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Package tourism and uncontrolled development in in Goa - the true meaning of "nightmare in paradise"

Calangute: Nightmare in Paradise

ColinT
2005-12-11 09:42:15

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"Stirrrr it, there's sumthing at the bottum" Siggi had just finished impersonating my accent very badly for what seemed like the 50th time that morning, then proceeded to light what might have been her 20th cigarette of the day. Then, through what seemed to be a permanent haze of tobacco smoke around her head, she went into her slapstick routine for the 10th time centred on some hapless South African guy we had met on Baga beach the day before. After that, she made yet another joke about how old I was. By the time she had finished I felt like I was 80. I think you'll agree that's pretty good going seeing that it was still only 9.15 in the morning!

My travelling companion Siggi, and her laser beam humour, is the only redeeming aspect of Calangute that I can recall. Calangute is the centre of Goa's international package tourist trade and each time I visit I notice more and more new hotels, restaurants and English pubs. Given its position, it should be the jewell in the crown of Goan tourism. But ever sprawling Calangute is becoming over developed and appears to lack any coherent planning strategy. If there is any strategy then it doesn't seem to be having much of an impact at least as far aesthetics is concerned. The place is commercialism overlaid with more commercialism, with each trinket and jewellery shop, each overpriced restaurant and each shopping or hotel complex leaving me craving to escape.

The hippies arrived on Calangute beach in the early 70s, much to the dismay and even moral outrage of some of the local people. At that time little existed beyond fisher families and villages. Then in the 80s came cheap flights from the UK to entice the British package tourist who sought sun, beaches and low costs. The prices in the various concrete high rise “costa del hell holes” British tourist spots in Spain increased and over the last decade Goa has become the new Spain for many Brits. Now Brits, Germans, Scandinavians ...