By the Arabian on the Konkan Trip

This was another of those last minute planned trip that I generally end up with. One of my friend, Varun was getting married in Pune on next day of Christmas. Although I knew about it for quite some time but his last minute insistence became hard to decline and so I planned. It was then when I called up Vishnu to tell him about my plans. He told me that he would not be there in Pune because of some a trip to Konkan region. Konkan was a belt which I had always heard of but never had a chance to visit and hence I grabbed to opportunity to include it to my itinerary. So it was a three day trip I was onto at the night of 23rd of December 2011 and we were going to be 6 in all - Me, Vishnu, Ravi, Sandeep, Alok and Prashant.

I boarded the Duranto Express, which apparently just had a operational halt at Pune and so I was required to get up early in the morning so that I did not miss the station. I was right there at the Pune station on 24th early morning calling Vishnu to announce my arrival. As it turned out the tight schedule did not allow me for a place to fresh up in the morning and hence I had already prepared myself accordingly in train. Within some minutes they came into the station picked me up and we were speeding towards our first destination - Hari Hareshwar temple.

Around 200 kms from Pune is this temple in Raigad district was this temple standing high with strong religious sentiments attached to it which I was not aware of at that time but am now. The town of Harihareshwar is believed to be blessed by the God Shiva and so is one of pilgrimage destinations for many. And one could feel the tranquility and devotion in the atmosphere. Besides the temple was a beach which was one of the many beaches we visited on our trip. We made a quick visit to the beach and had a good photo op and bit of fun. It was then when everyone somehow woke to the realization - we hadn't had a breakfast until then. We looked around and found a small shop around the corner which was offering a single item menu - no marks for guessing it was Vada-Pav the staple breakfast for the region. This would be right time to introduce you all to Vishnu, the food hogger of the group and quite contrary to his size. And once we had had the energizing meal, we were off to the next destination - Diveagar.

It is a small beach town on the Konkan belt which provided one the secluded beaches in the region for those who wanted some time for themselves. It was evening by the time we reached there and so the first thing to be looked out for was a roof for the night. Although the place was famous for being secluded, it was pretty difficult to find a one room for us. Still where there is will there is a way and there we had a good enough room to accommodate all six for us. Once this was settled, we were back to where we should have been - the beach. We spent good 4 hours at the beach when we all felt the need for some dinner. We came back to the room, freshened up and took some rest. Some arranged for their booz while others prepared themselves for what was going to be a long night. We were back on the beach very soon for what we would like to say - celebrating Christmas eve. Amidst booz and soft drinks (for tea totallars like me) we spend time gossiping. We also played what could be called Confessions !! Discussing love lives and experience of others was a great fun when done on a secluded beach with cool breezes at middle of the night. Late in night we were back to the room to catch some sleep before next day of the trip.

Next morning, early by any standards, everyone was up on their feet to witness the sun rise by the beach side. Early morning beach side sunrise was indeed a lovely view. Fishermen preparing to go on their fishing spree, bullock carts being reading for action and a couple of tourists were some of the things that could be called the early morning activities there. Amidst the scenic beauty, chilling breeze and a good bunch of friends we had a chance to enjoy hot tea which had its own pleasure. After freshning up, we still had to visit a place for which the town is known for - A Ganesha temple famous for its golden idol. Devotees visit the town in large numbers because of this temple. So it second day straight when we started our day with a visit to a temple.

Once done with it, we headed straight to Janjira Fort. It was a popular desination near a village called Murud. The fort has a history of being attacked during a number of aggressions but was never won. It is on a island piece away from the mainland. It was noon by the time we were done with the photo session and we headed to the last destination - Kashid Beach. This beach is famous for its white sand, surrounding mountains and water rides. The moment we were there, it did not take much time for us to be on the Banana Boat ride at the end of which we found ourselves in water. Soon after that, we were on Water Skis racing against the waves at top of our speeds. This was followed by some fun in beach water and then was the volley game we had. The enjoyment was enhanced by the South Korean and Japanese group joined us for the game. After all this fun it was time to start for the final leg - return to Pune. By the time we reached Pune, it was quite late in night. We already had had our dinner. Everyone was dropped at their places and I reached my guest house.

Next morning, I went mall hopping looking for a worth while gift for Varun. I started with small ones like SGS and ended up vising the biggest ones including the Phoenix. Somewhere on outskirts of the city, Phoenix is really one with size that can be called huge for a city like Pune. The final one Ishanya mall, or I better call it a mall of malls I managed to pick up a flower case for the gift and went back to the guest house. I was there at the venue of the reception at time. It was a really lovely couple and it was really good to witness one of my close friend getting married and being there to wish him. Wishing him the best I took his leave and was on my train back to Hyderabad.


References - A lot of texual content on this page is from Ravi's Page at - http://maxravi.hubpages.com/hub/My-trip-to-Konkan-An-unforgettable-memory