Looking up for cheap, yet cosy and comfortable resorts in
MakeMyTrip.com,landed us with a resort in South Goa, a few kms from Margao. While
the only image in my mind of Goa had been that of the beaches , I was in for a
pleasant surprise. Goa gave us the much required change from the polluted air
of the city. The lush green everywhere , the scattered red roofed cottages, each cottage different in
its own style, each blending with the
nature like it belonged there , the age old churches..like a place untouched by noise and other pollution, that we call a
by product of urbanization.
Renting a rickety scooty – the only one available near the
resort then – my husband and I made our way towards Palolem beach that was 25 km away. There were hardly
any petrol bunks to be seen and we were asked to buy petrol from a General Stores that looked hardly any
different than a small and messy storeroom. Taking the only road, we started
off with a full tank. In a few kms, there were no more settlements to be seen. With
only the lush green everywhere, interspersed with a few barren lands , few
monkeys jumping in the low branches, the
road blocked in a few places by herds of untethered cattle.. it was similar to
a ride through a jungle. With the sun hiding behind the clouds and the
occasional drizzle, it was just perfect.
Due to the onset of monsoon, the usual calm blue sea was
instead brown and the waves lashed out
angrily at the shores. The lifeguards shooed us away to safety taking shelter
from the rain themselves. Not too eager
to get back, we set off for the Agonda beach 10 kms away using Google Maps. It
was around noon and soon we were brought
back to reality by the rumbling of the stomach and nature’s call. Being off
season, almost all the restaurants were closed and we were left with no option
but to head back to our resort 16 kms away.
The long route that was refreshing was now un-ending and
tiring. Almost halfway back, right in the middle of nowhere, is when we noticed
the pointer moving towards “E”. With not a soul in sight, with not even a bird
in flight, the whole place was suddenly eerie and scary. It’s weird how the
brain works. That same path that was perceived romantic suddenly felt eerie. We
sped fast to reach before the fuel ran out, only to end up in a junction that we
had never seen before. Only a small dilapidated liquor shop stood there. Inside
were a few men hunched over cards. On
enquiring the elderly man outside hoping he was sober, we returned
back in the same direction as he suggested.
Driving back in the direction pointed for another 4 kms, we
came upon a barren land with no vegetation. A lone man in torn shirts and
trousers was digging right beside the road. Adrenaline and fear rushed in. The
hunger and the need to heed to nature’s call long gone. There was no road to
where the Arrow in the Google Maps pointed.
The only option was to head back and take the longer 16 km route the Map
showed. Cursing under the breath, we took a reverse and raced. I wondered what
would happen if we broke down somewhere
with no settlements nearby. Were the people friendly? Would take
advantage of lost stranded tourists? A thousand questions came into my mind. When
we are scared, the mind conjures the worst imagination and brings every news
ever read that were shelved deep inside the subconscious. Every news on women
being raped flashed across in few seconds. The occasional creaking from the
vehicle didn’t help things either.
Just when the fuel pointer showed a steady E, and it was running on reserve, we came across a few cottages. There we were pointed to a hair saloon in Bali from where we bought petrol! Breathing out a huge sigh of relief, we took the longer route ensuring we always had some people in sight and reached our resort.Muttering a heartfelt thanks towards the heavens, we attacked our lunch.
Just when the fuel pointer showed a steady E, and it was running on reserve, we came across a few cottages. There we were pointed to a hair saloon in Bali from where we bought petrol! Breathing out a huge sigh of relief, we took the longer route ensuring we always had some people in sight and reached our resort.Muttering a heartfelt thanks towards the heavens, we attacked our lunch.
Once again a nice article. The suspense element is good..
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