A new year brings a new start to your life. The calendar changes and so does the time. This was my first time that I was working, that too on a new years eve. So what better way to start the year by taking a trip with your mom and cousin, and to escape all the hustle and chaos in your life.So it was my mom's first visit to Pune for me, and I wanted to make her experience a randomly happy one with loads of memories to look back to. So what's better than taking a trip to the beach side! Oh wait...a clean, calm and beautiful beach side!! That made Diveagar an easy choice.Diveagar is a small village on the western coast and is a part of Raigad district in Maharashtra. The ride from Pune takes about 5 hours and is mostly a mountain ride. If you love speed though, this journey is not for you. The traffic on the way is almost none and you can enjoy the view of the ghats. The road is okay.
The diveagar beach is just so beautiful and pristine it takes your breath away. It is one of the best beaches I have ever visited in India. The water is clean and the sand is soft...sounds perfect, pretty much is. You can do jeep-sailing ( dunno what to call that), banana ride and all the likes at a very affordable rate(<500) too. You can also take a tour of the beach on horse cart for ₹30 per person(take it). The sunset was to die for and so was the sunrise ( but duh- western ghats, so no sun but all the shine). We went to the beach both in the evening as well as in the morning and it gives you all the good feels.The entry to the beach is through a canopy of trees that makes it all the more enchanting. As there are no lights, try to get back because once its dark you only have phone lights and your sense of direction to get back. The place is small but safe, so dont worry even after dark. We stayed at the Pearl resort here. The room was good enough with a nice balcony too. It costed around ₹2000 for a night. Independent cottages are also available here . This place was very spacious compared to the other, somewhat cramped up guest houses we came across on the way (and trust me you come across a lot of them). The food here was simple and if you like sea food, well then you are in for some kolapuri masala awesomeness! The prawns and fish is worth a try(foodie alert).I would love to try Exotica by MTDC the next time I visit, since its right on the beach and looks amazing!The next morning after all the beach fun.
We visited the Diveagar Ganpati temple, which is famous for the gold Ganpati statue that once sat here. It's a cute little temple. The next stop was the Harihareshwar temple which takes about 2 hours to reach. The scenery en-route is simply breathtaking. The journey is a full coastline view drive with some twists and turns of the mountains. You will cross Aarvi beach which also makes you fall in love deeper with the sea and the shore. It's so pretty that you actually feel so proud being a part of this country... Just that we need to take responsibility in keeping it that way. Harihareshwar temple is a 10min walk from the parking area and you can get good idli sambhar and wadas at the restaurants during your walk. The temple is also known as dakshin kashi and a pleasure to visit. The beach here was more crowded and less clean.Well this was the last stop of our getaway and the return journey started. But with a lighter mind and a lot stronger soul.This was the first time ever that I had planned something and taken responsibility from choosing the place to getting all the bookings done and I feel so happy to share the beautiful experience. Traveling and exploring always makes me happy and it sure does something to you. So take out all the fear and travel to explore someplace you have never been before.And BTW there won't be any sort of internet connection there so connect to yourself and people around you in a way you should.
