The ocean gently crashes against the bleached sand, the steep, grassy hillside peering over the ocean, the restless river pushing its way through the slippery rocks, and the magenta, swaying lilies dancing to faint sound of a wooden flute. I felt as though I had walked into a dream. But no, it was Karanp Cove; a place I knew would never leave my memory. An aura of serenity hovered about this place, it had a special magic to it, which was indescribable to me. I knew it was a place where I could forget all worries.

It was a breezy August day, summertime, and I was on the way home from our camping site with my friend’s family. We decided to take a quick stop for a snack. All of us being exhausted from the journey readily agreed that anywhere would do. As soon as we saw a street leading outward off the street, our dark green SUV turned in. Getting out of the car, the first thing I noticed was the fresh air that surrounded me, the scent of the wood from sequoia trees embraced me in its arms. From that moment onwards, the whole time I was there, I don’t remember thinking of anything but the pure peace that I felt there.

The undisturbed, natural beauty is what probably caught my eye first. There was a rocky path leading down from the parking lot, so we all rushed down the risky path, only to face the most beautiful landscape that I’ve know in my life. I was positive you could only see these in calendars, not in real life. The beautiful sounds of crashing waves and the calm breeze filled my ears, which soothed me immediately. I never noticed that everyone else was just as entranced as I was, and we had drifted apart unknowingly, into our own areas. I slowly strolled over to where the stream was. Like in a movie, there were stepping stones for me to cross over with. I pranced across the stream, as if I were dancing with an orchestra. I approached a huge boulder of hillside, with vines growing off the side of it. My instant thought was to climb over it, not thinking of the risk. By then, my mind wasn’t working and my heart had taken over. I was in the mood for an adventure!

Never had I ever imagined before that true nature can be this eye-catching. After climbing onto the hill, I walked on a trail that led me to a deposit of cumbersome sandstone rocks. I noticed my friend had climbed over these bulky obstacles, and was sitting on the cliff looking off into the distance.

“What are you thinking about, Jessica?” I questioned

“I’m thinking about life in general. What if I could live in a place like this? What if we could all live our life like this? Filled with inner bliss and peace, what a world that would be.” She replied thoughtfully

“What if we could always live like this? Always being fully aware of every breath you take. If we could be fully awake, and live every moment you’re in?” I unknowingly released my thoughts out.

“Mhmm…” Jessica mumbled, half listening, half in her own world, as everyone else was
Alas, all good things must come to an end. I lay on the rocks, staring off into the sky, and Jessica came to get me. Nobody was prepared to leave or wanted to. As I glanced over what was heaven for me, I took a mental picture in my mind to save forever. We ended up finally having our snack that we stopped for in the first place, but that didn’t even seem important to anyone then. As we drove out from Karanp Cove, I was overwhelmed by thoughts. I knew two things for sure. One, Karanp Cove was a place I would remember forever, with its quietness and liveliness of untouched beauty. I also realized that Karanp Cove had taught me many lessons about life. I slowly, tried to remind my denying heart that my time in Karanp Cove was over.