|
|
The ramshackle market town of Mapusa is the district
headquarters of Bardez Taluka. If one arrives by road from
Mumbai and plan to
stay in one of the north Goan resorts, one can jump off the bus here and
pick up a local service straight to the coast, rather than continue on to
Panjim, 13-km south.
The Booming Friday
Market
A dusty collection of dilapidated modern buildings scattered around the
west facing slope of a low hill, Mapusa is of little more than passing
interest in itself, although on Fridays it hosts a lively market (hence
the town's name, which derives from the Konkani words for "measure"
map. And "fill up", sa).
Calangute and
Anjuna may be better stocked
with souvenirs, but this bazaar is more authentic. Visitors who have flown
straight to Goa, and have yet to experience the rest
of India, wander in on Friday mornings to enjoy the pungent aromas of
fish, incense, spices and exotics fruit stacked in colourful heaps on the
sidewalks.
Local specialties include strings of spicy Goan sausages ('Chourico'),
bottles of 'Todi' (fermented palm juice) and large green plantains. One'll
also encounter sundry freak shows, from run of the mill snake charmers and
kids dressed up as Sadhus to wide-eyed Flagellants, blood oozing out of
slashes on their backs.
HOW
TO GET THERE Road: Other than to shop, one may want to visit
Mapusa to arrange onward transport. All buses between Goa
and Maharashtra
pass through, so one doesn't need to travel to Panjim to book a ticket to
Mumbai ,
Pune ,
Bangalore or
Mangalore
.
Reservations for private buses can be made at the numerous agents stalls
at the bottom of the square, next to where the buses pull in; the Kadamba
Terminal - the departure point for long distance state buses and local
services to Calangute,
Baga,
Anjuna,
Vagator,
Chapora, and
Arambol - is five minutes walk down the main
road, on the southwest edge of town.
One can also get to the coast from Mapusa on one of the motorcycle taxis
that wait at the bottom of the square. Rides to
Calangute and
Anjuna take twenty minutes.
Taxis charges are considerably more, but one can split the fare with up to
five people.
PLACES TO STAYNearly all long distance buses pull in to Mapusa in the
morning, leaving plenty of time to find accommodation in the coastal
resorts nearby. If one has to spend the night here, though, there are
plenty of places within easy walking distance of the Kadamba Bus Stand.
The best budget deal is GTDC's Tourist Hotel, on the roundabout below the
square, which has spacious, and clean rooms, a Goa Tourist Information
Counter, and a small Damania Shipping Office. Resorts across town near the
Municipality Building on Mapsa Road, also offers good value economy rooms.
On the north side of the main square, are located the town's top hotels.
Note: As soon as one steps off the bus, one will be pestered by
touts trying to get one to rent a motorbike. They'll tell one that rates
here are lower than on the coast - they're not. Another reason to wait a
while is that Mapusa is effectively a "no-go zone" for rented
motorbikes, especially on Friday, when the police set up roadblocks on the
outskirts of town to collar tourists without international licenses.
NEARBY CITIESPanjim: 13-km
Vasco-da-Gama: 43-km
Margao: 46-km