Britons encourage pedaling through the heart of Goa

fredericknoronha

Britons encourage pedaling through the heart of Goa (written in 2003)
By Frederick Noronha

PANAJI: Forget glitzy hotels, international cuisine and landscaping straight from Hawaii, and try pedaling instead through the treasure trove of history and natural beauty that is Goa.

That is the USP of a new initiative taken by a duo of Britons to present the simple, back-to-basics charms of the state.

‘Cyclegoa’ is to be run in the coming tourist season by two British cycling enthusiasts who “enjoyed Goa so much, that they decided to live there.”

“Our aim is (to let visitors) experience the hustle and bustle of day to day India, but also to indulge in the calm and beauty of scenic Goa,” said Adrian, 32, from Kent, who in the past managed a catering business.

Assisting him is Peter, 38, who formerly worked in the merchant navy. Their tours on pedals will take the visitors to the “real Goa” — traveling through its small villages, and visiting its bigger towns, locally called “cities” somewhat grandiloquently in a state where the largest urban pocket has a population of around a hundred thousand only.

Goa’s fair-weather tourist season starts in early September, and the foreign tourists stop coming in around March when the summer starts.

In a state of under 1.4 million inhabitants, foreign tourists comprise under a fourth of the 1.2 million visitors each year.

But given their higher purchasing power, their dominance in the tourism market is palpable.

Adrian said: “We will be visiting many places of interest, such as the temples at Ponda (in central Goa’s scenic Hindu heartland), the not to be missed Dudhsagar Falls (on the eastern inter-state border with Karnataka) and the beautiful Paradise beach at Palolem (in extreme south Goa).”

Their cocktail to convince reluctant tourists: A good blend of back-roads cycling, with relaxation on the beach.

“Longer cycling days are always followed by rest days, so there is ample time for rest and relaxation, and let’s not forget about that all important suntan,” Adrian told Indo-Asian News Service.

“My business partner and I have traveled to many places and have often mused over starting a business oriented towards travel and tourism. We both instantly fell in love with Goa from the minute we arrived.”

They argue that Goa has “fantastic scenery, a very strong mix of culture and religion and is very interesting historically.”

This makes Goa a “well-kept secret” with a lot to visit, though most foreign visitors end up mainly soaking in the sun only along the coast.

“Most Brits think it is a small island, or a resort like Benidorm in Spain.”

Both Adrian and Peter are keen cyclists. “During our stay we travelled extensively by bicycle and had some fantastic experiences, traveling through many villages and staying away from the main roads.

“We saw sights, views and met people that we probably would not have done had we traveled in a taxi.

“This inspired us to want to share in our experiences in beautiful Goa and so the idea of a cycle-touring holiday of Goa began,” he said.

Sharing the experience won’t, however, come cheap. Their site intimates it would cost a few hundred pounds for the experience. Currently, there are no firms running cycling tours in Goa.

“Cycling is quite a popular sport within Britain with every town having its own cycling club.

“It is also a growing sport in countries like the United States and Australia due to their successes in races such as the Tour De France,” he said.

“When on a holiday, most Brits tend to hire a bike to explore the area for themselves. We will offer the service of escorting them if they so wish,” added Adrian.

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Shiver me Timbers

Great stuff, the Bicycle is one of the greatest inventions of all time - it's economic, healthy, and clean, and most of all - GREAT FUN! I cycle everywhere, and hope never to have to buy a car.

However, I wonder how I'd get by on the streets of Dehli?

Goa sounds great for the cycling though, nice and small, and very easy to get away from the crowds I presume.

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fredericknoronha

The only problem is the hilly terrain of Goa, specially in the southern talukas (sub-districts) lying just outside Salcete (which is largely flat-land), such as Quepem and Canacona. You need one of those smarter geared bikes, rather than the plain-black Roadsters that India is long known for (gearless and heavy, though surprisingly inexpensive too).

Cities like Pune (in Central India) used to be a bicyclist's delight, till they got gentrified, and motorised. BTW, I recall reading somewhere that if all the Chinese used motorised transport (cars) at the same ratio as do the North Americans, then there would be need for some 600 million additional cars. Planet Earth would go on a complete tailspin, of course! -FN