No haggard hippies of Arambol, no noisy yuppies of Baga/Calangute, we trek till the extreme south of the Goan coastline to some lesser-known beaches in search of that tropical paradise

I admit it with a sigh that Palolem is probably past its heyday. Located in Canacona district of South Goa, it has long been promoted by Lonely Planet and its competitors as the most idyllic of all Goa beaches. Since I first arrived there in 2005, a lot has been gobbled up by that greedy monster of commercialisation. There is less and less of the beach and more and more of vulgar moneymaking. As they say now, if you shake a palm tree hard a Londoner falls off instead of a coconut (and with him a drawling "My friend, I give you cheap price" Indian salesman).

Never mind, I decided to look around for alternatives and found that the coastline in this part of the state is dotted with little-known gems, all awaiting their destined share of glory:

Colomb Beach
Immediately south of the arc of Palolem, Colomb comprises of two beaches, none more than about 50m long. Situated besides an old fishing village, Colomb gives you a breezy, unhurried peek into the rural life of South Goa. At any time you can find wooden boats anchored in the shallow bay and fishing nets stacked in random bundles.



Hard to believe as it may be, this pie of Goan heartland is claimed by a Russian as his property which is, of course, contested ferociously by the local villagers, with the result that the two parties are currently involved in a messy legal dispute. That shouldn't however stop you from strolling on its benign, even spread of stand and climbing over the rocks littering the seashore at various intervals for one of the most gorgeous sunsets ever.

A lot of visitors to Colomb are looking for an extended, meaningful holiday and rent houses in the village for the whole season. However, as everywhere else in Goa things are changing very fast. One shack-owner told me that the same house he used to pay Rs 150 per month as rent for in 2002 is currently being let out at Rs 15,000.u00a0