Life is a Beach!

The letter B can potentially play a very significant part in human lives. Have you ever considered the possibilities? B stands for Beaches, Beer, Babes, Bikes, Beauty, Brains, Babies, Bangkok, Bali... the list is long!

I thought of picking one of my favorite B-words today: Beach!

Yes, I am a Beach person. Surely, if Paradise exists on Earth, it must be by a Beach. Not a Desert, Not Mountains, just by a Beach.

Now in the 4th decade of my life, I have seen a few beaches during my time- and tonight I feel like sharing some of them... here goes nothing!

Gazing into the Arabian Ocean: Priceless. For everything else, there is Mastercard.

Goa! 

What beach-loving person would write about the Sun & Sand and dare to ignore the magnificent place they call Goa? 

Baga Beach, Goa during Sunset, October 2009

The beautiful Baga Beach can get many a heart beat a lot faster, and it is doubly nice when you are accompanied by Friends and family. The  adjoining photo as well as the one above were clicked at the Baga Beach: A place that represents Goa for just what it can throw at you - Beach fun at it's best! I know a couple who loved the place so much, they spent practically their entire honeymoon at The Baga!

Although The Baga is a pleasant change from the much (in)famous Anjuna Beach (below), both places rock in their own right!

Anjuna Beach at it's rocky best, Goa, Oct 2010

Mauritius!

The Ambre Beach, Belle Mare (Mauritius), Feb 2011

A stunning island country which may force you to contemplate immigration for good. Pristine, unadulterated beauty and the calmest of seas all around, often even up to 2 Km away from land! The country was born out of a volcano and igneous rocks on beaches. A truly mesmerizing experience which needs to be seen before believing. 

The pros of this place are some of the best beaches, a honeymooning haven, brilliant country side, and the creole cuisine. Agreed, you may not get to eat a Zebra or Wildebeest readily,  but Octopus and squids can work your palate equally well, thank you! 

Not too many cons, but yes, be prepared to Buy drinking water even in restaurants - a concept alien to the country I come from. But don't worry too much, the place is worth it!

Belle Mare Beach (Mauritius), Feb 2011

Ile-Aux -Cerfs (Mauritius), March 2011

The title of my favorite beach in Mauritius must go to the Ile-Aux-Cerfs. Truly heaven on Earth. One of those rare spectacles of the planet where the beach offers natural shade, and a waterfall too! Added advantages are multi-cuisine restaurants, water sport activities, and tour operators offering best exchange rates in the country :) :) :)

Thailand!

Sunset at Patong Beach, Phuket (Thailand), Dec 2008

Phuket invariably brings back fond memories to my mind. Being my first trip abroad, the thrill it gave me to explore a new world always managed to egg me on. A complete tourist hot-spot, the entire country is practically painted in Pink, Purple & Yellow. Currency exchange kiosks are scattered like ATMs. Christmas evenings and the nightlife near Patong beach in general, is something straight out of dreamland.

The Andamans

The most untouched, raw, untamed, wild sea beaches anywhere around The Indian Ocean and The Bay of Bengal. The Andamans beaches have consistently been voted among Asia's cleanest and best beaches across travel Magazines. Still developing as a tourist destination compared to other places, the 2-hour Snorkeling experience near North Bay left me and my family for the first time appreciate nature in its wildest glory. Life will never be the same. I realized how we humans are just a small and insignificant part of some higher being's grander design - the organized chaos we call the Universe!

Ferar Beach, Ross Island, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 01, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 02, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Mom n' Dad enjoy a splash at Vijaynagar Beach, Dolphin Resort, Havelock Island, The Andamans (India), Aug '09

Bali!

While we easily lost count of the millions in local currency I spent at this tourist hub during our stay, the only thing I remember for sure is wanting to stay back a few days more. The sunset at Jimbaran Beach, the ethnic Indonesian style lunch sitting by the ash spewing Mount Batur, Shopping at downtown Kuta, the woodwork and arts n' craft displays, the fantastic life size statues and sculptures across road intersections, the tasty food, Bintan Beer, The amazing Spa experience and roof-less bathrooms with lighted wooden flooring with a waterfall shower - Bali is as close to divinity as it gets.

Tuban Beach, Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia), Feb 2012

Thus, as a great man of our times wrote at the start of this post, Life indeed is a Beach! Here's wishing to self and to everyone around that there are happier times to come, yet!