Tripping Through Gorgeous Goa

CYCLING in Goa is a trip.

- MOHUA SEN

The good roads, the plethora of interesting little village roads, the sparse traffic, the fact that most vehicles in Goa are still indulgent of these lycra and helmet clad madcaps who can be seen traveling very fast to go nowhere, and of course the beautiful Goan countryside all combine in a heady mix to make cycling in Goa an uplifting, joyful and fun-filled activity. Where else would you be able to see a thousand splendid suns, sometimes an orange ball of fire rising above the treeline, and sometimes reflected golden in one of the numerous ponds and rivulets that are strewn carelessly all over Goa, sometimes setting amidst a blush pink sky that quickly turns purple, sometimes winking naughtily through a screen of coconut leaf fronds, sometimes appearing from behind a church spire throwing the structure into relief and sometimes boringly just vanishing into the evening sea without drama. Of course, you could very well drive around chasing the sun, but where’s the fun in that? The pleasure of cycling is to become an unwitting actor in the theatre of nature’s unfolding glory. No doubt this can be fraught with danger as the ubiquitous dogs may at anytime decide to take a nip out of your ankle, cute little piglets oink across the road forcing you to brake and brake hard, a snake slithers along and you just HAVE to slow down to take a look, a troop of monkeys cross the road in graceful bounds, and on an occasion during a night ride (and I swear it is true) a group of riders had to take cover while a pack of Gaurs(the Indian Bison, not the football team) charged across the road!