Wet August rains tourists upon Goa

The rains in Goa appear to have not spiked the wanderlust in domestic guests wanting to discover Goa, with Calangute and other tourism hotspots witnessing massive footfalls during the first days of the month of August.

The last three days have seen most restaurants in Calangute doing brisk business, bringing smiles to the faces of restaurant owners and taxi drivers operating around this tourist belt of North Goa.

“We have had an unusual rush of Indian clients since the start of this month. Fish is most sought-after, following a lull in its supply during the fishing ban,” discloses the manager of a restaurant, which was choc-a-bloc with Indian tourists.

“The demand is for prawns, tiger prawns in particular, and with plenty of tiger prawns in supply, after the recent days’ catch, our customers and our restaurant is seeing good times,” adds the manager whose restaurant is all about seafood cuisine.

The diners at the restaurant agree. “Goa is beautiful in the rains, and the food, irrespective of the weather, is always excellent. I think the weather has no bearing on the food. This is a must-visit restaurant for us during our visits,” explains Tali as she and her friend finish their meal.

“The fish is always fresh in Goa, and that is what makes it so tasty compared to the fish in other parts of the country. There is a big difference in taste of prawns in Delhi. So, I presume the taste of fresh fish is what makes eating fish in Goa different,” she ventures to explain.

Most high-end restaurants in Calangute have had their till counters and GPay payment boards pinging since the first day of August, with taxi drivers finding it difficult to find parking space around restaurants.

“There has been a crazy rush of customers the last few days. Tourists normally start coming in August, but the rush in the last few days, despite the heavy rains, is phenomenal,” says Sylvester after having struggled to find a parking slot for his taxi.

“Most clients staying at the resort where I park (it is a seven-star resort in North Goa) prefer to come to this restaurant. I think the place is clean and the food is authentic Goan,” confesses Sylvester, who adds as an afterthought, “Though, it's not easy to find a parking space.”

Eight restaurants, starting from the entry point at Arpora right to the road near Candolim, were bursting at the seams, with customers waiting outside for tables during lunchtime on Saturday.

“People, who have not reserved tables, have to wait. We have customers who normally reserve place in advance and that makes it easy. However, there are first time customers, as witnessed these last few days, and they need to wait, sometimes for a long while,” explains a hostess.

If the restaurants are full, the streets are equally busy with rent-a-bikes, rent-a-cars and guests seen walking around in search of retail alcohol shops and tobacco products.

“Can you direct me to a place that sells umbrellas?” inquires Vijay as the downpour takes him by surprise.

The rain does not seem to dampen the spirit of the guests who opt to get wet instead of taking shelter, and that surmises the spirit of tourism in Calangute on a rainy day.