Friday, June 14, 2013

The land of the sea and the home of the waves

Lame title for an oh-so-amazing experience. I know I know. But I was in Bermuda and beyond caring about titles really. One word : Gorgeous. Alright another - Dreamy. Last one - Friendly. A little too much at times though.

So after a 15 hour flight and a 9 hour stop over in New York I finally took my final flight to Bermuda. I deprived a really nice old couple of the window seat (well, they offered half heartedly and I jumped at the opportunity) and then slept through the trip. I heard them whisper to each other sometime between dreaming of a pizza and waves -  "Why did she take the window seat if she wanted to sleep right through". Well, I didn't want to sleep right through - but when you've stayed up for so very long, you fall asleep whether you like it or not.

But I wasn't asleep all through - I opened my eyes to see thick layers of cloud symmetrically dissected over the blue expanse. The next time I opened them - the clouds had transformed into gorgeous tufts of cotton candy - teasing the waves below. And the third and final time - and this made me actually wake up - the sky was aflame as the sun was going down, burning like coal embers in the distance. And then out of nowhere, sparkling pieces of land began to appear. My first view of Bermuda will stay with me forever. It was overwhelming to the point that I wanted to hug every bit of the island.

Having had my 10 hours of sleep, Sunday dawned a beautiful spring morning. The sun was just right in its intensity, the sky was blue enough and the clouds were gorgeous as ever entertaining me all through the trip by taking on different shapes in the blink of an eye. There was a dragon breathing fire during the sunset, a boy peacefully asleep with his stuffed toys, a mermaid and places that I couldn't have imagined. The sky in the distant horizon actually felt like a whole other world that could be travelled to. It was surreal to say the least.

Just walking by the dockyard, staring at the endless expanse of blue water was the most satisfying experience in ways I couldn't have dreamt of before. Of course, a girl standing alone staring at water like she can't believe her luck does attract a fair share of weird people (and really old ones at that), wanting to have a drink. But managed to keep them at a distance. So it was all good.

The weekend saw me travel far and wide in Bermuda; explore the various quaint little nooks and corners
that give the island its charm. Whether it was the breathtaking beauty of the Crystal and Fantasy caves with their intriguing stalactites and stalacmites, or the quiet little town of St. George's with its aura of ancient history and seafaring stories. The beaches were wondrous feasts of pink sand and blue-green waters that seemed to slant at the oddest of angles while being approached from the mini-hills in a bus. The sand felt like velvet under my feet! I saw people do magic with glass at the glassworks spot in the Dockyard and literally witnessed the "high" life that I'd always wondered about while watching programs about the Hamptons. And .. and .. I climbed a lighthouse for the very first time in my life and the experience can't be described in mere words!

I love Bermuda (understatement of the year!). To think I'd heard such terrible reviews about the place from my colleagues at work is a shame. "There's nothing to do," they said. When the sky's changing colours every minute and the waves are hypnotising you like never before - what else is left to be done?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

you have a gift of writing..the description of the clouds was almost as if i was seeing them myself.

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