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After a terrible stomach and 14 hours of power cut, I woke up next morning as though some disaster had happened earlier night. But I felt better; no nausea, no stomachache...

On the evening I had reached Goankhadi, I had shared my wish of helping in the kitchen. I had even asked the grannies how I could help them, on reaching. However, they had replied saying I could help them later. The later hadn’t arrived until this morning when I felt extremely remorseful for not working for one entire day.

So that morning, when the grannies were discussing breakfast with all of us, and when it was concluded that we have rotis rolled up with garlic chutney or grounded sugar with ghee as stuffing, I started rehearsing in my mind about how to approach the grannies and disclose to them my plan of making rotis.

We were visiting Purnagad fort that day, which was near to the house. However, since neither of us was ready, I finally gathered the courage to tell Pratik's grannies that I wanted to make rotis. I approached when one of them was making rotis and thankfully, she handed over the stove and the rolling pin to me. In addition, I also jokingly said how I would love to check if I could really make rotis outside of my house.

I made about 10 rotis. Out of those, one was screwed up and the remaining nine were decent and I thought maybe the flour was not up to the mark since it was bought from outside. Nonetheless, by one means or another,  I was not satisfied. I knew I could do better, I knew I have done better, but somehow, my skills didn’t work out there. The rotis were round, but they were not as soft as they usually are; they were, in fact, a little rigid too. I was disappointed because I didn’t want them to judge my cooking based on these rotis. 

So this is how the day started...

After breakfast, we changed into a fresh set of clothes and started for the Purnagad fort. When we were nearing it, we came across Purnagad beach, which looked shabby. At one point, I was not even sure if that was the Purnagad beach or just one of the appalling extensions of the Gaonkhadi beach. We continued and reached a point that looked like a dead-end to go any further. We were dubious as to whether to park our car here, but asked a local to confirm.

Akshay captures us on the rocky steps before starting the stroll for the fort

Akshay took out the camera from his backpack and attached a portrait lens to it. He asked the three of us to sit on the steps so that he could shoot. This was the first time Akshay had been friendly so even I started loosening up my modest temperament. We posed, we laughed, we traded the subjects. It was finally relieving to have a good time together.

We started walking for the fort and both the photographers had a camera in their grasp. Adjacent to the house, there was a small private land that was covered with a lot of trees. Apparently, the men with the cameras found a bird species on one of the branches, so they stopped for capturing it. Pratik and I stood watching them while making sense of which bird they had spotted this time.

When this was on, a woman approached. At first, I overlooked her reasoning she was only a bystander, but later I noticed her again. She belonged from a well-to-do family and was perhaps on a trip from either of the top cities like Mumbai, Pune or Nasik. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink top with a mangalsutra around her neck. We exchanged a light smile and kept taking a gander at the men who were busy with the feathered creatures.

After few minutes, the lady proposed to us saying, “You can go inside the gate if you want”. We then understood she was the owner of the house and the private land with a lot of trees belonged to her. The men were so eager to shoot the birds, that within no time they entered the gate; they were so engrossed, they did not even thank the lady. But to compensate, Pratik and I thanked her with a warm smile.

Before long, as the photography continued, couple of more individuals drew nearer. We understood that the lady was in actuality the daughter-in-law and the house belonged to an eldery couple. The old and the young couple together were visiting their house from Mumbai. On talking further, we learnt that the lady's maiden house was in Thane, rather, it was two minutes away from my house in Thane, and that she was married to a man that lived in Mumbai. What a small world, I thought! Meeting someone from the same city and the same locality 469 kilometres away. How intriguing!
The family of four were warm and well-disposed. They invited us inside their house and offered water; however, we told them we had carried water along. They revealed an offbeat road that was completely outlined by the sea. However, we could not go on it because of time constraints.

Mesmerized by the beautiful view from Purnagad fort

Finally, the men were contented with their captures and returned back to the human world and exchanged a few words with the family. We bid them goodbye and continued our stroll towards the main entrance of the fort. We noticed the fort was not well-kept. There were cottages all along the rocky steps, which were chaotic and not maintained properly. There were mango peels tossed in piles on the way, the inhabitants were noisy and arguing amongst themselves and twigs were scattered all around. I didn’t fancy this sight at all. This was not Konkan for me.

A few minutes before entering the gate, we came across a few workers. We sensed that some work was going on inside the fort, I later learned it was the restoration work. We entered the gate and the view in front opened up to another view which was an infinite perspective of the sea. We walked through the second door and landed on a piece to witness a delightful panorama ahead. We then explored the fort, which was so minuscule, that we could see the entire structure in one viewpoint. However, though a minisculur, the views from this fort had bowled us over. 

There’s not much information available about Purnagad fort, and few believe it was built by Shivaji Maharaj. However some also say it was built by Kanhoji Angre, an 18th Century Maratha Navy Admiral. No matter who built it, the fort gives you an awesome open door for good pictures, and maybe accumulate you for a quarter of your day.

When it was about 2 o’clock, we started for home. This is the reason why we could not take the offbeat road the family from Mumbai had recommended. We sat in the car and drove towards home.

I was baffled, firstly because of the unsatisfactory rotis and secondly, because it was our last day in Konkan. We were leaving next morning. Pratik and I spoke about how a dog was missing from this house and a canine's presence would have pleased our stay manifold. After lunch, while we were having tea in the veranda, Pratik hurrahed seeing a dog. I thought, just like the last time, the dog was on the road. But on checking myself, I saw him draw close to us. It was the same big dog, that resembled to a German Shepherd.

He came on the veranda and everyone was glad. On taking a closer look, we realized it was indeed a blend of a German Shepherd and an Indian one as his dark face, thick pine-like tail hinted towards a German breed, and the mustard fur clearly stated he was an Indian. The dog had a nametag around his neck that read "Sheru". I pondered, how many more dogs named Sheru am I gonna meet in my life?

Clicking selfie of us four on Purnagad fort while I'm being shot!

Read: The dog that touched my life

We played with him and everyone was marvelled. There was a mango vendor with us who was a villager and shared about Sheru's whereabouts. The dog belonged to a certain Naik from the same area, who are renowned for having a lot of dogs. They even have three female dogs that are a mix of Siberian Husky and a Pomerian. I remember, before leaving back for Mumbai, we had to collect raw mango pickle from an old woman and had to pass the Naik bungalow. We had seen a couple of more Indian dogs in their veranda while cruising by. Pratik and I were indeed impressed by the Naiks.

After a suprising afternoon, we got dressed for the Gaonkhadi beach again. That evening we had chosen to really drift in the waters and not simply dip our ankles and return. I packed my action camera and a towel. Off we started for the beach. My excitement was lesser as compared to last evening's. We reached the beach and observed that there were more people than the previous evening. Rather, there was nobody on the beach because it was raining heavily. It was low tide, which refrained us from going far inside. We just went till our knees touched the water and then sat on the seabed. The waves lashed our faces.

The remaining two were standing on the shore and were looking after our bags. I was more afraid for my iPhone since it was in my jute backpack on the shore. I can't really trust men when it comes to safeguarding things, as contrary to my trust with women.
Just like I was afraid of, they left my bag unattended and advanced towards us for clicking our pictures.

Out of the number of things on the planet, my phone, my laptop, and my identity cards are the material possessions I'm most afraid of losing. After about a bunch of photographs, I requested Pratik's uncle to look after my phone because I was apprehensive of someone running away with my bag.

We clicked some beautiful slow-motion videos and candid shots with water droplets around. Soon, the sun started sliding down and the ambience light was fading out. It was transforming into dark. At 7 o’clock, we started for home. While we were about to reach the car, we came across another car and a bunch of boys listening to loud music. I recall the song was High Heels by Honey Singh. (This was simply to give you an understanding of how these beautiful beaches too are visited by loafers.)

Shot amidst tall suru trees (Australian Pine trees) outside Gaonkhadi beach

I wrapped the towel around my waist and sat in the car. My hair were drenching, my clothes were wet, and my outfit was embellished with sand. We reached home and I was somewhat awkward to turn up like a numbskull drenching wet. After Pratik's shower, I went in the bathroom. While I was having shower, the electricity was cut off. Thankfully I was finished with about 97% of the bath, but I required some more water to totally rinse me off and to guarantee I had no slippery substance on my body. I came out of the bath and within no time the power was back.

That night, we dined on sanjha (teekhat mithacha sheera as Pratik’s grandmother called it). We spent most of our night on the veranda. While I was working on my blog, others were capturing frogs, spiders, and chasing down owls in the neighbouring woods. The last night in Konkan, I thought...

Cities, villages, mountains, lakes, beaches...you name it, and there exists no place where I don't like moving my feet forwards. Even if the place is unpopular or chaotic, I still somehow dig up its beauty. Maybe this is why I enjoy travelling and this is why I am not too critical when it comes to culling destinations or curating my travels. But yes, there's one hindrance: I don't like revisiting places. For instance, if you ask me to revisit Kolkata, I would hold back; I would perhaps think of it as a pit stop or a layover but I would still hesitate. If you ask me to visit Alibaug, I would look out for its alternatives, and so on.

I have visited Konkan before. I have stayed at a friend's nature resort with my girlfriends in Dapoli. I have seen starfishes for the first time and experienced their tickle on my palm at the Anjarle beach. I have been on a weekend getaway to Alibaug with my family when I was a kid. I have ridden in a jetty to visit Murud-Janjira fort with my family friends, again when I was a kid. I have been on a bike ride from Mumbai to Gokarna, taking the coastal route via Konkan with my friends. I have seen the most beautiful beach in the form of Taramumbari. And I have extended my stay in Devgad for another night because of how promising I thought it was on the first day.

In a nutshell, I have already been to Konkan but not to the village of Gaonkhadi. When my cousin had come home running to invite me on this trip, I was a little surprised. I had never heard of this place before. I researched a bit and did not quite like the pictures and the videos. I was travelling to Gaonkhadi with a completely different set of mind. I thought I would be inside the house for a majority of time and presumably get roasted because of the heat. However, this trip was nothing like what I had imagined.

The second day in Gaonkhadi started with drawing up water from the well. I have jumped in a well and swam my heart out in its waters but have never actually witnessed someone familiar draw water from it.
I woke up by 8:00 am on the second day of my trip, though we had plans of leaving the house for our day's adventures at 7:00 am. I honestly love the trips that do not work on timings. That is possibly the reason why I have never considered a travel agency to roam. I loathe the wake-up-at-six and lunch-break-for-30-minutes-only rules. I will wake up when I want to, I will wind up lunch when I want to. This is my trip and I will see how to make the most of it.

While we were still in previous night's pyjamas, my cousin Pratik announced that he was drawing water from the well. Since he had visited this house before, he was keen on doing this. He found the idea of drawing water from the well fascinating and I believe, who wouldn't? I joined him too. Pratik drew water and I washed my face. Such a countrified way of washing one's face, I thought!

Shot on the Kumbhar Wadi plateau

After changing into a fresh set of clothes, the grandmothers handed over a big vessel to Pratik along with a bunch of papers. Pratik served breakfast. We were having flattened rice chiwda that was enhanced by mixing grated coconut and finely chopped onions. The sheets of papers acted as our dishes. I found it interesting.

Pratik's uncle had invited his friend Akshay whom he had met on a birding course. He had taken a late night bus from Mumbai and was to reach Gaonkhadi by 11:00 am. While the uncle waited for his friend, Pratik and I visited the Rameshwar temple, which was just five minutes away by foot.

Right in front of the house, after crossing a narrow boulevard, the family was building another well. This well has an intriguing and bizarre story behind, which I shall share in the coming posts. I just took a glance at it and moved ahead for the temple. Little did I know how brilliant and riveting the building of the well actually was.

I felt wonderful to walk on this coarse pathway that was surrounded by tall coconut trees and picturesque cottages. I felt fortunate to experience the rustic lifestyle. This very path, the path that was unknown to millions of people but was everything to the villagers of Gaonkhadi. The very path where the life in this little village of Gaonkhadi moved. This is where the state transport buses passed through, on this jagged pathway. How very surreal!

We walked while clicking pictures along. The sky was full of grey clouds preparing to shower their love on us. The weather was humid yet in fine intervals, winds were blowing. We witnessed one of the classic plays of the sun. It was cloudy for a moment and then it turned sunny for a few seconds. We were glad it was cloudy the most time. I knew a downpour was happening, if not at that moment, later in evening.
I was awaiting rains, much like the chatak bird (the Jacobin cuckoo) who waits for the rain to quench its thirst. Its reference is in Indian mythology and an idiom goes in Marathi that says, “Chataka sarkhi vaat pahane”, meaning, to wait like a chatak bird.

I love monsoon. If it was as per my wishes, I would love to have monsoon 365 days a year. For me, the monsoon is when everything is alive...when everything is fresh. Recently I have realised that monsoon is perhaps my favourite season and not the winter. Maybe it is because I live in Mumbai, where the temperature struggles to drop till 18°. But monsoon? Mumbai is blessed with the monsoon. This is when the city is at its best. Not just the city but even the outskirts are overflowing with beauty. The humidity and heats from the months of February to May become unbearable and I think every person waits for the showers.

While the sun played hide-and-seek, we got a sight of the Rameshwar temple. It was located next to a huge tree, which I'm guessing was a banyan tree. It was surrounded by a concrete platform, where the villagers relaxed. Pratik went towards it when a villager asked him to remove his footwear. I removed my flip-flops too and sat next to Pratik for a while. We were not messing with the villagers' beliefs. If they don't like going near a banyan tree with footwear, we might as well agree to it. It's their land and we thought, there was no harm in abiding by their rules.

Who's taller? Me or the suru trees?

We left for home and while we were in the periphery from where we could see the house, we saw a young boy sitting on the veranda. I couldn't see his face as he was wearing a cap and was engrossed in his phone, probably doing so to avoid the awkwardness. Pratik and I realized his uncle's friend Akshay had reached Gaonkhadi after all.
We climbed up the stairs and while we were stepping on the veranda, Pratik's uncle whined about how he tried calling us to know our whereabouts and how they've been waiting for us.

I still tried to catch a glimpse of the friend with the cap. Reading his body, I could sense he is not as old as the uncle. He could either be a little older than me, i.e., someone in his late twenties, or would be in his early thirties and looked a lot younger than his actual age. Later, on exchanging words, I learnt he was two years elder to me. My previous guess was correct.

I was glad to welcome someone who was not a part of my cousin's family. An outsider, just like me, I thought. He was about to have a gala time here, I was sure. I took my jute backpack, the one I had purchased from Goa a decade ago, and never understood its beauty until my recent coastal bike ride to Gokarna. I thought this eccentric bag would look appealing in Konkan and hence had carried it on this trip. I packed some banana chips, biscuits, and two bottles. We were going to Kumbhar Wadi plateau. (We are not sure if the plateau has any distinct name, but a village named Kumbhar Wadi is located on it, so I thought this should be its name.)

It was our first trip with the stranger. I was behaving decently, with no impromptu hurrahs or stupid fights with my cousin. I behaved well. But at the back of my mind I knew, Akshay would soon meet the real me.

In about five minutes, we reached the plateau. It was an open, barren land. The trees made guest appearances in between, however, towards the far end, we could only see trees. We followed the two birders, the two photographers until we reached the bunch of trees. Pratik and I escaped into the greens and reached the edge of the plateau that offered a breathtaking view. We just sat there, enjoying the breeze. In due course, the uncle and Akshay joined us too.

On our way back, we saw a bush plum (karvanda) tree. Pratik plucked bush plums for the grandparents while eating them along. He plucked them, wiped the sap, and hogged them down. I had a few of them too. The fruits were sweet and tasted delicious.

Looking at the faraway horizon. Shot on the Purnagad-Gaonkhadi bridge

We went home for lunch as we had plans of hitting the beach in the evening. We had aamras and cabbage bhaaji with freshly made hot rotis. After lunch, we just wandered about when we noticed the surrounding ambience getting darker. We noticed the clouds got heavier and turned unusually grey. We knew it was going to rain immediately.
And when we started to change for the beach, the power was cut off. The devices that were on charge suddenly lit up, the fans' speed lowered down, the little yellow light from the devghar disappeared, and we hoped the electricity revived soon.

The humidity increased but it did not make us sweat as cool winds were blowing, making all of us ecstatic. We sat in the car for Gaonkhadi beach and I was excited on some other level. Two favourite things were happening at one time: the beach and the rains. While we were in the car, about to reach, it started drizzling. Pratik's uncle had already announced that he wouldn’t step out of the car and Akshay too said he wouldn’t come inside the water. That meant, only Pratik and I were to go to the beach.

I tried shooting some videos and taking pictures from my iPhone for the vlog, but then it started raining heavily and I had to keep my phone in the car (though my phone is waterproof). I took out my action camera and was eager to try it out but the footage did not meet my expectations as its waterproof case blurred out the quality and the result was nowhere close to superiority. It was low tide, and the sea was completely pulled backwards. We must have walked about 30 steps and yet had to walk 30 more in order to touch the waves.

The view was beautiful. Tall suru trees (Australian Pine trees) were swaying and drenching wet because of the heavy rain; there was no soul around, except for Pratik, the sea looked dramatic as if warning us to not enter. The scene looked horror yet pleasant at the same time. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. I knew I was returning here with my friends or family. Gaonkhadi beach is highly recommended and you sure should not miss it. These few minutes were one of the best and I enjoyed the solitude.

Akshay had followed us to the beach but when we turned back, we could not see him amid any trees. On top of that, I had left my glasses back in the car so there was no chance of me spotting him. We realised that it was pointless to stand in the ankle-deep water when there was nobody around and the weather being so ferocious. We stepped out of the water and walked towards the car. On reaching, since the rain had stopped by then, we noticed both Akshay and uncle were in the car.
I dried my hair and Pratik changed into a dry t-shirt. We started for home.

We Indians have a beautiful way of celebrating blissful weather. And we usually do it with tea and a hot, local dish. For instance, if you're in Maharashtra, you would have tea along with kanda bhajji and wada pav. While returning home, we reached the Purnagad-Gaonkhadi bridge and stopped there because the view around was magical. We stopped for a while and I was lost looking at the faraway horizon. I had an epiphany that if things wouldn’t have happened the way they happened and that I still would have been working in a full-time job, then I wouldn’t have experienced this. I was fortunate to have a cousin who had relatives in such a beautiful village. I felt lucky; I felt happy.

On my way to Gaonkhadi beach

We left for home but on the way, ordered nine plates of wada pav. I started feeling uncomfortable. When my cousin brought the parcel inside the car, I felt uneasy. The fragrance of the oil troubled my senses and I started feeling nauseatic. I hoped I did not end up having a bad stomach, but unfortunately, I did have one. Until we reached home, I frequently pressed my stomach to temporarily reduce the pain. On reaching, we noticed that the electricity was still not back and that the grandparents were happy seeing the parcel. One of the grannies handed over a wada pav to me and its smell and taste disgusted me so much that I handed it over to Pratik in just two bites. I remember how the remainder of the night passed. I was lying in one of the rooms while holding my stomach. I had applied a pain relief balm on my stomach, had gulped a clove to combat nausea, had taken an acidity pill, and yet the pain hadn't stopped.

When it got unbearable, I threw out. I vomited again and then finally, I started feeling a little better. My stomach was upset and all this happened in the dark. But the good thing was, since it had rained, the weather was pleasant; in fact, I even had asked for a blanket.

For dinner, I had my favourite waran bhaat along with a sweet lemon pickle, and oh gosh, it tasted so good that it reminded me of my mum. I was beyond words grateful for the two grannies for keeping aside the waran just for me. I could actually sense the love behind serving me waran bhaat and I felt warm and at home.

I called my mom after dinner to tell her about my health and on that she advised me to drink sweet and salty water. That’s what she feeds me when I have diarrhoea. After cutting the call, I went to the kitchen to have this sweet nectar. I think this is my favourite drink as it relieves me on some other level. I drank two glasses of this mocktail and felt relaxed.

By embracing the eucalyptus fragrance from the pain relief balm and the blissful aroma of the wet soil, I dozed off. The electricity was not back yet and we were all lying without fans. Also, since the house is somewhat in the forest, the fear of snakes, frogs, spiders, or in a worst case, leopards, always eats your head. So for that, even the doors and most of the windows were shut. (Just one window in my room was open but that was not capable of providing any sort of ventilation.)

At 2:30 am, I woke up from sleep because of the clogged atmosphere. The power was still off and I felt so uneasy that I moved the blanket from my body and thew it on the floor. I lied down on the naked floor. I thought it was 5:30 in the morning and that someone would wake up soon and that I would wait for that person. I thought I would wait for the sun to rise, however, when I checked my phone, it was just 2:30 am. I browsed through my gallery till it was 3:00 am and then finally since my bare eyes were tired from the phone screen, I dozed off.

I remember, the electricity was back next morning around 7:30 am. Imagine! There was no electricity for 14 hours! But you know what? I was secretly happy to experience this side of village life!

Watch my vlog:

Do you know what’s better than planning a travel? Experiencing a travel plan come knocking at your doors. For a broke traveller like me, I keep on looking for ways that either let me stay for free or sponsor my journeys. But then when the luck doesn’t walk in your direction, you are disappointed and postpone your plans for some other time, or some other month, or keep on dreaming that one day perhaps you’ll have a hefty bank balance to travel as per your wishes.

I was in a situation where my December plan (and the probable one-day plans in the monsoon months) satisfied me, though not entirely. And then my cousin comes home and excitedly asks if I could join his family to a certain Gaonkhadi village in Ratnagiri district. If you know me, you would also know what my instant reaction would have been. I excitedly agreed and then we rushed towards my mom to share with her this piece of good news. My mom’s first reaction was, “Chalel ka pan tu gelelis?” (Translation: Is it fine that you’re going?) And on that, both Pratik and I replied collectively with a big “of course”. 

My mom was a little worried about me joining my cousin Pratik’s family. I had surely met his grandparents and his uncle and his distant grandparents on multiple occasions before but that had happened many years ago. However, I never possess any guilt of being an outsider if one of the insiders himself has invited me. I knew I would enjoy, because, firstly, it’s Konkan, secondly, I have never stayed in a Konkani house before, and thirdly, it meant a splendid opportunity to travel and produce content (blogs/vlogs) with zero to no expenses. 

This is how I was involved in some other family’s vacation plan. 

I was thrilled to travel for nine hours straight and especially when my cousin informed me we were leaving from Mumbai at 5:00 am, my excitement knew no bounds. Early morning and late evening travels are close to my heart. I try to grasp every opportunity to leave my house either early at around 5:00 am, when the streets are quiet and the birds chirping, or late evening, when the roads are jammed and the streets lit. 

On the night of 15th May 2018, I set my alarm at 4:00 am because we had planned to leave by 5:15 the next morning. Since I was unaware of how punctual my new travel buddies are, I was not taking any risk. I slept around 3:00 am that night due to career thoughts and after an hour, my phone started ringing. It was 4:00 am, the time to wake up and start executing the Ratnagiri plan. Unfortunately, we left an hour late.

The Sugarcane Stall at Mahad

I remember, we had checked our watches that read 6:12 am. That’s the precise time when we started our engine. 

Since the moment I sat in the car, which was a Tata Indica, I showed no signs of discomfort. I started conversing with my cousin’s grandparents and gradually, his uncle started adding a few words too. He had watched my vlogs before and knew my love for travelling and videography in general. He is a passionate photographer himself and a trekking enthusiast so we had many topics to talk about. Throughout our 11 hours journey, there would have been hardly any time when we ran out of topics. What I loved about his uncle––rather, what I love about people of this type––is the extensive knowledge about the biodiversity. He is a human encyclopaedia and passed on such an impressive amount of knowledge, ranging from butterflies and birds to trees and forts. This was the second interesting human I had met in this month; the first being Himalee in Pune. I am inspired after meeting such individuals. 

Our journey hence was fascinating. Not at one moment did I think my cousin’s uncle was exceeding the speed limit or regretted my decision of joining someone else’s vacation. The first layoff––which was demanded by Pratik––was in Mahad. The town is one of the holy places that is a home to a distinct Ganesha temple. It is a part of the Ashtavinayak Darshan pilgrimage, where the devotees visit eight distinct Ganesha temples in eight different towns of Maharashtra in one single trip.

We did not, however, stop for the temple. Pratik wanted to try his hands on churning sugarcane to produce sugarcane juice at a certain juice-stall he remembered from his last trip to Gaonkhadi, which was about five years ago. On reaching, we saw that the old man had advanced from a manual churning machine to a motor-operated one. We watched as the old man squeezed out the juice with pride and then sipped tall glasses of fresh sugarcane secretion. 

We had planned our second halt ever since I was asking everyone to have idlis my mom had sent along. We stopped mid-way in the ghat of Kashedi and finished the idlis that were topped with ghee and chutney. My mom had specially made the jawas chutney the previous night since the container was almost empty and she had planned to give me idlis all long. 

Kashedi Ghat is a heaven for riders. One side is covered with lush green trees and the other side with a valley that gives you a soft sight of the Mahabaleshwar hills along with Pratapgad and Makaranand Gad. The latter is known as the Back of Saddle for its brilliant saddle-like shape. The ghat appeared lovely in summer, in spite of clear skies and the frequent sighting of amber coloured twigs. Imagine the level of beauty in monsoon when the clouds are grey and the hues of green are romantically disturbed by the milky fog. 

We continued our endless journey. The panoramas after we crossed the ghat were even lovelier with the frequency of coconut trees increasing. And I love coconut trees. Coconut and palm trees. I believe they have the power to make any environment look twice picturesque. I knew we were nearing the coastal area, I knew we were slowly entering the land which is the definition of Konkan. Even though Mumbai and Thane fall under the Konkan region, for us, Konkan was never close to these two districts. For us, Konkan is your Ratnagiri district or your Sindhudurg district. Konkan is beaches, Konkan is the fish curry, Konkan is coconut trees, and Konkan is a paradise. It’s a different setting altogether. I believe those who have a house in Konkan are the blessed ones. Easy access to the untouched parts of the beaches and devouring ripe mangoes, which by the way, are from your own mango trees. 

I always fantasised having a home here. Even better if I had a granny who lived here, and then I would visit her every summer and she would cook my favourite dishes and then force me to have some more aamras. I plead no and that my tummy is full, but she insists and serves me more. Oh, my! What a wonderful way to live your life!

Tea with a view

As I write this, I have tears in my eyes that struggle to keep balance and not slip down my face. I just remembered my mom and my imaginary granny. If there’s one material thing I could ever gift my mother, it would be a house in Konkan. My mom loves the idea of having a house here. She loves the idea of living with fellow villagers around. My mom is simple and loves living a simple life. She loves villages, she loves villagers, she loves vast fields…

I wish we had a house here. 

We reached Chiplun and stopped for lunch at a pure veg restaurant named Shiv Sagar. The restaurant looked unhygienic but this was where the family stopped every time they visited Ratnagiri and had grown fond of it, I could read. We ordered the usual satisfying menu of butter roti, a paneer sabzi, and biryani, and ended up with a tall glass of masala buttermilk. Soon, as we continued, I fell asleep in the car. Sleeping for only one hour the previous night and travelling for so many hours at a stretch made it obvious. I don’t think I slept for long; it must be a short 30-minute nap. 

I was woken up with words that sounded something like “let’s stop for tea” as my cousin announced followed with a sigh. I understood that while I was enjoying my slumber, others were probably too fatigued as none of them had closed their eyes. However, after I seeped in his words and the situation, I sensed the temperature in the car was how I like: not too freezing and not so high that I wonder if the air conditioner is functioning or not. 

We stopped at a certain Hotel Alankar for high-tea. I gulped down a lemon soda as I am not very fond of having hot drinks in a hot climate. In reality, Pratik’s granny and I were to share cold coffee but unfortunately, they did not have any such drink on the menu. So I settled with a lemon soda in a sweet and salty flavour instead. 

The journey after lemon soda was refreshing. It was clear…we had stopped for refreshments and they had worked wonders on our mood and spirits. Pratik’s uncle promised us that the views preceding are scenic. We entered a place that had abundant three-storeyed buildings. I casually passed a question asking if this was a town as it looked like one, and on that, the uncle nodded. We had entered Ratnagiri. It immediately transported me back to those times when people shared with pride that their native was Ratnagiri. And I had an understanding of Ratnagiri at that moment. This was Ratnagiri…

We were about to reach Gaonkhadi, which was about 24 km away. On our way, we came across a beautiful piece of land that looked like a paradise. The sand had a carpet of tall Suruchi trees. It was the beach of Bhatye. Too scenic. If you ever wish to come here, there are two lovely resorts that are located on the beach. One is the Ratna Sagar resort and the second Kohinoor, which is on a hilltop. We crossed the beach and the panoramas later were beautiful. We came towards a board that welcomed us to Gaonkadhi village.

The views after entering were what we call Konkan. Coconut trees, beautiful huts, and villagers engrossed in their daily chores, at their own pace.

I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty and it felt surreal. I was about to live in a Konkani house, this fact was a little hard to believe. I have been to Konkan before, rather, I have even stayed here, but that was in a resort. I remember, about 11 years back, I had visited my cousin’s relative's house in Asud and the setting had completely blown me away. The grandparents even had their own cowshed with about five cows.

Captured in the beautiful Kashedi ghat

I remember we had had sabudana khichadi followed by tea and were completely mesmerised by their simplisticity. The idea of permanently living in Konkan is beyond familiarity. I always wonder what do these residents do in their pastime and what is their daily schedule. For instance, what time do they wake up, what do they do after breakfast, what do they do after lunch, what do they do when the sun is setting down, and what time do they hit their beds. How frequent are the power-cuts? From where do they shop their groceries? Is the food they eat grown in their own fields? I always ponder, how can one lead such a simple life all 365 days. 

If I lived in a village, I would have felt as if I am missing out on a huge chunk of opportunities. For instance, I cannot just lie down and not do anything. If I am sleepy I would sleep but I can’t imagine myself doing nothing. 

My thoughts were disrupted by the beautiful sight of the house which was shining bright, in the shade of yellow, amongst all the greens. We parked the car and climbed upstairs towards the house. I noticed two chairs on the cow-dung smeared veranda and it gave me a gist of how my coming days would be.  I knew I would be spending most of my time on one of these chairs, either sipping a hot cup of tea or writing a blog post or having a good time. 

Pratik’s distant grandmother, who is fondly referred to as Borivali Ajji, brought us tea. But before that, his distant grandfather, with his weak legs and shaky movements, lovingly arranged chairs for us in the veranda. At that moment I understood the old man was warm and caring.

Soon, the day broke into night and we dined on a dish that is popular as the post travel meal amongst most of the Indians. It is that meal you cook when you are extremely tired after a long journey and yet require food to regain your lost energy. The light-on-stomach 'mudakhi', short for moong dal khichadi.

What an eventful journey from one part of the Konkan region, which is bustling with tall buildings and stringent competition, to the other, which is the epitome of simplicity and gives you complete peace of mind. Alas! I was in the land known as Ratnagiri...

Instagram is a wonderful place to meet like-minded souls. I have exchanged stories with so many travellers on this platform that it is overwhelming. I have met a few who do not have a house by the definition of it and keep on exploring newer locations, and a few who have left their homes forever to reside in the mountains. There are some women who travel the world solo and then some young boys, like Jony Jindal, who have covered India's one of the northern-most points (Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir) and the southern-most point (Kanyakumari) at the age of 19 on a long 48-day expedition. 

Jony and my conversation started with a question I had asked on my Instagram story. Since I am visiting Uttarakhand and Haryana in the month of December, I was looking for pictures of Nainital, Mussoorie, Dehradun, and Lansdowne. That's when he replied that he had visited Nainital. I went through his profile and was mesmerised by his feed. While we were still exchanging our stories, I learnt about his K2K journey and was impressed, needless to say. He further asked me if I could publish his experience on my blog and I instantly agreed.

I was in awe of this young lad from Delhi who managed his own expenses, earned money through freelance projects, and finally set himself to do something he loves the most: travelling. Taking a story from his diary, here is an account of his inspiring journey:

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Kashmir to Kanyakumari is not just a trip; it is an expedition where you cover more than 6,000 kilometres. It is the story of my recent journey that was 48 days long from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. I covered more than 30 destinations, travelled across more than 10,000 kilometres, made hundreds of new friends, and learned countless of important things: I learned how to face my own problems, how to manage a situation where nobody knows your language, how to change yourself according to weather, according to culture, and according to people. 

Before starting this long trip of 48 days, I came across many problems. Since I am 19 years old, I needed to convince my parents, which was a little bit difficult but definitely not impossible. After a short debate, finally, they agreed. Once the permission was taken, the next on my list was packing. I didn't know what to pack for this long trip. I had never been on this kind of long travel before, neither with my friends nor my family. So this was one problem I faced initially. But nevertheless, I packed my bags with some essential clothes, accessories, gadgets, and some medicines for emergencies. 

It was totally an unplanned trip. I had only booked travel tickets from New Delhi to Srinagar in advance. After reaching Srinagar, I had no clue where I was heading to next. However, on my way, I met new people, made new friends and joined them to many places. It was an unforgettable trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and I would love to go on something like this again. Here's a gist of my 48-day travel:

On my solo trip from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, I started with Srinagar from Delhi and then ventured out to J&K towns like Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Jammu, Katra, and then covered Punjab's Pathankot. After that, I entered Himachal Pradesh and covered Hamirpur, Palampur, Rewalsar, Prashar lake, and Mandi. Then I entered Delhi and travelled to Uttar Pradesh by touching Mathura and Vrindavan. Later I went westwards and entered Rajasthan to explore its top cities like Jaipur, Ajmer, Pushkar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur. Then I entered Ahmedabad in Gujarat and straightaway travelled to the Financial Capital, Mumbai. I ventured out to another Maharashtrian city Pune and then explored the hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani in the same state. Later I travelled to Goa and then jumped to Kerala directly by covering Kannur, Kochi, and Varkala. Then I entered Tamil Nadu and visited the hill station of Ooty, and then covered Coimbatore and lastly, touched the land of Kanyakumari.

I am an adventurous guy so I sought every opportunity to get my adrenaline spinning. Here are some top adventure activities I was a part of:

• Snow skiing in Sonamarg and Gulmarg
• Snow trekking in Gulmarg
• Trek to Prashar lake, Mandi
• Camping and a short trek in Pushkar
• Desert safari in Sam Sand Dunes, Jaisalmer
• Camel ride in the Thar Desert, Jaisalmer
• Desert parasailing in Jaisalmer
• Horse riding in Mahabaleshwar
• Scuba diving in Goa

I tried an array of new things on my trip:

Hitchhiking: I had hitchhiked before in Uttarakhand, Nepal, and Haryana but on this trip, I hitchhiked newly in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharastra, and Kerala. 

Couchsurfing: I had never tried couch-surfing before. I stayed for free through Couchsurfing in Pune with a local Maharashtrian family for two days and then again in Kannur for a day, with a local Malayalee family. 

Local cuisine: I am a foodie and tried the best of Indian cuisine. From lugdi (delicious authentic rice beer) in Himachal Pradesh to soulful South Indian dishes like dosa, idli, sambhar in southern India, I  made sure to catch Gujarat's jalebi, fafda, and thepla, and the savoury dish of dal baati churma in Rajasthan.

Traditional dresses: I thought of trying out traditional attires according to the region and preferred them over my usual t-shirt and denim. So I draped myself in local dresses wherever I went. I tried the beautifully embroidered phiran in Kashmir and the classic kurta-lungi attire in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

I am Nomadic Jony aka Jony Jindal, a 19-year-old Travel Blogger, Vlogger, and Photographer who has travelled more than 50,000 km solo. I love to explore new places every day.

Looking at the branches above as Himalee perfectly captures the intertwined shadows

My mom had preplanned of staying at the Pune House since the last time we were in Pune, two months back. And when mom talks about staying there, it automatically means I’m included in the plan too. I was frustrated to stay in Pune frequently and do nothing but attend a family event and then spend the remaining days either buying groceries or relaxing. I wanted to explore my birth city and revisit the historical places to understand its richness from a different point of view––perhaps, the point of view from a 24-year-old's eyes. For instance, the last time I had visited Shaniwar Wada was around 12 years back, in the summer of 2006, as a part of one of the summer camp excursions. 

I enlisted the places I wanted to visit and absorb their rich flavours including the interesting structure of the Pataleshwar temple, the breathtaking view from Sinhagad fort, the dancing of goosebumps at Shaniwar Wada, and bringing back memories at Saras Baug. I planned my entire Pune stay, including the dates. The itinerary was ready.

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The plan was on paper: I was to reach Pune by night on the 2nd of May. Next morning, I would climb the Sinhagad fort and then relax. Next day, I would cover Shaniwar Wada, Lal Mahal, Pataleshwar temple and Aga Khan Palace. Then on Saturday, I had plans for a road trip to Lavasa with my cousins (for early brunch) and then the following evening at Agent Jack’s Bar with my first set of friends. Finally, on Sunday, I would try for a meet up with my Instagram buds and then on Monday, spot animals at the Katraj Zoo (and if time permits, then visit an aunt who stays near to the zoo). 

However, out of the places jotted down, I could make it to Saturday's events only; i.e., I explored Lavasa city and spent an amazing evening with someone I knew since 1996. Yes, that's right!

I had planned on touring Pune through the Pune government's Pune Darshan service that takes you to about 9-12 important locations in an AC bus. But unfortunately, the official website was under construction and the booking link had a glitch. We contacted the helpline and they advised to book the tickets offline from their ticket counter at Deccan or Pune station. Neither of this was possible so we had to give up the plan of touring Pune.

Posing amidst aesthetically pleasing walls. Captured outside Taljai Mata temple

This did not disappoint me much because I was happy to explore at least few places and meet people whom I knew since decades. 

The Sinhagad plan was not entirely canned but was tweaked a little. Instead of this huge fort, we went to the Taljai hills. I was going with Himalee, a brilliant tomboy I had met in a summer camp more than a decade ago. When I was planning on Sinhagad, she popped up in my head and I immediately invited her for this hike up the fort. 

Himalee lives in Pune and seeing her agility, intelligence, and love for nature, I thought she would be a perfect partner to hike. I got in touch with her and she happily agreed. While discussing the timings, she suggested leaving at 5:00 am for the best results. I flinched; 5:00 am was beyond imagination early. I requested her to leave from Swargate at 6:30 am but she explained me the possibilities.

We discussed and she made sense. From Swargate, it takes about 1.5 hours to reach Sinhagad and then the hike up top (along with a breather for photographs and relaxation) consumes a total of two hours. So when calculated, if we left from Swargate at 6:30 am, we would reach the foothills of the fort by 8 am, reach the top by 9:30-10:00 am and then descend down by 11:00-11:30 am. The timings would have been suitable if the weather was decent. It's summertime and the city is hit with prickling sunshine at 8:00 am. It would have been highly insane to start climbing the fort by 8:00 am.

However, for me, leaving from Swargate at 5:00 am meant drawing unnecessary risk. My house is in Kothrud and the distance between my house to the Swargate bus depot is about 30 minutes. So in order to reach Swargate at 5:00 am, I had to leave the house by 4:30 am, which is excessively early since I had no private vehicle or a cousin to drop me off. Also, I was shaky about getting a cab that early in the morning. 

Himalee understood and proposed a new place. She told me about Taljai hills and on seeing the pictures, it took me back to the trail with my cousin to the Vetal hills, which is similar to this one. (Though Vetal hills have an added quarry that boosts its likeability over the former one.) I nodded and found the place decent. So the plan was finally in its place. We settled on Taljai hills and were to meet each other at 7:00 am before the Taljai Mata temple. 

Next morning, I booked an Uber at 6:30 am and surprisingly, when it was dot seven, I reached the temple. I called Himalee and she told me she was near the foothills and would reach in five minutes. Meanwhile, I set up my tripod and shot some videos and clicked a couple of pictures. This was my first time in Pune with the tripod and it felt strange. People looked at me and few even thought I was crazy. Well, I am crazy.

Himalee and I.

The plan was to spend some time on the hills with Himalee and then explore the historical places alone. For the same, I was in a pair of jeans and a dressy top that looked completely out of the place. While everyone was dressed in tracks, I was looking like I was meeting a boy for a date. 

In about five minutes, Himalee arrived. She looked exactly the same! I had seen her twelve years ago and not even her hairstyle differed! The clothing, the temperament, the walk, the posture, the hair, the speech...everything was unchanged. She was the same Himalee (even appearance-wise) whom I had met more than a decade ago. I noticed her side bag, her floaters, her glasses, and exchanged a wide smile. 

We started walking and came across many fitness enthusiasts ardently walking. This is one of the aspects I love about Pune. Since your job is in the same city and you don't have to travel on a train for an hour to reach your office, life becomes easier. You can walk, jog, hit the gym, take Zumba classes, and have plenty of time to focus on fitness. Therefore you will also find people in their tracks and shoes, walking and laughing chaotically, but happily, in laughter clubs. (Not that you won't find anyone on the jogging tracks in Mumbai!)

We exchanged our stories and narrated our careers. She told me how she freelances in Japanese teaching and translations and how she has visited Japan twice. In fact, she lived in Japan for a year while pursuing a course there. I always admired Himalee's bank of knowledge, and learning that she was attempting her last stage of Japanese language later this year, blew my mind. 

We reached an end that displayed a breathtaking view of the city below. From here, you could see Parvati temple and the hill beneath it. You could see the river and the bridge. Himalee recounted the story of 1961 floods when the whole city was washed out. People migrated from older areas of the Peths and sought refuge in the other side of the river. The areas like Kothrud fall under the newly built parts of the city.

We continued walking towards the exit and discussed about the impending trek to Sinhagad. I realised Himalee was right. It was too hot and sunny even at 8:00 am. That's when I requested her to cancel this dreamy trek and I am sure she heaved a sigh of relief. I invited her for breakfast at the Cafe Goodluck and she agreed.

Climbed up a skeletal tree. Thought of giving a different facial expression this time

We reached the Taljai Mata temple, the exact spot where we had met in the morning. There she hung her side bag on a bike and took out a set of keys. At that moment I understood, Himalee rides a bike! I happily sat behind her and we started towards the cafe.

Before breakfast, she had some chores to do. Her mother was fasting on the account of Chaturthi so she had to buy bunch of bananas and a garland on the way. On nearing her building, I announced I would sit on the bench in the periphery of her society. On that she insisted me to come up as her parents wouldn't appreciate a guest sitting below like this. I think I didn't have a choice so I accompanied her.

Himalee told me about how her building is old and that it is on the verge of redevelopment. In fact, on entering her house I realised how soon this process is to start. They've begun with the shifting and her living room was full of boxes ready to be moved.

I sat on a chair and exhanged a smile with her mother, who was seated on the floor. Her mother offered me Pepsi Cola and my childhood memories came rushing by. The flavour was lemon, I suppose.

We wrapped things up and drove towards Cafe Goodluck. I had heard a lot about this place and how one must have Bun Maska here whenever they visit the city. I entered the cafe and the interiors instantly reminded me of the Iranian restaurants back in Mumbai. Same style of covering the table with a cloth and then adding a glass on to it. Goodluck even had menu card on the display between the sheet and the glass.

Scrumptious breakfast of Bun Maska, Cold Coffee, and Bread Butter Jam @ Cafe Goodluck

I was thirsty and craved for something cold and refreshing. So we ordered two tall glasses of cold coffee, a bun maska, and for Himalee, a bread butter jam. The food was delicious and no wonder, people appreciate the place. On our way, we parcelled tomato omelettes and onion uttapam, and my gosh, they were scrumptious too!

I bid her goodbye and thanked for taking me around. I sat in an auto for home and smiled thinking how marvellous travelling is and how beautiful it is to meet people.

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