I travelled against the usual trend in Goa and what I saw was something I could have never imagined

“Goa chalein?” has never caught my fancy. Mainly because of the crowd, the endless sea of tourists everywhere one looks. The irony is, I am very much part of the same crowd I detest so much.

And I visit Goa every chance I get.

Is it the sand? Is it the sea? Or is it the sun? Well, none of those. Call it occupational hazard, but everywhere I go, the travel writer in me awakens, and from the start of the trip till the end, my mind is in a writing mode that I cannot escape from. So coming back to why I love visiting Goa so much when it’s not about the sand, sea and sun. Well, I fancy Goa for three reasons:

Sounds incredibly local, and not at all like a tourist.

The main reason why my mind started detesting anything touristy, especially in Goa, is because of a rather unpleasant experience. On my (probably) second time in Goa, I was with a couple of friends on one of the beaches in North Goa. There were cafes all around with boards boasting best dal makhani in Goa, best chole bhature, and for the love of God…best chaap ever. I think we all know the beach I am talking about here. Having come from Delhi, the three of us were still looking for something Goan, anything. Even if someone had thrown a cashew at us, we would have been happy. The smell of the tandoor never left our noses. The noisy tourists were still beelining for naan, Manchurian and whatnot. And the fact that someone’s oversized hat almost took my left eye out, and a rather tipsy lady spilled all her red wine over my friend’s white shirt…no thanks.

The touristy Goa is out of the itinerary for good. My fourth visit to Goa (third was a work trip so that doesn’t count) was at my sister’s wedding. It was a monsoon wedding, timing couldn’t have been more perfect. Goa gets as green as possible, so much so that it can easily make any lush northeastern state run for their money. With the wedding now over, I had a few days in Goa.

Imagine it had rained three days straight, and then on the fourth day, it was surprisingly sunny – a perfect day to get a scooty on rent and explore. That’s exactly what I did. A quick trip to Candolim beach was beautiful yet very scary because of the dark sky looming over my head. A quick lunch of local Goan machhi thali and to my surprise what did I spot! This roadside hole-in-the-wall eatery had Mario Miranda’s cartoons all over the place.

I squealed with delight.

After a long chit-chat with the owner of the eatery and a reluctant goodbye to the pretty art pieces, I set out to explore some more. For those who think monsoon travel is inconvenient, you are not wrong. But doing that in Goa is a different thing. The place is practically empty. Yes, the rain may blind you sometimes, but in return you get empty streets, readily available seats at restaurants, and a chance to interact with locals (if they are willing).

The next day was a trip to my sister and brother-in-law’s little farmstay in Honda. Remember the hinterlands I was talking about before? Little did I know that I was going to see the side of Goa most tourists fail to see as they get lost in the cacophony of the party side of Goa.

The hinterland route

The scenic ferry ride from Ribandar to Chorao Island took about 15-20 minutes. For two cars we paid INR 20 in total (INR 10 for each vehicle) and as soon as we got down the ferry, on my left I saw the entrance to the famous Dr.

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. We skipped the bird sanctuary that day as we had a long drive ahead of us. The drive to Honda was simply spectacular with the backwaters and mangroves on one side and the scenic little coastal villages on the other.

Just what I always imagined. Because it had rained the previous day, the greenery was on point, Brahminy kites were overhead, and the winding little roads were sans any traffic. The travel writer in me noticed these things.

The quiet, vibrant colours, the village homes, red laterite bricks, the smoke coming out of chimneys of homes, roadside vendors selling mud crabs and clams…the idyllic scene stole my heart that day. From Shakuntala Farmstay, you are not too far from Arvalem Caves (Pandava Caves) and waterfalls. We decided on a quick trip to see the famous caves and the falls. Both mightily impressive. The waterfall was a roaring force, the water all tea-coloured because of the season, and the best part of it all…free of tourists! By now I have stopped counting myself as a tourist.

On our way back we decided why not explore the forest! On what Goan itinerary would you find time for random forest bathing? On this one we did. For others, Forest Bathing is a practice where one visits a forest and enjoys the quiet nature, meditates if possible, and just stay in a very relaxing atmosphere. Well, we got to do all that and more. There was this adorable stream in the middle of the forest where we cooled off for a couple of hours.

The knee-deep gurgling water was the cleanest I have ever seen. What did the travel writer in me think of the experience? Well, you are reading it here. The mighty Western Ghats did not disappoint.

On our drive back to the farm, it had rained. Up ahead we stopped at a roadside tea shop for a cup of hot chai and countless batata kaap (alu pakoda). Unplanned outing done right I must say. Will I ever long for touristy things in Goa? I highly doubt that. That night at the farm, the rain had stopped and we were visited by hundreds of fireflies.