Beer and Blabber by the Beach

Tired of the monotonous whirls of the shackled city life? Feeling exasperated for being stuck in traffic yet again? Can you feel your earlobes throbbing because of constant unnecessary noise and fruitless quarrel

You know you need it. Open sky, tall trees and a blue sea that stretches beyond horizon. We all do, I suppose that’s why god created places like Tarkarli. Imagine remote isolated virgin beaches, dolphins, scuba diving, old historic forts and well-cooked prawns, all in one place!

Having a family which loves travelling is the cherry on the cake. Indeed, visiting stranger place with familiar faces is a great adventure in itself! So with busy schedules on the run me and my cousins hit the road to reach our destination.Getting to Tarkarli (Malvan) by road is perhaps the best way. The picturesque town is around 35 km towards west of a town Kasal which is on Mumbai-Goa National Highway NH-17. Distance from Mumbai is around 540 km while from Kolhapur it is mere 160 kms.

Tarkarli beach is one of the numerous and amazingly beautiful beaches spread across the Malvan sea coast overlooking the Arabian Sea in the state of Maharashtra. It is a long stretch of beach with white sand and coconut trees, at any given time of the day a couple of fishing trawlers are always parked at the far end of the beach. The very first view of the beach left me in true astonishment, the euphony of waves with the panoramic view of sea and the sun peeking from the clouds was a fascinating moment.

There are plenty of restaurants near the main beach area that serve authentic Malvani food and sea food thalis. Poha, missal pav, prawns thali, jhinga thali, etc are the famous dishes that are served in all the restaurants. Kokam juice is also a famous local drink which is easily available.Sol Kadhi the pink colored appetizer drink made from the kokam fruit and Coconut Milk, often drunk after particularly hot and spicy Konkani/Malvani meal as it is very soothing.

Travelers get attracted to Tarkarli because of it’s clean white sand beach, water sports, forts, beautiful sunset and not to mention it has very less crowd. Now it is also famous forwater sports, dophin ride, snorkelling, parasailing and Scuba Diving. YES you heard it right!

If you are the kind of person who has travelled a lot abroad and gone snorkeling/scuba diving there, then this is something you won’t enjoy. We reached the coast of the beach, I always feel a different calm when I am close to the sea. The vastness of the water terrified me but it was so difficult to be concentrate on anything but the view. A boat was arranged for us and we reached the spot of snorkelling and scuba diving. Just besides the spot The Sindhudurg fort is built on the Kurte Island on over 44 acres of land in Malvan. The stone inscriptions, bastions and the citadels of this fort would definitely transport you to a different land and time altogether. Descendants of Shivaji Maharaj’s era still inhabit this fort and carry forward the traditions of yore to this day.

Before going underwater, I was feeling scared and nervous because I actually have a slight to intense fear of deep waters. It was a serious fear for me at first but as we went deeper, my eyes gleamed with beauty and magic. I swear it was a whole new world. Inside, there were colorful sea creatures that vary from sizes to shapes.The coral reefs added elegance and life to the view underwater as we dived deeper. It gave me a glimpse of beauty which is not usually seen. It made me realized that for me to perceive the wonders of the universe, I have to go deeper in life. Be bolder and braver. The sea is lovely as it is. Lovely how calming it can get, how the waves softly fade as it hits the shore but with scuba diving, there’s actually more to love about it. As far as the saying goes, “beauty is skin deep” and so is the sea. What our eyes can perceive superficially is far beautiful with what we can see within. Well to sum it up, truly the best gems in life are worth diving for.

A small village with long narrow stretch of beaches on either side Devbag is situated in the malvan taluka in the Sindhudurg district. Devbag is a part of the Konkan coast in Maharashtra. Devbag has a traditional rustic feel to it with some of the village houses made up of hay and mud. From anywhere in Devbag, one can hear the sound of waves as the beach is just a few metres away. A boat from Devbag takes the adventure junkies to an island nearby known as ‘Tsunami Island’ where all the water sport activities are held One can indulge in activities like parasailing, jet skiing, etc.

My parasailing experience was just breathtaking. Launching off of the boat was the most exhilarating feeling I have ever had. I was tied to a parachute and as the boat picked up speed I went up into the air. It was a feeling of flying, of soaring over the pristine ocean. As the sound of the boat drifted away I rose slowly higher and higher above the water. The boat below me seemed to get smaller and smaller while the full coastline came into my view. The peacefulness that I felt was like none I have ever experienced, it truly served as a mind opener. Floating over the ocean, watching the amazing sights of the coast, and soaring across the sky made me feel invincible, that I could do or be whomever I wished to. Overcoming my fear of heights in such an extreme way I believe is a little humorous. I realize that I could have overcome my fears in a much easier and less audacious way.

Our journey was a one full of adventure. Adventurous sailing in the middle of the sea, collecting star fish, chilling at the beach, befriending locals, there was nothing that we didn’t do. If you are looking for a place with beautiful clean beaches and good malvani food, this is your destination. It’s not very touristy and not filled with too many people (depends on the season you visit in) and yet not too lonely. Tarkarli, a small modest village with helpful people and untouched beaches could end up becoming your favorite weekend getaway.

Leh is not just a destination, it’s an experience of a lifetime!

One would imagine that Leh, the hottest holiday destination of the country this season, would be teeming with excited tourists. You would have to get past a lot of pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of the ‘must-sees’ of the place.

Strangely, Leh in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir reveals a very different picture; the picturesque little town, cocooned amid the hills, is drowned in calmness. You can savour every little moment and enjoy your holiday in the true sense of the word.

Leh, you realize, is not just a destination; it’s an experience.

Boarding an early morning flight sounded pretty boring, but today I am more than awake at 2.00 am waiting for my alarm clock to ring. Its 23^rd june 2015 and I am en-route to the dream destination of many ‘Leh- Ladakh’. I have fancied this idea for quite sometime and here I am all set with 2 pairs of jacket, goggles, sun screen, scarfs, a roll of cotton to plug  in my ears and loads of essentials as recommended by experienced relatives.

The flight from Mumbai to Leh halted at Delhi and soon proceeded its onward course to Leh slowly and steadily beating the heavy winds. We thus climbed the altitude of many 1000s of feet soon leaving behind the familiar temperatures and weather conditions. The hill tops seemed sprinkled with white dust unevenly, much like what results from the pranks of a little boy. Very many peaks of the mighty Himalayas appeared just a breath away, all beautifully snow clad. Finally as the pilot announced our arrival at Leh, I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at the otherwise suave crowd around. As we stepped out, the only sight around was endless stretch of mountains flaunting their snow-clad blankets glistening in the morning sun.

This little town of Leh is adorned with remnants of Buddhism as you take a walk through the main streets. The market place and the street corners, all give way to a set of Buddhist Prayer wheels which u can just push gently and let the prayer rolls inside invoke the almighty.  The people whether the sweet meat vendors or the Tibetan handicraft sellers are so amiable and warm as against the spine chilling cold Ladakh. ‘Julley’ was how they said Hello, Bye, often times Okay and its the kind of unique identity of a Ladakhi. Another common sight is that of Monasteries with their beautiful aesthetics, seen at every village and every settlement in the region wherein the religious leaders preached and enlightened the community. Its Buddhism I guess which has made people so warm and unselfish. All my 7 days there I never heard a ladakhi soul uttering forget a Bad Word, not even a sigh of irritation. They can be synonyms for Happy Face.

While travelling to Pangong Tso (Tso, as they call it, means a lake)  on day 2 I faced that strange helplessness that happens when our body reacts to abrupt change in altitude. Beginning with a mild headache, it aggravated to nausea and sometimes leading to break down of sensations during the journey. And after twists and turns we almost reached a level ground soon to be followed by the magnificent sight ofthe stretch of blue waters which helped me almost instantly forget what I just went through to reach there. Day 3 We visited the hemis monastery during the The Hemis festival which is one of the biggest and the most famous religious festivals of Ladakh and is an attraction for both the tourist and the local people.

On 4^th day we left for nubra valley. The Nubra valley, at a distance of 150 km from Leh, is again a must-visit. Famous for being a cold desert, when there, a ride on the double humped camel, also called the Bactrian camel, is worth experiencing. Driving on one of the  highest motorable road at Khardung La, at an altitude of more than 18,000 feet, is again a must-do.

Day 7 A visit to Shanti Stupa was my last rendezvous with Lord Budha. The Stupa which overlooked the town of Leh almost symbolically expressed the influence of this prince turned spiritual leader over each and every nuance of a Ladakhi.

At one glance Ladakh appears to be a complete desert but you definitely cannot help but notice the very many colours of Indus as she climbs down the valley or winds through them during her course; the hues that change at the Pangong Tso; the wild ass  which gets often camouflaged in the landscape and the marmots which peep out of its comfort zones to excite the travelers. Leh Ladakh has more than what meets the eye and all that I can wish you is ‘Do visit Leh, but with all necessary preparations in place’.

Young love

I don’t agree that if you are intrigued by a boy, you fall more in love with him. The more i know about him, the closer he comes to me. Just one look from those almond shaped eyes makes my day. I need nothing else.

His face, his simplicity, his humor, his voice  i just cant stop thinking. Its like i am possessed.

You have so much power over me, you would be surprised if you only knew. I wonder what you would say if you knew that i woke up early morning with you on my mind, showering thinking of you, getting dressed thinking of you, listening my music thinking of you, sitting in lectures thinking of you, lying on my bed every night thinking of you and falling asleep with u on my mind. My day starts with you and ends with you.

All I hear is my heart pounding and all I see are your beautiful almond shaped eyes. If only you knew how much you meant to me.

My mind wont stop thinking when I’m talking to you. Inside of me there are words waiting to come out and tell you how I feel… like how much i miss you when you are not around and especially how much i want you to be there always.

But i feel these words will forever stay in my heart locked inside. The key to the lock is difficult to find, but i will try my love.

Sometimes I wonder if there are words locked inside you too. I hope there are but i have a strong feeling that you will never let me know.