When every road takes you home

With village and city trails being held in different places of
Goa, the weekends are getting more adventurous and informational for families
as they get to explore Goa more deeply.

THE
TRAIL BLAZER

Ramchandra Prabhu Salgaonkar completed Mechanical Engineering
from Goa University and post graduation from Goa Institute of Management. With
15 years of corporate experience he is currently the founder of the start up
Amaze Warriors. He has done over 600 trails in 11 different places including
Panjim, Mapusa, Old Goa, Rachol, Vasco, Fontainhas, Ponda, Veling, Ponda temple
trail, Pernem and Valpoi, with almost 500 trails in Panjim itself. “My main
interest is in exploring new places by travelling to unknown destinations. I
started with Panjim on October 2, 2017. City walks are a huge success in Europe
and I’m glad that the culture is building up in India as well. For the locals,
the walks have been a weekend activity; however, for tourists, it’s all year
round. Our responsibility as guides is to give honest information about the
place is sustainable ways,” says Ramchandra, who also visits as a guest
lecturer at Goa University, Manipal University, BITS, IIT Goa and SGU.

IN a conversation with Café, he said, “For the weekly announced
free walks, the main target is the locals as I believe that the locals have to
know about the place. We have tourists for the Panjim walk and I conduct it on
commercial basis. Participants feel that it’s a nice way to connect to the
local place. Another important aspect is to give back something to the people
of the villages and the towns. I have started a social connect program wherein
the walk is conducted free of charge and also if someone is will to donate
things such as books or clothes, we coordinate with the local schools. The
response has been positive. It’s just a great feeling that you educate people
of Goa about the treasures we have in our villages and in turn the needy in the
villages get support,” he adds.

The
march of the Festakar

A Divar Island Heritage Walk ‘Divadechi Pasoi’ will be curated
by Festakar Marius Fernandes next Sunday, July 21, 2019, which will focus on
the untold stories of Divar. There will be a 20 per cent off for earlybird
bookings by today, July 14, 2019. “After the success of ‘Ambeachem Fest’ in
Valpoi, we realised that people were interested in stories about the heritage
of the villages. Being a Divar resident myself, I have curated a heritage walk
in Divar with storytelling about the village and the different personalities
like bishops, musicians and footballers, and their homes. The participants who
want to attend these walks include people from the cities and also Goans from
Mumbai and Pune who are in Goa. Many non Goans who have settled in Goa are keen
to know more about it beyond the city life,” says Marius.

It’s
all about the soul

Soul Travelling has been organising trails for the last year and
a half, with a dedicated team of six people who are into this full time and
around 15 different collaborators and experts, who are the ambassadors for
different places. Varun Hegde, Kedar Borkar and Clyde Tellis are currently a
part of the core team of Soul Travelling. They have organised more than 300
trails across Goa – ranging from the remotest villages to major cities across
over 18 locations in Goa. “We have some unique trails in places like Rachol,
Shiroda, Veling, Cansaulim, Saligao and festive trails for unique festivals
like Mussol Khel in Chandor and Shisharanni in Cancona, which are unique to
Goa. We have participants from across the spectrum, with approximately 70 per
cent being locals. The age group has been from two year olds to 80 years, all
willing to explore,” says Varun Hegde.

He explains what participants enjoy about these weekend trails.
“People wanted a little more from their weekends, to have that feeling of
exploring something new. These trails are also a great way to meet new people
and share stories. Also, it’s not just history but the focus is on different
experiences and some nostalgic factors. These trails try to make it fun for the
participants, giving them different experiences – telling stories and making
exploring cool for the general public. They want to know and explore more about
Goa and go back home knowing that they’ve done something new. Making new
friends and memories always enhances this experience.”

On Sunday, Soul Travelling will be exploring Old Goa in a
Christian Art Trail. “People go to Old Goa and visit Se Cathedral and Basilica.
But there are some unique churches in Old Goa that we explore. These non
functioning churches have some of the best art designs – mostly Sgrafitto and
Kaavi, an art that is unique to Goa. We discover how this got there in the
first place, and much more. Sgrafitto was discovered during restoration, hidden
beneath the white wash of the church,” adds Varun.

Where archaeology meets adventure

Sawani Shetye, a Porvorim based archaeologist with an MA in
Archaeology and Ancient Indian History and Culture has been conducting
archaeologist-led trails under her brand Bhoomij Heritage Consultancy since
2018. “I have conducted more than 20 varieties of trails in Goa and few unique
ones outside Goa. Some of the unique trails in Goa are Mhadei Heritage Trail,
Ranmale Trail, Aguada Jail Trail on 18 June and Forts of Goa. I have also
conducted trails outside Goa like Raigad Excavation and Ratnagiri Rock Art
Trail.

Participants are usually Goans, locals who want to explore their
own roots and also people who have recently shifted to Goa who wish to explore
it better. I feel it’s the urge to explore more that’s also becoming a trend,”
says Sawani, who will be leading a three-hour trek to Mardangad Fort in Ponda
today.

If
there’s a trial, there has to be food

Goan
Foodomania in collaboration with Soul Travelling and Toffee Doodle has
organised two editions of Secret Food Trail in Panjim, a first of its kind
venture in Goa. The walking trail with facts about the city and its secret food
pockets have been the highlight of this trails led by Prasad Raicar, the admin
of the Facebook page, Goan Foodomania. “We have had only two trails so far and
looking at the response, we plan to make it a weekly trail. The response has
not been that good because we started in the monsoons and the World Cup was
also on. However, it has helped us in understanding how to handle teething
problems. The participants included Goans who want to explore the food secrets
of Panjim, foreigners who have settled in Goa and want to learn more about Goa
and tourists visiting the state. The 1.4 kilometres walk also includes a bit of
history, quizzes and good food. Many participants are curious to know what they
have missed out on at the Latin Quarters and indulge in the food tasting
offered for the trail,” says Prasad from Margao.