By Alap Parikh.
In mid March, a friend and I decided to can our Goa plans and drive along the beaches of southern Maharashtra instead. We knew that tourism has not yet found the coast of Maharashtra, but little did we know what lay in store for us - pristine blue waters, soft golden sands, and dolphins!
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1. A SNEAK PEAK OF MAHARASHTRA'S COAST
We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this view from a small hillock at Vengurla jetty.
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2. OUR ENTIRE TRIP WAS A JOURNEY
We had no fixed route or plan; we drove, slowly, safely, soaking in the virgin beauty that lay in our backyard from Bombay, like this view from the Amboli Ghat.
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3. NO TOURISM, NO PROBLEM. YOU STILL GET COCA COLA!
A sure-shot sign that rural India is catching up on indulgences.
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4. SEA, SUN AND SWIMMING
On our way to Vengurla jetty, we saw this grandfather-grandkid duo, lazying in the waters in the hot afternoon sun. Scenes like this are common along the coast.
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5. MANGO SHOPPING AT VENGURLA MARKET
Our hunt for the season's first mangoes brought us to Vengurla market. It was hot and the road was crowded, but that didn't stop people from flashing us smiles as our bulky Innova lumbered slowly down the narrow main road. Coming from Mumbai, we were bewildered.
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6. THE VILLAGE OF DEVBAG
Sandwiched between the gently flowing river on one side, and the shimmering Arabian Sea on the other.
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7. AN UN-SPOILT BEACH AT OUR DOORSTEP
With locals going about their chores.
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8. WHO KNEW SUCH SERENITY LAY JUST HOURS FROM BOMBAY?
We indulged in Malvan seafood and spent hours swimming in the ocean; our own private paradise.
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9. AND IN THE EARLY MORNING, WE SAW THEM - DOLPHINS!
On a boat ride off the coast of Devbag, we felt just as carefree and playful as these likable creatures.
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10. DRIVING ALONG THE GHATS AT SUNSET
This could've been our picture-perfect entry for an Innova photo contest ;-)
Are you packing your bags for the coast of Maharashtra yet?
Devbag is located 500 km from Mumbai.
Route map for this drive: Mumbai - Amboli - Devbag - Chiplun - Mumbai.
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AUTHOR BIO: Alap enjoys everything adventurous, be it a sport or just setting out down a road without any aim. He is a soon to be student of information science, and harbours huge dreams of relentless travel in the future. As a big fan of writing and literature, writing about his travels seems to him a natural thing to do.
Photo Credits: Alap Parikh and Tej Mulgaonkar
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Isn't devbagh in Karnataka ?
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