At a time when traffic is becoming intolerable, Goans have the privilege of an alternative, especially soothing mode of transport - it’s ferries that have been delivering goods, people, and breathtaking views for centuries!
In this episode, get ready to wade over the waters of Goa as Clyde talks about its ferry system and takes us across the gorgeous Mandovi river. Ferries in Goa are not just a tourist attraction, but remain an active mode of transport for the locals. How many ferry routes exist in Goa? And how long have they been operating? Are there any challenges to this otherwise relaxing transport option? What are Clyde’s favourite ferry routes?
Tune in to know more about this historic mode of transport, and get to know Goa better!
Produced by Aishwarya Jawalgekar
Sound Design & Mix by Kshitij Jadhav
Brought to you by Bound, a company that helps you grow through stories. Follow us @boundindia on all social platforms for updates on this podcast or take a look at their other podcasts.
Hosted by Clyde D’Souza. He is a creative director who has worked in TV, print, and digital. His book Susegad: The Goan Art Of Contentment captures Goa through conversations, memories, stories, recipes and much more. He lives between Mumbai and Goa and lives the Susegad lifestyle every day! Follow him on Instagram @clydedsouzaauthor.
Clyde D'Souza 00:02
Welcome to say God stories from Goa. I'm Clyde de Souza and I travel and you view best of glass places and activities. Come experience these two cigar shots with me it's big, it's slow and it's bright blue. It's a floating metal will go as many rivers if Mumbai has its locals Delhi its metros then go has its fairies, but unlike the locals and the metros, the guar fairy experiences everything you think it would be. Hey, I'm glad to Sousa and on today's episode of SUSE God shots, we are talking about GWAS ferry system. It's a slightly overcast morning, and I'm on my way to the bhandara festival on Divar Island. The bhandara festival is a centuries old village fest, and today it is being organized by goers famous Guillermo festa car Marius Fernandez. To reach the island. I have to build a ferry at St Petro Jetty from where it's a quick five to 10 minute ride across the mandovi River to devour. The ferry is one of the best ways to take in GWAS beauty. Many of GWAS rivers originate from the Western Ghats and the east, and then wind their way down to the Arabian Sea in the west coast. It's the river navigation department in Gwadar that has been running around 17 ferry routes since around 1931. And they have served its people when they were no bridges to take islanders or villagers into towns. Even today, the ferry is in some cases the only mode of transport across rivers for some locals. But rather than get angry about this, many guns are content with this slow but reliable system. Hey, some even prefer it to its bridges. Some of the ferries operate from early morning to late night. Some started six and go all the way to 2am in the night. My right from St. Pedro seems to be in sync with the govern wipe that many of us want to preserve. It's slow and it's peaceful. At the same petrol jetty, I see a fruit seller who's selling some rather lovely looking jackfruit and mangoes. Across the jetty, I can see this big beautiful house, which has a tree that's growing some rather big jackfruits as the blue and white ancient looking fairy approaches the bank. The captain steers it skillfully. So it's aligned to the slope, allowing cars to get on and off smoothly. As I get onto the double deck ferry, I sit on the wooden bench that not only has great views of the mangroves along the banks of the river, but also the ability to bridge further down the mandovi. We live fast paced lives and travel and fast pace cars. Yet many times we are stuck in traffic jams and are flooding to meet deadlines. A ferry ride is a soothing antidote to all of this. The breezes, gentle. The movement of the ferry across the river is smooth, and time seems to slow down. You take in the water, the sunlight reflecting of the waves, and you enjoy the ride. So what's my Sociedad rating of the ferry? Four out of five. Here are some interesting things about the fate. It's free for passengers and only 10 bucks for cars. It's also a fun experience to take your bike or car on a ferry. My favorite routes are from Batum to Belgium, or old guar to Cerave or Beaver Island. So that's it. Thanks for listening and see you on the next episode of say God shots. Till then don't forget to subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss an episode. Thanks and Moga su hope you enjoyed this to say God shot don't forget to rate review and follow this podcast. This is quite saying bye for now. Follow me on Instagram at Clyde D'souza auto or buy my books to cigar the going out of content for more going stories, recipes and a whole lot more. This podcast is brought to you by by a company that helps you grow through stories, follow them and bound India on all social platforms for updates on this podcast or take a look at their other podcasts. And as always, more gossip