-Brian Mendonca
Looking for a getaway with family, we scoured the net for options. ‘North or South?’ asked one of my friends whom I had Whatsapped for suggestions. I was looking for something in the North as driving to the South from Porvorim was a forbidding thought.
Looking for a getaway with family, we scoured the net for options. ‘North or South?’ asked one of my friends whom I had Whatsapped for suggestions. I was looking for something in the North as driving to the South from Porvorim was a forbidding thought.
A place in the South was suggested. Queenie pointed out that
the place was immaterial as long as we were together.
We booked rooms online at booking.com for Thursday night. It
was just as well because as the weekend came upon us, when we actually got to
the reception desk, the choices were running out.
Having two super-active kids with us, our requirements were
parking, pool and beach front. The resort at Betalbatim caught my fancy as it
showed wooden cottages. Photo number 24 in a gallery of 32 also boasted of a
wooden writing desk (albeit under a television screen).
The eco-huts were nestled amid a grove of coconut, banana
and bamboo trees. Besides numerous varieties of crotons, flowers included cat’s
tail (Acalypha Hispida),
Bougainvillea, and shoe-flower (Hibiscus). My best memory of the getaway is of
the fragrance of the queen of the night flower (Epiphyllum Oxypetalum). As a child, mum used to take me for walks
in our garden at night. She, it was, who pointed out the queen of the night to
me. Chickoo, papaya, and pineapple were also pointed out to me by Lucky - one
of the hosts at the resort.
May is the month for maintenance. We were pleasantly surprised when the
overseer of the restaurant stepped forward and apologized for the rafters being
readied for the rains. Since the pool too was being cleaned, the resort made
arrangements with another resort in the vicinity for us to use their pool.
We were appalled to see the tar-balls besmirching the beach.
After a photo-shoot as the sun dipped into the sea, we decided to try the
resort nearby for a dip. After all, the
next day the offer would be withdrawn, after the pool in the resort we were
staying was ready.
The pool was deeper and had good length. As darkness assumed
dominion, scantily-clad girls could be seen entering an enclosure where music
was playing. As we were leaving we noticed a purdah / screen was drawn across the transparent doorway. When I casually mentioned what transpired at
the resort, I was told that the resort had resorted to such gimmicks to attract clients.
The next morning after a restful sleep we swam in the pool
at our resort which was ready as promised by 8 a.m. A young Russian couple at
the far end looked into each other’s eyes.
A rousing breakfast - included in the tariff of Rs.
2721(inclusive of GST) – was made the more meaningful, with praise and worship
songs a la Don Moen, being played on the sound system.
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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender, Panjim, Goa on Sunday, 19 May 2019. Pix of eco-huts, 'cat's tail' plant and book shelves taken by Brian Mendonca at Alagoa resort, Betalbatim, Goa on 9-10 May 2019.
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