Beach Bytes and Bites

 

It was holiday yesterday, and also a much needed break from incessant rains that have lashed Port Blair for almost the entire month.  My friend took advantage of the weather and sailed off to Havelock and Neil islands – he was cooped up at home sulking ever since he arrived. I tried my best to be lazy and not move a limb, but didn’t work.  So, agitated, I decided to tidy up the place (a Herculean task).  I have recently moved in, and have made next to nil efforts to arrange things.  The entire place looks as though a storm has passed through.  The leaking ceilings too add to the charm of all that.  All efforts to get them fixed before I moved in had failed. 

But, staying in on a holiday is a sin – it’s better to stay in on working days and pretend WFH! So, I asked my colleague if we could head out to Bada balu.  Senthil has been here for quite a while and has explored most of the places (and may have even done a second round too).  He suggested we go post-lunch as he was occupied in the morning.  I agreed.  2:30 we started from my place, despite my back choosing to act up right after lunch, and me almost wanting to say, “Let’s not go today”. But, I chose to stay quiet, having used that excuse once too often, and endure the pain a bit.  It sure was no haseen dard though!

Badabalu beach is off the Chidiatapu road.  You take a diversion to the right, just after the Symphony Samudra Resort (heard good things about it), drive for a while, and then walk on a gravelly, rocky, slippery path for about 2km.  Rains had ensured there were puddles to play in, slip into, and generally make myself look sillier than I usually am.  Promptly, on the way, I slipped, traipsed, did a dance, trying to find my balance (ikigai?). Thankfully, Senthil isn’t butter-toed like me.  He’s firm-footed, and also offered his help, and saved me from multiple steps on the cowdung strewn all over the trail. 

When we arrived at the beach, it was low tide.  There was not a soul in sight.  It offered us greater space to explore, some lovely vistas to view and hum happily, and even pick and choose the shells Senthil wanted to carry back.  We even waded into the warm waters of the sea, and found a crab nipping at our feet! The cute rascal tried to escape before we could click a few snaps, but Senthil’s dextrous feet ensured the crab wouldn’t dig a hole and get away.  Google says the crab is lady crab or leopard crab of the North Atlantic waters - wonder how it reached here though (if true).  There were some plovers too, but it wasn’t easy to capture them on my phone camera. The best was watching some hermit crabs exchange shells and walk around. 

There was a lovely piece of driftwood that invited me to sit on it and pose.  It wasn’t easy to climb over though – blame the sand! But, climb I did and pose too.  Senthil said he too had posed the same way the first time he had come to this beach! Some things have to repeat.  We took some pics of the landscapes around, and decided to head back.  It gets dark early in Andaman (earlier if it is raining) and I didn’t trust my vision to be of any help once it was sunset.  Regardless, we could only reach back our starting point of the trail walk after sundown, all thanks to the slushy road. 

While the beach was all fun, the sand flies weren’t.  I must have endured at least two dozen bites all over me.  I am cursing the flies and scratching furiously as I type this.  Most Andaman beaches are notorious for sand flies.  Carry your insect repellent (if you’re a magnet for bites, like me).  Badabalu is a beauty to be explored during low tide.  Carry a towel if you want to get into water and play! Oh, yeah, don’t forget to carry water, even though there are no thirst-traps!