of those travelling seven days... and more

Day 1 (or rather a prologue to Day 1) 22nd Dec 2013:

As we (me & my roomie Abhin) began our weekend long trip on Sunday 22nd Dec night to Konkan coast of Maharashtra we did not have a clue what was in store for us. The decision to go to Konkan coast in itself was so unplanned. Till the day before we left to Belgaum, I was of the impression that we were going to Wayanad,Kerala for 2-3 days for hiking. But the sudden intrusion of Konkan tour came out of nowhere. Anyway, we boarded SRS Travels bus to Belgaum and decided to take on the places we wanted to visit as they come. And we got set for an adventure worth remembering.

Day 1 (23rd Dec):

                                                        

                                                                                 Heralded the beginning of our trip @ Sawantwadi

Soundless buses of Maharashtra

7:00 am it is and we are in Belgaum bus stand. We both didn't knew where and when the next bus to Sawantwadi would be, upon inquiring we were informed the next bus would be in an hour. So we hurried up to rent a room in a lodge named Purohit Palace Lodge for an hour and we got ready for the bus. The ride to Sawantwadi was worth remembering again and again as the loosely placed glass windows made spectacularly terrible sound in unison. And then when we reached Sawantwadi in after about an hour and half, we didn't knew what to do and where to go there :)So we both, Mr. Nomads set off on an discovery mission. We discovered the road to palace ourselves and went to check the palace of its past glory. It was a dilipated sight to behold after seeing the state in which the palace was maintained. The rich and cultural heritage sight of the Bhonsle clan was terribly maintained. Sawantwadi has a rich collection of toys and handicrafts on display. Brushing aside our disappointments we left for Vengurla Beach. By the time we reached Vengurla, none of the shops were open that day and we were forced to subdue our hunger by biscuits for the lunch that day. The beach in itself was so clean, so pristine and also very clear in appearance. That it was observed as a bandh in Vengurla due to political reasons, on the entire beach it was just the two of us. Just the two guys on the entire beach, felt very awkward, but heyy who was to see us ;-)

Vengurla Beach..as seen through the eyes

After playing in the beach for an hour and half we left to Malvan via Kudal. It was about 8pm that we reached Malvan. Again we didn't know where to stay or whom to trust in that place. We went by the word of mouth to a place called Pearl Regency which was very close to the beach and had decent rooms. That night we slept peacefully after sumptuous dinner. End to a very hectic day :)

Day 2 (24th Dec):

We hired an auto to Tarkarli which was about 6 kms from Malvan and found the beach was not so well maintained. There upon arriving a local approached us for Scuba diving, after a bargain we both agreed on a premium for the dive. But then the Scuba dive was to happen after an hour and half, so we both thought of trying out water sports in the backwaters called the Tsunami island. The sports were fun and kept us occupied for a good 2 hours. And surprisingly the prices for the sports were dirt cheap when compared to the fares in Goa and other prominent beaches. After finishing the sports we quickly hurried onto come to the beach that took us for Scuba diving. I was excited,so was my friend, about to experience the things like never before. The boat came,, people got in and we were set for the first dive of our lives. There was anxiety and excitement all around. Me along with Abhin and another guy were chosen to go first into the waters. "The Chosen Ones", we were given instructions on diving underwater and signs one should use to communicate there.I was the second person to go after Abhin. The moment I went in, I felt like I was watching a movie underwater in high definition. I was so awestruck by the corals and the little plants underwater that they still continue to mesmerize me when I recollect the memories. I saw an eel and other vibrant color life underwater.

Tsunami Island Backwaters, Tarkarli

Snorkelling

Geared up

Sunset @ Tarkarli, Malvan

We were to spend about 15-20 mins in water 20-25 ft in depth with the coral and the unprecedented sea life below. Amazed and awestruck by the dive we were a happy species that moment. We returned back to the shore at about 7pm and we also had to get the recordings done underwater into memory sticks. It was very dark and late by the time we left for our room, than I was to notice that the people in Malvan were a good hearted, warm and very friendly for never for once did we get a feeling that we were being conspired or cheated in any way. The people there were more eager to showcase what they had to offer than to let us explore them. This air of openness did fuel positive vibes amongst us, it was indeed one of the best moments so far for us in the travel so far. And when we reached hotel, we went on a walk on the beach and spotted the fort in a far off distance, the place where we would go the following morning. Of the time spent so for I noticed that the people of Malvan are very humble and very honest, a trait not to be found in common nowadays.


Day 3 (25th Dec):

With bags packed we checked out of the hotel in Malvan to Sindhdurg fort, built by Shivaji Maharaj. It is situated in the midst of the sea. The insides of the fort was not noteworthy however the location of the fort certainly was.

Sindhdurg Fort

..feels good to be one amongst everyone

Beautiful view of the sea

                                                    
We left to Ratnagiri by noon, it was a tiring and a long journey to Ratnagiri. We reached there by 6 pm and as part of today's agenda we had planned to visit Ganapathi Pule and leave back to Pune by that very night. With the little bit of Marathi that I could understand and talk, we finally got to know which bus to be taken to reach Ganapati Pule. Planning had gone awry of ridiculous proportions. We went to Ganapati Pule that day and stayed there in a budget accommodation of about Rs.400 for a night and we just wanted that. After travelling all day in the local buses and experiencing Konkan Maharashtra in the bus. The transport in Maharashtra and especially in the Konkan region is poorly maintained that suddenly ordinary buses from Karnataka seemed to be so very luxurious. Food in Pule was lip smacking good, so we quickly lapped up what ever came onto our plate. Being tired from the all day journey, we dozed off soon after we hit the sack.

Day 4 (26th Dec):

The Ganesha temple is a Swayambhu Ganesha i.e the idol was formed naturally over 400 years ago. The temple is located in a scenic place with massive waves hitting the shores, but nowhere to be seen close to the temple.

Ganapathi Pule

After the visit to the temple we both decided to explore Ratnagiri as we did not know what to do  with the spare time we had since the bus to Pune was only by 9pm in the night. We had about 6 hours to explore.the place. We went to Thibaw Palace and Thibaw Point, both of them were sordid with none of us interested in either of the places and also the maintenance of these places fuelled to our damping mood. We hired an overcharged auto-rickshaw to Ratnagiri fort which was spectacular in its location and the view it offered. Standing on top of the fort, the sea stretched seamlessly while the sun shone upon it. A Marine drivesque stretch below the fort fascinated us with massive waves hitting the stones relentlessly.

View from Ratnagiri Fort

Marine Drive like set-up @ Ratnagiri fort

Walls of the fort

a serene Arabian sea

That night we left to Pune in a 2 + 2 sleeper bus, the first of its kind I had ever seen.

Day 5 (27th Dec):

We had hired a cab from Pune- Matheran and back to Pune the same day to make our scheduling better as Abhin would be leaving to Dharwad that night. So we had a quick breakfast roadside on the way to Mumbai-Pune Expressway and it was a sumptuous Poha and a kadak chai that started our day. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway is a class apart, with immensely wide roads and the surroundings of the highway. It made me feel for a moment that I was driving on European roads. It was the by far the best road experience I ever had. We reached Matheran by 10am and set out to explore the place on foot.

Matheran

Echo Point,Matheran

Right.. Hello World !

We covered reasonable viewpoints in a very short time, however our main agenda for the day was to do Valley Crossing between the hills, but to our dismay the Valley crossing was now been stopped due to environmental concerns. Half-heartedly we set out to explore other view points, where each of them offered similar view of the mountains. Matheran is the tiniest hill station in the world and also a place where only pedestrians and horses are allowed to commute, thus maintaining the serenity and keeping the place pollution free which made it an unique place to be at. Now the time was almost 7pm we were heading back to Pune and Abhin had to still search for reservations which eventually he didn't get. And this ended our 5 day long journey of exploring the Konakan and Matheran. Cheers to Abhin, Cheers to our trip !!

Day 5 (27th Dec):

After seeing Abhin off, I decided to go meet my cousins staying in Pune and with them I was to travel to Ambarnath to their place that very night and so the day ended with us reaching his place at 4 am ! The day which began at 6 in the morning and took us through the trekking in Matheran's woods a hike approximated to 15-20 km had finally ended at 4 in the morning. No more energy left !

Day 6 (28th Dec):

The day started on a slow pace and I was to leave for Bangalore that night. I was asked to take a local train to Sion from Ambarnath, where my pickup point would be. The thought of crowded Mumbai local trains gave me jitters and I was petrified of travelling in them, but to my surprise I enjoyed the ride. I could compare the local trains with those present in other world cities like Paris and Munich. Mumbai is a different place altogether, it has the charisma and magic in the air that makes it very special. I was in love with the city and  its sheer volume to serve innumerous people. Meanwhile I got into the bus which was an 18 hour journey to Bangalore.
And there I am sitting inside the bus, somewhere in the middle when everyone has slept reminding myself of the tour that I had witnessed and looking back at all the experiences with so many wonderful individuals and places, apparently showcasing a truly vibrant side of our nation which was truly a memorable experience.

Looking back at things in retrospection

Day 7 (29th Dec):

Finished an 18 hour journey, glad to be back in Bangalore !! Yayy !!

Cheers !
Ram