Ever since I started using tripoto, I have always wanted to publish memoirs of my most cherished trips. Hence it was a given that I make a promise to myself that as soon as I embark on my adventures, a detailed version of the same shall be put together by me as a start to the many more to come. This dream of mine sprouted wings when a trip to Ratnagiri was planned by me and my college mates.
As any college gang makes promises of hanging out post college and venturing out on long trips, so had we. However, this plan never materialised and was long overdue. After too much plotting and planning over a span of 5 years, this miracle happened by the sheer determination of Shivani, the go-getter of our gang who was very soon going to be hitched. As any girl wants to have one great trip with her girlies, before she takes the marital plunge, so did she. We were four of us and we reciprocated her sentiments and planned our dates for this trip. The next obvious question was the destination, that would host us. We mutually agreed for Ratnagiri as our first step of the staircase of our travelling adventures. Anky, our microplanner, knew some people there and this helped hasten our decision for it.
As all our cherished plans till date never came in to action, I was a little pessimistic of this trip. It was only logical to believe that this plan too would be doomed, with me being the first one to back out .
Surprise took me over when Anky informed that she had booked Cottages at the “Ratnasagar Resort”. It was then that I had conviction that this plan would be executed. The pictures of this resort got me all excited. It was a beautiful cottage with the backdrop of the exquisite beach lined by the tall coconut trees. A perfect postcard.
Mumbai was chosen as the meet-up destination, from where we would start our nascent adventure. We decided to take the early morning train to Ratnagiri. We were lucky enough to get confirmed tickets after a waiting list of 35. However, right before our journey, we got a message from IRCTC that our tickets were still in WL category; numbered WL 10,11,12,13 after the chart was prepared. It got us all furious and we tried to book tickets in the other trains. To our displeasure, all trains were running full. Not the ones to back out at this moment, we decided to reach the railway station on time and enquire at the counters. The very non colourful and logical clerk advised us to drop our plan as there were no tickets available and we would definitely not be able to board the train without them. A sense of panic and melancholy swept through us.
The Bravehearts that we are, we decided to not let the inefficient Railway Network dampen our spirits and proceed with our much talked about trip. Rebelliously we decided to board the train without tickets. As soon as we had passed a couple of stations, we were greeted with the TC. Anky, our smooth talker rescued us from this situation. The TC was handled well by her, of course her being a Punjabi too helped enormously. He agreed to let us travel without seats by charging us Rs.800 each in return for the ‘parchi’. We were finally relieved. The Journey now proceeded with the first of smiles on our faces ever since the morning. On the train, our fellow passengers made us aware that two bogies of the train had been shunted off, hence it wasn’t just us, but a lot of other passengers who were facing the torment of being waitlisted at the end minute.
We eventually settled ourselves. It was a Double-Decker Train. Anky and me, spread a bedsheet on the train floor to make ourselves comfortable, while Bittu and Shivani settled on the stairs. When you have good company, you don’t mind making a fool of yourselves.
As the train chugged along, so did our conversations. We had so much to talk about that we reached our destination Ratnagiri in no time. To our pleasure, we realised that the TC had forgotten to collect the money from us. Regarding it as a good sign, we decided to get on with our adventure and not look back. A customary huddle amongst us ended our tumultuous train journey and celebrated the never giving up spirit that we had showed. It was a proud moment for us.
An Innova we had booked, was waiting for us outside the station. All of us got into the car. The ride was mostly quiet as I soaked in to the feel of this unexplored city and observed the activities happening along the way. It is usual for me to do so as it helps me get in tune with a new place.
When we reached Ratnagiri Resort, we were greeted with a cool breezy atmosphere. It had a heavenly feel as it was so pleasant and secluded. We checked in our rooms and after a good power nap, headed out to explore the beaches of this little town. Luckily enough, we reached the beach in time to enjoy the beautiful sunset. I was ready and equipped with my cam to capture every moments and moods of this beautiful sea.
Shivani & Bittu, however forced me to stop taking the snaps and just enjoy this mellifluous sunset and the tuneful sound of the waves. All four of us, sat on the beach together and gazed quietly at the harmonious communion of the orange sun and the cool blue waters of the sea. There is something about sunsets and the sea that evokes a feeling of lightness in you. It got us talking and we eventually started sharing our dreams, desires, ambitions and all that future had or not in store for us. I understood that the best moments of life are those you don’t remember to shoot. This moment was truly captured in my heart and would remain there as a cherished memory.
It was 7:30 when we reached our resort from our breath-taking evening at the sea. We ordered the dinner. A table with four wicker chairs was set up at the backyard of the cottage which faced the sea. This ambience was made more beautiful by the candles on our table. We enjoyed a sumptuous meal that included the Ratnagiri Special “Shrimps and fish”. My friends gorged on the sea-food as I decided to stick to my vegetarian palate. The place was completely devoid of any artificial lights and the only brightness that was there was brought on by the flickering candles and the natural glow of the moon that night. The sea slept quietly as the misty breezes continued flowing. The mood demanded music and I initiated by playing some songs. Soon the others joined in and we sang our favorite songs in our blaring voices. It was adequate that this cottage was so secluded.
Soon after that, we went in, and eventually cozied up in the same bed in one room despite having two distinct rooms with double occupancies. None of us wanted to miss a single moment of being together.
Next morning, we woke up late from our peaceful slumber. We managed to not miss our complimentary breakfast. After a filling breakfast, we all got ready to explore the other facets of Ratnagiri. Four girls getting ready does quantify the hour and half it had taken, very much expected when girls are left to themselves on a trip. It felt kind of liberating, us taking our own sweet time without any one nagging us every five minutes.
Ankys’ local acquaintance accompanied us today as we set out to visit the Ratnagiri Fort and Temple. The fort had a great view of the sea and the jetty along the shore. Quite a few fishing boats lined the shore, as we could see from the top of the fort. Inside the grand fort was a hillock which was infamously named the “Suicide Point”. In the olden days, the spot was used to kill the traitors or soldiers in wars won by Marathas. The person would be pushed off from the top of this very cliff. It was a steep climb to the top but I was convinced that the top would have an exquisite view of the expanse. I had to persuade my friends for it but they understood me and eventually gave in to my request to climb to the top. The scorching sun greeted us at the top. It was almost 2pm. The climb was interspersed with cuss words jutting out of my friends’ mouth. The view from the top was worth it all. We took a lot of pictures of this amazing
landscape, pictures of us, pictures of the surroundings, pictures of the view et al. We also managed to get our version of the much famous
“Dil Chahta Hai” Pose which I was adamant about.
After an exhausting photo session, hunger beckoned and we headed to the Ratnagiri city for Lunch. I tried a new drink which was recommended being a speciality of Ratnagiri but it didn’t live up to my expectations. The ubiquitous “Chaas” saved me from that drink as well as the blazing heat.
After the lunch, we followed through some zigzag roads to head to our nezt stop, Ganpatipule. It had an awesome spread of white sands at the beach. We roamed in there clicking pictures and eventually came to a more secluded part of the beach with lesser people around. This shore had beautiful patterns left on the sand by the crabs. The water here, was shallow and lucid. We took off our sandals and went in to the waters to feel the to fro waves dashing at our feet.
Shivani reminded us that she had brought a tripod & DSLR to take pictures of us at the beach. It was left unused till now as we were too excited and engrossed in our adventures. We decided to head to the resort before sunset so as to make some use of those modern tools. However, it was already 7 pm when we came back to our resort. Nevertheless, Shivani the go getter set up the camera and we managed to click 3-4 pictures of us at the beach when dusk fell.It got darker after that. As there was still time for dinner, we came up with a plan to crazily dance to our favorite songs on our mobile phones. After this awesome dancing session, we shared our quintessential thoughts about life over dinner and the went back to the bed.
As day three struck in, it was time for our departure from Ratnagiri. After our traditional breakfast, we thanked the helpful staff of the resort and headed to the Railway Station. A sense of melancholy took us over. We were very much aware about these being the last few hours of the trip. We utilised the time on our train journey to reminisce about the trip and look at our clicked pictures.
We reached Mumbai and said our goodbyes with hugs and kisses. We huddled again to celebrate this wondrous successful start of our adventurous future and made a promise that we would do it again.
I can truly say that this was by far the best trip of my life. Such trips do a whole world of good to your body and mind as well to your bonding with your friends. You don’t realise what you’re missing until you experience it. Take my word for it, you come out as a different person altogether.
As I am writing this, a voice in me asks to urge all you people to listen to your own inner voice and plan a trip with your friends as well. Life shall keep happening but we need to borrow some moments from it and make them ours.
Keep wandering... Keep wondering....
Departure from: Mumbai
No of days: 3 days
Stay at: Ratnasagar Resort
Cost per person: Rs 6000 incl. ticket fares, accomodation, food and transport
