Unlock the wilderness – A lockdown celebration

Something different HAD to be done.

I didn’t want to stay home and be stuck with the mundane. Of course, I’m aware of the current situation and I respect rules and restrictions. Do I look like a rebel to you!?

I just wanted for today to be an exception because it was our 5th wedding anniversary after all!

What to do!? Where to go!? Think.. think..

Keeping in mind all the lockdown Dos & Don’ts, we finalised on the one option that was perfect in all respects. Any guesses??? 

A bike ride, of course!

Jackets, helmets and masks – tick

Spare clothes – tick

Omelette and bread – tick

Packets of Maggi and a cooking pot – tick

Bottles of water – tick

Matchs’tick’ – tick

Destination – Phansad dam, Kashid, Alibaug

Weather-wise it was a decent day, cloudy with a higher chance of meatballs than monsoon! Humidity at peak so don’t even ask what the insides of our black bike- jackets felt like!

When we set out on long-distance bike rides, I always pack my pair of earphones because there’s no saying when I may drift off to sleep but today was an exception! There was so much of nature to take in that my eyes, hands and phone were occupied throughout! All in all an extremely rewarding day for the photographer in me!

We halted nowhere and two hours later we were standing at the location of the dam amazed by the receded water levels. Well, the monsoon should have been here by now but it’s 2020; the year of catastrophes! The grass, however, was greener on the other side literally! Lush green pastures for as far as we could see!

We found ourselves a good spot to settle and made a beeline for the waters! All that walking and butterfly chasing had made us sweaty and sticky and all we could wish for is a dubki 😀

We spent most of our time in the water; well at least he did while I fitted my bum, albeit a little strained for space, on a small boulder by the shore. I wasn’t keen on the fishies nibbling at my feet as much as he glorified the joy he was experiencing! Ya fine! I accept I am a coward or Fattu as they call it 😀

After a while, the fish had retired from their feast of PP and I was done with my sunbathing. Also my bum felt sore from all that sitting! We changed into our dry pair and headed out to the cement-shelter we had passed by on our way. It was of one of those typical Bollywood-type places with names etched into the walls by lovers! No, I didn’t draw a heart around ‘PP & SR’. Why don’t you go check!? 😛

The place was ideal for cooking because it seemed recently inhabited by some campers who had left a box of unused matchsticks and the bricks were positioned in a campfire manner. PP gathered some dry twigs and leaves and started the fire. The pot was set, the water had boiled and in went the masala with the Maggi!

Ready! We perched ourselves on the step outside with the pot and our drinks, twisting the noodles on our forks, looking at the greens, listening to the sounds and feeling absolutely contented with the day!

We had one final stop to make before we headed back home; the beach!

Have you heard of the Felix Felicis? 
Felix Felicis, also called Liquid Luck, if a magical potion that makes the drinker lucky for a period of time. Nothing can go wrong! 
Well today was that kind of a day; like we both had consumed generous portions of the potion!

The section of the beach that we halted at was… I don’t know the perfect word, but for me it was heaven. No tourists, no trash.

The sun was lazily settled behind the clouds taking its time to set but the sky was well lit, there was a silvery glow making the waters shine as well. The sand was white and fine, just the way I like.

While PP set off with his bike for a ride on the sand, I chose a lovely spot and tuned on to my internal radio. The channel only plays songs that cater to the mood and today it seemed to be on ‘repeat one’ mode with ‘Chupke se’ from Saathiya. Yes, I’m NOT moving on from that movie. Ever.

I would have stayed longer had it been the normal, safer times but anyway there’s always a limit to luck and goodness. Best not to overdo it.

What do you know, the special day wasn’t just over yet! Today the sunset was one of the best we’ve witnessed and I succeeded at capturing the colors on my phone and heart as well. Oh what do I tell you!!?? There was pink, there was purple, there was orange and the blue!

The threads of colors were woven together to create a satin sky so majestic and magical that I was sure it was nature’s way of celebrating our special day 🙂

I really don’t think I have the best of words to describe today’s scenic ride so I’m counting on the photos to do the justice it deserves.

Anniversary gift – On our wedding day, PP gifted me his ‘love for nature’ to share with him.. forever. Today, on the occasion of our fifth anniversary, I only want to say thank you for the gift because ‘Giving’ is in Nature’s nature. We all could do with taking a leaf out of that book. No pun 😉

P.S. I did get an anniversary gift. The husband chopped off my tresses and I’m back to being Snow White. I guess Rapunzel and I were never meant to be 😉 

‘My Hairy Tail (a NOT so Fairy Tale)’ – my next blog-post, coming up soon!

Until then, cheers!