I Love Beaches

I love beaches. There is something about them that draws me time and again. Every time I am asked to choose a holiday destination I always pick the one which has lots of beaches. May be it has something to do with my childhood. My dad would take us to the beach once a year. My brother and I were really small then and dad was tall (at least for us). He would hold our little hands and start walking into the sea. Initial few steps were always the most exciting when our feet would touch the water. After a point, the water level would be too high for my brother and me but dad would still keep walking. We would start jumping to keep our heads above the sea, clinging on to the tall man next to us. That little ritual we followed during our childhood probably taught us how to love the sea, love the water, the sand and respect its magnanimity.
During my college years, I started visiting Udupi alone during summer holidays. It was my turn to be the tall one and take my little nieces and nephews to the beach. They would look forward to my visit as that was the only time of the year they would get to go to the beach though they stay about 20 minutes from one of the famous beaches in Malpe. And then it was time for me to take my friends along and show off my part of the world. We would step out of the house everyday saying we are going to Malpe Beach but we would go about exploring new ones.
This is when I realized that every beach is unique. It has a style, an attitude of its own. Some beaches are welcoming and friendly. They ensure you don’t get scared, they throw soft, loving waves at you to make you comfortable and they ensure you spend maximum time playing and laughing with your friends. Some others are ferocious. It’s their way of telling you not to enter and just look at them and enjoy from a distance. Some beaches have little seats, a few rocks to make sure you don’t have to do any hard work. All you have to do is sit there and they would do all the work to give you maximum entertainment and satisfaction. And then there are some which make you develop a love to walk. Walk for miles together by the sea, walk and think of the time that has passed by, think of the time that is yet to come.

Anjuna Beach in Goa is something else altogether. It is not a beach I would go to if I wish to play in the water. It is a beach I would go to and get some sun, to enjoy a gorgeous view and to do some para-gliding. I was lucky to find some Russians who were providing this service. If you dream about flying, then para-gliding helps you realize what it feels like. I probably went there at the right time. The sun was about to set, and I along with the professional glider behind me, jumped of the cliff in Anjuna to experience the most beautiful 15 minutes of my life! Also the best thing about para-gliding above a sea is the landing.. You land on the beach 🙂
The pleasure of dancing in the rain on a beach is something each one should experience at least once in a life time. It’s one of the best things in life. Just imagining that scene as I write this blog is making me want to go back. Imagine this huge ocean with a few rocks, a blue sky turning golden as it gets closer to sunset, imagine the sun getting covered with clouds and then imagine little drops of water falling on you! This along with a dear friend, and the child in you which would make you dance on a secluded beach 
Everytime I think of a beach, the picture that comes to my mind is that of a secluded beach. Beaches in Mangalore are very clean (not the famous ones of course) and not populated. There are some such beaches in Maharashtra as well. My favorite in Alibaug is the Thal Beach. We were advised not to visit this beach by the locals of Alibaug. We were told that it’s a fisherman’s beach and totally not the kind a tourist would go to. But we had seen some pictures and were clear we wanted to go to this one. Thal Beach is gorgeous. The sand of Thal beach adds to its beauty. You can see the reflection of coconut trees, a few holiday homes, reflection of yourself and reflection of the sea. You will see a few horses being ridden around but very few people. It’s the kind which will make you walk, the kind where you can have long conversations with a friend, with yourself and of course with the sea.

Yes, I talk to the sea. That is where I plan my next one year. I thank the universe for all the happiness it has given me, I thank the sea for being so kind and loving with me and I share my plans with the sea. There are sometimes where I have been confused and the waves have helped me decide. OK.. before you think I am a lunatic, I will stop this part of the blog.
There is another place in Maharashtra called Harihareshwar. A couple of beaches here are out of this world. We stayed at a small house when we went there and this beach was just 5 minutes away from our backyard. The beauties of this beach are the hills on either side. They are lush green and it is like they are there to protect the beauty of the beach. And you can see the reflection of the hills too. You will not see a soul on this beach.

Now, this one is my favorite of all. This beach, somewhere in Mangalore is a point where the river and the sea meet. You have to see it to believe it! The first time I went there, we took a ride on a fisherman’s boat who used a 10 feet long pole instead of a paddle to row the boat. The river was 4 feet deep and he could move the boat by pushing this stick into the ground and using that force to move forward. The boatman was a cute old man who referred to me as Baale (A tulu word which means baby).

Anyways, he took us through this broken bridge which added to the beauty of the place. The shore of the river had a few boats kept there unused and tied to the coconut trees around. You have to walk for about 20 metres to get to the other side from where you can see the beach which is now famous in my circle as the “Secret Beach”. This beach has the best of everything. It’s clean, soft sand, friendly waves, an elevated place to sit, you will inevitably catch a stunning sunset followed by a starry starry night and a long walk which would lead you to the gorgeous amalgamation of the river and the sea. A point where you can watch the calmness of the river and hear the flamboyance of the sea, where you can see the tall trees and feel the sultry sea breeze, where you can sit for hours together not knowing how the time flies.

Beaches mean the world to me. I can go on and on talking about many more aspects of beaches. They make me laugh, they comfort me, they make me childlike, they show me how to love and so here I am, telling you I Love Beaches!