ON THE BEACH

Thursday, December 7, 2006
The full moon pulls the tide in Mahim Bay up as far as it will go, so that the water laps at the walls of the shanty town just to the south of Twin Towers where, from my fourteenth floor apartment, I watch The waters swallow the long jetty down the beach.

Ebb tide leaves a wide stretch of mud flats for people to stroll about, cast fishing nets in the shallows or use as a common toilet. From my window this morning as the sun rose I spied a couple dozen folks all squatting down, nonchalantly doing their business. When the tide rolls back in later, half a dozen kids swim and splash around without a care.

Feeling unusually healthy I did some stretching, and then decided to take a run on the beach. The Twin Towers security guard was at first hesitant to let me jump the seawall - there is no gate or passage due to the nightly homeless encampments and hookers of various gender plying their trade - but he waited until he was sure his boss wasn’t looking, then waved me over.

I jumped down and started running along and here’s just a sampling of the things I saw on the sand:
1) coconuts and turds, mostly indistinguishable
2) flower garlands pitched into the water to please the Gods
3) a drowned puppy
4) a policeman’s cap
5) an enormous python, deceased
6) a few sad seashells

I came to a point on the beach where five chimneys vomiting foul fumes created an impassable fog, turned around and trotted back, trying not to look at the sand for fear of what else might have washed up.

When I got back to Twin Towers I had to bribe the security dude twenty rupees to let me climb back over. I would have gladly given him twenty dollars or even two hundred. I think that was my first and last attempt at athletics on the beach here at Mahim Bay, and at this point I will pour myself a drink.