Beach Hopping Part II: Alibaug Expedition

Trance dude (TD,  Me) thought of dividing part two and one into separate regions than talk about a few beaches here and there. I planned most of the visits in a similar manner as well with this part talking about his visit to Alibaug and its pretty beaches.

Alibaug happened more because of an adrenaline rush to just get up and go somewhere on a lazy Saturday. Though the initial plan was to chill at Kihim beach, the hyperactive puppy that I am, couldn’t resist checking out three more beaches in the same day!

I had my partners in crime, Rock Chic and Lord Chicken (come to think of it, they are my best travel buddies!) to go with me on this planned (or unplanned) journey. We got up pretty early on a Saturday to catch the 6:00 AM ferry from Ferry Warf in Mazgaon Dock. This is the first ferry from Mumbai to Alibaug and we were fortunate to catch the ferry as it was about to undock itself from the dockyard. Phew!

So, in the cold winter morning, we set sail to the distant land of gardens and flowers (or at least that is what I think ‘Alibaug’ stands for). A one and a half our boat journey does cut down on the long road trip and for unfit guys like me, it helps to enjoy the place more than the ride! Anyways, the early morning chill did not dampen our spirits and we began clicking pictures of anything we got hold of – seagulls, mountains, the sea!, anglers and the ferry itself! It is a pretty boat ride and I will recommend it to anyone wanting to go to Alibaug from Mumbai.

By the time we reached the other end, Rewas Jetty, the sun was already out but it was still cold. Since we were at Rewas and Mandwa isn’t far away, we changed our plans and headed out to Mandwa before going to Kihim.

The beach itself is next to the Mandwa Jetty, which divides the beach into two parts. On either side you have adventure sports activities though the side on the left is far better for the usual beach relaxation.

It is a pretty beach with calm waves inviting you to just sit there and watch the birds (and I mean seagulls) go about their daily chores. An hour spent at Mandwa in the cold sea with hot tea was an awesome early morning experience for me personally!

After Mandwa, we headed off to Kihim. Kihim too is two-faced, with a rocky side one on end and a plain old beach at the other. The entire length though is dotted with private bungalows. I envy these folks with such exotic views day in day out!

Kihim is a pretty beach though the rocky end is pretty deserted. This is where we spent most of our time watching the anglers and women go about their daily chores. What surprised us was how close they were to the shore while fishing. It seemed hard work but the rewards made it worth the effort!

We moved to the more crowded part of the beach but there was room for 1000’s of people there and we were just three! It was a low tide and anyone could walk quite a distance into the sea. Got into my shorts so that I could go in a bit deeper (still do not know how to swim, shame shame!) while the rest were busy clicking pictures.

It was only 11:30 AM and we were already tired and hungry. Said good-bye to Kihim beach and made our way to Alibaug. Had lunch at Hotel Fulora and then asked for directions to Alibaug Beach. This is the main beach of the city. A well-developed promenade, seating space, organised boat tours, vehicle parking was all there – reminiscent of Juhu beach (minus the boat tours!). We walked around looking for shade yet found none. The blazing sun beat down on us mercilessly but it was 2:00 PM so quite expected was this treatment of thee mortal souls at the hands of the all-powerful sun god (A bit too much eh? Nah! I am just getting started).

The Alibaug Fort is only a short boat ride away (or a short walk during low tides) and is a must visit if one is in Alibaug. As for us, our purpose was different (and besides the heat didn’t help either). We spent some time at Alibaug and later moved on to our destination.

Asked around, got lost, asked around again, got lost, asked around yet again and finally got the route! It was the last beach for the trip and my oh my, wasn’t it just worth the wait! A magnificent beach, it reminded me of Diveagar. A beach just ahead of Kihim (in fact there is an inner dirt road that goes here from Kihim). Oh yes! Trance Dude speaks about Awas, a place, for which, he has already made some special plans.

Awas is in fact like a copy of Diveagar with a creek on either end where anglers can be seen laboring throughout the day. A deserted beach, we shared this long stretch of sand with another group of around 15 people who were busy playing cricket.

It is hard to describe how pretty I found Awas in its raw state. Yes the beach needs cleaning up, Yes the sand isn’t as fine as in Goa, Yes there are way too many crabs for my liking but nothing was going to stop me from falling in love with Awas. Took a long walk on the beach and was quite surprised to see three different types of sands as well as a clear (clearer in fact) patch of sea in the middle of the otherwise muddy waters. Don’t get me wrong, the water was quite clear, just that the sand seemed loose for most of the stretch resulting in the ‘muddy looking water’.

It is a perfect beach for a long lazy day with your friends. We were here for around 3 hours and didn’t see as many people come even as the sunset neared. Sadly, had to get back to Rewas Jetty for the 6 PM ferry back home and hence caught the sunset whilst on the ferry and not the beach. But there are no regrets, for I found for myself a damn good beach. (Maybe I shouldn’t be posting here in the first place, the lesser people know about it the cleaner it stays!).

Anyhoo, that was the end of the second part. Four beaches visited in one day didn’t tire me out. Maybe, I am made for em’ beaches afterall! I will leave you with some more pictures I clicked from my faithful Panasonic FZ5, the grand daddy of the FZ Series!

Seen at Alibaug circle.

A kite feeding on fish it caught at Awas Beach

The three idiots.

Spot the crab!

The entourage of seagulls following our ferry back home.

Raju Koliwada, Gorai Beach Shack

Cannot remember the last time Trance Dude checked out Gorai Beach. It was possibly, when he was a kid. This time on his bike with the Rock Chic, Trance Dude set out on his journey to Gorai. The beach was awesome, even visited the Global Pagoda. Gorai comes close to Goan beaches in terms of eateries on the beach itself. We went to one such shack which had a few pet dogs it seemed.

Hungry after hours of walking, we ordered for Chicken Fried Rice, Prawns Chilly and another Surmai. Unsurprisingly the prawns and fish was good while chicken was nothing great to write about.

The prawns they served us were big but not as big as the King Prawns. It tasted really nice even though we were very aware of the presence of Schzwan Sauce in the Prawns Chilly Dry! The dish wasn’t spicy though and once could taste the prawns through the sauce and masala. The fish was well cooked though small in size but at INR 80, it was the cheapest Surmai I have had in Mumbai.The prawns was priced at INR 100 as well, making it a cheap and good eating option if one is in Gorai.