Le Monde - Cuckoo’s Eyeview

I know I know, you are equally bored by these Goan posts as I am. Lots more posts are waiting in queue. Just not getting enough time to pen down these. So, without wasting any precious moments, here I go again.

There is a lot more to Goa than beaches, palm trees and feni (a local alcohol drink)… one of them being exciting water sports.

Going up

Goa is a paradise for adventurous water sport lovers. The long coastal area offers a wonderful opportunity to indulge in all sorts of thrilling aquatic sport activities. Surf the seas or float across the blue skies, the options of sport enjoyment are never ending in Goa.
Surfing, snorkeling, jet-skiing, boogie boarding, scuba diving, water-skiing, parasailing, windsurfing, and deep sea fishing are just some of the water sports that are sure going to take your breath away.
And the best part is that all you need is loads of enthusiasm, grit (and of course some hard cash) and you’ll have an absolutely unforgettable time.

However, these sports should be done under expert guidance and even if you are a novice like me to these sports, you are made to feel the other way by experts who are basically locals and who without any gadgets, in just shorts & a T-shirt, eat, breathe and live sea. One of them told me they are in sea water for more than 12 hours a day !!

When we decided a vacation in Goa, we knew water sports would be a part of it. We wanted to enjoy our vacations reposefully.
So one full day was reserved for water sports and since we knew it was going to be a tiring one, on previous day we had taken rest from our sight seeing schedules. We just lazed around, relaxed in swimming pool and walked to the beach at night. As I have mentioned earlier, the Benaulim beach was only one and half kilometers from our place of stay.

On the day of water sports, we got up early and reached Calangute beach via Mapusa. What we observed was that there was not a single foreigner in Calangute beach. I think they don’t prefer it as the beach is very crowded with locals.

You can see the shadows, it was almost noon but even the scorching heat could not deter the enthusiasts.

There were several reasons for choosing this beach over other.
1) While going we had met a girl on train whose hometown was Goa and she had recommended this particular beach. We went by her experience.
2) The rides or activities are far less expensive here. Probably the organizers make money by sheer no. of people visiting the place.
3) It was equidistant from our place of stay so it didn’t make any difference to us.
4) We got to see one more beach.

Though Goa doesn’t have any magnificent coral reefs like Australia or South Africa, it still boasts a variety of fascinating marine life. One can see the wreckage of the colonial ships that belong to the Portuguese and the sharks.

Still we left some activities such as scuba diving & snorkeling for next time. It would have eaten up half a day of our schedule. Also, though I am slightly adventurous type, still I am not too comfortable shaking hands and gossiping with sharks and jellyfishes in their home.

A number of government and private organizations including hotels and tour operators conduct these activities including training courses at a very nominal rate for tourists.
Dona Paula beach is also famous for water sports especially for speed boats & jet-skiing. And if you want a leisurely sail on a paddleboat like we had in Venna lake, you can go to the picturesque Mayem Lake. If one is interested, there are even speed boats and sail boats available to go to other beaches.

Some of the aquatic rides that I enjoyed were water-scooter, water skiing, paragliding, banana ride, surfing, etc.

The banana boat

Banana ride is for a maximum of four people at a time. The inflated boat is in shape of a banana and is tied to a speed boat. Apart from the ‘passengers’ there is only one guide on board. The other person handles the boat.
They take you in the middle of the sea and suddenly the banana topples throwing all into the sea !! And mind you, you are NOT tied to anything or anyone.
There I was struggling with heavy waves, splashing, kicking and drinking sea water, screaming for my life, worrying about becoming delicious food for the sharks. Mannn, I had never had such freaking thrills in my life.

Coming down

The other activity that I loved most was paragliding. I had opted for the biggest round (Rs 1000/-). Though I had done similar things before in Panchgani and in France (yet to write about it), it was quite different this time. The main difference was that I was gliding over the sea at a higher altitude and for a longer period.
I liked it so much that I went for another big round carrying the handycam this time !! And I felt the same what our first astronaut had felt when he uttered “Saare jahan se accha Hindustan hamara“.
But to tell you the truth, I had inquired about the strength of the rope and bode a goodbye to all before I went up first time and I was the first one to volunteer.
Nonetheless, it was pure fun. I was told by the guide that 200-300 people queue up for paragliding in peak season. The guides don’t get time to even eat !

Note:- The paragliding charges start from 400 INR (for small) to 1000 INR (more than half a km in the sky) per person for each round.

Related posts:- Goa
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While going towards Pune came across four small & big accidents on Mumbai-Pune expressway. It was raining and there was chaos, pain & anger. They were waiting for the ambulance to come.

And where was the ambulance ? Here.

Goa is a small place so moving from one place to another has plenty of options. The roads, as per Indian standards, are generally in good condition including the ones in interiors. But don’t be surprised if I say that National Highway NH17 which passes through Goa is just a 1+1 lane road and not a 4+4 or even a 2+2.

Local Transport
Wherever I go, at least once I try to use the local transport to get a ‘at home’ feel. A ride on a local bus, whilst you are on holiday, is usually a unique experience, not to be missed. Goa was no different.

The local buses are known as “Janta Buses”. There are no set timetables and mostly no bus stops either. But they are frequent, touch major bus stops and go to the interiors as well. The buses are not in good condition and packed; not to mention, they are private buses run by locals.
Almost always they won’t even issue a ticket even after asking for it. They just collect the money, stare at you and go away.

Near airport

There is one more bus service called ‘Kadamba’ which operates between all major points such as Mapusa, Madgaon, Panaji, Vasco-da-gama; the service is regular, they have proper ‘Kadamba’ bus stops and they issue tickets.
However, one major drawback in Goa is the timings. By seven in the evening, all buses stop their services so planning to go back to one’s place of stay should not be left behind.

Near every regular bus stop, there is a motorcycle-taxi stand about which I have written here. They are plenty, fast, economical and safe.

An autoricksha

Hiring of Scooter and Cars
Scooters and Motorcycles are in abundance, every day of your holiday you will be asked, by local touts & innumerable sign-boards ‘if you want to rent one’. But what you don’t know is that this hiring for self-driving is totally illegal. You are not allowed to hire private scooters or motorcycles in Goa.
If you do so, it means apart from the very real danger to you of a serious or fatal accident, you will be uninsured, and a target for the local police. The police know you are riding illegally and can stop you, threaten you with arrest, imprisonment and court appearances. Of course, they will tell that an ‘on the spot fine’ can solve your problem. There is no real ‘on the spot fine’ system, so the large amount of money (negotiable) that they extract from you, is for their pocket.
There are very few legal, motorcycle and scooter hire companies in Goa. The tip to remember is that they have black number plates with yellow registration numbers (not white which is for private vehicles only).

Private chauffeur driven cars are available for 2500 INR – 3000 INR per day depending on your days schedule but they too prefer to come back by evening if you plan to go from south Goa to north or vice versa. First two days we had booked the same to get familiarized with the surroundings and after that we were on our own traveling in all kind of transports.

Washroom Facilities
General washroom facilities are available at every major bus stop but then even after being a paid service; you get to see a stinking, not so clean, fully wet, without any tissue or soap washroom. I think we Indians, should now assume that we can NOT improve upon this facility in any city.

One of the interior roads through a village

Related posts:- Reaching Geneva, Goa

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When I took this picture of Lambani or Lamani tribal in Goa, I never knew I would write about her. I was particularly impressed with this smiling lady with silver and lac jewelry hanging around her neck, ears, nose, wrists, fingers, toes, ankles and even adorning her hair.

Sitting outside her little roadside shop she gave me a contended smile and happily posed for photos. She was wearing a vibrantly coloured ‘mirrored’ dress that attracted many a curious tourists including me. Her shop was full of anything & everything colorful and exotic.. .. from hand bags, embroidered shirts/tops to tapestry and intricate jewelry.

I tried to ask many questions which she could understand but could not answer me in any common language. Except for a few selected English words such as ‘thank you’, ‘sorry’ and a little counting (one, two etc.) our common language was sign language. But later I saw some from her tribe at the Flea market speaking fluent English. Probably this lady was new to the town.

The people of the Lambani tribe are said to be from Karnataka and can mostly be found living in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and northern Karnataka. But looking at their work, I could have mistaken them to have originated from Rajasthan or Gujarat.

Gypsy by nature, the Lambani women’s main work is to embroider bright coloured cotton fabrics with a mosaic of patchwork mirrors. Their work is sought after for its vibrancy of pattern and colour which has hundreds of small mirrors into different compositions. Each piece depicts an aspect of the Lambani creation myths.
They are great travelers, they can be found in groups throughout the central and southern parts of India selling their clothes at markets and tourist places. The Lambani women are the main breads-winners in their families. They are worshippers of Shakti, the female energy or force.
The Lambani women commonly wear silver jewelry laden with bells. Some of it has pyramid shaped large silver torque around the neck. They are said to represent bee hives, as the Lambani were once known as a bee-keeping tribe.
They mostly wear bangles made of lac. I saw some of them with their head shaven at the back of their head and I think probably that is one of the reasons why they cover their heads in this fashion. Later she undid her scarf and wore it like any other Indian woman.

I am planning to do an interview with them when I go there next time.

Related posts:-Goa
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Before I start again on my Goa series, let me share some pictures from Chopta. One of my acquaintance had been there recently & these pictures belong to him. This place is again in my wish list and I know I will accomplish it one day.

Chandrashilla: Legend has it that Goddess Chandrama (Moon) had spent a long time here in penance. It is a 360-degree view from the top, and to the north, a great section of the Himalayas are visible. Chaukambha, Banderpoonch, Kedarnath, Nandadevi, Sudarshan Panat, Gangotri, Neelkanth and several other peaks are visible.

Situated on the Gopeshwar - Ukhimath road, about 40 kms. from Gopeshwar at an altitude of about 2900 mts., Chopta is one of the most picturesque places in the entire Garhwal region. It provides a breathtaking view of the Himalayan ranges and surrounding areas. P.W.D. guest house is available at Dogalbhita 8 kms. from Chopta.

Rest of the information when I go there.

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