Day 15 : 20 Jan 2014 : Mumbai to Alibagh

 

Some of the team  members at Gateway of India - L-R - Vasumathi, Chaula, Mamta, Krishna, Bhagwati, Ashwini, Shanti, Anita, Gauri, Nicoi...

 

WANI in the sand L-R - Shanti, Rupa, Nicoi, Smitha, Soni, Anita...

 

 YAY!!! Beach!!!

 Hindi movie style running on the beach...

 

Gateway of India and the Taj

 

Just fun...

 

Premila helping Anita stretch

We couldn’t cycle today due to an agitation planned at Alibagh because of the proposed opening of a slaughter house. Couldn’t even take the SCOTT cycles to Gateway of India for a pic. But we did go and take a pic wearing our t-shirts. We then took the first ferry out to Mandva.

We loaded our cycles and luggage on the truck at 5.30 and took a drop to the Gateway of India. While we went to get tickets for the 7am ferry, the truck left in the long route to reach Mandva. The truck would have to travel 100 odd kilometres while we had an hour long ferry ride. Of course, we reached much before the truck could reach. We had breakfast at Mandva and wandered along the beach while waiting. We were greeted by our host Mr Gandhi with roses and he also waited with us for the truck.

Mr Gandhi had organised 2 programmes for us at Alibagh that day. But nothing was possible. Everything was closed and all the roads were supposed to be blocked. As soon as the truck came, we sat in it and went to the resort where they had organised our stay. I believe we just missed the crowd. We did see a lot of people shouting slogans and screaming on the roads.

The resort is beautiful. It is called Blue Whale resort and the reason it is called that is because there is an actual skeleton of a baby blue whale in the resort. I believe it washed up ashore a while back. They buried it in the sand for 6 months for it to decompose. Then they pulled out the bones and have arranged it as a show piece. It is huge. The owner of the resort has a business in solid waste management. The resort is beautiful and the food was very tasty. We had a great time there. It would have been greater though if we were able to cycle.