During the year, most families in Goa make
it a point to take a break from their usual routine and go for a picnic with
their entire family. Right from uncles to aunts to cousins (and their cousins),
the family cooks a nice meal, brings out the drinks and hunts for a cool place
as a picnic spot. With an increasingly hectic schedule, and beaches closer to
the cities getting crowded, families are now on the lookout for new picnic
spots.
Claron Mazarello from Margao enjoyed
spending his holiday breaks with his family at the beaches, primarily either at
Benaulim or Colva. “For closer picnic spots, Zalor is the newest haunt. Further
down south, we prefer places like Palolem, Patnem and even Galgibaga and
beaches at that end of the state because there are also waterfalls nearby.”
He further adds, “With the main beach
stretches of Colva, Benaulim and Palolem becoming more crowded, the trend is
gravitating towards beaches that are in between and relatively unknown to
tourists. Although we love Calangute, few can see themselves having a picnic
there. It is one of the prices we pay for calling everyone to Goa. When they
are here, we can’t seem to fit into our own places, so instead of complaining
it is better to enjoy our picnic elsewhere.”
Yolanda De Souza Kammermeier has grown up
in the village of Calangute when the place was peaceful without any
disturbances, at a time when one could walk the streets without the fear of a
bike ramming into you. “I still find a quiet spot within the mess. Family
picnics today happen in restaurants. It is really sad but sometimes I reminisce
on old times, when we used to spend quality time with few old timers and
xacuti, pulao, samarem. We organise plenty of family get togethers, but all in
my garden. There is no charm anymore with the surroundings playing spoil sport
today,” says Yolanda.
For the Estrocio-Fernandes-D’Souza-Furtado
clan from Caranzalem, every time the cousins are down on holiday, it is picnic
time. An interesting getaway for the family has to be far away from the city.
“We usually drive for about two hours to destinations like Opa Dam, Birondem or
Collem. This is how we learn about different places in Goa. The entire family
attends the picnic; right from youngest member to the oldest including the
grandmother and it is a full day outing with delicious home-cooked lunch. Each
family brings their own dishes to add to the buffet,” says Constancio Estrocio.
Kenneth Godinho from Panjim longs for a
break from his hectic schedule to spend time with his family. However, his
favourite and the closest beaches to Panjim are no longer an option. “Now, we
prefer going to places like Morjim or Arambol. It is a disaster heading towards
Miramar with the roads dug up and the need to take the inner roads just to get
to the beach. Going to Dona Paula is even more difficult with no cars allowed
along the entire stretch; it makes it highly inconvenient to carry everything
to the spot.”
