Life & Style | Travel
Beyond the beaches
Goa is not just about sun, sand and surf. Its natural beauty combined with vitality makes Adam Flinter want to capture every moment for posterity.
- By Adam Flinter, Web Editor
- Published: 23:56 May 9, 2008
- They say Goa has some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.
- Image Credit: Adam Flinter/Gulf News
They say Goa has some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world.
It's certainly up there with the best of them, so much so that I made a point of going to the beach every single day just to watch the orange ball of fire disappear into the horizon.
Opportunities abound
The silhouettes of people passing by made for some interesting photo opportunities.
The scene I encountered was like something you'd see in a wildlife documentary but is a common sight in the lush pastures of Goa.
A small herd of wild buffaloes wading through a lake before starting a hard day's grazing presented an opportunity that was difficult to turn down.
I made the taxi driver stop so I could take a few pictures. I am sure with such beautiful scenery on offer, he must be used to such requests from tourists.
Despite the riches that tourism bring to the state, Goa is still known for its fresh fish.
The food you feast on in the restaurants is first hauled ashore in the early hours via hundreds of fishermen, women and children.
Families take part in the ritual of hauling the catch ashore at 6am every morning.
Laid-back yet vibrant
The southern part of Goa is what I like to call “India-lite'' with a far more laid-back attitude than many other parts of the country but the markets are just as vibrant and colourful here as in any of the big cities.
You can pick up great bargains if you perfect your bartering-and-walking-away-disinterested technique.
You'll find colonial architecture almost anywhere, from the beautiful (and, sometimes, heartbreakingly faded) façades of old Portuguese villas to the grand and wonderfully kept churches and basilicas.
Old Goa, the former capital, is the place to go to see some magnificent religious architecture, including St Cajetan church.
If sunsets in Goa are spectacular, the same has to be true for sunrises, right?
Waking up early in the morning to catch the fishermen returning home proved to be doubly fortuitous as it also allowed me to witness the sun rising through the trees, bathing the place in a warm light.
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