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

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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:

  

Pangong Tso: Highest Salt Water Lake

The best part of being to the northern most part of India, just few kilometers away from the International Borders, would be to witness the pristine beauty of the Pangong Tso (Lake). Its the highest lake situated at 4,350 meters (14,270 ft) in the Himalayas. Since its an endorheic lake, the water is salty thus making it the highest salt water lake in the world ! An endorheic lake would basically mean that the lake waters do not have any exit or drainage to the oceans or any other rivers.

The lake extends from India to China with almost 60% of its length being in China. It is about 134 kms by length, 5 km at its broadest point and covers a total area of around 604 square kilometers. Despite being a saline water lake, it completely freezes in winter. The 6-7 hours drive from main Leh city to this lake is completely worth it and a overnight stay adds to the worthiness.

We decided to stay back for one night as we did not want to grab only a couple of moments of this beautiful lake after travelling so far. There are camps setup by the local people as well as commercial business men who setup the camps purely during the so called ‘Summer’ of that region which spans from April to late September every year. We found the temperature to be super chill – atleast for us as we have been acclimatized to the ‘hot & humid’ city weather’s. Though there wasn’t any accurate method to check the temperatures we guess from the local people that the least temperature that night was close to zero – accompanied with the wind chill. Its a splendid experience to move from Air-conditioner temperatures to close-to zero temperatures !! The camp was well – equipped to provide us with enough blankets to keep us warm on that cold night ! The excellent food in the midst of nowhere is also a boon !

Images and a royalty free video below.. 

Schedule at the base camp: Spiti Part 2

"Sahab, jara utar jao" (Sir, can you get down) said the rickshaw driver as his vehicle chugged and knocked out on the steep roads of Old Manali. We had reached Manali just a few minutes ago after an overnight bus journey from Delhi. We were blessed as there were no major hiccups in the travel given the treacherous Himalayan roads and our air travel to Delhi shortening our overall travel time to half! After the rickshaw picked up on the steep road, we jumped back in to get on our way to the hotel we were supposed to check in - Dragon Inn situated in Old Manali.

Tip: If you are planning a trip to Manali, look for hotels in Old Manali. Tons of options including economical home stays are abundant. OYO rooms further help reduce the lodging costs.

Once we checked in the hotel, it was time for some good hot water bath and a relaxing sleeping time to cope with our backlogs. Evening is when all were back to their senses when our companion & guide for the trip joined us in the hotel - Motu Bhai, is what he is called. An introduction with him was also a good ice-breaker for all the others too as most of them didn't knew each other prior to this trip. I, of course, on the other hand knew a couple of them given the coincidental meetup on the flight to Delhi. There were a couple more solo travelers like me in the group and all were super enthusiastic about the trip and what we had to look forward to. This was very well explained by our guide, which is here for your reference:

Day 1: Reach Manali and relax
Post the 12-16 hours of journey from your home town including an overnight journey, this day will be to get you to acclimatize to high altitudes. The day is meant to relax and not overexert in any condition. Nearby points of interest can be Manu Temple hot springs, innumerable cafes and their delectable coffees by the river.

Day 2: Manali to Kaza
An early morning start to an entire day's journey through one of the most challenging routes in the country to reach Kaza by evening. This route is filled with scenic beauties changing from the green valley of Manali to the desert region of Spiti and Lahaul. This 220 kms route takes about 10-12 hours depending on the road conditions and comfort. On the way, one passes through Rohtang, Kunzum La pass - both one of the highest and dangerous roads in India.

Day 3: Kaza to Key to Kibber and back to Kaza
Visits to the Key monastery and one of the most beautiful villages nestled in the hills - Kibber are the highlights of the day. This day is pretty relaxed given good tarmac roads for most part of the journey and a scenic village to add to the memories

Day 4: Kaza to Dhankar, Tabo and back to Kaza
The spiritual trip continues with visits to the 1000-year-old monastery at Tabo, followed by a monastery situated atop of a hill in the Dhankar village. If time permits, this day also includes a short trek to the serene Dhankar lake. The day ends back in Kaza.

Day 5: Langza - Hikkim - Komic - Langza
We pack our bags from Kaza and move towards Langza - one of the highest villages at 14,000 feet, a hamlet nestled just below a peak always covered in snow called the Chau Chau Kang Nilda peak (21,000 feet). We move one to visit Hikkim which has the highest post office of the country, hosted by a hospitable family. We move on to the highest habited village of 114 people and visit the Komic monastery. This village is situated at 15,087 feet. The day ends in a comfy Langza home stay.

Day 6: Langza to Chandrataal
This day brings you to the most serene location of this trip - the Chandrataal lake. Traversing through the most difficult roads I have ever been to, one reaches the base camp with tents setup. This is because the area becomes inhabitable for humans in the winter and the setup is only done for summers from July - October, which can be still chilly!!

Day 7: Back to Manali
This day is just includes backing up all photographs and reminiscing all the wonderful memories captured on this trip, while on your way back to Manali. The evening is free for you to visit the amazing cafes. Cafes like 1947, Drifeters Inn and Dylan's are famous amongst others in Old Manali.

To be continued with more magic..