Years last trip: Dapoli

Before this year ends, we thought of making up for not travelling much this year, despite the fact that after July, this year was full of long weekends. Anyways, all is well if end is well :P.  And while I am writing this post, someone posted in FB for all the long weekends we will be getting in 2017. By the way, in 2017 all the leaves are falling on Friday, Monday, Thursday and Tuesday with the bonus of no leave is coming on weekends. :P. So guys, pack your bags…

As usual, we 2 were the lone traveler. We started from Pune at around 8 AM and took the route through Tamhini ghat. There is another some 40 KMs longer route which is through Bhor. We thought of taking that route while returning.

We took first stop at Tamhini ghat itself. One cannot resist stopping there. Tamhini ghat is considered one of the most beautiful and dangerous route among the Western ghats in Maharashtra.  If you search in google for the Tamhini ghat, all the images you will be getting would be of the monsoon season. But, I would say visit there after monsoon also and you will find an altogether different beauty. The greenery of monsoon will turn into light brown color dried grass and long stretch of it will resemble some kind of golden brown bed. A perfect place for photographers in any weather.

One more 30 min break for breakfast and drove straight to Dapoli. We have booked hotel and Murud, and we checked in hotel at 1:30 PM.

We decided to first visit the Kelshi area which is famous for Yakub baba Dargah and Mahalakshmi temple. Yakub baba was one of those people whom  Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj held high in esteem. And this Dargah was built by son of Shiva ji.

On the way to Kelshi comes the virgin beach of Anjarle. And the beach just re-confirms me that we humans really have the guts to spoil anything and everything. I mean just see Anjarle beach and then see the Murud beach. You will see the difference. Murud beach is the only beach where there is parking on the beach itself. Just because beach has facilities for few water sports, hence huge crowd, hence parking on the beach. Too much.

Age is no bar

Last  15 KMs to Kelshi  alone took around 1 hr as road condition was not that good. Also roads are not wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass. So if other vehicle is coming from opp. side, one has to stop and adjust for other to pass. Because of very narrow lanes, we didn’t realize we have taken other route and have entered into a village. Turning the car there alone took 20 mins. :P

Mahalakshmi temple comes first and then from there at 1.5 KM there is Yakub baba’s dargah.

Soothing life

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Way to Yakub baba's dargah

Way to Yakub baba's dargah

While returning from Kelshi, we paid visit to Kadyavarchi Ganpati temple, which exactly comes in Anjarle area.

It was already dark when we left from the temple. Thankfully, the worst part of the route was already covered.

Next day we started with Dolphin safari at Murud beach. Demonetization’s (Indian govt.’s recent venture) effect was there to be seen. Being the most favorable season for Dolphin safari and also because of year end vacation, off course crowd was there. Everyone there has a 2000 Rs note in hand, looking for change. And person in ticket counter, though has a bundle of 100 Rs notes, was asking for full change. We silently scrapped our plans of getting change and paid him in lower denomination.

Dolphin safari part was ok ok. Though there were a lot of them and also we got to see them but what I was expecting was a full high jump from them. High expectations I must say. Boat driver said whenever they are in playful mood, they do that also. If one is a good swimmer and can swim up to that area (which is not far for even a mid-level expert), he can certainly swim with Dolphins’ group.

It was around 9 AM when we left from Murud and it was the time for Fish auction at Harne to start. Now that was the most interesting part of whole trip.

In first go, it was hard for me to fathom why Fishes needs to be auctioned. Why can’t people simply sell and buy them. That’s what we have seen around us. After repeatedly answered by my husband that no, at larger scale it happens. People can’t simply buy and sell when they are purchasing for selling them in online market. Also there were fishes so costly that local people can’t afford them and also some of the sea products are of not their preferences but in some parts people consume them so they needs to be stored accordingly to increases their shelf life, transported to the area where there is demand for them, sell them in wholesale and in local market.

So after this much explanation, I was able to comprehend that Okay, fishes can be auctioned. After that came the other bizarre part. The first bunch of sea food which was in for auction was Octopus. I mean Octopus, why people eat Octopus and who are those people who eat Octopus. Being a pure vegetarian and from that part of the word, where being non-vegetarian means eating mostly Chicken, Mutton, Prawns and Fish, this fact of eating Octopus was hard for my stomach to digest and for my mind to come in terms of. I was sharing all this with my sister, she told me that even Indians eat tortoise, rabbit, snake and what not. Pheww…so I was ill-informed, accepted. But still Octopus..

So coming back to the auction scene, one bunch of around 100-120 octopus went in 1,60,000 Rs. Another bunch went in 1,20,000 Rs.

Men at work

Men at work

Red rose at hotel premises

After there we spent some time in water at Harne beach which is a virgin beach. After lunch we checked out of hotel.  Hotel caretaker told us about the Cashew nut factory and Chandika Devi temple.

Cashew nut factory is all about transforming raw cashews into market sellable product. Right from shelling out raw cashew from its hard outer layer till multiple refining process and till packing. One can even see all this process and there is one guard who will answer all you queries.

From there chandika devi temple is some 25 KM. Chandika devi is a “Swayambhoo Temple”, which means the deity was originated from the earth itself and then the temple was built around it. We gave a second thought about driving 25 KMs just to see a temple. But later we decided to give it a try. And that decision was not waste.

Chandika devi temple in itself is very good. Temple is inside a cave. You have to go inside the cave, visit the deity and then by taking a round you will come outside the temple. As soon as you step inside the cave you will feel suffocation due to its location. Apart from it those 25 KMs are super awesome. All covered in dense forest with orderly placed coconut trees at some private properties. Worth travelling 25 KMs.

Nature

That was the end of our visit to Dapoli. Headed back to Pune at around 3 PM. We had thought of taking Bhor route while returning, instead we followed the same Tamhini ghat route and that was kind of another driving milestone achieved for my husband. Driving in dangerous ghats that too in night….I was more stressed on co-driver seat than him J

Happy Ghumakkadi J



Onion storage and pomegranate farming

During our trip to Nighoj, while we were going through the villages, we saw the unique way of onion storage. Okay one thing, here in Maharashtra villages are organized in a different way from North, where the villagers live in one place and they have their farming fields outside the villages. Even 4-5 KM. far from the village also. Here in Maharashtra, you would see people make their home in or nearby their farming land. 

Now for the onion storage, villagers have made the beautiful storage rooms out of thatch, bamboo logs and iron wire. This hut kind of structure is covered from all the sides and since there would be pores all around due to the mesh created with iron wire, so we can see even from outside how the onions were stored. They would make a bunch of onions and will tie them in the mesh. 

These huts were all of rectangular shape, around 5 feet of height but of varying length. The richer the farmer, the bigger the length of the hut. Means more onion in store, means more money which ultimately means bigger house and which was evident from the most nearby house from the hut.

We stopped at one of them and clicked some pictures. The length of that storage unit was pretty much long and also the nearby house can give a run to any bungalow in metro cities.  

But one thing was sure to be bothered about. Doesn’t matter how much safe was those huts, suppose if rain comes what would happen. Those huts can bear drizzling, but heavy rain…no way. Even if we assume that owner will do some provisions like covering it with plastic, still in case of heavy rains when water gets logged, it would be very very difficult. And given the material which was stored, Onion, which starts perishing if anyone in the pile is rotten. One storage units of average length had around 50-100 quintal of onions. Loss will surely be large in case weather worsens. 

Same villages had the pomegranate farming also. Fruit was very small then. Even there were flowers in the tree. If you happen to travel in Maharashtra around September October, you can see those trees, all laden with pomegranate. Each tree will at least have 80-100 fruits. I saw this when I was visiting Shirdi during that time period. And you would find people selling fresh fruits on the roadside.

Happy Ghumakkadi  :)