Today we’re happy to introduce you to Clyde Tellis from Soul Travelling, a company specialized in offering offbeat experiences in Goa, India, including culinary tours. With the current covid19 situation, they had the great idea to offer Insta Live sessions in collaboration with tour operators from all over the world!
First of all, thank you for your time Clyde! Can you please introduce yourself?
I am a mechanical engineer by qualification with some corporate experience in sales. Due to my professional profile, I got an opportunity to travel around India while my company paid the bills. What I loved about the work was the number of people I would interact with and the places I could visit.
I enjoyed interacting with people and trying out the various kinds of food that each place had to offer. From then on It was clear that I wanted to travel the world to explore food. Fortunately enough, I bumped into the founder of Soul Travelling, the idea got me hooked right from the start. Here I am doing what I love.
Can you please explain to us what your company was doing during pre-covid times? We saw you are offering food tours as well, can you please tell us more about this.
Goa is a place that is popular for its beaches, parties and casinos. In reality, there is a lot more to explore than just that. The heritage, culture, food, traditions, festivals etc are so rich and unique that it was surprising that there was nobody to show this face of Goa to the world. We started out with walking tours and then slowly ventured into day experiences that lets you explore the charm of a location entirely with a local. Right from the Portuguese influenced architecture, the traditional way of life of the villagers to even the exotic variety of the cuisine within the tribes and villages of Goa.
Food doesn’t just go to the stomach, it connects you to the Soul. It is interesting to know that there are Goans that end up surprised with these niche spots and the unique delicacies. With the exciting stories tied to it and the secret locations handpicked by the locals, our food trails will give you a true culinary treat with the essence of Goa.
How did you come to this idea of doing Instagram live events with other people (especially other food tour operators) from all over the world? This is a great idea and a very nice way to introduce different cultures to your community!
We have all been frustrated sitting at home during quarantine. Travel has been banned and people have gotten online to pacify themselves. We thought that since everyone is online, we could make the most of the opportunity by getting people connected with the heritage, culture and food all across the globe.
One can virtually travel and learn about different places from people who come from that location. This activity not only gives an insight of the location but it also helps the viewer see the true beauty of the location unlike what most travel agents would portray.
What countries did you already cover during your live sessions?
We have done Italy, Poland, Mexico, Algeria, Turkey, Ukraine, Some parts of India, Dominican Republic, Tanzania and will be travelling to many more in the near future.
Great! And we’re happy to join the party and be your next virtual stop, on August 8th! By the way, what is your relationship with Japan?
Personally, I have loved the culture and way of life of the people of Japan right from the time I began learning a bit of Japanese. I find the customs quite interesting. It is a dream to visit japan some day and experience this first hand.
And because we are food lovers here, we need to ask you what is your favorite Japanese food and why?
I tried sushi just last year and the experience was lovely. I’m not sure if the Sushi in India is anywhere close to how authentic sushi in Japan would taste. Apart from that I have tried Meso soup and Shitaki Onigiri too which was delicious. I am sure there is so much more to try and I look forward to try the street food.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Tourism has gotten way out of control in the past. Places have been flooded by tourists and along with tourist there is Garbage. This is a good time for all of us to reset our operations and make changes so when we restart, we become more sensible in the way we use our resources. More importantly, make sure that we leave zero traces behind. Be it Garbage or a carbon footprint, we have to work together to make tourism eco friendly and empower local communities in the process.
Thank you for your time, it was great to know more about you and your company!
Phone: +91 7378301863
Email: info@soultravelling.in
Address: Untraced Paths Travellers LLP G9 Medeira Enclave Fatorda, Goa 403602
Google Map Link: https://g.page/untraced-paths?share
Follow Soul Travelling on:
Website: www.soultravelling.in
Instagram: @soul.travelling
Facebook: @untraced.paths
Twitter: @SoulTravelling2
Youtube: Soul Travelling
