We walked out all attired for fun and frolic on the beach. OK let me tell you that this isn’t the kind of beach that you’re going to find Baywatch kind of bikini-clad girls or the surf and sand. It’s a wide beach between the water and us. And the sand’s not the sandy kind but more of fine clay like type. Of course that’s what makes it hard so that cars can traverse the distance on the beach right up to the resorts.
So as we strolled towards the water, we came across a local transport vehicle called a tuk-tuk. It’s basically a tricycle goods carrier with a diesel motor and the back is used to ferry people instead of goods. The driver told us he’d take us to the end of the beach if we paid him Rs. 200. We drove a hard bargain and brought it down to Rs. 100 for the four of us and hopped on, two on each side with our legs dangling over the sides. The tuk-tuk, and now I realise why they call it that, because the motor sounds exactly like that, took off and we had the lovely sea breeze blowing through our hairs. After several minutes we noticed a red beach up ahead and the tuk-tuk driver slowed the vehicle to tell us what it was. And the closer we got to it, the more amazing it got; because now that red beach seemed to be moving and slowly disintegrating. Its only when we were really close that we noticed it was millions of red crabs.
So we stopped the tuk-tuk and hopped off walking towards the creatures that were rapidly disappearing burrowing themselves into the sand. All of a sudden I came upon this one crab on one of the tyre tracks and though that maybe the poor creature had been run over, only to be told by the tuk-tuk driver that it was alive and lying like a statue out of fright and being unable to burrow into the had sand that had been formed by the tyres. So I nudged the little clawed fellow and sure enough it broke into some sort of a jig, running on its legs as though standing up to me and in all sorts of circles. When I looked up I noticed our tuk-tuk driver had one in his hands holding it by both its claws and showing us what they looked like up close and personal.
We got back on our tuk-tuk and though we found a nice piece of beach where the water looked really inviting, our tuk-tuk driver refused to drop us there, because he claimed that the water was really deep there and it wasn’t a good place to go in to the water and it was his duty to drop us off at a safe place. So he did a little while later at nearly the same place we had got on in the first place. Anyway it was a nice piece of calm beach, so we walked towards the water. It took us quite a while to get about thigh deep into the water and we had walked quite a far bit out into the water.
So as we strolled towards the water, we came across a local transport vehicle called a tuk-tuk. It’s basically a tricycle goods carrier with a diesel motor and the back is used to ferry people instead of goods. The driver told us he’d take us to the end of the beach if we paid him Rs. 200. We drove a hard bargain and brought it down to Rs. 100 for the four of us and hopped on, two on each side with our legs dangling over the sides. The tuk-tuk, and now I realise why they call it that, because the motor sounds exactly like that, took off and we had the lovely sea breeze blowing through our hairs. After several minutes we noticed a red beach up ahead and the tuk-tuk driver slowed the vehicle to tell us what it was. And the closer we got to it, the more amazing it got; because now that red beach seemed to be moving and slowly disintegrating. Its only when we were really close that we noticed it was millions of red crabs.
So we stopped the tuk-tuk and hopped off walking towards the creatures that were rapidly disappearing burrowing themselves into the sand. All of a sudden I came upon this one crab on one of the tyre tracks and though that maybe the poor creature had been run over, only to be told by the tuk-tuk driver that it was alive and lying like a statue out of fright and being unable to burrow into the had sand that had been formed by the tyres. So I nudged the little clawed fellow and sure enough it broke into some sort of a jig, running on its legs as though standing up to me and in all sorts of circles. When I looked up I noticed our tuk-tuk driver had one in his hands holding it by both its claws and showing us what they looked like up close and personal.
We got back on our tuk-tuk and though we found a nice piece of beach where the water looked really inviting, our tuk-tuk driver refused to drop us there, because he claimed that the water was really deep there and it wasn’t a good place to go in to the water and it was his duty to drop us off at a safe place. So he did a little while later at nearly the same place we had got on in the first place. Anyway it was a nice piece of calm beach, so we walked towards the water. It took us quite a while to get about thigh deep into the water and we had walked quite a far bit out into the water.
Hi TC so happy for you that you had such an awsome time at Mandarmoni i had gone with as muich expectation but came back with a frightful experience of being beaten up by the SANA Beach Resort staff for complaining about their attitude and behaviour.As you talk so higly of Mandarmoni and SANA Beach, by common conception is a great palce to stay their ... to which i completly agree.. i stil would like everybody to know of my plight.I had to get Police help for safe passage out of the place.Incident was reported at Rampurhat PS on 13th April,2008
ReplyDeleteAbout your experience in Mandarmani. Well this was my second visit there exactly a year after my first. Believe me after my first experience there, I wouldn't have headed back there. Extortion, Life thretened et al. But I managed to come out of it unscathed. That still doesn't take away from the beauty and serenity of the place.
ReplyDeletehi , we r planning to visit the place 3 boys and 4 gals . is it safe or not ?
ReplyDeleteYes it is. But my suggestion is that reach there by daylight. Preferably in the morning. Also make your hotel bookings from before.
ReplyDeletePls gont go to Sana , it is expensive & very bad service .
ReplyDelete