I went to Goa after twenty plus years.
The Goa I knew in seventies to early nineties has vanished.
In old days it was a simple laid back place with fairly cheap accomodation and beaches with a few shacks
and only simple items -food snacks and liquor both local ,IMFL and coconut elaneer for consumption. The
roads then were like any small town broken in patches , not well laid though motorable. south goa had its
churches and monuments still attracting more devotees than tourists. transport was only old buses and
motorcycle where we ride on pillion.taxis were few in number.we had a lot of foreigners -in fact there
used to be in large numbers.
Now it is totally different- huge high rise residential apartments, beautiful well laid roads, taxies and cars
jamming the streets, new road bridges . It has turned totally commercial. Hotels charging wildly -prices
from 5-20 k a day jacked up multiple times, cars charging upto 40rs a km.from 27th dec to Ist jan .
I had to pay rs 2000 for an ordinary car for morning journey from panjim to airport four times normal
rates.even now I could take the free ferry and old bus of nineties paying 15rs though but cars
charged 800 to 1000 for one way journey which I took when it was late evening. Beaches have been
occupied by shack owners who have put their own cots with mattresses charging 100 rs for an hour of
occupation.massage fellows charged 300 only for legs and 500 for back.
The foreigners have mostly deserted the town and this year the well off indians did not also turn up-perhaps
they preferred foreign shores to the overcrowded beaches where there were mostly lower middle class.
Most stayed for a day or two seeing the expenses. the rescue workers went on a flash strike for higher
wages and they had a token presence.
Ignoring all that was not so good, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, eating and drinking goanese and udipi
food and liquor, seeing sharukh khan film in empty theatre for rs150 , lay on the beaches -calangute and
baga,watched the beautiful sunset, made some goanese friends -they are nice once you get to know them.
It requires a mindset to be happy ignoring the concrete jungle and mingling with the locals. They are nice
and very helpful.A memorable holiday.
The Goa I knew in seventies to early nineties has vanished.
In old days it was a simple laid back place with fairly cheap accomodation and beaches with a few shacks
and only simple items -food snacks and liquor both local ,IMFL and coconut elaneer for consumption. The
roads then were like any small town broken in patches , not well laid though motorable. south goa had its
churches and monuments still attracting more devotees than tourists. transport was only old buses and
motorcycle where we ride on pillion.taxis were few in number.we had a lot of foreigners -in fact there
used to be in large numbers.
Now it is totally different- huge high rise residential apartments, beautiful well laid roads, taxies and cars
jamming the streets, new road bridges . It has turned totally commercial. Hotels charging wildly -prices
from 5-20 k a day jacked up multiple times, cars charging upto 40rs a km.from 27th dec to Ist jan .
I had to pay rs 2000 for an ordinary car for morning journey from panjim to airport four times normal
rates.even now I could take the free ferry and old bus of nineties paying 15rs though but cars
charged 800 to 1000 for one way journey which I took when it was late evening. Beaches have been
occupied by shack owners who have put their own cots with mattresses charging 100 rs for an hour of
occupation.massage fellows charged 300 only for legs and 500 for back.
The foreigners have mostly deserted the town and this year the well off indians did not also turn up-perhaps
they preferred foreign shores to the overcrowded beaches where there were mostly lower middle class.
Most stayed for a day or two seeing the expenses. the rescue workers went on a flash strike for higher
wages and they had a token presence.
Ignoring all that was not so good, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, eating and drinking goanese and udipi
food and liquor, seeing sharukh khan film in empty theatre for rs150 , lay on the beaches -calangute and
baga,watched the beautiful sunset, made some goanese friends -they are nice once you get to know them.
It requires a mindset to be happy ignoring the concrete jungle and mingling with the locals. They are nice
and very helpful.A memorable holiday.
