Diary 11 : Vizag's forgotten Beaches

The only natural harbour on the East Coast of India, Vizag, comes with a plethora of beaches to tempt the regular tourist into a "sunkissed beached" mode. While popular beaches like Rushikonda and the RK beach manage to attract huge crowds throughout the year, it's the lesser known ones that manage to strike a chord deep within your heart. These forgotten beaches help in self rediscovery in a big way by taking you far from the real world and into a distant dreamland with the promise of pristine golden beaches, deep blue sea and lush green mountains. Two of them are Bheemili Beach and Yarada Beach, both located at a stone's throw away from Vizag. 

Bheemili Beach :

If you’re in the search for the beach that would calm your nerves and let you meditate in peace, then Bheemili Beach, located at Bheemunipatnam is the one for you. It is a friendly neighbour of Vishakapatnam. Its stint with Buddhism goes a long time back to the 3^rd Century B.C. It also bears testimony to the Dutch settlements that appeared here in the 17th century. 

This collaboration between two completely different cultures manages to impart a magical flavour to this sleepy old seaside town. At the entrance to this beach, you are greeted by 4 sedate Buddhist monks, temporarily lost in translation. Feel free to gel in and get into a trance with them. If the biggest ode to Buddhism is a gigantic Buddha Statue, then the lighthouse built by the Dutch in 1868 stands as a living(and functional) legend of the fearless clan from the Netherlands. 

Nature has played an interesting card with a fair share of moss coated black rocks dotting the ocean front. Even though their presence makes swimming or bathing off limits for people, most tourists are happy in getting their feet wet from the white froth of the waves crashing against those treacherous rocks. 

Their joy and happiness get reflected from the moist sands, each echoing a different tale against a deep blue backdrop. Bheemili manages to instill a sense of inner peace and joy inside you and your colorful world, in a very small, nondescript yet significant way. 

Yarada Beach :

Cradled by the tall Dolphin’s hill on one side, and caressed by the deep blue waters of Bay of Bengal on the other, Yarada beach exudes placidity and poise with every breath of fresh air that you take in. Its location takes it way from the regular tourist’s map and probably it’s the only beach near Vizag that actually lets you be at peace with the world. The evergreen dolphin’s hill rises up magnificently right beside the beach and casts a comfortable shade over it. The waves keep on rolling and bringing the mysteries of the depths to the surface. The child in you tries to touch the façade of the ocean in a bid to unearth its secrets.

On windy days, the winds start whispering songs of the sunken ships and long lost sailors to the crisp yellow sands and they start swirling up in beautiful sandstorms, perfectly in sync with the rhythm. 

At times when you feel like you have experienced it all, Yarada beach stands up quietly and opens up a vast new universe for you to sink into the blues. It not only grants your wish of discovering a tranquil beach away from the popular ones but also helps you find the music of the sea that you sorely missed in your busy city life. It takes away time and pulls it backwards, spiralling down into the abyss.

Diary 7 : Henry's Island : Kolkata's almost private beach !

Dream

                                                                     
Sea beaches have always been a source of inspiration for artists. The white frothy waves bathed in the afterglow of the setting red sun against a picturesque and dramatic blue sky have beckoned humanity time and time again. One such example is the beach at Henry’s Island. Think pristine white sand, rolling waves and a host of mangrove and Casuarina trees border lining the crescent beach. Yes that’s exactly the stuff, our dreams are made up of !







The quaint, desolate beach is located approximately 130 km from Kolkata. NH117 is a driver’s delight due its silky smooth tarmac. Travel time is around 3.5 hours and this includes a thrilling barge ride towards the end. 

Staying options at Henry’s Island are limited to a resort run by the West Bengal Fisheries Department. Rooms can be booked online at : http://wbsfdc.com/booking-procedure/. Just incase there are no rooms available, you can always drive down to Bakkhali, around 4 kms away. There are numerous Tourist Lodges at Bakkhali and most of them are pretty decent. Some hotels also allow pets to check in with their loving owners !

The road leading up to the beach is a narrow path through a mangrove forest which emerges onto a peculiar landscape complete with parched dry earth, shrubs and levees. The entrance to the beach lies inside a wide gaping hole through a Casuarina forest.







The first view of the beach will be a special one as your eyes will try to adjust to the blinding light outside and the process will render a hazy white sunny beach with a blue sky and light brown char lands peeping out from the shallow depths of the sea. All of these will have the familiar taste of salt and a fishy smell that lend the beach its characteristic flavor. You will have breathtaking views of the shoreline bordered by mangroves and casuarina trees. The vegetation line runs like a wall along the beach and the greenery will soothe your stressed nerves perfectly.








There's a watch tower at Henry's Island, which delivers 360 degrees of beautiful views of the whole island. The crescent nature of the beach can be observed from the top of the watchtower.















The serene surroundings might tempt the child in you to dig your hands deep into the soft white sand and start building sand castles with fresh vigour! It will give you another chance to introspect on the countless activities that you had tried to pursue in your distant childhood and rekindle your love for things left long behind. The sound of the waves will be like oxygen to your ears which have become accustomed to the city noises. A new chance at living life like the good ol’ days ? Maybe.







Nature has her own unique ways of calling us back to her lap. Sometimes white sands, blue skies and soft waves serve as her messengers. And sometimes we, humans just play along with her tunes. Some of us call that life. And the rest call it daydreaming.