To stay honest to the quote, “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving” I agreed to join the trip to St. Mary’s Islands with a group of friends. Thanks to the gentleman who opted out of the trip at the last minute, I neither had an idea about the travel time nor the destination. The car was on its wheels for what it felt like eternity!
It was a tiring 12
hour road trip from Bangalore to St.Mary’s Islands. The minute our vehicle
stopped at the shores of the beach, we fleeted towards the water as if we
spotted an oasis in the middle of a hot dessert. We chose the right time to
visit the beach – it was towards the end of July. At least that’s what the rest
of the gang said with contentment. However, for a person like me, any month or
day of the year does not make a difference when it comes to visiting a beach. I
hail from Chennai where visiting the beach is just a weekend ritual or just a
peaceful stretch for a morning walk.
I scanned around
and told my friend, “There is nothing great about this place, except for a
patch of land floating a little away from the beach!” That was just an outcome
of witnessing an island with just patches of sand and some coconut trees after
a long, cramped travel.
We took a ferry
till the Island and walked to the other side. What caught my heart and soul on
the other side of the Island cannot be explained through words. For a minute, I
could not believe I was in India. The Island was full of crystalized Basalt
rock, a unique rock formation that is not found in many places around the
world. Most of the formations stood tall like pillars, some had a red tint to
it and some had green. The glassy green sea water between the Islands together
with the rock formation along the long curve of the beach simply looked
tranquil.
Our bodies forgot tiredness but our minds took a break. We spent hours walking around and swimming till our eyes and heart quenched its thirst for nature. The last ferry to go back to reality arrived, and we boarded it with a mind and body so light!
