Gorai Beach

As a west coast boy, I always wondered what it would be like to witness sunrise at a sea. I was always ready to compromise my morning sleep, but I just didn't get the chance to travel to the eastern coast of the country. Lately, I found this beautiful beach in Mumbai and since then it has been a routine to spend every Saturday evening there. 

One can't forget this symbolic golden dome like structure that comes enroute to the beach. It was erected by the Essel World authorities to make a mark on Mumbai's map. And yes, you have to take a ferry from Borivali to cross a hundred meters or so patch of creek. Else, next available option is to travel all the way 30 kms by roadway. Auto-rickshaws and buses are available from the ferry point to get to the beach.

The best thing about Gorai beach is that the water is really shallow and calm. And when people are aimlessly walking on the beach, it creates illusion of walking on the water. Another thing is, people with not so brave hearts can also enjoy the sea. (Most of my friends would fall under this category.) During low tides, you could actually walk and touch those little fishing boats resting on the shore.

It seems to be just the perfect place to go footloose. Most of the people bring their vehicles to the beach for a nice run and ultimately end up getting stuck in the sand. It's been a number of times, me and my friends have helped the drivers to get their cars out of the mud. But I guess it's worth it. May be, even I would like to do that stupidity when I get a car on my own.

Most people would enjoy the sea from a distance without getting themselves wet. I have no respect for those kind of people. (This is my argument when my friends laugh out loud, at me whenever I can't resist my urge to take a swim in the oceans.)

Apart from all these jokes, the beach gets its real beauty in night. Believe me when I say, I even swam in those shallow waters, under the moonlight. Drifting like a wooden log, facing that dark grey sky, on those lazy waves covered in a shiny white blanket of moonlight. Indeed, an experience of a lifetime!

Robbers' Cave at Dehradun

     We all grew up hearing bedtime stories about how Alibaba found a robbers' cave and enjoyed all the gold for the rest of his life. Probably even fantasized about finding one ourselves. Just never thought such a place would exist in Dehradun. Don't get your hopes high; it doesn't have any more gold left in it.

     At my first glance, the place looked like an extended gutter. Only after exploring further, I found sheer awesomeness. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.


     The place was like a passage for water to flow through those rocks. It pops two things in mind: The Grand Canyon and 127 Hours movie.  The rocks were corroded by water smooth, just like pebbles. It is ironic that a thing as hard as rock can be so smooth. It was getting narrower and deeper as we moved inside. The ankle deep water level soon became knee deeper. Though the water looked brownish, it wasn't dirty at all. I mean no plastic garbage in it. Just water with some soil in  it. Plastic garbage shows the existence of human race at a place. If you find a place without it, you can be sure that it's untouched, virgin!

     We were getting closer to water source. Discrete drops of water falling downwards were just adding up to the experience. Sunlight was getting rarer as we went deeper. Or should I just say, it was getting more awesome! At the end of the cave, it  went more than 7 feet deep. It felt good to drown in such a compact place, just like a cavity. I might be able to describe it down fully because it was an experience that can't be expressed in words. Indeed one of the best places I have explored.