Destination of the Month |
| ARAMBOL
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Location: 32-km, Northwest
Of Mapusa, Goa
Also Known As: Harmal
Famous As A: Fishing Settlement
Main Attraction: Beaches And A Freshwater Lake |
The Countryside Heaven
Of the fishing settlements dotted along the north coast, only Arambol 32-km
northwest of Mapusa, is remotely geared to tourism - albeit in a very low-key, low-impact
fashion. If one is happy with basic amenities, the village offers two very fine beaches
and a healthy dose of peace and quiet. Parties are occasionally held here, drawing
revellers across the river from Anjuna and Vagator, but these are rare intrusions into an
otherwise tranquil, out of the way enclave.
Beaches Of Arambol
Modern Arambol is scattered around an area of high ground west of the main coast road,
where most of the buses pull in. From here, a bumpy lane runs downhill, past a large
school and the village church, to the more traditional end of the village, clustered under
a canopy of widely spaced palm trees. The main beach lies 200m farther along the lane.
Strewn with dozens of old wooden |
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fishing boats and a line of tourist caf�
bars, the gently curving bay is good for bathing, but much less picturesque than its
neighbour around the corner. The smaller and less frequented of Arambol's two beaches can
only be reached on foot by following the stony track over the headland to the north.
Beyond an idyllic rocky-bottomed cove, the trail emerges to a broad strip of soft white
sand hemmed in on both sides by steep cliffs.
A Freshwater Lake
Behind the surrounding of the second beach lay a small freshwater lake extends along the
bottom of the valley into a thick jungle. Hang around the banks of this murky green pond
for long enough, and one will probably see a fluorescent yellow human figure or two appear
from the bushes at its far |
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end. Fed by boiling hot springs, the lake is
lined with sulphurous mud, which, when smeared over the body, dries to form a surreal,
butter coloured shell.
Nearby, in the woods immediately behind the lake, other members of the lunatic fringe have
taken to living in the branches of an old tree; the scene resembles a cross between Lord
of the flies and apocalypse now.
HOW TO GET THERE
Road: Buses to and from Panjim pull into Arambol every thirty minutes
until noon, and every ninety minutes thereafter, at the small bus stand on the main road.
A faster private minibus service from Panjim arrives daily opposite the Chai (tea) stalls
at the beach end of the village.
Boat: Boats leave here every Wednesday morning for the ninety-minute trip
to the Anjuna Flea Market. Tickets should be booked in advance from the Welcome Restaurant
by the beach, which also rents out motorcycles. The post office, next to the church, has a
Poste Restante Box; to change money, however, one will have to head for Vagator, as
Arambol's State Bank Of India has no foreign exchange facility.
WHERE TO STAY
Apart from a couple of purpose built chalets on the edge of the Village, most of Arambol's
accommodation consists of simple houses in the woods behind the beach. Some of the more
posh places have fully equipped kitchens and showers, but the vast majority are standard
issue bare huts. Long stay visitors either bring their own bedding and cooking stuff or
kit themselves out at Mapusa Market.
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