Alibaugh Trip, 3 friends and a bottle of whisky

Glimpses of Alibaugh

 

14 March 2011, 11:30 am

I just woke up an hour before, have nothing to do now and nothing lined up for next 5 days. Hostel was also almost vacant due to holi holidays. I have decided to stay in hostel, not any specific reason but actually to relax even more. This morning started with a light breakfast but with heavy feelings of nostalgia and that too of just last 3,4 days. We had some real fun in last few days and that was as much as unplanned as possible. The best part is surprises. Element of surprise is always surprising and shocking but its good part is that, it gives you a moment to be rejoiced later, a long lasting memory, new experience and above all , a thing to talk and discuss in conversations. 

12 March 2011

It was scheduled to very busy day. Lot of things are lineup, most awaited match of India and South Africa and quite important exam CSCP that I have write. This exam costs around 35k.

When we put our feet first time on the lands of Alibaugh, it was around 10 and nothing seems like a tourist spot. Everything was closed, all hotels and restaurants and then we came to know that Alibaugh is a morning city. Early to bed, early to rise is the philosophy due to the beautiful weather in the morning on the beaches. We talked to an Auto driver and he give us false information. We agreed to him and went to Alibaugh beach in around 10 minutes. We were shocked, there was nothing extra ordinary in the beach and our plans of drinking on the beach were seems like shattering. The place was far beyond our expectations. There were only 2,3 hotels. We enquired from one of them, they were quite expensive and there is no balcony in rooms. We compromise the rates if we have found a balcony over there to drink. There were no auto rickshaws over there, so we had to retrace the path back by foot. Auto driver also told that beer shop closes at generally 9. 

While coming back from there, we spotted a bar, decided to purchase the whisky but he was overcharging us by saying he will charge the Bar tariffs. Everything was going wrong; suddenly we saw one beer shop, purchased whisky and enquired everything about area from some sensible local whom we somehow managed to find. How much internet one will use but when it comes to the city, your searches won’t work. We catch an auto from there and went to Varsoli beach as told by someone, you will manage to get a cottage over there. It was also a weekend. 

The route to varsoli was quite dense and it was little bit scary also. Lot of dogs barking over the street, no lights, narrow road with trees standing on both side and making a canopy. We all were thinking what happen if we were not able to find the cottage, where we all would go, in that poor hotel.The scene was still in my mind, shubham was feeling quite scary, keerti was talking of surprises and I like always assumed that at the end of the day, everything would be fine. This is one hope that never lets me down. Finally, we found a cottage. It was exactly like cottage and was very beautiful. Lot of greenery and silence was there exactly opposite to what can be seen in cities. The owner told us the tariff and after little bargaining, we finalized the deal. After that we went back to city. Everything was closed; we however purchased some chaknas and all the stuff. We were searching for a hotel to have dinner but none was open. It was not at all looking like a tourist place except some big cars  on the road. It was like an ordinary town where everything closes by 11. After searching effortlessly, we came across a stall selling chowmeins, fried rice etc. It was also on the verge of closing, however, he accepted our order. After having our dinner, we came back to our cottage. Its name was Sai Sharda cottage. It was a religious name according to hindu mythology. 

Our cottage: Pic taken in morning

  There were 3 cottages in series, all were occupied. The remaining was occupied by two couples. The silence and peace was the best thing one get there. Sometimes, modernization seems more like a curse then boon. The people in small villages live a very contented life and there seems no issues of lust, sex, desire, envy, the attributes commonly found in our young generations living in technologically advanced world. I thought nobody knows here about stress which is a common cause of all the problems in modern world. We are living our life constantly in stress , running without knowing where we want to go, lust for everything. In cities, people are recognized by the car they are driving, by the brand of their shirt instead of their behavior and attitude. Sometimes, I feel these villagers are better than us but at the same time question arouses in my heart, Is this is because of hard work or struggle that we have to do in cities that I asking such question. I don’t know exactly but one thing, there is no limit. Things are going as fast as never before, time is passing faster than light. Life is full of contradictions, it can be seen clearly that the nations which are contented had never progressed and which are developed have never been contented. Same is with the life. What should be the feasible amount of both of them to get a perfect mixture. I think this is the recipe for the success. But I want to write some more things to refine what I am trying to say. 

People say everything is relative and not absolute, but I would ask does that mean we should measure our success relative to our peers and colleagues. If this is so, then one cant be happy. Success is something which is personnel and had a different definition for different people. Contented people or people who had stop raising the bar can be seen as stagnant by others whereas it is very much possible that contented people think themselves as successful. That’s why I would rather say, it is something personnel.  The parameter to measure success which is most senseless but followed widely in cities is to measure the other’s achievement, generally peers  and based on that, you’ll decide whether or not, one is successful. According to this methodology, general statement can be conclude that everyone one is successful as well as unsuccessful depending on the people he was compared to. You have every right to disagree as everyone has his own thought process.

Suddenly, uncle came and gives us the salads, we already told them that we will drink here for the whole night; he told us everybody comes there for the same. We asked them for the glasses and mosquitoes’ coil. His son bring those things in our cottage and everything was set now. There was 1 double bed and 4,5 mattresses placed on a table. It was a large cottage. We decided to drink on the floor, arranges  3 mattresses on the floor in the U-shape and filled the remaining shape that was created by the mattress from the 3 sides, with the snacks, chips, bhujiyas’s etc. Finally, the peg was made and we cheered. It was quite tasteless. Shubham said it wouldn’t be easy to drink without an Ice. We asked keerti to ask for the same. He asked the uncle but uncle told him that he gave all the ice to our neighbors. 

Shubham and Keerti in Cottage

We asked keerti to ask for the ice from them but he resisted. I never give up. Me and keerti knock their room and 2 couples were sitting on the floor. They simply say it was finished. When we came in the cottage first time, I was listening to their whispers and generally most of the girls have nice voice. So, after hearing their voice, desire to see them arouse. I was curious to see those people and ice was like an excuse. It worked, I saw them but those people were very simple and girl was wearing the suit against my expectations of some sexy stuff generally girls wear during night time. We came back to our cottage and shubham ask me, Is it really ice or something else that provoked me to knock their room. Smart guy.

We all started with the slow pace in the beginning discussing all the stuff that matters to none and discussed generally during college parties. We went bit nostalgic conversing about birthday parties in hostels, all the mischievous incidents, guys and gals, faculties, fights without issues, seniors and all such stuff. It was quite rejuvenating thinking how immature we were. Keerti was stressing on to switch off the light and to drink in a dim light, but the light was very dim and it was very hard on our eyes. Suddenly, the idea came to my mind that let it be a candle instead of tube light. Fun is the thing not necessarily came with the money. Real fun is in enjoying without spending too much as when you spend too much, then it is not the fun but the feeling to extract maximum out of it.

As the bottle is getting emptied, discussions are becoming slightly intellectual, girls become the new focus and we are choosing girls one by one, those girls that we all know and talk about them. It was a real fun. Discussion moved to spirit and demons and ghosts. I told them that we called an spirit once in our room. They were not ready to believe but it was real. The ambience outside was also horrible and  it was said that  such places, where there is extreme peace, are the abode of the ghosts and it is very easy to call the spirits by concentrating, a stunt I perform in college with other mated only once in my life and never get the chance to repeat it. Shubham was getting scary and asking continuously to change the topic. Me and keerti decided to enjoy the silence but shubham was disturbing us. There was a sound of someone shouting and barking of dogs. The sound was horrible, shubham pretending that nobody was shouting but there was someone. Me and keerti was peeping out of the window and were trying to listen to the silence. Area was so silent that we can listen to our inner selves. Place was perfect for meditation. We were concentrating hard, suddenly shubham switches on the light. His words was like violence, breaking the silence of the night. 

We made a last peg, our vision was getting blurred and thoughts intellectual. Yes, I thought after drinking too much, the things that came in our mind makes much sense and I also have a hypothesis that out subconscious mind becomes little conscious. Although I am not very sure about the hypothesis but one thing is sure unconscious mind is an ocean of your memories whereas the conscious minds contain only little.

 Last peg was very strong and we were no longer capable of sitting over there and discuss. It was very hard on nerves. Me and keerti decided to move out of the cottage to enjoy the silence. My heart was pounding, area was so horrible, it looked like an uninhabited from long time, isolated and the private property of ecosystem. Also, sea was also not far away, so the sound of waves can be heard. Sound of waves were like an add on and makes the ambience more ghostly. We asked uncle early in night if we can go to beach late at night, he said as you wish but don’t interact with any villager. But now I thought, he agreed readily as he know that one cannot go during late hours. Time came to stand still. We moved out of the owner’s property We were roaming here and there on the road. After that, we came back to our cottage and were discussing some stuff, I don’t remember exactly. Meanwhile, keerti bring our peg out and we were lying on the stairs. Shubham was talking over phone. It was around 5 am. I told keerti that there is no point in sleeping now else we would miss sunset but he insisted it would be good to catch 1 hour sleep. We were discussing our philosophies and some personnel issues. It was nice discussion and made sense only if done after heavy drinking. We then went back to room and shubham was sleeping already and we also went to sleep after setting our alarm at 6 am only to wake after half an hour to see the sunrise. As soon as I caught sleep, keerti woke up and asked me to go to beach. Then we both tried to wake shubham but our effort went in vain. Then we both went to beach. 

It was only a 5 minute walk but route was equally beautiful as the target. There was long narrow road with coconut trees on both sides spread as far as we can see. We came across a sea facing cottage where people are drinking at 6 in the morning. The cottage was wonderful but I think would be expensive. We neither have the time nor the liberty to choose when we landed in aAibaugh at such an odd hour.  While strolling, we came across many boards pointing towards something and “clothes changing room” was written over there. It seems lot of people bath in that beach. When we reached, it was complete dark and there is no sign of sun rise. We were sitting on the bench and admiring the beauty of the creator and its creation.  

Keerti

Shubham

 

Me at Varsoli beach

 

 After few minutes, people came for a morning walk over there. We came to know after 5 minutes that this beach is known for sun set and not sun rise as it is in the opposite direction. Still the view was very peaceful.

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