Murud Experience: Kashid beach near Murud is a lovely long stretch of unspolit beach. A 30 minutes drive north of Murud Janjira, Kashid is the appropriate respite from the craziness that is Mumbai.
Food, sight-seeing and shopping: My touchstone of shopping is whether one can get 'Maggi Noodles' in the local shops. Kashid came thorugh with flying colours; I could not find Maggi noodles, immediately giving the place high marks in my rating scale. The drive 30 minutes north or south of Kashid meanders along the konkan coast and is simply entrancing. Do not miss it.
Activities & things to do: Hang out for as long as you can at this beautiful beach. The only people I met were the ocassional fisherman and the slightly more frequent Russian diplomat. I understand Russians at the Mumbai consulate discovered kashid early. The sight of a burly white man barrelling past on a dune buggy across the long stretch of the deserted beach remains with me as the enduring memory of Kashid beach.
Travel tips, How to reach, travel warnings etc: Drive from Mumbai (5 + hours) or Pune. A less attractive alternative is to take the Catamaran from Mumbai to Alibag and then use local buses or autos to get to Kashid. Once the propsed bridge connecting Mumbai to the mainland goes up, the drive should not exceed 2 hours - so please pray for divine intervention on that one.
