Goa beyond the Postcards: What Michelle Taught Us
At Blogchatter Retreats, we’ve always believed that travel isn’t just about changing geographies, it’s also very much about changing perspectives. That’s why we make it a point to bring local voices into our retreats. They act as anchors, helping us understand the place we’re in, as participants in its story.
This time in Goa, we had the privilege of listening to Michelle Mendonca Bambawale, author of Becoming Goan. Through her session, she held up a mirror to a side of Goa that most tourists never see.
The insider’s pass
Sessions like these are like being handed a special pass into the heart of a city. You’re only in the place for a few days, yet suddenly, the layers peel back. The streets, the homes, the daily rhythms, they start to mean something different.
The retreat becomes richer because it is a classroom for creativity.
Goa, beyond the clichés
Michelle reminded us that Goa is much more than the tired stereotype of beaches, bikinis and drinks. She spoke of single-storey villas and rooftop homes that give Goa its architectural character. Of Gram Panchayats and cows that wander the roads because, in its essence, Goa is still a village.
She also held up truths that often go unspoken. The locals’ frustration at tourists treating their home like a dumping ground. The churches where not every visitor is welcome, because faith here comes with traditions that rightfully demand respect. Even the reptiles that appear in monsoon months, or the sheer effort it takes to maintain a Goan home, all of it painted a picture so different from the glossy brochures.
Why local culture matters in travel
Travel can be shallow when it stops at sightseeing. What makes it meaningful is connection to culture, traditions, history, and yes, cuisine. When you listen to someone from the land, you realise that the place isn’t just a backdrop for your holiday photos. It’s alive, with stories that have been shaped long before you arrived and will continue long after you leave.
Understanding local culture is also an act of respect. It keeps us from consuming places only through stereotypes, and instead teaches us to tread gently, to notice more, to carry back memories that feel authentic rather than staged. In many ways, it turns tourism into dialogue.
Stories we carried back
For us creative people especially, visiting a place feels complete only when we can connect with its inner fabric. Michelle’s session was a starting point.
What we carried back along with the bright sunshine and the sea, was real stories. Stories of houses, of people, of rules and traditions, of daily struggles and simple joys. And isn’t that the kind of travel that lingers the longest?
At Blogchatter Retreats, this is what we aim for- community and conversations that stay with us long after the bags are unpacked.
