Sindhudurg

 

Come 2^nd February and we were on our way to a destination which was kept a secret from us till we could bear the suspense no longer. I don’t think we have ever played a more intense guessing game.

We landed at the new, under construction, state of the art “Manohar” airport in North Goa. We could make out it would be a very classy arrival/departure point.

A 2 hour drive to the resort saw us crossing the Goa border into Maharashtra. The drive through clean villages with thick jungles on both sides and with hardly any traffic woes was special.

The name Sindhudurg, a district in Southern Maharashtra, evoked Indianness. Coco Shambhala, our resort, was located in the quiet and serene Bhogwe village. A fishing and farming community, it’s a tropical land of forts, beaches, the sea, dolphins and of course, very friendly people. Dotted with mango groves, coconut palms, orchards, colourful rural markets, it offers a unique experience to its guests.

Coco Shambhala is a collection of four sedately luxurious villas in the midst of complete peace and privacy as it is in a relatively unexplored part of the Western coast. One can very easily miss Coco Shambhala as there is no fancy gate or entrance to make you hold your breath. That’ll happen later.

As soon as we alighted at our unassuming resort, the concierge and his staff sang a heartfelt “Happy Birthday ma’am” directed at Aruna. She was most pleasantly surprised as we all were – it was a well-planned gift for her no. 45.

Once the gate opened, a flight of special stone steps – 45 of them – finally turned off the main path and we were in our villa. The going up and coming down was quite a well needed exercise. The open-air villas stand on an elevation above ground level, hence the ascent and descent. The furnished indoor and outdoor space of the villa was surrounded by lush jungle-like gardens. The open and large living pavilions were enveloped by stunning vegetation and afforded a muted view of the sea.

A unique feature of the villa was the absence of any door at the entrance. A rope was strung from one side of the entry to the other and a bell hung there would be rung when the staff wanted to enter the villa.

There were colourful balloons in the main living area which comprised the kitchen space, dining space and drawing room space. This open space led to the private swimming pool with its clear, inviting waters, again surrounded by trees and bushes but giving us a splendid view of the sea. The bedrooms were on the 2 sides of this open pavilion and I could immediately guess which one was theirs. The give away were the balloons.

After taking in the beauty of the unfettered surroundings and hearing the sounds of the sea just beyond the trees bordering the pool, we sat down for a sumptuous lunch. The chef and the kitchen staff were absolutely amazing. Mouth-watering, lip smacking food was served in the comfort of our very own dining space. The chef and his team, we were told, would work closely with the farmers and fishermen to get fresh produce. Before every meal, the kitchen staff would meet the guests and discuss the menu. They were particular about our dietary requirements and our special culinary leanings. This, according to me, was real luxury.

Apart from being spoilt to the extreme by the personal”ized” service of the staff, their warmth and their gastronomical spread, we were also provided with a cell phone (for local and inland calls), an iPod docking station, a pair of binoculars, board games and complimentary wifi and laundry services. We couldn’t have asked for more pampering

Aruna’s birthday celebration culminated with the special dinner prepared for the occasion. We had to climb more steps to reach the glade-like open space and every step taken was worth it. The table was laid under the cashwenut tree and there were flowering plants all around us. The beautiful ambience took our breath away. Once we made ourselves comfortable, Aruna was given a beautiful bouquet of local flora and crotons. After the tasteful dinner, there was a cake also with candles to be blown. I’m sure Aruna wouldn’t have got such a warm birthday treat anywhere else. Kudos to the staff.

The beach was just a stone’s throw away from our villa. In the evening breeze, it was inviting. We would walk the long coastline and venture a bit into the sea too, emboldened by the tidal walks in the Andamans. We collected shells, walking slowly and purposefully. Here also there were patterns made on the sand by the male crabs to woo female crabs. But I feel the Radha Beach crabs (again, the Andamans) were more artistic, the name of the beach having nothing to do with it.

A&A were absolutely at home in the private swimming pool. As always, we wished Meera was with us. The pool was not only enjoyed by them but also by bulbuls, swifts, crows and various birds which would land on the ledge and take a break from their flight to drink water and have a nice shower (wetting their wings and then drying themselves). The crow would carry some food in its mouth, soften it in the water and gulp it down. The swift would gracefully albeit swiftly glide on the water and fly out. We were able to see a variety of birds here although when a bird was pointed out to us, by the time we adjusted the binoculars, the flier would have flown. But then, the interest in and love for birds had percolated down to Kuppu and me.

As only the two bedrooms had doors, monkeys and a cat had free access to the place. A big bowl of bananas and fruit would be kept out everyday and one fine day, when we returned from our outing, we saw what had happened inside. Banana skins were strewn all over the sofa and the bowl held only apples and oranges. We knew who the culprit was – the ancestor also took pleasure in jumping around on the roof, creating a racket.

When we, or any other guests, came in from outside, we had to wash our feet before entering our villa. A couple of steps from the gate, a metal urn filled with water and equipped with a traditional long ladle, coconut shell at the end, was placed for the purpose. It was a neat idea, we thought.

Our boat ride on the backwaters was a learning experience in more ways than one. We felt distressed to see the backbreaking job of sand miners in the river. Dozens of boats with scores of labourers on them, lowered sacks tied to poles into the water and then pulled and heaved the heavy sand filled sacks and emptied them on the boat. Then, later, these would be painfully loaded on to trucks. They were sweating it out, but must be getting a pittance for their hard work.

We passed through lush mangroves and as we made our way back, we saw in one part of a small island, water sports were underway – para sailing, jet skiing, banana boat and speed boat rides and surfing.

Coming back, it was night and low tide, so the boat stopped away from the coast. I got down with difficulty and plodded to the beach, sweaty and almost blind in the darkness. A staff from the resort came with a flashlight and facilitated our return to the villa.

Our bird watching experience in the morning near lake Pat was interesting. 

We spotted kingfishers, hornbills, cormorants, blue hens, purple swamp hens. We stayed put on the lower deck while A&A went up with the guide to see more unique birds. It was a struggle for us to see a bird or 2. As at the villa, A&A would sight birds on their perches in a jiffy and we, struggling to focus our binoculars, would give the birds enough time to fly away. It was a see here look there drama.

Malvan, a quaint fishing town is home to the world’s largest sea fortress. Constructed during Shivaji’s rule over a period of 3 years, its main objective was to counter the rising influence of foreign merchants. A historical, protected monument, the fort occupies an island in the Arabian sea.

Sindhudurg (sea fortress) was a grand experience. The gigantic walls were designed to deter approaching enemies and the waves and tides of the Arabian sea. The main entrance was concealed in such a way that it is impossible to guess where it could be.

As usual for me, the getting out of the boat was a forgettable feat. I think camels getting up from their sitting positions, do it less clumsily.

The fort walls, tall and solid, seem impregnable. We looked like pygmies next to it. We reached the gate after a long curved walk. Made of teak, the old entrance gate was a marvel. It can only be detected from close quarters. Much of the fort has been left neglected. Our guide, Hitesh, was well informed, eloquent and used Hindi and English proficiently. We passed through a small shopping area and reached an unheard of water source. There were 3 sweet water wells, a few feet away from one another, named Doodh, Dahi and Shakkar. The Shivaji temple in the complex was well maintained – Shivaji’s sword is kept in the chamber but when we went some renovation was going on, so a replica was what we saw.

I decided not to climb the formidable (number wise) steps for a 360 degree view of the entire fort. Hitesh went with the rest of the group and then came back and explained to me what I had missed. I would give him full marks for his consideration.

We were told some families, descendants of the original fort caretakers, remain inside the fort though most have moved out due to lack of employment opportunities and the fact that the rainy season creates havoc. The residents cannot move out for a few months due to high tides so they have to store provisions in advance.

We had to take an early morning boat to see the dolphins. Well, we missed seeing them but because of the high tide and the falling and rising waves, the ride was exciting. The fresh breeze on our faces with a sprinkling of the sea water made for a refreshing outing. Our experienced boatman said that disappointment is quite common because it is difficult to predict when the dolphins will appear – one has to take a chance.

A&A went for an early morning hike and said it was a wonderful adventure. Walking on sometimes uneven, sometimes narrow paths, scaling and descending hills, enjoying the beach walk, making their way between mango groves – all of that was physically and visually satisfying.

Sindhudurg is supposed to be a home to leopards (sightings are quite common, they say) and one of the few regions in the country where you can find the elusive black panthers. We were happy and lucky to sight a fox once on one of our drives.

A unique aspect of the villas was the expertise of the members of the staff in various fields. Each of them was efficient in one activity. When we went bird watching, an expert bird watcher and bird spotter was assigned to us. On their trek A&A had a guide to point out the paths and routes to take. For the back waters ride, there was a person with information on his fingertips. This was a very convenient aspect of the various activities we could enjoy.

It's always difficult to bid goodbye to people or even a place. Coco Shambhala had fascinated us with its natural beauty, its flora and fauna, the soft elegance of the villa and the charming warmth of the staff who had become family, in a way and had endeared themselves to us. Leave we had to but we just did not leave the place, we also left a slice of our hearts there. A brief and beautiful holiday it was.