March was a good time to be visiting Calangute because the Calangute Carnival is in full stride. Although the streets are hardly what you’d described as "festooned" they are vibrant and a cacophony of sound and colour. We managed to take in the Carnival procession – a poorly orchestrated affair, but fully reflective of the participants drive and enthusiasm. We thought that occasionally the locally police were a little too enthusiastic with their "crowd control as they pocked locals with the stick that they usually reserve for "strutting with". Still we were later told that there is very little crime in Goa as everyone is fully aware of the tenacity of the local police force. Carnival, if not a culturally rich affair, proved exciting and colourful and we’re pleased to have been there to experience it.
Our trip to a locals market was excellent. It’s held every Monday at Mapsa and although several tourists find their way there it truly is not aimed at visitors. Here you’ll see the local farmers / growers touting their goods to families and local hoteliers. Goans are out buying cloth for cloths and negotiating, probably even harder than us tourists, for the bargain. Hang onto your wallet. Not necessarily because I suspect pickpockets abound, but there are loads of people jostling against each other as we all tried to manoeuvre our way down the small aisles and alleyways. It is a confusing and huge place and we did get lost a couple of times as we attempted to discover all parts of the market’s life.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip into Goa (see separate journal "Beyond Calangute"), with a local taxi driver who took us through the local villages, to a couple of temples and to some picturesque spots just perfect for the photographer in me.
Even in busy Calangute the pace of life is "slow and steady" and it would be extremely difficult not to fully wind down and relax. Local restaurants put on a wide variety of local music and it is with some shame that I recall a Karaoke night as being memorable - there were some real cracking voices and competent performances of popular songs.
But I guess our lasting memory (if we ignore the litter) is the smiling faces, the warmth of the locals and the wall-to-wall Goan sun. A good winter’s break
Quick Tips:
The time share touts were often out and about in Calangute and they "attacked" us in variety of ways. The first was a gentle and casual approach as they engaged us in conversation and then went for the jugular as they thrust a card into our hands. A gentle "no" normally saw this one off without too much effort. The other type arrived out of thin air on a motorbike in areas where you’d least expect them. The normal shout of, "are you from Scandinavia?" (they incorrectly assume my origin because of my blonde hair) is followed immediately by my rebuttal (when will I ever learn?) One pursued us for over ten minutes and in the end I had to become extremely hostile with this determined character before he’d leave us to the rest of our holiday. Apparently if they entrap you, the event that you’re called to is a nightmare to escape from. I’d give them a wide berth and reject their approaches as soon as you recognise their modus operandi – they after all aren’t that subtle.
India offers great deals on medical items and I took the brave step of being tested for glasses. My current ones have seen better days and at less than a third of the UK prices it had to be worth a go. We discussed opticians around the pool and several people had bought repeatedly from Roman Optics. I bit the bullet and went for the test and at the end of a tortuous fitting (initially the lens were incorrect) I have a pair of specs that will see me through until my next opticians visit in the UK in March next year. Indeed my vision has seriously improved with these items!
Several people were stocking up on medical supplies and most items from painkillers to prescribed medication is seriously cheaper in India. We didn’t really indulge in this frantic buying but we saw tourists leaving the chemist carrying large bags crammed with lotions and potions.
Others were opting for dental work and individual were convinced of the cheapness and high quality if the work of the local dentist. Certainly their advertising points to their determination to capture rupees from the tourists. I’d personally need a bit more convincing before opening my mouth, but there was many a poolside conversation claiming the efficiency of the Goan Dentist.
Best Way To Get Around:
Getting around Calangute is really best done on foot and were could quite comfortably walk the length of the Baga Road in half an hour or from the football pitch to the end on the Candolim Road in an hour. What better way to spend some time at the beginning of the evening "working up an appetite for that evening meal." The other advantage is that you can stop off "at will" for a look in the shop or a pause for a coffee and a snack. However, never take your eye off the road, as the sound of a horn means "out of my way" – drivers pass dramatically close to the un-alert pedestrian.
However, if you wish to be purposeful and avoid the friendly banter from the traders as you stroll pass their emporiums then you can opt for the "luxury" of the auto-rickshaw or Tuk-Tuk. These noisy twin stroke covered-in motor-cycles will offer you cheap transport around the town (usually 50 rupees from one end to the other) although you do need to negotiate a price before starting the journey. If you’re returning within the hour the driver will wait for you and do a "better deal". Journeys by Tuk-Tuk are not for the faint-hearted and they seem to race through the streets at break-neck speed, disregarding on-coming traffic as they overtake pedestrians, cattle, bikes, other Tuk-Tuks and even taxis. It’s "hang on to your hats time", but an experience that I’d commend to you.
Taxis are a more comfortable experience but still the journey will feel "dangerous" as your driver weaves along the main road pipping his horn furiously at anyone who seems to threaten his road space. Taxi fares are perhaps four times more expensive than Tuk-Tuks and far less fun!
There are plenty of buses around the area and they’re all clearly signed. However, a bus journey, although incredibly cheap, is not only a means of transport it is a total experience. You’ll need plenty of time, patience and a strong stomach. We nearly made it one day but after a twenty-minute wait (we were going to a local market) we decided to stop a Tuk-Tuk. We later found out that the 12-rupee ride would have taken almost 1½ hours (15 minutes by auto-rickshaw) and we’d have been crammed in the non air-conditioned bus in unbearable conditions. Glad we missed that!