On the hallowed grounds of Goa - I

The dawn was just peeking through the veil of the night and the sun was lazily making its way from behind the mountains. A breeze, strong but comforting, flowing through the slightly open window, was ruffling my hair as I slept in the backseat of our car. My state of peaceful slumber was broken rather cruelly by my friend shouting beside me, urging me to look out the window. And there it was - barely visible amidst the thickets - it was a beach. But not just a beach. Flanked by two majestic hills on both sides, palm trees defining the border, and sharp rocks jutting out of the water; as if daring the waves to cross over to the land without breaking over them, it was one of the most lasting images that Goa left imprinted on our minds. And yes, conceited beings that we are, we also took that as a welcome mat rolled out by Goa for us.

Karwar beach - The Welcome Mat

A long weekend had beckoned, and as a spur of the moment decision, we had decided to visit the most 'hallowed' of places for weekend getaways: Goa. Unfortunately, a few thousand other people in Bangalore seemed to have similar ideas, which meant that we were left with no option but to hire a car. To compound the crisis, none of us had enough driving experience to undertake the driving responsibilities for such a long journey. Which meant that we had to hire a car with a driver. In hindsight though, this turned out to be a good decision as we did not have to worry about finding a parking spot, or indeed worry about blaming one of us for any accident that might occur. Bengaluru to Goa is a 10-hour journey and since we were traveling overnight, all of it was spent either sleeping or taking turns to sit beside the driver to keep him company. Accommodation can be a problem when visiting Goa during such long weekends. However, this was taken care of by one of our friends accompanying us as his folks graciously allowed us to stay in their house in Goa.

And so it was, that we found ourselves taking in the glorious sight of the sea-flanked-by-mountains-with-rocks-jutting-out-covered-by-early-morning-hue just on the outskirts of Karwar. The day was just threatening to unleash a hot wave of sun rays as we made our way into the small town called Siolim. Having deposited our stuff at the apartment, we set out to explore the town first.

Siolim is a small town situated on the banks of the river Chapora. It's similar to the thousands of other small towns you will find scattered across India. Being on the banks of a river means that fishing is a primary means of earning your bread. Every morning, the fishermen haul out their boats to go fishing and by the time the rest of the town starts milling around, you will see those boats coming back laden with fish. With all the vendors vying to get the best of the catch, the scene is best viewed from afar; though I did manage to get through to get a glimpse of a majestic Manta Ray being hauled out of the boat. A few snaps and videos later, we resumed our walk on the banks of the river. There was a time not too long ago when the river was used by commercial ships as a means to shorten their routes around Goa. Siolim provided a very affordable and comfortable pit stop for these ships and the locals also got some good business done apart from fishing.

However, the bridge built to join the two banks of the river meant that the 'shortcut' was no longer there to be used. Of course, this also meant a big blow to the means of livelihood for the townspeople. This piece of 'history' was told to us by our friend and 'guide' as we took in the view of the river.

The bridge over Chapora river.

Having taken in the views, and admired the 'big-boat-on-hire-for-couples', we went back to our accommodation and prepared for the first stop of our weekend getaway.

Big-Boat-on-Hire-for-Couples

The Arambol beach is situated in the northern part of Goa. It's not as popular as the Calangute or Baga beaches, but perhaps it's this relative anonymity that has helped maintain the pristine beauty of this beach. A drive of about 45 minutes brought us to our destination. Now one of the reasons for visiting this house was that our friend had a house there too. Though disuse and negligence have taken their toll on the house, it's easy to see that it would have been some sight in its heydays. The ocean's reach ended just a few hundred metres from the veranda of the house.

It was easy to imagine how wonderful it would have been to watch the blazing globe of fire sink below the unfathomable horizon every evening. After visiting the house, we went ahead with the customary walk-on-the-beach. We walked on to some huge rocks jutting out to stop the advent of the sea, two particular ones catching our attention. They taller than the others and stood side-by-side. At one point, the sun seemed to be resting between the two of them, almost as if it was tired of its journey westward. Our friend informed us that the pair was called 'Chacha-Bhatija'. After a few snaps, we proceeded to ahead to see the much talked about sweet water lake. This sweet water lake is one of the features of the Arambol beach. Nestled amongst lush greenery clinging onto some cliffs, this sweet water lake forms a perfect contrast to the raging ocean behind. Moreover, it provides a nice alternative to people who do not want to take a swim in the pounding waves of the sea.

The Sweet-Water Lake

Unfortunately, all this beauty has finally begun to take its toll on the beach. A few beach-side hotels are already beginning to make appearances. One of the biggest has partially blocked out the view of the ocean from the verandah. A small scar near the 'Chacha-Bhatija' has been occupied by hordes of shops selling trinkets and providing sea food. Garbage strewn carelessly around the beach has marred the beauty of the beach. What's more, the sweet water lake, of considerable size earlier, is threatening to become a pond. As wonderful as it was to see the natural beauty, it was equally painful to see such scenes of human indecency.

Having had our share of beach walk, we decided to have an early dinner while watching the sunset. We found places in a shack facing the sea - and we had front row seats I must say - and watched the sun journey into sea as we waded through some delicious seafood preparations.
 

The Sunset...

...and the sea food

Finally, having satisfied our taste buds, we proceeded back to the point where we had left our car. Our friend needed to take leave of his relatives, and hence went back to his house while we waited on the beach for him. As it turned out, our friend took his time saying goodbyes. I must say that it turned out to be one of the better decisions. While the sight of the sea stretching wide and far, colored in every imaginable hue of red, yellow, and orange is a glorious sight, the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore during the night-time can be quite mesmerizing too. Just standing there with my feet buried in the cool sand was peaceful, and as one of my friends put it, epiphanic.

That was the first day then; long, yet fantastic. As we returned back to our accommodations, the mind was still back on the beach listening to the sonorous sound of the waves. As I went to bed that day, I couldn't help but hope that the next day turns out the same.