Kokan Travel story : Vengurla, City of Beaches

 

Travel has always been a way to unwind for many of us, why won't it be? What can a beach not fix? I have always been a beach person, I think the waves that do it for me. So a travel break to Vengurla was a perfect idea this April. Let me walk you through my experience and introduce you to this beauty located in Kokan, Maharashtra: The Vengurla City. 

I started my journey on 26th April from Panvel station and boarded 'Konkan Kanya Express. As we landed in the city, I was taken away by the heat and instantly thought about the trip as a bad idea. The first day was very difficult for me as I went from city to village life, but I am glad I stayed. What the next twelve days followed was absolute bliss for me. Usually, learnings are kept for the end, but I will put one right here. We often think we require a lot to survive which isn't the case, we can be happy with having our basic needs as well. Most of our misery comes from not knowing to differentiate between needs and wants. 

Day 1

 We explored the Vengurla Market on my first day, being a Maharashtrian and lover of continental food this market was nothing but heaven for me. Right from baby sharks, Pomfret, and prawns to crabs the market had all fish known to me. We took home some fish and what followed is a heavy lunch and deep sleep removing all the fatigue of the journey.

               

                                                                    Day 2 

I spend day two scouting temples. Although it might sound boring and tedious but believe me,  it was anything but that. Faith is a magical thing, isn't it? Faith brings humanity hope and strength to keep going. I am not the one to speak on religion but I will always speak of spirituality in high regard as it has the power to heal if only discovered. A trip to Vengurla is incomplete without paying a visit to its beautiful temples. 

                                                                        Day 3 

The concept of doing nothing is underrated in my opinion. Everything was taken care of as I  travelled with my family and stayed in the family house. The first half of the day just went into exploring the neighbourhood and helping with household chores, which in itself was an experience as I cooked with the bare minimum. This trip forced me to leave behind the luxuries of urban life and focus on the simplicity of village life. In the evening, I went to the sagareshwar  beach alone to get some ME time and enjoyed a delightful sunset.

    Day 4 

On the fourth day of the trip, I woke up making a list of places I could possibly explore in the city. Along with the company of my niece, I started an adventure of exploring all the possible gems this city had. My first stop was the lighthouse. Although climbing those uncountable stairs was a task that tested my health which quite honestly was questionable, I reached the top to a mesmerizing view of the seashore. After this, we ate at the road side stalls and headed home with a gallery full of Instagram worthy pictures. 

                                                                                Day 5 

This day was my favourite of all days. I didn't have much planned today, so I decided to let the day unfold itself. In the evening, all family members visited the Rameshwar temple. On that day, due to an ongoing festival, we watched Palki and Konkani Natak. What an experience! As I mentioned earlier, I believe faith can give humans a lot of hope and can create energy that emits positivity. I found myself particularly calm as the day ended and then visited Rameshwar temple almost every day after that. 

                                                                              Day 6

Visiting abandoned places is probably the last thing I could picture myself doing but I gathered the courage this time around. Vengurla city has a Dutch factory which was abandoned 400 years ago, I couldn't help myself and paid a visit to this factory. I am particularly fascinated by historical monuments, as they provide a medium to look back in time. The whole time inside the factory I couldn't help myself but imagine the factory in its glory days,