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Articles: Travelogue | Journey to Massawa
- Dr. Rajeshwar Mittapalli
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Further down the coast I sighted a huge crane (weighing about 10 kg) sitting on a small island not far from the shore, and I had a photograph of mine taken with the crane and the sea in the background. An interesting discovery on my part at this place was the seawater canal supplying water to, what I was told were, some special agricultural farms. My colleague once again explained that there are after all some varieties of crops that can be grown in seawater, since seawater contains many micronutrients essential for the growth of plants.
Back at the hotel, the evening wore on a little lazily, but it had its share of excitement to offer us. The restaurant attached to our hotel specialized in serving seafood outdoors, on the beach. We treated ourselves to a variety of dishes, including my favourite shrimp rolls. It was past nine when we finished dinner and on an impulse I looked at the sea. The sea was nowhere near us! It receded several hundred metres away from the shore. I don’t really know how to explain this oceanographic phenomenon but it was a wonder of sorts. Where there was water, deep enough for people to swim earlier in the day, now there was only earth. One of my adventurous companions and I decided to explore the seabed and started walking towards the sea. About five minutes into our walk, and 200 metres away from the shore, we found our enthusiasm beginning to wane.
Although the sea appeared to invite us with its distant roar, which now sounded more like a peal, we were suddenly gripped by the primordial fear of the deep, of being swamped and entombed by water. We stood transfixed to the ground for a moment, and then beat a hasty retreat without even stopping to look back at the sea. When we came into view our companions waved their hands to welcome us back to the world of human beings. That night, in the hotel room, the drone of the air conditioner lulled me to sleep within no time.
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