Beach Holiday @ Karde-Harnai (29th and 30th December, 2009)

Check the photos here

Sab was the one who initiated and Sab was the one who missed it. The planning began in November for our yearly get-together. Sab and I zeroed on Karde. The reason I liked Karde was the possibility of sighting dolphins. Last March when I, Viji and Rianna had been to Mangalore we saw dolphins swimming along the sea-shore at Maravanthe beach and this was what gave Karde the thumbs up. The dates were decided 29th and 30th December, 2009 and Sab also managed to book a home-stay at Karde. We were 10 of us, me, Viji, Harry, Cissy, Jai, Mayuri, Sab and Pav with the bacchas Ria and Valerina. One car could fit 5, so we decide to take 2 bikes along.

One day before we leave, Sab says that his leaves are cancelled and he will not be able to come. No persuasion works, so now its one car with 5 and a bike with 2. The kids go in the car.

It is decided to begin at 8 a.m. in the morning but then as usual it is 10 a.m. by the time we leave. Jai driving my Fiat Palio and I and Viji on his Unicorn. None of us had a proper breakfast so the first halt is just after Hinjewadi. A round of poha and tea and it is decided that the next stop will be at Mulshi. Its been a long time that I rode a bike but then the bike responds like a gem. The Bajaj M80 is my companion in Bangalore. I and Viji go ahead on the bike so that we can capture some photos on the way. It is easier to stop the bike and click photos than doing it in a car. Cross Mulshi and the Tamhini Ghat, Nizampur and reach Mangaon. The Konkan plains look superb from the Tamhini ghat. A few kms on NH-17 and we stop for lunch. A few kms further at Goregaon we take the road to Mandangad. After Mandangad, Harry decides to ride and I and Viji are in the car. Pune to Dapoli is around 200 kms and we reach Dapoli late in the evening at 5.30 p.m. After drinking tea at Dapoli we start towards Karde. When we are reaching Karde a thought occurs, have we made the right decision coming to this place? The road is bad and narrow. One vehicle at a time. On the right we can see the sea. There are a couple of hotels nearby. Our home-stay is a little further. On reaching the home-stay, our view about the place changes. The home-stay is just 100 meters from the sea-shore and the sea looks inviting. I know that we will enjoy being here.

Its 7 at night when we reach and ask the owner to cook food for us. After a bath, I and Jai ride to Dapoli to arrange for slippers, odomos and some drinks for the night. On coming back we sit together relaxing and then have dinner. Want to wake up early in the morning so that can take the boat for seeing the dolphins.

I wake up at 7. Valerina is awake and so Cissy too is. We go to the beach. But there are no boats on the beach. Come back and all are still sleeping. Anyways Ria wakes up and I take her to the beach. Ria loves the beach and the sea-water. The waves here are gentle so she has a good time. After an hour all are in the sea and enjoying ourselves. We are keeping an eye for the boat but there is none. We can see a couple in the sea ferrying people for dolphin watching. Anyways. just as we are leaving a boat comes but the boat-man says that the sea is getting rougher so no more trips and he would take us tomorrow.

We decide to get ready and go to Harnai to see the sea-fort Suvarnadurg (Harnai). On the way to Harnai we see sea-gulls on the sea-shore and manage to capture some good pics of them. Reach Fategad fort which faces Suvarnadurg. Suvarnadurg is surrounded by the sea on all sides and we have to go to the port to take a boat that goes there. Explore Fategad fort and climb down to the sea-shore. Ria and Valerina are excited on seeing the sea-shells at the base of the fort and are soon collecting them. After spending an hour exploring the fort, we are hungry. On the way to the port we find a restaurant and have lunch there.

On reaching the port, see the Harnai light-house. A boatman agrees to take us to Suvarnadurg for 500 rupees and we get in the boat. The sea is rough and the boat bounces on the waves. A beautiful island with thousands of sea-gulls. What a view! The boatman suddenly says that the sea is too rough and he is finding it difficult to go to the fort. Harry and I force him, inspite of the pleas of Valerina and Mayuri to turn back. He manages to take us to the fort and we have one hour to explore.  There are lots of bats hanging on a tree. We also see a crow's nest with a baby crow in it. In fact, we can touch the baby crow if we want to. Wish there was some maintenance that was done for the fort. The way back is smoother as the wind is behind us.

There is an auction of the fish going at the port now and we decide to capture the action. Cissy agrees to cook lobsters and we get 5 for Rs. 350. It is a good deal. We also buy some prawns. The dinner menu is lobsters and prawns curry. On reaching our home-stay, Cissy and Viji cook food for us. I agree to wake everyone up early so that we can go to see the dolphins.

Wake at 7 a.m. and am at the sea-shore. The boatman asks me if we are ready. Go back and wake everybody up. Off into the sea we go to see the dolphins. There are couple of other boats too on the same mission. This makes it confusing. Each boatman tries to take the boat near the dolphins and the dolphins get frightened and disappear. Anyways, after a long wait we manage to see a couple of dolphins. Probably could have seen more if there were no other boats and people screaming on seeing the dolphins. There are so many people who do not understand that animals in the wild are not like pet animals.

Its time to return back to Pune. Harry and Cissy ride till lunch time just before Mangaon and then I and Viji ride. On the way back, take a short cut near Paud through Ghoatavade and see the blue moon. The moon-light guides us back home. Reach home at around 8. We are tired. Sleep and miss the mid-night mass. Wake up in the morning, refreshed. Its a Happy New Year and we are all set for it.

Karde is a quiet village, perfect for spending some time away from the city. The beach is just great, one of the best that I have seen. One should definitely go for the dolphin ride. Harnai with its auction market is exciting. The ride to Suvarnadurg and Suvarnadurg fort too is great.

For more information on Karde and Harnai, check
http://www.konkaninfo.com/dapoli/harnai.html and
http://www.konkaninfo.com/dapoli/harnai.html.