Kashid n Korlai

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March 12th 2007

Published: March 12th 2007

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Padmini

Croc at Kashid

...made of sand ofcourse

A few days before I quit my job, I wanted to get away for my last paid weekend. Not the usual, quiet & serene package but something that would thoroughly shake me out of my monotonous living. A friend suggested some sort of cycling trip. The problem here, you see, is that I may look athletic but the exact scenario is quite unlike that.
Any way, there wasn't anything else to do, so we joined the gang- The explorers (based out of Churchgate) and dude that was the beginning of all good things.
The trip was to Kashid (130 kms from BBay) and it involved a total of 40-50 kms of actual cycling after the ferry ride, beyond Mandwa. For most of the group ( experienced travellers and a bunch of really friendly Dutch couples) it was a smooth ride, but for me n the other 'like-bodied' unhealthy individuals, a really brilliant truck was provided( that's another story all together)

Getting back to the point- Kashid, has the most beautiful virgin beaches, blue sea ( i swear), fine sand. Its so picturesque with cactus in some areas and casuarina in the rest. There is this one point, from on the

the explorers

us on ur cycles

road where the entire beach( approx 3-4kms) can be seen at a glance. We went somewhere in January and the weather was just perfect. Besides for the night, we had our tents (yeah baybeeh) put up right next to the beach, with a little fencing and all, for the cows in the area to realize that its a no grazing zone.

Day 2 was some more of Kashid beach and KORLAI, the only Portuguese village in the state. The occupation here is fishing and related fields (making nets/boats etc). From the main road to the sea, is a long winding unpaved track which is a dream to walk on( u can drive down the narrow streets as well). Its lined with the most adorable houses, the kind you hear of only in stories with hay roofs and wooden gates. Little children running all over the place, chasing dogs and chickens. Mothers and daughters waiting in the verandah (probably for their fishermen) making plaits, oiling each others hair, talking and giggling with neighbors. Its such a pretty sight.

As you advance into the village, u see a stretch of boats being made or repaired, then finally right next to

view from the top

..up the 'haunted mountain'

the sea you see people making nets ( in the most incredible fashion, which BTW takes a LOT of effort n skill.)
Finally along the beach, is a another steep uphill climb to the fort and lighthouse( I did not go up, so cant help u there) but what I did do was climb the bare mountain to the fort and guess what its a HAUNTED mountain. Apparently 4 people had died weird deaths on reaching the summit (as told by one of the villagers who saw us climb). The funny thing was we were 4 of us too and towards the end it seemed like an easy anyone-can-do-it task. From the top, the sea looked mesmerizing and the whole village looked gorgeous. The guy who first heard the story wanted us down immediately,he was hooting at us in all funny ways to get us outta there, which we finally did without getting to the top.
Legend or not, visit the place, truly a fort worth conquering.

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