.......................................................................................Budget Trips
 BORDI-DAHANU 

When did you last experience the romance of the sea, drift with the gentle undulations of waves, or listen to the whispering of Casturina trees along its shore? 
Perhaps memory fails you.

Pack your bags and get away from the mundane. Let Mother Nature unravel her beauty, and you will be her slave for life.

No place near Mumbai remains unexplored! Every hill station, beach, trekking track teems with picnickers. Every natural habitat has been explored. A positive attitude and the fresh salt spray carried by the winds can invigorate even the dullest homo sapien.

Bordi here I come

The beaches of Bordi and Dahanu in Maharashtra do not boast of virgin sands; generations of Parsis, Warwads, Gujaratis and weary Mumbaiites have left their footprints here. But there is always sand for more. The Casturina tree lined beach is definitely a better bet than Oxygen Centres in the city.

The wet sands kiss my feet and I lift my face to the soft warmth of the sun, suddenly feeling one with nature. The tranquility, the overhead buzzing of insects and the rhythmic sounds of blue waters soothe my high-strung nerves. Laughter and chatty voices of little children from the 26 odd boarding schools follow me all the way to the MTDC resort. Even on a particularly sunny morning I catch children studying in the skeletal shadows of Casturina trees. Which was the stimulant - the crisp air or the high standard of education? I never find out.
  
 I can't wait to explore the sun-drenched lush green landscape. Since no cycles are available for hire at Bordi, I rent an auto rickshaw for the day. My well-honed bargaining skills (a requisite in Mumbai) helps cajol the driver to arrive at a sum of Rs 350/- for a trip to Ashwali Dam, Chikoo Wadis (grooves) and Dahanu. I could not miss the sign painted on the walls of the nearby bus stand indicating – Ashwali Dam, Bahrot Caves (Historical monuments of the 13^th C located on the top of the Bahrot Hill) and Pilgrimage Centre for Zoroastrians. Not many locals were familiar with Bahrot caves and the pilgrimage centre, but the Dam seems common place. 

The beautifully maintained tar road to Ashwali would put many a city highway to shame. A few metres from the 345-metre dam is a dirt track, which is better approached by foot. The dam in itself is no big deal, unless you convince the local fishermen for a ride in their trawlers for a few rupees.

The rice fields just off the dam are a green spectacle in the monsoons with shy tribal girls clad in bright petticoat-blouses running along the mud bunds. After drawing in deep breaths of fresh air, which I hoped would combat some of the city pollution from my lungs I head for the Chikoo Wadis.

Unfortunately, the fruits were still in their nascent stage and villagers were anxious about a mysterious disease that had struck, killing the chikoos. 

Destination Dahanu. A 40-minute drive from Bordi, the town of Dahanu resembles any one of Mumbai's central suburbs. Today, with the local train connectivity from Mumbai, it has become an extension of the city. The only reason to travel to Dahanu is the drive itself, the feeling of exhilaration as cool breeze whips at your hair and colour highlights your cheeks.

There are two routes to this town from Bordi, one from the interiors of the village and the other along the beach. Opt for the latter, it will be worth your while. Only if during your 2-day trip to Bordi, you feel Mumbai sick, not sick of Mumbai, then visit Dahanu - it is the closest you can get to city life.  

If to you a holiday means bumming it out on the beach - do just that! Lie on the sands, laze around in the hammock with your favourite paperback for company or don swimming trunks and run into the waters like there is no one in the world but you.

Text : Anupama Vinayak