28: Roadtrip to Ratnagiri with Sarmistha Ghosh

This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Sarmistha Ghosh, from the blog Footloosein.me. Sarmistha is based in Pune and has extensively covered the state of Maharashtra as well as other Indian destiantions. In Sarmistha's own words - “You can always make money, but you can’t always make memories”. She wants to make the world her home and does not want to be confined to one place.  Today's destination: Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra    Nearest Airport: Ratnagiri airport Nearest Railway Station: Ratnagiri Prerequisities - n/a Packing - Pack light for a roadtrip. Make sure to carry enough sunscreen and shades. And save plenty of rooom in your car for MANGOES! Time of the year - Summer time for the mangoes, winters for the views! Length of the itinerary: One week Itinerary Highlights:  - Sarmistha starts off on her roadtrip from Pune, the first stop being Harihareshwar for the beach views! Below are the trip highlights: Harihareshwar (part of Raigad district) - Beautiful views of the casuarina lined beach - Two temples  Kalabhairav and Lord Shiva - Shriwardhan beach nearby is also popular for a variety of activities - MTDC resorts and hotels are conveniently located Anjarle - Another popular place for beaches with great views of the shoreline - The beach leads to the estuary of the river Jog, that is complimented by each side with mangrove forests. The Alphonso mangoes, also revered as the King of all fruits are found in abundance! - Cashew nut and mango trees line either side of the river Jog - Kadyawarcha ganapati temple is another popular attraction Harnai - This harbor town is famous for the fish market - Kanakadurga fort is a prominent attraction here. It was built to connect to the Suvarnadurga fort, another sea fort. There is a beautiful lighthouse here that you can visit.  - Suvarnadurga fort is on a hilly island and you'll have to take a ferry ride to get there - Visit the fish market to get a see fresh catch being auctioned by fishermen Karde - More beach views, this time a rocky beach which offers water sports. Great views of the moonlit beach from Sarmistha's accommodation. - Dolphin rides available from the beach.   - Sample the tasty local cuisine like 'Kombdi vade' - vada/puri with chicken is another speciality - ‘Solkadhi’ a digestive drink made of coconut milk and kokum. - 'Modhak' or a special kind of sweet that resembles dumplings, only much more savory! Guhagar - The Anjanvel fort or the Gopalgad Fort along with the lighthouse are places not to be missed - Experience home made konkani food with the likes of ‘gharghuti jewan’ (home-made meal), Gavran komdi (country chicken) and sea food like prawns, crabs, pomphret and other varieties of fish. - Tolekeshwar temple, Dashabhuja Ganesh Temple  and Velneshwar Temple are prominent temples of this region.  - Take the Tavsal ferry to get you across to the Jaigad creek and the Jaigad fort.  Ganpatipule - Famous for the temple of Ganapati that is located on the beach (Adevade beach).There is a Mushakraj idol at the entrance of the temple (mouse gaurding the temple) - A number of leisure activities are on offer at the beach.  - Lodging close to the Arevare beach with some beautiful views Ratnagiri - Make sure to have a pitstop at Ratnagiri city (a port city within the Ratnagiri district.) - Famous for the Ratnadurg/Bhagwati fort and the lighthouse - There are a number of mangrove forests and coconut trees all along the route to the fort. - Thibaw palace, King Thibaw deported from Burma in 1885 is also located here. Links: Link to Sarmistha's blog: https://footloosein.me/about/destinations/ratnagiri/   Twitter: @footlooseinme facebook: @footlooseinme Follow the Musafir stories on Twitter: @musafirstories Facebook: @themusafirstories  Instagram: @musafirstoriespodcast website: www.themusafirstories.com email: themusafirstories@gmail.com