Vengurla a cleaner and peaceful alternative for Goa

Vengurla in Konkan/Malvan, Maharashtra, is cleaner and peaceful alternative for Goa. Why not a cheaper ?You might guess - well those who holiday like me for peace of mind will give more importance to the first two adjectives.

Why Vengurla and not Goa

Vengurla is a small town next to the Beach flooded state of India - Goa. The scenery which was available in Goa is also available here. Its just one and half hours drive from Goa. Now you might ask me, Whats different then Goa? The beaches are still clean and pristine. The life in Vengurla is still slow and one can experience yummy malvani or konkani sea food dishes here.

Is this the only reason to visit this place -  

Whats more my life partner Abhi is born in this place. Not just that he completed his last three years of school there. So if you think its small town then probably you have to rethink. :D

Jokes apart - our motive was to have 3-4 days beach side vacation. And why not explore unseen Maharashtra being  so called proud maharashtrian.

Where to stay

My brother-in-law Amit Suki localite to that area (who is now settled in Kudal (home town) about 40 minutes drive from Vengurla) recommended us to stay in Hotel Gajalee. He being a hard core foodie, we blindly believed him. Its different story that he himself has turned into restaurateur in Kudal - The Coconut.
Gajalee is located at Vengurla Port / Bandar. Can you imagine getting  Sea facing hotel and restaurant during peak time of December end for just Rs 2500 per night in A/C Room. Again courtesy Amit Suki we got the best sea facing room.  I would say that this place and hotel is clearly under marketed and under rated.

Hotel Gajalee Stay

 They have around 4 sea facing rooms. Best part is that the sea facing side wall is just 2 feet high and rest all is transparent window. If you sleep in the bed, one could see the wide spread sea belt of Vengurla spanning in front of your eyes. Some moments cant be explained more in words for that we have digital camera. The rooms are clean and tidy. They have split A/C.

Hotel Gajalee Food

Awesome surmai and pomfret fry, sol kadhi, shell fish masala. They have chicken starters and mains. however we opted for fish dishes.
Since we were accompanied by our four year old son we ordered room service. They have roof top restaurant on the fourth floor which is worth trying out if you do visit that area.
One could hear the sea waves dashing on the rocks of the port and nothing else.

What to do around Vengurla

Sagar Bunglow - A five star government Bunglow on the edge of the mountain cliff near Vengurla Port. If one can manage booking at this place there is nothing like that. As per sources, its rented out to only Government employees. Normal visitors can climb up the steps and view the sunset from doorsteps of this bunglow. 

Vengurla Port is one of the favorite tourist destinations for all Konkan / Malvan Packages. The Port road is very narrow. And it becomes packed once the tourist vehicles start flocking in at evening. One can enjoy hot Vada pav or only vada at the local hawkers. This followed by the sweet Coconut savories is cherry on top of icing. We do call it Khopracha Wadi. They also offer junk food such as Mumbai Chat etc. Also Icecream. Our son enjoyed his boiled egg along with us.

Vengurla Light house - Since its cliff edge the government has set Light house on top of it. It gets closed at around 5 PM. Its advisable to visit the Light house in the morning as its less sunny. We completed our morning breakfast of omelet and bread at the Vengurla Port local vendor and started our treking to the light house. Yes after climbing the steep stair cases our son did potty on reaching the light house. We also spotted couple of dolphins jumping in the sea water from the edges of the light house area. 

Sagareshwar Beach - The wide stretch of  seashore visible from the Hotel Gajalees windows is known as Sagareshwar Beach. As per the localities its not safe to enjoy swimming in these waters. Since there are frequent under water currents in them. This is not safe. However the beach is clean and too good to just sit back and relax. 

Patkar High School- Last but not the least Patkar high School Vengurla. Its one of the many schools which my husband has attended, while my father in law was being transferred as banker. I have dedicated one full post for the same.

Local Food joints to enjoy

Caution - Park car somewhere outside the main street of town and walk down the small street. Since parking the car in the small bustling streed is not possible. 

• Quality Ice cream Parlour - Its home made fresh icecream which you will send your mouths tastebuds back in the childhood memory lane. Do try out for Cocktail - A combination of milkshake, icecream and fruits. Or might be classy Faluda. 
• Ajobas wada - This is very small room kind of shop in the main street of Vengurla. Was wondering why my husband is praising it so much. Its worth mentioning it in the blog and visiting it too. One would get to taste delicious Bata wada, Sabudana wada and other Bhajis. 
• Sweets and Savouries shop - One can buy all those items from Konkan - Kokam juice syrup, ladoos etc from this shop.
• Misal pav shop - On the way to Sagareshwar beach there is a small food joint which serves delicious misal pav and wadas in the evening.  

Lighthouse, Bypore, Kerala

The Lighthouse in Bypore, Kerala, India is one of the tourist attractions for Calicut city. If you are standing on the Bypore Pier, one can sight the Lighthouse on the opposite side.

The Lighthouse becomes operational immediately after the sunset. It high volt lights glow after certain interval to guide the marine traffic in the Arabian Sea. Bypore Port being one of the oldest port for trade with the middle east.

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Sunset at Bypore Pier, Kerala, India

Sunset at Bypore Pier, Kerala, India, is one of the few tourist attractions at the off-beat Bypore Beach in Kerala.
The Bypore Pier is 2 KM long bridge build in the Sea. It was used in olden days by the fisher men and is means to hold back the severe sea currents. As of now the main tourist attraction is for watching the sun setting in the sky.

Our visit to the Bypore Pier was on crowded evening in December month. Most of the crowd was due to tourist in Bypore and the locals who had returned back from Middle East or other countries for vacations with family. The Pier is accompanied with half km Beach. There are some local vendors selling some junk food, icecream, chips and Colas on the Beach.

We also spotted some local fisher men catching shell fish on the banks of the Pier.

Shell Fishing, Bypore, Kerala

While our visit to the Bypore Pier, Kerala, India, we saw some localites mingling in the piers steep rock banks. Initially we were quiet surprised to see why they are trying the dare devil stunts. Later we came to know that they are fishing fresh shell fish. Some of them had actually got down in to the sea waves splashing on the sharp rocks to catch the shell fish. Few had brought buckets from their home else were carrying it in plastic bags. Saw some girls selling the locally caught fresh shell fish to the visitors of the Pier.

Vengurla,Konkan, India

Vengurla, Konkan, India is a hidden gem in Indias western sea coast. Usually tourist all around the world flock to crowded beaches in Goa, India. However if you really want to enjoy stay near sea side and awesome sea food, it makes sense to discover the neighbouring towns near.
Vengurla happens to be one of them. Just relax and enjoy the nature in midst of lush green coconut trees studded sea coast.
Away from the traffic and busy life of city.
There are few beach resorts which have recently sprouted in this area.
Few tour operators in Mumbai, India - have started the Costal Konkan Tours.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

On the second day of my weekend in San Jose, we visited Monterey, California, USA. After a hearty sea food meal at Ocean side restaurant, we reached the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The tickets to the Aquarium are bit costly, but if you are staying on the West coast of USA its worth visiting this tourist attraction. There are many sections in side the Aquarium which cover different variety of sea animals. I would recommend you to spare minimum four hours to visit this place. Each section has shows of various fish or sea animals with trainer giving valuable information of these animals. So if you are with kids be sure you grab copy of the show timings at the entrance and follow the map accordingly.

Fishermans Wharf, SFO

The Fishermans Wharf, San Frasisco, USA is one of the popular tourist destinations. We wounded our SFO one day tour at the SFO Fishermans Wharf. The local area also includes the Ghiradelli Square, Crooked Street, etc which are must see. We finished our dinner at one of the Pizza joints and roamed on the street adjacent to Fisherman Wharf Street.
There were shops and street side vendors selling SFO Souveniers. As the name suggests there were few Fishermans shops selling fresh sea fish. The display of the various fish at the stall was amazing. Unfortunately, all our camera batterys were exhausted and we were unable to take pictures by night time.

LA Bay Beach

After roaming around the Hollywood Walk of fame in the morning, we ended our day in Los Angeles at the LA Bay Beach. This beach is famous around the world for the Baywatch television serial. It was quiet breezy and chilly when we reached the beach. We took some snaps and went on the Pier.

The Pier hosts some restaurants, Fun Fair and Fun Rides. We enjoyed the sea view for some time and then marched towards the Fun Rides. We enjoyed couple of rides and then left for the day.

Vaghator Fort, Goa

The Vaghator Fort, Goa suddenly shot to international fame and became a hot tourist destination after it being featured in the Bollywood Teen hit Dil Chata hai. I had been to Goa several times before to visit our family deitys temple and wonderful beaches of course. But Vaghator Fort was never a star attraction of our trip. Like other tourist I was also attracted towards the Vaghator Fort due to its newly acquired fame.
After reaching Vaghator Beach, one has to walk along the rightside to reach the foot of the fort. The fort is delapidated structure with hardly any maintainace. Some of the walls and other structures of the fort are still existing. However if proper maintainace is not performed it is soon going to dilapidate.

Video of Vaghator Beach from the Fort:

Vaghator Beach, Goa

Vaghator Beach in Goa, India shot to fame after the Bollywood Movie Dil Chata Hai was released. The movie boasts life of three carefree youth and their trip to Goa. Vaghator Beach and the Vaghator Fort are few of the exotic locations featured in this movie.

I had planned visit to Goa in December 2005 along with my cousin Pallu. Unfortunately due to the sudden Tsunamic attacks my aunty did not allowed us to visit any of the Beaches for couple of days. Some how we managed to convince her and grabbed an opportunity to visit Vaghator Beach in the evening. On reaching the Vaghator Beach, one has to climb down the steep steps and head towards the beach.

Animal Encounter - 4

During my visit to Goa, I had chance to capture some sea life on the rocks of the Sea shore. Small sea crabs were trying to hold themselves on the sea rocks while the sea waves are dashing on the sea rocks.

Norwich

We got an opportunity to explore the Norwich, East coast of UK on one fine summer long weekend. The Itenary of our Norwich Trip is as follows

1. Last minute Car deal to reach Burnham Deepdale
2. Deepdale Farm and shops near it.
3. Lunch after long drive from Nottingham to Deepdale Farm
4. Brancaster Staithe Sea side walk
5. Brancaster Staithe Sea Shore Wildlife
6. Evening Barbeque
7. Lunch at Fairhavens Gardens
8. Broads at Norwich
9. Drive through Country side
10. Cromer

Hunstaton Sea shore Excursion

After exploring the shores at south of Deep dale, we decided to explore the north on our way back to home in Nottingham on A149. We parked our car and started enjoying the wonderful view of Hunstaton Seashore from the top of the cliff. There was light house on the cliff surrounded by well maintained lawn. We then walked down the cliff towards the sea shore. It was beautiful sunny day and the beach was crowded with many families. We could see many kids playing in sand and building castles. Some were enjoying walk along the sea side and so did we. I did dare to wet my feet in the cold sea-water. However it was too cold and I reverted back to shore immediately. We then climbed the sand dunes and came back on the cliff. We then enjoyed fish and chips for lunch on the sea side café, followed by ice-cream. Immediately post lunch we started our journey back to Nottingham, to avoid long weekend traffic in the evening.

Seal watching near Norwich

One of Abhis colleague had recommended us visit to Broads and Seal watching at Morston or Blakeney Quay. We had booked morning seal watching tour by calling the operators a day in advance. The seal watching trip is scheduled according to the tide timings. This timetable is available on their site and at the Deep dale Farm office. A trip costs you around 8 pounds per person and is worth it. Each trip will be scheduled in small motor boat. This motor boat carries around 10 to 12 people, so a seat in seal tour boat is subject to availability. One should call the operators in advance during peak holidays. For more information visit the Seal trip site http://www.beansboattrips.co.uk/ .

After having tea and some light break fast we were all set to leave Deep Dale farm. We reached Morston for the seal watching event. A team of captain and a sailor will accompany you during the trip and they will give you information about the seals and the surroundings in which the seals stay and mate. The boat takes you around short trip to special area reserved by the National Geographic department. Landing of humans on those islands with seals habitat is prohibited by law. The boat takes you as close as possible to these islands and sand lagoons, so that you get close view of the seals.

Note: One of the fellow room mates in our hostel room told us that sighting of seals at near by sea-shore. You need to be lucky to sight the seals on shore though.

Cromer

The small country roads started widening when country side came to an end. The A4 map indicated that we were approaching city named Cromer. After driving for few minutes, we hit the main road. And we were surprised to see next to road a huge cliff followed by Sea.
Spontaneously we took decision to halt and enjoy the view of sea face with cup of hot tea. We entered the café on the cliff edge and ordered tea and some scones. The Café provided amazing views of the Pier and the rough waves dashing the sea-coast. As the sun set, the sky gradually changed its colour from pink and its reflection was seen on the sea waves.
We moved out of the café and decided to check what is available at the bottom of the cliff.
There were some ice-cream and candy shops, rides and amusement shops at the bottom of the cliff. We entered the amusement and I tried my luck for the first time on 2 penny machine.
After spending two pounds, I earned one key chain.

We made our way back to Deep Dale farm after that. Self cooked dinner followed some leisure time spent on Deepdale farm common area ended our second day in Deep Dale.

Brancaster Staithe Sea Shore Wild life

During our short visit to the Brancaster Staithe Sea Shore we were able to explore some of the endangered Wild life spiecies,Seals as well as some commonly available sea shore crabs. :)

Endangered Birds

There was an area reserved for migratory and endangered birds at the extreme end of sea shore. These Birds mate and nest their eggs in this area near the sea shore.

Wild Seal sighting

There was wild seal sigthing at the Brancaster Staithe shore by one of our fellow room mates at Deepdale farm.

Crabs and Shells along Sea shore

While walking along the sea shore we could site lots of crab holes. There were small crabs running all around the place. Part of sea shore was full with lots of different colors, sizes and types of shells.

Brancaster Staithe Sea side walk

After lunch, we went to Brancaster Staithe sea shore. There is car park near the sea-shore with hourly parking facility. Like London Underground system, there is cheap off-peak rate after 4 o clock in the afternoon.
I had always seen British tourist flocking in Goa, India. They sit on sea-shore tanning themselves while reading books. And I use to wonder why they don’t go have bath or swim in sea. Well after our visit to the British sea-shore, I did stopped wondering. The water temperature is too cold to have bath. We could see many children playing in the sand, building castles with the shovels and other tools.

Lots of shells were washed away on the shore. I had fun picking up set of identical shells and creating a design out of it on the sand.

There was one person who was flying a Huge Kite. Abhi tried his level best to fly the huge kite with him and was successful up to some extent.Unfortunately our Cannon 3.2 mega pixels camera started malfunctioning and we were not able to capture that Kodak Moment.

Reaching Deepdale

Early morning after hiring car, we left Nottingham at 9:30 am. I would recommend one to take A4 maps along with printout of the Google maps directions. It becomes difficult to find out paths in country side once you approach Deep Dale. We lost our way after almost reaching there.
Blessing in disguise, we saw some people doing bird watching in the farm and was quiet an experience.

We reached Deepdale Farm at afternoon. We checked in at the Information Desk of the Farm. Since it was mixed dorm, we quickly went in the room and reserved our beds. The room was clean and tidy, with enclosed toilet facility.

Deepdale Farm

The Deepdale farm is family run business. The farm has converted old barn in to hostel. The farm also offers camping site and stay in Tippis for tourist. Tippis are white tents and they offer bedding in those tents for the guests. The farm also offers kitchen and the barbeque area for the tourist staying in the hostel. As a marketing stunt the farm offers free Barbeque on Sunday nights or Monday nights on Long weekends. This might be lucrative offer for some tourist. The farm does not offer you breakfast. However lack of breakfast facility is reflected in the price which they offer you. The hostel was clean and tidy and very nice place to stay.I would definitely recommend visit to the Deepdale farm.

Last Minute Deal

To visit Norwich was a last minute deal. We booked last minute car rental deal with Hertz. It was difficult to find in Norwich Youth hostel or cheap Bed and Breakfast on Long weekend. After searching for some Bed and Breakfast site and Hostelworld, I came across farm near Deepdale.We had never been to Farm in UK and had contradictory views. Ultimately we made booking in the Burham Deepdale farm. It was cheap and staying on farm was first time experience for us.