It is nice to have a feature-rich camera that makes technically superior images. But when there is something interesting unfolding in front of you, even a cell-phone camera can be useful in telling the story. When the visit to Dudhsagar falls turned out to be a small adventure of riding over train tracks (!), treading on bridle paths and crossing streams on two wheels.
I was travelling in Goa last week, hoping to see the monsoons enrich the green landscapes of the region. The intent was to see, observe and relish the earth come alive with the rains. That meant leaving the camera at home and letting bare-eyes do all the capturing. This worked fine for much of the time, but I had an irresistible urge to capture an excellent story that unfolded in front of me, when I visited the well-known Dudhsagar Waterfalls.
This story appeared first appeared in Discover India magazine about five years ago.
My bus from Mapusa rattled and crawled northwards slowly, stopping at every turn on the way to pick up or drop passengers. The window view kept changing from plush Goan Villas and betelnut orchards on flat terrains to green vistas across rolling hills. Once in a while, the road skirted close to empty sandy stretches at the edge of blue expanse of water, indicating what is in store ahead. I reached Arambol Beach an hour later, or Harmal as the locals prefer to call it.
The long beach of Arambol qualifies for nearly every cliche that Goa’s beaches are known for – gentle waves over shallow waters, wide beaches with fine white sand and tall coconut trees lining the edge of of the sandy shore. But unlike the more popular beaches of Goa, there is no one here who want to help me find a hotel, calling for a parasailing ride, inviting into their restaurants or coaxing me hire a beach bench. My search for inertia in Goa ends at Arambol Beach, with its relaxed and uncrowded beach allowing me moments of leisure and laziness.