Amongst the whistling palms. Review on Ganpatipule

Time & tide wait for no man. But this place proves the age-old proverb slightly different, far from madding crowd it makes you realize time stops suddenly just to feel the rhythms of countless tide & beauty of the nature- yes, this is Ganapatipule, one of the unpolluted sea-beaches of Maharashtra, 40 km. from Ratnagiri.

Honeymoon at Ganapatipule!

I was extremely flabbergasted as I heard of the place for the first time, but journey throughout the Konkon railway(we availed Satabdi express from Thane at 5:55 AM reaching Ratnagiri at 10:45 AM, then from one hour auto journey to Ganapatipule for Rs 300) made me so spellbound, that I forgot all qualms regarding the journey. But we didn't know it was just the beginning, the real surprise was still waiting a very little ahead.

And finally, when we discovered ourselves in the land of Ganapatipule-sparkling green & blue water, endless palm beach, accompanied by quiet waves of Arabian sea, charming fragrance of mangroves, coconut and the scenic greenery, we couldn't speak anything. We didn't find any known adjective just to describe not only the beauty of that Konkoni village - in oneword the place was simply wow!

We stayed in A/C Konkani Hut(@ Rs 1400) in MTDC beach resort, just within the 100 mt. of coast only to realize that A/C was redundant. The bamboo tree, bamboo house, tents, adjoining lagoon(used for water sports) and the delicious local cuisine in the sea-side restaurant- overall projected an authentic Konkoni ambience. Go for the fried pomphret for Rs 150 for an out of the world experience.

It was evening. The sun had set a little before and again we were ready to return in the midst of the nature, but this time in the light of golden moon with dazzling sand and the dark sea beach amongst sparse count of tourists. The whispers of the cold sea breeze made us feel this place was paradise for miles. Slowly but steadily in the full moon, sitting beside the gentle sea-beach I felt I was like a destinationless ship, which didn't know how far the land was.As if I was like that small boat, seen alone in sea trying to reach somewhere unknown. The feeling of oneness with nature made our evening so special. Reminiscing that day is a fruitless exercise as memory is so livelier, still today. Camp-fire in the night was a nice experience, as I didn't get the chance to enjoy its excitement earlier.

And the dreamy weekend was over at last & it was the time to return in daily life. We left the beach finally with the soothing warm of morning sun. Slowly our resort, the Konkoni village and the narrow roads, red soil, Konkoni hut-all these were ready to say us goodbye. We took the Mandovi express from Ratnagiri at around 2:00(it was late by 1 hour as konkan railway is single track and trains get struck in stations to pass others) and reached thane around 10:00 clock.

We left Ganapatipule, but not those inestimable wonderful memories which will be always with us as the silent witness of our new life.

Doyel and Samik