A final Dash (Part II)

The catamaran swayed from one side to the other and cruised forward at the same time. We checked on each other for motion sickness. This problem heightens in boats since it moves in almost all directions possible. DG was ready with Polo for all of us. We popped one in our mouths and leaned back to enjoy the ride.

It is a beautiful feeling to move on water. It's not as if you feel like a fish or anything, but just the feeling of water all around you is pretty good. Nandu as usual was guessing the speed of the catamaran. After a few estimations, we all agreed it would not be more than 15 to 20 kmph. We were told it would take around 45 mins to reach Mandwa. Yes, Mandwa jetty was where we were headed. That was not the place of visit actually, but it was the connecting place. We had to take a bus from there and then an auto. 10 minutes might have passed and the Mumbai horizon started fading away. It was a nice sight. Going away from the noise, pollution and the crowd. We could see nothing but vague outlines of the skyscrapers. I must look forward, literally and also look forward for what is in store for us in the trip and told myself not to look behind.

I was silent from then on. I wanted to enjoy the ride and i can enjoy it the most when i am silent and just looking at the beauty around me. Many small and big ships passed by - some looked brand new, some were so old and so horribly rusted, that we wondered why on earth were they left anchored in the middle of the sea. They looked abandoned to us. Moreover, there was no kind of equipment too on deck. Well Nandu and Saurabh had theories reagarding this too. But i was too lazy to listen to them. But i should say this; I have always wondered how nandu has all the information that he keeping giving us poor souls. U take a topic and he knows about it. I have rarely heard him replying with an "I dont know". He talks about ships, boats, catamarans (when many of us had never heard of it before in our lives), software, hardware, new gadgets, mobile phones...and ya when it comes to mobile phones, he seems to know everything inside out. His is a typical inquisitive mind. Such people will never grow old; mentally atleast. They always have something or the other they are interested in and keep learning new things whenever they find an opportunity to do so. You are a great chap nandu!

The time was now around 4 : 15 i think. Again i was too lazy to even lift my hand and look at my watch. I guessed it would be 4 : 15, coz it was quite some time since we left from Gateway. The horizon now looked most beautiful - endless. The sun was a bright orange red; just like the way I used to paint it in my younger days. And yes there was also this black streak accross it - again like the paintings. Andy felt it looked like a highway had been built accross the sun. Well that was an interesting imagination. I stared at the sun for as long as i could. It was the evening time and the sun got milder and started dipping. It was 'five inches' above the horizon. I remember i used to wonder where the sun went from down under each day after sunset when i was a kid. I never bothered to ask anyone about this, I just wondered. At that moment i somehow caught myself kiddishly wondering about the same thing. Well i do have my science in place and i know the 'concepts' of rotations and revolutions. But it was not about knowing or not knowing. It was something different. May be my mind was too tired of logic. It wanted to wander, it wanted to be free and i let it be that way. I was relaxed. 2 more mins and I would have slept off. Suddenly someone pointed in a direction and said it was looking like a beach. I sat upright to look. There was lot of green and blue to see. And a thin yellowish golden patch connecting the two(palm trees and the sea). Within seconds i woke up from the slumber and was wide awake. Yes! that was the beach, we all agreed unanimously.

We could see the beach approaching us. I didnt bother to look back. Mumbai was out of my mind. 10 more minutes and we anchored. It was Mandwajetty. It was very breezy there. There was a narrow but long walk way built on to the water body. It stood on huge and seemingly strong pillars. We could see beaches on both sides of the walk way. Everything except the wind was calm. The breeze was too strong to go unnoticed. It hit me hard from one side as i tried to walk across it. The wind was too loud. It was saying something for sure. But i am not 'The Alchemist' to understand the language of the wind. But i assumed it was welcoming us there and wishing us a pleasant journey ahead. I thanked it and hoped it would really be wonderful.