A not so Cycleable Escapade........

Place: Suhali beach
How far: 22 km
How to get there: motorcycle, phat-phatiya (upto Mora Gaon)

Suhali Beach is located on the shores of the Arabian sea. Situated 22 kms from Ichchhanath, getting to Suhali may be quite a task if you don't have your own motorbike. The phat-phatia (8 seater Tempos) will take you upto Mora gaon which is a good 2-3 kms from the beach. The ride from Ichchhanath to Mora gaon is pretty smooth though the heavy commercial vehicles constitute most of the traffic. First you reach the city limits and take a right towards Hazira via the brigde over tapi. Another 12 km later you reach Ichhapore Surat's SEZ(Special Economic Zone) for diamonds. Take a left here which takes you towards Hazira. On the way you will encounter all the industries - ONGC, KRIBHCO, GAIL, NTPC and Reliance amongst other smaller units. The main road twists towards the left after gate-3 of the Reliance industral campus. There is though, a narrower road which continues straight on which leads you to Mora gaon. Mora gaon is about 18-19 km from Ichchhanath, it is a bustling place with lots of shops and vendors selling everything from vegetables to sarees. The suhali village is another 3 kms from here. The road to the village is twisty and snakes along for about 2 kms, when you reach a school run by Reliance in an otherwise barren territory, adjoining the compound wall of the school is a very rough and pebbled road. The road (doesn't deserve to be called one though) is narrow and is lined with 6 feet tall thorny bushes on both sides. The road is tricky and nothing but a good motorbike or a 4X4 can handle this road. This road continues for an agonising kilometer and then finally to the left you see the ocean a few hundred meters away with ships dotting the horizon. There is an empty building-probably a government building not in use next to which there is a sign board in gujarati warning people of the tides on the beach. This is the only sign that the sea shore is nearby(apart from the fact that you can it see it though). A few meters away is the beach. The cool breeze gracing your body is very refreshing and makes the rough ride worthwhile.The sound of the waves lapping onto the beach is just too inviting, but the brown sandy water will make you think twice before having a bath though. The beach is long and perfect for long walks along the water line or you can enjoy the breeze by sitting on one of the many rocks that dot the beach. The beach is untouched and hence very clean. The perfect time to visit the beach would be after sunrise (6-7 'o' clock) when it isn't too sunny and the tide is receeding. The tide receeds as the day progresses and reclaims the beach as the night beckons. So considering the tides it is advised not to venture too deep into the water and there are many cases of people losing their lives on this very beach. Keep that in mind, but that apart the beach offers a perfect recluse away from the hassles and worries of day to day life. It is advised to bring your own refreshments and water if at all you need them and DON'T LITTER the beach. The only signs of humans on the beach are the fishing nets, which are set during the day (during low tide) and then retrieved the next day. As the day progresses the breeze dies down and the waves are nowhere to be seen, the hot sun also makes the beach an uncomfortable place after 9 am.
The return as usual is always shorter and would take about an hour or so, on motorbike.
Suhali beach provides the perfect escape from a hectic week and a refreshing welcome to next week…..

Happy escaping guys………………