The BEACH LOVERS

Every family has values, Every family has a culture, Every family has goal in life. Most likely , it will be to buy a house, an estate, sovereigns of gold, kids education, Ph.D , etc. We never knew what was our family’s goal until we discovered our love for Beach destinations. KANDY family (stands for KAmal, NArmadha, DhAkshin, YAalini) has the aim to visit as many beaches as possible in our life. (What an ambitious goal 😛 😛 )
We had planned for many short tours, long vacations, day trips, short trips – but no place excited us like how these beautiful beaches enlighten our day. We then discovered that, during a vacation, we are ok if there are no much places to see, we are ok if they are not tourist entertainment places, but all we wanted was Mother Nature’s Best, Beautiful, Elegant Beach.
Since we stayed majorly in Chennai once, beach was a normal, lovely place for us. After we shifted to Bangalore, is when we realised the value of a Beach City. You can leave home without your wallet, just walk to the beach, spend time, feel happy and come back. Here there are no such places much, except for few parks, which do have entry tickets. So here is the list of Beaches we have covered, and wish us good luck to keep travelling to beach locations and updating this blog with wonderful details about various beaches… Hoping that one day this blog will be world’s longest blog ever with all our beach details…

1. Chennai – Marina beach : Is where my guy (Kamal) taught me to ride a bike (Yamaha) , usually a tourist place, crowded beach. My childhood chennai trips we have spent listening to MGR’s watch’s tick tick sound in MGR memorial !
2. Chennai – Besant Nagar beach : Kamal’s bachelor days, my spinster days, our romantic fights, office first project friend’s Friday parties – Bessi had always been so lovely. More than all that, when Dhakshin was 1.5 years to 2.5 years, Bessi beach skating classes are our favourite to watch. I used to drive him from day care and we both will sit with a packet of popcorn watching skating class, playing on sand, waiting for daddy to join  us. Best memory of bessi beach. This click is my most fav, we were returning after my first scan (Dhakshin was inside me) , we finished watching Abhiyum Nanum a senti movie for me and dad 🙂 and ended the lovely day in Bessi beach, that happy click here –
3. Chennai – Tiruvanmiyur Beach : Not as crowded as Marina , not as fun as Bessi, yet Tvr beach has its own speciality, calm composed evening walks slowly turns into busy evenings in Tvr beach. Kamal and his friends (They call themselves ENEMIES gang) . Being single child for my parents, I always wanted a brother. Those mad friends of Kamal are my brothers, protecting me, fighting with me, annoying me, caring a lots for me and Kamal. So, TVR beach is where all of us used to get together evenings after office, annoy each other. I used to wait for these fellows to leave soon, so me and Kamal can get some time (they never left soon :P) but now after a decade years, I miss those idiots and spending time in TVR beach with them. Miss my brothers a lot.  
4. Chennai Kottivakam beach : Since we stayed near Palavakkam in ECR, Kottivakkam beach was our daily walking place, best for morning walks, sunrise , yoga and lovely villas to watch. Small memories yet cute ones at Kottivakkam
5. Langkawi Beach : Here starts the story of Mr & Mrs Kamal’s beach moments. Our honeymoon was to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi. Langkawi Lagoon Resort is where we stayed, villa on the beach. Our first experience on paragliding, jet skiing , a lovely place, perfect for honeymoon. First foreign beach is another added memory.

   

   

   

   

   
    
6. Private Goa –
7.  Pondicherry Beach : Kamal has a list of bachelor trips at Pondicherry. I have many school excursions and childhood tours with parents to Pondicherry. But, KANDY memory is, when we got our car, Chevvy Beat (GREEN colour ) our first long drive was to Pondicherry beach. We stayed in  , booked for some bamboo cottage special room, ended up shocked to see it was a HUT, Indian version of telling foreigners is “Bamboo special cottage”. Our grandma’s house was a better luxurious hut than that.. Yet, we had our private beach in Pondy.  Missing chennai beach, first beach vacation for 3 years old Dhakshin – we enjoyed thoroughly, my fav clicks of my little hero here –

   

   

   

   

   
   7. Murudeshwar Beach – Netrani Island : This crazy wife of Kamal (Oh yeah, me ) had planned for a surprise water adventurous tour for his birthday. 5 places , 5 different water related adventure, he doesn’t know where we are going next. The trip had Dudhsagar falls, Dandeli white river rafting, Murudeshwar Scuba diving, Kumuli elephant bath, Allepey boat house . One amazing memory for us forever. Let me write about it in a different blog. So the beach Murudeshwar – it is a pilgrimage place, the big Shiva statue, RNS residency hotels are amazing. From there , the Scuba diving team took us to Netrani Island, 40 mins from the coast. They explained us the DOs and DO NOTs, both of us dint know swimming then. It was fun, proud and lifetime experience. WestCoast Adventures is our scuba masters. Infact, under water, I was holding my scuba coach’s hands than Kamal’s hands 😉 was so scared initially. We saw beautiful a good one for first time scuba divers. Our feel post scuba was exactly like Krithik’s expression in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara movie. On our return back to Murudeshwar, we saw beautiful silver fishes jumping from the sea swimming in groups. It was like a jackpot treat to watch.  8. Goa Beach – Baga : This is our first trip leaving Dhakshin with parents , yeah, second honeymoon 😉 was more like a date outing. Exploring entire Goa in a two wheeler, Beer &  Fish as three course meal , wandering with no agenda, stayed in a normal hotel, out in the beach till 3 AM every night, had roadside chai at 2 AM , danced on the beach, had my first tattoo , what not ! Amazing experience 🙂 Baga – the party beach. Music, drinks, beach, fish – oh yeah, I loved the karaoke at the Baga beach pub. Amazing freak out beach. Small vendors come to you asking for a foot massage, ladies get their hair beaded ( i did too 😉 ) all tourist fun happens in Baga beach.
   

   

   

   

   
   9. Goa Beach –   Anjuna : I thought I love beaches because I love to play in water, but this beach proved me wrong. This is a sightseeing beach, you have to walk steep down to see the place, you can’t play in the beach, just rocks and algae decorating entire beach. But, just divinely, brilliant view. I had to wait eagerly for that pretty sea to come running and as she hugs the rocks on the core, the water splashes on our face.. Awww, I love the feel.Makes me feel like a 10 year old girl 🙂
   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   
   Look at the beautiful sunset in panorama view 🙂
   10. Goa Beach – Vagator : Near Chapora fort is where we have Vagator beach, the beach where I played and jumped and drenched in joy a lots.. the view from Chapora fort is amazing (the one u see in this pic) and once u walk down to the beach, it is so simple , elegant and awesome there.  11. Goa Beach – Calangute : This is the beach where we had spent most of nights on seashore. Live fish grill, forgetting the grocery list, school fees, electricity bills, office tasks, dusting the house, cooking – we were on real date 🙂 wonderful experience to be cherished.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   
    
    
8. Thailand – Phi Phi Island : The Goa trip got us super tuned, and we planned a trip to Thailand within 3 months 🙂 again leaving Dhakshin with parents 😛 Third honeymoon. We did not have any agenda, except Phi Phi Island , the images itself were very exciting and we started one fine morning. On the way to the island, we had snorkelling, monkeys entering our boat, then reached the paradise. “are we still in this world?”, pinched myself, danced, enjoyed the beach lot. The most romantic beach so far is definitely Phi Phi 🙂 Rest, the pics will say

   

   

   

   

   
   

   

   

   

   

9. Thailand – Phuket Beach :  We stayed in Thailand for one week. No major target to cover all the places, we only stayed in Phuket, all we wanted was beach 🙂 Phuket beach, yet another lovely, simple cool beach. I would say that is a magical beach too. I was just floating in the beach. One evening while we were in the beach, it started raining. Everyone started running and me and Kamal did really enjoy the rain in beach. Two natural water resources – Beach and Rain, what else do you want to fall in love with the same idiot again 🙂 One memorable beach trip, after which we directly walked to a restaurant, beach and sand shaded completely 🙂 crazy days at Phuket 🙂 No photo times 🙂 
10. Chennai – Mahabalipuram Beach : After Thailand trip, we had couple of years break to our beach vacations, with our little angel’s entry into our life .. And for my birthday is where we had gone for one day trip to Mahabalipuram. It is a historic place, architectural place, but hubby knows what we love. We just stayed in Radisson Blu, amazing beach side villa booked. Best part was playing with Dhakshin after a long time 🙂 and my first infinity pool experience was amazing…

    

    

    

    

    

    

    
    We got the best click of daddy Kamal completed here 🙂 
11. Mumbai Beach – Marine Drive : Before I had to join office, we planned for a mast trip,  7 days , we divided into 2 days for Mumbai and 5 days to Goa. And Marine walk in Mumbai – another beach which told me that you can fall in love with the beach without playing in the sand. Two special moments 1. Kamal and Dhaksh enjoyed so well, as best buddies, while I was singing mild melodies to baby Yaalini (10 months old) and walked along the Marine Drive 🙂 Wonderful moment..

    

    

12. Goa Beach – Zuri White Sand Beach : Can you believe ? 5 days in Goa and not a single day out, yes ! you read it right.. we did not go anywhere .. checked into Zuri and then came out only during check out after 5 days. With the little baby and her brother, all we wanted was a nice break with beach. The whitesand beach in Zuri was just magical. The waves come very closer during noons and nights and goes far, giving us more space to play during mornings and evenings. All we did was eat on time and rest play in the beach thoroughly 🙂 Max pics are gonna be here I believe –

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

13. Indonesia – Nusa Duva Bali Beach :  One year after the Goa trip, we planned for a trip to Bali, Indonesia during Dhakshin’s summer holidays. We stayed in Nusa Duva, a very pleasant and decent most place in Bali. Ayodhya Resort – Anytime any day, we would love to be back here, beach resort with 8 restaurants inside, full of amazing gardens, just heaven. The beach there was like Millet grains. We were wow’d , and the private beach was awesome with shags made of bean bag and colourful umbrellas, as you see in the pics –

    

    

    

    

    

    

    
    We then had the lovely experience of watching Sunset in Uluwatu temple , Dhakshin shouted “amma, the sun is going into the sea” 🙂 followed by that, we had dinner on beach side restaurant in Zambran with live grill, breeze, music 🙂
    

    

    

    

14. Indoneisa – Kuta Beach Bali : Kuta is THE happening place in Bali, we have to admit that Bali trip was full of zoos, parks, bird parks, safari and totally kid’s agenda. We did go to Kuta one evening, I got a tattoo , had dinner, shopping and returned, missed playing with u Kuta beach, this gives a reason to be back here again 🙂

    

    

15. Indonesia – Black Sand Beach Sanur, Bali : On the way to some place, our cab driver said, “there is a black sand beach here, not tourist place, due to over heat and summer”. We are Beach Lovers, there is no nice beach, tourist beach, hot beach. Beach is beach for us and black sand – that sounded exciting.. We asked him to take us.. 15 mins is what we would have spent there but still a treat to eyes and surprise to have just pebbles on the sea shore. Sand was a bit far.

    

    

    

    

16. Indonesia – Tanjung Benoa Beach, Bali :  Turtle Island was the main agenda. We had snorkelling as our little champ is now grown up to join daddy in snorkelling. Thanks to his swimming class 🙂 A fun trip on the boat to turtle island and snorkelling 🙂  Our ‘Beach Please’ theme t shirt was a highlight 😉

    

    

    

    

    

    

 Hope you enjoyed reading the journey so far.. Follow the blogs , let me keep updating as we continue our beach journeys 🙂 Wish us good luck too….