She sells sea shells on the sea shore.
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The heat added to the panic. The sound of the chopper was deafening, and I could feel the land shaking. I thought we all looked like something out of a watercolour picture, on which water was sprayed-fading at the ends, the wind would’ve surely given the impression of the brushstrokes.. The plane took off in 10 minutes. We had to get off this island, and that too fast, inorder to catch that plane, and this chopper was our only hope. Securing the seatbelt, I took one last look at the island. The helicopter trembled, roared, before it took off slowly and precariously, while my mind did a flash back to the time when I first set my eyes on the island. The last look kept me just as spellbound as the first look, and the short love affair with the sea thus came to an end.
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Day 1.
Cochin International airport.
1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Sis
4. Bil
5. Me
6. Mr. R
7. Mrs R.
The trip to Lakshadweep Islands.
As usual, I was hungry. My mother always found this tiring, as this was the way every trip started. Breakfast will always be Bread Butter jam, as her vacation starts from 12 am of the vacation day. Kitchen was and is and will always be a big no no on the Day 1 and Day last. So we all had a grand lunch at The Lotus, but little did we knew, that it was the only proper food we were to have on this vacation. The plane was 2 hours late, and when your plane is two hours late, forcing you to spend the time at the airport, you naturally assume things can get only better from there.
Ha.
Day 1.
Guest house. Agatti Islands Evening around 4: 30
The ride to the rest house was drowned in the cries of “Nokkamma!! Nokkacha!!” (look mom!! Look dad!) bec
ause we were surrounded by the sea. There was sea to our left, sea to our right, and nothing else. And the moment we dumped our luggage in our rooms we went sightseeing, or in other words, we went to the sea.

This was what I saw. The green water, the cool air, the sun, and the sky.

The kids had their fun picking up shells from the shore, assisted by the native kids, and some kids went to take a dip in the sea, and I took all the photos.
Most of them.
The day was spent in the water, picking up shells and taking photos.
Day 2.
I woke up with a very bad cold. You know what happens when you have very bad colds. My brother in law kept reassuring me life was indeed better without common maladies like colds, but I needed to be brave and fight the viruses and enjoy the moment, not to give up, they were micron size stupid brainless life forms and that I can’t ruin my once in a life time opportunity of being on The LAKSHADWEEP islands, on the most important day of the three day vacation. He went on to say a lot of other stuff, but I was under the blanket blowing my nose making noises like the motor running or speed boats racing, so I couldn’t hear the rest.
Breakfast did get me out of bed, and the lure of a Canon professional camera and the assurance that I will have full access to it if I stop whining, made me get into the car which took us to the private beach resort.
We met Cheriya Koya- the CJM there, And we had a discussion on the ancestory of the abovementioned person, regarding the names. While I argued that his father would’ve been called valiya koya while my amma was of the opinion that it was likely to be his brother. Which made us all wondered what would be his father called then, to which my father replied “Immini valliya Koya”, thus we all paid a tribute to the famous poet and writer, and the viruses were repelled by the PJ, and they went on a short slumber leaving me to enjoy the day.

Someone ought to have told me that it would’ve been really nice to pack a swimsuit especially when you are going to a beach for your vacation. NO. we are not talking of the legendary two piece, FYI, a swimsuit can also mean something water repellent, and they do come in decent sizes. For those who are not blessed with a halle berry body, you see.
So, the morning was spent in me swinging on the …er..swing, with the viruses to keep me company, and I wished I were dead.

Day 2. Bangaram islands.
NOW, oh yea baby, this IS what the VACATION was ALL about. We took off from the Agatti islands, saying good byes to all the koyas, big and small alike, on a….
HELICOPTER!!!!
Pavan Hans.
Am not putting up the helicopter pics, as Photography was not permitted at the airport, and lets just assume I Did not take photos of the helicopter. Okie?
A picture can speak a thousand words. View from the chopper.

You can see the corals and the reefs…

The world is a BEAUTIFUL place to be in.
We reached the island, and we were left there, without any means of transport, and we had fun.
Abrupt, I know. But the cold prevented me from bathing in the sea, although I did have some kind of a swim, after a serious quarrel with my mom,who came up with lame concerns about my health. I mean, what sort of a mother, that too a doctor will prevent her only younger daughter from bathing in the sea, at Lakshadweep islands? What has a cold got to do with fever and health and fun? Geez, moms I tell you.
It was unbearably hot, the sunscreens evaporated on opening the bottle, so I stayed inside our cozy hut, watching NDTV Good times drooling over Aditya bal on Chakhle India. Ah. Game nite Bites- I want to marry him. Seriously. I do. He is everything I want.
Am very cynic boring do-not-know-how-to-live-in-the-moment sort of a person, so just save your breath on ridiculing my attitude.
I am no longer fond of the sea. I prefer fresh water.
Sea smells Sea shells on the sea shore.
Food was terrible. I lost 3 kilos.
Day three
More Aditya Bal. More band Baaja Bride, More Good Times.
Am bored of the writing. See, we had lunch, the chopper was late, we ran and made impatient noises, taught the pilots dog history over the deafening noise, caught the plane just in time, said good bye, and landed in Kochi. I Love the mainland. I love freshwater.
Love ya all.
Muah.