The sun has set, the candles are lit on tables and the DJ sets the mood with slow Western music. “Can we dance?” a lady asks her partner smoking a hookah, and after a few puffs, the couple sways to the rhythm on the sand.
Slowly, more join and the phrase “the more the merrier” takes form visibly through dance and music that moves from Western to Bollywood. Good music, decent lights and tasty eats add zest to life on beaches in South Goa.
After two hours of dancing, laughing, drinking and eating, there is a lull. It is now just past 8 pm. For some it is time to return to their rooms. “We need to change and get dressed,” says the couple that first hit the dance floor.
Sunday night is the time when party spots or dance junctions sprout in the South, and Benaulim stands out as one of those happening places for tourists South of River Zuari.
“Having dinner on the beach is an experience not possible anywhere in India. The settings are so serene, the food served so simple and delicious and the drinks just flavourful for the setting,” says Zenit
She is with her friend Sarin, who is celebrating her promotion. Goa is for them a destination that allows loosening up and reinvigoration. “Accommodation is still cheap at this time of the year and the beaches safe,” says Zenit.
Service in the shacks picks up pace, the food is more palatable, more staff is on deck and the crowds slowly starts to grow. “We were down initially. Despite having started early, many of us were not ready or fully functional,” admitted shack owner Domnic.
With it being still early in the season, there is room for negotiation. “If a room goes empty, it means we lose a lot. That is why we are still giving rooms at discounted rates. We have Indian families of four or five coming and wanting to stay in one room and that too at a discount. We give in,” discloses Rumaldo, who manages the reception of a resort.
“We are at the stage of the season where something is better than nothing. Things will perk up in a few days, and meanwhile we are doing their bidding,” he reasons.
As night falls, a foreign tourist is walking towards the village tinto looking for a pharmacy. “I forgot to pack my first aid kit. Can you direct me to a chemist,” requests Linda from the UK.
“I did not expect to find a chemist open on a Sunday. A lot has changed since my last trip before the pandemic,” exclaims Linda on discovering a pharmacy open.
She has seen other changes too. “A lot of erosion can be seen on the beaches. During the low tide, the shore looks like a football pitch, and the water comes right up to the beach during the high tide. This is something I had not seen before,” says Linda during her ride back to her hotel.
“The sand used to gradually slope down, and water used to reach a certain level during the tide where it was possible to walk on the sand. Now, there water is everywhere and no sand,” she says sounding alarmed.
Locals admit this is happening too. “We are experiencing the effects of sand erosion with the water reaching the dunes during the high tide. We thought it was a phenomenon that happened during the rains, but no,” says Francisco, owner of vast property by the sea.
“Sand erosion is taking its toll with the water coming up higher during the high tide and that is why hotels and shacks have erected these temporary bridges on the beach,” he explains.
As the night begins to grow old, ripples of water advancing to the shore can be heard and the customers began to feel wary because it is time for nature to claim its territory.
