THE WILD GOA – GOA BEYOND THE BEACHES

Look a snake” yells my travel companion as I see a checkered keelback slithering away into a small stream right beside me. I am in the heart of the forests, experiencing a facet of wild Goa . But this is not the Goa that I know. To begin with the closest beach is an hour away and I am surrounded by creepers in a dense forest. Cutting through the wilderness in South Goa, I am in a   Goa beyond the beaches.   “The stream is called Rabada” says Ramesh my guide, adding that it eventually joins the Mandovi river somewhere in its course. Green vine snake being handled by Ramesh, a reptile expert It is almost twilight and darkness surrounds us. Pulling thorns from my clothes, I walk down the narrow path listening to the crickets. The silence echoes through the forests. Suddenly I hear a rustle but it is followed by a loud thud. I stop dead in my tracks looking at the shadows surrounding me. I can hear hoofs splashing in the waters but there is nothing to be seen than the curtain of d...