Review on Murud & how to get there, what you need. Review on Murud Janjira

Murud - how to get there, what you need to know. Preamble: This is about my trip to Murud from Mumbai. I shall attempt to write about our experience in reaching Murud using public transport and our 3-day stay at Murud.

Murud: Where to stay: As of Dec 2004, there were only three “acceptable” hotels in Murud the rest of them being either small shacks or single room flats. All hotels are non-star category and offer only basic facilities. The three hotels are: a) Sandpiper Resorts b) Golden Swan Resorts and c) Seashell. Sandpiper is located on the outskirts of Murud and is away from the beach. Golden Swan is a “Chaltae hai” / “will do” kind of hotel charging atrocious rates for basic facilities but ideally located. Seashell is a new hotel located opposite Golden Swan. There are half a dozen other small hotels. These typically charge Rs 500/night (weekdays). However, most of these smaller hotels do not have a generator which is a very important necessity because Murud typically does not have electricity during the day (weekdays). Unless you are planning a weekend trip or a trip during peak season (year end) / public holidays, prior booking is not neccessary. Booking is as simple as using the internet. Enter ''Murud'' in google.com and will see a list of hotels. Click around and will see the Mumbai contact numbers.

Murud: Half the fun is in getting there: We arrived at Gateway of India at about 9.00 am and purchased the Catamaran tickets to Mandva jetty. Catamaran tickets in Dec. 2004 cost between Rs 70 and Rs 100/-. You need to arrive early since the frequency of the service drops as the day progresses. When you get off at Mandva, you need to hurry a bit to obtain good seats on the bus that is provided by the catamaran service. The bus fare is included in the cost of the catamaran tickets and will take you up to Alibag. Locate the S.T (State Transport) bus stand and catch the bus going to Murud. (There is one every half hour in the morning.) There will usually be a lot of locals waiting for this bus so if you want a seat on this two-hour journey, be prepared to jostle a bit for position. Tip: A neat trick the locals use is to throw a piece of personal luggage through the window into the bus. This effectively “reserves” the seat until they manage to get in. Tip: If your holiday is 2 or more days, buy fruit while you wait for the bus because Murud sells very little fruit. The bus follows the coast line and if you are lucky enough to get a window seat you will have a not-so-boring ride to Murud. During the journey (weekdays), large groups of school kids get in and get off at various points. Their constant chatter will keep you entertained. Half hour before Murud or roughly one-and-half hours from Alibag you will go past Kashid beach. It is a tiny unspoilt beach with a few hotels nestled up in the hills opposite the beach. Tip: Do not go to Kashid unless you have a vehicle. Tip: When you finally arrive at Murud, get off at the post office. (Inform the friendly bus conductor in advance) Chances are, your hotel will be within 5 minutes walking distance of the post office.

Murud: Where to eat: a) Golden Swan Beach Resort serves palatable food at atrocious rates b) Hotel Paresh located opposite Golden Swam offers simple fare at down-to-earth prices. c) Patil Kanaval located 5 minutes south of the post office serves palatable food at reasonable prices. There are two small ice cream parlors near Patil Kanaval selling Dinshaws and Amul icecreams. d) If you have a vehicle (otherwise hire a auto) try Sandpiper resorts for acceptable quality at atrocious rates. I did not notice any “pure veg” restaurants.

Murud: What to see:

a) The Murud beach – acceptable quality sand but don’t step into the water. It looks clean but trust me, you don’t want to know what the yellow stuff floating on top is.

b) Janjira fort. Hire a auto (Rs 50) for the short 5 Km ride to Rajpuri village jetty. On the way make a mental note of the toilets that discharge directly into the sea. When you arrive at the jetty and if you arrive by 11 am or so, buy your tickets for the boat ride to Janjira fort. Tickets cost Rs 12 per head. IF you arrive late, either be prepared to wait until 20 or so people gather (which can be pretty quick during weekends), or shell out Rs 200/- for a special “charter boat” just for you. The boat is a sail boat and it takes between 15 and 20 minutes to cover the half kilometer journey to the fort. Considering that the fort is located in the sea, it is surprisingly intact. The waters around the fort are between 5 and 10 feet deep. The boat man usually doubles as a guide and will charge Rs 10 per head or Rs 150 per group (which ever is more). Like most unlicensed guides, he will provide information of dubious authenticity. Tip: The person who sells you the tickets for the boat ride also has books containing information about the fort. Tip: Try the tender coconuts sold by the vendor near the jetty. Apart from the fort there is nothing else of real value at Murud. The Nawab’s palace which desperately needed a coat of paint when we saw it, is out of bounds and so is the incomplete Padmadurga fort. Murud gets its water from perennial springs at Garambi. This is a thickly wooded area with lots of birds. Catch an auto early morning (Rs 150) for the 8 Km ride to Garambi. There are no water sports or other recreational activities. Tip: If you plan a 3+ day stay, carry enough change of clothes or be prepared to shell out steep rates at the local dry cleaners. Items such as fresh bread, milk eggs etc. are readily available at the Murud market. There are a couple of decent pharmacies too. Local produce consists of coconuts and areca nuts Local population is predominately muslim Local climate in December was very pleasant though the nights can get slightly chilly. Streets tend to be deserted by 8.00 pm but you can walk around quite safely even at 11 p.m. There is a lot of tree cover and hence a lot of birds. The coniferous trees at the Northern end of the Murud beach (behind Golden Swan resort) has a large population of large fruit eating bats. If you have a good camera be on the Murud beach half hour before sun set and position yourself such that you will see the sun dipping behind the Padmadurga fort. Click away as the sun sets. If all you want to do is to relax and are not too fastidious about the food menu, Murud is an ideal holiday spot. Murud is the administrative centre of the region. This means it has a large hospital (by village standards), municipality, Pwd and police station. There is no mobile network at Murud.

The return journey: For your return journey you have to catch the Murud-Alibag S.T. bus at the Murud S.T. which is located on the road opposite the Golden Swan Resort. Tip: Catch the bus by 8 am because the last catamaran from Mandva leaves at 11:30 am. You will have a long wait if you miss the 11:30 catamaran.