Contrasting Goa: Five-star banana leaves

Banana trees

He was from North; she was from South. He lived in a luxurious apartment with a fabulous view overlooking beach; she stayed with her family who lived in a hut made of banana leaves with a view overlooking a patch of trees. Perhaps Kunwar and Sheena would never meet each other, but a group of three friends met them both as they both invited them for a meal, they both welcomed them to their homes in Goa, they both introduced them to their small worlds they were living in, they both shared their time and stories with the foreign travellers coming from Mexico, Bulgaria and Latvia.

Having decided to avoid crowds and increased prices in the peak season (December, January), the friends chose November for their visit to the smallest (in area) and richest state of India. Goa is a special place. Located on the coast of Arabian sea it offers a great variety of everything: Indian temples, European style architecture influenced from Portuguese times in Goa, Old town with churches, sunny beaches, parties, luxurious hotels and delicious food. It’s a paradise for different kind of travellers who keep coming here throughout the whole year to enjoy the lively spirit of Goa.

The friends arrived at Vasco da Gama station by train from Hyderabad. Indian trains are an adventure itself, therefore, no surprise, that it wasn’t a regular trip. They met Sheena on the train, a 25-year-old Indian girl who was going home to her parents’ place. It seemed Goa had welcomed the friends already in the train as Sheena kindly invited them for lunch at her place. Why not? The foreigners exchanged the phone numbers with the girl and arranged to meet later in the days to come. Not yet. They had to meet their Couchsurfing host from Panaji first. 

After arriving at the train station, the friends took a bus to Panaji, the capital of Goa, to meet Kunwar who picked them up by car to take his guests to his apartment. He was a 30-year-old guy and worked as an engineer for a company. On the very evening they became good friends and together visited Miramare beach where they enjoyed sea food, loose sand and merry dance rhythms. The next day they went on with sightseeing and finally relaxed at Arambol beach where they swam and took lots of pictures at the sunset. As the evening came, they saluted it with a pleasant fatigue and hunger. 

„I know a good place for dinner,” said their host Kunwar enthusiastically. The friends trusted him since the moment they had entered his car and obediently followed his idea. Kunwar was a good guy, helpful, friendly and not only well off, but very generous to his guests. But nobody expected him to be that generous! 

When the three friends entered Taj Mahal Hotel, they couldn’t believe Kunwar had chosen such a luxurious place for dinner. Can we afford it? The first thought came to friends’ mind as they didn’t realize yet that their host is inviting them. The friends were recently graduated youngsters. Therefore, the luxury their host offered them was perceived with a great astonishment that slowly turned into a pleasant wealthy savor. Mountains of food were awaiting to be consumed: chicken, fish, vegetables, cheese, mushrooms, rice, Western, Chinese, Indian cuisines, and more and more, and more....and then cakes, ice-cream, sweets for dessert. They easily yielded themselves to the different foods and tastes and could not be more stuffed after leaving the restaurant with its obliging servants here and there: around your table offering more food, on the way to your car taking excellent five-star care of you. Sir? Madam? Would you like...? The friends had been spoiled with those extremely polite but most probably fake phrases. 

On the next day morning Kunwar went for work while the three friends decided to go to South Goa and visit Sheena, their ‘friend from the train’. They didn’t know at the time that just like there is North and South, yin and yang, day and night, there is an extremely opposite life waiting for them at Sheena’s place. Kunwar’s car always ready to pick them up had now been replaced by the local bus running between Panaji and a small town in South Goa. But, no worries as to finding a place. Sheena had kindly come to Panaji to show them the way to her home. It seemed to be an important day for her and the whole family.

„I can’t talk right now... yes, yes... I am busy today... I have these foreign guests coming,” unobtrusively proud she was when announced it a couple of times on her mobile phone while they were in the bus. Her family is welcoming foreigners. Their friends got the message.

As they arrived at the bus station (actually they had taken two buses to reach the final destination), there was no one this time to pick them up. No car waiting for them as in the case with Kunwar. No luxury. They started walking to Sheena’s house.

„Here? Here?” like kids impatient to finally see the many-times-mentioned house the friends were asking to Sheena as they passed by many houses.

„Soon, soon,” she happily replied feeding their curiosity.

Perhaps each of the friends had visualized the place in his/her mind before they arrived there but by no means nobody had expected to see something like that. As they approached a patch of banana trees with their eyes searching for a decent, big house they never imagined that it’s that small hut right there among the trees.

„This is my home,” Sheena said with the same pride as previously talking on phone and telling her friends that she is busy with foreign guests. „And this is my mother and sister, my father is at work,” she introduced her family who had shyly come out to meet the foreigners. It was a short span of time given to the friends to recover from the posh experience in North Goa and what they were facing right now here in South Goa. But by no means was it a problem or inconvenience. They took it as an extremely opposite experience knocking on their doors of open-mindedness. The family was sincere and sweat and after all, it’s not about the house, food or car, it’s about people who welcome you with their warm hearts and great hospitality. 

Further on, Sheena invited the foreigners to see the small hut. It had two rooms, very cramped but seemed to have everything necessary in them: TV, beds, closet, shelves, electricity. There was even an aquarium with fish just beside the bed. The family loved pets. They also had lots of colorful birds and parrots kept in the cages in the small hut and outside the house. Sometimes they happened to welcome unwanted and dangerous „pets” too. Sheena remembered how she had once found a snake hiding behind the TV. The whole family had got scared and gone to their neighbors to ask for help. Luckily, it hadn’t been poisonous snake and they had managed to take it out.

„Do you want some refreshments now or ... lunch?” after some shared stories Sheena asked. Though the friends didn’t insist on any treatment, the family had prepared everything and wanted to show their best hospitality.

„No, no, it’s ok. All is fine,” the friends answered politely while Sheena was nervously talking to her mother planning how to proceed with those aliens. Not every day the family went through such an experience. 

„We will bring you refreshments now,” Sheena decided and brought 3 small packs of orange juice. 

„Please have some,” she invited. The friends thanked and each took the juice. 

„What about you? You are not drinking?” one of the three friends wondered.

„No, no, I don’t really like this type of juice,” Sheena answered. Was it really the matter of taste or perhaps the limited number of juice they had bought leaving themselves with water...

The same happened at the lunch table. After similar nervous discussions about where to eat - inside or outside (as it was related to the arrangements of lunch table and fans, a problem which seemed so meaningless to the guests but not to the family who wanted everything to be as perfect as possible) - the friends were invited to have a meal outside. Their plate was banana leaf taken from one of the trees besides and their meal was plain rice with curry and a fish. Though there were four small fishes prepared for three friends and Sheena, the host refused to eat hers. 

„I don’t really like fish, so you can eat mine,” she said with a confidence and the friends again thought it’s not a matter of fish but her sweat heart and the impression she wants to leave. Moreover, it was only them four eating and when friends asked why her mother and sister are not joining, Sheena answered they are not hungry yet and would have their lunch later...

Lunch on banana leaves

The three felt they were treated undeservedly special, but couldn’t do anything about it and just started eating. They couldn’t believe the extreme feelings they were going through. Some hours ago they had been spoiled with five-star dinner at a fancy hotel while now they were sitting among banana trees, each with his/her banana leaf eating rice and fish with their hands (Indian way). The perfect and impersonal servants with fake smiles on their lips had now been replaced with a sincere and genuine family, truly happy for being able to host foreign guests and treat them the best way they could...

One starts to think: there is nothing like choosing which way is better or which way is right. You can’t just sort or judge these kinds of experiences. The three friends were thankful to both. They enjoyed the company and the small worlds of both their hosts. Both of them wanted to make them feel welcome. Both of them shared their friendliness and hospitality, their good hearts and souls... Even though the lives of Kunwar and Sheena are completely different, the three friends learned from both experiences, both contrasts that are so common in Goa and the whole India as the rich and the poor coexists next to each other in the same harmony as there is a day and night, yin and yang, South and North. 

Arambol beach in Goa