You begin by working on a farm.
Wake up to the sound of the cock crowing as the sun’s rays gently kiss the top of the palm trees.
Drink milk warm from the cow’s belly. Milked by yourself under the expert supervision of willing
farmhands. Fresh breakfast: bread from locally sourced bakers, ‘deshi’ eggs from free range hens
who are contentedly clucking around the yard. Perhaps you helped to collect them from the hen
house where they roost at night. If you are vegetarian, there’s a wide choice of traditional
Maharashtrian snacks: poha, sheera, upma, thalipeeth.
And after that gorgeous breakfast, you get down to working on the farm: learning the basics of
organic farming, helping to grow tender mango saplings, getting the baug watered and after
a morning well spent in farming, collecting some veggies, fresh from the soil and handing them
over to Mandatai for her hands to magically make the tastiest meal ever. If you wish you can
pick up some cooking tips, else you just relax in a hammock, far from the madding crowds.
With an afternoon siesta under the shade of the mango trees.
Come evening and it’s time to visit Harnai: a stroll around the harbour, watching the sailing
boats coming in or actively participate in the auction of fresh fish. Which you carry back
triumphantly for a wonderful finger-licking dinner.
Next day is another adventure altogether. Driving down along the wonderfully beautiful
coastal highway: the azure waters of the Arabian sea glistening in the near distance, lush
green paddy fields on your right and groves of mango trees bent under the weight of their crop.
The excitement of crossing the Dabhol creek and the Jaigad creek. Driving the car onto
the colourful local ferry as it transports one and all to the far shore across the creek. Perhaps
along the way, you will be lucky to spot a lonely fox as he lopes along the roadside. Or maybe
a couple of otters playfully gambolling next to the creek. If you are really lucky, a dolphin or
two may follow in the wake of your ferry.
There are plenty of distractions along the way: the candy coloured, picturesque temple of
Hedvi perched on its hillside ledge, serenely surveying the surrounding countryside.
The majestic natural formation of Bamanghal along the Hedvi coastline where the sea
majestically rushes into a gorge in the rocks and produces a hypnotic sea spray with a loud boom.
You reach Jaigad, a quaint port with a romantic pier, the surrounding hills sloping down to
the waterside, gently echoing the plaintive call of the seagulls. The tiny village and harbour
is protected by the small but fiercely sturdy fort of Jaigad perched high up on the cliff overlooking
the harbour. It’s ramparts stand guard against potential invaders and the spirits of soldiers
from the hoary past patrol it’s walls. Incredibly romantic.
The next stop is Waravade a typical fishing village it’s trawlers piled high up on the gravel.
Walk the tiny alleyways with houses jostling each other with fisher folk busy repairing their nets.
You drive on to reach your next destination: the coconut plantation and mango farm at
Bhailadi: trees densely packed against each other, the dappled sunlight trickling down
between the branches. It is right beside the sea and you are spoiled for choice: drink the
delicious coconut water and laze on the beach, or swim in the cool waters of the ocean.
Or shower in an open to sky bathroom. Or do you clamber up the hillside to a mind-blowing
view of sky and sea or walk up a forest untouched by human hands. The food, as usual
is incredibly delicious. Fresh local produce and authentic Konkan cuisine sate the appetite.
At night you can choose to sleep directly in the open, the starry sky your blanket.
The next day you move on to the real wilderness. High up on a plateau, in the middle of
nowhere: the only sound you will hear is the song of the tall grass as it rustles in the breeze.
Your tent is a welcome oasis sheltering you from the raw nature around. The food is simple
yet delicious, conjured by one of your local guides and barbecued to perfection.
It is with a sense of real regret that you retrace your steps to civilization. But with a promise to
yourself to return once again. Soon.
