PungentPunch

Of the beautiful places I wish to see and have seen. Of the impeccable experiences, perilous thrills and everything in between.

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Sun, sand, waves and all that jazz...

Recently (and not so recently) I have come across such perfectly gorgeous beaches that I might just be becoming a beach bum I never thought I was.

I have met people who love beaches and haven't seen anything but the overcrowded garbage bin look-a-likes which start right where the traffic on main road ends.

This is for them.

Because there are still so many beaches that unfold nothing but serenity.

Aare-Ware Beach (Ratnagiri)

I only got to see these twin beaches from a birds eye view and it looked like an absolute dream. The water at any beaches in Ratnagiri is strikingly blue and clean. Most of the beaches here are empty and as pristine as any seaside could/should be.

Ganeshgule Beach (Ratnagiri)

A perfect place for a days picnic. I would suggest giving this beach the whole day. (not that you would want to leave soon once you set your eyes on it.)

Vayangani Beach (Ratnagiri)

Yet another gem Ratnagiri offers. It is a tiny, hidden place and you might have to walk a little for this one. Every bit worth of it, trust me! 

Half Moon Beach (Gokarna)

This is no doubt my favourite one. You can check the earlier posts to know why. I am thoroughly obsessed, yes. 

Cola Beach (South Goa)

I haven't seen most (any) of the famous beaches in Goa But of the few south Goa beaches I have seen Cola hands-down is the best place to chill. The lagoon there is going to make going back home real difficult.

And that’s all the ocean love for now people!

 *Go before commercialization spoils it all! Run! Run!*

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Pelhar Lake

Couldn’t get enough of this place even after visiting twice. These are some stills from the last visit. Eager to see how this place looks in the winter mist. 

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Pelhar Lake/Dam Vasai.

Perfect place for a small hike. Have to figure out if one can camp here. Nothing better than having such views so easily accessible. Some stills coming up soon.

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Finally. After what seems like an eternity... All my friends have agreed on one thing... Finally no one is procrastinating... Finally a plan is being executed... Finally I'm done packing... Finally I'm travelling again... Hope my year continues like I'm starting it.

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And somewhere between you trying to drown me in your depths and me trying to sway with your waves I find a shore...faraway in my subconscious. #ocean #marinedrives #drowning #photography #oldpicture #ihatetaggingbusiness (at Marine Drive)

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Treks and trails and their beauties! (at Gorakhgad Fort)

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Kondana caves, Karjat July 07, 2013

The first time ever I went wandering alone. Best place for a short trek. You could finish Rajmachi and chill at the caves while coming back down. I stopped counting the streams at some point! There were just so many! 

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Home away from Home- Rajgad Dec 2012

The first time I trekked Rajgad I knew I would come back.. And after my third time summiting here I know, I still have many more visits pending. This was my first experience of a night trek and I have loved how tranquil Rajgad feels at night.

Colourful flowers, the trails, the needles eye on the east wall, the views and especially the people there! just so grounding!

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KORIGAD- 18TH - 19TH AUGUST 2015

As vacant as it could get; the hours of darkness...agonizingly beautiful, the indefinite hazy horizon throughout the night to admire and a delightful morning after to wake up to. Birthdays are supposed to be like this. Korigad. Probably my first proper trek this monsoon. Very easy actually. (I didn't come back home limping this time) - Thanks to my good old trekking buddies.

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Getting Familiar with Wilderness. July 06-08 2015 - Half Moon Beach (Part 3)

Half Moon Beach:  I somehow managed to get detangled from the crazy, bushy jungle with my extremely heavy backpack and fell right out in front of those boulders I was looking for. A few fishermen there, who I'm sure thought of me as some wild animal sniggered a little before showing me the way. After jumping off some dozens of boulders I was walking on the Half Moon Beach. Absolute serenity. Looking around I was sure there was no tourist bound to come here even by mistake and I decided to crash there.

Walking toward the shacks not sure I will find any human around, I found a very tiny figure working on the field. That granny showed me around and offered me rooms to stay. I settled for a shack which her husband cleaned up for me. Apart from the cute old couple and those fishermen there was no one there. Super envy towards the fishermen, I would kill to have a workplace like this. I was overwhelmed by their attentiveness. They were overly sweet, getting me fresh coconut water and helping me pitch the tent and they even did the happy dance with me when the tent was finally pitched.

Our glass turned into a bowl!!

The fishermen asked for my favorite fishes so they could catch it for me I am sure a seafood fan would have had the day of their life. I spent the afternoon lazing in my tent and occasionally limping around the gorgeous beach alone, hopping onto the rocks to watch the waves crash there up close.

The old couple stayed across the field behind the shack. I dozed off now sure that my friend won't be coming only to be woken up by the grandma with a cup of tea. Never had better nap; what with an entire beach to myself. All this while Lyon had thrice circled the Om beach and was lost in the jungle above Half Moon. I went up and came back down to the beach with some drinking water and a badly bruised Lyon. We had to ride off road hell lot of times to get to any other place from Half Moon. Lyon did excellent riding the bike every time through that road, the experienced rider that he is. I read that there are many peacocks around, well we only spotted one peahen on one of our such rides. 

At night, the “topless” grandma made Lyon really yummy curry to go with the rice which he apparently loved. (I loved the tribal dress code, so did Lyon :P) The sky wasn't very starry but whenever the clouds parted it was absolutely breath taking. Gokarna is surely a great place for star gazing. With too many shooting stars and fireflies above my head, I don’t remember sleeping.

The next day after having an open air bath (yes, the bathroom there had no walls) with clothes on, I had enough energy to trek back up to charge my phone. We came back to the beach after having our breakfast at Kudle beach. So you will find one hotel open at Kudle beach also in the off-season. We were able to click pictures now!! After walking by the beach and clicking far too many pictures, it was time to pack up and leave. Nothing I have known is as sad as pulling your tent down and saying goodbye to such a place.  Make sure you keep a rickshaw drivers number with you so he can come pick you up, getting transportation here is impossible. Gokarna is a place to be at off-season...for whoever wants some adventure and solitude. Definitely my favorite escapades for a very long time indeed and I will always love it during monsoons.  

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Getting Familiar with Wilderness.  July 06-08 2015 - Om Beach (Part 2)

A little ascend takes you where you can see Kudle at its best.

This is where you start for Om Beach.

Later that trail connects to a tar road which wasn't rolled yet. You have to continue up that road until you reach the main road which takes you down to Om beach.

Om beach: 20 minutes or so from Kudle,(by walk as well as by vehicle) this beach is the most popular and almost all the tourists prefer coming down here. Few people after knowing I was trekking alone showed varied expressions and chatted for a while. Later they told me that I won't find any food after I cross this beach and I assure you there are good chances that you won't. The shacks here were closed too. Even though I had enough food on me like always, I decided on having my breakfast at the only hotel that was open there. I got fresh and wasted some time sitting on a very huge, very low tree, perfect to gaze at the vast ocean. Well also the only place that helped me from roasting in the sun.  My phone's battery was dead by now and all I had an old Nokia survival phone (That's what I call it). Very helpful indeed. I informed my family about my whereabouts and tried to reach a friend, Lyon, who planned to join me.

Finally realizing that it's getting hot I continued toward the next beach. You better charge your phone wherever and whenever you can. I regret not doing so. I lost my way while trying to reach the next beach, even after getting the directions from a policeman; who first wasn't sure he should be allowing me to go any further. I took a wrong turn and reached heaven. The highest point of the cliff where I waited for a while as I couldn't take my eyes off the  tranquil beauty in front of me. Sadly I couldn't click any pictures here. I came back to where I started and saw a woman entering the shack down the trail. I called out and asked for directions in my messed up mother tongue. She guided me into a dense, creepy jungle which I wasn't very certain about the first time. Well that turned out to be the right path and in a few minutes I found myself walking by the edge of a cliff, the best patch yet! You will have to make your way out of a very dense jungle again after this patch. You might get caught in some thorny bush if you aren’t careful. I remembered the policeman telling me I will have to climb and jump off many boulders to reach the next beach. I continued looking for just that... 

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Getting Familiar with Wilderness. July 06-08 2015  -Kudle Beach (Part 1)

This is not an account of me getting lost in the jungle, surviving storms, hunting down wild beasts for dinner while I try to summit ranges alpine-style or any of that over the top crap.

But yes, it is about one of my best adventures. A beach trek at Gokarna for which I have been hungry for since ages. At least for the most part of it I was on my own. Travelling  alone makes you come face to face with the harsh realities of our society or let's say of this whole repulsive world basically. But surely if you are looking for some peace and solitude, venturing out is anytime a better option than locking yourself up in a room with loud music. It doesn't block anyone out except for your own self.

My journey started with an over excited me reaching way before time at Thane station to board the Matsyagandha Express. The journey was pleasant until except the smoke from the engine started suffocating everyone; especially when in the tunnel. To make it worse we have the capable youths of our nation smoking at the doorway making sure we really get sick. I would suggest travelling to Gokarna by a Bus, as Gokarna road station is 21 km or more from all the main beaches you would want to start your trek with. That wasn't something I wanted to know when I reached there at 5:45 in the morning.

The people might seem a little shady but they are sweet and very hospitable. Of course you have to be sure of everything when travelling alone. A GPS device should always be handy. I couldn't keep my eyes on the navigation for long though. The early morning breeze along with the drizzles made it impossible to do so. After breathing in the horrible smoke for entire 12 hours this was eternal bliss. And soon I realized I don't really need the navigation. First rule to enjoy a solo trip is to be cautious and the second is to let go when necessary and have trust in yourself as well as humanity. I have met the most interesting and honest people on my trips fortunately.

Kudle Beach: This is the nearest beach to the main Gokarna beach which I skipped. I could see all the chowpaty I wanted to in Mumbai. The rickshaw/tum-tum driver warned me about how I will have to trek down to the beach and I was more than happy to know that. My knee couldn't have taken more than 2 kilometres of walking but I decided I will trek as much as I can and crash at some beach when tired. I will not forget the first sight of Kudle for a good few years. The first beach I saw which was as empty as it could get and absolutely clean. Kudle is full of colorful stones. You will surely find all shades of red. The only guy who seem to exist there told me the shacks are all going to stay shut as it was the off season. The disappointment turned into delight when I realized all the beaches are going to be this empty. After soaking in as much as I could of this pretty sight I continued walking towards the other end of the beach that would take me to the next pit stop.

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Inspiration Lies Within you. 07 March 2015

https://www.facebook.com/kirti.godkhindi.3/media_set?set=a.1586020851610753.1073741840.100006085603079&type=3

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Enroute Sigandur-Varadahalli, May 2009

The excruciating physical pain... negligible really. When all your travel plans are failing. And then you have your old photographs and travel magazines to gaze at for the daydreamer you are.

Yet another of those moments when i have felt handicapped for not being able click a better picture. . .

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Ehh.. im not a beach person...but surely can't get over the love for shells. #Heartsandallthatblahblah (at Girgaun Chopati)