Have you ever wanted to sit on a hammock and keep sipping on the coconut water while your toes dug into warm white sands? Ever wanted to hear the sea crashing and foaming at your toes, while the sea gulls sang songs of their joyous past? Ever wanted to sit and have the spray of the sea beckon and invite you to join the sea in its glorious dance?
I did. I always do. I always will.
Being the beach bum that I am, the sea will always hold a special place in my life. I dream of beautiful stretches of endless white beach and the never ending spray of the relentless crashing waves. A couple of days back, me and a couple of friends went off on a short escapade. Our itinerary involved beaches. Lots of beaches. In fact our only thought was beaches. We covered the following beaches in our expedition - Kihim Beach, Alibaug, Akshi Beach, Kashid Beach, Murud, Janjira and Rajbaug.
The beaches at Kihim and Alibaug were nice. The spray made me feel at home. The closeness to a beach made me feel at unison with the wind. But there was something that wasn’t quite right. Something just didn’t click. We didn’t really stick around for too long. We all longed for that one beach, that one magical and beautiful beach that would make us feel like we were at home.
The drive from Alibaug to Kashid was beautiful. The roads ran parallel to the coast. Every little turn and every curve gave us majestic views of the sea. The sun glinted off the water blinding us temporarily. The air was as pure as any I have breathed. We had myriad views of islands dotting the coast. Just before we caught sight of Kashid beach, beautiful zig zag lanes dotted with coconut trees with snatches of the sea and the sound of crashing waves greeted us. And then I saw heaven with my own eyes.
K-A-S-H-I-D. Kashid Beach actually!
What I saw was an unspoilt expand of white sand stretching on and on for the longest time ever. It seemed to fade into the sky. Oh! And the spray! The glorious spay in this beach in Kashid! The wind was fierce but calming at the same time. The warm sand tickled my toes. And there were hammocks tied up to the trees in numbers. And I don’t mean countable numbers. A whole kilometre of hammocks. Armed with my own coconut water, I chose a shaded hammock while my friends decided to go and pay their respects to one of the best beaches that we have ever come across.
The waves left me blissfully blank. I stayed on my hammock, watching the sea. Feeling the sea. I don’t know how long I was there on the hammock, enthralled by the beauty of Kashid beach and the sea. I saw the sky change colours. The sky went from an azure blue to a glorious riot of orange, pink and grey. The wind changed directions. The warm sun bid a tearful farewell, opening up the heavens to a mild drizzle. The last ray of warmth disappeared in the distant horizon. I got up and paid my last respect to the beach and the sea. With one last glance at one of the most magical beaches in Kashid, I bid adieu and was homeward bound.
