FOOTLOOSE
Sojourn in the paradise of sun
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In Goa, life is one unending fiesta. KISHORE AND SMITA IYENGAR
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Photo: Kishore and Smita Iyengar
Old world charm: A temple in old Goa.
The shacks seemed to shrink behind the sandy dunes as groups of skimpily decked couples trooped into the makeshift restaurant-cum-beer bar. “We came in a week ago,” grinned one of the talkative guys with a Cockney twist, offering us a pin
t. This part of Goa, on the Candolim beach, is quieter than stretches like Calangute or Anjuna.
Allure of the waves
This evergreen paradise of sun, sea and sand has always allured the most unpredictable visitors from around the globe, and fair reason why…Goa’s easy-going lifestyle makes it one of the most preferred destinations in India and within easy reach. Fairly clean, approachable and open beaches offer miles of beautiful coconut palms and pretty cottages.
But Goa’s fame to glory just isn’t the beach-bumming, dare-bodied brigade. It owes its gracious adulation to its unique Portuguese and Indian, centuries-old monuments making architectural magic. Many of the villas of Goa are located close to these beaches and in the hinterland, more in Old Goa. We encountered one of them the moment we checked into our resort hotel.
It is a grand 100-year-old heritage Portuguese villa that has been restored to its former glory. It is part of the brand new Lemon Tree Amarante Beach Resort. This unique resort, offering premium class accommodation at mid-level tariffs, is judiciously designed like a Portuguese resort with amazing stained glass art, hand-painted tiles and Mediterranean-style design. We looked up our room in the Heritage section and took to it instantly. Bemisha at the front desk offered us a roughly sketched map to drive out to some of the niche locations and attractions. After a lunch of Goan Tiger Prawns, vegetable Xacuti and Sol Kadi with steamed rice, we headed out to Curti, Ponda. It was a good one hour on the smooth roads.
Deep in the hilly slopes is the unique Sahakari Spice Farm where we discovered rare and interesting plant species. Apart from tours around the farm, popular with Indians and foreigners alike, it also offers a simple, wholesome lunch and refreshments using those very spices grown on the farm.
What do you want to buy?
From the Lemon Tree Amarante Beach Resort, we drove down to the Calangute market, a bustling shopping and people-watching neighbourhood. Not far away is the Wednesday weekly market in Anjuna beach where we found excellent bargains. You have Kathiawadis, Tibetans, Rajasthanis, Hariyanvis, Lambadi gypsies from Andhra and Malayali vendors stirring up a shrill vocal storm around their stalls of psychedelic bags, sling bags, wall hangings, art, kurtis, summer wear and loads more.
Old Goa and its vintage classical charm are another scene altogether. A little before Ribander along the river Mandovi, we saw people boarding a ferry that would cross them over to Diwade, a small island with a skeletal population of mostly old folks bidding their time. The famous St. Francis Xavier church, Basilica Bom Jesus (a UNESCO-World Heritage Site) is located in the heart of Old Goa. The well known Mangueshi Temple and the Shanta Durga Temple are also worth a visit. In the capital Panaji, we sized up on the current art scene at the Goa Art Academy and “Aparanta”, a fascinating show of contemporary paintings by Goan artists. We couldn’t possibly conclude our Goa visit without a visit to the busy lanes of Panaji, to do some compulsory shopping for folks back in Mumbai.
Soon the rains would arrive, the land would cool off to greener vistas, and more and more hordes would come, to prance and preen in Goa’s never-ending fiesta of life, which few places on earth can boast of.
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