MARGAO 1

MARGAO 1
The Athens of the East
By Lesley A Esteves

Go South, they said, and here’s why you should listen to them. As you drive down NH17 from Panjim and onto the bridge on the Zuari River — for all purposes the ‘border’ between North and South Goa — breathtaking views of what lies ahead begin to unfold. To your right, on the south bank of the Zuari Estuary, cargo ships snake their way to Vasco da Gama, Goa’s harbour. But apart from savouring the views of the Zuari from the heights of the Zuari Bridge, Mormugao and Vasco can safely be left off your weekend itinerary. The real jewels of southern Goa lie in the rich green fields stretching to the horizon on the east bank of the gracious river. Hidden amidst the betel, pepper and spice plantations are the sensuous temples of Ponda, the heartland of Hindu Goa.

Straight down NH17 lies Margao, the culture capital of Goa in Salcette taluka, the heart of Catholic Goa. Its shaded streets lined with grand colonial mansions, its bazaars full of the rich produce of Goa with buys not found anywhere else, Margao is a perfect base from which to venture forth into rural Salcette’s untouched villages.

Breakfast at Longuinho’s, lunch at Nostalgia, dinner by the sea at a shack on Colva Beach. That’s a day perfectly spent in Margao, where Goa is like it used to be, without the hashish and the hoopla.