Beer and Blabber by the Beach- Tarkarli

Tripoto
Photo of Beer and Blabber by the Beach- Tarkarli 1/4 by Shreya More
Photo of Beer and Blabber by the Beach- Tarkarli 2/4 by Shreya More
Photo of Beer and Blabber by the Beach- Tarkarli 3/4 by Shreya More
Photo of Beer and Blabber by the Beach- Tarkarli 4/4 by Shreya More

Tired of the monotonous whirls of the shackled city life? Feeling exasperated for being stuck in traffic yet again? Can you feel your earlobes throbbing because of constant unnecessary noise and fruitless quarrel

You know you need it. Open sky, tall trees and a blue sea that stretches beyond horizon. We all do, I suppose that’s why god created places like Tarkarli. Imagine remote isolated virgin beaches, dolphins, scuba diving, old historic forts and well-cooked prawns, all in one place!

Having a family which loves travelling is the cherry on the cake. Indeed, visiting stranger place with familiar faces is a great adventure in itself! So with busy schedules on the run me and my cousins hit the road to reach our destination.Getting to Tarkarli (Malvan) by road is perhaps the best way. The picturesque town is around 35 km towards west of a town Kasal which is on Mumbai-Goa National Highway NH-17. Distance from Mumbai is around 540 km while from Kolhapur it is mere 160 kms.

Tarkarli beach is one of the numerous and amazingly beautiful beaches spread across the Malvan sea coast overlooking the Arabian Sea in the state of Maharashtra. It is a long stretch of beach with white sand and coconut trees, at any given time of the day a couple of fishing trawlers are always parked at the far end of the beach. The very first view of the beach left me in true astonishment, the euphony of waves with the panoramic view of sea and the sun peeking from the clouds was a fascinating moment.

There are plenty of restaurants near the main beach area that serve authentic Malvani food and sea food thalis. Poha, missal pav, prawns thali, jhinga thali, etc are the famous dishes that are served in all the restaurants. Kokam juice is also a famous local drink which is easilyavailable.Sol Kadhi the pink colored appetizer drink made from the kokam fruit and Coconut Milk, often drunk after particularly hot and spicy Konkani/Malvani meal as it is very soothing.

Travelers get attracted to Tarkarli because of it’s clean white sand beach, water sports, forts, beautiful sunset and not to mention it has very less crowd. Now it is also famous forwater sports, dophin ride, snorkelling, parasailing and Scuba Diving. YES you heard it right!

If you are the kind of person who has travelled a lot abroad and gone snorkeling/scuba diving there, then this is something you won’t enjoy. We reached the coast of the beach, I always feel a different calm when I am close to the sea. The vastness of the water terrified me but it was so difficult to be concentrate on anything but the view. A boat was arranged for us and we reached the spot of snorkelling and scuba diving. Just besides the spot The Sindhudurg fort is built on the Kurte Island on over 44 acres of land in Malvan. The stone inscriptions, bastions and the citadels of this fort would definitely transport you to a different land and time altogether. Descendants of Shivaji Maharaj’s era still inhabit this fort and carry forward the traditions of yore to this day.

Before going underwater, I was feeling scared and nervous because I actually have a slight to intense fear of deep waters. It was a serious fear for me at first but as we went deeper, my eyes gleamed with beauty and magic. I swear it was a whole new world. Inside, there were colorful sea creatures that vary from sizes to shapes.The coral reefs added elegance and life to the view underwater as we dived deeper. It gave me a glimpse of beauty which is not usually seen. It made me realized that for me to perceive the wonders of the universe, I have to go deeper in life. Be bolder and braver. The sea is lovely as it is. Lovely how calming it can get, how the waves softly fade as it hits the shore but with scuba diving, there’s actually more to love about it. As far as the saying goes, “beauty is skin deep” and so is the sea. What our eyes can perceive superficially is far beautiful with what we can see within. Well to sum it up, truly the best gems in life are worth diving for.

A small village with long narrow stretch of beaches on either side Devbag is situated in the malvan Taluka in the Sindhudurg district. Devbag is a part of the Konkan coast in Maharashtra. Devbag has a traditional rustic feel to it with some of the village houses made up of hay and mud. From anywhere in Devbag, one can hear the sound of waves as the beach is just a few metres away. A boat from Devbag takes the adventure junkies to an island nearby known as ‘Tsunami Island’ where all the water sport activities are held One can indulge in activities like parasailing, jet skiing, etc.

My parasailing experience was just breathtaking. Launching off of the boat was the most exhilarating feeling I have ever had. I was tied to a parachute and as the boat picked up speed I went up into the air. It was a feeling of flying, of soaring over the pristine ocean. As the sound of the boat drifted away I rose slowly higher and higher above the water. The boat below me seemed to get smaller and smaller while the full coastline came into my view. The peacefulness that I felt was like none I have ever experienced, it truly served as a mind opener. Floating over the ocean, watching the amazing sights of the coast, and soaring across the sky made me feel invincible, that I could do or be whomever I wished to. Overcoming my fear of heights in such an extreme way I believe is a little humorous. I realize that I could have overcome my fears in a much easier and less audacious way.

Our journey was a one full of adventure. Adventurous sailing in the middle of the sea, collecting star fish, chilling at the beach, befriending locals, there was nothing that we didn’t do. If you are looking for a place with beautiful clean beaches and good malvani food, this is your destination. It’s not very touristy and not filled with too many people (depends on the season you visit in) and yet not too lonely. Tarkarli, a small modest village with helpful people and untouched beaches could end up becoming your favorite weekend getaway.

This travelogue was first published by Shreya More .