The weekend with 'blues'



Pic: Ria Bhatnagar



A Welcome Wave

Dig your toes deep, deep into holiday spirit. The two days of the weekend arrive only after a week long of torture. Getting away from the maddening city life is therefore essential sans the mental baggage of what was to come and what must be ahead. Lighten your cranium of every trace of information that spells 'work' and get ready with just a pair of shorts and a long breezy hat to enjoy in the sands of Manori beach.

Tracks to Tuu-tuu'ing on waves

The stifling atmosphere of the city is some 40 kms away from the little island of Manori. Chug through the railway tracked Mumbai interiors till the Malad station. Hop on an auto till the beach and climb onto the ferry for a fun 15 minute ride. Sitting peacefully and attracting adventure are small islands all around the sea. The Manori beach lays sprawled on the restless waters, ready to take on more tourists than its land can possibly contain. You will mostly have chattering and loud fishermen for company as you de-board the ferry and move towards the auto stand to venture into the island. 

Around the sands, along the water

The long and winding road of the small island of Manori has a series of cottages and hotels, springing up like a colony of mushrooms, infested with both humans and small creepy-crawlies. With your small baggage of bare essentials (which should definitely include sun block, sun glasses and a good camera), all you need to worry about is to find a decent place to spend the night. At the crack of the dawn, the island populace comes to life, buzzing and marching towards the endless shore of the beach.

The island has no concept of vehicles, both for the better and for the worse. The lack of petro-powered machines signals the obvious need to be on one's toes, literally. The entire length and breath of the island, in fact, can be happily and easily scaled just on foot, preferably with click-happy company and great conversations. A bed of rocks are almost, aesthetically designed for the left half of the beach, where some thinkers, self-proclaimed philosophers spend time watching the vast expanse of blue-green. For the one's who fancy being a part of the sea adventures feel no inhibitions in running into the sea and riding on the unpredictably menacing and over-hyper crescendos.

Food stalls and chuski walas station themselves in the middle of all the activity, drowning the ice-cones into the shocking red, green, orange and blue concoctions. It takes more than self-discipline and self-control to not walk towards once such stall and buy yourself one of those pretty ice-lollies. They're an absolute pleasure to the taste-buds and disasterous inside the winding interiors of the digestion system.

Pic: Ria Bhatnagar

While deciding on going back to where civilization exists, a short-cut from the beach and a considerable walk will lead you to the main road. If you are lucky, you might be able to spot a horse-cart. Of course, not all horse-cart owners are willing to take surly, over-walked and soaking tramps. However, with a little persuasion and at an overpriced non-bargainable rate, they may finally give in and drop you till the jetty.

A small world that lives secretly on the giant sea is more than welcoming and happy to be visited. Shade your eyes against the sun, look around you, a perfect, exciting and also peaceful weekend might just be hidden behind the last wave.

Pic: Ria Bhatnagar