Sea or hill — Mumbai's two default answers to 'let's get out of the city this weekend.' We've picked one for the group chat and one for us.
Sea or hill — Mumbai’s two default answers to “let’s get out of the city this weekend.”
Getting to Alibaug means a ferry from Gateway of India, then a cab or a bike once you land. Getting to Matheran means a toy train, or a hike if you’re feeling ambitious, and zero vehicles once you’re actually in the town — horse carts and hand-pulled carts only, which sounds twee until you realise how much quieter it makes everything. Alibaug runs on beach shacks and seafood, built for a group of six and a speaker. Matheran runs on simple Parsi-Irani cafés and its famous chikki, built for two people who actually want to talk without shouting over traffic.
We’ve picked Alibaug for the group chat plans and Matheran for just the two of us. That’s the honest answer, and it’s stayed consistent for years now.
— Suparna