Kaaaashid

Beaches.

I have an age old affinity for beaches. Given my inherent cardinal water sign of the zodiac, I can barely get enough of the sea. Infinite stretches of water, the absolute vastness, glimmering glittering sunrises, serene sunsets- the perfect break from city life. One such backpackers' paradise, not too far from Pune is Kashid.

Kashid is close to Alibag which is one of the most popular beaches for city-slickers looking for a picnic on the shore. However, it is more pristine and less crowded, the perfect combination for the wanderer in me.

I have been to Kashid on numerous occasions, and her beautiful shores have welcomed me with open arms. I remember my first time - A sightseeing tour( don't like that too much but sometimes you have to go along with the photo-friendlies).

We'd gone ahead to the Janjira fort which is in the middle of the ocean. Awesome architecture and cool civil engineering. You can see the entrance of the fort only if you’re a boat length away - And honestly, in those times, that was the furthest enemy boats could ever get, alive. Oh and yeah, you can get lost inside, 'coz its a huge maze in there( secretly wished we did ;)) and it takes a cool 700 bucks to get a boat to ferry you back to mainland incase you miss the one you came by! Anyway, this piece is not about the fort.

My first time on Kashid beach, I spend about an hour. Sad? Oh yeah it sure was. I still remember longing to lie in peace on the hammocks in the tiny shacks by the sea and just stare into infinity and I also remember vowing to return.

And return I did. Three times in the span of a year.

Getting there doesn't take too long. Just about four hours with a break or two. You hit the Pune-Mumbai expressway, get off the exit at Khopoli and then drive towards Pen( pronounced Pain. well almost!) and proceed to Alibag and ultimately to Kashid. I'm sure you can ask your way around like we did :).

We hired cabs the first two times we went and picked up booze as we went. One time, we got drunk even before we reached. The third time I drove - 170 km and all by myself, thank you very much :).

I have practically seen Kashid in all seasons- At the brink of summer in March, on a rainy September weekend and on a cloudy winter day in December.

Summer mornings by the sea are a glimmery, shimmery event. It feels like you're lost in a dancer's make-up box. The orange tinged ocean turning into a huge mass of glitter. The trees in emerald shades and a warm salty smell pervading your senses. You can lie in the hammocks, by the beach and stare into the infinite ocean and feel the sheer insignificance of every tiny grievance in your life. It totally puts your life in perspective.

A beach in the rains. Pleasant? Well I thought not, but I was majorly mistaken. We envision beaches on sunny, shiny summer days, not on morose rainy afternoons.

September saw a bunch of us getting tired of mundane office days and thus we decided to take time off on a sunny weekend and wander off to the first place we could think of. What we had not anticipated was heavy rainfall!

All through our ride on the e-way, we could barely see beyond the bonnet of the car that we had hired. So the moment we got off the e-way we decided to perk up our spirits a bit and picked up some spirits along the way. Nothing much, just a few beers. When we reached our destination however, we realised that the "few" beers, weren't exactly few.

Some colleagues were to join us from Mumbai, but we couldn't wait to hit the water. Rain, no rain, risky whatever, we were in the water, high as hell. That was one memorable trip.

Gloomy grey skies and the murky sea throwing up its collections on the darkened beach - one insane experience. It was as if the sea and the sky were at constant conflict with each other. Simply magnificent. Sunset was simply grey to black without a hint of color.

We had a blast with our fellow wanderers - smoking sheesha with exotic flavors and gorging on gorgeous fried pomfret, dancing to music played out of tiny speakers and toasting to one and all.

Ode to the green thing: This is a special mention(clap clap!)

I was on the terrace of the place we were staying at. It had a lovely view of the sea. And the sea in the night is frighteningly fascinating. All of a sudden, I see this glowing green tennis ball like thing bobbing on the surface of the water emanating a wierd sound. And quick as lightening it was gone. Till today, I have no idea what it was. But it did give me some gooseflesh. To be fair though, it was really pretty.

Winter in Kashid is like summer I guess, just a little cooler. But when the winter day turns out to be the last day of the year and you land there with a bunch of 18 other crazy wanderers, it's bound to be a blast. It gets bigger if it’s a full moon night.

31st December 2009. I have memories of volleyball( on da beach, boyz!!) and beer. I also have memories of a crazy cake fight which rose to insane proportions. And then there was bonfire on the beach. Simply fabulous.

I would remember these for sure, but what would be imprinted in my mind forever would be the full moon and the sea. The moon rising from the hills - the typical werewolf moon, frighteningly beautiful. If the sea looks beautiful in the sun, it exudes a brilliant soft magnificence in the moonlight. When I saw sudden white lights I simply assumed it was people taking photographs. Suddenly and almost inexplicably, we figured that the shutterbugs were actually the moon reflected on the waves. Awe-inspiring. Only nature can leave you so completely speechless.

That morning, the first morning of the year, all smelling of chocolate sauce, I fell asleep on the beach. under the light of the moon and I knew then that I would return, again and again and again, and go back each time fulfilled but wanting more, calm but longing to return, to the familiar but yet unexplored paradise - Kashid.