Around 6:00 am, we were on Velas Beach where we witnessed a serene sunrise.
And then, as arranged by the guards present there, we assembled around a fenced space where they brought baby Turtles in a basket and had put down on ground to take their first steps.
Turtles moved very slowly towards water, and were pushed back by the waves sometimes but they kept going...
This trip was a birthday gift to my bestie....
I kept it all surprise and just asked her to show up at the pick up point in time.
We were going to Velas, a beautiful beach in Konkan where it was the perfect time to see newly hatched baby Turtles taking their first steps towards Sea.
So, we left after our offices on Friday evening in a Traveler with other people.
We reached Velas early morning 4:00 am. Took rest. We were living in a "Home Stay" where it was all wooden interior and a beautiful spice garden in back.
After seeing off those hatchlings, we had some great fun in sea.
We then returned back to "Stay", freshened up, had home cooked meal. We then took a tour of backyard spice garden, where they had Tej patta, kali mirchi, laung, ilaichi and dal chini plants.
We returned to beach in evening and spent peaceful time there. Nice walk along the beach, waves touching our feet, sun sending out its last rays before dropping back in sea and minds full of good thoughts.
We had home cooked Maharashtrian dinner and took a walk in neighborhood. All the houses were old and shabby and had those sloping roofs. Each house had spice garden in backyard and a clean front porch with colorful rangoli.
We then got back to "Stay" and slept well to see baby Turtles next morning too...
We woke up early, went to beach, they had 7 hatchlings this morning. So, we looked upon 7 baby Turtles moving swiftly towards Sea. Taking very small steps, slowly, diverting from their paths sometimes but going forward eventually, they made their way to the waters, leaving behind their small footprints.
We then returned to "Stay", freshened up, had breakfast and left for it next destination. It was a fort, better say, remains of a fort. Situated on a hill by sea shore, still trying to hold its glory, it stood. We went inside, not much to see there, but it gave breath taking views of sea. We spent some time there, taking in that view and standing in that cool breeze.
We then left for our next and last destination, Harihareshwar Beach. We went half way by road and then took Ferry to cross the water mass. We reached beach with sole purpose of having fun. And we did that, water boarding, dripping in waves, teasing each other and making sand castles.
We had another Maharashtrian Konkani cuisine for lunch. And then.....we headed back to our homes, everyday life, away from beaches and Turtles, to join office from Monday..... taking with us just the memories of a delighting trip.
We had another Maharashtrian Konkani cuisine for lunch. And then.....we headed back to our homes, everyday life, away from beaches and Turtles, to join office from Monday..... taking with us just the memories of a delighting trip.