9 September,2013 , having returned to Goa a day before I was battling
the Monday blues or should I say expecting the Monday blues to welcome me in
the office. Little did I know what awaited me today, the day of Ganesh
Chaturthi . It was an official holiday. All shops were closed, the office was
locked, save for a couple of doorkeepers who informed me ,while laughing as
they observed how I was all dressed up to attend the office, that it was an off
on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival that is celebrated with much
enthusiasm in this part of the country. I have lost count of the times I have
travelled back and forth from Goa to Delhi and back to Goa and I must say that
the travelling is becoming painful now because of horrible railways service. I
do not even want to think of travelling in trains now, the very thought
depresses me, that is how bad it is. But this is not the place to talk about
that issue. In the context of this scenario, imagine how a person would feel,
even after spending 15 days of Holiday at home, about joining the office and
that dreaded 9-5 schedule.
Luckily I happened to have a card in my shirt’s pocket which was given to me by a person on another journey. He is the son of the soil in this part of the world. I called and was invited to join him in the celebrations. This phone call started the adventure for the day. The place is almost 100 km far from the main city here. This state is already known for its flora and fauna but most of the people and tourists as well as tourism is focused on beaches and oceans. Very few people realize that Goa has much more to offer, if only one is willing to explore. I took my bike and ventured towards my destination and to my amazement most of the road trip was a thrilling experience. The roads were surrounded by rivers, lush green landscape which eventually gave way to a forest. I was truly away from ‘civilization and concrete jungles’ and welcomed by Mother Nature. When I reached the particular village that I was supposed to find, the phone stopped working. I tried again and again but it didn’t. I was, almost, about to turn back and return as the phone’s battery was about to die and there was no way I could have found that ‘Ram’, the person who had invited me. But I was feeling too blessed to give up that easily, already smitten by the natural beauty that I had witnessed so far I just didn’t feel like turning back and just then across the road I saw a little kid of about 9-10 years old. I just asked him about Ram’s address without hoping to have any positive answer. But I guess it was my lucky day, he knew it and once he realized I had a bike, he volunteered to show me his house on the condition that I drop him back to the shop .Little did he know it was his lucky day too. When we reached Ram was not home and there was a lock and two ferocious dogs in the garden. Just when I thought it was the best we could do and was about to turn my bike and return, I got a call from Ram who asked me to come a little further to a certain place and this is where we actually entered a real forest. Technically those are villages adjacent to a forest but it hardly makes a difference for a visitor as the experience is similar. The more we drove, the further we encountered almost magical sites of river surrounded by thousands of trees and hills with lush green cover. It was like a place taken out of a fairy land I used to imagine as I read Jataka tales in childhood. Maybe those fairy tales were not myths; maybe those stories were based on true events, who knows?
Just when I thought I had seen everything there was to be seen in Goa (I will write about some other magnificent places too, which I should have done long time ago, but elsewhere), I was in for a little reality check. We finally met Ram waiting for us in his car, I dropped y bike there as we were practically entering a jungle now without proper roads. He took us on an upward path, on the hill, and after entering the forest path for about 3 -4 miles, a cottage house appeared inside the forest which was one of their abodes. I was dumbstruck and happy to see that such places exist where people have made homes literally inside a forest. As we entered the house, we were greeted by his family and his grandparents. The pooja was about to start and everyone after freshening up started the worship of lord Ganesha. After the Pooja we were given some prashad and treated with a mouth watering lunch which consisted of many dishes which I was having for the first time ever. There were sweets of different kinds, 3- 4 vegetables, rice and sour dishes and dessert. All of this was offered on fresh and big banana leaves. We were seated on the ground with very comfortable seats arranged for us there. After completing the lunch we ventured into the wild. Just in a matter of minutes I saw one of the most beautiful sites one can hope to see. A little outlet of water coming down from the hills which merges in river . We were literally witnessing the trail engulfed with untouched and unspoiled rocks shimmering in the sunlight as water made its way downstream. I didn’t expect to go past this stream and the tree plantation in their garden attached to the forest. But Ram led the way and we went deeper into the forest , trekking on the hill which was a little steep and tiring . We went past the official forest boundary which was demarcated in the wild. Just as we entered this sanctuary we came across a couple of snakes, scaring us to no end and the sight was so funny as the couple of kids who were accompanying us were not unnerved at all and were instead laughing at us ‘grown ups’ who were scared at every hint of movement in the grass or on trees. We encountered a colourful spider which was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that such a creature can be so colourful that it could rival a butterfly in looks. Then we came across few crabs, the biggest one being again colorful. As we went on and on we grew a little tired and even Ram had kind of lost his way. He was aiming to find the way to the river hidden inside the forest but the forest was getting darker as it was growing dense with each moving step. We decided to turn back and call it a day . After returning we relaxed a bit watched television for few minutes and then travelled out of the forest. Ram showed us another beautiful river just outside the forest and the bridges were unspoiled making it look even more beautiful. Finally he showed us his second home, which we initially were supposed to find , out in the village . The house was unlike the ugly excuses for buildings that are built these days. It was indigenous . Surrounded by the garden populated with various kinds of trees and plants. He showed us a few plants whose leaves smelled like herbs and gave me a couple of big oranges, as big as a little watermelon. We cherished each and every moment surrounded by Eden-like beauty of nature ; hills and rivers. I bid farewell to see him some other time and dropped the little kid at his shop who showed his gratitude by thanking me and to my surprise telling me that this was the first time he had such a good meal and was dumbstruck to see the beauty that surrounded him but was never able to see as the forest if so big, it is virtually out of bounds on foot ( we had travelled a lot of distance on the bike inside).
I put on my earplugs, switched on the iPod and drove the bike , once again treated by natural beauty and listening to amazing music i.e. tracks like Freescha’s Smurf’s shoes, Revis- everything after. When I stopped to withdraw some money, from an ATM ,on my way back I was suggested by a passer-by, on asking about the route back to city, to go up on the hill and take a ferry on the river instead . The suggestion was a good one, instead of travelling for 50 miles on road ,why not just board a ferry and go across the river . The ferry’s are big enough to carry cars and bikes across the river. So once again the path to the river was a good excuse to explore the beautiful landscape littered with little gems of homes here and there along the way and a few lakes and rivers .When I finally boarded the ferry the view was mesmerizing in a different way, here I was with strangers right in the middle of the river under the open evening sky with orange sunset light, few stars and moon, just like the one which is drawn in children’s books. After reaching home I went to the beach nearby and it was dark now. The sky was dark and cool breeze greeted me under the wide open sky. There was either Venus or Mercury , whichever planet it is, visible along with the moon. I just had an ice tea besides the ocean and returned t my room , only to watch The motorcycle diaries . Can a day be better than this one
Luckily I happened to have a card in my shirt’s pocket which was given to me by a person on another journey. He is the son of the soil in this part of the world. I called and was invited to join him in the celebrations. This phone call started the adventure for the day. The place is almost 100 km far from the main city here. This state is already known for its flora and fauna but most of the people and tourists as well as tourism is focused on beaches and oceans. Very few people realize that Goa has much more to offer, if only one is willing to explore. I took my bike and ventured towards my destination and to my amazement most of the road trip was a thrilling experience. The roads were surrounded by rivers, lush green landscape which eventually gave way to a forest. I was truly away from ‘civilization and concrete jungles’ and welcomed by Mother Nature. When I reached the particular village that I was supposed to find, the phone stopped working. I tried again and again but it didn’t. I was, almost, about to turn back and return as the phone’s battery was about to die and there was no way I could have found that ‘Ram’, the person who had invited me. But I was feeling too blessed to give up that easily, already smitten by the natural beauty that I had witnessed so far I just didn’t feel like turning back and just then across the road I saw a little kid of about 9-10 years old. I just asked him about Ram’s address without hoping to have any positive answer. But I guess it was my lucky day, he knew it and once he realized I had a bike, he volunteered to show me his house on the condition that I drop him back to the shop .Little did he know it was his lucky day too. When we reached Ram was not home and there was a lock and two ferocious dogs in the garden. Just when I thought it was the best we could do and was about to turn my bike and return, I got a call from Ram who asked me to come a little further to a certain place and this is where we actually entered a real forest. Technically those are villages adjacent to a forest but it hardly makes a difference for a visitor as the experience is similar. The more we drove, the further we encountered almost magical sites of river surrounded by thousands of trees and hills with lush green cover. It was like a place taken out of a fairy land I used to imagine as I read Jataka tales in childhood. Maybe those fairy tales were not myths; maybe those stories were based on true events, who knows?
Just when I thought I had seen everything there was to be seen in Goa (I will write about some other magnificent places too, which I should have done long time ago, but elsewhere), I was in for a little reality check. We finally met Ram waiting for us in his car, I dropped y bike there as we were practically entering a jungle now without proper roads. He took us on an upward path, on the hill, and after entering the forest path for about 3 -4 miles, a cottage house appeared inside the forest which was one of their abodes. I was dumbstruck and happy to see that such places exist where people have made homes literally inside a forest. As we entered the house, we were greeted by his family and his grandparents. The pooja was about to start and everyone after freshening up started the worship of lord Ganesha. After the Pooja we were given some prashad and treated with a mouth watering lunch which consisted of many dishes which I was having for the first time ever. There were sweets of different kinds, 3- 4 vegetables, rice and sour dishes and dessert. All of this was offered on fresh and big banana leaves. We were seated on the ground with very comfortable seats arranged for us there. After completing the lunch we ventured into the wild. Just in a matter of minutes I saw one of the most beautiful sites one can hope to see. A little outlet of water coming down from the hills which merges in river . We were literally witnessing the trail engulfed with untouched and unspoiled rocks shimmering in the sunlight as water made its way downstream. I didn’t expect to go past this stream and the tree plantation in their garden attached to the forest. But Ram led the way and we went deeper into the forest , trekking on the hill which was a little steep and tiring . We went past the official forest boundary which was demarcated in the wild. Just as we entered this sanctuary we came across a couple of snakes, scaring us to no end and the sight was so funny as the couple of kids who were accompanying us were not unnerved at all and were instead laughing at us ‘grown ups’ who were scared at every hint of movement in the grass or on trees. We encountered a colourful spider which was so beautiful that it was hard to believe that such a creature can be so colourful that it could rival a butterfly in looks. Then we came across few crabs, the biggest one being again colorful. As we went on and on we grew a little tired and even Ram had kind of lost his way. He was aiming to find the way to the river hidden inside the forest but the forest was getting darker as it was growing dense with each moving step. We decided to turn back and call it a day . After returning we relaxed a bit watched television for few minutes and then travelled out of the forest. Ram showed us another beautiful river just outside the forest and the bridges were unspoiled making it look even more beautiful. Finally he showed us his second home, which we initially were supposed to find , out in the village . The house was unlike the ugly excuses for buildings that are built these days. It was indigenous . Surrounded by the garden populated with various kinds of trees and plants. He showed us a few plants whose leaves smelled like herbs and gave me a couple of big oranges, as big as a little watermelon. We cherished each and every moment surrounded by Eden-like beauty of nature ; hills and rivers. I bid farewell to see him some other time and dropped the little kid at his shop who showed his gratitude by thanking me and to my surprise telling me that this was the first time he had such a good meal and was dumbstruck to see the beauty that surrounded him but was never able to see as the forest if so big, it is virtually out of bounds on foot ( we had travelled a lot of distance on the bike inside).
I put on my earplugs, switched on the iPod and drove the bike , once again treated by natural beauty and listening to amazing music i.e. tracks like Freescha’s Smurf’s shoes, Revis- everything after. When I stopped to withdraw some money, from an ATM ,on my way back I was suggested by a passer-by, on asking about the route back to city, to go up on the hill and take a ferry on the river instead . The suggestion was a good one, instead of travelling for 50 miles on road ,why not just board a ferry and go across the river . The ferry’s are big enough to carry cars and bikes across the river. So once again the path to the river was a good excuse to explore the beautiful landscape littered with little gems of homes here and there along the way and a few lakes and rivers .When I finally boarded the ferry the view was mesmerizing in a different way, here I was with strangers right in the middle of the river under the open evening sky with orange sunset light, few stars and moon, just like the one which is drawn in children’s books. After reaching home I went to the beach nearby and it was dark now. The sky was dark and cool breeze greeted me under the wide open sky. There was either Venus or Mercury , whichever planet it is, visible along with the moon. I just had an ice tea besides the ocean and returned t my room , only to watch The motorcycle diaries . Can a day be better than this one
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