A long weekend by the sea!
It's been three-and-a-half months since I came back from Stockholm, and I have been pining for it ever since. Of all the things that I missed, traveling was the numero uno. That palpable sense of excitement of arranging the trip, finalizing all the little details, finally setting out on the journey, the sense of complete amazement, that rush of seeing new places and meeting new people...I could go on and on.
I finally decided that it's time to stop looking back and feeling sad at those bygone days. There's probably a time and place for everything in life, so that it all fits into the big puzzle. Yes, I will always miss those beautiful days of traveling and exploration, but I wouldn't be actually cherishing those wonderful experiences if thinking about them only brought sadness and triggered a sense of 'Oh! If only I was there'.
The traveling shouldn't come to a stop. Yes, I might not be able to explore the wonders of Europe now, but I can travel to new places nonetheless, there are countless places that I am yet to see in my home city and state. Any travel is an experience, small or big I guess it doesn't matter so much in retrospect.
So I got my act together and planned for a holiday in the long weekend of 15-18 August. And to my immense happiness, all those old 'travel-feelings' resurfaced with vigor.
It was to be a seaside vacation, and the best part about it was that it was a trip with my parents. I admit that all the time last year, when I was visiting new places by myself, I did feel guilty at times for not taking them on a holiday. I had told them many a times to go for at least a short trip somewhere while I was away, but their replies would always be on the lines of "We will go together after you're back." So in that way, it was a wonderful feeling to finally arrange a family holiday.
After a short siesta at the hotel, it was time for a walk on the beach in the evening. Digha has always been a favorite weekend destination of Bengalis, completing the triangle of Puri-Darjeeling-Digha. It has seen a lot of development and expansion centering around tourism, with the result that now we have an 'Old Digha' and a 'New Digha'! It being a long weekend, the beach was teeming with holiday revellers and buzzing with activity. I chose to walk a bit further away from the beach to enjoy the sights - dazzling blue skies with cotton puff clouds floating past.
All the walking and the sea air had probably hastened the metabolism rate a bit, and soon it was time for a sumptuous lunch at the hotel, the star attractions being the 'mustard hilsa' and the 'fried pomfret'.
The evening plans were already chalked out. A rented car was arranged by the hotel desk, and a bit of sightseeing was on the cards. The stops - Udaipur beach, Chandaneshwar temple and Talsari beach.
Udaipur beach - It's a pretty, little secluded spot, approximately a 10-min car ride from New Digha. Clusters of trees form a shady canopy on the path approaching the beach, quite well-known for growth of cashew-nuts. As our car swerved into that narrow path, even before we had caught a glimpse of the sea, a familiar sound greeted the ears, the roar of the waves; a sound that was surprisingly missing on our New Digha beach jaunt.
Chandaneswar Temple - A centuries-old Shiva temple.
Talsari beach - Barely a few minutes after arriving at Talsari, my mobile beeped - 'Welcome to Vodafone Odisha'! Situated on the borders of Bengal and Odisha, Talsari is stunning. The vastness, the serenity, the unadulterated blue of the seas and skies puts one under a spell.
How I wished to go over to the lush green groves on the sandy stretch of land on the other side. It looked so enticing, like the secret islands of childhood adventure stories! But wading through ankle-deep water to get into a country boat choc-a-bloc with tourists and then to cross the waters (not knowing how to swim) is probably not the best thing to do when you are on a holiday with your parents! Marking it on my list for a trip alone or with friends.
Digha Mohona - Heaven for fish-lovers! Here's a prized catch of mouth-watering 'hilsa'.
And some gigantic 'bhetki'!
Shankarpur Beach - Away from the madness of the concrete jungle, the road to Shankarpur beach was a soothing sight for sore eyes. And the skies and the sea were there to greet us with open arms at road's end.
Tajpur - Such a beautiful stretch of beach, characterized as it was by quite interesting patterns and colors of the sand, varying from spot to spot. It was tranquil and serene. Colonies of red crabs abound, but too crafty and fast to be caught on lenses. Also a budding spot for adventure lovers.
On the ride back from the beach, the breathtaking beauty of rural Bengal was revealed in all its post-monsoon glory!
After the long and busy morning of sightseeing , it was time to enjoy another awesome lunch. The taste buds were regaled with prawn curry and fried hilsa this time.
In the evening, it was time to pay a visit to Old Digha. There we got to experience a new beauty of the sea under the greying skies. The waves roared and crashed into the concrete wave breakers, spraying foam on all sides.
With it dawned the realization that there lies a lot to be found and experienced closer home too.Those immortal lines by Tagore echoed in my heart.
" Bohu din dhore bohu krosh doore
Bohu byay kari bohu desh ghure
Dekhite giyachchi porbot-mala,
Dekhite giyachchi sindhu
Dekha hoy naai chokhhu meliya
Ghar hote shudhu dui paa pheliya
Ek ti dhaner shisher upare
Ek ti shishir-bindu "
Translated : "I walked for miles for many days, spent time and money to see mountains, seas and oceans. I saw everything there was to see but never saw the drop of dew swinging from an ear of paddy near my own home."
I finally decided that it's time to stop looking back and feeling sad at those bygone days. There's probably a time and place for everything in life, so that it all fits into the big puzzle. Yes, I will always miss those beautiful days of traveling and exploration, but I wouldn't be actually cherishing those wonderful experiences if thinking about them only brought sadness and triggered a sense of 'Oh! If only I was there'.
The traveling shouldn't come to a stop. Yes, I might not be able to explore the wonders of Europe now, but I can travel to new places nonetheless, there are countless places that I am yet to see in my home city and state. Any travel is an experience, small or big I guess it doesn't matter so much in retrospect.
So I got my act together and planned for a holiday in the long weekend of 15-18 August. And to my immense happiness, all those old 'travel-feelings' resurfaced with vigor.
It was to be a seaside vacation, and the best part about it was that it was a trip with my parents. I admit that all the time last year, when I was visiting new places by myself, I did feel guilty at times for not taking them on a holiday. I had told them many a times to go for at least a short trip somewhere while I was away, but their replies would always be on the lines of "We will go together after you're back." So in that way, it was a wonderful feeling to finally arrange a family holiday.
Day 1, 15th August:
We took the Duronto Express to New Digha, a nice 3 hour train ride. The swanky facade of the newly-built station greeted us on arrival, the blue-and-white ripples on the ceiling mirroring the waves of the sea and also the blue of the cloudless summer sky.
After a short siesta at the hotel, it was time for a walk on the beach in the evening. Digha has always been a favorite weekend destination of Bengalis, completing the triangle of Puri-Darjeeling-Digha. It has seen a lot of development and expansion centering around tourism, with the result that now we have an 'Old Digha' and a 'New Digha'! It being a long weekend, the beach was teeming with holiday revellers and buzzing with activity. I chose to walk a bit further away from the beach to enjoy the sights - dazzling blue skies with cotton puff clouds floating past.
Day 2, 16th August:
The next morning with relatively lesser crowds, it was finally time to walk on the sand, taste the salty tangy air and feel the waves kiss the feet.
All the walking and the sea air had probably hastened the metabolism rate a bit, and soon it was time for a sumptuous lunch at the hotel, the star attractions being the 'mustard hilsa' and the 'fried pomfret'.
The evening plans were already chalked out. A rented car was arranged by the hotel desk, and a bit of sightseeing was on the cards. The stops - Udaipur beach, Chandaneshwar temple and Talsari beach.
Udaipur beach - It's a pretty, little secluded spot, approximately a 10-min car ride from New Digha. Clusters of trees form a shady canopy on the path approaching the beach, quite well-known for growth of cashew-nuts. As our car swerved into that narrow path, even before we had caught a glimpse of the sea, a familiar sound greeted the ears, the roar of the waves; a sound that was surprisingly missing on our New Digha beach jaunt.
Chandaneswar Temple - A centuries-old Shiva temple.
Talsari beach - Barely a few minutes after arriving at Talsari, my mobile beeped - 'Welcome to Vodafone Odisha'! Situated on the borders of Bengal and Odisha, Talsari is stunning. The vastness, the serenity, the unadulterated blue of the seas and skies puts one under a spell.
How I wished to go over to the lush green groves on the sandy stretch of land on the other side. It looked so enticing, like the secret islands of childhood adventure stories! But wading through ankle-deep water to get into a country boat choc-a-bloc with tourists and then to cross the waters (not knowing how to swim) is probably not the best thing to do when you are on a holiday with your parents! Marking it on my list for a trip alone or with friends.
Day 3, 17th August:
Itinerary for the day: Digha Mohona, Shankarpur and Tajpur. Again a wonderful journey by road through the soothing greenery.Digha Mohona - Heaven for fish-lovers! Here's a prized catch of mouth-watering 'hilsa'.
And some gigantic 'bhetki'!
Shankarpur Beach - Away from the madness of the concrete jungle, the road to Shankarpur beach was a soothing sight for sore eyes. And the skies and the sea were there to greet us with open arms at road's end.
Tajpur - Such a beautiful stretch of beach, characterized as it was by quite interesting patterns and colors of the sand, varying from spot to spot. It was tranquil and serene. Colonies of red crabs abound, but too crafty and fast to be caught on lenses. Also a budding spot for adventure lovers.
On the ride back from the beach, the breathtaking beauty of rural Bengal was revealed in all its post-monsoon glory!
After the long and busy morning of sightseeing , it was time to enjoy another awesome lunch. The taste buds were regaled with prawn curry and fried hilsa this time.
In the evening, it was time to pay a visit to Old Digha. There we got to experience a new beauty of the sea under the greying skies. The waves roared and crashed into the concrete wave breakers, spraying foam on all sides.
Day 4, 18th August:
A wonderful vacation comes to an end. Skies, seas, beaches - a beautiful respite from the daily grind. Plenty of relaxation and delicious food. Shopping for local handicrafts. It was a long weekend very well spent indeed.With it dawned the realization that there lies a lot to be found and experienced closer home too.Those immortal lines by Tagore echoed in my heart.
" Bohu din dhore bohu krosh doore
Bohu byay kari bohu desh ghure
Dekhite giyachchi porbot-mala,
Dekhite giyachchi sindhu
Dekha hoy naai chokhhu meliya
Ghar hote shudhu dui paa pheliya
Ek ti dhaner shisher upare
Ek ti shishir-bindu "
Translated : "I walked for miles for many days, spent time and money to see mountains, seas and oceans. I saw everything there was to see but never saw the drop of dew swinging from an ear of paddy near my own home."
samander ke lahrain fir past memories main lay jati..didn't you observe that?
ReplyDeleteHey Pia.. Loved the pics and the post. I have been in Digha , Puri and Darjeeling in my childhood, hope to visit the triangle soon to relive old memories!
ReplyDeleteYou should do this more often, I am sure there are lot many places to see in and around Kolkata. No matter where you are on the globe.. keep the love to explore new places alive!! :)
Nice place.
ReplyDeletehttps://marketplace.whmcs.com/user/sudhirbansal5862
Great post.
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