Suvali Beach, Hazira, Surat

If you are in Surat and looking for a beach to unwind and relax but hate everything about Dumas Beach, then Suvali is the place to be. An isolated beach and away from the hustle and bustle of Surat and the industrial town of Hazira, Suvali is a good retreat for people who want some solitude, sun, sand and sea. Thanks to the lack of development, this beach is not yet that popular with the masses.

Suvali, like most beaches in Gujarat has black soil, absolutely low-to-no tide and shallow waters. And this in my opinion takes the shine away from the beaches. To me a beach is all about about the roaring tides, crystal clear water and pearly white sand. Quite ironically the roaring tides have a calming effect on me. All of which is lacking in the beaches here. To make matters worse, when you look far into the sea, you don't exactly find seemingly endless stretch of water, rather Steel plants and Oil rigs. And that's not really a pretty sight.

We spent our Saturday evening playing catch and ogling at the Sun getting devoured by the sea.

Getting-there: Take the lane between L&T and GSEG on Hazira road and keep going straight for about 3 or 4 kms.

Must-Do: Watch the sunset
Must-Don't: Littering

My Rating: 4/10
Pic Courtesy: Travelersguideindia

Dandi Beach, Navsari, Gujrat

It all began on March 12th, 1930 from Ahmedabad and culminated in a small town of Navsari district in Gujrat. Since then Dandi Beach has occupied a prominent place in history for her struggle for Independence. The famous Dandi March a.k.a Salt Satyagragha was the brainchild of none other than Mahatma Gandhi. Though the idea of a protest on Salt Tax was deemed laughable by many in that era, Gandhi went ahead with his marathon walk to Dandi and history books.

Conveniently located 50 kms from Surat, it’s a must-visit getaway for all Surtis. Dandi falls under Navsari District and is about 13 kms from the Navsari Railway Station. The ride from Surat to Dandi is pretty much comfortable except for certain bad patches in Sachin (Yes, there’s a place called Sachin in Gujrat) where flyovers are being constructed. Once you reach Navsari National Highway 228 takes you all the way to Dandi Beach, where the Highway meets the Sea. Having reached the beach early in the morning, it was pretty much deserted. This bode well with me as I generally love the peace and quiet of Mother Nature in general and beaches in particular. Just as Dumas Beach, the sand here is black and the water muddy. The sand here is so firm and so set that it could pass off to be a drive-in beach - had the Gujrat Tourism thought of promoting that. For the time being the beach is being optimally used by children to play cricket which is probably better than the cars taking over the place.

With the pleasant February Sun shining through and a cool breeze tickling my hair I decided to walk the beach. As I walked farther from the main crowding area in the beach, my eyes were arrested by the sight of pearly-white Sea shells washed ashore. What started as a solitary shell grew in numbers to at least two dozen. My collection also included some stones which were as thin as a one Rupee coin and of different sizes and shapes. As morning turned to noon, my mind started complaining about the Sun and the stomach started complaining about hunger. That was my cue to head back to Surat after what was a thoroughly relaxing morning with the Sea.

Whether you are with your family on a picnic or alone for some peace, solitude and relaxation, Dandi is the place for it. And don’t forget to get your cricket gear or football or Frisbee or whatever else is your poison.

Getting-there: Surat->Sachin->Navsari->Dandi. Approximately 50 kms from Surat.

Must-Do: Get your favourite sports gear and play by the beach. Early morning and late evening are the best times to visit, obviously.
Must-Don’t: Littering.

My Rating: 6/10

Dumas Beach, Surat

Think of beaches and images of white sun-kissed sand, azure sky, refreshing blue water and lush green cover with palm trees come flooding to mind. They also offer an opportunity to play in the waves, take a swim (or at least wet your legs for the not so daring folks) or spend endless hours just sitting on the beach sand and staring at the horizon. But come to the Dumas Beach and you will find none of that. The beach sand is surprisingly pitch black in color the water rather muddy and black - matching the color of the sand. Thorny wild shrubs accounts for the green cover. And if you look into the horizon you set your eyes upon steel plants, oil rigs, heavy machinery plants and shipping ports. This is probably one of the few beaches where you don’t even get an opportunity to let the waves wet your legs. That’s right. In Dumas beach (at least the time when I visited it), the water is a good one kilometer away from the actual beach. What lies between the beach and the sea is patch of marshy slushy gooey land. If you try walking on this patch, you will find yourself knee-deep in wet slush.

Though Surat is supposedly one of the Top 3 cleanest cities in the country the same cannot be attributed to the Dumas Beach. This tiny beach in the heart of Surat city is more littered than probably the Marina Beach on a weekend –even with her 50,000 odd visitors. From the looks of it, the Gujrat Tourism promotion with Big B is a big sham, if you are to look at the sorry state of affairs of one of the major beaches in the state. The Prohibition in the state is not helping matters either. Notwithstanding all these factors, Dumas is still a favourite weekend destination for most Surtis. What makes the idea of hitting Dumas Beach interesting is the many shacks near it which serve piping hot bhajjis. There’s an assortment of bhajjis here, from potato to kela to mirchi and some that I’ve never even heard before. To go with the bhajjis you also get served a chutney which, in true Gujrati fashion, is sweet.

The Dumas beach is also infamous for being a haunted beach – probably the only beach of its kind. Apparently, you hear strange noises here in the late evenings after the sun sets…obviously. To corroborate the story apparently even the dogs behave strange in here, with all their ability to catch infrared sounds and stuff. The way I see it, it’s the ghosts that should be scared of the humans seeing all the litter and utter disregard for mother nature.

Despite all her inherent (man-made) flaws, Dumas Beach is a must-visit for those who appreciate a good sunset. And come to think of it, this was something I almost missed. Disappointed at looking at the filthy beach, I had decided to not wait for the sunset and head back to my hotel. But just as I had devoured about 200 gms of bhajjis (yes, they are sold by weight) and headed to wash my hands I chanced upon this big ball of crimson red setting in the horizon. Without wasting another second, I grabbed my camera and headed to a vantage point where I could get a good glimpse of the glorious sun about to be devoured by the sea. Though the formality was complete in a matter of minutes, it is an image that will take an eternity to be erased from my mind.

Getting-there: Athwa Gate->Magdalla->Surat Airport->Dumas Beach.

Must-Do: Catch a glimpse of the setting Sun.
Must-Don’t: Littering. Wasting time on the unkempt beach.

My Rating: 3/10

Elliot's Beach, Chennai

The Elliot's Beach (a.k.a Besant Nagar Beach) is comparatively smaller, less crowded and cleaner beach than Marina. This beach situated to the south of Marina and easily accessible by road. There are enough buses to this area and is a short walk from the Besant Nagar bus stand. To avoid the maddening crowd I went to this beach in the late after noon around 3. And sure enough it wasn't much crowded. Even the Sun beat down in full glory, the gushing breeze negated much of the blazing heat of the Sun. Much like the Marina Beach, the sea is very unpredictable.

It is better to observe caution and restrict yourself to just wetting your feet. Thankfully at that time of the day (weekday) it was totally devoid of any hawkers, beggars and stall owners. I spent a much-needed relaxing couple of hours with the calming (of the mind) sea before heading back to my hotel.

Getting-there: Plenty of buses to Besant Nagar. From there it's 1km walk/auto-ride.

Must-Do: Visit during the non peak hours/day

Must-Don't: Littering

My Rating: 4/10

Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram), TN

Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram as it was previously called) offers the perfect day-trip option from the maddening crowds of Chennai. A visit to this erstwhile Pallava bastion can rejuvenate your spirits from an otherwise dampening stay in the crowded alleys of Chennai. The fact that the ruins stand right on the beach makes it all the more sweeter. M'puram is a short drive out of Chennai. It roughly takes about an hour and a half to reach this place from Thiruvanmiyur in a state bus. You could have reached sooner had the so-called "Toll Road" not been barricaded every 1 km till Kovalam. Once you cross Kovalam its a smooth ride till M'puram with the sea constantly keeping company. The traffic also clears up after Kovalam.

M'puram is a small tourism-centric town. The only other occupations practiced here are fishing, stone carving and of course begging (which is an off-shoot of tourism). Much like the ruins of Hampi, the monuments are spread out. But unlike the former, you don't really need a bicycle or a vehicle to wander about - if you don't mind exercising your body a bit. But of course the same might not apply on a hot-Tamil-Nadu-summer-afternoon. In such cases you can always opt for autorickshaws and even bicycles/scooters for hire.

There are plenty of sight-seeing options here - all that can be covered in a day and still have plenty of time to relax by the sea. The three major attractions here are Arjuna's penance, Five Rathas and the Shore Temple. Apart from this there are couple of cave temples near Arjuna's penance, Krishna's butterball, Tiger cave, a lighthouse and a few other rock carvings on the way. The rock carving on Arjuna's penance are nothing short of spectacular. The view from the Lighthouse is not to be missed. The Five Rathas are to be seen to be believed. And finally the Shore Temple is another masterpiece in stone.

There are plenty of shacks in the beach near the Shore Temple where you get food and accommodation. To enter the Shore Temple and the Five Rathas, you need take an entry ticket of Rs 10. This one ticket is valid for both these places. The lighthouse entry is Rs 10 for adult and Rs 20 for Camera. The remaining locations are on the roadside and hence free.

Getting there: Plenty of buses and taxis from CMBT (Koyembedu) and Thiruvanmiyur.

Must-Do: Make a list of all places you want to cover and go about it. Relax by the sea.

Must-Don't: Vandalism and Littering.

My Rating: 8/10

Marina Beach, Chennai

So where would a tourist head to, if he has an evening to spare in the bustling city of Chennai? The iconic Marina beach of course. In the afore said Sunday I was in the Triplicane area of Chennai looking to kill time. The signboard near my hotel indicated that the Marina Beach was 3 kms away. Since time was not a constraint and the fact that I don't mind walking (especially in a new place), I decided to walk my way to Marina. Half an hour later I was standing in front of a huge sculpture of a horse, which happens to be the entrance of the MGR memorial.

This premises, also known as Anna Sqare, contains the memorials of former CMs MGR and Annadurai. After a fly-by visit to the memorials I turned towards the sea. It will not be unfair to state that the main attraction of Marina Beach is NOT the beach itself, but rather the thousands of stalls on the beach sands. It is like a fair - a mela. And considering the numbers, a mini Kumbh Mela. On a weekend, the beach receives at least 50,000 visitors. And Marina beach embraces all these visitors with arms wide open. Measuring 13 kms, Marina Beach is the longest urban beach in the country and the second largest in the world - thats enough room for a quarter of Chennai's population to squeeze in.  

The beach is bustling with activity. The number of  fish stalls, chaat counters, tea stalls, corn-sellers, bhajji makers, peanut sellers and other eatables can feed half of Chennai's population any given Sunday. Apart from the food stalls, there's also a host of other items for your entertainment. For kids, there are small joy rides, for adults there are photo studios where you can get your picture clicked with your favourite (cut-out of) actors/actress, you can play games like shooting the balloon or throwing the ring on items or.....

As I said, it's a mela out there. All this while there's a turbulent sea doing it's dance. And it comes as no surprise that the beach is dirty and unkempt - littered with plastic and human waste. And thanks to the hundreds of fish stalls, there's a constant stench of dead fish! It's the kind of beach that as a tourist I would go only once.

Getting-there: On a weekend, all roads lead to Marina Beach, so just follow the crowd.

Must-Do: Take a walk round the stalls.
Must-Don't: Littering (Yes, even in garbage pile like this)

My Rating: 2/10

Mahabaleshwar Temple, Gokarna

The Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna is believed to be one most significant temples in South India from a mythological perspective. The presence of an Atma Linga here makes it one of the holiest and highly revered temple. Legend has it that Ravana’s mother who is a staunch devotee of Shiva was performing a penance for her son when Indra jealous of her devotion, disrupted her penance by throwing the linga into the sea. A distraught Ravanna, performs a severe penance in Mount Kailash to please Lord Shiva. Impressed by his devotion Shiva bestows a boon to Ravana. Ravana asks Shiva for the Atmalinga. Shiva then gifts Ravana the atma linga with instructions that it should not be placed on the ground. Perturbed by the powers bestowed on Ravana, Shiva’s sons approach Vishnu to redeem the situation.

While Ravana is heading back to Lanka, Ganesha intercepts him taking the form of a little boy. Ravana asks the little boy to hold the idol (and not place it on the ground) while he would be back after offering evening prayers. But when Ravana does not return in the stipulated time, Ganesha places the idol on the ground and leaves. Once placed on the ground, Ravana tries with all his might to lift the linga but it stays put, thereby forcing Ravana to return to Lanka empty-handed. It is this atma linga in the temple that draws devotees in the thousands.

Our original plan after visiting Viboothi Falls, was to go to Unchalli Falls and if time permits Kumta Beach. But some mystical power forced us to re-draw our plans to end the Sirsi trip with a visit to the Mahabaleshwar Temple in Gokarna and a beach trek from Gokarna to Kudle. As soon as we entered the temple we were confronted by a battery of poojaries. They cornered us like salesmen and started rattling out a list of poojas that they can perform for you. And the a la carte included poojas of varied denominations starting from as high as Rs.500 to as paltry as a sum of Rs.50. And that frankly was a big turn-off. Thankfully we got a quick darshan and we were out in no time. The best part however was that you get to touch the Atma Linga in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

After the tryst with the atma linga we walked to Gokarna beach and without spending another minute(going by past experiences) started walking towards kudle beach. Kudle has been one of my favorite beaches ever since I went there almost 3 years ago. But going there after all those good memories I was a little apprehensive. In the last 3 years, surely Kudle must have been commercially sold out. There sure is going to couple of resorts, some tens of night clubs an hundred little shacks. I dreaded the thought of watching such a sight. Thankfully I was not entirely proved right. But Kudle is slowly and surely going that route. Another couple of years and Kudle would have gone the Goa-way. Sigh! After another wonderful Sunset (a Kudle speciality), we headed back to Gokarna. A laugh-riot dinner later we started to head back to… Damn I don’t even want to mention that name… L

Getting there: In the heart of Gokarna town. The temple is right on the beach.

Must-Do: Touch the atma linga.

Must-Don’t: Waste time at Gokarna Beach. Instead head straight to Kudle.

My Rating: 6/10

St. Mary's Island, Udupi.

St. Mary's Island is a small piece of real estate that seemed to have just slipped away from Malpe beach in Udupi and drifted a few kilometers away into the sea. After drifting some 6kms, it finally decided to set shop there. The four islands of St. Mary's are as much a tourist's paradise as it is for the Geologists and the Historians.
As it turns out, St. Mary's island was a part of Madagascar, which in turn was part of India albeit 88 Million years ago, before Madagascar decided to part ways with India and join Africa. Looking back at the map, it looks like Madagascar chose a long and distant separation from India.

The distinctive geological rock formations formed by basaltic lava make these islands a Geologists paradise. But not even the ardent Geologist can miss the beauty of the island. The shell-littered sands, the coconut trees, the all encompassing sea and the beautiful sunset can take your mind off all the geological wonders of the island. The unique rock formations of St. Mary's Island are a result of sub-volcanic activity many million years ago. There's an abundant display of hexagonal shaped columns of rocks placed next to each other.

It is also believed that Vasco Da Gama first landed on St. Mary's Island on his arrival to India. He even placed a cross here and christened the islands as O Padrão de Santa Maria (which later got corrupted to St. Mary's Island). Having found no habitation here or Malpe beach due to the thick vegetation cover, he moved further and finally dropped anchor at Kozhikode, Kerala.

It’s a 6km boat ride from Malpe to St. Mary's - the only one of the 4 islands on which one can actually land. It has a very tiny sand beach where tourists can have a swim. The rest of the island is strewn with rock formations and coconut trees. Not surprisingly the water and sand here is pristine but island strewn with tourist waste (water bottles, disposable plates et al). It’s a place crying for attention from the administrators, who unfortunately are more worried about making money and completely disregard the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the place. The to and fro boat ride costs Rs 85 on a Government-run boat and Rs 120 on a Private run-boat.

Getting-there: From Udupi Bus stand there are enough buses to Malpe beach. It’s a short journey of 5-6 kms. To reach St. Mary's Island, get into the fishing harbour and ask for directions to the Government run boat rides. Pay Rs 85 for a to and fro ride. Last boat returns from St. Mary's leave at 6PM. Overnight stay in the beach is not allowed.

Must-Do: Marvel at the rock formations and the beauty of the islands. Collect shells and pebbles.
Must-Don't: Swim outside of the designated swimming area. They are strewn with huge rocks underwater. Littering this mini-paradise.


My Rating: 8/10

Tanir Bavi Beach, Mangalore.

It is quite a predicament when you have too little time in your hands and too many beaches to visit. The situation calls for making an intelligent and informed decision on which beach to go for. Again our reliable sources suggested that Tanir Bavi beach was the place to be.

If a beach with pristine sands, breathtaking sunsets and devoid of the umpteen hawkers, beach-shacks and hooligans is your ideal way to unwind on a lazy weekend, then Tanir Bavi is you should be headed. Tanir Bavi is just the right place for you to fritter away your worries and clear up your mind. The cool breeze seems to just magically take away all the maladies of a hectic city life and replace it with a clean slate, so that you can start all over again.

Even in the company of friends with bubbling energy you will find a sense of peace and solitude that you will lack even in the privacy of your city home.

Getting-there: As is the norm with commuting in Mangalore, take one of the frequent buses to Tanir Bavi. There's usually a flat fare of Rs 5 per head for most places inside Mangalore city.
 

Must-Do: Meditate, reflect and rediscover yourself while the waves gently crawl over your body with the sun setting in the horizon.
 
Must-Don't: Ruin this peaceful abode with commercialization and modernization. Littering.
 
My Rating: 7/10

Bhatkal Beach

Bhatkal is another beach that is as yet off the tourist map. But this is not a deserted beach like Kasarkod. There's a small settlement of people, mostly fishermen, who live by the beach. But from a tourist perspective, there's nothing there. Not a shack, or a shop for refreshments. No public transports except an occasional Autorickshaw from Bhatkal town 7 kms away.

As a result of this seclusion from the rest of the world, the beach here is pretty unspoilt. It's another vast beach that you would enjoy walking on. But beware of the huge crabs crawling over the grainy sand beach. The heat as everywhere we went was a killer. But thanks to some huge boulders on the the beach we could get some respite from the unrepenting Sun. It was an ideal spot to relax, with a book in hand.

 

Getting-there: 15kms from Murudeshwar. Buses available from Murudeshwar and Kollur.

 

Must-Do: Get a book and have a relaxed time with the soothing sounds of the ocean.

Must-Don't: Choose the summer to visit the place. Littering this paradise-on-earth.

 

My Rating: 7/10

Kasarkod Beach, Honavar.

The Kasarkod beach in Honavar is not to be confused with Kasarkode of Kerala.

If you are looking for a deserted beach in coastal Karnataka, then this is one among them. I say it is deserted because there's not a single shack on it and almost no civilization near it. The beach is at least 8-10 kms long. And all you see is the sun, sea, sand and vegetation. For the few hours we spent there, we hardly saw any people. The blistering heat might be one of the reasons though :). Even though it was early April, the heat was merciless.

Had it not been for the heat, this beach would have been the ideal place to just relax and forget the woes of the world. From the directions given by some helpful people on the bus while on our way here, we realised we could actually walk our way on the beach to reach Apsarakonda Waterfalls. It initially didn't sound like a bad idea. But when it came to execution, it proved otherwise. The walk on the sifting sand never seemed to end. The far-end of the beach seemed to be a mirage. The closer we went, the farther it appeared. To our dismay we realised going back to our starting point and taking a motorable road also seemed far-fetched since we walked down far too long.

After much dilly-dallying on whether to go forward or backward, we decided forward is the way to go. Luckily, not too far away, we finally reached the far end of the beach - a hillock. The Apsarakonda Falls is supposedly on the other side of the hillock. Now here presented our next dilemma. Is the Falls really where we thought it were? And, did we have to climb the hillock to get to the other end where the Falls is supposed to be? Climbing the hill was nearly out of question. We were to find out soon enough...

Getting-there: The beach is about 3 kms from Honavar town and about 26 kms from Murudeshwar. Maxicab rides available from Honavar and Murudeshwar.

Must-Do: Spend some leisurely moments here soaking the familiar sights of a beach.

Must-Don't: Visiting the beach in the hot summer sun.

Additional Notes: The beach is pretty much unspoilt, thanks to it being off the tourist map...as yet.

My Rating: 7/10 

Murudeshwar, Uttara Kannada.

It's surprising how a well-planned trip can completely turn on its head and turn out to be something entirely different. This was what happened to us in our last trip. What was supposed to have been a beach-hopping fun turned out to be a temple-hopping devotion.

The initial plan was spend a day each at the beaches of Honavar, Murudeshwar and Bhatkal. The blistering heat turned spoilsport and with that all plans went awry. Though we got down at Honavar, because of lack of good accommodation, we quickly left to Murudeshwar 26 kms away. Murudeshwar is famous for only one thing - the Shiva temple which is bang on the ocean! Well yes, it is literally on a hillock in the ocean, covered on three sides by the sea. The most eye-catching spectacle though is the tallest Gopuram in the world. The 20-storied, 249 ft tall gopura called the Raja Gopura towers over everything else, including the 143 ft high Shiva statue, considered to be the second largest in the world. The primary deity here is Mridesha Linga, which is believed to be a piece of the original Atma Linga. 

Once you are done with visiting the temple, you would notice that there is pretty much nothing you can do in this beach town. Of course you can go boating and water-skiing. But somehow it did not appeal to our senses. The beach itself, around the temple is pretty nasty with the continous influx of devotees who can be seen walking around semi-naked going for a bath or attending nature calls. This was a enough of a turn-off to look for other alternatives to kill time. And that meant looking beyond Murudeshwar.

Getting-there: There are overnight buses available from Bangalore (470 kms away).

Must-Do: Watch the sunset. Boating and scuba-diving options available.
Must-Don't: Spoil the natural beauty of the place. Make plans for an extended stay.

My Rating: 5/10.

Shanghumugham Beach, Thiruvananthapuram.

It's been close to 2 months since I did any kind of travel and a strange feeling was creeping inside me. So when the Kerala trip - though an official family trip - came up, I couldn't help but get excited. I knew with the kind of schedule we had for the 4 days, sightseeing was the lowest on the list of family-priorities. But I was determined to squeeze-out at least two destinations. The Shree Padmanabha Kshetram was definite go-ahead. After all who could say No to The Almighty Himself :-)

Luckily the second one worked too. We were basically looking to make it to one of the 3 main beaches in Thiruvananthapuram. We opted for Shanghumugham over Veli and Kovalam for no apparent reason. Shanghumugham is notorious for its menacing, fear-inducing tides. You get a feeling the Moon is three times closer to Shanghumugham than anywhere else in India.

Being in the heart of the city, its no surprise that Shanghumgham was a sea of humanity on a hot and humid Friday evening. Again its no surprise its a rather unkempt beach. Sunset was a no-show what with the cloud cover that seemed to have formed on an ad-hoc basis just to play spoilsport. But it definitely is a place to beat the heat and the humidity.

Getting-there: Bang in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram.

Must-Do: Visit the children's play park if you bringing kids along.
Must-Don't: Venture into the waters with or without kids, even if you are a seasonal swimmer. Littering.


My Rating: 4/10

Colva Beach, Goa.

The only reasons we came to this beach was my desire to see the beach where I almost drowned 16 years ago and the fact that we had time on our hands to kill while we were in Madgaon.

The visit to Colva turned out to be a bad idea right from the start. Firstly, we reached there on a mid summer hot afternoon, with the Sun at its cruelest best. Even then to our surprise we found the beach choc-a-block filled with people. It being a sunday and with the Carnival to begin in a matter or coupla hours, this was already turning out to be a bad idea. With the Sun so hot and the beach so crowded, we walked straight towards one of the shacks on the beach. without even bothering to touch the water. After a good two hours of surf parasail watching we left, much to our own disappointment.

The only positive about Colva is that parasailing here is much cheaper than what it was at Benaulim. This beach is best avoided, if solitude is what you are looking for.

Getting-there: Colva is bang in the middle of Madgaon, around 6kms from the city central. You can hire a bike and move around. Ask the locals for direction.

Must-Do: Adventure sports, as they are cheaper here.

Must-Don't: Littering.

Ups: Cheaper adventure sports, one of the best white sandy beaches in Goa.
Downs: Too crowded.

My Rating: 5/10

Palolem Beach, Goa.

Much has been heard about Palolem being the best beach in Goa. At the same time, many have also claimed that Palolem has lost its charm with too much commercialization. But still I was determined to check out the place, thanks to pictures showing the palm trees extending into the pristine white sands. And so on Day2 we checked out of our resort in Benaulim, and hired a bike to Palolem - one of the southernmost beaches in Goa. The 35km ride from Madgaon to Palolem (in Cancona Town) was one of the best I’ve experienced in recent times. Most part of the journey through the ghat roads were thankfully less crowded and sometimes even deserted.

Palolem did indeed turn out to be highly commercialized. The entire stretch of the beach is lined-up with shacks apart from numerous other hotels, guest houses, restaurants, gift shops, grocery stores, internet cafes et al. But luckily the beach in itself is not much of a disappointment. The geometrical dimension of the beach though, is a little weird. The small alphabet "u" best describes the shape of this unique beach. It also reminded me of Kudle Beach in Gokarna as it lies cuddled between two hillocks. Palolem as we found out is a good place to pick up some good-looking shells.

The sunset was a slight disappointment as it just disappeared towards the fag-end of the phenomena. On the whole, but for the extreme commercialization, Palolem is a great place to relax and rejuvenate.

Getting-there: 35kms from Madgaon. First beach after the Ghat roads.

Must-Do: Enjoy the Sun, Sea, Sand and the Shells.

Must-Don't: Littering.

My Rating: 6.5/10

Benaulim Beach, Goa.

After 16 long years I went back to the place where I almost drowned. Goa for me, has always been more than just beautiful beaches, booze haven, Da Vincian churches and mummified saints. It was during a school trip to Goa when I almost drowned in the Colva Beach. The images of that nightmare are still fresh in my head. So it took a little bit of effort to fight the demons in my head to undertake this trip. But then time is a great healer and I remembered the incident only when I went back to the same (except that it’s thousand times more crowded now) Colva beach after all those years.

The route we chose to reach Goa was circuitous and tiring, as we had to pick people on the way and there were no reservations available. We took an overnight train from Bangalore and reached Londa. From here we hired a khataara Jeep on a shared basis (after a lot of haggling) and reached Madgaon. Word of Caution - Do NOT take the road from Londa to Madgoan. The road in certain parts can put a rocky terrain to shame. And once you cross this nightmare, comes the worst of all. Close to a thousand trucks lined up along the street going in the same direction as you and about half of them coming in the opposite direction. And no, I’m NOT exaggerating the numbers. The reason for this is a iron ore industry somewhere in there. But luckily, our driver who's quite accustomed to it successfully drove us out of it, without losing much time, but not before having a few close shaves and heart-in-mouths.

Once in Goa we found a decent cottage - The Palm Grove Cottages - on Benaulim Beach. It’s an ancient-looking cottage drowned in greenery. Living amongst such greenery though being a truly exhilarating experience, it still has it downsides. The downside being, you have to share your room with mosquitoes, frogs, moths and lizards. Just make sure you tire yourself so much during the day that even Iron Maiden would fail to wake you up.

After a quick freshening-up we hit Benaulim Beach, which was a 10 minute walk from our room. Benaulim is pretty much pristine with its clean white sand as far as the eye can see. The total length of the beach could be close to 4 or 5 kms. And for this reason, it’s not very crowded. You can find many spots in the beach where there's hardly any crowd. And the best part about most beaches in Goa is that they have Life Guards a la' Baywatch style sans the busty babes. The water is gentle and clean and hence very enjoyable. There are lots of shacks on the beach where you can eat. Benaulim also offers parasailing opportunities. And since, this beach is mostly frequented by Westerners, the prices are a tad higher here compared to Colva. Bargaining for prices is always a good idea, anywhere in Goa, as they are highly spiked up. The only thing that comes cheap is beer of course.

Seafood is the staple food in all Goan restaurant menus. While some of them are tasty the others were simply forgettable. Try the Goan rava-masala fry of any fish to try "something new". Most restaurants get their Squids and Prawns right. Leave the chicken items for rest of India. Also try Kokam water. Locals vouch for its stomach-cleansing power. So probably it’s a good idea to detox your stomach of all the Fish and alcohol. No prices for guessing the local alcoholic drinks. Fenny is the word when it comes to liquour in Goa. There are two versions of Fenny - Cashewnut (famous in North Goa) and coconut(famous in South Goa). Cashewnut scores over its cousin though. Also try the Portwine while you are alcohol-tasting. The sunset is a must-watch here, as is the case with most beaches in the west coast. The other best time to be in this beach is early morning, when most of the party-goers are still in bed and sun is just about warming up for a hot day ahead.

Getting-there: Benaulim is about 9 kms South-West of Madgaon. Both geared and non-geared vehicles are available to move about Goa apart from numerous Taxi Services. Oh, even bicycles are also available on rent.

Must-Do: Watch the sunset. Bargain on prices quoted for any service! Try some Goan Cuisine and spirits.

Must-Don’t: Miss out on adventure sports. Littering.

Highs: Beautiful beaches, Parasailing, Seafood, alcohol, bikes-on-rent.
Lows: Too crowded, getting ripped-off everywhere.

My Rating: 7/10.

Om-Half Moon-Paradise Beach Trek, Gokarna.

We started Day 2 watching an invisible sun rise at Gokarna Town Beach, followed by breakfast (Hotel Nisarga) at the very same beach watching the fishing boats and the odd dolphin. From there we walked to our-now-favourite Kudle beach, spent a couple of hours and from there we kept walking to Om beach. The phoren-ers had given us the exact path to take to Om beach and also told us about markings on the ground which lead to Om beach. They also warned us that the rickshawallahs would try to mislead us by saying that we must take the rickshaw to Om beach. As it turned out, we dint even need the markers on the ground as there were enough people walking towards Om beach.

It took us about 20 minutes to reach Om beach. A somewhat demanding climb in the sun, I must say. As expected the beach is in the shape of an Om or more aptly the shape of 3. Unfortunately, Om beach does not have the same appeal as Kudle Beach, but at least looks a tad better than Gokarna Town Beach. It was way too hot for us to even think of venturing into the waters. From Om you could take a ferry to Half Moon and Paradise Beaches. It’s an expensive affair though. Initially the boatsmen demanded Rs. 500 for a roundtrip for a person. After bargaining, we decided to take a one way ferry for Rs. 100 each. The plan was to walk back from Paradise to Om and then back to Kudle and finally to Gokarna. A tough ask, but an exciting one.

The ride to Paradise was pretty much uneventful and short except for some Dolphin-spotting on the way. Ten minutes later we were at Paradise Beach – if you can call it a beach in the first place! Paradise Beach could be compared to a small Oasis in the middle of great Desert. The shore at Paradise beach cannot accommodate more than 25 people at any time. But of course there are at least four shacks that provide food here!!.

After buying some soft drinks and Water Bottles to keep us hydrated we started walking back – towards Half Moon Beach. The trek up till Half Moon is very exciting with lots of rocks of all shapes and sizes and all that at mostly sea-level. The key to keep going on the right path is to stick to the well-trodden path. 15 minutes later we were at Half Moon Beach. If Kudle beach was breath-taking, then Half Moon is a killer. Very quiet and serene and hardly crowded. We found not more than five tourists in the more than three hours we spent there.

Half Moon is truly a paradise of a beach. After a relaxed lunch we hesitantly decided to continue our journey back, since we wanted to be in time for the sunset at Kudle which was breathtaking the previous evening. The path to Om climbs higher from Half Moon, which results in some breath-taking view of the sea. The whole path is right along the edge of the cliff, with absolutely no safety barrier. One wrong step and it’s an open invitation to the Abyss.

Thirty more minutes of breathtaking (literally and visually) walk and we were at Om beach. By now we so eager to reach Kudle that we did not even stop to catch a breath at Om and proceeded straight to Kudle and crashed there.


Getting-there: You could walk all the way from Gokarna Town Beach to Om to Half Moon to Paradise and back. It is physically very demanding but worth every drop of sweat. There’s always the ferry if you think you cannot make it.

Must-Do: Keep a full day aside for this trek. Try to start as early in the morning as possible and walk back as late as possible before getting dark.

Must-Don’t: Saying Yes to the outrageous prices quoted by the boatsmen for the ferrying. Littering.

My Rating: 8.5/10. (I’d give a 9/10 for Half Moon Beach too)