My legs are still worn and my face badly burnt from the afternoon heat, and yet within me there is a feeling of serenity and a deep longing for the non-existent rewind button in life. Yes I am back to the cubicle walls, the unfriendly environs of work and the humdrum of routine life. And I have vacation hangover. I spent the last few days in Ganpatipule. Another blog online calls it “Tahiti of the east”. I haven’t been to Tahiti, but I have been to Ganpatipule-twice; and each time come back longing for more. At this time, last Thursday I was jotting down what we’d need for our much anticipated trip and today, here I am trying to revisit a beautiful extended weekend 330 kms away.
Ganpatipule is a small beach town, about an hour drive away from the port city of Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. It is famous for the Ganpati temple with the ‘swayambhu’(self-generated) Ganpati and for its 2km long unspoilt beach. The silver sands and the raging sea, the green trees and the peaceful backwaters – the perfect recipe for a weekend away from work.
Travelling to Ganpatipule was a breeze. There’s a sleeper bus that leaves Swargate, Pune at about 10.30 pm. The bus reaches Ratnagiri at about 7 in the morning. From Ratnagiri , a smaller bus or in our case a Maruti van takes you to Ganpatipule. But the hitch is that, this bus is the only luxury bus to Ganpatipule. If you happen to miss this, all you can get is a state transport bus from Swargate to Ganpatipule which I would sincerely not advise. The best way to get there is by driving there yourself even though it is a mighty long drive J. You save about two hours.
We reached Ratnagiri at 7 in the morning. There was a second bus, arriving from Bombay, which would take us to our destination. The Bombay bus brought with it just one more passenger. Hence, we were packed off to Ganpatipule in a cramped Maruti van.
The route to our destination was picturesque to say the least. The hills were surprisingly green at this time of the year, when rest of Maharashtra is dry and devoid of life. The roads were lined with mango and cashew trees(Ratnagiri produces some of the finest mangoes in the country) and the weather extremely pleasant.
The cab dropped us off outside the MTDC resort. We had booked Konkani huts on the internet. At the reception we were told that the Konkani huts had a separate reception area and were half a kilometer away! But thanks to the sheer excitement, we almost hopped, skipped and jumped along pristine backwaters and mango trees and reached the “other” reception area in barely 10 minutes.
There are around 30 odd cottages in the MTDC resort, Ganpatipule. There are Konkani huts( where we set up camp) and sea view cottages. They come in AC and non-AC variants. In my experience, you really do not need an AC room. Yet if you’re too snooty to bear with the Indian summer and would prefer the artificial chill to the sea breeze, better book early – there are very few AC rooms. The cottages are nice, clean and self-contained. Apart from the frequent power cuts there aren’t any other inconveniences. The cottages are located on the beach and from our cottage, we had a nice view of the sea from between the trees. As is customary with us now, we dumped our bags and rushed out for our first glimpse of the sea.
The first glimpse of the sea is always breathtaking. We took a short walk on the beach in the early morning sunshine and went up to the beach restaurant for some much needed breakfast. After feasting on some sumptuous omelletes and ‘poha’ we headed back for some siesta.
Post slumber we walked to the sea to watch the sunset and splash about a bit. Everywhere on the beach in Ganpatipule, you can find signboards which warn you against swimming in the sea and we found out why!
The sea is violent. Period. Even the smallest wave can knock you off balance, such is the force. And most of the waves are decently gigantic, even near the shore. Besides, the sea bed is uneven and dips quite suddenly. So unless you are contemplating suicide, it is seriously not a good idea to play in the sea. The waves however are stronger towards the fringe areas.( I got knocked down by a large wave :P)
One reason I love visiting beaches on the west coast is because of the traditional Konkani sea food. Surmai( a type of mackerel) masala with roti and rice (luncheon) was absolutely delicious though a tad overpriced. Strangely however, the other branch of the same restaurant, near the main reception, was absolute value for money. The prawns were delicious and fresh from the sea and the bangda curry(which we could not eat) was suitably delicious and ample in quantity. Chilled beer and seafood, while the sea unleashes raw fury on the shores is definitely my idea of a perfect holiday.
Walking on the beach in the moonlight is truly a pleasure, but it is definitely not for the faint-hearted. The beach is absolutely empty after sunset. However, if you do dare to venture out, a treat awaits. Tiny yellow lights dot the horizon and the sea looks magical in the moonlight. Every now and then a crab scuttles by and it’s hilarious to watch dogs trying to make a meal of it. There are guards on the beach after 9pm to keep nuisance makers away which is definitely a nice initiative. Yet the beach is generally deserted in the late evenings.
We took a hike to the temple the next morning. The ‘darshan’ was very smooth. The spiritually inclined may return to the temple after the darshan is over and sit and pray in the temple premises. It definitely gives you inner peace. Once you walk out of the temple doors you are completely floored by the view of the sea. All in all it is a lovely temple experience.
The beach
We treated ourselves to coconut water in the searing heat and went into the village to enquire about our journey back.
Coconaka
Alas, all the buses left only after 8.30 at night. The only bus in the morning was a state transport “lal dabba” and it left at a quarter to seven in the morning. Cut short the stay and leave on the same night vs travelling in the summer heat in total discomfort the next day - what a dilemma. But true wanderers never shy away from some extra time, even though it may mean a lot of discomfort J. Tomorrow it would be.
The sea has a lot of treasures. We had found a lot of them in Goa and strangely, Ganpatipule had a lot more on offer. Apart from the various types of crabs sizes ranging from teeny to gigantic, there were beautiful sea snails, fish and oysters. We even found a pretty breed of sea anemone in a crevice in one of the rocks. The evening brought with it beautiful seagulls in hundreds which were an absolute delight to watch. There were many other bird species along the backwaters and the shores. Sadly, we could not identify any of them. The shallow backwaters during the low tide reveal beautiful animal life. We found hermit crabs in dozens and some other sea creatures. The next time I go the beach I would probably buy a handbook of animal species for ready reference J.
We left the next morning. The trip back was picturesque for the first half and burning hot the second. But all the way back, our eyes were filled with dreams of the golden hues from the land of king Midas as the sun disappeared above the sparkling golden sea; and our hearts filled with longing to live there in the arms of the raging sea, forever…
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