Tourists using the local transport is getting to be a common sight in Goa. And, there are no complaints. Catching them using the bus, the autorickshaw or even motorcycle pilots, brings back images of the pre-pandemic days.
“Public transport in Goa is fun. You just have to ask a fellow passenger when the bus is expected to arrive and break into a chat till it does. The rest is a bumpy ride home,” says Anna from the UK.
AN EXPERIENCE OF GOAN GENEROSITY
“It is not possible to compare public transport back home and here,” she admits and adds, “but the system here works well and that is what is important. We come to town for our weekly shopping and it is far more reasonable.”
“If the bus is full, someone will stand and offer me a seat. This is a trademark of a Goan. They are nice, tolerable people who wish you well,” she says, as she glances at her bags on the rack above.
It is not possible to compare public transport back home and here, but the system here works well and that is what is important
Anna, UK tourist
FROM MARGAO TO VARCA
The drive from Margao to Varca takes around half-an-hour. After disembarking, Anna and her friend walk for another five minutes to their rented apartment and beer bottles are immediately uncorked.
One big swig and the story of their love for Goa unfolds. “We have been coming to Goa for years and have never looked at it as how cheap or expensive it is. We find the culture of the people welcoming,” says Andrew, as he helps unpack the shopping.
A TICKET COLLECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE
If commuting by bus is a trip by itself for tourists, the ride is entertaining for ticket collector Umesh. “They leave the change back for me and never hassle about the price. They always say 'please' and 'thank you' when they speak and that is why they are special, not because they have white skin,” he says in Konkani.
Tipping is common amongst foreign tourists and it is this attitude that distinguishes them from others. They do not wait to collect the change if it runs into a few rupees, is what bus conductors and rickshaw drivers will tell you.
They leave the change back for me and never hassle about the price. They always say 'please' and 'thank you' when they speak and that is why they are special
Umesh, ticket collector on local bus
A LOYAL TOURIST
Most tourists in the south appear to be old, but they are those who have been coming to Goa for ages. They feel comfortable here and the thought of shifting to other destinations hasn’t crossed their mind.
Like Ulrid, for instance, who has been a regular at Benaulim Beach and is known by her first name to many locals. “There are times when I feel lazy to get out to buy something and I call Francis who, if around, runs the errand for me,” she says.
BEACH DAYS & LOCAL FOOD
“I used to be on the beach the whole day in my younger days. Now, I come out after lunch, hang around till sunset and on some days hang on for dinner. Fish is cheap here,” she says, as she details her day in Goa.
Ulrid shares an apartment with a friend and discloses, “We share the household chores. We have a help who comes Monday to Friday to clean the place and helps us in the kitchen. At times, the help cooks some local dishes for us.”
The uses of local transport, the visits to the local market, drinks at local bars or just walking around are signs that tourism is picking up pace after the pandemic, though slowly. There is no fear of this changing as long as Goa remains Goan.