determines whether the party happens or not is whether the local police force accepts the amount of Baksheesh (bribe for staying away) the party organizers has collected for them. Usually some people will walk around at the parties and gather money for the police, which is very reasonable since the parties are free (in Denmark a technoparty usually costs around 20 US$ and upwards to participate in).

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Goa is not a cheap place to be in, no matter what your needs are. If you are going to stay for a longer period (most people seem to) you should consider renting a house or part of a house, since this will almost always be the more comfortable and cheaper option compared to living in a guest house. The price for a room in a guest house usually ranges between 100-300 Indian rupees (~ 2.5$ - 8.5$) per night and the cheaper of these (below 200 RS) are usually with common toilets and shower. To find a house you have to speak with the locals and you will have to spend a day or two checking out different possibilities. The price for a house for one month seems to range within 7000-15000 rupees, and this is tied closely together with the facilities the house have. If you want private toilets, shower (seldom a real shower though, usually you have to use a bucket of water), kitchen and three or four rooms with fans don�t expect to spend less than 10000 RS. But if you are three or four friends traveling together this is both a cheaper and more enjoyable way to be living in Goa. When you stay for a longer period in one place I think it is important to establish a base where you can prepare your own food (it can become trivial to eat in restaurants 3 times a day, every day), store your belongings safely and be able to retreat when the going gets too tough. Bear in mind that you can always bargain the price down from the initial price (to at least 2/3�s or maybe even 1/3 of this), and if you are planning to stay for something like two or three months you can get it even cheaper, as long as you can pay some (probably most) of the money up front.

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Regardless how long you are going to be staying in Goa you will soon discover the importance of renting a motorized transport unit (like a scooter or motorbike). The distances between the different places and the constant pounding heat is enough to make any little stroll seem like a weeks travel through desert. You will also be amazed at how often you move around. There is always a little thing to do or a new destination to head for, and this can run up quite a taxi bill.

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There are a number of different options when it comes to transport. You can either rent mountain bikes, Honda Kinetic Scooters (without gears; if you can ride a normal bike you can ride this one), and different classes of Yamaha motorbikes and the more powerful Enfield Bullets. I don�t know the exact prices (since there is no exact price for anything in India), but expect to pay between 700-1200 for a scooter for a week, depending on the state it is in, and probably around 1000-1500 for a Yamaha. If you know you are going to be using the bike for a month, you can save yourself a lot of money by renting it for the whole month, instead of a week at a time. But you should at least use it for a few days before you decide if this is the bike you want (especially with Enfields, since some of these seem quite unstable) to check out its condition (and defects) and how you like it.