Far from Home, Relics of a Ship Long Gone: The Lifeboats of Havrim
Far from Home, Relics of a Ship Long Gone: The Lifeboats of Havrim A few weeks ago, I went on a birding trip with friends to Mamachi Wadi , a beach in Virar about 50 km north of Mumbai. This quiet stretch of coast lies just north of the more touristy Arnala Beach , which faces the Isle of Arnala —home to an old Portuguese fort . Our birding spot included mangroves , small creeks, and a pond dotted with lovely water lilies . Scattered around were small houses and flower farms that supply blooms to the Mumbai markets. Small houses with gardens that grow flowers Water lilies in bloom A narrow road led about a kilometer further down to the beach, a haven for hundreds of waterbirds that we had come to watch and photograph. On the way, a small creek caught my attention. Several boats were pulled up along its clay banks. At first, I only glanced at them, distracted by a bird that had just flown across the water. But something about those boats stayed...