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Patnem Beach, deep south in Canacona, nestled by green to its left and right, and sandwiched between Palolem and Galgibaga beaches, provides a sense of tranquility that draws tourists searching for quiet.
Palolem has turned noisy, while Galgibaga is a home for turtles. Patnem, nestled in between, allows tourists to enjoy a smoke in still silence, far from the din.
“Compared to Palolem, Patnem is still paradise. The place offers peace with no noise at night and little traffic, though it can be chaotic with traffic at times. People come here to be far away from clatter,” says Nicky Thomas, who, in Patnem, has found the space to paint.
“I decided to settle here after I first visited the place 20 years ago. I bought land cheap back then, and have built a house for myself with a studio,” confesses Nicky, as he takes a break from painting.
A little away from Nicky’s studio, stands Sarita at the till in her mini store, waiting for her foreign client to finish shopping. “There are hardly any guests except for a few foreigners, but we are expecting the season to start soon,” she says.
It is the off season, but the road to Patnem beach, around 200 meters from the service road along the Canacona highway, feels crowded with restaurants, few run by locals, coffee shops, stores and even an art boutique.
“The road to the beach is narrow, and so it becomes difficult for big vehicles to reach the beach. The rentback apartments and the home stays are enough for the elderly who opt to come here,” says Manuel as he walks out of the superstore along the road to the beach.
“We have a few rentback apartments with all facilities that suffice for customers who come here to be alone. Retired people prefer to come here because Patnem has kept noise away,” believes Manuel.
Nicky, as he puffs his cigarette, agrees. “Retired people from India, and tourists, especially the English and Italians, come during the season and love to stay in the service apartments. They like to be away from the noise in Palolem,” he reflects.
At this point of time, on the way to the beach, most shops are closed with just one continental restaurant open, a few Goan restaurants, a salon and an ice cream shop. All sea-facing units are closed and are expected to open around the first week of October.
“We expect most of the places to be running by mid-September. A lot of Indian tourists that come to Palolem drop by, and hence we expect to start earlier,” explains Fredrick, who is overseeing the repairs of his establishment.
The beach appears to have weathered the monsoon and the dirt seems to be settling along the borders with the water breaking on the pristine shore. A few tourists can be seen walking along, letting togetherness lift their spirits high.
“I love Goa in the rains. Though the beach gets dirty, the greenery around and the sound of the sea simply mesmerises. It is music very few can hear and appreciate,” thinks Miriam as she walks with her boots towards a shop adjacent to the service road.
“I sell my paintings during the season and that is why I prefer to sit and paint when it rains so as to avoid painting much when folks visit to see my art,” admits artist Thomas for whom work is pleasure that pays.
To many tourists, Patnem carries the patent of Palolem when it was just being discovered – quiet as the water rippled into the shores. That quietness is now being maintained at this beach.
It is the silence, which makes the sound of waves reach most bedrooms, that sells Patnem for now.