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A peach of a beach
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Maravanthe's sea is a man-eater. But its beach is not
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Footloose on the beach. -- Photo: Vipin Chandran
WHEN THE Arabian Sea hits your eyeball first from the left and then the backwaters from the right, it takes a long time for your jaw to close. That's Maravanthe for you. A short stretch of road flanked by two bodies of water, both of very different natures. You can see the sea trying to get at the backwaters, despite the granite bund to keep it at bay.
Choppy sea
The sea can be choppy, say the tender coconut vendors who line the road. But one can't resist getting off the road and checking out the patch of beach the hoi polloi can set their foot on. The view is awesome, and the beauty dangerous. Many have died in these treacherous waters and you'd be well advised to venture knee deep and no more.
For those intent on making a holiday of it, there are a couple of resorts in the vicinity. The one skirting the sea has rooms, cabanas and dorms. Take your pick depending on your budget. The beach there is very nice indeed, with a couple of neat rocks in the water you can rest on. The sea is full of underwater rocks here, which is great for fisherfolk who harvest mussels by the bucketload.
As for the rooms and cabanas, well, they're definitely ecofriendly. The one we stayed had a couple of unfriendly cockroaches (even as one was despatched to Roach Heaven the other scurried away to a fresh lease of life) and a mildly disabled millipede (with a dozen or so feet missing). There are exactly one-and-a-half curtains per window to let the air in. (Warning: they tend to billow at the most inconvenience moments). Now, why would any accommodation by the beach need fans? Must be the vaastu here that disallows maximum air intake.
Fresh catch
The food at the resort is well cooked, especially seafood. The dining areas are open on two sides, with fishing nets to ward off pesky crows. One feels blessed to feast on the day's catch unsullied by refrigeration.
The place offers adventure sports, providing you give advance notice. The yoga and meditation hall was locked, probably because there weren't too many firangs around.
Backpackers can accommodate themselves in the dorms, and the common showers aren't too bad.
You can also choose to stay in Kundapura (15 km away) and make it to the beach. Just say you want to go to Trasi village. The resort is a pebble's throw from Hotel Karanth.
There's an entry fee for both people and vehicles if you're not in residence here. Quite a number of people come to spend the day on the beach here.
Warning number two: couples had better be wary of getting too lovey-dovey in the cottages: the wall doesn't go all the way up and we could hear the occupant next door even scratch himself.
But if your intention is to have a ball on the little beach, this is it. As a barefooted French lady, on her 10th visit to India, exclaimed: "This is paradise. India is the safest place for women travelling alone."
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FACTFILE
Kundapura is 95 km from Mangalore, which itself is 350 km from Bangalore. Halt at Sakleshpur to have akki roti, Malnad style, and pick up garden-fresh coffee, tea, pepper and other spices.
While you're at Kundapura, check out the Mookambika temple at Kollur, some 30 km away. A very scenic drive.
As for where to stay, the Net will give you the options. Or the locals will.
SUGANDHI RAVINDRANATHAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Madurai
Mangalore
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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