Your ticket to paradise just got closer. Hop on a ferry to Uran, where Admiral Periera, owner of Uran plaza resort promises you hours of soltitude, yummy seafood and a sea view for miles on end
Your ticket to paradise just got closer.u00a0Hop on a ferry to Uran, where Admiral Periera, owner of Uran plaza resort promises you hoursu00a0of soltitude, yummy seafood and a sea view for miles on end In the TV show Lost, time travel is made possible by turning a frozen wheel, while in the classic Back to the Future, a car helps Marty McFly zip back and forth in time. We came pretty close to living the adage "where time stands still" as we headed to Uran Plaza, in neighbouring Raigad district.
Casuarina plantations inside the Admiral's nine-acre property is an ideal
space to de-stress. PICS/SHADAB KHANSea side storyUran is just a 50-minute ferry ride away from the city. It was 9.30 am when we set off, with our photographer on a sunny Tuesday in September from Bhaucha Dhakka, a ferry terminal to reach areas includingu00a0 Uran and Alibaug on the mainland.
On board the ferry, the obsession for a "window seat" made us head to the open upper deck for a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. En route, we spotted trawlers, oilrigs and boats with cranes extracting containers from the MSC Chitra, which collided with MV Khalija III, on August 7 this year, causing an oil spill. We reached Uran and were greeted by ships with colourful flags dotting the harbour. We had to cross a 100-yard, low-lying rainwater channel to reach the Admiral's property. Our autorickshaw driver fearlessly negotiated this stretch even as his gravity-defying stunts had us holding our breath.
Views like these are common as you step out of Uran Plaza's cottagesThose were the days...Glad to be back on terra firma, we were welcomed by Admiral John Pereira, the octogenarian owner of an impressive 45 year-old glass house, now a local landmark. As we settled in, he chatted about the old times ufffd "People think I inherited this place or was born rich, which is untrue. I have built it from scratch."
He spoke of his first visit to Great Britain, on a scholarship for cadet training in the Navy, back in 1941. Thereafter, he studied at the Royal Naval Engineering College after which during World War II, he sailed in the troop ship Ramilles to evacuate soldiers from Singapore. His travels took him across the globe, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Americas. He remembers London's racist vibe and recounts his first social event. "It was hosted by Lady Wellington and included dignitaries who wore monocles. Fine crockery was set out and I expected an elaborate meal only to discover that the menu served cucumber sandwiches and tea," he laughs.
Admiral Pereira then moved on to speak fondly of his late wife, Joyce who passed away in 1990.
"In 1948, I returned to Bombay from England. It was at a social event at Cowasjee Jehangir Hall where I first spotted her. We married within a year; I was 25 and she, 18." They had zero bank balance. Things changed after Joyce won the May Queen title at Taj Mahal Hotel's May Ball; actress Nutan was the runner-up. That's where the Pereiras befriended industrialists including JRD Tata, the Mafatlals and the Khilachands. JRD Tata grew very fond of them and sponsored Joyce's education in Interior Design when the couple shifted to London for a while. They returned and stayed at Bakhtawar; their neighbours were none other than the Tatas.
"By 1965, when the city got crowded, we bought land in Uran. Those days, it was barren without a any green cover," he shares. Hard to imagine when you spot nearly 350 coconut trees, apart from mango, palm, pine, guava and chickoo trees. Hibiscus trees, birds including the mynah and bulbul and animals including squirrels added to the diverse flora and fauna. Meanwhile, Laxmi Bhaskar Patil, the Admiral's cook for 45 years whipped us a spread of rice, dal, bhindi, Prawn Masala and Bhetki fish braised in butter, parsley and mushrooms. This was rounded off with vanilla ice-cream with chocolate syrup.
As afternoon approached, the Admiral slipped into siesta mood while we headed for a stroll on the beach. The sea view is a constant from Uran to the Plaza. By sundown, thoroughly refreshed, stress-free and buoyed with numerous picture-postcard memories for life, we decided to return to our chaotic existence on the island city.
