Notes from the beach

The idyllic sands of Utorda beach at noon. Boats dry out their joints while tourists soak in theirs.


A mother-daughter duo is framed at the entrance of Cafe Coffeday at Colva. The worth of an Espresso would keep them going for at least a couple of days.




Bamboo sand traps lie waiting at Miramar beach. This is an effort by the authorities to prevent beach sand from blowing onto the road barely a few metres away. Man made structures have been built where sand dunes stood. Those dunes were Nature's way of buffering land from sea. Will these bamboo sentinels do their job? Bob Dylan knew the answer.

A tourist examines belts at a roadside shop. Some of our visitors are very fastidious. I once watched an European complaining to a gadda owner on Margao's station Road, that the lighter he had purchased a few days back had stopped playing music. The lighter cost just ten rupees, but he had come all the way back from Palolem to protest.

The sun sets at Candolim beach. But it never sets on the spirit of entrepreneurship on the coastal belt. Make sure you don't get cheated by buying fake fakes.