For
the last two years, we had been heading towards sea destinations for our summer
holidays -- Goa and then Kerala. So, this year, we thought we would go
somewhere near the hills but then we were not 100 per cent sure. So we tried of
checking the availability of train tickets, as a train journey is the best when
one wants to enjoy the abundance of nature. After some permutations and
combinations, we realised the sea was beckoning us again. In the next 10
minutes, we got confirmed tickets to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and from there we
decided to go to Ganapatipule – a quiet but exotic seaside destination.
For
the third time, we would be heading to the sea. I, my husband and my
eight-year-old son were smiling ear to ear as we are all in love with the sea
and that too in the monsoons. The first things to pack were umbrellas,
raincoats and crocs– even though we knew we would be drenched to the bone and
that we would love it. We applied for leave and after one month, we were in the
train heading to our monsoon destination. We crossed tunnels, hills, plateaus,
waterfalls, streams and we were glued to the windows to enjoy each second as we
will miss such views at least for the next six months.
After
a 28-hour journey by Rajdhani, we reached Ratnagiri, and after one-and-half-hour
auto drive we reached Ganapatipule. The auto drive through the winding road and
meadows was just amazing. In between the hills and village settlements, the
view of the roaring and rocking sea from the top was just breath-taking.
We
had booked a cottage in an MTDC resort in advance. We were amazed to see the huge
campus with a walking track, a children’s park and space to sit. Down a few
stairs was the sea beach. Our room faced the sea with a huge balcony. There
were lines of coconut trees in between and then the endless sea. The constant
sound of the waves was like magic to the ears – washing all our tension away.
We
freshened up and went for lunch at the campus restaurant and had an amazing
Maharashtrian fish thali. After satiating our taste buds, we could not wait to
go down to the beach. There was hardly any crowd and there were rocks to sit
and about a km away we could see the famous Ganapati temple after which the
place was christened Ganapatipule.
That
evening there was heavy rain and the moment it slowed, we took out our
umbrellas and went out to explore the locality. There were lines of lounges and
restaurants nearby and that night we had delicious vegetarian dinner with the amazing
aroma of Konkani and Malwani masala.
Every
morning and evening, our routine for those four days was go to the beach,
stroll, enjoy the waves and just sit and sit on the rocks -- doing nothing. My
son enjoyed getting wet and playing with the sand. We clicked pictures and
selfies like we went crazy. The rains were so unpredictable there, when we went
down to the beach the sky was clear and suddenly a few dark clouds would come
from nowhere and pour like cats and dogs. But we went to enjoy the monsoon and
we did every bit of it. Every day, we were soaked to our bones but we went back
again and again. We had to switch on our room fan and AC to dry our clothes.
And we had a blanket to warm ourselves.
We
found a panchkarma massage centre within the campus. My husband relaxed with a
body massage and I experienced shirodhara (head massage). The aroma and the
warmth of the ayurvedic oil pouring drop by drop on my forehead was so relaxing,
I felt all my stress vanishing. I would live there forever and never return to
a polluted city like Delhi if I could. But that is why it is said holidays are
short lived. It is always good to wait for holidays because once it arrives, it
ends too soon.
On
our last day, we visited the Ganapati temple. Due to the heavy downpour, there
were very few devotees. There was no queue and we had our darshan and
experienced the aura of peace in the temple campus. The laddoo prasad was
divine. My son clicked pictures with the huge elephant and rat. When I told my
sonny he can wish whatever he wants in rat’s ears, he immediately complied. We
bought two torans as a memento of Ganapatiple from the temple lane for our home
mandir entrance.
Even
if we didn’t want to leave the place, we had to bid adieu to the astounding
place. On our way back to the Ratnagiri station, we got down from the auto and
clicked pictures from the hill top, which had amazing view of the sea below. We
knew the holidays were over and we had to join office the next day but that
could not stop us from planning our next holiday and that again brought smiles
in our faces. This is what life is all about -- plan beautiful holidays and get
charged to work for the next six months!
Our plan
trip:
Train journey is the
best when one wants to enjoy the abundance of nature. We took the Rajdhani Express
from New Delhi to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra for our sea and monsoon destination,
Ganapatipule.
Mumbai is 375 km away
via Mahad, and Pune is 331 km away via Satara.
Essentials to pack: Umbrellas,
raincoats, crocs, shorts, etc.
Enjoy nature in
abundance: We crossed tunnels, hills, plateaus,
waterfalls and streams.
After a 28-hour journey
by Rajdhani, we reached Ratnagiri, and after an one-and-half-hour auto drive (around
30 km), we reached Ganapatipule. You can take a cab or bus too.
Buses are available
from major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur.
Enjoy sea view
throughout: The auto drive was just amazing. In between
the hills and village settlements, the view of the roaring and rocking sea from
the top was breath-taking. We enjoyed on the Bhandarpule beach for some
time on the way.
Where we stayed
We had booked a cottage
at an MTDC resort in advance. It has a huge campus with a walking track, a
children’s park and space to sit. So you can maintain social distancing too. Down
a few stairs was the sea beach (Ganapatipule beach). Our room faced the
sea with a huge balcony. The beach was almost empty, giving a feeling that we
were at our private beach.
Food:
We went for lunch at
the campus restaurant and had an amazing Maharashtrian fish thali. Near the
beach, there were rocks to sit and on the other end of the beach, a few hundred
metres away, we could see the famous Ganapati temple (a must visit), after
which the place was named Ganapatipule. The laddoo prasad at the temple is just
divine.
There were lines of
lounges and small restaurants nearby and that night we had delicious vegetarian
dinner with the amazing aroma of Konkani and Malwani spices.
Stress-free in just
four days; you can plan a two-day trip too
Every morning and
evening, our routine for those four days was go to the beach, stroll, enjoy the
waves and just sit and sit on the rocks -- doing nothing.
Enjoy massage:
We found a panchkarma
massage centre within the campus. My husband relaxed with a body massage and I
experienced shirodhara (head massage). The aroma and the warmth of the
ayurvedic oil pouring drop by drop on my forehead was so relaxing.
Other places to visit:
*Different beaches:
Ganapatipule, Arey Ware, Advika, Malgund, Bhandarpule
*Prachin Konkan Museum
*Magic Garden
*Shree Mahalakshmi’s
House of Wax
*Jai Vinayak Temple
*Kavi Keshavsoot Smarak
You can take a bike on
rent and roam around the town
At some points, scuba
diving, para motoring, paragliding are also available
Nearby places (3-4
hours’ drive or a day’s trip)
*Jaigad Fort &
Lighthouse
*Chiplun
*Ratnagiri city
*Kolhapur
*Guhagar Beach
*Vyadeshwar Temple
*Gopalgad Fort &
Anjanvel Lighthouse
*Hedvi Ganesh Temple
& Beach
*You can also hire a
bike and ride the sea trail to Tarkali, another pristine beach, and further
down to Goa.
