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By Nerissa Hosein. Long before the days of Maracas and bake and shark, there was Manzanilla and a good pelau or macaroni pie. I grew up with big family limes down Manzanilla. We all cooked a dish and went on a family trip for the whole day. It was a fun time with all our cousins playing cricket and digging for chip chip. Childhood was fun back then.
Skip 30 years in the future and I must admit beach limes are somewhat of a lazy day now. Who needs to cook for the family when there’s an array of foods served in Maracas including the famous bake and shark. It surely is more laid back than my early years.
Homemade burgers, pizza, boiled corn, chow
But that all changed this Summer as we took a family trip down to the new and improved beaches of Manzanilla. A new waterfront boardwalk and updated beach facility was a welcoming haven to my childhood years.
The roads that were damaged in the floods have been fixed and the area is nice and clean. Let’s hope it stays that way for our next family trip.
My eldest son marvelled as this was his first family trip down this side. Our family got up early and did something we haven’t done in years – we cooked to go to the beach. Our menu was a little simpler than our parents though. We threw together some homemade burgers, pizza, boiled corn, chow and an array of snacks and headed out early.
Taking a family trip closer to the water
When we reached the beach facility we parked and went for a walk on the newly constructed waterfront area. The beach looked clean and as tide was up it was splashing up against the walls, splashing onlookers. It was a bit of a windy day so sand was blowing a tad bit more than I liked. After sitting and taking in the view from the sitting area we decided to drive down lower to get a park closer to the water.
On getting closer we parked and got out and immediately I felt like five again. The beach hasn’t changed that much. The water was warm and inviting. The coconut trees were swaying and I could see the little old coconut shells on the beach. My sons immediately wanted to go onto the sand to play so after a quick bite, that’s what we did.
Original beauty at Manzanilla
We played in the sand, my son found his first chip chip ever and we played cricket. The water was warm and inviting. It was the warmest beach bath I’ve had in years.
I love Maracas, but I must admit, Manzanilla has a certain familiarity and old-fashioned charm that you don’t get anywhere else. Maybe it’s because the area is still so untouched by man’s hand, it has retained its original beauty.
I for one tend to visit more often as I miss that type of family togetherness and good old fashioned fun that you just can’t get anywhere else! It surely was the best beach day for us in a long, long time!
October 2015 – Issue 18 www.sweettntmagazine.com
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