Beach – Seasons of Life!

Mattu Beach – A Tropical Paradise

Our auto took a turn and quite unexpectedly we found ourselves on a narrow but perfectly tarred road that was lined with coconut trees on one side and the vast Arabian Sea on the other. Peeping through the coconut trees and scattered all along were quaint little colourful houses painted in red, blue, yellow, pink. It was the long weekend of Independence Day and we were gallivanting around Udupi.

Rajesh, our auto driver, did mention that he was about to take us to a place that we would really like but we hadn’t paid much attention thinking that he hardly knew what would interest us. And, here we were in a state of complete euphoria mesmerized with the scenic and picturesque setting around us. We had grossly underestimated Rajesh’s capability of gauging the interests of tourists riding with him and customising the trips accordingly. His experience and zest in delighting his customers is something he repeatedly proved to us in the next few days.

Pic 1: Quaint houses peeping through coconut trees lined up alongside the backwaters.

Sensing our excitement, Rajesh stopped the auto somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It was only when we stepped out that we saw the backwaters beyond the coconut trees. The narrow strip of road was flanked by coconut trees, palm trees, and backwaters on one side and the deep blue sea on the other. Nature has uniquely blessed this place. There were very few people around and it wasn’t the least bit touristy making it the most pleasant place at that moment. There were no hawkers, no shops, no restaurants. The air was filled with the gentle sound of waves splashing into the golden sands, the swishing coconut trees dancing to the tune of the breeze emanating from the sea, and the pleasantly fluttering Indian Flag – it was the day before Independence Day.

Pic 2: *What can be more refreshing than strolling on roads like this!*

*Pic 3: The narrow road flanked by coconut trees and backwaters on one side and the sea on the other.*

The thought that I had never heard about this beach before was astonishing, especially in this digital age of social media. Such a charming beach remains lesser known is a blessing till word spreads and it gets discovered. I just hope the beach remains empty as it is today, which is a possibility so long eateries and hawkers don’t set up shop here. Thoroughly delighted to discover this hidden gem, we had clearly fallen in love with this place. The blissful, pristine, clean, and quiet surroundings exuded the perfect therapeutic feeling of peace and joy. The next few days saw us coming here at least once every single day and spending time in nature’s heavenly solitude.

Just two weeks before I had been to South Goa, which is known for its stunning white sandy beaches, clear blue seas, swaying palm trees, and the amazing sea food. Therefore, it was only natural for me to make a quick comparison of the beaches in South Goa to Mattu Beach. The latter won hands on for reasons more than one. The soulful and serene Mattu Beach is grossly underrated, which is not a bad thing at all, especially for travellers seeking to enjoy nature’s inherent quietude.

*Pic 5: The entire stretch of the beach is separated into smaller coves by artificial rock walkways that extend onto the sea.*

*Pic 6: Clean and simmering golden sands, something that I haven’t seen in any other Indian beach for quite some time.*

The 30 Km. long Mattu Beach is also well known for bio luminescence – the sea sparkles at sun down because of the production and emission of light by some bio-luminescent microorganisms. Unfortunately, I got to know of this only after getting back to Bangalore when my friend, unable to get Mattu Beach out of her mind, went into a research mode and started reading up about the place. That was certainly a big miss for us as we never stayed back after sundown. Well, I will certainly visit Mattu Beach once again and bio luminescence will be an additional attraction.

*Pic 7: There wasn’t a lot of sun those days and mostly the sky remained overcast, yet we got to witness brilliant play of colours everyday at sunset.*

Christmas 2020

Pristine Beach by a Quaint Village

The evening sky broke into an intense assortment of red, pink, orange, and yellow as we watched the mellowed sun gradually recede into the glittering waters below. Standing on that elevated sandy ground, we silently observed the vermilion tinted waves compete with each other as they playfully rushed towards the shore. It was an incredible sight and we wanted to take it all in, keenly aware that it wasn’t going to last very long.

Just behind us, on that sand dune, stood a beautiful Church, the white colour of which glowed with the setting sun. A few meters from the Church was a wooden Holy Cross standing tall on an elevated platform.

Pic 1: The sky was an assortment of colours – yellows, oranges, reds, pinks

We were at Manapad Beach. It was Christmas Day and I couldn’t have thought of being at a better place! And, this beautiful experience happened only because someone made it possible for us. I have always considered myself immensely fortunate when it comes to people I get connected with in my life. Some of these wonderful people are fellow bloggers I have met through WordPress and I have mentioned this umpteen times.

This post is dedicated to Sugan, who blogs at The Buffalo Rider. Do visit his blog and I can promise you that you will not be disappointed.

On Christmas Day of 2020, I landed at Kanyakumari. Quite an impromptu trip and I hadn’t had the time to plan it well. I had visited Kanyakumari twice before, once many years ago as a little child with my father and another time a few years back with friends. However, the only thing that I recall about Kanyakumari is Vivekananda Rock and that’s not surprising at all.

It was during a random conversation on Instagram that Sugan had mentioned that he belonged to Kanyakumari offering to make recommendations if I ever decided to visit again. As promised, Sugan created an itinerary for me when I informed him about my plans. Usually that’s what people do. That’s what I would have done if someone was visiting Shillong or Bangalore. However, Sugan went a step ahead. He gave his precious time to us spending an entire afternoon and evening with us taking us around in his SUV, which he fondly calls ‘Buffalo’.

Pic 2: The Holy Cross Church and the wooden Holy Cross atop the sand dune

Just a few hours after we reached, Sugan picked us up from our hotel. After a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant, he took us to Vattakotai Fort. I will write in detail about this place in a separate post. Thereafter, we started for Manapad Village. Manapad is a coastal village with a dominant fisherman population and is located in Tuticorin, about 75 Km. away from Kanyakumari . The drive from Kanyakumari to Manapad is exquisitely beautiful, which was a compelling reason for Sugan to recommend this place to us.

Little Details from the Village

As we arrived at the village, the first thing we noticed was the steeples and spires of various churches nestled between the brick-red roofs of the whitewashed houses. The Gothic-styled churches stood out, intriguing us sufficiently. I got to know later that these were St. James Church and Holy Spirit Church – two of the three churches in Manapad. Thinking that we would visit them later, we headed towards the beach. The Holy Cross Church is located on an elaborate sand dune on the beach. It being Christmas there were a lot of people at the Church. We climbed the sand dune and spent the entire evening watching the sunset. Consequently, time ran out and we missed visiting the two Gothic styled churches we had seen earlier.

An interesting aspect of this beach is that water is separated by stretches of sand in some places creating clear blue lagoons. Another thing that drew our attention was a well in the beach which provides fresh water to the villagers who fetch drinking water from this well.

Pic 3: Climbing up a sand hill is not all that easy. Sugan on the left and my sisters on the right.

Pic 4: Clear blue lagoons separated from the sea by chunks of sand. Notice the village on the left, the spires of the Gothic-styled churches can be seen.

I wish I could spend at least a day in the tempting clean sand and blue waters of Manapad. I had no idea that such a quaint little village with a mesmerizing beach existed in Tuticorin and one that is easily accessible from so many places in South India. The fact that Manapad is relatively unknown to the usual touristy crowd only adds to its charm. Such offbeat places can only be experienced when you are lucky enough to have a local connection.

I definitely owe my Christmas, 2020 to Sugan. Your hospitality inspired me. You taught me how giving your valuable time to people visiting your hometown can completely elevate their experience of that place. I ought to do more when people I know visit my hometown.

Pic 5: Sugan spends a quiet moment lost with the waves.

An Addendum

Here’s an interesting story I read about the Holy Cross at the beach.

In 1540 a Portuguese ship was caught in a dreadful storm. It was at the risk of sinking with its sails splitting and mast snapping. The captain entrusted the safety of the vessel to Christ and vowed to construct a Cross from the splintered mast if they escaped alive and have it installed wherever they land safely. After drifting for several days, the ship washed up on the shores of Manapad. The captain kept his vow and planted a Cross atop the sand dune.

Furthermore, when the cross was in the form of a log, cut off from the broken mast, a villager had cleaned his foot removing filth by rubbing on the log. Soon, his foot swelled up and he felt immense pain. That night the villager had a vision that the ailment was due to his defiling the log. In order to get cured he was asked to wipe the muck off the log, smear the log with oil, and then apply the same oil to his foot. The villager did as he was told and was cured.

An April Afternoon by the Beach

Thankfulness to a helpful stranger!

“Aap ko toh tourist guide hona chaiye!” (You should rather be a tourist guide!), my sister joked with Praveen, the auto driver we met a few moments ago. Acting on Praveen’s advice was the best thing we did that afternoon.

It was the month of April, last year. We had arrived at Mangalore around noon after visiting Bekal Fort in Kerala. Our train to Bangalore wasn’t until 9 PM. We had the entire afternoon and evening in Mangalore without any specific plans. Mangalore being a coastal city we knew we would be spending the afternoon at a beach. We had some financial limitations and wanted to restrain our expenses for the day. The waiter at the insignificant roadside eatery, where we had a delicious lunch of Pomfret fish curry and rice, recommended we go to Panambur Beach. We were, however, interested in Surathkal Beach as it was recommended by a friend but on enquiry got to know it was a little away from the city. Tad hesitantly, we settled for Panambur as it was accessible by bus and hence would cost less.

IMG_4647-n — *Pic 1: Footprints only to be washed away by the waves-fleeting impermanence of all things in life!*

We landed at Panambur only to realize this was not the place where we would like to spend the rest of the day. It was crazily crowded even with the blazing Sun in the hot coastal afternoon. The sand was burning, and the place looked like a fair – joyrides for children, camel and horse rides, hawkers selling ice-creams, and what not. We immediately decided to spend whatever money it takes and go to Surathkal Beach instead. Walking through the heated sand out of the beach was an ordeal in itself and then there were no autos waiting by the roadside.

After a while Praveen arrived and was ready to take us to Surathkal for an amount that seemed a little high but at that moment we were in no mood to haggle. Wasting no time, we hopped in. Praveen started his auto and just took a turn towards our destination when I poured out my frustration about Panambur beach. I also told him that we have a train from Mangalore at night and would need to go back. Praveen recommended we go to Tannirbhavi beach instead as it would be easier to go back to the city from there.

Tannirbhavi turned out to be just like our kind of a place. The beach wasn’t much crowded and lacked the hustle and bustle of Panambur. The eateries and a few joyrides were restricted to just one small section of the beach a little away from the sea. The sand was clean, pristine and much cooler. The best part was the tall pine trees all along the beach that not only made it scenic but also provided refuge from the hot afternoon sun.

IMG_4642n — *Pic 2: The pleasant and scenic Tannirbhavi Beach*

Set on the shores of the mighty Arabian Sea, Tannirbhavi beach was just perfect for nature lovers like us – peaceful, serene, and tranquil. It may not appeal much to those who love beach activities as it had none. We spent the rest of the afternoon wading knee deep into the water, walking leisurely on the sparkling sand through the length of the beach, listening to the waves lazily crashing on the beach, observing the golden coloured crabs hurriedly make their way and disappear into the sand, watching the playful sea birds flying around in definite patterns, and when the Sun felt hot resting under the shades of Pine.

*Pic 3: Boats parked on one side of the beach*

As the afternoon was slowly giving way to evening, a cluster of clouds came along floating into the sky and the setting Sun played hide and seek with us. The result was, we did not have the perfect sunset but that didn’t matter instead we watched a young man practicing his surfing skills in the tides.

new — *Pic 4: Not an ideal sunset but it didn’t matter. Do you spot the surfer practicing his skills?*

Praveen had mentioned a certain tree park nearby which he said was a must visit. He also told us about a temple in Mangalore. We were so lost in quietude at the scenic beach that we totally forgot about the tree park and remembered only when we were leaving the beach. We decided to give it a miss. On the other side of the beach runs Phalguni River, where one can take a ferry ride and cross over to Mangalore City. It’s the cheapest way to go to the city from the beach – something we wouldn’t have known had it not been for Praveen.

On reaching the other side of the river we visited the temple that Praveen had mentioned before heading to the Railway Station. The temple was beautiful and it was a good way to end our day at Mangalore.

Isn’t it fascinating to meet random people like Praveen while travelling! To me, they are God-send. Praveen was an auto driver, who went out of his way to help and guide random strangers in his city. It wasn’t a part of his duty. Rather he could have misguided and taken advantage of us in the lure of making some quick buck from ill-informed tourists. Instead he gave us a glimpse of Mangalore in the 20 minutes that we spent with him and invited us personally to come again for a longer period. He even created an itinerary for us to spend the rest of the day in the best possible way. Such delightful rendezvous add so much colour to travel memories.

Ever since, our memories of Mangalore is associated with Praveen and we can never forget the beautiful afternoon at Tannirbhavi Beach. I will go back to Mangalore as I haven’t explored the city at all and whenever I do so, I will reach out for Praveen.

Refreshingly Picturesque Diu

De-stress at the Serene Beaches of Diu

Utterly clean surroundings, well-tarred roads, spick and span roadsides as though they have received a dose of fresh paint…

The car takes a turn and the driver announces that we have arrived. Ma passes a remark from the back seat. Baba and I agree in unison that we had not seen this level of neatness in any city in recent times.

We were at the coastal town of Diu. Diu is one of the two districts of the Union Territory of Daman and Diu – the two erstwhile Portuguese naval bases that remain separated from each other by a distance of about 600 Km. Diu town overlooks Arabian Sea and sits at the eastern end of Diu Island, which remains connected to the state of Gujarat through a bridge.

I was on a trip across a few places of Gujarat along with my parents. Diu featured in our itinerary too. Diu’s proximity to Somnath made it the perfect destination to unwind after visiting the temple towns of Somnath and Dwarika.

img_e3789 — *Pic 1: The clean beaches of Diu*

The refreshingly picturesque Diu is perfect recipe for a great weekend getaway – lovely palm-fringed roads, Portuguese architecture, and amazingly clean beaches.

Back in Bangalore after my Gujarat and Diu trip, I was surprised to discover that people in my circle – colleagues and friends – had never considered visiting Diu. This was strange given Diu’s easy accessibility from Bangalore via Mumbai, especially when people of this city crave for weekend destinations and easy getaways. The craze is so much that extended weekends are easily recognizable by the remarkably less traffic on the roads.

In this post, I will concentrate on my experience of the beaches of Diu. For the rest of Diu’s attractions, I will follow up in another post. Diu has several beaches – I’ll write about two of them, the ones I visited.

[Read the other attractions of Diu here.]

Jallandhar Beach – Sunset Splendour

I chose to stay at a place that was right at the center of the town instead of staying at a resort close to the sea. My preference being guided by the fact that I was traveling with my aged parents. Staying close to civilization, I thought, was a wise thing to do. The hotel overlooked Diu Port, so we had a great view of Arabian Sea right from our room and that worked just perfect.

*Pic 2: View of Arabian Sea from our hotel room.*

*Pic 3: The busy Diu Port seen from our hotel room.*

Like most people in this world, sunrises and sunsets pep me up like no other, whether in the mountains or in the oceans/seas. With sunset in my mind, I set out for an evening stroll to Jallandhar Beach on the day we reached Diu. My parents preferred to remain in the hotel.

The beach being located in the heart of the town and walkable from my hotel, I mentally prepared for crowd, noise, and filth. To my surprise, this city beach was completely different – very few people, no vendors, no stalls, and a sparklingly clean coastline. Greeted by a wide promenade, occasionally interrupted by well-laid benches, I ambled as trees on the fringes whispered and swayed with the intoxicating sea breeze. The golden sand looked warm and inviting.

*Pic 4: Saw these pretty flowers on one side of Jallandhar Beach*

A little ahead, the sandy beach culminated into a rocky hillock, atop which I noticed a few people and the spire of a temple. That’s where I wanted to be! Moving ahead in that direction, I climbed up the hill and located a quiet and isolated place. There I spend the evening watching the sun paint the sky, lovingly kiss the glistening waters, and eventually merge into the sea altogether.

An overwhelmingly magical evening it was! Little did I expect such an experience in a tiny little city beach!

*Pic 5: My quiet place at Jallandhar Beach*

Jallandhar Beach –Sunrise Quietude

Next day, early in the morning while it was still dark, I set out to Jallandhar Beach once again. This time, it turned out to be even better – there wasn’t a single soul on the beach. I walked on the sand for a while and then settled down on a flat stone listening to the musical silence of the soft melody created by the gentle waves. Before I knew, dawn broke in sending shimmering golden rays over the placid Arabian Sea. The quietude was intoxicating making me wish that it would last forever.

I was in Diu for one full day and two half days. This enabled me to repeat the sunrise and sunset experiences one more time. I wasn’t disappointed and each time it was equally charming.

*Pic 7: As dawn breaks in, the sky is sprinkled in myriad hues*

*Pic 8: The bluish tinge is soon replaced by reddish orange.*

*Pic 9: And before I know the sun makes a grandiose appearance*

Nagoa Beach – Leisureliness Walk

Usually people stay at Nagoa Beach and I would have done that too had it not been for my parents. However, after my sunrise and sunset experience at Jallandhar Beach, I have no regrets.

It was late afternoon when we reached Nagoa Beach after a drive of about 25-30 minutes from Diu town. The drive was appealing, taking us through the pretty countryside lined by palm groves. The perfectly tarred roads shone in the afternoon sun sometimes up and down, sometimes winding through narrow lanes. We passed through attractive colourful neighbourhoods and one or two churches.

*Pic 10: Nagoa Beach as I first saw it, my mobile camera isn’t capable of capturing the true colors of the water – an iridescent brilliant blue.*

Upon reaching Nagoa, we alighted from the car to a row of resorts on one side and the beach just across the street. Tall palm trees demarcate the beach from the road. The sprawling white sands of the horse-shoe shaped Nagoa Beach extended to a much larger distance making it way more luxuriant but it was way more crowded too. The crowd robbed off its charm to a certain extent. However, the first thing I noticed here was the colour of the waters of Arabian Sea – it was an iridescent brilliant blue.

We spent about an hour in Nagoa beach. I walked up and down the length of the beach sometimes through the white sand and sometimes splashing through the waves. This time my parents joined in too instead of just relaxing on the sand.

Other Beaches in Diu

Ghoghla Beach, Chakratirth Beach, and Gomtimata Beach are the other beaches of Diu. Ghogla beach provides opportunities for parasailing, surfing, and boating. We did pass by Ghoghla Beach but didn’t stop as these activities weren’t things we wanted to do. Chakratirath and Gomtimata are both walkable from Nagoa. Gomtimata is made of coral rocks and has puddles of water in between the rocks where one can find aquatic life such as crabs.

We decided to give both these a miss as I wanted to go back to Jallandhar Beach and experience my magical sunset all over again.

*Pic 11: Ghogla beach seen from a distance*

Tides of Bekal

Swaying coconut trees, rhythmic tides of the sea, and sparkling golden sand on a pristine and clean beach! Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? And if I tell you there are just a handful of people playing around in the beach. How ideal does that sound! Well, that was just how we experienced the Arabian Sea at Bekal Beach.

Bekal is one of the several beach destinations in God’s Own Country – Kerala. It’s home to the fascinating Bekal Fort, which is perched on its rocky shores, situated on one corner of the beach.

*Pic 1: The golden sands and the swaying coconut trees.*

We were at Pallikara, a sleepy little lovely village in North Kerala, where all you see is green – just so characteristic of Kerala. Everything in Kerala is green! It’s like patches of concrete hidden in green unlike most other places in India where you find patches of green hidden in concrete!

It was a hot April day when we arrived at this place. As we had lunch at a roadside eatery, we found people staring at us, probably surprised by tourists at this unlikely time of the year or to see women who were on their own and look different from the ones they are used to seeing.

The shop owner had a volley of questions for us and though we displayed our disinterest, he continued. Sensing that he was probably harmless and not wanting to appear like arrogant tourists, we chit-chatted with him . The small talk turned out to be useful as he showed us a shortcut to the beach on the other side of an unmanned railway crossing that runs just behind his shop. The beach was right across and here we were all set to take an auto!

While the sweltering heat nearly baked us at the fort, the beach was much cooler. In fact, we had walked towards the beach preparing our minds to face the hot afternoon sun thinking that we would sit in the shades provided alongside the shore and just watch the gorgeous Arabian Sea. We were already roasting in the April heat of Malabar Coast since we arrived in the morning and that made us cautious.

However, the Sea was in a playful mood and seemed to have a different idea. It was cooler than we thought and we could even walk bare foot on the sand. We played in the water and walked around in the beach for a while and then went off to explore Bekal Fort.

*Pic 2: A glimpse of Bekal Fort right there at the corner.*

We came back to the Sea again in the evening. This time there were more people but still it wasn’t that crowded. We walked along the length of the beach, sat on the golden warm sand, felt the cool salty breeze brush against our face, played with the waves, followed the fast and furious crabs, and just relaxed.

*Pic 4: Dozens of these screw seashells washed ashore only to be taken away by the next tide.*

*Pic 5: The only crab that I could click as it was lying still, probably about to die, it was still moving though.*

Evening was slowly approaching and we decided to walk towards the rocky shore where the fort is located. The fort provides for an imposing view from the beach. However, there is no way to reach the fort from the beach, though you can climb through the rocks and approach just a section of the fort wall. The fort can be accessed only through the road.

We spent the evening sitting on the rocks with the fort behind us and the tides crashing against the rocks in front of us. It was splendid to say the least. And it was my birthday. Couldn’t have asked for a better birthday gift (other than the Himalayas, of course…)!

Something interesting happened in the evening. We were waiting to see the Sun slip into the sea, expecting a usual sunset that happens in most beaches. The Sun, however decided to set behind the fort providing an awesome view of the entire landscape – the magnificent fort, the setting sun, and the mighty Arabian Sea.

We watched in rapture even as the tides continued discharging their duty of systematically doing rounds of the shore, not getting distracted even once, so what if the Sun was looking gorgeously beautiful. There’s so much to learn from nature, always!

Tide