Diveagar, a beach on your bucket list!

Though the sun was blazing down, the cool breeze didn't make it feel that like we were walking along a peaceful and beautiful on a hot sunny afternoon. To our left, all that could be seen was a blue expanse of water stretching miles into the horizon. Far away we could see a group of people negotiating hard with a watersport vendor. Once in a while, there was a huge whistling sound made by the trees adjoining the beach which swayed with the breeze. 

To cool off from the blazing sun, the ice sharbet / gola came to our rescue. With a dash of flavours ranging from sweet to sour, the crushed ice held on to a wooden stick tasted just delicious! 

Location:

Diveagar, is situated about 200 km's from Mumbai and almost similar distance from Pune. This is a small village alongside the beach and does not offer the best of resorts but lately, does offer a lot of home stays which are closer to the traditional way of a village stay. Couple of resorts like the Exotica and Happy days are some of the upcoming properties providing travelers some expensive options too. Our idea is to stay frugal and there's no dearth of home stays around. Food is prepared by these locals and have some 'Khanawalis' which offer the basic of local cuisine, including Fish, Chicken and yes vegetarian too. These are typically open only during the lunch/dinner times and satiating your taste buds during the mid-hours of the day is only possible on the beach with the temporary food stalls. 

Beach:

The beach is clean, beautiful with the waters safe as ever! The beach extends into a good long section during high tides and does not have a great descent which makes it the safest of beaches according to me. The distance you need to walk in to reach your shoulder level of water can be taxing during low tides!! The water stays cleaner than the beaches in Mumbai though can be muddy at times. Guess our Arabian sea isn't going to stay as clean as the waters in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman's! 

Bike Ride:

Taxing during the first 50-100 km's as you find your way through the city and then on the 'under up gradation' NH 17 Mumbai - Goa highway. The highway, given the four-laning process underway has turned itself in a road of potholes! The paver blocks do not do justice most of the places where they are put to maintain the road. Regular diversions make it safety-averse to ride uniformly on the highway. After taking a diversion from Mangaon, you head on the internal roads towards the village and this road is a two lane but winds its way through a small ghat, and a forest making the ride much pleasant if you reach here around mid-day.

To conclude this place is truly a beauty for a weekend 'drive and relax' session. This place is also closer to known places of the coastal Konkan like Srivardhan and Harihareshwar and is connected via a coastal road, along the sea coast - which I will cover in a separate post.

Till then check out the video compilation of the ride and the beach listed below: 

   
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Summary:
Location: Diveagar, Raigad District, Maharashtra
Distance: ~200 kms from Mumbai
Directions: https://goo.gl/maps/G1RFqFs8Hns
Time Required for Travel: 5-6 hours

Check out my Youtube Channel: bit.ly/atwander

Helmet: http://amzn.to/2kdw3xM

Rider Jacket by http://bit.ly/2kEF8Ar

GoPro Hero http://amzn.to/2juGCL1

Chest Mount: http://amzn.to/2jSwZ8s

Nikon D3200: http://amzn.to/2jEQTH3

Travel along to Kaza: Spiti Valley Part 3

"Aur thoda rice doon bhai" (Shall I serve some more rice) was a voice that stood out quite clearly in a quite hut which was almost full with travelers but busy savoring the delicious rajma chawal on a hot afternoon. The only settlement in the radius in Batal called Chandra Dhaba, run a family who provide only the standard basic food to travelers on the Gramphu-Batal-Kaza road in Himachal Pradesh, India. People going along the route stop here as this is the place right at the mid-day meal time in the middle of nowhere and also given that the travelers have no other option on the route. The dhaba is quietly nestled besides the gushing Chenab river and is operational only in the summer's; winters can become unbearable as well as with the road closed it would not have any visitors. The rajma chawal was delicious and was served piping hot to the travelers along with other options like maggi and wai wai (the local ready to eat noodles)

Having started way early in the morning and making our way through the arduous state highway 505, we badly needed a break for our growling stomachs. As soon as one crosses over from the deadly 'Rohtang pass' which literally means 'pile of bodies' given to represent the people dying due to the bad weather trying to cross the pass, you would hit more barren lands stretching miles into the horizon. The Manali side of the pass is pretty green with ambient weather supporting its growth however once you cross over, it is completely opposite with hardly any vegetation around. Though beautiful passes make you forget the pain the journey elucidates, the roads can be a havoc for people averse to road travel!

We start again on our journey after the lunch and a good ginger tea towards the next hurdle on this highway which is the Kunzum La pass, another dangerous road prone to regular landslides and traffic snarls! Atop the Kunzum La pass is an adorable Gompa, blessing the travelers on their way through the pass. Accompanying peaks covered with snow year round is another bliss to watch, atop the mountain pass. After probably 8-9 hours of absolutely no road - just a pathway - one hits upon a tarmac road and the blessings are suddenly all answered!

Kaza is the main village base where we had to reach by end of the day counting on the endless views of the peaks and valleys along the way and a glorious sunset in the Himalayas - trust me it's a blessing to witness one. Kaza is a village with ample accommodation avenues including zostel - which is an economical place to stay for solo travelers and for those on a tight budget. Kaza situated along the Spiti river - we left the Chenab river when we started climbing the Kunzum La, is a quiet hamlet with a population of 3,000 people and most of the others being visitors to the place and is situated at an altitude of 3650 meters (11,980 feet) above sea level.

Kaza hotels for your booking: http://app.makemytrip.com/162tqy-d2
Homestays are also a good option: http://stayzilla.com

Gear for the travel:

• GoPro Hero http://amzn.to/2juGCL1
• Nikon D3200: http://amzn.to/2jEQTH3
• 35 mm Fixed lens http://amzn.to/2iQBr5U

A glimpse of the road can be found in this video, shot during the travel: