Tourists few, Goans reclaim popular spots

Post Unlock 4.0, Goans have started going out, while maintaining social distancing. While a lot of them chose offbeat locations, a few have also started revisiting

crowd favourite spots

like Calangute, Baga, Sinquerim, Candolim and Dudhsagar.

'Can go back to just chill at Calangute or Baga beach'
Beaches like Calangute and Baga, which were much loved by locals for years, suddenly saw an influx in tourists over the last couple of years, and were being avoided by many. However, the pandemic has reduced the tourist footfall, and with fewer people at these beaches, Goans revisit these spots on

sunny evenings

!
Lana de Souza, a resident of Sangolda who revisited Baga post the pandemic and had a swim in the creek like the good old days says, “This year can’t be forgotten. But one positive thing was that I was able to fall in love with Goa all over again. Our state is so beautiful, but sometimes I forget that. There are places I used to visit as a kid that I have only just revisited now during the lockdown. Without the tourists, garbage and traffic, exploring Goa these last few months for me has been another experience altogether, one that I might not get again in my lifetime.”
Not just her, windsurfer Katya Coelho, a resident of Calangute, elaborates, “The beaches weren’t crowded. Calangute was full of foreigners and hardly any domestic tourists. The vibe was great, with everyone sunbathing and chilling. The beach was also clean and well maintained. But over the last few years I’ve seen mainly Indian men come, some were cooking on the beach, some were getting drunk and creating a havoc, some would just be there to ogle at women. That’s why we stopped going to the beach though we stay five minutes away from the beach. We would go to

Morjim or Ashvem

, which had a better crowd.”

Goans are visiting Sinquerim beach and fort post lockdown too. Kevin Pinto, who frequently visits, says, “I remember when I was a child, places like Calangute and Baga were my regular go-to spots, either for family picnics or just an evening outing with friends. But over time, these places got so overpopulated with tourists coming from across the world, that we completely avoided going here because of the crowd. But after COVID-19, these places have once again become vacant and and it is now locals, like us, who are visiting.”
Adventurous Goans enjoy the Dudhsagar trek
Post lockdown, hundreds of Goans have been visiting the popular Dudhsagar waterfalls, which generally stays very crowded. Rahul Chandran from Bicholim, who recently did the trek with friends, says, “I’ve only been once before, but on a vehicle. Ever since the waterfall gained popularity due to Chennai Express, so many tourists visit. So a few of my friends and I decided to do it now, since there are fewer tourists. It was a tough walk, since we did around 25-27 km in all.” Similarly, Shivanand from

Ponda

visited the falls with a bunch of friends. He says, “The first view you catch after crossing the third tunnel is beautiful. There weren’t a lot of people when we went, but it’s getting crowded now.”