CKRT Day 06 - Devgad to Malvan (Tarkarli)

Continued from CKRT Day 05 - Ganapatipule to Vijaydurga

Route: Devgad -> Kunakeshwar -> Mithbav -> Tambaldeg beach -> Malvan -> Sindhudurga Fort -> Tarkarli

देवगड किल्ला (Devgad Fort)

The room in Devgad was fantastic and leaving it early was ruled out since we had some free time to go. 

We woke up early in the morning and went to Devgad fort. In most area of the fort, there seemed to be permanent dwellings. Modern ones. It's in absolute ruins. There is nothing to be seen there. Except for may be the light house. We call it a fort just because there are some standing remains of fortifications. That's about it. It's in a very sad state. 

The views from the backside of the fort, though, are quality. It's a rocky coast with sea view, when you sit on the fortifications on the rear. Occassionally a sea eagle or even a falcon can be spotted on the rocks or flying very low. 

In about half an hour, we returned from the fort, had our breakfast along the route and got back to the room. 

At about 11am-12pm, we left for Malvan. The route to Malvan from Devgad for the most part, goes through a vast expanse of barren land. You can see, and strongly smell, the nauseating odour of drying salted fish. Loads of herons, kites, eagles, falcons can be spotted around such dry beds. 


कुणकेश्वर (Kunakeshwar Temple)

The first halt was at Kunakeshwar. It was an attractive temple with a beautiful white-sand beach and sea at its rear. We picked our spot to do some photography from. The temple with a backdrop of beach and sea looks very beautiful from a hill nearby. We did ample shooting, took in the views and came down. 

It was high noon and we were hungry. We found out a decent eatery there and had our lunch. A group of mentally-young retirees was also visiting Kunakeshwar after celebrating another retirement in their group. They were sitting in the same eatery opposite our table, and seeing all our gear and everything, conversation flowed. They were also heading to Malvan and Tarkarli. I suggested them a few spots from what I knew, around there. They were destined back to Pune via Amboli and Kolhapur. A very jolly group of people enjoying their post-retirement life. It's always very heartening to meet such people.

A Superb vista en route Malvan

From this part southwards in Konkan, Sol-curry is part of every thali. Wherever you eat. This was not the case in Ratnagiri and Raigad. There you have to ask for it seperately. Another speciality of Sindhudurga downwards, is the Konkani accent. तुका, माका, काकानु kind of words, that sound very sweet and welcoming, are heard in this part of Konkan. All people here also speak and understand Marathi. But in their day-to-day life, Konkani is used predominantly. The language sounds very similar to Marathi and can be understood roughly as to what people are talking about, if one pays attention. It's basically Marathi, with some sweet and cute special effects, in my opinion. 


मिठबाव आणि तांबळडेग किनारा (Mithbav and Tambaldeg Beach)

After lunch, taking leave of the young-retirees' group, we took off for Malvan. Along the route, Mithbav was another detour that we took. There is a Tambaldeg beach 4-5kms inside from the main road, also called as Mithbav beach. It's another of those clean and unfrequented beached of Konkan. After shooting views and checking out the temple there, we got back on the main route to Malvan.


मालवण आणि सिंधुदूर्ग किल्ला(Malvan)

When, in about an hour we reached Malvan, it was late afternoon, and first thing we did was to find a room and to check into it. In half an hour after throwing in our luggage, and getting fresh, we left for Fort Sindhudurga.
Boats for Fort Sindhudurga can be booked from malvan jetty. Both private as well as common boats can be hired. In common boats, ticket for the adult costs Rs.35/- and you have to wait till the boatsman collects enough people for the ride. We waited for around half an hour before out boatman thought he had collected enough.

The sea was little rough, and our bot didn't have the heavy woorden extension that lots of boats use to steady themselves in rough sea. The attached wooden extension, it seems like, shifts the centre of gravity of the boat outside, and spreads the weight over a larger area, stabilizing the boat in rough tides. Since our boat didn't have it, and since I was sitting on the edge, it was quite natural that by the time we got off at Sindhudurga, I was soaking wet due to the wobbly boat and crashing tides. Not that I was complaining, since this roller-coaster ride was one of the pleasant-most boat-rides so far. 

The guide we hired at Sindhudurga, was no different from the crowd. Not much knowledgible, a little disinterested and hurrying kind. The one we met at Vijaydurga was definitely one of his kind.

Roaming around Sindhudurga, we saw the hand and foot prints of Shivaji Maharaj , the आगारखाना, importance of गोमुखी प्रवेशद्वार (entrace shaped like the mouth of a cow) - elephants can't charge in and have a go at the heavily armoured door at high inertia, various ways of defense, details about how the fort was built, the only one of its kind - temple of Shivaji maharaj, temple of goddess Bhavani, टेहळणी बुरुज (observatory), etc. The vast expanse of Tarkarli beach is visible from this observation point. It's one massive massive beach. I felt it was wayyy longer than even the Guhagar beach.

It was quite late by the time we returned back to the jetty. Around 15-20 mins till Sunset, and we had planned to see the sunset from Tarkarli beach. I hadn't been to Tarkarli beach before, even through I had been to Malvan, and was eager to see what this much talked about beach was like. 


वेळ आली नव्हती

Roads in Malvan are small and one can get stuck behind a car if its driver is not decent enough to give way. 

I was in a hurry trying to make it to the beach before sunset, and this Maruti Ritz, in front of me, was tailing behind a small goods carrier, seemingly in two minds whether to overtake or not. I followed it for sometime, giving him ample time to makeup his mind. But he kept hesitating, and blocking others behind him. I lost my patience and then sounding horn and giving him passing light, I quickly moved into whatever small space that was remaining on his right. And just then, ignoring the horn and passing light, that guy got his car's nose out to overtake!! 

There is this adage I always follow - never ever spook a lady driver on the road, never. Not only will she go down herself, but she will also take you with her! Over the time, I have come to confer this same status to Maruti drivers as well. More or less I have observed they are the ones who have least regard to road etiquette and sense. 

So there I was, caught in a limbo at high speed, between the Maruti on the left and some trees and bushes on the edge of the road on the right. It was one of very few incidences when I had ever come closest to a very serious mishap. 

Probably the auto-pilot in me took over, and in a split second I lowered two gears and fed in all the throttle to see if I could force my way through that opening and clear the car before that car's nose kisses me. 

I did clear the car. But the ordeal was not over yet. Due to the speed, and the gravel on the edge of road, my bike started skidding, and we were about to hit the road, literally, at high speed, when in a last ditch effort to avoid a fall, I applied all power I had in my left hand, to pull that skidding bike back up again, and arrest the skidding. A pain spike shot up in the left hand and shoulder, but I managed to arrest the skidding and eventual fall as well. 

Both of us, me and Pravya, kept marvelling how come we were still riding and not scattered all over the road. There were two speeding vehicles behind us, and if the fall had to happen, we were sure we wouldn't have seen daylights again. It was a mighty close shave. Having gone through lots of speed thrills so far, my heartbeats stay regular these days irrespective of the type of thrill. But after that incident, I could feel my heart beating like it would burst in a moment. 

As they say, काळ आला होता, पण वेळ आली नव्हती. Indeed.


तारकर्ली किनारा (Tarkarli Beach)

By the time we got to Tarkarli beach, the sun had already set. The beach, contrary to my expectations, was as featureless as Diveagar beach, not to mention dirty. It's hyped, just like Malvan itself. It might also be that either I don't know what to see in a beach, or I have seen too many of beaches too many times to like the regular ones. 

The MTDC huts and Bamboo boat house on Tarkarli's सुरु बन, just behind the beach, looked exquisite though. All MTDC facilities, we had seen so far during our roadtrip, were impeccable, at least from their appearance. 


Back to Pavellion

Leaving Tarkarli beach, we roamed around Malvan, finding a place to eat and spend some leisure time at. Finally after having our dinner at a clean, good looking restaurant, and having a mastani (the ice-creamy milk-shake, I mean) at a cold-drink joint near the Malvan jetty, we came back to our room. 

It was late in the night, and I went to bed, with a sore left shoulder, and still wondering about that incident, in the back of my mind. 


Next: CKRT Day 07 - Malvan to Vengurla