Calangute 'Queen of beaches' is 16 kms from Panaji (capital of Goa) is the 7 kms. long. Calangute lie on the shores of the Arabian Sea of North Goa in India. It is encircled by Arpora-Nagoa, Saligao and Candolim, in the Bardez Taluka, and is just 16 km from Panaji, the capital of the state of Goa.
Being a popular holiday resort, the small houses amidst the coconut groves behind the beach are always in constant demand. Calangute seems to be a distortion of the local vernacular word—‘Koli-gutti’, which means land of fishermen. Some people connect it with Kalyangutti (village of art) or Konvallo-ghott (strong pit of the coconut tree) because the village is full of coconut trees. With the advent of the Portuguese, the word probably got distorted to Calangute, and has stuck till today.
Seemingly not all that long ago, Calangute was the beach all self-respecting hippies headed for, especially around Christmas when psychedelic hell broke loose. If you enjoyed taking part in those mass pujas, with their endless half-baked discussions about `when the revolution comes' and `the vibes, maaan', then this was just the ticket. You could frolic around without a stitch on, be ever so cool and liberated, get totally out of your head on every conceivable variety of ganja from Timor to Tenochtitlan and completely disregard the feelings of the local inhabitants. Naturally, John Lennon or The Who were always about to turn up and give a free concert.
Calangute's heyday as the Mecca of all expatriate hippies has passed. The local people, who used to rent out rooms in their houses for a pittance, have moved on to more profitable things, and Calangute has undergone a metamorphosis to become the centre of Goa's rapidly expanding package-tourist market. It isn't one of the best Goanese beaches: there are hardly any palms, the sand is contaminated with red soil and the beach drops rapidly into the sea. There is, however, plenty going on, especially if you don't mind playing a minor role in this stage-managed parody of what travelling is meant to be about. Try heading off the beaten track unless you need a bit of R 'n' R to recover from life on the road, or want to mix it with the Simons and Sandras of this world who are visiting India to pep up their winter suntans.
USEFUL INFORMATION
Information services are all in the same street as the market and the bus stand.
Tourist information is also available from the GTDC Calangute Tourist Resort.
MGM International Travels is a reputed travel agency nearby.
Email and Internet facilities are available at several places in Calangute for about Rs 2 per minute (Computer Spot, Edson’s Travel and Communications and Cyberdyne, at the Albenjoh Guest House on Baga Road).
LOCAL TRANSPORT
There are frequent buses from Panaji and Mapusa to Calangute. Most of the buses from Panaji come up to Calangute while a few go up to Baga.
A taxi to Calangute from Panaji costs Rs 150 and takes about 20 minutes.
Bicyles and motorcycles can be hired at many places in Calangute.
There are numerous small restaurants in Calangute.
Infanteria Pastry Shop is ideal for a croissant and coffee breakfast. It has a good range of bread and cakes. Meals are also served.
Hotel Souza Lobo has a relaxed atmosphere. The pepper steaks are good at Rs 50. Also tasty are the whole grilled kingfish (Rs 125), and tiger prawns (Rs 350).
Pete’s Bar and Restaurant, beside the Angela Guest House.
The Tibetan Kitchen serves momos and other Tibetan food. The management encourages long stays with a selection of magazines and board games.
Lobster Pot, opposite Calangute Tourist Resort, has reasonably priced seafood.
The Oceanic Restaurant, near the State Bank of India, has excellent seafood. Tandoori shark is Rs 100, but most other main dishes are between Rs 60 and Rs 100.
The Milky Way serves ice cream, milk shakes and snacks. In the evening this becomes Le Restaurant, where main dishes are around Rs 150.
Casa Portuguesa Restaurant is set within the walled grounds of an old villa. Among the specialities here is roast wild boar.
Goan Banana has water-sports between Calangute and Baga. Para-sailing costs Rs 900, banana boat rides can be had for Rs 200, water-sking costs Rs 550 and trips to see dolphins can be taken for Rs 300.
Kerkar Art Complex houses a gallery with paintings by local artists on sale and twice-weekly concerts of Indian classical music and dance at 6:45 pm.
Rama Bookshop has a good range of books.
Thanks to repeated crackdowns by the Goan police on parties and loud music, Calangute's nightlife is surprisingly tame.
All but a handful of the bars wind up by 10:00 pm.
One notable exception is Tito's at the Baga end of the beach, which stays open until 11:00 pm off-season and into the small hours in late December and January.
Unfortunately, the only other places that consistently stay open through the night are a couple of dull hippy hang-outs in the woods to the south of the beach road; Pete's Bar, a perennial favourite next door to Angela P. Fernandes, is generally the most lively, offering affordable drinks, backgammon sets and relentless reggae.
Further afield, Bob's Inn, between Calangute and Candolim, is another popular bar, famed less for its court around a large table in the front bar.
Calangute is full of Kashmiri traders and they have a wide range of things from Kashmiri carpets, embroideries and papier mache boxes to genuine and reproduction Tibetan and Rajasthani crafts. Part of the fun is bargaining hard to make a good buy.