MY BLOG.
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| The THREESOME |
ERMA’s Travel Musings. By
Dedicated to :
I love to travel and I love to
drive. My 2 years in US saw me clocking more than 50,000 kms and the best part
was that I covered the entire west cost- from Seattle to San Diego by road. In
India , I have driven extensively in the 3 southern states.
Many people, especially my wife,
was goading me all these years to write my experiences and somehow, I could not
do that. A few days back I met Anilkumar Ethanur of RGF and the credit goes to
him for giving me the final push.
Why the name “ERMA’. Well, that
is a closely guarded secret between me and my daughter, Madhulika. In fact I
dedicate this blog to her since without her presence in the backseat of the car
(though found dozing away 75 % of the time and with a “big’ face during the
balance 25 %), there would have been no fun in our trips. My wife, Kamala,
would endorse that.
And I started writing this on
Sept 11, 2013. Apt date since, in 2001, my well laid out plans in US to cover
the entire east coast by road was put to rest by a few guys who decided to
‘drive’ planes on that fateful day. My trip was to commence on Sept 13th.
Some basic tenets about my
travel-
- I am the only driver. Do not share my wife and car with anyone else. My car is the fourth member of my family.
- Driving long distances at a decent speed is as important as sightseeing. It is the driving that motivates my long outings.
- I don’t take my family on some unannounced travel. I do quite a bit of research and book my hotels in advance and plan the route. No last minute surprises. I keep all the printed maps and literature with me. Kamala is the navigator and Madhulika controls the GPS, if required.
- I balance the interests of my family. My daughter loves beaches, Kamala is fond of forests fauna and flora and animals and I am fond of temples and beaches. My planned trip will have elements of all these. Needless to say that all are fond of shopping, especially unique items available in these places. I must complement my family for not getting into shopping expeditions. My purse is always intact.
- My family is well tuned to handle my idiosyncrasies’ like leaving very early in the mornings, driving without food at the right timings, ‘over protection “of my car, not playing music ( I prefer to listen to the engine sound of my car).
- Size of my different cars have grown along with my daughter (though not vertical :)) and she prefers no company in the backseat. That is fully respected except for a big stuffed Clifford doll- which belongs to me. About 15 years back I moved from a larger 118 NE to a Maruti 800. Madhulika did not like that demotion.
- During the vacation the time is for family and family alone- no “men’s only” activities or card games or drinking binges etc.
- We love small and insignificant things we see enroute and stop to admire them. Not the typical malls, movies etc.
- Our food habits are very simple. Can manage with curd rice over days together.(Rupali wants me to add here that like any typical TAMBRAM, cannot manage without curd rice even for a day !)
- Due to points 4 thro 8, we travel alone as a family and not in groups. It has helped us to bond very well and I value every minute I spend with them.
- I try to ensure, as much as possible that I use motorable roads only.
- Once I reach a place, all the local trips will be done thru local transport only. I don’t take my car out into the narrow galleys without knowing where to go.
- My thanks to Trip Advisor for helping me to plan my trips.
Let me start with my trip to Konkan Coast – during December 2012.
Going to Konkan was my dream for
some years. I have been to Goa by road and from Mumbai to Chiplun by bus. That
was in 1991. I wanted to go and see those beaches in a relaxed fashion and at
the same time to get a different cultural perspective. My colleague, Rupali is
from Konkan and she gave some interesting aspects of her “motherland”. My
cousin, Ravi who works for a consumer multinational has travelled extensively
in this region and excited me to undertake this trip.
I must thank Rupali for being in
touch with me throughout this trip and helping me with chaste Marathi over phone
whenever I got into trouble.
A word about my car. Honda Accord
automatic 2010.Great car.
A word about Konkan. The roads
are generally bad during monsoons and are re-laid around October if the Govt. chooses
to do so. Hence ideal time to visit is November to March. When I use the word
Konkan here, I am referring to that piece of land between Mumbai and the
beginning of Goa. Only when u see Konkan coast u will realise that we have lost
Goa. Konkan is beautiful beyond words, unspoilt due to the strong cultural
moorings of Marathis.
Our trip plan was like this. Bangalore- Belgaum( night halt)-
Tarkarli Beach ( 2 nights)- GanpatiPhule (2 nights)- Chiplun( one night)
–Kolhapur – Belgaum ( night halt)- Bangalore. Started on 23rd
December and was back on 31st evening.
23rd December- Left
Bangalore at 5 AM and was soon was cruising along NH4 after crossing
Nelamangala. The roads were lovely, except for the diversions to widen the road
further. Those who miss their breakfast in Bangalore need not worry since quite
a few Kamaths have cropped enroute. The road avoids all major towns except outskirts of Hubli. Don’t miss the
imposing windmills at Chitradurga. Reached Belagaum by 1230 PM after glancing
at the imposing new Vidhaana Soudha. Bangalore to Belgaum is a straight road
without any hills or hairpin bends etc. With a good car, u can really clip.
Keep lots of change for tolls on the way. If you have the time pls get into
Dharwad- the educational city , for some
Jolada roti, Bhaingan curry and peda. Or Hubli which has the first
Kamath hotel in the world- founded by Rangayia Kamath.
We stayed at Hotel Eefa at
Belgaum. A decent and a functional hotel without any frills. Well located in a
better part of the city.
Evening shopping was in Khade Bazaar. Get some tasty food with excellent
service at Shanbag on the same road.Look out for deals in cotton garments. Plus
do not miss out on Kunda- the local sweet made from burnt milk- a cousin of the
Dharwad peda.
24th morning we were
off to Tarkarli. The route was Belgaum- Amboli- Sawantwadi-Kudal- Tarkarli.
Crossed the mountains and it was fairly easy. No daunting hairpin bends etc. Heard
quite a bit about Amboli for its
natural breathtaking views etc. It was ok. The rainfall was scanty in 2012 and
that showed. Mumbai-Goa is a regular road and not one of those 4 lane classy
ones- well paved, though.
We reached Tarkarli by around
noon. Tarkarli is in the outskirts of Malwan and is a quiet village. Those who want to see the Goa of
yesteryears should flock to Tarkarli before it becomes too late. The resort at
Tarkarli was disappointing. We realised that only the one owned by MTDC faces
the sea and all others are located away from the beach. Moreover these resorts
are glorified sheds (promoted by Maharashtra tourism thro local entrepreneurs)
with some kind of thin walls provided,
nevertheless passable with AC etc.
Vegetarians beware. Tarkarli is a paradise for fish eaters. Vegetarians get
some basic food like roti and dhall etc. The only vegetarian restaurant is
about 15 kms away, tucked in a corner at Malwan. The decent entry to the beach
is thro MTDC only and it is not a free thoroughfare.
nevertheless passable with AC etc.
Vegetarians beware. Tarkarli is a paradise for fish eaters. Vegetarians get
some basic food like roti and dhall etc. The only vegetarian restaurant is
about 15 kms away, tucked in a corner at Malwan. The decent entry to the beach
is thro MTDC only and it is not a free thoroughfare.
Well, inspite of all these,
Tarkarli was brilliant since the beach was crystal clean with white sands. Not
crowded at all. Hours can be spent on the beach just lazing around, watching
the glorious sunset, the boats and their flickering lights etc etc. Tarkarli
also boasts of boat trips to watch dolphins and underwater stuff. Well, we did
not go.
- Malwan town (or a village?) is worth visiting for it is your typical picture post card variety (Malgudi!).
- We took an auto to Malwan and walked around the place.
- Don’t miss your cashews and mango bar from Zanteye shop. The only vegetarian restaurant in that entire vicinity was Naivedhya. May not be great food- but, it gave us a lifeline with some hot dhall and rotis. Can never forget those 2 children who were creating a racket, while their mother was busy cooking for us. There is one more, but it was closed when we went.
- The best attraction at Malwan was the Sindhudurg Fort in the sea. Well connected by boats managed by MTDC. It is a well preserved fort with possibly only temple built for Shivaji. Worth a look and thanks to the boatride, was a nice outing.
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| Malwan bazaar |
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| Sindhudurg |
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| My lifeline at Malwan |
http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/mtdc/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Beaches/Beaches.aspx?strpage=Tarkarli_beaches.html
After 2 nights at Tarkarli,
started driving towards Ganpathiphule. We passed thro some brilliant natural
scenery with an occasional Konkan railway train passing along adding a
backdrop. Turned left from the main
Mumbai Goa route onto Ratnagiri
and thereafter to Ganpatiphule. Had our vegetarian lunch at Ratnagiri.
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| Montery's Rival |
Facts about Ganpatipule;
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| Backwater meets the Arabian Sea at Ganpatipule. |
- GO there only if you have a confirmed booking at MTDC. It is not worth it otherwise.
- Don’t miss the Ganpati temple there. Brilliant. They serve decent and free lunch everyday.
- Beach near the temple is crowded. Go away towards the MTDC property. The beach is beautiful.
- Go for long walks. Do not miss to stand where the backwater meets the sea and when the water flows back in the evenings.
- Vegetarian food is not an issue, being a temple town.
- Pay a visit to Prachin Kokan it is manmade, but, worth a visit to understand Konkan heritage.
- I managed to be there at Ganpatipule on a full moon day. To see sun and moon together was great. And u must look at the sea during that moonlit night. U will never forget it. I have enclosed a photograph taken at around 2 AM.
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| Vahan of Ganesha- not me!!! |
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| Prachin Kokan |
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| Ganesha Mural at Ganpati Mandir. |
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| Arabian sea and the Pournam |
After 2 nights at Ganpatipule, we
moved towards Chiplun. We stayed at Quality inn resorts which was managed by
Taj about 10 years back and is under Choice hotels now. This resort is located
on the top of a hillock overlooking Vashisti river and u can’t have a better
place for a resort. The beautiful
view of the river punctuated by Konkan trains going into a tunnel was awesome. The
resort is well maintained , but, very expensive.
- The resort is located at a village called Lote Parashuram, just outside the town of Chiplun.
- As name implies, this village has one of the most important temples for lord Parashuram, the only Avtaar of Vishnu who never has an end. It is believed that every night, the Lord sleeps at the temple located at Lote. The deities are beautiful and different from what we see in other temples. The small temple pond has tiny tortoises and there is a dedicated temple to Renuka Devi, mother of Lord Parashurama who was beheaded by him at the behest of his father. This temple is within walking distance from the resort mentioned above. Pls do not take ur car since there is no place to park over there. Just outside the temple, pls buy your quota of A am Papad and Khokum. Chiplun is also known for jackfruit products during April.
- The best time at Chiplun is the evening when the sun sets. The colour that engulfs the entire valley, its changing hues and the reflections on the river are mind boggling.
- Nearby Chiplun is the longest tunnel in the Konkan railway system. If you have the time, take one of these trains.
- Chiplun is about 30 kms away from the sea. If u want to see a beach try Hedvi and its marble Ganesha. I hear that Gughaghar is also a decent beach.
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| Vashisti river at Chiplun |
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| Tortises at Parashuram temple. |
Chiplun to Kohlapur is another
route( Chiplun- Patan- Koyna- Karad- Kolhapur) that should not be missed.
Barring my trip to interior Sikkim, I have not seen such imposing mountains and
some sharp hairpin bends and deep gorges testing my driving skills. Western
Ghats at its mighty best and awesome. I must have flown over these mountains
umpteen number of times but to navigate thro them was an experience.
Kolhapur is known for its
Mahalakshmi temple (a shakthi peedam). Thanks to my friend, could sneak thro for
a good darshan.
Had a good night rest at Belgaum.
Next day it was one single nonstop ride to Bangalore. 5.5 hours for about 500
kms. A record indeed. I was happy. In toto I did about 1800 kms.
