My travelogues

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Jawhar - 14th Aug 2011

Other weekend getaways

"When you are an avid reader, you should read a bad book once in a while....

to know why it is bad, and the others are good"

It was a long weekend, and after a pretty long time too!! As usual the tube took some time to light up and by then most of the places were already booked. Jawhar was on my mind for quite some time, and it appearing on the '52 weekend getaways from Mumbai' on Outlook Traveller flavoured the temptation a bit more. All hotels I called up in Jawhar were already booked and after lotta searching on the net, got the number of a Hotel Rajmahal and thankfully it was available...no online booking though. Not having a menu of many choices, transferred money to Mr. V.K.Karbhari's (the owner) account to book the room. So I was finally going!!

Hotel Raj Mahal

Wanted to do this the raw way, so got up early and caught the ST (State Transport) bus for Jawhar at 7:00 am. My non-fussy family didn't complain a bit. The ST was a 2 x 2 seater. No bookings for this bus, no queues either, when the bus comes...run, throw your umbrella, bag inside from the window and book your seats...convenient, isn't it?

En route to Jawhar, after Wada, the scenery is beautiful, as is common on all hilly areas. The last stretch of the road was a bit bad. Natures' 'GO GREEN' posters were to be seen in all shades as the bus passed through rice fields, grassy stretches and forests. On the way, saw the boards of Sajan Nature club and Diwekarwadi (camping sites - http://www.naturetrails.in/). Reached Jawhar around 10:30 and wasn't very difficult to locate the hotel as it is near to the bus stand, rather opposite to it. This hotel is an economical and a decent one with good enough service, considering the place. It started raining heavily, so we didn't get much of a chance to venture out. Finally at 4:00 pm, we braved our umbrellas and walked towards Hanuman Point. Have to mention that the town of Jawhar is one filthy place, shitty in the true sense of the word. The only compensation was that my nephew hadn't seen a pig before and got exited when he saw them...Oink...oink !!!
Hanuman Point is about 1-1.5 km away from Hotel RajMahal or from the bus stand. A Hanuman temple adorns the centre of the plateau and you can see the valley below and the vehicles snaking up and down the curvy roads. When we were leaving the plateau, fog was spreading its wings all over and in the distance we could see the Jai Vilas Palace in a blur.

Jai Veer Hanuman

View from the Hanuman point

Jai Vilas Palace from the Hanuman Point

The Jai Vilas Palace is about half a km from the Hanuman Point. You can easily miss the road to the palace. Now this is a nice place to be around and so is the walk to the palace. Coming down from the Hanuman Point, take a left at the forking road with a statue. Walk for about 5-7 minutes and keep looking to your left. A narrow pathway leads left, towards the forest as you leave the highway. This path is strewn with cashew trees, if you can recognise one. I was seeing a cashew tree for the first time. All along the path, you will be bewildered to see so many cashew trees and wonder how you can see them only here and not elsewhere in the town. Walking for around 15 minutes in the midst of the trees, you suddenly see the crest of the Jai Niwas Palace. With permission from the caretakers you can walk in and along the boundaries of the palace. With a little bakshish, you can have a guided tour inside too. The guide shows you the darbar, the tribal king and queens' photos, sketches the King Mukne made himself, the tiger he hunted down, his kids room with the wooden toys, a telescope, the verandahs, the visitors room etc. The palace was leaking badly from the inside. However, from the outside, it looks nice, simple and royal. As you walk to the rear of the palace, you get to see a beautiful view of the valley below and in the distance you can see the peak of a trekking destination (dunno which mountain, but I have seen its pic somewhere for sure).

Kaju Tree

Road to Jai Nivas Palace

Jai Nivas Palace

View of the valley from the Jai Nivas Palace

The only other point in Jawhar is the Sunset point which is about 1 km from the bus stand in the opposite direction of the Hanuman point. As I said before, the road leading to the points are filthy. From the Sunset point, you can watch a river gushing below and I can only imagine that it will really be beautiful to watch the sun go down here, but since it was a cloudy day, wasn't lucky to see the phenomena.

Though I enjoyed the break from Mumbai, I would definitely think twice before going back to Jawhar. Surprising that this place features in Maharashtra Tourisms' website as well!! Government...government...Anna Hazare aage badho...hum tumhare saath hai!!!

Jawhar for the travellers

Regular ST buses go from Thane (almost every hour), Nasik, Pune also I guess
Local transport - Rickshaws, Jeeps
Places to visit in Jawhar - Hanuman Point, Sunset Point, Jai Vilas Palace, Warli exhibition (near Sunset Point)
Places near Jawhar - Dabhosa (Dabdaba falls) 18 km away, Bhupatgad fort (find info on the net), Kohoj Hill fort (find info on the net)
Other camping destinations near Jawhar - Sajan Nature Club, Doctors Farm, Divekarwadi
Accomodation - Sunset Resort (near Sunset Point), Hotel Pushpanjali (near Sunset Resort), Hotel RajMahal (near ST stand)

Monday, May 23, 2011

To the land of Strawberries - Mahabaleshwar

Other weekend getaways

Finally it happened!! I was off to Mahabaleshwar with my family. This trip was planned in November last year but got cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances...'Har cheez ka apna time hota hai.....', I guess.

After juggling of dates, I finally was able to book our office guest house, though at a price of loosing 2 extra weekdays since all weekends were already booked. Sam and Mandy had been there a couple of times, so took all and sundry inputs from them. This, by the way, was going to be a different experience from them as they are the car-wallahs, and I was not. Monday, 16th was a difficult day in office as my mind was already roaming around in Mahabaleshwar.

Had booked bus tickets online for the first time, hence was a little apprehensive. Our Neeta (Volvo) darling came a good half an hour late and as usual we reached much before time at the bus stop. My nephew lips hummed only one song...'Amaader bus kokhon aashbe??' (When will our bus come??). He's goes gaga about trains and a/c buses and has his questions ready at all times... "Is this an a/c bus or saada bus, local train or engine train...". We bid adieu to my brother and sister-in-law who had come to see us off, while Salman was showing his Dabangiri inside the bus on screen.

Our bus reached Mahabaleshwar by 5:00 a.m. but had to spend another good half an hour for the tax collectors to collect tax (20 bucks) from each person in every bus. Getting down at the market, showed the map to a taxi wallah, and he understood where we were headed. Mawshi at the guest house greeted us at the gates and it was a relief to hear an yes when I asked, "He Premji cha bangla aahe??".

The guest house is a big one, in the middle of the forest, 3 bed rooms, a TV room, a dining room, huge kitchen ruled by Akbar, and the best part is the patio with its sofas and jhoola. The garden seemed to be well decorated by flowers of all kinds and is really well maintained. There's a glass house in front and the servants quarters behid it. It started to drizzle as we stepped inside. The first day I wanted to take it a little easy, so we ventured only to Venna lake and then to the market ahead to buy some fish.
Venna Lake is a beautiful lake like most lakes are. One can horse ride on a flat land near to it...though I feel its boring since you don't trot beside its banks. Boating facility is available; row boats and paddle boats. I feel they should put some benches on the banks of the lake so that people can enjoy the calmness of the lake. There is 'PratapSingh Garden' beside the lake, where you can go for a short walk. Even in the May afternoon, a cool breeze ripppled throughout the scenery.
I wanted to visit the Lingmala waterfalls but our cook assured us that it won't be worth it as there was hardly any water at the fall.

Jack and Jill went up Lingmala,

To see the fall of water,

Tukaram asked 'Kaay zhaala'

as Jill said 'The trickle is getting shorter'

Saw a giant red squirrel jumping on the trees surrounding our guest house the next day. Shot the bloody red guy on my video cam. The mornings are brought to life by the various bird calls. Its natures symphony with the trees dancing to it. Theres a particular bird, don't know which, that whistles just like we do. And the whistling is not uniform, it sounds as if it is singing some song, or calling some one. One can easily mistake it to a person whistling. Had heard the same whistling note when we had visited Lohagad.

Since we were car-less, we went to the market and took the site-seeing tour cab for Tour II viz. Lodwick point, Elephants Head point, Kates point, Echo point, Needle Hole point. Elephants Head Point, further to the Lodwick Point is a rock formation resembling the head of an elephant with its trunk giving meaning to the Needle Hole Point. You would get a better view of the Needle Hole if you walk away from the Elephants Head Point towards your left to an open and small plateau.
There's a column erected in memory of Lord Lodwick who was a soldier and the first to step foot there. The Lodwick Point gives you a good view of the surrounding mountains.
The Echo Point didn't echo :)
Saw two camels near Kates Point for a camel ride. Elephants Head, trotting horses, now camels....anyone for a game of chess??
Visited the Mapro gardens and a young boy scout gave us a guided tour of the entire place as he explained the rare species of plants and flowers and the process of growing and cultivating strawberries....Nice boy!!

For those visiting such mountains for the first time, don't be too excited when your tour-wallah shows you 10-12 points on the itenary, coz most of the points are in the same vicinity of the same mountain...it's like viewing a building from all sides. Though, have to say that nature never dissapoints you, the commanding height of the mountain peak, the steep valleys below, the flowing ravines (the rivers were dry when we went...boo hoo), the clear sky, all converge to present you the beautiful paintings from the Master.
The evenings we spent just pulling our chairs and sitting on the verandah and enjoying the breeze and the calmness and serenity of the place. The climate was really cool and nice, especially a relief from the Mumbai heat.

Next day, we again took the guided tour (Tour I) to Arthurs Seat, Tiger Spring, Malcolm Point, Hunting point, Castle Rock Point, Savitri Point, Marjori Point, Elphinstone point.
As I mentioned before, most of the points are different angles of the same peak. Malcolm Point, Hunters Point appear as you walk towards Arthur seat, definitely the best point in Mahabaleshwar. Tigers Spring was again a little trickle on the way to Arthurs seat, but am sure will be a site to see in and after the rains. An old woman was selling the water from the mountains...an entrepreneur in the mountains. Malcolm Point, before the steps to Tiger Spring is named after Sir John Malcolm who was one of the earlier individuals to step here. Mahabaleshwar was earlier known as Malcolm Peth.
Arthurs Seat and Elphinstone point on the drive below the Arthurs seat are undoubtedly the best panoramic views that you can get in Mahabaleshwar. One can view the Savitri and the Koyna rivers on either side of the mountains and from the Elphinstone point, you can see the mighty Pratapgarh staring straight in front of you. While strolling towards the Arthurs Seat, keep watching to your left in the distance and you can see a rock formation imitating a dinosaur...believe me when I say, it DOES look like a dinosaur!!
On the way back from Elphinstone Point, we went to Castle Rock Point where you actually walk the narrow path on the cliff of the mountain....whoops frightening when you see the deep gorge below. One wrong footing and you will be left to Heavens mercy. Living...err..walking on the edge, you reach the Savitri Point and take a left to reach back on the road. Marjorie point is just on the bend of the road and from here the dinosaur looks more like a turtle...need to get my eyes checked I guess!!
Next we went to Old Mahabaleshwar or 'Shetra Mahabaleshwar' which is the location of the Shiv Mandir and the PanchaGanaga temple. Mahabaleshwar got its name from 'Mahabali' (Lord Shiva). There is a huge Nandi on the outer temple. The PanchaGanga temple is very beautiful and is the origin of five rivers viz. Krishna, Savitri, Gayatri, Venna and Koyna. All the rivers come out of a cow’s mouth which is carved out of stone. The water was very cold and sweet. As usual some great devotees didn't deter themselves from filling Bisleri bottles with the water as others waited helplessly in line to touch the holy water.

Next days visit to Pratapgarh was a dissapointment as we took the Asiad bus (Government bus) which gave us hardly one hour to visit the fort. The climb up to fort itself would take more than an hour so we satiated ourselves by reaching upto the Bhavani Mata Mandir and then walked down. However, having visited other forts, was dissapointed to walk on the tiled stairs of the Pratapgarh Fort, and I don't think it is well maintained either. Hardly saw anything on the fort due to the time constraint as the same bus was to take us back...what a bloody waste. As we waited in the bus for some of the late latifs, a couple was coochie cooing in the jungle nearby and the litle girl behind my seat started shouting from her window "Didi jaldi aao, bus nikal jaayegi"...talk about embarassment!!

More than visiting the various points of Mahabaleshwar, what I really like was the weather, the calm and serene surroundings at the guest house, no cemented cardboard monsters, being in the middle of a jungle, the early morning and evening bird calls, strawberry, cabbage plantations you see everywhere and the bloody red strawberries of course. The mountains are always enticing and relaxing.

Some gyaan for fellow travellers, coz an intelligent man is one who learns from his own experiences and a VERY intelligent man is one who learns from others experiences.

Having your own vehicle is preferable to reach and wander around Mahabalshwar
Taking the taxi to take the guided tours are fine, but if you ask them to drop them even 2 kms away, they charge you nothing less than 200 bucks.
Other modes of transport are the ST buses and share jeeps (expect 20 people to be stuffed like chickens)
All points have the board "Use of plastic is strictly prohibited and will defaulters will be fined". So, if you read it follow it.
Most of the main points are far away, so if you have your own vehicle, you get to spend more time, unless your wife wants to ride the dinosaur or feed the monkey :)
Enjoy the climate, the breeze, the greenery, the surroundings, enjoy everything...make it count.
Be patient to get a glimpse of the different species of birds and enjoy the plethora of colorful flowers you will find everywhere.
If you want to take the bus to Pratapgarh (there are nly 2 buses, one at 9:15 and the other at 9:30), reach the bus stop early for the tickets as the staff issuing tickets are the most inefficient lot. You can actually avoid the Pratapgarh tour if you don't have your own vehicle as it takes an hour each to go and come and an hour to visit the fort, which is too less a time to visit this vast fort. If you enjoy the bus ride through curvy mountain paths and fill yourselves with the scenery of the mountains and ravines below, you can hop in.
I booked my bus tickets at www.redbus.in. You can also book them at www.neetabus.in. Very efficient travels. They sms you the bus details in advance.

HAPPY JOURNEYING!!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Trip to Ekveera, Karla Caves and Tikona Fort

Other weekend getaways

Other forts and trekking destinations

8th Aug 2010

‘Peellaan (plan) ke mutabik’

– these words from Bhalla were enough for Teja’s face to go red with anger in Andaz Apna Apna. But!! We planned, planned and planned more for 3 weeks to go to Ekveera and Tikona Fort. This was supposed to be our 2nd trek after the mighty Harishchandragad near Malshej Ghat which had set my adrenaline pumping.

The initial plan was to stay overnight at Karjat at a friends place and then leave in the morning. Initially it was to be a group of 8 guys from Dombivali and 6 of us from office. We surfed the net, collected all the info, got excited by the amazing photos taken of these places, almost got inside google maps and could see ourselves gliding down the orange strip between Thane and Kamshet on google maps – what would we have done without the internet???? (A special thanks to Amit Kulkarni – we loved your pictures of Tikona and that partially inspired us to take the trek). Though, as happens usually, the usual people at the usual time in the most unusual way thought that they usually had better things to do and as usual they dropped off!! Long story short – after all the subtractions and divisions, Nagesh, Srinath (Chubby Cheeks), Kaushal (Major) and me were the last guys standing!!

Chubby stayed at my place on Saturday as he had come all packed up on Saturday. The overnight stay at Karjat had got cancelled. All four of us were to get together (Major from Matunga, Nagesh from Dombivali) at Thane and leave at 6:00 am sharp. The most eventful event happened at the very beginning of the trek. The moment I started my bike and asked Chubby to sit – TTTRRRRRRRRR – the cloth on his pants failed to expand as per the instructions of his expanding thighs and bum and gave way – ‘Shit! Majhi pant fatli’. I was worried he would want to change his pants as we were already getting late, but that didn’t happen and we met the others at Cadbury’s naaka. At the Airoli bridge, we had chai and then embarked on our journey…Chubby behind me and Nagesh behind Major.
After having missal paav and wada paav’s at Khopoli, we continued towards our destination. We had a photo session break at the Mumbai-Pune expressway at the bifurcation for Lonavala and Khandala and a little ahead we had another break as the scenery was really good. I guess on the left I could see Dukes Nose, below was our return path on the Mumbai Pune Expressway, and ahead lay the mountains of Lonavala. Some monkeys observed us from the distance and as they got closer, we decided it was time to leave. It’s a real pleasure to ride in the mountains inspite of the ups and downs. Lush greenery, clear blue sky, the fresh air are a welcome affair.

Ekveera Devi Mandir

At around 8:30 – 9 a.m, we reached Ekveera, Karla Caves after taking a left on the road to Kamshet. It was over crowded and the on the way, the road was filled with drunkards who seemed to have started early or never stopped from the night before. We had difficulty finding a place to park our bikes, but finally we found a spot and allowed our bikes to doze off a bit. We took the road up instead of the stairs to Ekveera. Chubby was on steam as he couldn’t find a place to answer Natures call. Half way up, Chubby’s prayers were answered and after he returned, we continued our way to the top on the stairs. It was really crowded as the place was full of worshippers. We decided en-route that if we stand in line to get a chance to enter the temple, it will get very late; hence we were to take our blessings from outside. The Karla caves in the background of the Ekveera temple is a beautiful site to see. You HAVE to stop and think for a while about the artisans and people who carve these caves out of a mountain and turn them into such grandeur. It was very dark inside the chaitya. The dome shaped stupa and the carvings inside were beautiful. The lion pillar outside was equally a sight. It gives you an amazing feeling to go into restrospect and think about the period when Buddhist followers used to stay and pray in these caves. Near the stupa, we saw a strange sight. People were throwing coins and some kids were behind were fighting to collect them in the darkness with a small torch in their hands. Guys…please preserve the place!! Coming out of the main cave with the stupa, we visited other smaller ones the right side of the Mandir. It is said that (Nagesh Baba said that) in one such cave, if you make a wish and a drop of water falls from the roof, then your wish will definitely be fulfilled by Chitala Devi. We did go to that cave and there was this old woman sitting at the corner of the cave and their was saffron smeared on one end of the cave walls. She asked us to make wishes and prayed for us. Nagesh was the one to make the wish and just when he commented ‘ Lagta hai Devi naraaz hai’ – he was rewarded by a drop of water. So we know for sure, his wish is gonna get fulfilled. We were the unlucky ones, rather paapi ones – no droplets for us. After paying homage and roaming a bit on the top, enjoying the waterfall near the main cave and clicking pics, we started on our descent. Once down, I clicked some pictures of a woman selling hens in a tokri. People buy them as sacrifices to the Devi. While having chai, we decided to skip lunch and get to Tikona Peth, the forts base first as we were already running late and didn’t want to end up riding in the dark. On the way back, the ‘Gataari’ element was in full bloom as we passed ‘fully tuun bewdas’ in the middle of the road. They were completely high and weren’t moving even if brought trucks to their faces. We were looking out for Mr.Wahlekar as he was also in Lonavala with his friends, celebrating Gataari.

From Kamshet, we took a right towards Pawna dam. Riding through villages and muddy roads in between, we got up the ghat to the final ride towards the forts base. We stopped at a spot near a tower….we HAD to…the scenery was completely breathtaking…great…simply great…a sight to treasure…something that no camera can capture…a thing that completely belonged to that moment!!! Beyond the Pawna dam was the Tung fort like a hat kept on the water. Nagesh describes it as a submarine. Tikona fort was also clearly visible. We clicked a lot of photographs with Tung and Tikona in the backgrounds. The climate was also very good with lots of breeze and it wasn’t feeling hot even though it didn’t rain. Clicked lots of photos of my bike. It was the perfect location for the Avenger ad. – Feel like GOD!!

Tung in the background

After satiating ourselves of the surroundings, we jumped on our bikes for the final destination – Tikona killa. We kept our bikes near the Mandir at the base and started our trek at around 3:00 pm. The initial walk was through muddy sludge and in no time our floaters and legs were submerged in ankle wide mud. We could hear voices coming down the hill and knew we were in the right path, but we did miss a shorter route. Sloshing merrily, after a while the ascent started. The climb was enjoyable and the scenery was simply beautiful. We came across a group of kids with their Sir coming down. It felt good to see children coming for such treks on a Sunday instead of watching movies and playing video games. It seemed we were the last group going up as every one else was getting down. That gave us an idea that we should hurry up, else it would get dark soon and would be difficult getting down. We were accompanied on our way up by 3 sardarjis. On the way up the first cave, we stopped at a small shelter where a ‘mawshi’ was selling tea and pakodas. We settled for tea. There was another cave nearby which was painted red and occupied by a Sadhu Baba and had a pond in front – really nice. The last climb is a bit dangerous and steep, especially in the rain as it gets slippery. Again we came across one or two families and all of us got a chance to give them a helping hand. Reaching the top felt so fulfilling. It was simply beautiful and we got a real blessing from the skies above when we saw a complete RAINBOW. I don’t even remember when was the last time I saw one. It was a panoramic view. We could see the path we came from…the entire region below. We now understood why this was such a strategic location. One thing I noticed and found amusing was that all the temple tops we could see from there looked almost identical. At the summit, there is a small yet beautiful Trimbakeshwar Mandir with a small Nandi bull outside. Below the temple were small pathways heading below - ‘Chor vaats’, which might have been for storage.

Bas aur thoda

There is a pond at the top, a little behind the temple and behind the pond, the scenery is again breathtaking. One can see Lohagad from there. The fort was left all to us and the Sardarjis as there was no one else. After our photo session, we started downwards, and after having chai and kanda bhajis at Mawshi’s, we (Major and Nagesh) found the short cut that we had missed and after Majors’ certification that it was relatively safe, we took that route. It was a bit slippery but okay. Chubby fell once on the way down and it was a Kodak moment. His instantaneous reaction was putting his hands up and saying ‘Jai Maharashtra’. We spent a little time at Pawna dam watching the sunset - another sight not to miss.

Sunset at Pawana Dam

Heading home, we did what we dreaded i.e. ride at night, and believe me it’s not a very enjoyable experience and is not safe at all. Could hardly see the road ahead of us and with lights blinding your eyes, no street lights, it’s very very difficult to ride, especially in the rains – please avoid. Anyway, after buying chikis and fudges at Lonavala and later having dinner at Malwani's, we were on our way. On the way, at the near the Sion flyover, which we took by mistake, saw a very sorry sight - a decent looking guy, highly intoxicated was walking naked in the middle of the highway. Don’t know what’s happened of him – prayed for him – guys avoid things you can’t handle. We eventually reached Thane at around 12:10 pm. Another expedition came to an end!!

Thanks to Nagesh, Kaushal and Srinath for making it happen as it almost got cancelled. Cheers!! Start planning for the next one….
Kahaani khatam hai, ya shuruat hone ko hai
Subah nayee hai ye, ya raat hone ko hai!!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Revisiting Matheran, 15th Apr 2011

Other forts and trekking destinations

Sometimes the most impromptu decisions turn out to be the good ones!! Tired of the failing plans of my RELIABLE friends at office, Thursday night I returned home and asked my folks to pack their bags as we were going to Matheran the next day.

The last time I had visited Matheran was with friends from my previous workplace. The trip was a very memorable one, more in terms of the masti we did than the sight seeing, but revisiting the same places this time, brought back all the memories and the pieces fell in place.

As usual, struggled to get up early in the morning and missed the train to Karjat that we had initially planned to take. Took the next Khopoli train, and managed to get in with my family with the same thoughts 'Saala itna public aata kahan se hai', 'Inko chutti ke din bhi aaram nahi hai', 'Chup chap ghar pe baithke IPL kyon nahi dekhte'.... Obviously 'Itna', 'Inko' includes me, us and the guy next to me had to have the same mentally traumatic questions as I stepped on his foot BY MISTAKE and said SORRY...

Reaching Neral was the easy part. As we stood in line for the toy train, came the shocker!!
"10:30 ka sirf 2 ticket bacha hai, aur 11:40 ka tickets to ye 6 logon me hi khatam ho jaayega. 12:50 ka tickets milega aapko". Which meant, landing in Neral at 9:30, we would need to stand in line till 12:15 to get the tickets and catch the train at 12:50 - way to go man!! phew!! We had the option to catch a cab and rush to Matheran, but with a kid, my nephew in the kitty, refused to turn down the huffing and puffing train.
The toy train is one of the best parts of going to Matheran, so if possible, try not to miss it. We reached Matheran in another 2 hours enjoying every bit of the train ride on the curvy tracks up the mountain. The scenery needless to say, was beautiful all the way. The valley below grew deeper and deeper as the train geared upway. Two halts at tiny stations called 'JUMA PATTI' and "WATER PIPE' brought the localites around selling jambhuls, lime water, cold drinks, bhel etc. The scene was straight from a faraway tale of an Enid Blyton book.

Bhartiya Rail - Toy Train

As we reached Matheran and tried to get out of the station, we were made to pay 25 bucks each for getting out of the station - Local Tax they say...arre idhar tak aaya to station dekhne thodi aaya...ghoomne aaya...so like all good citizens, we paid.

We took a room near the main market and near the Khandala point called 'Laxmi (something)' - okay kind of accomodation. Rested for some time and ventured out. Saw Cecil point (awesome panoramic view), Charlotte Lake, Lords point and Echo point. Sahil and my mom enjoyed on horseback as we tred behind them...

Ghudsavar

Cecil point needs a special mention here as it gives a very beautiful view of the the surrounding mountains, one casting a shadow on the other and relishing views of the valley below.
One can spend some time with kids on the Charlotte lake or spend some romantic moments on its banks if it isn't too crowded.
Didn't find the Lords' point to be that great. The Echo point is better - we reached their during sunset, watching the cliffs getting darker. Our shouts weren't answered though by the invisible sound duplicater...none of our (all present at the echo point) shouts echoed...where's the Matheran complaint register??

Cecil point

Spent the evening at the mall road/market and bought a cap, sword (khilona yaar) and a cane bag. Had dinner and pushed back to the hotel, did some jhoola jhooling in the yard and pushed off to a peaceful sleep.

16th Apr 2011
Next day, got up early as decided and left the hotel at 6:30. Missed the sunrise but spent a great time walking through the jungle and breathing the fresh air. Its a real pleasure to walk through these calm and serene jungles with a cool breeze brushing across, listening to the rustling of the leaves, calling of the birds, and the only other sound you hear are your footsteps....beautiful.
We visited Khandala point, Alexander point and were off to see the Cecil point yet again. One should not miss walking to the Alexander point, its really nice and if you have more time to spend, venture further to the Chowk point and maybe even further to the One tree hill point if your legs or the horses legs (read money in your pocket) allow you.

Checked out from the hotel at 9:30 am, had some breakfast and walked back to the station. The same story was about to repeat...we would only manage to get the train at 4:30 pm, so we decided instead to walk till Dasturi via the tracks (30-40 mins) and then catch a taxi to Neral, missing the toy train ride this time.

As I stepped into my home, I realised that for 2 whole days, I had not had a single thought about my work, office and all the little unwanted thoughts you burden yourself with all the time...maybe thats the magic of a getaway....reminds me of a Bryan Adams song...here's a part of it....C ya!!!!

I got my motor runnin' fingers drummin'

I never planned to stay

getaway ya know it's now or never

getaway nobody lives forever

we're only waitin' just to make you getaway

- Bryan Adams

Do's....

Plan early and book early for the toy train and see that your travel to Neral and the toy train timing to Matheran fall in sync.
Book your accomodation in advance if possible. However, you won't find all the available accomodations on websites, only the costly ones are listed. If you are looking out for cheaper accomodation, try the ones near the station which are offered by the localites...though it would be a bit far from the market and other points.
Walk...enjoy the pleasures of nature with your own legs.
Ride a horse....this is one of the places where you'll really enjoy it.
Do visit the Alexander and Cecil points
Things you will generally find in the market - Caps, Hats, lots of Chappals, bags, leather items

Dont's.....

Don't leave a part of you in the forests....don't litter
Don't venture in your best attires, they are gonna turn red...Matheran is full of red mud
Don't have eatables in your hands when there are monkeys around...they might just give you the shock of your lives
Don't expect things to cost the same as they do in the city...

Neral - Matheran toy train time table

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Tornagad beckons !!!

The Wanderers
• Soumen Da
• Nikhil Bhau
• Nagesh Batata
• Yashwant Yo
• Chida Chal na
• Pravin Charsi
• Jitesh Gujju
• Kaushal Major
• Shibu loan waala
• Nitin cameraman
• Vineet trekker
• Sonal – Sonal ladke ka naam hai

'Batate ukadli ka' - ye bol bolke Nagesh ko Yashwant aur maine poora 2 week pakaya...there was more to come. The new innovation about this trip was cooking.The Wanderers were on a Khichdi expedition to Torna. Nagesh had just come from Somalia, so pohe, chai, maggi, khichdi, sandwich, tandoori, ukadleli batati, farsaan, maybe eggs too was on his menu...phew!!

He was toooo excited about the khichdi and he had discussed the khichdi menu with everyone possible, almost everyday; to the extent that our office users and maybe the watchmen too had become aware that we were cooking up something. He had thought about all aspects of the mighty potato; its size, weight, look and feel, diameter, circumfurence etc. etc. but when he was given the actual list of ingredients by me, he conveniently omitted, forgot, had a memory loss, or just became stupid and the bloody *ucker forgot important items on the list. He never forgot the POTATOES though.

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'

Then came the 2nd most important decision of our lives - choosing our vaahan. Here also Nagesh participated and his views were changing every day, then every hour - bloody unreliable gaay. Yashwant kept saying...'kashaala tya Nagyacha aiktoys, topya lavto to'.

After verbally bashing him, initially we were going by bus, then train seemed more convenient, then bus again, then came the question of catching it from Parel or Thane?? Aaaaaah!!! Aadhe idhar jaao, aadhe udhar jaao, baaki ke g***d marao!! Finally, Thane - the city of lakes was considered as the meeting spot to catch our Asiad bus. Meet at 11:00, if possible catch bus at 11:30 or then last bus at 12:30. Everyone came by 11:45 and after getting introduced to the new fellas, when the bus finally arrived, the 12 wanderers swarmed it like an army of bees. The bus conductor neither gave us any concession, nor gave a half ticket for Chida. Everybody wanted to sleep but only few of us dozed. Chida slept with Nikhil as his bed, hope he didn't wet the sheets. Half the way, he was sitting like a hen ready to drop a egg, coz he was feeling cold.

On the way we saw Dehu cha Ganpati. As usual Chida came up with a unique question, Ganpati idhar hi rehta hai kya? Nikhil said - nahi raat ko ghoomne jaata hai. We reached Swargate at 5 a.m. and our jubilance (sarcasm, guys) knew no bounds to hear that the 1st bus to Velhe was cancelled.

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'.

Left with no option, we caught a bus to Cheladi as the Sun God started showering his divine rays. On the way, we were mesmerized by a blanket of orange flowers all along the highway. It was truly beautiful; natures' blanket always is...there was more to come. From Cheladi, we cramped ourselves into a Trax, Sumo, whatever and in INR 20 each, our driver Manya snaked us to the base village Velhe where we had our breakfast of Misal paav and chai.

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'.

Ahead, the mighty Tornagad beckoned us and like adazzled child we got lured to its call. We started our trek at 08:45 a.m., only to realise that 2 of our guys were missing. While we were looking for them and shouting Yo Yo (Yashwants identity call), Pravin and Yashwant were being chased by an angry bull cause they were answering natures call in his territory...how dare they!! After their narrow escape, we started our ascent in the scorching sun. We had just covered some distance when we were called back by Nitin and Vineet and asked to wait. Sonal needed some rest as he was feeling giddy and needed Hamdard ka tonic Cinkara. We all felt exhausted in the initial lap itself. The entire climb was completely uphill with very few plains. Half way up, we could see the railings and knew that these were the rock patches and the real adventure was still to come. Below on the right hand side, we could see the Gunjawane dam (i suppose). After some rest, we walked though narrow paths with dense vegetation on both sides. It felt like walking in a sugarcane field, though I'v never walked in one before. Chida did some drill exercises on the way. The scene and the feeling as usual was beautiful. Charon taraf pahad hi pahad, clean crisp air, no pollution, no vehicles, no crowd. We were completely dehydrated and our stock of water was soon diminishing. Paani...Paani...Paani...abe dhakkan aage dekh waterfall hai. Tornagad quenched us by providing us this water body. It wasn't a Niagra falls exactly, the shower being very limited, but the water was very very very sweet. No matter how much you drank, it was not enough.

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'

We wet ourselves, filled our bottles and while Major did his extra bit of stunt as usual by climbing to the source of the fall, Vineet gave a demo of this unique water pain reliever course:
Pre-requisite: Slog in the sun, walk walk till you drop, become completely exhausted.
Process: Talk a bottle of water, pull your shirt up from the back and pour the water on your scorching back and let the pain ease out.
Vineet and Nitin did it and looked at ease, so we believe them :) Then came the rock patches. Not very difficult, yet need to be very carefull. One mistake and I don't need to tell you what can happen. One crossed, then the next, and the next...phew...aur kitna!! Then came the rocky stairs which were more damaging to our legs. Finally came Bini darwaza, and a little ahead passing through a tank (taake), we climbed to Mengai Devi temple. It was a neat little temple which can easily accomodate around 20 people. This was the destined place for our night halt. We paid homage to the Devi and thanked her for keeping us safe, booked our space by keeping our luggage, rested for a while and then ventured out to take a bath. To find the taake where we were going to bathe was an expedition in itself. We first went through a wrong route and then when we finally located the pond, didn't know how to reach it coz their was no visible pathway. Finally, trying through 2 different routes, we made our own pathway and reached the pond. Sonal saw a snake in the pond but that didn't deter us from bathing there as the water was cold and we were too tired reaching to it...Aaya hu to naha ke hi jaoonga. We got down to our basics and one by one drenched ourselves in the cold water...real fun...Nagesh was shivering and was about to fall in the pond while pouring water on himself.

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'

It was really refreshing!! Going back to the temple, Vineet and Nitin got down to our lunch (Maggi) preparation while some dozed off, and others smoked and chatted. The Maggi was made really well and we hungry souls feasted on it. While we were having food, Chida got up in a drunken state and maybe forgot where he was and was saying...'Jaaneka hai'...i guess you know where..
After a small nap, Majors adrenaline started pumping and we all ventured towards Zhunzhar machi. On seeing the small iron ladder going down, we could guess that this was not going to be easy and we had heard and read that there were dangerous rock patches on the way. Standing on the ladder is like floating in the air as you can see the valley vertically down below you. Pravin, Jitesh and Chida decided to stay back and the others went ahead. The rock patches on the way are really frightening as you can see the entire valley below you while you are getting down. You cannot afford to make a mistake, but the experience is really thrilling. Once down the rock patches, we went to the summit of Zhunzhar machi, its chor vaats and also saw a nest with 4 eggs in it. Don't know whose eggs they were, reptiles' or birds'. Another photo session and we were on our way back to the rock patches, climbing it this time....huhuhu...vichaar karoonach lagte.

Next destination was Budhla machi but since it was getting dark, we decided against it, but Major being our Shahenshah with rope and all on his shoulders, akele hi nikal pada...

andheri raaton me...sunsaan machi par...
julm mitaane ko...ek shahenshah nikalta hai....
usse log Majorwa kehte hain...

After going for a distance, his analytical evaluation was that we should not go ahead as it was getting dark and the road ahead had rock patches and was dangerous....abe humne kuch alag bola tha kya?? Koi isse samjhao...

The sky was on fire, and the reddish orange tint was simply amazing. A canvas of colors was being painted by the great artist, The Almighty which had yellow, pink and blue in the form of flowers, green dominated the mountains and a fiery vermillion sky. Couldn't have been better. Thank you Lord for showing these spectacles which we never observe in the city. Last time we has seen a rainbow on Tikona, this time the sunset was really amazing. We got some fantastic photos of the sunset. Nitin captured the sunset brilliantly and one of the photos he clicked is now my desktop wallpaper. Kudos Nitin!!

'Batate ukadli ka Nagesh'.

We returned to the temple, it was already dark by then and got down to the most awaited activity...khichdi!! There was not enough water, so Yashwant, Chida, Pravin and I went with our torches to get it from the taake behind the temple as it seemed to be the only potable source. Pravin fell, Yashwant slipped, followed by Chida and me. The preparation of the Khichdi actually turned out to be a rigorous event as our estimations went wrong. For 12 people, the amount of daal and rice we had brought was much more than required. On top it, Nagesh's potatoes added to it and the thing was going out of control. We then decided, we need to chuck some of it and prepare the remaining bit. However, it finally turned out to be okay according to some, good according to some and mast according to others. The khichdi plan was ultimately a success and we feasted on it. Everybody was tired and it was cold outside, so we let our shekoti plan be a plan only and got into our sleeping bags, mats and put ourselves to sleep. There was complete darkness in the temple, you couldn't even see your hand.

Day 2, we got up early, prepared chai and got down Tornagad in about 1 1/2 hours after carefully dealing with the rock patches. We also got a ST bus from Velhe to Swargate immediately. In the bus, Chida couldn't stop his kidaas and was assaulted by almost everyone and was almost gang banged. The bus driver was finding it difficult to drive with all the noise we were making. Then somebody suddenly remembered it was my Birthday and everybody wished me. Let me not talk about the rest of the journey as it was a disaster and I spent my entire birthday tanning myself in the hot Pune sun and watching the Pune bus-stops and railway stations. Anyway, Yashwant and Sonal left by Shivneri, Nagesh, Vineet, Nitin, Shibu and Major left by train and the less lucky guys viz. Pravin, Jitesh, Chida, Nikhil and me finally caught a bus at 6 pm. My nice nice nice friends bought some pastries for me and celebrated my birthday at the Food Mall as we were ogling at the pretty Puneri girls. Finally Neeta helped us reach home by around 11...arre Neeta Volvo re...

Reached home, had a much needed bath, cut the Black Forest cake my family had brought alongwith Sahil, my nephew, ate food and was dead on bed.
Another adventurous weekend came to an end. Till next time, adieu!! There is more to come....watch this space...

Nagesh batate??….jaoon de…