The moment our tavera (a chevrolet multi purpose vehicle) reached the homestay in Malvan at 3 am, all of us knew this was going to be a special road trip. A, R and I had gone crazy planning a road trip over the past 2 months. Sometimes the distance was the problem, sometimes the mode of transport, sometimes the location itself or sometimes non availability of tickets. When we finally did decide to do a roadtrip to Konkan (Malvan, Sindhudurg to be specific) we thought only 3 of us would make it boring. We asked a lot of people to join and finally with T and P joining the party it became an exclusive 'girls trip'. So cliches apart the journey from Pune to Malvan was a first time adventure for most of us. No one including the driver had any clue about the route from Kolhapur onward. So GPS tracking and consulting locals/acquaintances from kolhapur later we decided to take the Karul ghaat which goes via Gagan Bawda as that route had sufficient night traffic. In the middle of the ghaat the driver also told us to keep our windows closed, as there might be some robbery scene. Well as if not knowing the route well and traveling in the middle of the night was not adventure enough! A super weird wrong turn later, where a tourist bus also followed us, we got a call from our homestay owner (at 2 in the night) asking about our whereabouts. By this time all of us were wide awake hoping to make it to a bed in an hour. Another hour long drive later we arrived at Malvan, where our driver (Sarfaraz bhaiyya) confessed that we had driven him crazy with the GPS and our navigation skills etc etc.
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| the aflatoon and pretty amazing Sarfaraz bhaiyya! |
Because the journey had become so tiring and exhausting we immediately boarded the big dorm rooms we had booked. Some lizard and giant spider spotting later sleep was a matter of seconds.
The day 1 plan was to get done with Scuba diving near Sindhudurg fort in the first half of the day. We left home as early as 9 am and headed to the bay where boats to Sindhudurg could be boarded. Along with 2 more families we hopped onto a boat with scuba instructors and crew. Turn by turn we all took to the 30-40 feet water with our instructors and had an amazing time being an explorer of the sea.
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| P with her share of sea life |
Personally I was a bit scared as I started off, but the feeling of being inside water suited me well and then there was no turning back. It was a great beginner experience for a cost of 1500 Rs. per head. We also got under water videos of each of us for some extra cost which made the memory lasting.
We then headed to Sindhudurg fort which still stands majestic and strong despite the years. Its one of the few water fortresses that Shivaji Maharaj constructed and added to his arsenal. The vistas of the Arabian sea from the fort walls are quite something. I was taken by the scenery around.
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| the ageless fortress of Sindhudurg |
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| surmai fry. yumness! |
We then headed to have our first lunch in Malvan at a local joint 'only fish' recommended by our homestay owner. A lot of waiting later ( its a small place, so make sure to give your orders an hour before you are
hungry) our delish food arrived. Malvani cuisine is a treat for the stomach. My personal choice was the fresh sea food served with typical malvani curries and solkadi rich in coconut milk.
Some rest later we moved to Tarkarli beach which is 7 km from Malvan to watch sunset and relax which we had forgotten was on the agenda. So much constant activity later just sitting on the beach was a respite. It was one of the cleanest konkan beaches I have visited. The tarkarli beach also houses resorts along the shoreline. Its a perfectly peaceful getaway from the routine lives of us city dwellers.
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| sometimes beauty is captured by staring into thin air |
With lots of ifs and buts later, Sarfaraz bhaiyya got ready to take us to Goa on day 2. The distance from Malvan to Goa is hardly 40-50 km. We took the 'Sagari Mahamarg' SH4 via Vengurla. Its a very rustic and scenic drive where in the direction sense of the locals every road goes 'straight' despite the turns and twists. Quite interesting and profound I believe.
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| essentially straight roads |
We spent some time at the surprisingly less crowded Harmal beach, near Arambol in Goa. We then headed to Baga beach for an afternoon of lazying around and lounging in the sun. Electric cats at Baga (other branch is in Calangute) is the best and highly recommended place for food. It was my second time with them and I totally endorse their food. Even Baga beach was not that crowded which made moving around easy and hassle free. We returned to Malvan in the evening to wrap things up.
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| some sun and some shisha |
On day 3 we went to Devbagh which is 12 km from Malvan. It has the sangam (confluence) of Karli river and Arabian sea. The entire area is surrounded by peaceful and serene natural beauty. The touristy things to do here consist of dolphin spotting, seagull island, tsunami island (for watersports and parasailing), sangam point. We sailed onto a boat which took us deep in the sea to experience all these beauties. When the motor had stopped and we were just sailing in sea water was the most amazing moment of the trip for me. It had captured the essence of all the movement in life. The fleeting peace that I experienced in that moment would stay with me for a long time.
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| Surreal beauty |
