Cape Cod

Some places in the world attract all the attention for being tourism highlights. This is a must watch and just cannot be missed fills the mind. On the flip side, there are other places, which are equally brilliant and picturesque, and not many people know about it. I am not saying that the place we went to last week is obscure, but it is not as popular to the international community. The bottomline is simple, go to some place with a group of fellas and have real good fun. That's exactly what we did last weekend.

Pic: See Siddhart's hair to believe it was windy!

Staying on the east coast, it would be criminal if we do not make use of the weekends. With an impending winter in the next three months, we had to do some outdoor activities. It is the question of now or never for the rest of the year. As such, my roommate and I planned it for two or three weeks in a row to see our plan go down the drain. It was too frustrating to miss out continuously. So, last weekend, we decided, come what may, even if is just the two of us, we are going to the island town. But that was not the case, since we were joined by three other guys, who were equally interested to utilize the weekends. By the way, Cape Cod is a kind of a peninsula jutting out in the east coast in Massachusetts. I will not go into the details of where it is or about its historic significance. For such things, simply "google" the information.

Pic: A speeding boat! Wish we were there

So, it was about a couple of hours drive from Boston to Cape Cod. The car journey was good fun with five of us getting along well in each other's company. Oh! By the way, I forgot to introduce my counterparts. The group along with me comprised of my good buddie, apartment mate, Sameer, cheerful Pavan, talkative Chetan (he will beat me up for this!) and thoughtful Siddharth. After a good breakfast on the way, we drove up to the parking lot in a town named Woodshole. There are several parking plaza(s, not sure whether I can add an 's' since it sounds so funny - plazas..mmmm! not quite there!!!). Since we were almost into afternoon by the time we reached the place, we had to take the farthest parking lot. We were then taken to the point where we could take a ferry by the local bus, meant exclusively for this purpose. The ferry cruise was really good, and the 45 minute journey on sea, with the wind hitting you on a warm sunny day, gave a feel good factor. We were going to a place named Martha's Vineyard, and this is basically a tiny island. There is no other way to get to this place other than by water. Initially, when Chetan told me that it is an island, I imagined it to be one like that would fit Enid Blyton's description - tiny, compact and not in total habitation. It is only after I boarded the ferry did I realise that people could stay in the island for weeks together and it was just not meant to be a day's trip. The deck had parking space for atleast thirty cars for people to use it as a mode of transport in the island. Without knowing this, I had a funny conversation with the lady who was issuing the tickets for the ferry ride Ticket for the onward journey as well as return journey? I was like Yeah, obviously, If I go to the island, I have to come back right!!! She never really understood, rather I never really understood then!!!

Pic: Cars on the ferry

When we reached the island, it was not at all like the way I imagined. There were plenty of shops and wayside restaurants. Basically, you had everything there that you would find in a city. Each of us then hired a cycle to find our way to the nearest beach, which was about six miles away. It was a wonderful feeling to get hold of a cycle and pedal your way on the bike trail. It was tiring but it was worth every effort.

Pic: The tired cyclists

The beach was like any other. There was sand, more sand, water and of course, more water! The three of us jumped into the water happily (not before Siddhart made some funny comments!!). OK, the other two did not jump in for reasons unknown to me. Just staying afloat on water can give you a feeling of bliss. I swam real hard only to realise the futility of the attempt. But, just staying in water was heavenly, and we were thrilled to be in the Atlantic. What surprised us was the fact that there was absolutely no tide at all.

Pic: The 'fresh' and 'active' cyclist!!!

We stayed on for an hour or so, then embarked on our journey back in exactly the same way as the onward journey - cycling, ferrying, taking the bus back and finally the car back home. An eventful day with plenty of things done, and finally, a relieved lot on having utilized atleast one summer weekend. Don't ask us what we did on Sunday. It was exactly the opposite - lazing and relaxing. Our tired bodies had worn us out completely and without doubt, there was a big question mark on our fitness!!!