Monthly Musings: Five Months, Five Bodies of Water

The South China Sea in March, the Arabian Sea in April, the Mediterranean in May, Lake Huron in June and Rice Lake in July:  for a water-lover like me, being on five different bodies of water in as many months is memorable.

Today I look out over a small harbor and across narrow Rice Lake to see the forested hills and lakeside cottages on the other side.  Though usually choppy from the wind, today the lake is like glass, with reflections of the boats and the fluffy white clouds.  Since the lake is shallow, at most 14 feet deep, the water gets pretty warm for swimming, although the seaweed bothers some people.  My daily routine includes at least a morning swim and maybe a second swim while the sun sets over the hills. If someone is around, I take the boat out to practice my “parking” on return.

Lake Huron, on the other hand, is like an ocean, where you can’t see the other side, which is always a bit of a revelation to anyone used to small lakes.  The water meets the sky, delivering the best sunsets, with a sandy beach to sit and watch.  Unfortunately, when I was there, the water was way too cold to even walk with my feet in the water so swimming will wait until my next visit – I hope!

Oof the best things about Lake Huron is the constant sound the waves either crashing or gently lapping.  I miss that when I am on a small lake.

And then there were the three seas – the first while I was in Vietnam, the second while I was in India, and the third on the Mediterranean in Israel.

In Vietnam, my experiences depended on where I was.  In Hoi An, the waves were too high and treacherous to swim, although the water was warm enough.  A bit farther south in Nha Trang, the waves were still there but without the undertow and with more people around and in the water, and the water was cleaner.

And even farther south in Mui Ne, the clean water with a beautiful flat beach resulted in a lot of beach time every day.  Sunrise was the best time to be on the beach and the water was calmest.  There were always a lot of people on the beach at that time, to beat the heat and avoid the direct mid-day sun.  The water temperature was about 28 C/82 F, which is perfect for me.

I volunteered at Nam Chau Resort, on the east side of the peninsula of Mui Ne, at the time of year when the winds come from the east, making it one of the best kitesurfing places in Asia.  Although the waves prohibited real swimming, they didn’t reduce my time in the water.  I just relearned how to play like a little kid again.  Jumping waves is fun, too!

And then there was the Arabian Sea.  My first sighting of it was in Kochi, in Kerala.  Watching the sunset on the Arabian Sea made it even more romantic, even though I knew the water was too polluted to swim.

But then I spent a week in Varkala, with its spiritual yet beach town vibe.  The cliffs with their shops, hotels, and restaurants loomed over one end of the beach while it stretched, deserted, for miles in the other direction.  In between, groups of praying

people surrounded various swamis while other groups waded into the waters of Papanasham Beach which they believed would wash away their sins.  Some gave offerings to the sea for loved ones who had passed.

While I dressed conservatively everywhere else in India, here I was able to swim in my bikini (at the far end of the beach) and even wore shorts during the day.

The big rolling waves required a bit of a strategy to get past them to properly swim.  I had been warned that people get swept away by the current each year, so I avoided swimming a couple of times.  Like elsewhere, locals warned me to stay out of the sun from 10 or 11 until 3 or 4 in the afternoon – too hot, they said.

But I could go from the beach to lunch in a restaurant on the cliff overlooking the beach, back to the beach and then dinner again on the cliff, watching the sunset over the Arabian Sea.  I so want to go back!!

Though I spent only one night on the Mediterranean, I made it count by swimming in the morning.  I had a layover and decided to stay on the beach in Jaffa.  What else would I do with only 24 hours?  I stayed at Jaffa Beach Hostel because of its

location by the beach, and its rooftop view. Before my morning swim, I walked around Jaffa, one of the most ancient ports in the world. After, I had a complimentary breakfast at the restaurant right on the beach before returning to the airport for my flight to Canada.

If I had to pick my favorite, it would be Lake Huron because of friends and family, followed by the Arabian Sea in Varkala.