Date : Mar 20, 2009
This was the very first trip with Yogesh and Santosh. The idea was to allow me some on-site training on my car which I had only driven for a maximum of 10 kms at a time all in the city. We randomly decided on a day trip to Kashid Beach.
The meeting point was Nahur station from where I picked up Yogesh and Santosh early in the morning, and as we zoomed past the Thane Belapur highway, we forgot the minute detail of which diversion to take at Panvel. In the excitement of the drive we touched the express highway and then realised there was no getting off it until Khopoli. Luckily we had started off quite early so we had the buffer. We got off the expressway near Khopoli and a lot of asking around later somehow touched the highway towards Alibaug.
A short snack stop at a highway Dhaba was something we desperately needed and the yummy parathas provided the ultimate satisfaction and much required diversion from the frustration of getting lost. Post that, it was a steady drive to Alibaug, listening to some music brought by Yogesh on his USB. He and Santosh alternated between front seat and back also imtermittently enjoying a nap, while I had my heart in my mouth trying to keep my eyes on the road, steering, gear, mirrors — everywhere :O .
A couple of hours later we reached Kashid beach and took a halt. I must say, this one is much much cleaner and deserted than Alibaug/Kihim beach and is well directed by the Prakruti resorts signboards all the way. The small shacks on the shores provide basic food/drinks and most importantly a place to rest under the shade. The hammocks set up here are a blessing.
We spent some time loitering on the beach. None of us had any plans to get wet – don’t know why – but the idea was to just have a relaxed break. Some rest and fermented coconut water was all we needed (???) before we decided to lift our asses and get back in the car for a drive to Murud-Janjira. This is another scenic drive, though I would prefer Kashid beach to the one at Murud.
Janjira fort was something Yogesh desperately wanted to visit, but the boat owners would not take us until the minimum quorum of 15 was attained. That seemed impossible, as we were the only outsiders at the deck. Disappointed, we decided to head back to the Birla temple and headed back for Mumbai @ 5:00 ..
The drive back was good, except that it got dark by the time we reached Pen and I drove the last hour with shaky legs 🙁 … since I had already driven almost 300 kms in a day for the first time in my life and to add to it driving in the dark on a divider-less highway was scary at that time. Somehow managed to reach Mulund safe and sound at 9 pm … dropped Santosh and Yogesh at the station.
Fortunate to have attempted this drive as it was the one that instilled the confidence of driving in me 🙂