A shack is a roughly built hut or cabin, often a primitive, small shelter with limited conveniences and primarily constructed by hand using available materials. Technically this is the closest anyone could come to defining a shack. But have you heard of the couple who finds shacks so appealing that everything else has to work extra hard to top that? You see, we love spending time at the beach, might as well put up right where the scenes are – no fancy landscaping and a mile and a half walk between the beach and us. A hotel room with a great partial view from our balcony will not do because we want to be part of the view. It’s exhilarating to be this close to the elements – the breeze grated by thatched walls, droplets of sunlight moving slowly across our bodies with the passing hours, that sound of waves, the sandy toes, the salty hair, coconuts from our garden, the lizard in our bathroom…
I still remember the first time we stayed at a shack at a, then, secluded beach in North Goa. It was built like a machan, with the room on top and the bathroom on the ground floor. The wooden floor creaked and the entire shack swayed with the wind and I’d go to the washroom super scared that it would fall apart anytime. By the second day, however, my fear transcended into a sense of carefreeness. “I am in a safe place, what is the worst that can happen!” A strange sensation started coursing my skin every time the shack swayed – of freedom, peace and being part of the bigger scheme of things. I could wake up in the morning, put on my swimsuit and walk to the beach, ordering eggs and juice for breakfast. I’d still be swimming when Yash would join me. We’d eat, swim, take naps, head for a massage, take another nap, hit the beach for another dip and end the day with a cozy candlelight dinner with live Goan music. We had found a new way of life – a kind of minimalistic lifestyle where we get to blur out everything we believe we cannot live without, but which is not a need. A decent bed, a bathroom with running water and lots and lots of good vibes is all it takes to start remembering that life is not in things, but moments. Having endless conversations about things that are often left unsaid, the productivity in idleness, working out without having to pay for it, enjoying fresh, lip-smacking lazy lunches, watching the sun melt into the sea from your balcony and wondering why it is not compulsory to watch sunsets every day as a destressing activity.
Shacks are endangered – with growing pocket size of the average traveler, online hotel deals and a growing preference for better amenities many idyllic shacks are already converted into crowded hotel buildings. Some are getting serious upgrades with LED TV’s, air conditioning, bathroom doors (original shacks usually have a curtain to cover the bathroom) and a bomb of a tariff. The good news is some of these are built with a heart and are actually cool. We’ve stayed in shacks in India, and Tanzania and must say, we’re looking forward to exploring the #shacklife across cities, countries, and continents. A place where laughter lasts longer and silence sounds profound. A place for just you and me. Sharing some of our favorite #ShackLifeofYAndAl moments.
Beauhafiztiful.