मिसळ पाव...

As the week end was approaching, I was thinking about a special recipe for a change. One of the favorite recipe in Pune is ' मिसळ पाव'. There are many places in Pune which are popular for Misal Paav. I decided to give it a try. The usal of sprouted matki, sample made with misal masala and paav was all that was required. It just turned out to very well. Kids and Anand just loved it. Anand is saying, with this one, we are fast inching towards becoming true Punekar. 
 ' 

A Trip to Alibaug...

As we are new to Pune, I am always excited to visit all the nearby places and roam around. The Konkan is really blessed by Nature's beauty and wonderful climate. We decided to visit the nearest spot in Konkan from our home at Wakad. From my childhood days, word 'Konkan' from geography book used to fascinate me and I always wanted to explore it. We decided to visit Alibaug which is just 128 KM from Wakad.

We started at 8:45 AM in the morning by car and hit Mumbai-Pune expressway and took Khopoli exit (just after Khandala ghat). There was some traffic at a junction after Pen. But we made it to the Alibaug town at 11:45 AM. The town itself is not very attractive and the beach is also very crowded and not very clean. However the beach is very accessible from the market place and there are some hotels with beach view. There are no efforts from the administration to keep the beach clean even if it is one of the nearest spots to visit from Mumbai as well as Pune. One thing we enjoyed on the beach was the low and high tides. When we reached the beach it was all sand and water was way too far to even walk. But by the time we finished our lunch (1:00 PM), water started rising every minute, we could experience the high tide and spent some time in water. There is a fort inside the ocean which is about 2 KM from the shore. We need to take a boat ride to visit the beach. We decided not to visit the fort and head towards a calm and more beautiful beach nearby.

About 4 KM from Alibaug beach is 'Aakshi' beach and 'Nagaon' beach is about 12 KM. We decided to visit the Nagaon beach since it is more calm and very beautiful. Nagaon is a small village with lots of Coconut and Mango trees. The Nature can be seen at its best here in Nagaon. There are small and beautiful houses and most of them can be rented for a night stay. The backyard of very house (cottage) is mostly filled with the coconut trees. Recently the village is converted into a favorite tourist destination from a calm and quite one. Renting out the cottages is the most common side-business of almost all the villagers. The local residents also serve tea/coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner at a reasonable price. A piece of advice is to book the cottage on phone before going to Nagaon. On a typical summer weekend, it may be difficult to find a place to stay without advance booking. Since we went to Nagaon without an advance booking, we could get a cottage about 2 KM from the beach.

Nagaon beach is very beautiful which spans more than 10 miles. This beach is definitely comparable to any beach in California. There are lots of water sports available and they are fun and exciting. The beach is crowded at the entry point due to water sports but if you walk half a KM, it gets less and less crowded. The water is very shallow and hence we can go pretty deep inside. We spent a lot of time in water and kids did not want to leave the beach even after the sunset. The next morning, we could not resist the temptation to visit the beach once again and took the horse ride.

The next beach is the 'Kashid' beach which is 25 KM from Nagaon which is also famous for water sports and usually more crowded. The route from Nagaon and Kashid is very scenic and surrounded by dense coconut forest and beautiful houses.

I was very happy to visit these places and got an idea of how interior and less commercial interior places of Konkan must be. Glad to have started on a journey of Konkan which has always fascinated me from childhood.

Tip - A Day Trip to Nagaon is possible if you start early (6 AM). You can be on the beach by 8 AM and return after sunset.

Directions -

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A Visit to Dehu, Birthplace of Saint Tukaram....

When the summer is at peak we decided to have a break and planned to visit Dehu, the place which is famous for the name of Saint Tukaram Maharaj who has been a great philosophizer of 17th century for his Abhang (Tukaram Gatha). 

This place is about 18 Km from Dange Chauk on the old Pune-Mumbai highway. It is surrounded by sacred Indryayani river which had enough cool and calm water even during the peak summer time. 

About hundred years before Tukaram, his ancestor, Vishwambhar, was living at Dehu. The whole family owed its religious allegiance to Lord Vithoba. The Pandharpur wari (pilgrimage) during the holy months of Aashadh and Kartik had been a long tradition in the family of Vishwambhar since his forebears. It was his unwavering and steadfast devotion that compelled, as it were, the Lord to rush from Pandharpur to Dehu just as the exemplary devotion of Pundalik had earlier attracted Him over from Vaikunth to Pandharpur.

There is a Vitthal-Rakumai temple which has unique importance since the idols are originated before 8 generations of Sainta Tukaram Maharaj. Saint Tukarams's birthplace can be visited at a walking distance from the temple and it is still treasured by the next generations. 

The next attraction is the Gatha mandir which is built in 4 acre of land. Two big elephant idols welcome us at the entrance. 

The unique feature of this temple is that whole Tukaram Gatha is engraved on the Marble walls and having huge idol of Sant Tukaram Maharaj. The roof of this temple is painted beautifully with Ramayana and Mahabharata theme. 

It is really a nice place to visut where we can have sight seeing and pay tributes to great saint who is born in Maharashtra and give us everlasting teachings of Life. 

How to reach there from Dange Chauk -
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A Day at Sentosa Water Park

It was Devyanee's birthday and we were wondering about a good way to spend it. We came across Sentosa Water Park which I had noticed while going for the first IPL match at Pune's brand new stadium. What is a better time to visit a water park so close (about 5 KM from Wakad) than mid summer? It was a day well spent, here is a quick review of the water park if someone is looking for a near-by place to spend a summer day.

How to reach there - 

Take Pune-Mumbai highway (towards Mumbai from Wakad Bridge) and the water park is about 6 KM on the left hand side 1 KM before start of express highway.

There is ample parking space available. However the parking space specifically for the water park is open non-concrete space.

The park timings are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, however, the place gets crowded after noon, hence I would recommend reaching just about opening time to park close to the entry gate and enjoy the ride before it gets too crowded.

The charges - 

They charge Rs 250 per person above 4 Feet height and Rs 200 below 4 Feet. Buffet lunch is Rs 150 per personal; which is optional. Kids below 3ft have free entry.

The changing rooms are pretty small for the amount of people who visit the park during peak summer days and they get dirty as day passes. Again, reaching early will help save a lot of time in queue. They charge Rs 30 per costume for gents and Rs 50 per costume for ladies. If possible buy a costume. The locker rental is Rs 30. Do not miss your locker keys, they charge Rs 200 for lost key.

Do purchase a good sunscreen cream and apply it at least 15 minutes before exposure to direct Sun (unless you want to tan your skin).

There are some good rides which are well designed and enjoyable. Once again, it all gets too crowded and can be enjoyed better if you reach early :). The best part is the DJ music which is played in the background. The dance floor is the best part of the water park along with the wave pool. Although it would have been better to have at least a couple more rides, its good enough to have a splash...

Food - 

Once you pay, Rs 150, you can enjoy a buffet lunch (the sweets are limited). The food quality is good. The best part is you can enjoy your food in the swimming costume and once again enter the water. Once again, the food court gets messy as time passes, so it is good if you get to food court by 1:00 PM or so (provided you reach the park early :) )

Summary -

 Its a good place to spend a sunny day and kids have a lot of fun and elders can also forget their age and have a blast. Make a point to park your car by 9:50 AM in the morning :) and have maximum fun !!! 


Disclaimer - I am not trying to advertise the place, this is an attempt to share my personal experience to help others who want to explore the place. Your perception may or may not match mine :) Have fun !!!