It was an Alibaug Trip / Feb 2012

To Alibaug Feb 2012

Mumbai to Rewas

0800 hrs we (sebastian & vaibhav) reached Mumbai Port - 'Ferry Wharf'; aka 'Bhaucha Dhakka'.  There was some doubt regarding taking bikes on a ferry to Alibaug. So just to confirm, YES; One can load motorbikes onto a ferry and unload for an extra Rs110. The ticket counter opens at 0815 hrs and already a ferry  (ML Faiz) was waiting . Two hours later (1030 hrs) we reached Port Rewas and unloaded the Bajaj Avenger.

Rewas to Kihim

We exited the port. Outside there is a small gang of autorickshaws waiting for passengers. We ate at the only restaurant  there (ehh ok. but pricy). We rode towards Alibaug, courtesy- nokia maps. A 'Kihim beach' soon appeared on the map. On a hot sunny day,the sun was blazing and the wind was blowing. So based on first comes first ,we detoured towards Kihim Beach which was 30 mins away from port. I counted 4 bikes and 2 cars parked near the beach..so practically deserted as compared to the beaches in Mumbai.

Kihim is clean, a bit rocky towards the right, but the shore is long. Water sports were the next thing in the mind. There is a Banana Boat ride, jet ski, somemore and Kayaking. Oh yes there was no thinking over (memories from 'man vs wild' just swept in). "Kayaking it is!" and Vaibhav agreed.  Geared in fashionable shorts and jackets strapped, we dragged the yellow kayak offshore. Sitting onto it was a trick of its own. Soon we set sail in the slim boat. There was just one paddle, which was enough really. The guy on the jet ski told us not to go beyond a floating tyre which was pretty far from where we were right now. "OK boss!"

The Yellow Kayak

 I paddled halfway towards the tyre. The kayak swayed from side to side ridding on the waves. A good distance away from the shore the dread of going overboard was riveting. Legs placed both sides and skilled paddling helped balance the little shaky boat. We took turns,  I steered myself to face the shore and handed the paddle to him. Turning the kayak was a scary ordeal at times when the kayak tried to flip on us as it was now parallel to the waves (while making a 180). He rowed and rowed and soon we were past the floating tyre.  I could still make out the figures of people on the shore. Soon I had a go on the paddle and we went on ahead towards a red flag which was barely distinctable from the tyre. 40 mins have passed by and Vaibhav Finally got to the flag. I could no longer see the people on the shore, it was now just a distant landmass. We were 2kms or maybe more away from the shore on a small yellow kayak.  The sea ahead looked endless. I tired to fathom about how many fathoms below the seabed lay.  The sun was too hot and I tried to wet my face and hands occasionally. We took a break and just sat there. Sea water suddenly felt colder, I feared of some under water current. The sea was pulling the boat inwards. After a good rest, I took over the paddle and started rowing towards the shore. I thought of the movie Cast Away. Halfway back towards the floating tyre, on manoeuvring the boat 180 deg, we caught a wave and the kayak capsized! I held a breath seconds before hitting water. The water was cool and I was amazed with the peace of mind I still kept.  With rather ease we came up and grabbed onto the kayak before it swam away. I remember we didn't hurry up to get onto the kayak, the cool water was a real nice change. I grabbed onto the sides and pushed myself onto the surf board like boat. Getting on it sure wasn't a piece of cake.  Soon enough, the  jet ski guy came up to check on us and left once we assured him that we both can swim and will be fine. Vaibhav got on and we set sail but agreed to next time purposely capsize! It was a fun rush!  While he rowed,I placed both feet onto the kayak's nose to make it sway uncontrollably :) We soon passed the floating tyre and overturned a couple of times. Vaibhav decided to swim the rest and I tired to stand on it, but the would-be surfer fell. I got the paddle and rowed towards shore and parked it on the beach. We competed holding breath the longest.  My stopwatch clocked 1 min 53 secs! A huge improvement from the 45secs achieved  in the 'swiming pool' days. Swam a while more and exited the sea.

Kihim to Nagaon(or was it Akshi?) Beach

1330 hrs we left for Alibaug city. Several guest houses on the way. The nearest beach from here was Nagoan beach. There were awesome coniferous trees along the shoreline . This beach was also pretty deserted. For the next water sport we took on two jet skis, a Yamaha zx2000. A little into the sea, I got possession of the handle bars & accelerator . Jumping the waves and quick maneuvering tricks made the 5 min (or seemed 2mins) ride worthwhile. Later a jump into the sea was refreshing. Swam and held breath holding contests again. I could not  top the 1 min 53secs.

Above Beach to Alibaug beach

Well we came all the way to Alibaug and so couldn't miss out "The" Alibaug beach. The jet ski guys had told that this beach was the only 'Chowpatty' in Alibaug. I wondered what a 'Chowpatty' actually meant . Dry clothes later, the bike left for Alibaug beach.

1630. Alibaug beach wasn't so great, it gave the likes of a creek. Crowded and filled with horse carts. Just right to it was some Killa(fort). We took some pictures and moved on to Rewas Port.

Rewas to Mumbai

I parked the bike and Vaibhav got the tickets to head home. The port was empty, as in; no other bikes that we saw in the morning were around. A ferry was already parked there, but was going for Blah( i don't remember) The port was old and the walls covered in mollusk and coral.

We were kind of tired from the day's excursion.

1830. The last ferry to Mumbai arrived with motley group of passengers. And what do you know, Its ML Faiz again. The bike was loaded on it's roof. I asked a guy if they would wait for other passengers. Soon after, the ferry set sail. We three were the only passengers onboard! I imagined having booked the whole ferry to ourselves. We were on the roof now. A cold breeze blew and sea gulls chased behind. Soon enough we felt refreshed. The sight of the birds were spectacular but my mobile camera couldn't capture high speed photographs,

I kept trying though. After sunset at 1900hrs,Vaibhav headed down for a nap. I chatted up with the "captain" and later managed to get 15% battery charged.  A cargo ship was still unloading coal onto a tug boat. Soon Mumbai lights were much clearer. The reflection of red and yellow lights from the Port made colorful squiggly lines on the seaface.

At 2020 hrs, the ferry parked at Bhaucha Dhakka. We were the last to arrive and the Port gates closed behind us. Vaibhav was driving, when I spotted this awesome looking bike. So we drove back and took pictures of the Harley. I continued the drive from there. Priorly, I had a few minutes of experience driving an Avenger. I started off from port road and drove uptill Hub,Goregaon east. The ride was relatively comfortable.  Some fries and burger later we parted.

On the way home, I tried to comeup with clever anecdotes to end this post.