{"id":14502,"date":"2019-11-06T20:44:06","date_gmt":"2019-11-06T20:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flash.hr\/?p=14502\/"},"modified":"2025-01-23T09:45:47","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T08:45:47","slug":"goa-gimt-2019-got-hooked-goa-like-kim-kardashian-plastic-surgeries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flash.hr\/en\/2019\/11\/goa-gimt-2019-got-hooked-goa-like-kim-kardashian-plastic-surgeries\/","title":{"rendered":"GOA GIMT 2019. – I got hooked on GOA like Kim Kardashian on plastic surgeries"},"content":{"rendered":"

In May, the GOA Tourist Board, in collaboration with the Indian Embassy in Zagreb, organized an event where 2 trips to GOA were donated as part of the India \/ GOA promotion. With a combination of happy circumstances or the will of God, I was one of the winners of a trip to the GIMT – Goa International Travel March 2019. from 23rd to 26th 10.2019. (I left the day before and returned the day after)<\/span><\/p>\n

I heard the rumors of resentment in the air: “Why does happiness always go to the rich?”, \u201cHe put glue on his business card so it sticks to the fingers during the pulling!\u201d They call him Joe Glue!”,”He knows all the tricks. We had no chance. “,” There is no justice for the poor… “.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GOA lucky draw winner – Dear Leader Joe, aka Vin Diesel for poor people<\/span>
Photo: Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Special thanks to \u017deljka Manduri\u0107 from the Tal Aviation Group<\/strong><\/a> who, as co-organizer of the GOA event, invited me to this gathering. If it wasn’t for \u017deljka, I wouldn’t have seen India \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n

I didn’t pay attention to evil languages. Happily, I came to a Sunday family lunch and told the householders: \u201cI finally got something, and it isn\u2019t a flu. I’m traveling to India. “<\/span><\/p>\n

The parents could not hide their delight. Father: \u201cEverything is dirty there. That’s exactly what you have in our neighborhood! “, Mother:” How much will it cost? Is there any sense for you to go that far for just 4 days? What will you do there? Don’t get accustomed to that Yoga. I raised you in the Christian spirit! “, Grandma:” You will pick up some disease. You will bring us the plague! “, Bro:” You will get diarrhea. Everyone gets diarrhea in India. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Adams family is like a nice cup of tea compared with mine. They went no further than their street, but they know all about the exotic travels and dangers that lurk on them. I sang to myself, “Nothing is going to ruin me this day …”<\/span><\/p>\n

The life of a blogger can be glamorous: hotels, restaurants, travel\u2026 but I headed to India with a stomach cramp. Namely, I ate expired yogurt and a second class banana from my local store. I know that they always poison me in that store but I can’t resist their cheap prices. I felt the need right on Franjo Tudjman (Name of our national airport and our first Croatian president). At first, my conscience was a bit like, “You are not a patriot, if you shit here.” I was arguing with myself. “Well, isn’t this the Altar of the Homeland!?” Desires are one thing, and needs are something entirely else. In the end, I shit on Franjo Tudjman. “If I needed to shit, it would be better if it happened on home ground, than in visits.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The second winner of the award was Damjana Domanovac, the organizer of the PLACE2GO<\/strong><\/a> International Tourism Fair and the owner of the magazine of the same name. Turns out we were traveling the same day and returning the same day and not only that, but sitting next to each other on the plane. We went to GOA with Qatar airways<\/strong> via Doha. If I count waiting in Doha for 4 hours, then she enjoyed spending over 15 hours talking to the smartest, most successful, most beautiful and generally the coolest blogger and photographer in the Europe and beyond. She absorbed my every word, and I could see in her eyes that she was thinking, “Why it is me who has the honor to run into such an interesting and humble man?” At one point, she seemed to show signs of disgust and to be ridiculed, but I attributed it to the altitude sickness and fear of flying.<\/span><\/p>\n

We landed in GOA’s capital, Panaji at 2am. Damjana wanted to change dollars into rupees at the airport, but I stopped her in the last minute when I saw that they were offering only 6000 rupees for $ 100, and the fair exchange rate was at least 7000 rupees. However, I grew up in Croatian Bronx. I can fool you on the course, but you can’t fool me. My friend Hashim would say, “It’s not faiiirrr.” We headed to Double Tree by Hilton Goa – Panaji Hotel<\/strong><\/a>. Unfortunately, they do not have a currency exchange at the hotel, but it didn’t matter to us at the time, because we were so torn off the road that we just wanted the key to the room so we can fall asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next day we had a gathering with reporters and representatives of travel agencies from around the world at 6pm so I spent my leisure time, which was unfortunately rainy, by the brutal infinity pool overlooking the Mondavi River. I enjoyed the natural beauty of GOA.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Double Tree by Hilton Goa – Panaji, model:\u00a0@xkatie_t<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong> <\/a>– Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Double Tree by Hilton Goa – Panaji<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong> <\/a>– Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wherever I travel, I always run into someone from Serbia. Hello to Tijana Maljkovi\u0107:)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Double Tree by Hilton Goa – Panaji<\/span>
Foto: @DearLeaderJoe – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At half past seven we had the official GITM 2019. gathering.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Foto: @DearLeaderJoe – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was successful in establishing the first Indian Freemasonry Youth Club:)<\/span><\/p>\n

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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Foto: Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Welcome cocktails, rich cultural and artistic program, presentation of GOA as a great tourist destination where everyone will find something for themselves regardless of purchasing power and preferences and after all, a great dinner. GOA was popularized by hippies in the late 1960s. They knew how to spend everything they had, so they founded the Flea Market at GOA where they would sell their goods to raise money for a return plane ticket. The market still exists today and is a famous attraction in GOA, but due to the bad weather we were not able to visit it. Too bad, because I had a full suitcase of exclusive Balkan’s merchandise.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong><\/a> – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong> – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong><\/a> – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A colleague of mine was impressed with how much data I could remember. She was ashamed she wasn’t equally smart. She had to write everything down. I would take a look every once in a while, but just to make sure she didn’t forget something.<\/span><\/p>\n

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GIMT 2019.<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong><\/a> – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A man gets tired from all the worry for others. It was a difficult day so soon after coming back to hotel, we had our earned rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Double Tree by Hilton Goa – Panaji<\/span>
Photo: @DearLeaderJoe<\/strong><\/a> – Dragi Vo\u0111a, Flash.hr<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second day, after business meetings with hotel representatives, together we went to lunch at a newly opened restaurant, The Awadh House<\/strong><\/a>. Cows slowed us down a bit on the road. I can imagine the misunderstandings happening in their traffic. “Move, cow!”, “Who are you calling a cow?? You cow!,\u201c I wasn\u2019t telling to you, but to a cow! \u201d\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n