Alibaug : paranoia , heat and incoherence.

Cost implications :

Auto Rs 12
Train ticket Rs 8
Taxi Rs 23
Ferry to alibaug Rs 90
Bottle of water Rs 20
Alibaug bus stand  to kolaba Rs 25
Kolaba entrance Rs 5
Kolaba to alibaug bus stand Rs 20
Bus stand to Bombay Rs 102

Reasons for early morning paranoia :

Sanna's cancellation, anxiety, dead crow in the morning, the Mumbai mafia book, scary taxi , long queue for ticket, late ferry, last minute call to Srikant #fail, "Are you seriously travelling alone?", no ferry in the evening, 4 and a half hours to get back by bus as estimated by strange man at ferry counter, sudden switch to 8.15 ferry, crowd at the ferry, rope that tried to trip me as I entered the ferry, the damn main deck ( I could've paid 20 bucks more for the upper deck ), the crowd, stranger peeking into my phone as I type this , my inability to ask someone about ways to get back, how bad my phone's battery life is, that I did not carry a pen and notepad or water, impatience, going on roaming with a balance of Rs 7.

Thoughts at 8.56 am :

I feel calmer after the ferry and a bit of reading. Calm enough to feel a sense of familiarity with being pushed out of the boat by the rush of a typical crowd. The ferry took me to mandwa port and I'm now on a bus which will take me to my destination , Alibaug. This bus service is part of the 90 rupee ticket that I paid for. Sights on the bus ride include typical scenes from a small port town, young women with headphones on and a preview of what motion sickness does to people. Sounds include fatboy slim, creaky bus noises, banter and antakshari trailing away every now and then. I like how this feels. Maybe that also has something to do with the fact that I'm now armed with a bottle of water.

Reflection on events from 9.40 to 11.40 am :

Kolaba fort was brilliant. The auto rickshaw took me to a place that seemed like any normal beach. I walked up to the entrance and surveyed the area. At a distance of a little less than a kilometre was a sprawling fort. It was quite literally in the middle of the sea. Even entry and exit was dependant on the tide. I folded my pants , held my slippers in my hands and walked towards the fort. There's something about holding your slippers in your hands that makes a walk fun. Although I had to stop to fold my pants a wee bit more to wade through the water and finally get to the fort. For the less brave and richer there are horse carriages that take people back and forth and cost Rs 40 one way. Ridiculously expensive and part of the reason that the path is so slushy.

The fort is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India and is in fairly decent shape. I loved how massive it was and yet intricate and secretive. It made me want to go back to being a curious 10 year old "explorer" kid. I went ahead and behaved like one to make up for the additional 13 years that bog me down. All in good stride.

The fort was a strong hold of Shivaji back in the days and gives you a sense of it's strategic importance as the bridge between Bombay and Murud. Being a hindu fort, the temple and bath complex form standard features as do secret underground pasages and wells.
I ran along the high walls disturbing crows, couples and curious kids while attracting stares from creepy men. The wind and the view was exhilarating and nothing could stop me.

I spent a little less than two hours exploring the fort before I started thinking about what to do next. The sun was on my head and the tide was getting higher. Wading back to the coast was not particularly pleasant.

A little bit of quick research told me that Murud was 42 km away and that Kashid beach was on the way to Murud. But, by now the sun and the heat were getting to me. Kashid did not seem like an interesting prospect. I took an auto to the bus stand deciding to plan my course of action at the stand. The auto driver promptly told me that there is no ferry back because the sea is rough today. A bus ride back to Bombay would take upto 5 hours and I saw my travel plans disintegrating before me.

Prudent me can be boring . I decided to visit Murud on another weekend. And Kashid alone in the hot sun never really sounded fun.

I hopped on a bus to Bombay and wrote about my little trip, cut short by the sun and moon.

Bombay, as seen from the ferry.

The ridiculously expensive horse carriages at the entrance.

Horses chilling at the beach by Kolaba Fort.

This tree next to Kolaba Fort, provides some respite from the scorching heat.

I ran along this long wall :)

A view from the Kolaba fort. You can spot people wading through the water to get to the fort.

The Kolaba fort is literally in the middle of the sea.

This picture made me smile.

Your truly, sweaty and smiling.