When I woke up Friday morning, I felt stiff and sluggish from Thursday’s long flight and late arrival. I just wanted to get through the workshop and come back to the hotel for a rest. Typical extrovert, though, I soon felt energized from my interactions with other workshop attendees. By the end of the day, I was ready to take on Mumbai. Unfortunately, a politician is in town for a big speech, and the locals suggested sticking close to the hotel or risking hours in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Another teacher staying at our hotel mentioned a walk on the beach. Beach? My colleague, Helene (French teacher at VIS), and I arrived at midnight and then boarded a bus to the workshop first thing in the morning. I had no idea the Juhu Beach was right around the corner from our hotel! Yippee!

As soon as the workshop ended, Helene, Je (a teacher in the Philippines) and I took a stroll on the beach. This was like no beach I’ve seen before. In lieu of funnel cakes and sno-cones, vendors hawked grilled corn, chana masala, chopped dried fruit in little newspaper packets, and many other snacks I couldn’t identify. In the absence of an arcade, gamesters could aim BB guns at a balloon display. In the place of rollercoasters and nausea-inducing spinny rides, children (and adults) climbed aboard the manually operated 4-car Ferris wheel and a carousel of miniature cars. Ladies offered to henna our hands. Men tried to sell us maps of India, and then said, “You’re breaking my heart!” when we declined. And throngs of people cruised the beach, some with shoes in hand as they splashed in the surf.

The brilliantly colored and bedazzled saris wafted in the breeze, sometimes dragging in the water if the young lady was too enamored with the boy on her arm to notice her waterlogged hem, and sometimes caked with sand if the woman was plopped on the ground digging holes and burying her children’s squiggly toes. One big group of ladies sat in plastic chairs and on mats, apparently playing a Bingo-like game. The leader shook a plastic bag full of tiles, and then she would pull one out and announce something. Youngsters rolled around the sand nearby.

As the sun set, I watched a little fishing boat pull in to shore. The water was full of trash, and the salty sting of ocean breezes was replaced by the slight scent of sewage. But no matter. The beach, any beach, nourishes my spirit.

Strolling on the beach.

Ladies playing some kind of game at Juhu Beach.

Snacks and Rides at Juhu Beach.

Fishermen row ashore.