Cycling Escapades....

Place: Dumas
How far: 10 km
How to get there: cycle, phat-phatiya









After a hectic week of classes and internals there is nothing quite like a getaway or an adventure. Dumas offers just that and more for the occasional long distance cyclist. Make sure u have a full tube of air and a bottle of water (though refreshments are available at the beach). Dumas is situated 11 km from surat on SH no.6. The road is smooth and very comfortable for cycling, the ride to dumas takes about 45 min by cycle. The highway ride starts a little after Valentine. From then on there is nothing but you, your machine(guess a girlfriend wouldn't do much harm either) and smooth tarmac. You will encounter the surat airport about halfway through your journey. Soon after the airport you can either cut right to go to the dumas village or else take the straight road to the sea side. There is no beach as such on the sea side but you can take a camel or a horse ride to the water which is a few hundred meters away. There are other places along the bank where the water can be reached easily and are much better than the unkempt and smelly seaside. The spots can be found away from the road going along the shore and are accessible from the village also. The dumas village is not all that rural but is more like a town. You can find many old villas which have decayed with time and whose gates are the only reminder of theirmagnificience. Most villas are of the pre independence era. Another typical sight is that of lady villagers carrying steel water pots precariously balanced on their heads. There is also a Jain derasar(temple) which was built around 75 years ago. It is also home to a saint, Nandini and her disciples. The temple has a peaceful and tranquil milieu. A few minutes here and all your worries seem to fade away into the silence.The postoffice and police chowki in dumas are reminiscent of Mohan babu's Rampur (swades.. does it ring a bell?). You can treat yourself to some refreshing coconut water and some hot corn pods; that would be enough to keep you from getting exhausted for the ride back. On the way back things seem to move past you much slower. And there is plenty of time to reflect on a few hours well psent in a quite unforgettable manner. no matter how exhausted your body might get on the way back, i guarantee you your mind would surely be fresher when you return.