The question was asked to me: ”Tonight would you like to go and spend a night on a deserted beach?” Absolutely! Well I wouldn’t want to alone, but since there were more than twenty of us I was definitely keen to go on this adventure. It was about time too; for the last week or so we had been talking about it but every day the same unanimous response – perhaps tomorrow? Tomorrow had finally arrived.
Feeling lazy (this was quite common for the Kudle beach dwellers stuck in it’s time warp) I decided to take the easy route there and take a place on a small boat that was captained by two local men. One man stood up the front of the boat navigating and was difficult not to notice as he was dressed only in a red pair of tattered, well-worn briefs; not leaving much at all to the imagination. I tried to focus instead on the scenic view as we passed by the beautiful coastline.
Paradise beach is the fourth and final beach along from Kudle and is known for having hippy colonies living there over the years in the milder months from November to March. Recently in February I heard the police had arrived, demolished the huts and told the people they had to leave. There are no shops or places to stay on Paradise, so this, along with the complete sense of freedom and disconnection from the outside world for a time would definitely appeal to me also. However for now one night would have to do.
Thinking that we would have to bring food, water and supplies or starve, we all carried a few things with us to eat and drink. When we arrived there was a small stall set up outside with convenient items such as water, soft-drink, fruit and snack foods, run by a few local men. It wasn’t long before they had us writing them a shopping list of things we would like them to collect from town and bring back to us. So much for roughing it! A few hours later they returned with a box of 50 fresh, hot samosas we had ordered – delicious! As well as other essentials such as water and mixer for the many bottles of Old Monk rum we had floating around (an essential for a night on a deserted beach).
What an amazing time we had! Twenty-something nomadic travellers aged between twenty and sixty plus years from many backgrounds and walks of life. While travelling (and from life in general) I am always so inspired by the many hobbies and interests that exist and this night was no exception; from slack-line to the array of instruments and beautiful voices, hoop, fire poi, human pyramid making (they rarely have a smooth ending) to the ancient Japanese art of rope bondage…
How to build a human pyramid
You will need: approximately ten adventurous individuals, with or without intoxicants (can be easier with) willing to enter into an activity usually done by trained professionals
Step one: it is important to have a strong and sturdy base (better to have those least intoxicated on the bottom)
Step two: carefully climb to make the next few layers, trying not to collapse the pyramid or dig your knees into those under you. Here it can start to get shaky
Step three: the grand finale – there’s always someone who thinks it’s a good idea to take a running leap to get on top of the pyramid…
Step four: …all fall down and laugh and laugh and laugh… Yes, it is as much fun as it looks!
The night’s sleep (or lack thereof) was not as enjoyable as the rest. I had not put much thought into how cold and windy it was going to be on the beach and my paper thin yoga mat and thin cotton sheet didn’t at all keep me warm, comfortable or asleep for very long. Awoken by the sun we spent the next few hours eating a nutritious breakfast of fruit and Idli (south Indian breakfast dish of ground rice, chutney and curry) delivered by our local friends, swimming and enjoying. I decided to walk back to Kudle, however not smart at midday in the thirty plus degree heat climbing and scaling the coastline and hot rocks. I made it back to Kudle and enjoyed one of the most refreshing showers I have ever had.
