West Coast Diaries - Goa

“Susegaad” originating from the Portuguese “Sosegaado” meaning “quiet or relaxed” has been the traditional Goan attitude towards life. An attitude of “light spiritedness” or personal harmony. As a small region with history and culture unique amongst its neighbors, Goa has always remained a tight-knit community where people and nature have lived in mutual reconciliation.

First Trip to Goa

After much FOMO and a barrage of inquiries as to why I hadn’t visited India’s beach capital yet, I headed solo to the spot known for Parties, Beaches, and Booze for the first time. Now, while I am a social drinker Alcohol and I seem to have developed a respectfully exclusive relationship. We love each other from a distance. A bit like family on my dad’s side. Everyone advised against going to the place in Monsoon. It made me all the keener to go since I knew the crowds would avoid the rains like a plague. My trip was scheduled for the 4th of July ( no, that wasn’t an accident and instead of firecrackers I was greeted with heavy downpours). India has one of the longest coastlines on Earth and for the first time, I was going on a rail route that would cover a large length of it. The trip seemed all the more appealing in the monsoon when most of the country comes alive with an emerald gleam illuminated by the rains. The time never seemed better than now. The Konkan Railway has a fascinating history. India did not have a railway connecting its western coast an important commercial and economic zone. After being built it is now an engineering marvel and extends almost 756 km and passes through some of the most beautiful terrain in the world. I was to go from Mumbai to Margao in Goa which is more than 600 km in length.

The journey is spectacular, to say the least. The Western Coast’s unique geography makes for a range of unique sights from Rice Paddy Fields, Terrace Farms, Forested Mountains, Rivers, Waterfalls, and Backwaters. Almost reminiscent of a scene from Bali or the Philippines the wet and lush landscape continued into the distance. Picture Perfect Wooden Huts overlooked terraced rice farms with mountains in the background. This transitioned to Mangroves and Estuaries which the train hovered over much like a shuttle across the cosmos. The terrain is inhospitable on the best of days. Series and series of tunnels chisel their way through the terrain making way for the trains to pass through.

First Impressions?

As someone who had traveled the world without bothering to travel his own country, the city of Panjim, the Capital City of Goa on Day 1 on the 4th of July reminded a scene from the Dalmatian Riviera (i.e:-coastline in Latin) in Croatia I had visited years ago. The Mandovi River meets the Arabian sea and proceeds inland creating a bay. A Parisian Style Promenade lined the river. What distinguished the landscape however was the greenery and moistness. As if Europe had somehow become tropical (yes my imagination is too fertile). Red-Roofed Colorful Houses dotted the hilly bay while spiraling staircases perched over the hills crawled their way across the terrain. The scene looked right out like something from Rio De Janeiro, Lisbon, or Amalfi. I stayed at the Serene Waters Guesthouse at Ribandar a local village.

The next day I spent on a Heritage Walk around the city assisted by MakeitHappenTours (worth the walk). Panjim was a compact city with Boutique Shops, Restaurants, and Cafes lining the promenade and Baroque Style Houses and Churches in the interior of the city. Inspired by Lisbon a city built on multiple layers of elevation (to protect the city from Earthquakes) Panjim was built on multiple levels across the coastal slopes which marked its landscape. Panjim was established in the 17th century by the Portuguese after the Old Capital or Goa Velha succumbed to epidemics. The city on the whole was leafy with Coconut and Acacia Trees lining the streets. Strolling down, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of ambivalence concerning the city’s history. Originally ruled by the Indo-Islamic Adil Shahi Dynasty in 1510 the Portuguese succeeded in conquering the region. Strategically important, Goa was the gateway to Spice Trade in the East and played a key role in colonial trade and expansion. Glancing at the chic houses, quint facades and charming squares and gardens it seemed easy to forget the fraught history of the place. While spared from some of the worst atrocities of the British, Goa has its share of forced conversions and racial discrimination in the 16th century under the influence of the Portuguese Inquisition. Although easy to forget when you munch on the Empanadas you get at the Cafeteria.delightfully located adjacent to the Mandovi River

The next day I spent on a Heritage Walk around the city assisted by MakeitHappenTours again. Panjim was a compact city with Boutique Shops, Restaurants, and Cafes lining the promenade and Baroque Style Houses and Churches in the interior of the city. Inspired by Lisbon a city built on multiple layers of elevation (to protect the city from Earthquakes) Panjim was built on multiple levels across the coastal slopes which marked its landscape. Panjim was established in the 17th century by the Portuguese after the Old Capital or Goa Velha succumbed to epidemics. The city on the whole was leafy with Coconut and Acacia Trees lining the streets. Strolling down, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of ambivalence concerning the city’s history. Originally ruled by the Indo-Islamic Adil Shahi Dynasty in 1510 the Portuguese succeeded in conquering the region. Strategically important, Goa was the gateway to Spice Trade in the East and played a key role in colonial trade and expansion. Glancing at the chic houses, quint facades and charming squares and gardens it seemed easy to forget the fraught history of the place. While spared from some of the worst atrocities of the British, Goa had its share of forced conversions and racial discrimination in the 16th century under the influence of the Portuguese Inquisition. Although munching on Empanadas it was easy to forget all these cruelties as I strolled through the scenic city.

On day 3 I headed to Chandor or Chandrapur as it's originally called. The ancient capital of Goa under the Kadamba Dynasty. Chandor is located in the interiors of South Goa a quieter and more rural part of the state. Hills, Flood Plains, and Rivers greeted me on the way to Quepem the village where I would be staying. I stayed at the Casa Abilio D Souza a heritage home converted into an Air B & B managed by Mr. Erlick Fernandez a man of part Portuguese and Indian descent. Towards the evening I went on a guided tour through Chandor’s historic mansions famous throughout the state. Unlike most parts of the state that had come under the sway of mass tourism and commercialization the heritage and environs here seemed relatively unchanged. I visited the 400-year-old Menezes-Braganza House while going on a Heritage Trail organized by Soul Travels Goa (worth checking out). The house seemed frozen in time almost as if nothing had changed in the last four centuries. Antique Items adorned the house while gold-gilded roofs and glazed floors.

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Dimly lit chandeliers lit the hallway reminiscent of the great palaces of Vienna or Versailles. Yet curiously, it also had a small-town aura to it which was impossible to shake off. Visiting the houses of Chandor gave me an idea of the evolution of Goa under the Portuguese. The Menezes-Braganza House was owned by an aristocratic indigenous family with mixed Portuguese origins. One could almost get an idea of how contemporary societies in the Hispanic World developed fuelled by the influences of migration, settlement, and colonization. I then headed to the Kushavati River – which had till the 16th century been the hub for the lucrative Indo-Portuguese Trade in India. Indian and Portuguese merchants would trade in the muddy waters of the river in rare and valued wares.

On day 4 I headed towards South Goa’s beaches which are known to be quite scenic. I took a taxi and headed to Palolem Beach. The plan was to trek to Butterfly Beach a secluded beach surrounded by forest on all sides. Unfortunately due to the bad weather and warnings against using the trail in the rainy season, I refrained. The day was wet and gusty. The rains lashed everything in their midst relentlessly. Didn’t seem like the ideal day to go out and explore. Yet the weather is not something you can predict in the rainy season. My route took me through electrifying scenery with a neon-like glow. The rains seemed to reanimate the entire world with a sublime hue. My first stop was Cola Beach. Perched at the bottom of a rocky cliff the beach had a dramatic appearance. Unfortunately due to the weather, the beach had been shut down. My next stop took me to the Cabo De Rama Fort a stunning 16th-century Portuguese fort situated against a long and sloping cape. The scene almost took me back 500 years when ancient sailors, scholars, and soldiers sailed across the oceans in search of land, fortune, and knowledge. Terraced stairs led to the bottom of a rocky beach from where I could see the sloping cape in the distance

Day 5 – After 3 mobile days in the hinterland of Goa, I returned to Panjim. I went around the Mandovi Rivera which defines the city’s geography. Known as the “Lifeline of Goa” the river is the central source of water for the entire state. A day left before my departure I decided to tour one of Goa’s most iconic areas “Old Goa” or “Goa Velha”. Strolling through Old Goa immediately took me With its lush greenery, charming cathedrals, and quaint roads I could easily see myself in Brazil or Macau of the 16th century. I could see myself in Brazil or Malacca for that matter. Certainly, Goa was one of Portugal’s oldest colonies. Twenty years after Columbus discovered North America, Goa became Portugal’s first colony in Asia in 1510 and subsequently one of the world’s first colonial territories. Goa was a big source of wealth to the Portuguese Empire and was the Empire’s gateway to the rest of

Asia. Crates of Spices and barracks of slaves were transported across the Arabian Sea making Portugal one of the richest places on Earth. This wealth was visible through the magnificent and grandiose Cathedrals found throughout the city.

As the tour neared its’s end the conversation shifted to a more serious note on the impact of Tourism on Goa and the possible future of the tiny state. As a tourist hotspot, Goa receives millions of tourists from India and across the world. A tiny sliver of an area in the vast sub-continent tourists throngs the state for its sunny beaches, cheap liquor, and picturesque landscapes. Entire beaches are frequented by Western particularly Russian Tourists desperate to escape the stone cold chilliness of their homes to enjoy a land of eternal sunshine. As I spoke to our tour guide the impact of such mass arrivals became evident. Haphazard developments had mushroomed over the hills, coastlines obscured by villas and resorts, mountains razed and trees felled to accommodate the ever-rising influx of tourists. “Susegaad” originating from the Portuguese “Sosegaado” meaning “quiet or relaxed” has been the traditional Goan attitude towards life. An attitude of “light spiritedness” or personal harmony. As a small region with history and culture unique amongst its neighbors, Goa has always remained a tight-knit community where people and nature have lived in mutual reconciliation. This has been challenged by mass tourism in the state, an issue aggravated by corruption, greed, and an aggressive commercial expansion. It seemed that the very force which thrust the state into the limelight now seemed to be pulling it into despair. This sentiment was shared by locals, homeowners, and street-sellers throughout the state. A question that does not merely question the meaning of tourism but that of living in general. On Day 6 as the showers were more aggressive than ever, I boarded the train back to Mumbai. I felt happy that I could experience Goa on my own terms