For most of the non- Goanese people, Goa is a cool spot for vacation. Beautiful beaches, small villages surrounded by coconut trees, local cuisine, ancient places of worship and professionally handled tourism by the locals provide a perfect place to chill.
I have visited Goa many times and found it quite cool but during my last visit I discovered a completely new dimension of Goanese life. Life in Goa is relaxed but somehow that angle was never experienced by me. Never thought that it could be so overwhelming for a person used to fast life in cities.
I went with my family to spend a week in Kolva during Diwali vacations. At the earlier occasions I had stayed in Panjim and explored most of the North Goa but I always wanted to spend a vacation in South. We got the perfect location; GTDC resort at the Kolva beach.
Room was just as you like it to be. the beach, Arabian sea and the sunset could be seen from the balcony. However, the fun started the moment we entered the hotel.
Checking in
While checking in, a middle aged gentleman on the counter asked me details of my family to enter in the register. My son was about 14 and daughter was 5 years old.
When I told him the age of my son, he said ” I will enter 12″
“Why?”
“If I enter 14 then you will have to pay Rs 350 extra per day”
This was surprising because I had already entered age of all members while booking the hotel from the website. It did not prompt any additional charges for him but I was ready to pay for the extra bed. When I told the gentleman that I was fine to pay, he shouted
“Why do you want to pay extra?” and then in a calm convincing vice he said “You should not pay unnecessary money, understand? I will enter 12”
“OK…..” I had nothing to say so left the decision to him.
On the last evening I ensured that all the bills were settled so that I would not have to wait in the morning next day while checking out. When I went to deposit the key the clerk on the counter checked my account and said “You have an outstanding bill of Rs. 150”.
Again a surprise!
“What is it for?”
That fellow look into the register and asked “Do you have a 5 years old daughter?”
“Yes”
“Oh! Then the charges are for your daughter. Rs. 30 per day”
Till date I have not understood the logic. They discounted Rs. 350 per day for my son but charged Rs. 30 for the small kid.
Restaurant in the hotel and another in the neighborhood
Restaurant in this hotel was another experience. We are strictly vegetarian and the restaurant in the hotel seemed to be full of non-veg dishes. As soon as my wife saw the nonveg menu displayed on a blackboard she ordered us to move out and find another one.
In the entire area there was only one another veg-restaurant. It was already packed with customers.
A family occupying the nearby slot was already fighting with the employees. They had been waiting for the rotis for more than an hour. After the voices reached the peak with tempers running high, an employee in kitchen informed that the Roti machine had broken down and would take another 45 minutes to start. Only rice would be served till the machine was repaired.
No option!!!
With the experience of the previous evening we decided to adjust with the one in the hotel. Next day at 8 am we entered the dining hall and ordered the breakfast. There was no other customer in the hall yet and the mood look relaxed. After 45 minutes a lady came to us and enquired if we had ordered and what was it? Once I explained her she ran to the kitchen.
In the meanwhile, the hall had slowly filled up with more customers and we could see them being served. Finally we were served at 9.15.
This lady turned out to be the Manager. While doing the payment I casually remarked that the service was slow.
“No No Sir. Our service is not slow. We are very fast”
“Don’t you think an hour and 15 minutes is a little longer to call it fast?”
“Yes, Sir. You were served late but that is because you placed your order with the wrong waiter. He is a new boy and nobody in the kitchen pays attention to him. You should not give him the order” she advised.
“Hmmm! Madam, how do you expect the customers to know this?”
“Yes, Sir. You are right. How will the customers know?” She repeated my sentence and called that boy. As soon as he arrived she started firing him in Konkani. After giving him a heated lecture for about 2 minutes she looked at me with a smile on her face.
“Sir, the problem is solved. Now this boy will not take ‘your’ orders.”
Little did I know that the experience was going to be the same with other staff.
A colleague in my office had occupied the room next to us and we were surprised to see each other when met first.
Next day when we entered the dining hall, I found him there. Today, we were late and the hall was already full. This colleague was also present with his family. While chatting with him I mentioned about my experience on the previous morning.
He shouted “The service is super slow. These people are taking full advantage of being Government employees”
He was shouting loud and the entire customer community was watching us now. Only the staff was unmoved. They paid zero attention to him.
Next morning my son was ready before us. So I asked him to proceed to the restaurant and order the breakfast for all of us. We reached the restaurant a good 45 minutes after him. He was sitting in a corner and the waiters were chatting on the other side. When I asked him about our orders he said “I am waiting for someone to take the order but no one pays attention. I have not yet ordered anything.” There was no point in waiting. We walked out. Nobody bothered.
TV set in the room
TV in our room was all snow and noise. I complained on the first evening and a guy walked into our room. He tried tightening the screws. It was not going to work anyway because the problem seemed to be with the signal. After some unsuccessful attempts he went out and came back with a big TV on his head. He replaced the TV set and showed me that now it was looking good. After he walked out I changed the channel and realised that only the one that the technician had shown was good, else all other channels were bad.
Next day we left in the morning and were back after sunset. I approached the counter and complained about the TV. There was another gentleman at the reception and one more fellow sat on a tall stool.
This gentleman heard my complaint and said “I am really sorry that the TV set is not working but what to do, the hotel is full.”
I was puzzled as I could not understand the relation between the hotel occupancy and TV set. He explained.
“You know I would have changed your room and allotted another one, where the TV is working but the hotel is full”
“Don’t you think Sir, that it is easier to repair the TV than changing the room?”
The guy on the stool confirmed. ” Yes, Sir. It is easy to repair the TV”
I again turned to the Manager who was still wearing a heavy expression.
“Can’t say. It is difficult”
Now I was getting angry. “I don’t care about the load in your hotel. I have paid for all the amenities in the room and they must work”
Again the guy on the stool said “That is right. The amenities in the room must work”
“Then send the Technician” I was getting impatient.
On this this guy jumped from the stool and said “Let’s go”
“But were is the technician?”
His reply was “I am the technician”
I was taken aback with surprise but took him to the room. He tried the same screw tightening exercise in vein.
“This TV will not work. I can’t do anything….
Unfortunately the Hotel is full so I can’t change your room, Sir.” He told apologetically shaking his head.
“What is the problem?”
“Sir, the problem is with the cable TV signal”
I suggested sarcastically “You know when we face a problem with the TV signal we call the Cable TV technician and he sets the things right at our place”
“Yes, Sir. You are right” This guy was excited again. “The cable TV people can set it right but they will come tomorrow because their day ends at 6 pm”
Goa!!!
Next day evening when we returned the TV was finally working.
Sightseeing tour
After driving for two days I was tired of parking problem. It was Diwali period and all the sites were busy with tourists. We decided to take a tour. That would save the trouble of driving and parking. Booking could be done from the hotel. A girl at the reception counter issued the tickets to me for the next day and explained that front seats in the bus were allotted to us. This girl had a boy friend. He would signal this girl by honking from the entrance of the building. As soon as she heard the horn, she would request the customers to wait and run to him.
Next day morning my wife developed back pain. I thought of cancelling the plan but she insisted on going.
The bus arrived late as soon as we entered it started. The conductor told us to occupy the last sets at the rear as the bus was full. We were surprised and tried to explain him that we had front seats. He did not listen and rudely told us to take the back seats. No option!!!
In the evening I met the same girl at the reception. I asked her if there was any doctor nearby because the rear seat travel had increased the pain for my wife. There was no doctor because the clinics were closed but she was kind to provide pain killers medicines in her stock. I complained to her about the seating arrangement in the bus.
She looked puzzled “I remember. I had issued you the tickets for front seats yesterday. The conductor should not have allotted your seats to someone else”
Suddenly she got charged and dialed a number. As soon as the phone was lifted at the other end she started firing angrily in Konkani. After 5 minutes she turned back to me.
“They will not do such thing again but my advice to you is to lodge a complaint with the Manager tomorrow”
While all our discussion was happening a gentleman in fifties at the reception was writing something in a big register. She turned to him and explained the whole story in Konkani again. He shook his head in a calm manner and told me “You should lodge a complaint in writing with the Manager”
I asked ” So shall I give you an application”
The girl interrupted “No, Sir. Please give the complaint to the Manager tomorrow morning”
I whispered to her “Who is this gentleman then?”
Probably he heard me because a smile appeared on his face. With great pride he said “I am Assistant Manager!!!” and once again started writing.
Next day morning this girl told the same story in Konkani to the Manager. Her narration was full of expression and anger. The Manager gave an expressionless look to me.
“Please lodge a complaint.” he told me.
Very rarely have I seen people so unmoved and calm like the two guys I had met on this occasion.
I feel tranquility flows in the veins of Goanese people. They are calm and quiet, unruffled with situations.
Curious Explorer 