Vikas M

Tarkarli & Malvan 2012

2012-11-21T13:42:00.000+05:30

Everyone!
So now, M.pharm is over and i'd scored good in the doctoral entrance exams. But there was a huge gap of over 4 months so decided to spent sometime with my family. We headed to Ajmer-Jaipur-Agra. After returning, it was finally time to spend it with freinds. This group with which i undertook the trip is made of Amitt, Sachin, Kiran, Vikas, Hemant and Tathagat. Hemant and Tatha couldn't make it, so we were reduced to 4.
The specialty of this group is, it is NOT a college/school/work place group, it is formed casually ten years ago. His friends, his freidns of friends, and so on..
Most dont know what the profession of others is, they only know that if they receive call from anyother member, it has to be a travel plan lined up!

So this way, we covered almost whole of Konkan. Murud, Harihareshwar Shrivardhan, Ganapatipule, Goa, and the only remaining Tarkarli and Malvan. So we headed for it.
These days, it is difficult (or i must say impossible) to execute a plan on a short notice, so i had planned it atleast 2 months earlier. The consensus building was done in 10 days and then we reserved tickets of Dadar-Madgaon JanShatabdi express. It was 14th November.
It was an early morning catch and i have a habit of going late to the bed. So it was tough for me!

The D-day arrived. For a change, i was before time! The train arrived 10 minutes late. It was 6'c clock at Thane stn. Sachin and Kiran joined at Panvel. Amit was at goa and he would directly join us to malvan. His task was to reach early and book a room as soon as possible. It was diwali time afterall.

Let the pictures talk now.

Early Morning Nashta!

India's fastest JanShatabdi!

Reached kudal at 12:30pm. Bang on time.
The kudal station is inconviniently located 2 kms away the main town and ST depot. So there are rickshaw walah's ready to "thug" you. They demand sky rocketing rates. Just ignore and stand for a while. When the rush is gone, they'll approach you. The rickshaw to kudal depot costs 10rs/seat.
Meanwhile, we ended up missing the bus to Malvan. And the next bus was scheduled a at 1:15pm. So we had lunch in "Hotel Pushpa". Such delicious food is not expecting in such a place. The usual fanfare was of the malvani thali which i would rate as 4.5/5 stars. It also has a nice south Indian menu. I would give it a 3.5/5 stars. And the star attraction, soal kadi was damn good. The thali costs about 50rs.

The Malvani Thali!

The Awesome Soal Kadi!

The bus arrived on time. Yes! I noticed that buses in this part of Maharashtra are more punctual than in satara/pune. The ticket cost 27rs. Beware, there are other buses which go via some place and can be frustrating as it eats up precious time. Catch the direct one.

The last few kms (lets say 15kms) is a road to watch out for! It is so awesome with twist and turns , traversing the coastal land (you cant see the coast though). I was at the window seat, so had privilege of obeserving it.

The Curvy roads!

Finally reached Malvan ST depot. I thought it to be a place full of bazaars and people, but surprisingly, there was no one around. It is an sleepy coastal town, recently developed, but the aura of its village'ness is still not lost.

Malvan Bus Depot.

After reaching Malvan, we check in at our hotel. We got two rooms for 600rs. 300rs each, we were 3 people. It was not an hotel, just an RCC with not so good heater and was not neatly maintained. Nevertheless, it would be an illusion to expect more at just 100rs per person.

Just around the premises, i noticed a lotus flower.

The first stop was a ganesha temple. Built in 2005.

Ganesha Temple

The natural art of Malvan!

The Sand Artist

Then we headed to Rock gardens. Rock gardens are as the name suggest, filled with loads of rocks. These are not artificial, but carved out by the sea. Long sheets of stones is some thing adorable at the sun set. There is an artificial park made at the entrance.

Rock garden entrance

Natural Rock Formations

Beautiful Sunset rays over it!

Then i spotted a weird looking fish.

Weird Fish

Star Attraction

Spent half hour strolling around the rocks and then proceeded to Chivla beach for sunset.
It is 3 kms from this place. It is indeed a beautiful beach. Not overcrowded at all. There are few huts wherein you can enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Beautiful beach and sunset!

Huts!

Sand Art

Forts!

Lonely Boat on the beach

Clean and Secluded!

Crabs are architects!

Some one on BCMT suggested a tip for photography. i.e dont leave immediately after the sun sets. Wait for some time. It was worth waiting!

Post Sunset.

After visiting Chivla beach, we strolled on the narrow streets and market of Malvan. It was the Diwali day. And there is a huge mass proceeding all night till 4 am. Meanwhile, we came across this art work.

The hotels were full, and there was a huge waiting que. But we find one. Belly full and we crash in bed.
The next morning, the plan was to explore Sindhudurg fort, visit tarkarli beach and take a boat ride to dolphin sightseeing and nivti bogwe beach.

We left at 8 am. The initial plan was to do snorkelling (300rs/person, 20mins). So we headed to a beach adjoining the malvan jetty. But we changed our plans last moment. We decided to visit sindhudurg fort first. We bargained and settled the to and fro price for 50rs/p.p.
I am a history buff, so it had to take a long time exploring the fort.
And i hope to take you to the same zeal through this write up.
It took 20 minutes to reach the fort from the beach.

Leaving behind the beautiful beach!

Perfect place to hang out!

The Malvan bunder.

Heading towards destination.

More closer!

Clear water. That's where you snorkel!

We reach the base of the fort. The first thing that came to mind was ofcourse, Shivaji Maharaj the great. The second, was the negligence on the fort. ill maintained, not looked upon.
Now the history;
For Shivaji Maharaj, it was a high time to strengthen naval bases on the konkan coast to thwart off the growing English and portoguese presence. He even roped in "Kanoji Angre", formerly renowned as the master pirate who would hijack the English and portoguese ship. It was said that he knew the seas well than any other in the region.

To the north, in Janjira, the siddhi stronghold, who were the allies of mughals had dominance over the seas. Shivaji maharaj tried to win it, but it remained un-conquered till 1947. Sambhaji, the son of shivaji, had almost won it but had to abandon the mission as Aurangazeb moved in his forces to attack Sambhaji.
To counter this. Shivaji built Sindhudurg fort. Supervised by Shivaji himself, this fort was built within a span of 3 years. The massive walls still stand strong today. But a part of it is crumbling.
The task was assigned to Hiroji Indalkar of Malwan. He employed masses of portoguese, english and locals to built this massive fort in the stipulated time. The fort has 42 bastions.

The fort houses the ONLY temple dedicated to Shivaji Maharaj, the "Shiv rajeshwar temple". And you might be amazed to know, this is the temple which houses the ONLY potrait of Shivaji, without a beard and mouthstache.
Preist inside temple provide details about this temple. It houses a replica of "Bhavani sword", the sword of Shivaji allegedly bestowed by the goddess Bhawani herself.
The length of this sword is staggering. The replica is studded with jewels as the original is (in British museum, London).

Shivaji Maharaj was an ardant devotee of "Bhavani mata" So there is a bhavani temple in the fort.
Inside the fort, there is an underground tunnel to facilitate an emergency escape. It is 3 km long as the guide suggested. And passes under water. The mystery behind the science of those people is not well understood and is not explored by the govt who is busy in appeasing. The ventilation inside, the material used to keep it waterproof are still a matter of awesomeness.
After british took over, these secret passages fell into ruins and no effort has been made to explore it.

The fort is in ruins; right? So we explored why did it fell in ruins.
The first reason we found is, the fort itself is divided in three regions. One governed by ASI, other by grampanchayat and the third i forgot. This makes the renovation more difficult due to red tapism. Secondly, the entry is free. I was at the opinion to charge atleast 20rs for entry. This would atleast provide some money to protect the fort.

Anyways, this disappointing was overpowered by the location of the fort. It is simply awesome. Let the pictures speak.

The front entrance.

The Hanuman Idol at the entrance.

The old dug out canoe kept just as you enter.

What a grace it would've been when its d-days!

The steps few meters from entrance lead to the top floor i.e the narrow wall built for protection, The views from this place is awesome!

Clear Green waters!

Malwan jetty as seen from fort.

Strong fort walls! And clear waters!!

Following the wall trail, you reach a small makeshift temple, which houses the foot and hand print (in lime) of the great shivaji maharaj. It is preserved. The foot prints had water in it, so was not visible. The hand print was visible.

Shivaji's foot print in lime, preserved in this small enclave.

Hand impression of Shivaji Maharaj.

Walls and Coconuts!

Further ahead, there is a Shivarajeshwar temple built by his son, Rajaram. This is the only temple dedicated to Shivaji. It houses the only potriat of shivaji without a beard! The sword which was bestowed by goddess mahalaxmi to shivaji was kept here, then looted by british to take it to British museum in London.

A brief dip into the greatness of Shivaji Maharaj, it was time to adore the natural beauty!

Fort Premises

Shivaji was an ardant devotee of Bhavani mata, So there had to be a bhavani temple. I think this is renovated.

Bhavani Mata temple

Unlike the mughals, Shivaji or Sambhaji never destroyed any mosques. His fight was against those who ransacked people using "Allah's" name. There was a battalion of 700 pathans in Shivaji's army. The reason why it needs to be mentioned is; this fort had a unique tradition where in ONLY a muslim family was allowed to beat the "Nagada" (or a call drum) for a mass gathering. It continued right uptil a few years when it was abandoned just after independence.

With Shivaji in mind, we left Sindhudurg fort. The next spot was snorkelling. According to description, it did seem interesting. One would prefer Scuba-diving instead. The rates for snorkelling were 300rs and for scuba-diving 1000rs. So we thought of giving it a miss!

Few pics from beach adjoining Malvan jetty.

Good bye Sindhudurg

I got wheels!

Dead Jelly Fish

Clean beaches!

Malvan jetty!

We headed back to ST depot to catch an ongoing bus to Tarkarli. Tarkarli is 6kms from Malvan ST depot. As i mentioned, the bus was bang on time and within 20 mins we were at Tarkarli.
We got off at the karli backwater tour office. The crows in our stomach were shouting, so we enquired about good decent food. Asked few people, one name popped up, "Mayekar's" home.
2 mins brisk walk and we were there. Had good food and as konkani's are known for their hospitality, we were served by such "Modak", which is a sign of sweetness (Often a prasad of Lord ganesha). It was delicious. The mayekars also stock up the authentic "Kokam juice" which is well known as digester and appetizer. So we bought 1 litre of it for mere 70rs!

With fully belly and after a brief lobbying by me, we finalized a boat for Karli backwaters. These included few "points" as they say.
We booked a boat at the govt office. The operator gave a nice presentation on the spots included which all seem to be willing to go.
The tour cost is 1800rs, we were 7 people. Maximum 8 people are allowed. The first 1200rs are to be pay at the counter and rest to the boatman.

The boat parking lot

Enjoying the ride!

Dug out canoe!

The first "point" was this luxury house boat. This is a fixed boat.

Moon Star boat

The second "point" is this ancient temple. Dedicated to lord shiva. It's unique bcoz it is sandwiched between the karli river and the otherside being the beach.

Ancient temple

Within 15 mins, we were at Devbag beach. Enroute is the famous "Tsunami point" named after a small patch of sand that rose above sea bed creating a beach.

Devbagh Beach

The next point was "Crocodile face".

Crocodile face.

Then ofcourse, the highlight of this boat ride, Dolphin watching! Sadly, no dolphins were seen bcoz the sun was at its unforgiven since it was an afternoon. The reason posed by the boatman, seems justified as per the prior testimonials we listened or read. The best chance is early morning upto 8 am.

Devbag beach!

The 1200rs that you pay, show these so called "points", which was indeed dissapointing. The real paisa wasool scene is in the next part of travel.

Proud boatman

The next point was these weird rock formations! These are mammoth rocks, just seen before landing to nivati beach.

And then, the real surprise! Nivati-bogwe beach!! What a spot it is!
The beach is not visible as it is hidden behind this mammoth rocks. So it adds to your curiosity and excitment. And when you see it, Gosh! Wow is the word!

First view of Nivati beach

The dried leaf!

Our boat being parked at Nivati beach

Stream joining the sea!

Quick photographs of the awesome spot!

Clean sand and the mammoth rocks!

Me posing @ sunset behind the rocks.

Half hour of gaze, we return back with arguably the most surprising spot of this trip.

Sea-gulls

The evening set in, at sunset, we were at devbagh beach.

Sunset at Devgag beach

Hide n Seek!

After sunset we stop at the "tsunami point" Watersport is what you should do here.
Kiran was desperate for speed scooter ride. It was yamaha model. Cost rs 300 per ride. As i already experienced it in goa, i skipped it. We did kayaking. 100rs per kayak, 2 people, 20 mins.

Speed scooter!

Me on Yamaha Wave-runner

Kayaking

The darkness then took over and we reached the govt office at 7pm. Then took a ST bus to malvan depot. We crashed in bed after malvani dinner and that's it for the day!
Early morning we got up and headed for Tarkarli beach. Again in same ST. Reached the beach and had some tasty "Pohe".

Konkani Poha is must eat!

Clear waters of Tarkarli beach!

My Shadow

Clean beach Tarkarli.

The backwater leading to Tarkarli beach.

Halfhour timepass on beach, it was time to bid adeau. We had reserved tickets for the same day for janshatabdi express. Reached malvan ST depot, then took bus to kudal depot, had lunch at the same pushpa hotel and took rickshaw ride to kudal station. Train bang on time and we reached panvel bang on time!!
Before ending, few tips.

1) DO NOT LITTER.
2) DOn't carry plastic. The govt has issued paper bags to the localites. Do follow the same.
3) We missed, but check out the "great fish" catch at Malvan jetty early morning at 7 am.
4) Booking are not really required unless during peak season (diwali, new year).
5) Buy yourself authentic "Kokam juice". I would suggest to buy from homestays.
6) Chances of dolphin sightings are more at early morning.
7) Do not drink and drive.

8) Tarkarli/Malvan is not a party town. Pile up your stock of booze before 9PM.
9) People are very friendly (more than you'll find elsewhere in India!).

Kaas Plateau of Flowers 2012 & Bamnoli Lake.

2012-10-08T12:58:00.002+05:30

Everyone!

After Vihigaon waterfall, the next one day trip was to Bhivpuri waterfall. Nothing to write about it, the place is a no go bcoz of bewda gangs. Then after a brief break of a week, did a short trip to the Pagoda and Borivali national park in Borivali. It was the beginning of September Meanwhile i was constantly monitoring events at kaas with respect to the flowering season.

Normally the flowers bloom in August, but this year it was a "Adhik" (meaning: Extra) month, so the ganesha festival and the flowering season was delayed. 100/100 marks for the marathi calendar.

Now, the thesis was done, viva was over and had plenty of free time, so decided to go to my native (at Satara), on 15th September.

The weather at my place is almost same as that of kaas. And i can easily extrapolate the possible weather at kaas by observing it at my home. The sun was out for whole day and skies were dark blue, ideal for photography. The clouds were white and of non-monsoon category. At the evening, it would drizzle a bit.

These days, kaas is in news. So the authorities have woken up and this year, kaas has got the UNESCO world heritage status. With that, comes lots of renovation and publicity, which in-turn attracts partygoers and picnickers. This place was a top secret until last 3 years saw a outbound exponential rise in tourists. And its for sure,this magical heaven ad-mist the Sahyadris is going to be marred like Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani.

The authorities have set a maximum limit of tourists which stands not more than 2000 tourist/day. So the authorities have set up online booking facility to avoid any embarrassment for people coming from Pune and Mumbai. So i reserved a slot in advance.

The plan was set according to the classic route. i.e Kaas-Thoseghar waterfall-Chalkewadi windmills.

It was 18th September, i guess a Tuesday It is important to mention the day because on week ends, this place becomes hell. Full with picnickers and non-sense idiots who don't care for flowers. I already knew about it, so it was out of question to go on weekends.

Info: All detailed info i've put in here, Kaas Plateau 2011

Got up early, everything ready, kick start i go! I was on a mission mileage, so noted the first kilometers.

The Map.

Map

Tripometer read: 35167

Time: 8:16am

The Tripometer

I had bought a new Samsung galaxy Y, albeit 4 months ago but the GPS, Google navigation was never put to test, so it was a testing time for them. So following the maps, reached Satara and then continued to Kaas from there. Kaas is 25kms from Satara city.

As soon as you ascend to Kaas, you witness Satara city nestled in valleys of Sahyadris. Its a pretty sight!

And when the bad patch of road ends, you come across beautiful vista of the urmodi dam.

Flowers and Urmodi dam!

The road passes through some very beautiful landscape, something which you've never thought of in this part of the world. Something that can even rival Europe! And viola! It does make you to hum romantic songs, albeit me being a bit different i was singing about nature. That old discovery channel commercial, "I love the mountains, I love the clear blue skies, Boom de ya!" seems like this paragraph is written exclusively for Kaas!

Lonely Tree!

After 10kms, you witness the first carpet of Smithia.

Carpet of Smithias!

The Urmodi dam seems coming closer to you! And this wonderful scene!

My Bike posing in front of Urmodi dam!

Still 15kms to go!

I carried that small tripod. So setup for this Jab We Met wala style pic! :D

JWM Style!

A small tabletop en-route Kaas. There is no fort there!

Rocky Table top!

After a few minutes, Kaas is visible!

Kaas Table top!

Reached the table top at 11am. To my surprise, there were only a handful of people around. Around 30! The guy collecting toll stopped me asking to buy tickets. I bought one for 10rs and then he asked 50rs for camera! I declined that i wont pay for it and asked him to let me go. He agreed after sweet talk and asked me to hide it from bada sahebs ahead.

Then proceeded to the table top on the left, and saw the first bloom of the season!

There was nobody else on this side of the plateau, only me!

First look at flowers!

The flowers were little, but made a pretty sight with dark clouds!

Kaas Flowerscape!

I like to preserve things digitally, so i preserved this Kaas ticket!

Kaas Plateau!

The Flowerscape!

Now the flowershow!

Flower called as Nilawanti, due to its blue colour! ID: Cyanotis fasiculata.

Cyanotis fasciculata

Murdannia lanuginosa

Wild Turmeric flower!

Utricularia purpurascens

Morning Glory! Ipomoea violacea!!

The Star, Smithia hirusta aka the Mickey mouse flower!

Senecio grahamii

The Elephants Trunk; Vigna vexillata

Bees at work!

Rain water harvesting taught by a spider!

Water logging creates amazing view isn't it?

The road that will be fenced!

Look at the love Idiots!

Beautiful Kaas!

Carpets! Kaas Flowerscape!

This is my fav pic!

The Tsunami of Pink!

Red And White scenes!

Right focus, is the only aim!

The Lal Dabba!

Beautuful sahyadris!

With Kaas done till 1pm, it was time to head back to Satara. Had a bad lunch and then proceeded to Thoseghar. Thoseghar is known for its mammoth waterfall. It is 34 kms from Satara. I read a report which claims the fall to be of 500mtrs. That's half a km!! Pics cant do justice with its size, but it is a spectacular sight to watch! Not to mention the road to Thoseghar is so awesome! No potholes, wide enough and passes through beautiful Sahyadris!

Finally i reached Thoseghar at 3:00pm.

Parked the bike at the parking arena, paid a fees of 10rs, then a entry ticket of 5rs.

As i said, the sun was out, and the water flow had been declined tremendously, but still mammoth enough to stare at it for minutes!

There are two waterfalls, one bigger and other small, This is the pic of bigger one!

Thoseghar waterfall!

The small waterfall was obviously small. This is the feed to smaller one!

Feed of the mammoth waterfall!

After half hour of photography there, headed to the nearest Chalkewadi windmill farms.

The road to there is a bit tricky, but Google navigation came to rescue.

First view of Windmills is that they are giants. And the sound that they make is like a huge machinery at work. Again, i was the lonely soul till there.

Mighty windmill!

Shivaji sagar lake!

Flowers and Windmills!

Standing Tall!

League of Windmills!

Meanwhile, i had figured out that there is a kuccha road from this farm which joins directly to a tar road going to Satara via the Asangaon. It was a bad decision. Why bad? It was hard, back breaking and troublesome negotiating that kuccha road. But it was fun, the sense of isolation engulfed me.

Just imagine, you, lonely on a plateau, cold winds brushing your shoulders, sounds of non-oiled windmills and wild flowers aside! And then the famous fear of breakdown or tyre puncture. Thankfully it didn't turn to reality.

After 15 mins of backbreaking ride, i reached a tar road, not so wide. But it was tar after all. So i was at riding at a speed of 40 km/h. Continuing for 16kms, joined the highway to Satara. You ascend a ghat and encounter a dam, makes a lovely sight!

But again keeda, i figured that the NH-4 is mere 2 kms from the diversion, albeit it was also a kuccha road, and it began tarring after lets say 600-700mtrs.

The view from Asangaon ghat.

So this is the end of first half;

I returned home, had a belly full veg food, and the kumbakarn took over.

The tripometer 35353;

Trip Ends at 35353!

Total kms covered : 186 km.

Total fuel cost : 200 rs.

PART - II

Prologue: The Ganesha festival was due tomorrow . So my village friends came to native from Mumbai And as usual, we go outing for a day every time we all meet.

Almost entire Satara is covered by us. Only remaining was Bamnoli lake. And this Kaas-Bamnoli-Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani circuit was planned last year but never executed it due to constraints.

So plan was formulated and finalized. It was 22nd September. All set, as these guys are lousy and due to difficulty in managing bikes, we got delayed and finally left at 12:30pm.

The route taken;

Kaas Bamnoli Mahabaleshwar circuit.

Reached Satara city around 2:00 pm. And then took the famous right before the tunnel to Kaas. Stopped at the same scene, and took some pics out there.

Urmodi dam!

Our Young Group!

The Bikers!

Nautanki!

Kaas Lake!

Continuing further 10kms, we reached the Bamnoli lake. The Shivaji sagar lake formed due to Koyna dam looks amazing. The whole road to Mahabaleshwar revolves around this dam.

Shivaji Sagar lake!

Witness the branching of the lake!

Finally reached Bamnoli lake. One has to take a left from bamnoli village to lake, The right continues to join Mahabaleshwar tapola road.

Our little monsters parked in a row!

It was already 4:30pm. And we figured out that we need to hurry to reach Mahabaleshwar.

Had a light naashta and then continued to Mahabaleshwar by the Bamnoli-Tapola-Mahabaleshwar route.

The highlight of this trip is the road to Mahabaleshwar itself!
Zig zag turns, running parallel to the lake as if playing roadrash in the pacific highway level.

The whole stretch is isolated and beautiful. One can spend a whole day stopping and adoring the vistas enroute, but it was not for us.

The ride experience here was unique. Just imagine, a stretch of 60kms, where in you meet only 3 oncoming vehicles, one of which being a ST bus!

The area is too remote. But the girls there are indeed beautiful. There are small isolated villages en-route so you can take brief stops therein. No sutta's available.

Continuing the beautiful road, we access the Tapola-mahabaleshwar route. The crono read as 6:30pm, the sun was setting in darkness was taking over. And then the most exciting part of the ride; fog!

Yes! The last 20kms, we rode in fog! With no fog cutter lamps, the "upper" headlamp is useless, you got to rely on dipper. The fog was so thick at times you can barely see anything beyond 20mtrs! It was a wonderful experience to ride in such conditions. Slow and steady and we reached Mahabaleshwar at 7:00pm.

My friend suraj had bought a new bike, Honda shine. He handed it over to my friend. He was triple seat, and on those winding roads, it got punctured. It was only noticed until we reached panchgani. Suraj wasn't aware of it being a tubeless tyre thus we removed the tyre and took it for repairs which the mechanic failed. Put it in place, filled in compressed air and rode it for 10kms. Finally dinner at dhaba and returned back home at 11:30pm.

Some tips:
1) DO NOT LITTER. The authorities will fine you 500rs. Beware.
2) Don't carry plastic bottles/carry bags. Everything needs to be deposited at the counter at a deposit of 50rs/article.
3) Beware of snakes. There are many!
4) Don't walk on flowers. Stick to the basics, stick to the trails.
5) Parking in NOT allowed on flowerzone. It is better to park your vehicles 5kms before the plateau and then take a ST bus, coz they are the only ones allowed to alight on flowerzone.
6) Don't drink and drive.
7) Leave only your foot prints (Not on flowers though!), remember we have to preserve mother nature for our grand children.
8) If visiting on weekends, make sure you have registered on their official website.

YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE, SO GO OUT AND EXPLORE!!

Dhinganaaaaaaaaaa at Vihigaon Waterfall.

2012-08-19T18:01:00.000+05:30

everyone!

It's good to be back writing after a hefty schedule.
I was on a verge on completing my M.pharm. So despite the beginning of rains, i couldn't really cash it on.

But a plan was chalked out. To Vihigaon.
The group contained following people; Me, Amit, Sachin, Hemant, Tatha, Deepali and Swapnali.
Vihigaon is not known to many, in fact, this whole area is so beautiful that it is a well kept secret by many travelers!
It's free of party goer's mayhem and the infamous Sunday rush.

As rain gods appeard, no doubt, it was an unanimous resolution that we should go to a waterfall. So after information collection, since we travel by local transport, finalized vihigaon.

On the D-day (19th Aug' 2012), it was raining hard in the morning. It was more a sort of a no-go due to such a very heavy down-pour. But there was a pattern of rain which was noticeable, i.e Heavy rains with brief sub-dues.

Considering this, we thought of giving it a go. Boarded the early morning kasara fast local train from Thane. Amit and Deepali arrived late, but it was our sheer luck that kasara local was 15 minutes late. Nevertheless, we reached kasara just 5 mins late. It was a new Siemens local train that run at 100kmph even on suburban sections!

As a general rule, whenever we go, we always take pics on the board on the station we alighy.
So we had a brief stopover for photo session and viola!! We missed the bus!!!!

Reaching Kasara!

And then the "more" bad, the local transport (deemed to be illegal) to Vihigaon (Kodhala) was shut down completely. That's coz a very strict Saheb's transfer to the traffic duty.
I enquired about the next bus, to our surprise, it was at 3:00PM. So there was no chance of getting there by bus.

We bargained hard with the taxi drivers, but 400 was the last they quoted. These days all are on job, so nobody really cared and we booked as taxi for one way drop. It was already 10:45 and we shall move now.

The Jeep!

Reached the base at around 11:10am. Then it's a 15 mins walk through plain but muddy road to the waterfall itself.

This is the perfect map i found on web. Hope it helps : Vihigaon Map

The highlight of this trip are;
1) Of course, Vihigaon waterfall.
2) A small walk from Vihigaon (Towards kodala) up to the picturesque old british bridge
3) Water Rappelling.

First view of Vihigaon waterfall.

The Mighty Waterfall!

Me posing in front of the mighty waterfall

Me @ Waterfall!

Group Posing!

It was raining all the time. And the force of water was increasing!
After a few more poses, we got down to the base of waterfall.
And my god! It was mighty!

Frontal View!

The crowd was very less (It was SUNDAY!) And it is evident from here;

No Crowds!

Look at the strength!

Closeup!

It would've been fun rappelling but the seats were already full.

I don't have much pics to share coz of my keeda
I attempted to take pics near the waterfall and lens ne "moisture" pakad liya! So it was all foggy foggy in my pics. Meanwhile during walk i transferred some "tan-tap" (read as तन ताप) to my cam and it was ok for taking pics.
After an hour of drenching under the mighty, we decided to call off.
It was around 12:45.
Checked out, had some chips and peanuts and then proceeded to the main road.

As suggested by geeta, on BCMT, we took a long walk around the State Highway towards kodala, up to the old British bridge.

The lovely road, through which a long walk is highly recommended!

Heavenly Roads!

Dark roads, greenery on both sides, Wild turmerics on the edges, waterfall on road, and not the least, the bridge which makes a picturesque scene!

The waterfall is visible en route this road! Look at the mighty beast!

The mighty beast from the road!

After a 15 mins walk, you first glance the old British bridge which would be soon submerged, thanks to the upcoming dam.

Old British Bridge!

Trichodesma indicum En route!!

Flower!

The vaitarna river which would be dammed to ensure smooth flow of water for mumbaikars.

Lovely gorge!

Had Doklas and Paratha's on the old bridge, took a nice look around.
The clock ticked 3:30pm and it was time to return back to catch the 4:53pm local from kasara.
The problem: No local transport available. There was one odd bus that didn't stop at the bus stop bcoz it was already full! (The bridge itself is an ST stop!)

Out of frustration, we started to wave to every passing vehicle! One gentleman stopped and his jeep was moderately full. And we were seven. After requests, he agreed on a condition we have to hold on somehow for 2 more km, Most of the people were about to get down at Vihigaon village.

We got lift till the Dharni-mata (?) temple where the two arms of national highway collaborates (towards igatpuri). Why Dharni mata?? Bcoz that is official stop of ST buses and Jeeps coming from Nasik and going towards Kasara.

The scene there was classic, this time it was a dose of white! Full on fog! The visibility was mere 30 meters. Thank god i was not driving

Foggy NH-3!

As it was foggy, nobody dared to stop at that official stop!
We were waiving hands, but all in vain! Blame on the fog!
We were building a consensus of walking upto Igatpuri, my gps read a distance of 4.4kms. We wasted almost half hour for the pickup.

Finally a mahindra tempo jeep stopped coz it had a newly wed "jodi" who opted to take blessings of mata.
We asked, he nodded and then we hopped in. It was a 40 mins drive then.
We had missed the 4:53PM train. And the next train was at 6:13PM.
Disappointed, thinking how to kill time, the pushpak express appeared coming from igatpuri!
It stopped for an engine change and we hopped in second class and got down at Kalyan.
Then took a local train to Vikhroli.

Costs and Fares:
1) Return ticket from Vikhroli to Kasara : 40rs
2) Kasara to Vihigaon jeep hire : 400rs for full jeep. We were seven, so the cost comes to 58rs
3) From Old British bridge to Dharni mata temple : 15rs
4) Dharni mata temple to Kasara : 13rs
Total = 126rs

Tips and Warning:
1) Do not miss the British bridge. It is awesome!
2)Take care of your belongings, Do carry a wind-cheater, coz when in waterfall, rains might wet your belongings in the rucksacks.
3) Do not litter.
4) Do not drink near the waterfalls. Even if you do, pls don't break the glass bottles and throw in water. We have to change from being dirty Indians.
5) Heavy rains might cause moisture deposition in camera's lens. If such happens, transfer some of your body heat to warm the camera.

YOU LIVE ONLY ONCE,
SO GO OUT AND EXPLORE!!!

Historic and Holy; Kolhapur!

2012-05-18T16:12:00.003+05:30

everyone!

The Buddha said, "The condition of human nature is suffering". I add, bcoz of work! :p

I was so busy that I got time now, 6 months later to write a trip report. I did trip in Oct 2011. Nevertheless, its never late when it comes to travel.

This time it was Kolhapur. As usual, I begin my trip from my village which is in satara district on Panchgani-Pachwad route. And as usual, I was accompanied by 2 trusted one’s. One is my bike (Hero Honda CD Delux) and my friend Amit as a pillon.

The rains had subdued, the skies were clear and the roads were pothole free. That makes your journey even more comfortable.

As my family members are wary about we duo’s coz each time we are together we chalk out a plan, execute it without their knowledge and six months later we open up our experiences. So this had to be a a secret plan. The reason behind this is, we could be never ever allowed to go 365kms on a bike on a national highway.

We had previously attempted a trip in 2009 to Raigad fort which ended in misery and bad planning. Ultimate mess as I can sum it up. So this trip had to be precisely planned and we executed it like a management manager would always want to! :p

As many travelers believe, key to a good trip is to begin as early in the morning. We begun at 7:10am. The tripometer read 26621km. The morning was breezy and cool as it is in sahyadris. But we knew that sun is going to be harsh on highway, so carried goggles and screen lotions.

Tripometer

Two Hunks!

The journey begun and the first stop being karad. We enquired about the most famous “Nashta” and he directed to a small gharguti (Home made) shop where we were served Puri-Bhaaji. The cost was 15rs, and what delicious it was! We reached karad at 9:00 am with a speed of not more than 60kmph.

Early Morning Silhouette!

At 10:40am, Kolhapur was 6kms to go!

6 more kms!

At 11:10, we were at Chattrapati Shahu maharaj museum.

Completed in 1811, This museums houses costumes, weapons, games, jewellery, embroidery and paraphernalia such as silver elephant saddles and the interesting collections from the possessions of Maharaja Shahaji Chhatrapati like guns, trophies. Shahu maharaj is most revered in Kolhapur for his policies towards social reforms and against the caste system. Hence, Kolhapur railway station is renamed after shahu maharaj.

Shahu Maharaj Museum

The Social Reformer king and his legacy!

In praise of Tulja-Bhavani!

As I said, this was our secret trip. But this world is too small!!!

When we returned from museum, I saw a familiar face. It was a Bengali aunty from our chawl (society) in Mumbai! If I met her, she would definitely report it to my mom! So I just ran away behind the bushes till she went away. This would mean that I can have another confrontation with her. So we left in a hurry.

The next stop was Mahalaxmi temple. Reached there at 12:22pm. The sun was harsh and sunscreen was working pretty well. The main entrance of Mahalaxmi temple is awesome. With a saffron flag flying, it was a matter of pride.

About Mahalaxmi temple;

The Shri Mahalakshmi Temple of Kolhapur inMaharashtra, India, is one of the Shakti peethas (Goddess of Power aka Shakti) listed in various puranas of Hinduism.

Although there are discrepancies about dates, it is wiedly believed to be built in 700AD by Chalukya dynasty. Unlike other temples, the main diety faces WEST. This is because of a special phenomenon which takes place during equinox, The diety is seated in such a manner that the sun rays fall on deities face and then go back! (As in Angkor wat, Cambodia, Similar genius can be seen at equinox)

The statue is made of Gem-stone and dates back to 5000-6000yrs. During the radical Islamic invasion, the statue was hidden. It was not until sambhajee’s reign (Shivaji’s son) that he bgun a massive hunt and found it in a small house. Since then, the place saw massive rise in devotees and now it is one of the most beloved in Maharashtra.

Mahalaxmi temple entrance.

Then the first view of temple

First glance!

The inside of temple has amazing architectures!

Here's a view from inside the campus.

Hemadpanthi style architecture!

Just aweinspiring stuff!

Clear skies and clear faith!

Second Darwaza!

Lovely Backdrop!

Prayer hall plus temple in combo!

Reverence to elephant!

Hemadpanthi again!

The four deep-sthambs!

The holy banyan tree and the temple!

There are two entrances; one for “Mukha” darshan (Face darshan) and second one for full darshan. The second one had a long que, half hour we were standing in que.

It was clear day, and it was a lunch time. And I know you might have heard about “Kolhapuri Pandhara and Tambda Rassa” which is famous curry of meat in kolhapur! I had lonely planet travel guide and somewhere it mentions about “Padma guesthouse” so we went there and had pandhara rassa. It was good, and slightly pungent as compared to rassa made at my home in satara. 35rs for each “wati” (curry) and extra chapattis.

The famous tambda and pandhara rassa!

Blessed, we started outward journey to Panhala fort. I was a bit disappointed coz it did not seem to be like a traditional fort as in raigad or pratapgad. But as a history buff, I could still enjoy it.

With our tummy full, we headed to panhala.

Panhala fort: Built by Raja Bhoja in 1178 AD. This fort has witnessed the glories of Shivaji and his faithful commander, Baji prabhu deshpande. We all are aware of Pavan Khind! A brave warrior hung on and defended those enemies until cannon shots were heard from near vishalgad. He then died happily. Althought the fort was lost, shivaji recaptured it some years later.

Here are some pics.

Panhala fort from a distance! I guess this is where mughals laid a siege from!

Small mosque before entrance!

Bow to thee warrior!

Patrolling and adoring mother nature!

Small peaks, big jerks!

The distance between Kolhapur and panhala is 20 kms, Saw this fort in a hour and then geared up for a long journey.

Reached home at 8.50pm. Had good food and it was a good night!

The final tripometer.

Total distance covered: 364kms!

Time: 13 hours and 30minutes.

Total fuel cost: 500 INR.

Some tips:

1) There are 5 aarti’s, the timings of two I know are 5:30am (Kakad aarti) and 8:30am.

2) Must eats/drinks/buys include the famous and mouthwatering “Tambda and Pandhara Rassa”. Bring along some authentic Kolhapur chappals made of leather and cheap bargains.

3) Panhala fort can be omitted, if this is your second time there.

4) Cameras/Mobile phones are not allowed inside. So no photos of the diety.

5) There is a short cut from panhala, which opens directly to warna-nagar. So no need to go all the way to Kolhapur again. It saves 20 odd kms.

6) Do not litter (An advice to fellow (as we are) Indians! :p

They say; “You live only once; so go out there and explore!”

Kaas Plateau A Floral Fantasy!

2011-09-24T16:49:00.003+05:30

everyone! This is a short report on Kaas plateau.
Kaas plateau or Kaas pathar, is also called as "Valley of Flowers" of Maharashtra.
It is famous for variety of blooming flowers, especially at the end of Spring season.

Located in the heart of Sahyadri's, at a striking distance from Mahabaleshwar, in the hustle bustle city of Satara, lies a jewel.
Jewel of yellows!
Jewel of Pinks!
Jewel of Whites!
Hail mother nature!!!

Getting there:
Getting to Kaas is very easy now a days. Special thanks to Govt of Maharashtra for building Makkhan smooth "Mumbai-pune expressway" and bypassing pune, by katraj by-pass.
It takes 5 hours from Mumbai in pvt vehicle, 6 hours by public transport.

Alight at satara, and follow the not so wide roads, full of not so big potholes to Bamnoli.
20 kms away is the kaas plateau, and kaas lake.
Surrounded by mist, on a flat table top, dots of yellow and pinks arise out of the greens, that's jaw dropping stuff!.

Two flowers species are abundant there.
The yellow ones called as Smithia hirusta and the Pink ones, called as balsams.

Prologue:
It was March 2nd, 2011 when i lost my beloved uncle forever.
In sept, there is a ritual called as "Bharna" for first year, the second year onwards it is called as "Shraddh"

So i went to my village. The ritual was at Saturday. The next day being sunday, was free. So i decided to go to Kaas.
My village is on Panchwad-Panchgani route, so Kaas is some 60 Kms from my place. 20kms to Panchwad, 20 more to Satara, and rest 20 to Kaas.

The Sunday arrived with a brisk rain in the morning. There was Smithia hirusta in full bloom at my village premises. The green mountain plains had already turned yellow. This is a reliable indicator that Kaas would be in full bloom. And i was right!!
Here's the video of Smithia in foll bloom at my village.

Started at 8:30am solo on my bike, Hero honda CD Deluxe. Driving at 40kms per hour, reached satara at 10.30 and then to kaas.

Kaas has been in news for sometime now. So these days, the authorities have awakened. They are strict than they were ever.
First i was stopped at a "Naka" 10kms before kaas, showed up the license and there i go!
The point to note was, every vehicle was scrutinized irrespective of size and people inside. So carrying legal papers and license in a must to avoid any trouble. It was a easy go for me coz my surname coincides with another persons surname, who was once a Shivsena district head, and he is from my village!

Enroute Kaas.

Continued ahead.and there comes the first plateau of yellows!
Smithia hirusta in full bloom! I posed my self and my bike on road to the yellow fever!
It was so refreshing! I felt my senses being tuned up, which were dismantled due to Mumbai pollution!

Smithia hirusta.

My bike and yellow stuff!

The bed of yellow!

Some more yellow! Those are not Smithia

10 mins later, some 5 kms before kaas, pvt vehicles were stopped, they were asked to abandon their vehicles at a parking lot and then carry onward to the flowerzone in a ST bus. (Dont puke yet, there are pvt buses sponsored by NGO's too!).
I was allowed although! This time it was not my surname, it was my bikes number plate, which read as MH-11! MH-11 is code for vehicles from satara district.
Only satara vehicles were allowed, rest had to abandon their vehicles. Later on, everybody was allowed. Infact this is a better option for those who are on 4 wheels. Why?? Keep reading and scrolling down!

The first view of the plateau:
My imagination of kaas valley was a bit different. I was there, in summers 5 years ago, and it was just another table top like Panchgani. I was expecting something browny browny.
But it was Pinky!!!

Frankly, i always thought that Kaas is a hype. It confirmed when i saw that yellow sheets before kaas! But i was stunned seeing the plateau in pink! Oh yeah it was balsam. Balsam are there at my village too, but not so concentrated. It was an amazing site!

First view of Kaas!

Violet Balsam

Violet ones!

A rare find!

"The edges of the road were muddy,
The narrow roads when two vehicles confronted, both have to go to the muds, crossing the tar line,
The red tape bearing the sign of "Caution", "Do not cross",
Those 60 guards, each at distance of 30 mtrs,
Childrens wearing red t-shirts sponsored by NGO, whistling all the way to manage traffic,
The Pinks, where the road cuts through,
The misty clouds at what it seems like the end of the plateau,
The mood spoiler, the sun, which was overpowered by the clouds later,
the Brisk rainfall,
The Marathi speaking guards, not allowing me to park my bike near the flowerzone"

So i was forced to park my bike where the plateau ends.
The moment i slowed my bike, the guard would whistle, OMFG!
No choice, i parked my bike, and came back walking one km back to the plateau.

The first observation was, the plateau was filled with Nature photographers, and the old guns! Most of those old guns were retired, and were in large groups.
Nature photographers, carrying tripods waist height, camera gear on whole body, sleeping on the grass, posing wierd was a common site.

Weird poses!

Do not cross!

If you stand on road facing kaas lake, the LHS of the road was not in full bloom, Although the signs of full bloom were already evident. The RHS was concentrated with flowers.
A close look, they are not! So it's good for landscapes.

The pink carpet RHS!

Most people would walk along the rusty and muddy mahabaleshwar road, for 500mtrs and then turn back. I was just curious to know, what lies the other side..
So i went ahead. The was a horizontal dug out portion for laying cables from where most people generally turn back. I continued crossing the same, and VIOLA!!!

You wont beleive, i came across a mind blowing landscape!
The flowers here were more concenrtrated, more evenly distributed. and the edge of the plateau were some weird shaped trees, a wonderful opportunity for composing landscapes!
Even i did!

The Landscape!

Close look!

2 hrs is what it takes to explore the plateau. It was 1.30 already. so i decided to head back to home. With brief stopovers for biscuit and chai session, i hit the NH-4 and took the left to panchgani, which leads to my village!

Before i wind up, i would like to add some tips and rules you MUST know.

1) DO NOT LITTER.
2) DOn't carry plastic. Drink less water, coz there are no toilets on the flowerzone . Women should take this advice seriously. Plus there is a constant sun and cloud game, so clouds attract bladders, to promote fluid loss!
3) Beware of snakes. There are many!
4) Dont walk on flowers. Stick to the basics, stick to the trails.
5) Parking in NOT allowed on flowerzone. It is better to park your vehicles 5kms before the plateau and take ST bus, coz they are the only ones allowed to alight on flowerzone.
6) Don't drink and drive.
6) Leave only your foot prints, remember we have to preserve mother nature for our grand childrens.

Thank you! :)
"You live only once, so go out there and explore!"

Borivali National Park

2011-09-09T19:53:00.000+05:30

BNP... alias Borivali National Park, alias Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is a national park located in heart of India's Financial Capital.
Although it is in the Heart, it serves the function of LUNGS! And thus it is also fondly called as "Lungs of Mumbai"
Those lungs regulate the pollution the Mega City...

PROLOGUE:
As it was raining, stimulating the sense of love for mother nature, we decided to head to the Jewel of Mumbai.
Full credits of Amit Bhilare, it was his suggestion at the first place.
Being jobless and in Relax India Mode, everyone was ready.
The last time i went there was in SCHOOL PICNIC some 17Yrs ago when i was in 1st Std. So it was a relatively new place for me.
We were in Group of 4, Me Amit Sachin and Kiran..

Know your BNP:
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), encompasses an area of 104 km2 (40 sq mi) and is surrounded on three sides by India's most populous city.
It is notable as one of the few national parks existing within a metropolis limit in Asia and is one of the most visited parks in the world.
It also enjoys the distinction of being the largest urban park in the world.
As it is a National Park, it is imp for me to post the Details about Flora and Fauna..

Flora: Kadamba, teak, karanj, shisam, and species of acacia, ziziphus, euphorbia, flame of the forest, red silk cotton and a number of other varieties of flowers. Karvi or Karvy, a flowering plant that flowers once in seven years, can be found in the Park.

Fauna:
Chital (or spotted deer),
Rhesus Macaque and Bonnet Macaque
Black Naped or Indian Hare,
Muntjac (Barking Deer),
Porcupine,
Asian Palm Civet,
Chevrotain (Mouse Deer),
Sambar Deer and Leopard.
Sambhar, deers and Leopard are very common,
Leopards have been in constant News due to their attacks on Humans in villages inside the Park..
Butterflies: More than 150 Species of Butterflies have been Known in the Park and it is a SPECIALTY of this Park..
Home to WORLDS BIGGEST BUTTERFLY, the ATLAS MOTH (SHILONDA in marathi), has a SIZE of Human PALM, is indigenous to BNP.

Getting there:
Nearest railway station is Borivali.
We reached there around 10:30am. Had some breakfast, payed the toll/fare of 20 Rs and viola we are in!

Some pics:
Just at the entrance, there was a que to school kids to get inside!
What a start! I was looking for myself standing in that same row 17yrs ago..

School kids!

The entrance

Public notices and fares.

Sanjay gandhi national park, carved out of grass.

Carved out of greens.

Snap of Poster of these two kids!

Cleaning the ears of the king :p

Then we reached "Krushnagiri"

Krishnagiri

The Mini Train is Major attraction for children..
Named as VAN-RANI (Jungle Queen)
PS: It has the MODIFIED Truck Engine..

Spotted: A Barking deer!

Barking Deer

Spotted: Serpent Eagle

Serpent Eagle

Those deers come so close to humans!

Barking deer again

There are some tree houses on the way :)

Tree house

That's it for the Park.
We then move to Kanheri caves.
One has to catch a bus (which runs once every 45 mins, carrying not more than 20people).
This bus is run by the SGNP authorities.

KANHERI CAVES:
After a 15 minutes drive through thick jungle, we reach Kanheri caves.
Enroute, spotted some deers, roaming along with their cubs which were very cute!
Compared to the ones "jailed", these are very shy animals, and run away when they feel your presence. :)

Know Kanheri caves:
No special permission is required for visit, and is the only NO RESTRICTED area in the whole park. All others needs permit.
These caves date from 1st century BCE to 9th century CE. In total, there have been 109 carved caves!!!
A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine, is a real delight to watch!!
In the late 10th century, the Buddhist teacher Atisha (980-1054) came to the Krishnagiri Vihara to study Buddhist meditation under Rahulagupta.
Kanheri served as a epicentre of Buddhism in western India, now extinct.

Pics:
Getting down, there are some unexpected guests for your welcome!
Here they are, guarding the entrance.

Few steps uphill, you reach cave no.1

Cave no.1

Cave no 2 at a distance!

First view, cave no 2

Cave no 2

Inside the cave are 2 or 3 stupas and wonderful carvings.

Some wonderful carvings

Various postures of Buddha.

Lies ahead is CAVE NO 3!
It's a mammoth structure! And has a big stupa inside.
The outside of Cave no. 3

Cave no 3 from outside

To the left, is this huge carving of Buddha.

The standing buddha

The Stupa Inside.

It was echo like hell!
This cave has been carved of a single stone, from up to down.
What an art it is!! Marvelous.
I've shot a video of it. Here it is.

Then there are other caves, which is just a matter of Uphill trek.
And there are some funny stuff on the way!

The DENGAR? sign!

The uphill trek is really slippery.

Slippery trek

This is the "DENGAR" bridge!

This is the cave up there. It's difficult to get in there and also is not so attractive.

Flora and Fauna pics:

Balsams in bloom

A kid snail

Snail Poop!

Another snail

View of concrete jungle from the summit

Valley of flowers!

Yellow yellow dirty fellow

Making love are the monkeys. :)

Those are really big!

That's pretty much it of Kanheri caves and surroundings.
Next we go on lion safari.
We return back by the same bus at 5:30pm.
The last safari is on 6pm, and to add to our woes, we were only 6 people who wanted to take lion safari. We waiting for another 25 minutes, and at the end we were 10.
So we decided to buy tickets for the rest five, that added 15rs more to everybody's share.
The bus passes through series of fenced jails, and the windows of bus are fenced too!
The cost of Lion & Tiger safari is 30 Rs per person.
It is 20 Minute ride to the Tiger/Lion reserve.

The road to Lion safari!

The gates open, making huge sounds. These sounds raise our heart beats!
We were excited coz it was our first ever sight of the king, Lot seen on discovery and Nat geo, but never live!!

Story:
The bus travels for 5 Minutes,Then suddenly stops, the driver says; SEE THAT WHITE TIGER!!
She was BIG, and what a sight that was.. Un-explainable!
Every one was asking "White kaisa, White kaisa?"
Every one was dumb about nomenclature, so we fooled them calling it as SIBERIAN TIGER!!!! Everybody followed us then
Sorry No snap of that Beauty...
Next comes,the Royal Bengal tiger..
There was a Jeep TYRE inside, Two tigress and their Cubs, where playing with that Tyre, another marvelous sight to watch..

After tiger sighting, the bus rolls on for Lion sighting!
The door opens..
A Huge Roar gets Audible! It was a the JUNGLE KING behind the visible bushes!!!
Then suddenly, people esp(Idiot ladies) Start screaming "Aai ga, Aai ga" etc etc, as we see what are the afraid of. We were on left aisle, we hopped right and were stunned!
Amit screamed, there's a LIONESS there, Right next to the Vehicle!!!
She was very close, and in wilds she can get so close when you will be her prey!

She came Very near to the Vehicle, made eye to eye contact, and we get frustrated!
Then she behaves that She is Ignoring us!!!

What next???
That was a Paisa wasool Moment!!!!!
The Bus goes a bit ahead to turn back, the driver had earlier INSTRUCTED that "Haath Baher Kadhu Naka" (Dont put ur hand outside the Window).
As the Bus starts moving, my idiotic friend Amit, puts his hand Outside for her Snap..
She sees us, and starts running behind the Vehicle!!!!!
We screamed at the driver 'Abe Bhaga bhaga jaldi' LoLz, he calmly says 'Kuch nahi karega wo'
We almost thought that she is chasing us as if in the wilds
Lolz we relieved, but she was still chasing..
Here comes the exciting moment:
A bit lost in switching on the Video mode.

Now the bus turns back, she runs away in her respective cage and finally we leave taking a last glance at her. :)
That's it!!

Before ending, i would like to share some tips, advice and notices.

Few Myths that were Resolved after by SGNP Visit:
1) Got knowledge about the Poisonous and Non-Poisonous snakes in Maharashtra, Infact, We had killed a few Non-poisonous snakes in our village..
2 copies of that hoarding are retrieved by me and are pasted in my village's Gram panchayat office and Temple..

2) Leopards only Hunt at Night, They never attack ADULTS,
Only Children are susceptible, coz their low height represents Prey-ness..
This also applies to Adults in SITTING Position..

3) If you do encounter them, especially when they are in Groups,
Dont Run, coz their INSTINCT is to CHASE and if you RUN, you will be 100% Chased down (That applies to TYSON GAY and BOLT also )

Make Noise, Keep your Shoulders UP, Clap, Scream to BLUFF them, make them realise that you are NOT the PREY and Much stronger then them...
(This was said by Driver, who was very friendly coz he was a Konkani.. )

TIPS and Notices:
4) Dont litter, Say no to plastics
5) Dont use flash photography while capturing insects or bigger animals.
6) Only leave your footprints, and not plastics. Make sure that we keep this place preserved for our grand childrens, or they'll curse us!
7) Kanheri caves in monsoon get slippery. No matter what you wear, every step is a potential fall. Be alert and careful. Walk slowly. Keep your camera's inside while walking.

"You live only once,
So go out there and EXPLORE"
Cya next time!

One day trip to Palasdari Waterfall.

2011-09-02T21:31:00.001+05:30

Hello guys and gals!
After a hectic college schedule and lack of synchronization of schedule, finally we synchronized a Sunday. Rain god had already blessed and turned everything green, and he did stop briefly, and that coincided with our synchronized Sunday.

We've had enough of Waterfalls and forts past years. And i was the one who was fed up with waterfalls. I've been to many, and tell you each one is hell on public holidays. :(
Also i was in college at Bhivpuri, and during monsoon we use to register our attendance every monday for almost 3 months. The newly built toll naka guy use to let us in just by seeing my face! LoL!!
That's just to make you understand how fed up i was and that too on Sundays? Oh, a big NO!!

After negotiations and debate on waterfalls, we tapped our desk for Palasdari.
The planning commission and information conveying ministry was left to me.
After a thorough literature survey, which was ofcourse very scare (which is also symbol of not so famous and peaceful) the information was conveyed.

The plan was finalized for 14th August 2011.

We took the morning Khopoli local (8:30 am at thane) and alighted at Palasdhari roughly at 10.10am.
Palasdhari is the next station after Karjat on Khopoli route.
Dont be disheartened if you catch Karjat local, coz Central railway runs special Karjat-Khopoli locals which are in synchronization with locals reaching karjat. (Came to know when i was doing literature survey!)

Coming back to palasdari, there are two ways to reach village. By walking on track to the visible village, or turning right whch leads to Palasdhari dam, and then to village. The changing room is located here near the dam and is for men only! You can still give it a miss coz there are plenty "Open" changing places.

Reached the village at 10:45 with brief stopovers for snaps and changing clothes at the dam
Took some utilities from shop in the village, and then headed on straight to waterfall.

As a rule of thumb. or a nature's law, or an engineers law, whatever you call it, "Waterfalls are always located on hills, and railway tracks are not"
So anywhere you go, the waterfall is always located away from railway station! And so is this! You have to walk for 20 minutes from station to reach there.

The walk passes through lush green surrounding, and that's enough to turn you on, even if you've been there tens of times!
The first sight of waterfall was disheartening. especially when you are obsessed to relative "big" ness of Bhivpuri, Pandavkada.
Nevertheless, the crowd was minimal. And it was actually a private waterfall for many couples having fun! :p

The real fun comes when you go under the falls. Due to heavy rain the previous days, and a brief break, the waterfall was at its medieval, still was at force..
Without a second thought we just jumped in to water! Viiola, it was really cold! As cold as ice! But within minutes, our body gets accustomed to it! and then we stayed in for nearly 2 hours! :D

After a series of posing for photos, we decided to give it a call!!
Returned to station, had some biscuits from shops at village and took the 2:10pm Up local for CST.
Reached thane till 4:00pm and home till 4:30pm.

It was a good respite from chaotic Mumbai life, and when you are running out of options, and if you are seriously looking for privacy, Palasdari is a where to head for!!

Would like to share some photos! Enjoy :)
Forgive me for poor pic quality. It was shot using Samsung mobile phone 3.2 Mega pixels.

The beautiful roof less station!

See behind, the building is changing room.

Palasdari Dam.

Pano near Palasdari Dam.

15 minutes of trail, like this makes way to waterfall.

Trail

First view of waterfall.

Side view!

Yoga by Poga!

Some fun!

Then we went Upstairs from where the water was falling.
It was amazing sight up.

The small water stream upwards.

And this is the only video of Palasdari

Thanks for watching!
"You live only once, so go out there and explore"
Enjoy :)

Sajjangad & Ajinkyatara Fort, Satara.

2011-09-01T15:20:00.004+05:30

Prologue:

Hello readers and subscribers,

I'm Vikas and my native is near Panchgani. Situated in Sahyadri's, it turns out to be heaven in monsoon.

So i went to explore that heaven. It was month of july 2011 and despite the weather being awesome, i was bored. Thats coz all my village friends are now settled in mumbai to earn their living.

The rain god had taken a small holiday and it was a good time to explore the region. The advantage of such weather is that your photographs are clear without being fog and still you can compose the Greens :)

So i went solo to Sajjangad and Ajinkyatara forts.

First i'll present you, the colours of Sajjangad.

Sajjangad:
Located at Satara, in Maharashtra.

Bit of Info;
Sajjangad literally means "Fort of Good People" coz it is the final resting place of "Ramdas swami" the spiritual guru of Shivaji Maharaj.
Swamiji is known to be a Social reformer and spiritual guru and his temple is the prime attraction of the fort.

Behind the temple, is the nature's delight. Especially in monsoon.
The "Urmodi Dam" and the Sahyadri combo makes one to praise the Mother nature!

I reckon, the distance between Satara and Sajjangad is 12Kms, and passes through scenic route, full of my favorite colour, Green!

Pics will do more justice to fort, so here they are. :)

First view of Sajjangad.

My Cute bike :)

The great thoughts and quotes of Swami Ramdas are put on as concrete posts on the ghat which leads to Sajjangad. There are many on this 12kms stretch. Here's the selected one.

Great thoughts of Swami Ramdas.

Mesmerizing roads!

The road, The mountain, and Tempo trax!

The diversion board is seen, the road goes straight to Thoseghar and turns right to Sajjangad base.

The road that leads to Thosehgar waterfall.

The whole fort is located on a flat table top, beneath which there are lot of Jagged rocks. :)

Jagged rocks!

At the entrance, there is a hoarding which summarizes the great deeds of Ramdas swami.

Info of Sajjangad.

You need to park your vehicles at the base and take a 15 minutes uphill stair climb which passes through 2 maha-darwaja's (Mega door) dedicated to the guru and shishya.

His holiness, the great Shivaji maharaj maha-darwaja.

Up next is Guru's darwaja.

Swami Ramdas Maha-darwaja.

There is a stringent warning to Visitors, and personally i feel is a must follow while visiting the fort.

Please understand and follow.

When i cross that mega door, i turn back and viola! This is the Silhoutte!

Silhoutte!

The fort was once under control of Mughals and other Islamic leaders, but for a short while.
So there are persian inscriptions on the walls. This art of writing fused letters which resembles like Urdu is called as Calligraphy (i guess)

Calligraphy.

5 mins walk down through the commercialized street in the fort, you reach the temple where his holiness, Sri Ramdas Swami's soul rests in peace.

The welcome tower.

The temple where his soul rests in painted in various colour combination. This temple resembles to many temples which surfaced near the banks of the Holy Krishna river in satara district in 15th century.

The temple.

Temple Entrance.

Inside the temple, there are two carvings on the wall of the temple. These depicts history and mythological stories.

Shivaji maharaj and Swami Ramdas

The Ramayana epic.

Photography is not allowed inside the temple. So no pics of Samadhi which is bestowed with various metals and decoration, there is even a small lingam near by.

Old resting place. Renewed now.

When you go to the other side, you are blessed by the views of Fog cloud kissing sahyadris under Urmodi! It's a wonderful sight!
Some panoramic views of Urmodi dam and surroundings.

Urmodi dam

I've captured a video of the surrounding of the temple. Check it out.

To the left!

The Kada on left side!

Walking along that kada, are various maruti "tents" and one big temple.

The Hanuman Tent.

The Hanuman temple

The thoughts of ramdas swami.

The other side of the fort.

That's pretty much it of the Sajjangad fort.
One can cover the fort in Half and hour.
Next up is Ajinkyatara fort.
From sajjangad, come back to satara city where in the Ajinkyatara fort is located.

Ajinkyatara:
Bit of Info;

Ajinkya-tara means "The Impregnable Star" and is one of the seven mountains surrounding the city of Satara. (Saat-tara)
This fort served as a watch tower for monitoring activities in south maharashtra.

Located in the heart of the city, it's a good respite from chaotic and idiotic two wheelers of the city.
I guess it's some 4-5 kms from the epicenter of the city.

We continue straight from Chaar bhinti's which leads to the base of Ajinkyatara fort.
Thats the abstract. Check out the pics.

First view of Ajinkyatara fort.

The entrance.

The Maruti inscription on the wall.

That's lord Krishna i guess.

Mammoth Darwaja of the fort.

Small temple at the beginning of the fort.

There is a big TV Tower, right in the middle of the fort. I feel it as RIDICULOUS.
Behind that TV tower, to the right is one small temple dedicated to Lord shiva.
The temple seems to be of medieval age. The temple was surrounded by marshy land so i dont have snap of it.
But here's the lingam inside.

The Nandi aka Bull.

The Lingam inside

Then one has to return back to TV tower and then go to left to Mangla devi temple.
While on the way, there is a deserted structure and also a medeival temple which has fallen in ruins. It is still a active place of worship. And mind you, it is Ladakhi style!!!

The deserted administrative office!

Just follow the foot trail. You will pass through thick jungle. And somewhere hidden is this medieval jewel! From this foot trail, only its top is visible. I was just curious to know what it is and discovered that it is a temple!

The old temple in ruin.

Have a look at its walls!

Ruined walls.

As i said earlier, this temple is an active place of worship. And the proof is those lighten up incense sticks!

The temple from inside

This is the Ladakhi surprise i was talking about!

Prayer flags Ladakhi style!

Some more flags!

Inside the forest are some mammoth banyan trees!

Mammoth banyan trees!

The commanding view of South Maharashtra!
The watch men would overlook for intrusion from here!
No wonder, they would also praise mother nature along with their job!

View from fort!

Finally the Mangla devi temple.

Mangla devi temple

There is a board which says "Ajinkyatara" in marathi, which is written in devnagri font. (Zoom in the first pic of Ajinkyatara) But it is inversed! So i inversed it in picture manager!

Board inversed

That's the end of the fort!
Now we visit "Chaar bhinti" or 4 walls of policy

That's what im talking about!

The policy!

Finally! That FLAG FLIES HIGH, MAKES ME FEEL PROUD! :)

My love!

Thank you for watching my blog
Important tips;
1) Fort type: Hill fort
2) Trek rating: Very easy
3) Location: Vehicle can reach upto the base.
4) Best time: Any time of the year. Monsoon and winter most preferred
5) Distance: Sajjangad 12kms from Satara, Ajinkyatara located in city itself
6) Other excursions: Kaas plateau (Valley of flowers of Maharashtra), Thoseghar waterfall, Tapola, Wind mills, Kaas lake.
7) Time: 2hrs each fort
8) Local transport: Available are State buses and shared mahindra jeeps from satara bus depot.

Other tips;
1) Do not litter, keep satara clean
2) Do not drink and drive.
3) In rains, fort floor can get slippery. Be careful.
4) Take back some "Satari Kandi pedhe" a sweet item for which satara is famous for.
5) Take back the values of Ramdas swami, we'll need them in this superficially civilized world which is suffering every minute due to lack of spirituality!
6) Take back some wonderful photos! Leave only your foot prints behind and not plastic.

You live only once, so go out there and explore :)

Got my 500 rupees back from Corruption!

2011-08-14T20:30:00.001+05:30

I'm one amongst many staunch follower of Anna Hazare, not because of his recent fame over the world, but right from his agitations thorough fast in Maharashtra 5 years ago.

This is my story on how i got my 500 rupees back from Corruption.
I have to acknowledge the support from MNVS (Maharashtra Navnirman Vidhyarthi Sena) and A third party contact with a marathi daily called as "Sakal"

It was the spring of 2009, the first time of "Online admissions" for FYJC (XIth Std) after SSC.
As we all know the hustle bustle of admissions for junior colleges which accompanies lot of corruption with it.
My sister, had "mistakenly" placed a Govt Un-aided College from Dombivali in her allotment list in the first round, and by sheer bad luck, she got admission there! :(

According to Govt rules, to be eligible for Second round, you have to secure admission in First round.
We did. Being a govt unaided college, it had hefty fees of 5500 rupees per year, which is quite high when it comes to junior college.
While paying fees, i inquired with the administrative staff about cancellation procedure and refund. They said "After cancellation, you will get refund after deduction of 10% of total fees, i.e 550rs.".

This is against the govt rules! It's 50rs which had to be deducted when admission is cancelled, irrespective of whatever form of college that is!
I told the rule, they still denied. I had to pay full fees to secure the admission.

In the mean time, i casually told my MNVS friend about this fact. We will do something about it after second round he said.
In second round, got admission to near by college. And i went there for refund.

The admission was cancelled, I reminded them the rules, and once my original documents were in hand, i threatened them to drag to the concerned authority. The principal was arrogant, she declined.
On the other hand the administrative staff pleaded and argued that "How will or college run then? Who will pay the staff?" I said, "That's not my business, if you cant run it, why open it?" i walked out.

It was time for some action. It was time for "Marathi Baana"
I called up my friend, and narrated the facts. He then forwarded this fact to the news editor. The eidtor called me up, verified my claims.
Next day, the news appeared in middle page of Sakal!!

I called the college authorities, and asked them to read the News and threatened them to give my money back. I said, "this time its newspaper, next time the letter would go directly to the concerned authority, and get ready for the action"

The operator was frightened, and immediately agreed to pay back 500rs.

I walked the next day into their premises, took my priced money, and asked them to pay everyone's money back if they approached and walked back home with pride!

Malavali Lohagad trek, Vinchukata Rocks!

2011-07-27T20:58:00.001+05:30

I've been to Lohagad last year.

And also written a blog on it! :P

It's here, http://vikasmankumare.blogspot.com/2010/07/trek-to-lohagad.html

Due to nasty, yet lovely weather, and constant fogging, we were forced to miss "Vinchu kaata", also due to time constraints, we abandoned the plan of Bhaja Caves.

This year we covered both.

First some tips;
1) Timetable of Lonavala-Pune local has been changed. So here's the new timetable, w.e.f 1/07/11.

Mumbaikars can take early morning Deccan express, coz it is the best suitable for this trek.
If you go by early Indrayani or Intercity, you land Lonavala stn, and there's no connecting local to Malavali.
Deccan express connects to local, which leaves within 5 mins according to new timetable.
So first tip is, to take express ticket upto Talegaon. Which cost 5-6rs more, than that of Lonavala. This way you avoid que hassels at Lonavala and save precious time.

2) From Malavali to Bhaja caves, there's tar road, so no hassels in walking, Bhaja to Lohagad base is off-roading! And the tip is, Not to take shortcut trails, rather follow this off-road,
There is risk of slipping, or falling from steep trails.

3) To reach Vinchukaata, one has to go downhill series of rocks, so shoes/Sandals with good grip are advised. People suffering from Vertigo may suffer due to sheer cliffs on every side, and such people should stay put at Lohagad.

That's some tips for a safe trek! Now enjoy the pics.

Reached Malavali Stn, started the trek at 10:45.

Reached Malavali Station.

Within 20 mins, reached the Bhaja caves.

A bit of Info!

Bhaja Caves, First view!

Beautiful Walls!

The Glimpse to the Inside of Cave!
There is a big stupa Inside.

The Big stupa! And some Idiotic names.

From a distance

4 Stupa's Lined.

The Vihara. (Resting place)

Elephant god?

Some one great?

Request! This board itself was lying in craps!

Now we begin trek for Lohagad.

Get down to the "off road" via a small but slippery downhill climb.

View of Bhaja caves from a distance.

Waterfall enroute.

It was Sunday. so there were hawkers selling some "Bhutta" enroute!

Bhutta's!

After a greulling trek for 2.5rhs, we reached the Lohagad village.

Enroute is the Visapur fort.

This village marks the base for this very fort.

20 mins of steps, the "IRON" walls of Lohagad are visible!

Aren't they strong?

Strong walls

Some more walls!

The slippery steps!

Meant to defy the Elephant attack!

First view,. Pawna dam!

I just can't get my eyes away from those walls!

The Qabr of Muslim pir near the summit.

Had the Lunch full of Theplas and Pichkoo sauce!

Then proceeded to Vinchukaata. I was very excited!

The Theplas!

The Mammoth, Vinchu kaata!

Human's stand nowhere!

Took some 30 odd different poses of this Vinchu kaata, experimenting in various manual modes.

Few good one's to share. :)

Another view!

Look behind, and you'll be stunned by this!

The flowering season has begun!

Reached the Summit! The achievement was like we won some battle or climbed mount everest!

Words cannot express, the sheer joy of reaching the summit. :)

Everyone was silent, enjoying the achievement, and suddenly this appeared!

Nasty weather coming, it was signal to run off!

Nasty weather approaching!

That approached us, when we were out of vinchu kaata, thank god!

But we were bluffed! It was not rain but fog!

Within minutes, the scene changed! And that tomb looked this!

Tomb and Fog!

Some fun in fog!

The Summit! There is a Mata temple.

We were down! Slowly and steadily, had some nashta and left for Malavali.

Visapur fort and the fog kiss!

Lovely!

The lonavala Plains!

Waterfall and Long shutter!

Some long shutter shots on waterfall!

That's it!
We reached Malavali and took train to Lonavala.
From lonavala took the express to Mumbai CST, reached home till 11.00pm!

Hope you enjoyed the log :)
Happy and safe trekking.

The Marwari Attitude!

2011-01-27T18:37:00.007+05:30

Born as Marathi, i grew up in Mega city i.e Mumbai.
Mumbai being a Financial hub of India, sees several migrants from every nook and corner of this great country.

So in my school, i had wide variety of friends, right from Marathi to Muslims.
Some Marwadi's were my best mates those schooling days, and being with a Marwadi means there is some thing to learn, always..

I Had one such typical Marwadi friend, he was damn rich, still damn Kanjoos..

At times i used to sarcastically taunt; I'd say
"Sale, tere baap ne itna kamaya hai, terko to kuch karne ki zarurat hi nahi"
and followed by a quote
"Samundar se ek lota paani nikalne se samundar ka paani khatam nahi hota"

His reply was astonishing;
He said, i'll tell u a short story.
The story goes like;
"It was an evening, and as much of those city people are obese, one of them was having jogging near the sea shore.
At the same tym, two fella's were enjoying sun in winters, watching things go around, they were having a good tym.

Now, as the tide changes abruptly, leaving some hundreds of those small fishes who were swimming at the edge of the shore, literally thrown out of water.. and were struggling for atleast minimal oxygen from the water..

The jogger saw this; wasting no time, he immediately started throwing one by one fish in the sea water, as fast as he can, tired, still goin on, on and on..

Seeing this sight, the duo thought, this guy has gone mad!
They immediately got up, approached the jogger and posed one question;

Question was,
"Aisa karke kitno ko bachaoge? yaha to hazar hai!"

The jogger --->
turned back,
smiled at them,
turned forward,
bent down,
picked up one fish and threw it directly in water and again turned back;

Pointing his finger towards the fish he threw in water, he replied to question;
which was"Aisa karke kitno ko bachaoge? yaha to hazar hai!"

He said "Dekh, maine isko bachaya"

UDCT/ICT M.Pharm Admission Details!

2010-09-10T12:30:00.004+05:30

UDCT/ICT Admission.

The Name of College is now ICT since it has attained the DEEMED Status!
Location: Matunga, Mumbai.

There are TWO Courses basically:
1) M.Pharm
2) BPT (Bio Process technology)

1) M.Pharm: Following subjects are there,
a) DDT (Drug development Technology) Which is equivalent to Pharmaceutics
b) Medicinal Chemistry
c) Medicinal Natural products (MNP) (There are two sub parts in it) i.e
-Pharmacology
-Pharmacognosy

MNP Pharmacology syllabus is Same as that of Normal pharmacology, only diff is that you have to do your Thesis on Herbal drugs. (Note; 80% of People of plain pharmacology do their thesis on HERBAL DRUGS!!!!!) So no worries...

Admission Process:
1) M.pharm: Admission basis on G-pat score + ICT internal exam score + Interview.
Seat Distribution: For OMS(Outside Mah state) and MS (Maharashtra state)
2010-11 Batch total seats : 30

2) BPT: Entrance exam of 100 Marks (G-Pat syllabus + Additional topics to be studied, check their web for more details), 1 mark positive and 1 mark Negative (Pattern may vary every year)
2010-11 Batch total seats: 30.
Forms:

There is only ONE Form for both M.Pharm and BPT.
Cost: 1000Rs for Open category (No idea about SC/ST/OBC)

Official Website: http://udct.org/MAIN/INDEX.HTML
Check for Updates..
Rgds,
Vikas.

Wonders of History! Daulatabad, Aurangabad Rul'z!!!

2010-08-22T13:10:00.016+05:30

After having failed to secure admissions in Counseling rounds,
I decided to Crack the Exam for studying for whole year!!

Cracked it, and we leave for Aurangabad aGaIN^
Completed the Rounds, and then I headed Solo to Daulatabad fort..

One has to Catch a KAALI PEELI JEEP (Which is NOT Recommended by me) from Baba Petrol Pump, to Elora/Daulatabad fort..

The Kaali Peeli which i took was Initially empty, but within a Km or so, it was Not just Full, But it was JAM PACKED!:shock: No breathing space inside with 20 People, Which Included ladies too!! I was Literally Shocked!

Felt like i was BURIED under an AVALANCHE.. ;)
It was a 16 Km long Run, When that Ended, i felt like i Had lost my LEGS due to Hampered blood circulation!!

Coming to the Fort, there is an ARCHEOLOGICAL SURVEY OFFICE, which collects toll from Tourist (5 Rs for Indians) to have access to the Fort...

A Bit of History For you;
This time in a SNAP Format!;)

A Bit of Text:
Retrieved from Wikipedia..

In 1294 the fort was captured by Ala-ud-din Khilji, and the rajas, so powerful that they were held by the Sultans of Delhi to be the rulers of all the Deccan, were reduced to pay tribute..

Devagiri now became an important base for the operations of the Delhi Sultanate's conquering expeditions southwards. In 1327 Muhammad bin Tughluq determined to make it his capital, changed its name to Daulatabad , and tried to march the whole population of Delhi to it.

His successors held it until they were overthrown by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, in 1633; after which it remained in the possession of the Delhi emperors until, after the death of Aurangzeb, it fell to the first Nizam of Hyderabad. Its glory, however, had already decayed owing to the removal of the seat of government by the emperors to Aurangabad.

Now Let the Photos speak;
Alighting At Aurangabad Railway Station.
Check out the Architecture, it is a Mimic of Some's Ones Gr8 Painting. (My memory beats me on this :D)

Now i witness another Wonder,
A Steam Engine in Showcase!!
Named YP Locomotive, Built at Jamshedpur in 1965,
It went Off-Service in 1998.

This is the Entry Pass; :)

The feel of going Historical, come alive as soon as i see this!

Then I see CANNONS (RAN GADA) Which were Introduced by Babar, the First Mughal Ruler to fight Ibrahim Lodhi of Delhi.

A bit of History about CanNonS,

Now, Ladies and Gentlemen i present to you,
Cannons.. LIVE!!!

Next, A RANGE Assembled to Fight Intruders, Which are Parked here, as a PARKING LOT!

The TOAF Facing the Entrance!!!

Lovely Carvings!
That Symbolizes the Utmost Importance of Tuskers in MAIDAN-E-JUNG!

Next Comes, The Second line of Defense.. Called as MAHAKOT..
A bit of Info..

Strong FORT WALL..

Ruined wall.

Then another MARVEL! the CHAND MINAR..
A watch Tower, Which was used to Offer Prayers to ALLAH..
Again a Bit of History.

Chand Minar, First View!

A Shot from the Base, Chand Minar is just HUGE!!

Buland DARWAZA :D!
Check out the Poking Out Growth, It was designed so that, if captured, the Strong DARWAZA would resist the Sheer Power of TUSKERS used for Breaking DARWAZA..

Drinking water Pot,
even enemies can drink water from it..

Chand Minar from Mahakot (First Floor)

Just Lovely!
Isn't It??

Canyons, To resist the Intrusion of Enemy..
it actually Divides the Fort in Two,
One if captured, the second Line of defense is Ready..

Idiot TOURISTS..:-x
Thats a SHAME...

A View from Second Floor..

A glimpse to Disastrous End to my Journey :D

This is why this fort is Considered to Be Impenetrable..
Only Access is, the Front entrance,
Which if captured, the Next would be the Canyon at Mahakot,
and capturing it was a MAMMOTH TASK..

Then Moving to the Third Floor,
The tactic is, the Path from second to third floor Foot steps are in [B]COMPLETE DARKNESS[/B]..
Even if the SUN Shines at its high, there is Complete darkness Inside, as in caves.
There were two such zones, One short, and One very long...

First zone was like a Cake walk,
Second me meri Fati!! :grin: coz i can clearly hear the Sound of Bats Murmuring Inside, and who knows what kinda snake is waiting for me!

I was in two Minds, to go or to not to go, coz it was Closing time for the Fort and I had only half hour to cover the fort.

Then i REMEMBERED SOMETHING!!:idea:

Recently i had seen an Episode from Documentary [B]"I SHOULDN't BE ALIVE" [/B]Aired on DISCOVERY CHANNEL every Tue 10:00Pm, in which a Couple strands in a beautiful valley and at Night fall, they come near by a CAVE. they aren't sure who's hiding Inside..
the boy then takes out his CAMERA, Flashes it Two-three times, and sees the result which had No evidence of Animal Inside..

Same applied here!!
and here is the Result.. :D

Relieved by that HORROR Stretch, What better than this Snap!
Chand Minar from Third Floor..

The PanchaDhatu (5 Metal made Toaf) pointing towards the Intruders...

The CLIMAX!!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
SUDDEN HEAVY RAIN!! :x
I Always Keep additional Polythene Bags, when i travel and it worked good this time protecting my camera from Rain..

I also had Imp Documents for admission, So, Unfortunately i had to give up the Idea of scaling the Next floor..
I halted for Half hour in that Short cave, to rain to shut, it did Succumb a bit, and my Historical journey came to an ABRUPT END!! :(

Malavali Lohagad Trek

2010-07-30T18:11:00.021+05:30

After a Long Period, it was tym for some fun!
So we had Planned a trip to Tikona fort,
unfortunately we had to change our plan at the Last moment..

We were in a group of 5,
Me, Amitt, Kiran, Sachin and Hemant..
Intially as directed by Dongresaheb, we decided to go to Tikona fort,
but it was raining heavy, so the locals suggested to go to Lohagad fort, from Malavali station, coz the trek to Lohagad from Malavali would also include Bhaja caves and a big waterfall nearby..

Starting off; we took the Morning Deccan express Departing from thane at 7:50am, and Alighted Lonavala at 9:50am.
As planned, we moved on to Kamshet (to go to Tikona fort) by Local train which departed at 10:05am, and reached in 15 mins..

There on, we came back to Malavali station by local train which was 30Mins late, we had a buddy coming by this local from Pune.
Started the Trek at 11:30am from Malavali station to Lohagad fort..
The Trek was of 3Hrs One side.

An Armature trek in Rainy season, and A beginner trek in other..

How to go:
There are two ways to Approach:
1) From Lonavala (Using Personal Vehicle), You can reach directly to the Fort base. (Note: No local transport is available, few Tum-tum's do go, but only "On-Demand" Rate: 50Rs Per person)
2) From Malavali station (By Trekking)
Initially there is Road upto Bhaja caves for which the Rickshaw wala's charge you 80Rs per Rickshaw, and then a Grueling trek of 2hrs and 30Mins to reach Fort.

A view from Monkey hill (Hill station between Karjat and Lonavala.)

Alighting at lonavala station.

Lonely Truck and A beautiful backdrop..

At Malavali Station.

Beginning of the Trek..

Sweet ain't it?

Mighty Waterfall near Bhaja Caves..

Group getting ready to trek..

Initial Track from Bhaja Caves to Lohagad.

Leaving behind those Lonavala Plains..

Me and Amit Trekking!

My group posing in front of aweful scenery!

Scenery on the way..

Good Back-drop! Ain't it?

Rotting wooden log!

Visapur Fort!! A First View!!

Visapur Fort, Another Angle!

Ruined Leaf!!

First view, Lohagad Fort!

Pawna Dam a Beautiful View!

Side wall!

Mammoth entrance of that fort!!

I wonder how they would have Built this!!

View from Third Floor..

Road to Heaven.

Awesome na??
i wonder what is meant for??

Qabr of a Muslim Pir!
This symbolizes that Shivaji Maharaj was not Anti-Muslim.

Then there is a Shiv temple next to it, This is the Summit of that Fort!!
An Awesome experience, Lohagad is mesmerising during Monsoons!!!

Travel Guide: Mahabaleshwar- Jewel in Sahyadri's Crown!!

2010-06-13T15:53:00.004+05:30

When u hear the Word MAHABALESHWAR, what Strikes First??

Evergreen FORESTS??
Mesmerizing Endless TABLE TOPS??
Beautiful Mountains??
Yes, that's why it is A JEWEL in sahyadri's Crown!!
Maharashtra's Favorite, most famous and be-loved Hill station, it is Indeed beauty at any time of the year...

Being brought up in these valleys, i have been always in love with Sahyadri's which hold up ONE of the Biological HOT-SPOTS of WORLD..
Nestled in heart of sahyadris, and the SECOND highest Peak of Maharashtra, Mahabaleshwar nestles at a ALTITUDE of 1350 Mts MSL..

Super Famous for its RED Cheeky STRAWBERRIES, Honey, Home to WORLDS LARGEST CACTUS, and a Recent addition, the Mouth Watering MAPRO Jam and JELLIES Chocolates!!
Driving down in an Attempt to capture that Altitude, you are blessed by some of the Most beautiful sights, and a poses a healthy Challenge to drivers and Bikers..

HISTORY:

Mahabaleshwar, Wild and Evergreen and was one of the IN-HOSPITABLE terrains of Indian Subcontinent, until 17th Century where the Military genius Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, took over JAOLI and Mahabaleshwar..

Mahabaleshwar is a SACRED Hindu pilgrim place, which hosts Mahadev temple dating back 12th century in today's Old Mahabalehswar...

There are Several Mythological stories associated with this place and hence has gained utmost importance..

How to Reach

BY ROAD:
Mahabaleshwar is easily accessible these dayz, thanx to the Central and State govts to make Roads healthy!!

The approx road distances form various places are as follows:

Mumbai - 290 km via Pune (Via Yashwantrao Chavhan ExpressWay) (NH-4) and 247 km via Panvel-Pen-Mahad-Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar (via the deadly NH-17 Goa Highway)

Pune - 120 km
Sangli - 165 km
Satara - 55 km
Bangalore - 782 km

From Mumbai/Pune Route goes as:
Mumbai-Pune-Surur-Wai-Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar.

Though, NH-17 is 50 odd km less than NH-4, i would personally suggest to take the NH-4 Route via Pune, bcoz it is less tiring, less fun and Probably more safe than NH-17!!
NH-17 is One lane, Two way, and has a notorious reputation of being "Trafficked"!!

A Road Snap of NH-17

A Road Snap Of Express Highway

After expressway, Pune bangalore highway starts.
here's the video i took last tym!

By Train:

Pune is NOT the Closest Rail head, But is the Most Convenient, to reach Mahabaleshwar...
There are Local ST buses right Next to the Pune Railway station... Check MSRTC and IRCTC official site for more detailed info..

Getting Around:
Taxis, auto rickshaws and buses leave from the center of town near Irani's petrol pump opposite the Club.

The main destinations are the "points", named after prominent British administrators who found these splendid locations with unbeatable views. Rental cars and taxis can get there quickly.

For the more adventurous, horses are available in town and there are lovely shady bridle paths for delightful rides.
The best way to get around is by bus which is provided by Govt. You can book ticket prior only.Cost is around 60/- to 70/- per individual.

Govt. Bus (Also called as DARSHAN BUS) has two tour one is Pratapgad darshan in morning 9.15AM and Mahabaleshwar darshan in noon 2.15PM..

Points:

Although there are close to 25 'Points' in Mahabaleshwar, lots of these points would give you the same view (of mountains/valley) from a slightly different angle. The following are a must:

* Lodwick Point
* Arthur's Seat
* Wilson Point
* Kate's Point
* Bombay Point (Sunset Point)
* Elephant's head Point
* Lingamala Falls (best viewed from behind Surya Resort)
* Bee keeping Center..

Lodwick Point:
Protruding towards pratapgardh from M'war plateau you will see the surrounding scenery with awe.

Arthur's Seat:
Queen of all points.
Some compare it with the stratification of rocks on southern side to the world famous stratification of rocks of the Grand Canyon of Colorado. USA.

It is fascinating to see the barren deep valley Savitri on the left & shallow green valley on the right. It is more fascinating to know that Arthur's seat is the only place showing geographical distinction of kokan & Desh (Deccan), two territories of Mahabaleshwar, so clear & so near.

If you go by the steps you come across a spring known as Tiger's spring which is supposed to be the source of the river Savtri.

Kates Point: Offers breathtaking view of krishna valley & deep waters of the dhom dam. From southern side it looks like an elephants head. There is also an echo point.

Wilson Point: (Sunrise Point)
Also called as Sunrise point. The highest point. 4710 ft above sea level. It is a vast plateau. There are three masonry round platforms to see the sunrise. You are advised to see sunrise from platform no:2. You can see sunset also from this point..

Bombay point (Sunset Point)
Very popular sunset point. Shows the sahyadri range koyana valley & pratap garh.

Lingmala Point:
Has a WaterFall, huge one, but opens in Late July..

Bee Keeping Center:
Educational displays on the manufacture of honey by bees.

OLD MAHABELSHWAR:

Panchaganga Mandir:

As per the hindu mythology five holy rivers krishna, venna, koyna, Savitri & gayatri show their token appearance here in five springs flowing closely.

They are seen flowing in five stone conduits & joining in one horizontal half channel leading to the Goumukhi cowface spout.

From the conduit on the southern side flows the holy saraswati when the following astrological times come together, namely, Bhadrapad month, shasthi (6th day) ,Tuesday sun in hasta nakshatra, Rohini nakshatra in predominance & Vyatipat.
This miraculous yoga (coincidence) is known as the "Kapila Shasthi Yoga", which is believed to be very auspicious occassion as per the Hindu faith.

Shri Shankar Mandir:
The Mahalinga of the lord Shiva is of Rudraksha shape & believed to be 'self-bodied' (swayambhoo) It is called Trigunatmaka meaning Brahma-Visnhu-Mahesh are on it for ever. On the head of the mahalinga you see the marks of the five holy rivers (Panchaganga) & their waters never loose their level. Mother Jeejabai was weighed by gold by Raje Shivaji in this temple & then the gold was distributed in charity. This Mahalinga is considered to be superior to the twelve jyotirlingas.

Shri Krishnabai Mandir:
This is also an old temple. The carving in the stones of the columns & the ceiling is attractive. You can also see the grand view of krishna valley from the temple.

Excursions:

Pratap Gadh:
A MUST SEE MONUMENT.,.

Pratap Gadh At a distance of 16 kms from Mahabaleshwar stands the majestic Pratapgadh housing the tomb of Afzalkhan at the toe of the fort.

There is a temple of bhavani mata, the idol of worship of King Shivajiraje Bhosle. There is a statue of Shivaji Maharaj inside the fort called Bale killa.

More Info:Afzal khans tomb is Closed for tourists, after an community instability few years ago..
Also, Hire a GUIDE to Know the HISTORY embedded behind the Fort, without which the fort is like other come and go..
We hired @ 100Rupees per Group, no matter how many person in group..

Panchgani:

Table land:
Flat table top, Largest in Asia, houses one of the FINEST Destinations for PARAGLIDING..
There are Various companies and Hotels providing this service...
This sight is a Hot Spot for FOREIGNERS, often flocked in huge Nos only for Paragliding!!!

JOY RIDE PARAGLIDING PARA-SAILING PILOTS TRAINED APPROVED BY GOVERNMENT

Sydney point:
2Kms from Panchgani towards Wai, having some of fascinating views of DHOM dam..

That's for Tourist Spots....
Tourist Spots retrieved from wikitravel.org and Mahabaleshwar Tourist Guide to Mahabaleshwar | Travel Guide Mahabaleshwar | Mahabaleshwar Sightseeing Points | Mahabaleshwar Maps

Staying options:
It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to get an ADVANCE booking of Hotels,(Especially in Tourist Season) Although you might NOT be STRANDED without it, but it might posses difficulties..
In Off season: Just Walk in, any time!

Various famous Hotels:
Mahabaleshwar is More often a DEVELOPED tourist destination and whose bread and butter depends on tourism to a MAJOR extent,
Some people have given up farming, and Now concentrating on Tourism...

Although I haven't Stayed in Hotels coz my village is Near by, i'll present a list of Hotels retrieved from website and as per my knowledge..

Brights-land is the Most famous resort as Locals say!!!
Also, for budget travelers, there are Plenty of small hotels and guest houses... Guest houses, 300-500Rs Per Room, In general, which comes to 100/150rs P.P, quite economical...

Staying options have extended from Mahabaleshwar to Bhilar (Towards Panchgani), and i would suggest to stay away from the epicenter of the City, coz it gets chaotic sometimes..

Do's and Don'ts:

Do's: Lots Of shopping, Especially Jams, Jellies, Crush etc from MAPRO garden (On way between Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani)

Honey: Although Honey is available with Mapro's it is Processed,
Processed honey (Commercial): Density 1.35
Original Honey : Density is 1.47

If u get a chance, ask local villagers for honey, coz they hold a lot of pure honey collected during and after Summer... or else, Mapro can work good!

Cactus: Get a glimpse of WORLDS LARGEST CACTUS, on Mahabaleshwar Panchagani road!! There is a BIG board which says so!!!

Buy CHANA:
Yes, Black Chana's are Very famous, indeed is very tasty!!
Check out Shops near Panchgani Bus stand, ask for the Famous Chanewala shop and enjoy it!!
Also take back some for ur relatives

Paragliding Courses:
8 day Beginners courses available in Panchgani
JOY RIDERS available, 1500 Bucks for 15 mins!!! Although not cheap but Full paisa wasool!!!

Horse-riding: At Table Land, enjoy some beautiful horses and riding on them!!

Boating: At Venna lake, if u have done it in ur city, then u have an option to do or not to do, not recommended by me though..

Walk: A Evening walk around venna lake and panchgani is highly recommended, which will makes worries go wush!!!

Don'ts:

DO NOT LITTER..
DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE (A brotherly request and a ORDER too!!!)

If ur going during Monsoons, then carry along with u, Tobacco or Salt, coz leeches may pose problems, even you not noticing it and ur Milli's of blood will be lost!!!

Tips: Although Peak Season is During DIWALI, CHRISTMAS, and SUMMER VACATION, i would recommend to visit during DEC-JAN, in winters!!

Mahabaleshwar gets Chaotic during Peak season...

If going in Monsoon, heavy rains SHUT OFF Mahabaleshwar, with Travel services like Locals and Intercity buses running Indefinitely late of or canceled...

Also the Points are Closed due to reduced visibility, only Old Mahabaleshwar is accessible along with Venna lake..
But above that, the marvelous atmosphere makes u forget all odds..
__________________
There are NO warnings, NO results, Only Consequences in textbook of Mother Nature..

Moble Phones - A Tumour Machine!!

2010-05-27T12:16:00.006+05:30

Stunned???
Yeah it's True!!

Some of Harmful effects of Mobile phones i wish to focus on are as follows:

1) Brain Tumor
2) Tinnitus (Ear related Problem)
3) Salivary gland Tumor
4) Cochlear Damage..

Starting off, i would like to recollect the data which i have read in reviews, expertise, publications and blogs..

No biased, that Mobile phones have brought the world closer, but there are majority of health risk involved around it, which are often unnoticed and aren't published due to Corrupt nationals and Scientists..

There are hundred of research, reviews regarding same, yet the Govt is not willing to protect its citizens from the Death Machine..

1) Brain Tumors
For a definite definition of tumor check out the web..

Although there are several hundred types of tumors, Only 130 of them are Malignant(Harmful) and others Benign..
A benign tumor ain't need treatment, or in severe cases or at risk of malignancy, it needs to be removed surgically..

Mobile Phones works on MICROWAVE radiations having wavelength up to 25cm..
energy of such radiations is SO SMALL, that it cannot bring Mutations or DNA damage, so Mutations risk is at a bay unlike in X-rays or u.V rays..

But one doesn't need to BREAK BONDS to induce tumors!!

Scientific Research:
When mobile phones were launched, the scientists had quoted that Minimum of 4Hrs/day for period of 10yrs to induce brain tumor..
Recently, a research published quoted that HALF HOUR of daily use for 10 yrs can induce tumors..

People who experience headaches or ringing sensations during/After call are at heavy risk and such individuals should cut-off use of phones drastically, and with immediate effect..

Tinnitus:
Tinnitus is severe form of ear disorder usually occurs in elderly patients, but due to Mobile-Phones, there is increased risk of it in children and youth too..

Salivary Gland tumor:
Although research on this topic is at neanderthal stage, Israel scientist have found incidences of salivary gland tumor(Which is often Benign and Observed after heavy radiation of X-rays), they are associations with Microwaves is yet to be clearly defined..

Cochlear Damage:
Microwaves have an inherent property of generating heat (This is the Basis of Micro-Wave Owens), when a dose of Microwave is given to person, the ear responds to microwave damage thereby heating the cochlea..
This process of "Immunity" can lead to Cochlear damage which if aggravated, can lead to hearing loss..

Being said the Harmful effects of Mobile phones, there are health related advantages, the most noted is The PARKINSONISM RESISTANCE..
Scientist are largely successful in relating the advantage of Mobile phones in this arena, but the advantage is far less than harmful effects..

Some measures to avoid Mobile phones:
It is indeed difficult (Although NOT IMPOSSIBLE), to lead a life without Mobile phones in this fast growing world, one can take safety measures, and educate the masses regarding the same..

1) Use Mobile ONLY IF NECESSARY..

2) If at Home, try to maximize the use of LAND-LINE phones (Not including CORD-LESS or Which Work on CDMA or GSM networks)..

3) Some companies have come up with phones having SMS facility ONLY.. Such phones are suitable for schooling and college going students to ensure minimal risk of Exposure..

4) Try if Possible, Not to/Not to let ur children use mobile phones up-till graduation, if you can..

5) Leading companies are working on technology that reduced intensity of radiations emitted and newer phones are having LOW SAR are being proposed..

One such technology is VORTIS, currently used by Motorola in their specific phones, which reduces the intensity by 1000 fold..
Another Phone company called G-HANZ have come up with ZERO-RADIATION Phones which actually neutralizes the radiations emitted by the phone, but yet to be launched, and more often they are not allowed to advertise coz it may effect market margin of various renowned companies, thanx to collaboration with CORRUPT GOVERNMENT..

6) Wi-Fi campuses, GPRS, EDGE, GPS, Remote Control of T.V sets, all work on Micro-Waves, people using such services are at Risk (Not to majority extent coz generally Device is held away form brain..)but chances are..
Similar lines of research in Germany lead to BANNING of Wi-Fi in Public places, Indian Govt should learn from the GERMANS..

Colleges should opt for Limited area of Wi-Fi access in order to minimize the risk to young and healthy students..

7) Use of Ear-Phones reduces the Intensity by 100 fold.. Also use Blue-Tooth technology which uses low intensity of radiations

8) DO NOT USE phone while driving, Apart from accidents, the Signal strength varies while the subject is in motion, and phone emits more radiations, draining ur battery must faster than at rest.

After all,
The YOUTH is the FUTURE of any COUNTRY

Being a Responsible PHARMACIST,
In my Professional Oath, I pledge
"I would strive hard for Well-Being of Society" and that's what i'm doing through this Blog..

Hope it helps..

Manali!! Feels like "The World Is Just Awesome"

2010-05-16T20:49:00.013+05:30

Wu..huuuu!!! I saw it, and Uttered, "The World Is Just Awesome"!!!

I’ve been there in December, and was quite chilly, Just a few degrees above freezing!!
Arrived at night;
being dissapointed after seeing shimla-over-hyped place, n was not much excited about manali..
It was the magical landscape that brainwashed the image, n for now i’m be a big fan
of it!!

Day 1: We saw the gr8 Hadimba Mata mandir, which was a km walk from the mall road. It’s history dates back 500yrs ago and the unique Buddhist style of architecture, drove us crazy!! A eve walk around the town is highly recommend.
It’ll just wash off all ur negativeness!!

Day 2- We headed to Rothang Pass..
It is 4000m above MSL, and the 51 kms journey is a real challenge for armature drivers..

While on road, it was surrounded with huge pine and deodar tress, but suddenly with one "U" turn, the picture change drammatically!!
Only deserted mountainous terrain, covered with snow.
Probably, Rothang is in the rain-shadow zone of Himalayas.

With lack of Oxygen, freezing cold and near about fingers feeling Numb, We managed to get at the top. We had to trek 2kms coz the road had got slippery due to heavy snowfall.. But we had to keep the Adrenaline Pumping and reached the top.

Due to bad weather, we had to cancel our skiing plan and had to leave early, but about all odds, the bad weather coming from Karakoram didn’t stop us.
We made a ice cake(Small Cake shape molded ice) and celebrated my friends birthday at the altitude (that’s Weird Isn't it??
Voila!! I had forgot Knife at my hotel, And as a move of Improvisation, we just used the Debit Card!!

While returning, due to bad weather, our driver drove at mere speed of 20-30kmph and it took us around 2.5hrs to reach the base!

Each turn we stopped, and looked around, the view was just Breath-taking!
All I Can Say, the mighty Himalayas and mother nature at It’s best!!

Konkan coastal route: Harihareshwar - Dive Agar - Murud.

2010-05-07T17:42:00.003+05:30

Just had No time to put up Info about my trip..:D

Starting of, we attempted the above itinerary with least amount of Info which was available on net..

The itinerary was;
Mumbai – Mangaon (Raigad District) by Passenger train!!
You might not be amazed to know what condition the passenger train Diva-Sawantwadi would have been!! After all the ticket from Panvel to mangaon was just
19 INR!!!
The train arrived ON TIME despite being a passenger!!

Reached Mangaon @ 9:30am (ON TIME!!!)
Next by local inquiry we came to know that there is immediately as ST Bus from Station to Shrivardhan.. The distance is Some 40kms.. Reached within a Hour and a Half..

The Bus dropped us at Harihareshwar naka, where we turn right to Shrivardhan (2kms) and Left to Harihareshwar (16 kMs)..

Finally took a Tum Tum auto rickshaw on seat sharing basis for 18Rs per person..

About half and Hour of bumpy ride (Even though the road is smooth!!) in a rickshaw, Managed to reach the temple, took the blessing of Lord Shiva and then Proceeded for pradakshina marg..
Being a low tide, it was easy to figure out and locals had warned us to not to spend long time on that marg, coz water level rises tremendously during tide change.. And there are brutal stories associated with it...

With half sense of fear we completed it within 30Mins..
Next got to adjoining beach, had bit of fun and relax and then moved to next beach i.e MTDC beach..

About beaches: there is nothing truly exceptional to talk about and there are even more hostile and beautiful beaches on Konkan region..

Harihareshwar being an under developed tourist spot, is often least visited and one can expect peace of Mind and isolation for a time being..

Being close to Pune, and Alibag being close to Mumbai, Harihareshwar and Dive-agar are often flanked by the Punekar’s..

An hour of relax, we left for dive-agar beach...
Again in the same bumpy tum-tum rickshaw to Shrivardhan, changed next rickshaw at Shrivardhan auto-depot and then moved on to Dive agar..

It was almost dark and our bones were shattered on those rickshaws, and with the heavy ruck-sack on, we hunted for accommodation...

We were 4 people and got a room @ 400rs on the beach road... i.e. 100rs per person!! Quite economical, and that was what we were looking and Hoping for...:)

Being on-season (Jan 1st week) and being a Monday (Off day), it was quite easy to bargain and had lot of options!!

The next morning plan was to get on to the beach, and to catch an afternoon ferry to Murud janjira...

Got up early as was about to leave to beach, but suddenly heavy downpours showered,
It was a complete setback for us, despite of an awesome climate, it would shatter the ferry services and eventually we would be forced to get back to the route through which we came and that too to skip Murud!!

But due of sheer luck, within Half hour, the rain stopped and then we went to the beach...

About beach: It is THE FINEST beach I’ve ever seen in Konkan and Goa coast-line!!
Exceptional, Isolated and Beautiful and above all, SAFE!!!

Lined with heavy Palm tree cover, Traversing a 300m Jungle like outgrowth, the Supari (Betel Nut) trees lined near the Guest Houses, and an hour of Un-expected rain makes everyone to praise Mother Nature!!

With few dips and some awesome snaps we returned back...

Final packing to go to Murud janjira..
We were waiting for auto-rickshaw to drop for to next stop called as Bagadi(name confused) from where we were supposed to take another rickshaw to Dighi port..

We saw some local boys “riding” their bullock carts, and immediately asked for a LIFT!!
LoL, he Stopped!!
We hopped into it, and the Bull roared, just as we accelerate the accelerator of a 1000cc bike!![whoa] We named the boy as “Bull-Rider” and the original names of the Bull duo was “BABYA and WISER”

One thing I found missing is the age old woody wheel which was lined with iron across it’s circumference... And as a move of Improvisation, it was replaced by JEEP like radials..

Reminded of those old childhood village dayz...

There-after, we took another Tum-Tum auto rickshaw and headed towards Dighi,
Saw few bikes been loaded, the way in which the handlers handle the bike while loading and Un-loading, we could easily figure it out at the Furious faces of those Owners.

Within 25-30 mins, we reached the ferry wharf of Murud (Rajapuri), and then got off to Janjira fort...

There are few genius facts about this forts,
For example: Source of fresh water in middle of sea, infact the reality is the Fort is Not built “ON SEA” but it is built “ON an ISLAND” and hence there is such a miracle of fresh water..

Infact the “Well aka the fresh water source” is visible and is on the way, near the lake inside (Fresh water lake), there is a person who lends free water for drinking.. (Mind you, it is completely safe, may be safer than water sources of many of the Famous Cities!!)
The well is small 1.5ft x 1.5ft square, cement lined, and hence we can’t expect Murkier water inside...
Meat is, It was tasty than what was available with the locals out there in Main land Murud...

Else History is available on-net, Hit Google for more details...

There after had lunch, took a ST Bus to Alibag, and booked seats in Maldaar ferry service...
Scheduled to leave about 6.00pm, we had ample time to explore the the Over-Hyped Alibag beach...
Ferry service goes from Mandwa jetty, and upto it, you got to travel by their Bus, the cost of which was included in ticket...

It was a 40 min ride to jetty, and was a Windy evening, Wind Wind all the way!!
The process to board is, there is a small boat near which the actual Ferry is Parked next to, First you got to hop in the small boat, and then in to the Ferry..

Due to Wind, both boats were swinging at their own will! And of course, without any synchronization!![whoa]
The feeling was like being drunk without being drunk!!:D
We were furious whether we would be able to make upto Mumbai or Not!!

Mumbai looks very close initially, and one can easily be fooled in scaling the actual distance...
The ferry started, and we’ve been in lower berth, the waves hit us thrice crossing the barriers... But as Mumbai approached, the sea became calmer, the Wind eased and finally someone dared and we followed him to stand at the edge...

It took around 45 mins to reach Gateway of India, Mumbai...
Snapped the Taj, Gateway and the CST station and returned Home!!:)

Fares:
Panvel – Mangaon Passenger: 19Rs.
Mangaon station to Harihareshwar Naka : 28Rs
Harihareshwar Naka to Harihareshwar: 18Rs
Harihareshwar to Shrivardhan: 18Rs
Shrivardhan to Dive Agar: 18Rs
Dive Agar to Dighi: 5rs
Dighi to Murud (Rajapuri) by Ferry: 11Rs 50Paise.
Murud Fort return: 20rs
Murud to Alibag in ST Bus: 26Rs
Alibag to Mumbai: 85Rs Lower deck, Maaldar ferry services.

Detailed actual distances available else where...

Food:

Dive-Agar: Unlimited thali for 60Rs at Dive-Agar, Home made Maharashtrian thalis available all over...
4/5 Stars for taste...
Do not miss the early morning “Kaanda-Pohe” served by local guest house owners; it fetches 5/5 for its awesome taste...

At Murud: Patil Khanawal, opposite beach, very famous for Veg and Non-veg foods...
Veg thali starting from 45rs but Limited... 3.5/5 stars for taste...
Also the very famous, “SOAL-KADI” made from coconut, is a natural cleanser and digestive appetizer along with Kokam juice...

Staying options:

[I]Harihareshwar[/I]: There is a MTDC hotel at Harihareshwar but is always full due to lack of other options.. (Advance booking highly recommended)..

Dive-agar: Guest houses available, but not plenty.. The region is under-developed tourist destination, If not available, then you can opt for Dighi, 7kms
Murud: Cheap staying options available with awesome views of beach...

Note: Rs means INR..

Panchgani to Raigad, Ultimate Mess!

2009-12-11T01:24:00.004+05:30

Bad planning and bad luck is all you need to mess up!

It goes like this, me and my friend amit had planned for a bike ride to raigad fort from our native place which is 9kms from panchgani.
It was my uncle's bike, a hero honda cd-delux, avg of 75kmpl!

Yeah, like every1 does, we planned to start our ride early morning. But voila, my uncle took bike and came directly at 12 noon!
I was two-minded, to go or not to go!
With half-heart, we decided to go for it! Coz, they say Bear grylls haar maan ne walo me se nahi! :P

Got out, took bike, kick started, and here we go!
Started at 1pm, reached at 2.15pm at Mahabaleshwar, filled the tank and moved on!
I'm an armature rider, and had heard some grueling stories of the Ambaneli ghat! So decided to keep calm and concentrate on..

We were running out of time, and every time i tried to race hard, the road showed signboard in marathi to stick to basics i.e better late than late!
The ghat is just awesome, and is real challenge..
The distance is 40km to poladpur, we came almost 25kms neutral!
Reached mahad at 4.00pm.

I had heard, that mahad-raigad is 2kms but it was 22kms! And we figured out that we are in trouble..

What next, reached raigad base at 5.30pm took tickets of rope way, 150rs return.
Ok we thought we had a chance, but big problem! There was a que of about 50people ahead of us!

It took almost 45 mins to get in rope-way and mere 4 mins to reach the top..
It was 6.30pm now, the sun was about to set, and that is where we had our paisa wasool scene!

The shivaji raje's sitting statue, and the red setting sun, a worth view, which most of us don't make it!
Took few snaps, in an around, returned to the rope-way exit!
Again, a que of 50 people. More than 1hr wasted!
Back to base at 8.15, came back to mahad.
Dinner at local dabba wala for 25bucks, mind you, it was hygienic, tasted like home made!

Got a bed in sharing for 70rs per bed.
Early morning, at 6.30 left murud, reached pratapgad at 8.30, it was just being readying to recieve tourist.
Came back with a sigh of relieve to have made it in one piece!