Alibaug was a unanimous decision for a 2 day vacation since the more our three brains thought, the more we were confused. We booked the ST tickets a day earlier. The bus left Borivali at 5:15 am and two of us boarded at Goregaon(W) and one friend boarded at Andheri(W). The stop is opposite to the Filmistan studio in Goregaon and it’s near the Andheri Post in Andheri. Finally the trip started for the three of us. We did start babbling about movies(comparing the Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter one). But that ended as soon as the mountains and enchanting scenes began to appear. We reached Alibaug stand at around 9:30 am. Then we went to Alibaug beach, scanned it a bit, and found it not worth of staying. So we left and came back to Alibag stand. We took an ST to Kihim beach, since I had heard of a resort near Kihim from an acquaintance. It’s called Sannidhya resort and it’s approved by M.T.D.C. Luckily, the last stop of the ST bus coincided with the resort. It’s a nice place to stay, a quite rustic one. We freshened up and sauntered around the place to find something that qualifies as a breakfast item since we had nothing since morning. Finally we found a shop that agreed to make “kanda pohe” for us at 12 noon. An hour later, we had lunch. It was good, both veg and non-veg. While feasting on the food, we had a chat with the guy who was serving us, and came to know that there’s a museum by the name of Karmarkar Museum at Sasavne which houses human sculptures. So after lunch we headed to Sasavne for the museum. This museum indeed has some exquisite sculptures, but for us muggles, they all were quite the same. It was closed when we reached there and was opened only for us. After returning back to the resort, we had tea and immediately left to enjoy the Kihim beach, after all Alibaug is equivalent to its beaches. We were a bit surprised to find the beach deserted. It was just the three of us on the whole beach and two or three fishermen very far away from us. The waves were awesome, but one has to be careful about the rocks that line the beach, since they can elude one’s sight at high tide and can prove perilous. After being content enjoying the force of the sea, we made our way back to the resort. That night, when we were having dinner, the guy who served us asked us not to go to the Kihim beach since there was news that few tourists got stung by jellyfishes. We were shocked since we had seen hundreds of them lying on the beach and yet didn’t give it much importance. Lucky us!Next day, we left the resort and headed to the Birla Mandir. This temple is situated near Revdanda. It was a long journey from the resort but the sight of the temple was quite rewarding. It must be among the few well maintained temples in Maharashtra. A temple in marble, the structure is quite fascinating. The temple is actually at its best when the lighting and the fountains come on. It must be a great sight to watch but we found ourselves there at the wrong time. We did not even find the poojari since the temple was closed at 11 am and was to open again around 4:30 pm. After leaving the temple, we found out from the locals that there were two more places that could be visited- Korlai fort and Kashid beach- and we had to select only one from them. We came to know that the fort wouldn’t be accessible at this time of the year. So Kashid beach it was. Another two Vikrams to take us to Kashid beach. The Vikram is the 8-seater rickshaw that is very common in Alibaug, and is also seen in Pune. But as you know, we Indians are very efficient in the usage of space. So this 8-seater is sometimes used as an uncomfortable 10 one and one that we got into broke all records with a mighty 12.Before going for the beach, we had lunch in one of the ‘khanavals’ ,around 2 km from the beach, where we got to taste local sea food and after getting an idea about the bus timings, headed for the beach .We found the Kashid beach better than the Kihim beach. There are hammocks attached on the beach where you can rest. The overall scenery in and around the Kashid beach was indeed enchanting, with the white sands and the surrounding hills. Here too, we could see the jellyfish lying on the beach. Yet, we risked it to get into the water and it was quite fun. Finally, we headed back to the stop but found that a bus had just passed and the next one to Mumbai would be after an hour or so. So, instead we got into a Vikram and went to the Alibaug stand and boarded an ST bound for Mumbai Central. It was a bumpy ride back home with a backseat in the ST, but with lots to talk about, it hardly matters where you are.........
Routes that we took:
Karmarkar Museum: From the resort->walking upto Chondi naka->Vikram to Sasavne
Kihim beach: 2 mins walking from the resort
Birla Mandir: From the resort->walking upto Chondi Naka->Vikram to Revdanda->Vikram to Birla Mandir
Kashid Beach: From Birla Mandir->Vikram to Revdanda->Vikram to Kashid beach
Some tips:
We felt that we should have come to Kashid beach first. So it would be better to consider going to Kashid first and then to Kihim.
Be very careful of the rocks at Kihim. They get submerged under the water at high tide and some can be sharp.
Be sure to get a report of the marine life in the water before getting into the water. In our case, we were very lucky to have enjoyed unhurt, but no one can guarantee it everytime.
Happy Holidaying!!!!!!
