Island Camping...Spoiled for Choice...

Ahoy Fellow travelers!

Where the hell was ya……….?

This will be your Boss’s, Colleagues and Client’s reaction you set out to gratify your Wander lust.

This will be it when you are done with the same old appraisal story ….

When you will throw your phone ….and come with us ‘ Out Of Coverage Area…’

If I tell you that this way is out of this world where you see no land, no people , no buildings , no horns, no sounds….?

 How about spending time on an Island..?

  

You won't mind if I Tell you to set-up your tent for the shelter in the cold night, do you?

 Or just Sail the Seas, look up to an island, listen to the sea music drive you?

 And if you are more ambitious would you pick the net for a good catch in the deep seas?

 Then you will put your steak on your Barbecue hot grill and move it around, wouldn't you?

 And you taste it with just the feel of sheer happiness.... 

 All you need to do is just Jump on to the boat with Us

 Yes that’s exactly what we did in the cold December night of 2014 ….

Everyone charged up and excited to meet at the gateway for our ferry to take us through a refreshing ride of 50 odd minutes in the sea.A Backpack with clothes, first aid kit, some food, a sleeping bag, a blanket and our lovely tents was all with us.  

Many questions as they should be arose for all were curious to know about camping, that too on a fort and that too in the midst of a sea…..

Some of them were like will we kill each other, will we starve, get washed away by ocean, eaten by wild animals, what if a pirates ships takes over, what if we drown on the way….?

But for those who love the wilderness those just add on to the thrill …

 The various ships some cargos, some navy ones and many others bearing foreign flags were catching the attention of all the travelers apart from the seagulls who chased our ferry to catch the snacks thrown in the air by fellow travelers.

As we landed to the port we found ourselves into to the beach village …..having nice breakfast of sandwiches, omlets, pohey with hot tea……in the lovely garden with a series of coconut and other trees….and gulped on to move to the beach...

Suddenly the roads which seemed ordinary open up into the beautiful blue sky and in front of your eyes is the stretch of the endless sea ...it so opens up your mind and one thing you want  to do is rush towards the sand, start with a walk , then play with the sand and jump into it, craziness unveiled ...

 

The time at the beach traveled in a flash, thanks to the banana rides, the jet skies, the bumper rides and the gliding sports, with fresh coconut water and cream to savor. 

Some of us got into the splash and drained themselves lying in the sand beneath the sun….while others watched the waves lying in a chair just relaxing below the small hut on the shore….

We further moved on to the same garden where our delicious lunch was setup to bounce on after getting almost all the sand off from our bodies by a quick shower. The fresh air and silence of the garden was an add on.

We then set to the journey to the Island fort. At the port stood a series of fishing boats, each with a unique name mostly of the Goddesses, beautifully painted and vividly decorated.Our path was through an array of fish of various kinds kept to dry on the floor and some tied on the wooden frames…..

Soon we all Jumped into our boat stationed at the port, yet fluctuating as we moved inside it.

 And then as the motor started, begun our private boat ride…. heading into the deep sea towards the fort…

Slowly our excitement started creeping up and we yelled in delight in the wavering boat, when it moved up and down…up and down…..and it went on…with some water splashing on our happy faces ….

In the company of friends with the evening sea we did capture some nice moments in our cameras, but experiencing all that at that very moment is what we still treasure…

We merrily jumped out of the boat high on the adrenaline rush of the ride and started exploring the fort areas. It’s a beautifully spread fort and the walk on the huge rocks along the periphery offered amazing views of the sea. We couldn’t resist wandering along as our minds wanted to but we had to set up camp before dark...

The initial stroll did help us though in considering various options setting up our tents but we eventually bottled down to a totally aloof spot with the sea on one side and the hill on the other.

The tents took a surprisingly big size when unwrapped from the rather compact bags and we fixed the nails of the foundation stretched apart in all the four directions. It was a great team exercise and we got better with every tent as we learned a few tricks. The backpacks went inside the tent which would remain zipped and protected. We were now free to have another go at the fort and explore more canons, light house and heliports. 

With no soul around we were now on the island by our own. As the light started to get a little dim we switched to our next task of collecting wood for our bonfire.  A few places on the fort which were less rocky we found some dry wood pieces. We were lucky in that respect as we didn’t want to cut or damage any trees for the same.In the process the lighthouse catched our attention and we visited the same for an amazing 360 degree panorama of the sea.Filled with the joy of the moments we cracked jokes, sang songs and posed for many photos along our way back to our campsite.

By then it was all dark and it was time to set up our bonfire. The planks were supported by the periphery of stones and some dry grass to ignite. The activity started with one and gained interest of all of us with advice and efforts and finally the fire took the shape intended.

It not only added a bit of light in the dark but also some heat for our chilling bodies. Finally we sat around the fire on our knees totally relaxed and watched the flames dance with the wind from the sea. The tides by now had started making more noise as the moon was out.

This was just about the perfect time for our dinner which had arrived. We passed on the dinner plates and looked upon with our lights as we passed a food item. We gulped on the bhakris , the lucrative prawns curry and fish. What a dinner on a private island under the sky with friends with no hurry to rush back to homes. Is there anything more you can ask for?  Yes there was …”GULAAAB JAMMMMUNNNNN……” shouted all the girls when they opened a so far unattended box. We soon cleared the plates...
And just when we began to wonder, there was something more amazing in store for us.

 With our buts on the ground we looked up and found an amazing glitter of stars in the night sky. Wow is it the same sky ….well it is ….why don’t I see it every night…?

The cement jungle that I live in…..running all day behind things that I crave for…but never need…this here right here is something endless ,this is eternal , it has no starting point , it has no end… it makes me feel all the problems are so small …..this is life this is peace…

lied down facing the sky we started making shapes by joining a star to star …. The one there the brighter, the bigger, the other one there,

We booked the island , did we also book tickets for a show ….and it wasn’t a man made planetarium ..it was the Real one……

A few moments later they started falling apart ….ever so frequently than we could imagine ….

Average life they say …well they don’t say the scientists say is about 13 billion years for stars of the mass of the sun…I don’t know how much that is but here they were falling like nine pins….

None of us had collectively ever seen as many stars falling as  on that night ….

And pretty sure that many of us who made their wishes initially got a chance to refine or even revise those further…..

When was the last time I saw the beautiful sky? None of us remembered either…whoa it was there, right there, everywhere, I just have to find the access to through it…

With such a wonderful experience, each one of us started recalling similar ones from their pasts, some ghost stories experienced, some heard, some unheard…

Our eyes had by now got used to the light and we could move along the hill pretty swiftly.

Some of us were down in sleep in their tents while a few others like me still awake to see the black rock pieces being weathered by the rumbling water waves which appeared lathery as if washing the rocks….

As I opened my eyes, I could see bright sunshine through the tent window. The water level had reduced and the rocks were clearly seen.More than 24 hrs we were to see men or women apart from us ….and we definitely weren’t lost. The hazy sunshine was perfect for taking some more snaps...

With the ocean in the backdrop and our tents made one of the most picturesque sight I could have possibly imagined. 

Around this time our breakfast had arrive. Perfect time for some poha and hot tea.
We soon finished the same as our boat back to trip was ready. The journey ride back to the port was less bouncy as the tides were silent in the morning sun.  We were also a bit tired and hence laid into the boats taking the sunbath. Soon our vehicle at the island port would take us to the boat ride for Mumbai.

Moving from a no man’s island to the gateway of India, the transition was going to be difficult. There were people everywhere….and that somewhat made us sick…

But then all along the return journey we talked and talked about how filled our hearts were with the experience of lifetime that we had…..which we may not forget till the end of our lives.!!!!

Dapoli....live by the Beach...Dance with the waves....

You know you are facing summer when the best season of the year parts goodbye …..And the heat is ON. You review your office performance and think you did well. Your boss thinks otherwise. Fed up with the appraisals...the action plans and bla blab la……you tend to find ways to break free……

In April 2013, I faced a similar situation ……so what did I do?

Just called up my buddies, arranged a plan to live by the beach and dance with the waves.

I did just that….We choose Dapoli …

DAY 0 - The Journey  ......

We started in the midnight from Mumbai.

The amazing Silence of the gratifying Friday night added a frill to our travel.  Ours was a group of 12 who had met each other after a considerable time and exchanged our recent developments re-remembered a few inside jokes and re-lived a few old moments.

At first we were a bit jittery about the night travel, but the almost empty roads allowed us through a smooth ride in the considerably large vehicle, that took us pass the NH 17 and we reached the vadakhal naka sooner than we expected.  Some of us in the journey felt asleep, while others like me were curious and with the help of cutting chai on the way managed to stay awake. Some others watched a movie that was played inside the vehicle. After another couple of hrs we passed Mangoan, through an array of small villages where we started seeing daylight. At this point we also passed a beautiful road surrounded by trees which was through fog and mist. This was a pleasant surprise at this time of the year.

Every nearby village had a water body; some were with the boats some others with the people washing their clothes. The red colored State transport buses passing our vehicle by a roar gave me the feeling of being at my native place time and again. Really these vehicles are the hallmark of our state, reaching to the most untraveled and difficult parts.

Sooner than we thought we got a glimpse of the beach when our vehicle moved closer to our hotel. The hotel had a nice garden and a huge space for recreation right next to the beach. 

DAY 1 - Water Sports & Fish Market ......

In the mean while, as we got ourselves freshened up, we ordered for breakfast. Though the journey was a bit tiresome, the lovely unmanned beach of the morning was tempting enough for us to take a little stroll with the sound of the waves. There was a boat nearby and we clicked a few snaps on it.

Much to our delight the breakfast tables were arranged right next to the beach which looked remarkable through the trees on the edge of the coast. The heavy breakfast of egg burji and the pohe with a nice hot tea did the rest in keeping us more than awake.

And what was lined up was even more exciting. We visited the port nearby to buy the fish which was out from water hours ago.

The port was full of just-caught fish, spread and stacked all around. Pomfret, Surmai, prawns, huge size prawns, king size prawns, all fresh out of water, tempting stuff. Capitalizing on the huge size of our group and requirement, we managed several round of negotiations to buy fresh Surmai, pomfret and prawns fish for a 1000 Rs, a fairly good deal as we were all from Mumbai and most of us fish eaters. We then took the fish to our hotel for the preparation of Pomfret and Surmai Fry, adding to the chicken and egg dishes. As the lunch would be made, we set out for the water sports activities at the Murud Beach.

The Jet-Skiing and banana ride were the activities we started with in the sea. And then there was our own customized version of the banana ride that we repeated. The Jet-skiing machine pulling our banana float, took us  fairly deep in the sea and then we dropped ourselves back on the way or were pushed out of the float, whichever we found more exciting. This whole exercise was coupled with a series of ice-golas, lime juices and coconut water at the small stall. Further we moved to the hotel for lunch.

A vintage konkan cuisine comprising a chicken, added by luscious Surmai Fish, the Pomfret fry, the prawns and a spicy egg curry.  It was mouth watering stuff and all hungry foodies like us bounced on it. After a full-filling lunch, it was time to relax in our own ways, some at the hotel and some below the coconut tree.

An hours’ rest was good enough for us to come back and this time not just to wander to play football. The beach was clean, flat as a deck, and kilometers secluded. Not a single soul was around, which gave it the kind of private beach feeling that we wanted.

It was 4.30 pm, but the beach was still virgin and we started tapping the ball with our feet passing it at each other. The enthusiasm was unmatched and we had the fun of or lives, sprinting, tackling, screaming as we played the most beautiful game on the planet with the company of likeminded friends.  This exercise, both mental and more so physical went along unbelievably for a good 40 minutes, much to our surprise considering our daily lifestyles of comfort.

After having drained so much, it was a perfect setup for us to enter the waters and chill ourselves a bit. By this time there were a few other groups in the beach getting them wet and having the fun of their life. The water was not much cold and we started splashing it on each other’s bodies. Finally we all took that dip from head to toe in the water and started the series of games and fun one does in sea.

Some of us had preferred to stay at the beach and relax and watch the sunset. They could capture the beautiful shift of colors that took place at the merry sunset.  The next moment, just as if God was painting this picture, a couple of bullock carts arrived from across the beach. We could luckily capture that amazing scenery in our own cameras, which in the past was only seen in art galleries. Thank you technology …. 

The night was beautifully set and it was time to sit there and relax listening to the sound of the waves. We took our table out of the hotel to the beach and had a setup there, for some really special moments. The time spent at the beach was a total stress buster and had setup stage for the evening event. Our bodies’ rejuvenated just ideal for rounds of drinks that followed at the hotel garden space. After a delicious dinner we again went back to the same spot on the beach and literally lied down facing the sky. 

The moon was setting itself nicely with a significant amount of light, noticed as it was the only source.  This was the best part of the whole trip.

DAY 2 - Cricket the Beach and Temple Visit..

The resurgence of our bodies and minds had got us up in the morning the next day, and it was a good time to play beach cricket on the hard deck. As our game was on some of us, actually all of us also enjoyed the ATV ride along the beach. 

Soon a bullock-cart passing by with a free ride was on offer and only few of us would miss that.

After the cricket and the rides we soon checkout of the hotel, we were on our way to the Anjarle temple of Lord Ganesha. The temple is situated on a small hill and it could be noticeably seen from the approach road which passed over a connecting bridge. The beautiful array of coconut trees near the Anjarle Beach created an awesome view indeed.  

The temple is a beautiful structure with a Lord Shiva temple just besides it. A few meters from here are the Lord Ganesha Footprints mini-temple, where according to the locals those footprints are of Lord Ganesha himself.

As this mini-temple is on an adjoining small portion of the hill it offers a majestic panorama   of the Anjarle beach and the coconut plantations. At the temple there are various local food items sold and we bought many of those along with the konkam and Lime juice.

We were nearing lunch time and had a long journey back so we moved from the temple looking for a food outlet on the way. Nearby Anjarle on that Sunday many local restaurants and lunch homes were full to their capacity and would take time for our orders. So we proceeded on our way back and found a good place in Mangoan for a nice and quick lunch.

We also tried a flavor of various Pans in a Paan Shop near the restaurant, amongst the last experiences of this fun-filled trip, which we knew by now was coming to its end. A further journey of about 3 and a half hours and we were back to Mumbai, with memories to look back upon the dance with the waves, the playing with the tides and the living by the beach…

A Joyous Journey into the Merry Trails of Khodkona Village

Imagine you are travelling  on a highway in the outbound areas connecting the cities .......you tend to look around and see mountains ...your mind starts identifying patterns and shapes more humanly....so much so that you start talking to them......

Asherigad Hill- Spot the Single Coconut tree on the Hill if you can 

Does this happen to you?  It does to me and more often  than not.....this time in the winter of 2013 on the NH-8 at Palghar.....and popped into my eyes was  the hill of Asheri Fort........

The 'Waghoba' Temple

What is most significantly noticeable here  is a single coconut tree standing on an adjoining hill.....at such height....rarely does one see a coconut tree at such a height..........

The way to the top starts from the beginning of the Khodkona village marked by the 'Wagobha' temple and a few small 

houses.      

The Trail begins

On the Way Up

The trail begins with a large number of various trees which were pale in February and the dry leaves laid on the path make crackle sound as you walk on them, very similar to the munching of chips. 

Further as the ascend starts smaller rocks appear never too high to really bend your knees. The cover of the trees shadow the path in the interim.

  

The 'Waghoba' Structure again

On the way there are stones with faded marks showing the way to the top.  

After an hour or so you gain sufficient altitude to look back and enjoy the views of the endless fields ......Here you see another 'Waghoba' Small structure.......cut into its shape from a stem of a tree itself.....paint dubbed by the vermilion..... 

 The climb up from here becomes steeper.... 

Steeper Hills 

The Secret Route to somewhere...

There is an opening here which seems to be a secret route. By our understanding it must have led to the fort in the earlier times...but now the path seems dead ....

  

Moving up from here you reach the best part of the trail...a 15 feet high rock patch with a narrow way to make it to the top. Here you can get that rock climber's tickle in your stomach where you actually  root your feet as well as your palms into the notches in the rocks to grip and almost crawl your way through.

The Rock Patch around 15 ft 

View of the valley from here as you pass the hurdle justifies the worth of the effort put in to do so.......

View of the Valley 

Rajachi Topi or  Portuguese reminiscence

Here one can see a mark of the territory of the King of the Fort...with his crown carved in a rock as per the natives..but historians claim it the reminiscence of the Portuguese Rule ..

Steps Leading to the Fort

The path leads way to a series of steps in the upward climb and  you reach to a flatter portion on the top of the hill roughly around 2 hours from the base.

The top is a blessed with a couple of lakes and many water cisterns around 14 of them located around the periphery.

The Clear Lake on Top of the Hill

The Lake with  a Lotus Plantation on Top of  the Hill

The Cave Temple at the Top

It also has a cave temple and the locals tell a interesting story  about an immigrant Monk who stayed at the top of the fort for a good couple of years. 

As per the natives, the Sadhu along with a few assists which included women are responsible for the development you see at the temple, the marble seating and the collapsible steel gate. It was a good place to sit and gulp in some of the roti rolls, bananas and sip in the juices......

Hindu Holy Book of Bhagwat Geeta

The cave is big enough to shade 8 to 10 people comfortably and is also breezy....There is a leftover of the Holy Hindu Book 'Bhagwat Geeta', very much in distort , the legacy of the Sadhu...

Just above the cave temple is a vast bed of flat rock where you can lie down looking in the blue sky....and loose yourselves..Its an amazing moment that one can experience with the varying breeze at that height and fillers to the eyes full of blue and green...the whistling sound of the air and the sigh of relief in your breath....things come to life here and its a perfect place to ponder....

On the Top Rock Bed

If your move around you can explore areas most of which are impacted by the Sadhu......I had a mix feeling about this guy. Frankly he was good in making some developments, but at the same time being a fake preacher ( as natives claim) and influencing the villagers is not a good act. The villagers were clear enough though about their ideas when they got him and his gang out of the place by complaining the local Tehsildar and the help of the police ........

Whatever it was the story was  interesting.......

View of the NH8 and the mountains beyond

It added a bit of flair to the panorama  that we enjoyed on the top as we moved around .........You can see the NH8 from here clearly passing in between this hill and the range of hills on the other side with articulate peaks ..

The descend down the hill is comparatively easier with the views in background especially when you meet the same rock patch area and the steps. 

Baskets

Down at the base some quality time can be spent in the houses to get a feel of the village life.The silent house ventilated naturally with the shingle roofs make you realise the sudden cooling effect just as you enter it throw a narrow door.

Inside the Village House

The smell of the cow-dung laid for the floor finish took me back to my childhood days when I visited my native house in konkan. The heaps of  fodder kept for the cattle, the wood cut for the fire. The basket made from the coconut leaves. Everything was here.....and just a few kms away from Mumbai...





Finally I tried to move from there with a heavy heart and began to walk towards the highway. In the way I met an interesting creature.....in fact it took time for me to realize that it was something living as it was just leaves moving due the air is what I initially thought....

Dead Leaf Mantis - Now that's a tricky one ..... Spot it if you are sharp enough...

But it had a pattern due to which we could make out that it was the dead leaf mantis .....and could capture it too...Man....Only seen on National Goegraphic before ..this animal was a definition of how one can adapt oneself to fight for survival in this journey of Life...........

This merry trek in the Khodhona Village will be remembered for the interesting facets of LIFE that I discovered.....