Mumbai to Alibaug

Its 5:30 PM on a Saturday evening. Two guys are sitting in a battered, old and somewhat rickety Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and thinking what to do next. The Sholay fan says "Let's toss. Heads we go to Alibaug and tails we go to Lonavala". The Agnepath fan agrees. The coin is flipped and heads it is.

This was some five hours ago when me and Vivek were trying to decide on the monthly outing. We have this unsigned agreement that we shall go out at least once every month (if not twice) to places outside Mumbai.

So as destiny would have it, Alibaug is the destination for the week. Alibaug is about 100 kms from Mumbai. Only way to go there is by road and thanks to Vivek's car we dint have to use the state transport. Anyone who is driving to Alibaug must make sure that there are few spare tyres and the toolkit. The road is very very (yes, very very) bad. Another option is taking the ferry but again ferry is no fun. Driving is the idea and there are things on the way that should not be missed.

Talking about baggage, anyone travelling to Alibaug must make sure that there are cameras, extra rolls (memory sticks in case of a digital one) and loads of batteries. The drive is very scenic and there are few of the most splendid sceneries along the way. There are hills studded with numerous waterfalls (wonder where all that water comes from even when the peak is all green), grey roads with a white dotted divider in between (the ones that are very common in all those beautiful wallpapers), lamp posts along this very road, mysterious houses (the ones where you always wanted to know who lives but there is no way to), huge banyan trees (obviously very old with more roots than leaves), a hanuman temple in middle of nowhere, numerous kids in school uniform (are they going to school? Or are they coming back?), women carrying water (I thought it was only in movies or in deserts), men trying to sell assorted fruits and vegetables and last but not the least, the wiper on the windscreen. The drive is an ideal setting for a photographer looking out for some practise. The sad part is that we did not have a camera. I am still wondering which one to buy.

On the way you will cross the Ispat Industries Factory. Don't miss the fire flames as high as 15-20 feet that god knows what they are using for. I have never seen something like that in my life so far.

Then there are regular Dhabas on the road for people looking out for food. The quality of food is nowhere close to the ones on Punjab or Haryana highways but I had a good meal after quite a few days. A rice roti with dal is very highly recommended. Advisory: All these dhabas are authorized to sell booze. Crowds can really get rowdy. Try to be careful. We were.

At Alibaug
After all the action and adventure on the road, we finally reached Alibaug in about a couple of hours. It was 9:30 when we got the first entry ticket to Alibaug. The "Alibaug City Council" charges an "Alibaug Pollution Control and Cleanliness Tax" of 10 bucks per day from any outside vehicle entering Alibaug. I am not sure if they use this money for actual pollution control or cleanliness of the place. From what I saw, they need to clean a lot of things. I could see more cows and stray dogs using the roads than humans. Last time I saw so many cows was in my hometown way back in 1991. Got me nostalgic.

Once you are in the town, rooms are available easy and plenty. You can find a room for as low as 300 bucks (double occupancy) and as high as 2750. A comfortable, AC room would be something like 800 bucks. The best three places in terms of comfort and service would be Hotel Ravi Kiran, Big Splash and Sahyadri in descending order. As everywhere else in India, the rates are negotiable and depending on the negotiating skills discounts can go as high as 40%. We got a 2750 room for 1600 at Ravi Kiran. Not bad considering that I suck as negotiating and Vivek can hardly talk to someone without trying to act smart. Everyone but him realizes that he is being smart pants.

So once we were settled in for the night, we slept peacefully till the next morning. Sunday we started exploring the place. Alibaug is basically a nice place to chill out and move away from the rushes and speed of a city life. Alibaug has got its share of "tourist" spots. It has got few beaches, a fort, a Shivaji statue, a post office, even a Reebok Factory Priced Showroom. Don’t expect a lot of things from the "mini Goa of Maharashtra".

People are very helpful. Helpful to the extent that Mumbaikars call anyone who helps as "Alibaug sey aayela".

There are few nice places around Alibaug. We went to this beach called Kihim – nothing to write about. There is another one called Kashif. Kashif is must see. The way to Kashif is best described as "mountains on one side and sea on the other". If some has been to ECR in Chennai between Chennai and Mahabalipuram, they can relate. Only difference is that at ECR, shore is about 300 meters from the highway and here shore is 30 meters.

Until I get more inputs from Vivek, I shall call it quits. There are loads and loads of things to be added here.

Stay At
Hotel Ravi Kiran – 222459, 222460
Big Splash – 226800
Hotel Sahyadri – 226404

P.S.: The poster for the movie Alibaug is just a tribute to a great pic.