Goodbye to the Splendour of Neil

A week long sabbatical from Bangalore to explore the hues and winds of the divine Andaman Island kept me from blogging. So, hello! I and chucks had a beautiful time there and enjoyed every single moment spent. We laughed more, understood each other more, loved more and grew more. Also, the wind and sky gifted me an atmosphere that was magically conducive to writing and zoning out of the mundane. We spanned the length and breadth of the island, collected corals, skied, dived and kissed endlessly.

Here's a brief journal extract from the day we bid goodbye to Neil Island, a quaint, naturally rich Island.

The breathtaking view from our walkway

The giant Papita tree

24th February, Wednesday, 6:23 am, Lakshmanpur Beach, Neil Island. 

I see nothing but the sea and sky joined together as a whole. On mornings like these when these elements decide to conjoin forces, their hues alike, the clouds and the waves alike, the emotional and mental rush is nothing but surreal.I'm surrounded by Papita trees ten times my husband's height. A little intimidating I must admit, but the religious screechings of the sea gulls distract me from the astounded look. There are mangroves and tall pine plants on either sides of me and watching them move to the unheard music of the wind is sheer pleasure. Far across into the sea I see two boats sailing away, too tiny to my naked eye. I'm thinking of someone underneath the water's surface guiding them on a string. The waves are not too scary in the morning. Thank god! 

I'm incessantly staring into the sky devoid of a horizon. 

The two boats were to the corner of my left eye as I beheld the Papita trees. But look, the waves have lead them on and now they're at the tip of my nose. Eye to the nose, in nautical miles. 

To my right is the beach where I bore the cruel afternoon heat and collected corals and shells yesterday. I see silhouettes of a man and woman holding hands and walking by the edge of the sand, into the water. They are surrounded by many gulls and a generous dose of sunlight. Maybe, I hope, this will be the day they remember with utmost fondness all their lives. 

On this side of the beach where I am seated, on a wooden palette, there is this solitary gull that has been pecking on rocks and hopping in water for a while. It skips from rock to rock, looks up, then down, then around and then moves on to the next rock. What's not cool about beginning the day with a lil' dance?

I've been here for over an hour now. The wind and the waves are preparing me for sweet goodbyes. They are chorusing in my ears and sending me into a state of requiescence. 

The sun is way up in the sky now and the waves are turning noisy. I don't see the couple anymore nor the boats. Maybe they reached where they had to. 

Noisy gulls!!!!