The Valley Of Gods

The clouds opened up and it started to drizzle. The mp3 player played the latest Hindi songs. Amitesh and I having occupied the last seat of Innova, trickled into a catnap. Sharmil and Nimit in the middle and Hiren in front began their tittle-tattle to keep themselves busy.

The slowness of the vehicle and the loud roar of the downpour outside broke my forty winks and I saw Chandrashekhar(our driver) parking our car behind a convoy of vehicles. Having sensed the road block, I dozed off again.

It was a different scene altogether when I woke up. With the rain still coming down hard, the road had turned into a river. The increasing vigor of River Alaknanda on our left looked threatening. What was more intimidating was the fact that we were stuck on a road which was getting flooded by the minute. Small stones on the slopes to our right lost grip and started falling down on the road. The sheer force of water made these stones roll on the road. Some of these stones collided with the rear tyres of our car which in turn produced rock music:)

Not knowing what was in store for us, we looked at each other. The expressions said it all….we were caught in the hills!

8th August 2008 :
0755 hours: Mumbai – Delhi. Swaraj Express. The journey was totally uneventful.

9th August 2008:
0435 hours: Arrival at New Delhi Railway Station. A few phone calls to Mr.Chandrashekhar allowed us to get to him. He waited for us near the VIP car park area on the Ajmeri gate side.

0500 hours: Our 500 km. journey began
Me: Chandrashekharji, plan ke mutabik hume aaj hi Joshimath pahunchna hai. Mujhe pata hai, yeh bahut mushkil hai. Agar aapse nahin ho paaya, toh hum kahin beech mein hi ruk jaayenge. (According to the plan, we need to reach Joshimath today. I know it’s difficult. If you are not able to do it, we shall halt somewhere en route.)

Chandrashekhar: (Long Silence and then a gentle nod)

0700 hours: Our first break was at Cheetal Grand(100 kms from Delhi), a hub en route to Haridwar – an ideal place to dump something in.

1100 hours: Rishikesh.(238 kms. covered) We spent an hour exploring the place and quickly hit the road again as our destination was still 250 kms away...Long and winding 250 kms.

The NH-58 route
Delhi-Haridwar-Rishikesh-Devprayag-Srinagar-Rudraprayag-KarnaPrayag-Nandprayag-Chamoli-Pipalkoti-Joshimath

1700 hours: It was time to take a tea break. We had reached Rudraprayag.

We anxiously asked the chai wala whether it was possible to reach Joshimath. His response was not very positive.

Chai wala: Aap log Chamoli tak toh pahunch hi jaayenge. Chamoli se 15 km ki doori pe Pipalkoti padta hai. Wahan hotels bhi acche milenge aapko.Wahin ruk jaana. (You will easily reach Chamoli. Pipalkoti is just 15 kms from Chamoli which has decent hotels. You stay there tonight)

It was a good idea to stay in Pipalkoti as it was just 30 kms from Joshimath. Moreover, we would be away from the somewhat city like life in Joshimath.

2000 hours: We finally reached Pipalkoti. Great effort by Chandrashekhar. We had been in motion for 36 hours. (20 hours in train and the remaining in car). GMVN was decent enough for a night’s stay.

Our next destination was Govindghat(Trek start point) and the gate system that the government follows from Joshimath would come into play early next morning. This gate policy is nothing but allowing traffic only in one direction as the roads are too narrow to make it bi-lane. This is what the Government thinks. But what I found was the roads were pretty okay for bi-directional traffic and there was little reason for this kind of a rule to be imposed.

After some enquiry about the gate timings, it was decided that we would go for the 6:30am gate from Joshimath. The next one being at 9:00am was too late. Later, I found out that the Uttarakhand government is not all that rigid with the gate timings. The gates are opened considering the inflow of traffic.

10th August 2008:
0545 hours: To my surprise, all five of us were at the GMVN reception and we left in 5 mins. As soon as the wheels got rolling, I started developing a nauseous feeling and I purged everything out. My digestive department probably wasn’t content with its contents :)

0615 hours: We stopped again. A van stood in front of us. Whenever a convoy begins to form in this part of India, there can only be two possibilities. It’s either a gate or a landslide. As we were to encounter a gate only at Joshimath, this stoppage meant nothing else but a landslide. It was a fresh one which had happened just a few hours ago.

The 6:30 am gate in Joshimath was now closed for us even before it opened..lolz. We were hoping to slink through the 9:00 am gate.

Had we been a little swifter yesterday, we could have avoided this landslide. But as Mr.Sidhu says ‘My dear friend….If ifs and buts were pots and pans, there would be no tinkers’ :)….So no complaints…...

The weather was ok and the Sun shone bright on some of the peaks hovering high on the horizon. As there was nothing that we could do, we started clicking pictures.

0830 hours: The landslide was cleared and we zipped past Joshimath exactly at 9:00am. We were now on our way to Govindghat, 20 kms away.

The Route
Pipalkoti-Joshimath-VishnuPrayag-Govindghat
Trek from Govindghat to Ghangaria – 14 kms

1000 hours: A huge car park area marks the beginning of Govindghat town. Govindghat at 1828m/6000 feet is a small town just off NH-58 which further continues to go to Badrinath and Mana. It is also the place where Laxman Ganga and Alaknanda rivers unite to form Alaknanda again.

1030 hours: Car was left behind. Our mission to reach Ghangaria meant besieging a couple of ponies for long hours that day. The heavily laden pony pair began its long march and so did we.

15 mins later, after covering a km., we realized that the ponies would reach Ghangaria with our belongings a lot earlier. One of us had to go with them to safeguard our backpacks. We stopped a passerby pony to take one of us with the other two ponies.

As I had rinsed my bodily system earlier in the day; remember the puking act:) ; it was decided that I would be the one who would accompany the ponies :(…all the way till Ghangaria and then the security job of safeguarding the backpacks until the others arrived.

Right from the outset, I was very reluctant to go on a pony back ride, but eventually I did go for it. In retrospect, it appeared to be a very good decision as I couldn’t afford to lose more calories after the puking act and put the remainder of the trek in shambles.

I was deprived of the pleasure of trekking but nevertheless I was enjoying the beautiful scenery from a good height as I was practically 4 feet taller :). River Laxman Ganga gave us invariable company with some rhythmic musical vibes. The trail having a natural green canopy at times constantly gained altitude.

1230 hours: 6 kms done and the three ponies(2 carrying backpacks and 1 carrying me) halted to quench their thirst near a tea stall. I decided to replenish my system by sipping in some juice. That’s when I saw Amitesh and Sharmil gradually approaching me. To my surprise, they too were on a pony back ride.

Amitesh: Oye, tu yahan hai. Arre kitna steep raasta hai yaar. Humne socha ki ghode se hi chale jaate hai taaki kal trek ke time problem na ho. (Hey, you are here. The path is so steep. We too decided to come by ponies so that tomorrow's trek is not hampered.)

Me: Hiren aur Nimit kahan hai? (What about Hiren and Nimit?)

Amitesh: Woh log chalke aayenge ooper tak. Kal Valley of Flowers jaane ke time unki band bajegi :). Pair akad jaayenge ooper pahunchte pahunchte. (They are planning to trek the distance.Tomorrow, while trekking to VoF , they will feel the pinch.)

1300 hours: This time 5 ponies together resumed their walk.3 kms later, we crossed over to the other side of Laxman Ganga River and a steep climb of 4 kms through dense forest was negotiated to reach the high altitude village of Ghangaria.

1530 hours: Ghangaria also known as GovindDham is located at an altitude of 3049 m/10000feet at the confluence of Pushpawati and Laxman Ganga rivers. The river is then called Laxman Ganga. After settling the pony deal, we went hotel searching. We zeroed in on Hotel Devlok near the Gurudwara. Rs 500 for a 3 bed room and 400 for a 2 bed one. It was a decent hotel. At least the rooms and the beds were clean unlike the other hotels we saw.

1830 hours: Hiren and Nimit checked into hotel Devlok. It had taken them 8 hours of trekking to reach Ghangaria. They luckily spotted Sharmil outside. They were totally exhausted, fatigued to the core.

Yes, I agree and you trekkers might as well agree on this. First day’s trek even if it’s a moderate one can drain out energy pretty quickly as our body is so much accustomed to the activities of the lethargic city life.

1900 hours to 2200 hours: Ghangaria is lit up only for these 3 hours during the night. So it’s charging time. Not a point in the room was left free. Every point had something plugged into it ..lolz

11th August 2008:
0800 hours: Incapacitated after continuous travelling over a period of 3 days, the pleasure of dormancy had sunk deep within our body and soul. We took our time to get out of the comfy bed.

0930 hours: The rejuvenated five, then left Ghangaria for Valley of Flowers (VoF)-UNESCO’s World Heritage Site. For more information about the valley.(Click Here)

We went past the Gurudwara and the final few concrete structures in Ghangaria, post which the trail gently climbed to a junction where it split.

A few monetary transactions at the check post got us the permit to enter the natural botanical garden.

The Route: The first 3 kms. from the check post was all uphill. Snaking through the thick undergrowth and well laden path; with Pushpawati River for company we got to see traces of flowers right from the beginning of the trail. These 3 kms have to be covered just to reach the valley. It’s only after this that the valley expands its wings for kilometers after kilometers. The path inside the valley was easy and uncomplicated with gentle ups and downs and occasional icy streams which obstructed the path but satirically also acted a source of water to douse our thirst.

Some pics taken during the 3 km trek.

Flowers, Flowers and more Flowers

1230 hours: Amitesh and I entered the valley first and then there was no looking back. The other 3 members of our group were out of sight. We later found out that they had covered the initial 3 kms to reach the valley and then decided to return back to Ghangaria.

1230 hours to 1430 hours: Exploration of the valley was on full swing. The broad valley stretched as far as the eye could see with patches of white, pink and green. In a span of two hours, we visited Joan Margaret Legge’s grave which is a dead end and Suin Chand. We reached a point from where we could see the trail losing height and then stretching for 3 kms right till the glacier alongside river Pushpawati.

1430 hours: With the clouds closing in, barely 3 hours for the Sun to disappear and with NO food in hand (biggest blunder committed before commencing the trek even after knowing that the valley is devoid of any eateries. During our breakfast, we had decided to carry something, but at the brink of our departure, we forgot!), there was too much risk involved in covering those 6 kms, to and fro from the glacier. Famished, we had to return back to Ghangaria before dusk thus covering a total distance of approximately 13 kms.

1630 hours: Our 3 friends lay gossiping on the bed as they wait for their hot waters to arrive to have bath. It’s 40 Rs a bucket. A quick hi and a few exchange of words with them and we straight away entered the restaurant to put a gag on the grudging tummy mice :)

Amitesh: Main kal 5 baje Hemkund Sahib ke liye nikal jaaunga. Gurudwara mein jaake madad karunga (I'll be leaving at 5 am tomorrow to Hemkund Sahib to lend a hand at the Gurudwara.)

Me: Main bhi aaunga. Mujhe bhi uthana (Wake me up, i'll come along)

Amitesh: Tu nahi utha toh main nikal jaaunga. (If you dont wake up, i'll leave)

The others had decided to go on ponies and hence could afford to leave a little later.

We slept early that day as we had to be fully charged for the onerous 6 km ascent next day to Hemkund Sahib.

12th August 2008:
0445 hours: The alarm shattered the eternal silence and Amitesh sprung into action minutes later.

0515 hours: He set foot outside even before I could get ready and began his long walk in the dark.

0600 hours: As Amitesh had left a lot earlier; I took my time to freshen up, had a cup of hot tea and then began my march towards the holy Shrine of Hemkund Sahib and Laxman Temple.

The Route: Zigzag Up, up and up with plenty of shacks, restaurants en route for refreshment. There were many tempting short cuts en route which when taken certainly saved time but left one out of puff. This route was visibly more frequented by pilgrims as many Sikhs made their way up to the Shrine to pay obeisance.

Flowers could be seen all along the route especially the Himalayan Blue Poppy.

Within a couple of hours of hard climb, Ghangaria shrunk to a speck which was encompassed by mighty mountains.

Brahma Kamal, a flower that apparently blooms once in many years could be seen in the upper reaches of the trail just below the Shrine of Hemkund Sahib.

0950 hours: 3 hrs and 50 mins of steady hike from 10000 to 14200 feet took me to the Shrine. Amitesh reached the top just 20 mins before me and he stood at the entrance waiting for my arrival.

The star shaped Hemkund Sahib is a memorial to the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji and just beside the Gurudwara is Laxman Temple, also known as Lokpal Temple where Lord Laxman performed penance.

Hemkund Lake located contiguously to both Shrines acts as the origin of Laxman Ganga River, also known as Hem Ganga. It has a circumference of approx 2 kms.

At 4329m /14200 feet, this Holy place is surrounded by seven peaks known as Sapt Sring and is accessible only from June to October.

Garma garam chai and Khichdi at the Langar provided some warmth as the temperature had dipped considerably.

We then explored the surroundings and found a number of people taking the holy dip in the gorgeous glacial lake. The lake was indeed very welcoming and I too decided to plunge in.

Amitesh: Soch le, paani bahut thanda hai. Kahin beemaar pad gaya toh problem ho jaayega. (The water is very cold, you'll fall sick)

Me: Nahi yaar,Fataak se andar jaake bahar. (I'll quickly go in and come out)

I jumped in, one dip…stood to catch hold of my breath and God knows what happened after that…I came running outside….whoaaa…freezing!!!

We met Sharmil, Hiren and Nimit at the Gurudwara. They had started at 8 in the morning and it took only 2 hours for the ponies to reach the top.

Clouds soon shrouded the top and it started raining. We then visited the Gurudwara and Laxman Temple. We dropped the idea of going around the lake as the visibility was very poor.

12 Noon: We started our descent and the lousy weather with intermittent drizzle made the path slippery. We had to get our barsaatis on (rain gear)

1430 hours: 12 kms done and we were at Ghangaria. Quick lunch and a phone call back home to let them know that we all were safe

1630 hours: Valley of Flowers Information Centre near GMVN, run by the Eco Development Committee (EDC) air a slideshow of Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib. We decided to check out the 20 min slideshow. Ridiculous! We had already visited the place. We laughed it out..lolz; but nonetheless it was an informative one. Should have seen it earlier :)

It would be unjust if I don’t mention the Gulab Jamuns of Ghangaria. There were many vendors selling hot hot Gulab Jamuns. Look at them- your mouth starts watering. Have them – you won’t regret. They are simply delicious. 10 Rs a plate.

13th August 2008:
An early morning start from Ghangaria would ensure that we would reach Govindghat(14 kms) by 10 am and then we could avail the next gate to Badrinath.

0600 hours: Myself and Amitesh left Ghangaria with our pithoo(person carrying luggage on his back). The others were still asleep and we thought they would come by ponies.

1030 hours: A bit of rummaging in the car park area and there…we spotted Chandrashekhar. Hiren and party came 2 hours later and surprisingly they had trekked down :)

1330 hours: The route to Badrinath, just 25 kms from Govindghat was quite steep.

The route:
Govindghat – Pandukeshwar – Hanuman Chhatti- Badrinath

We had to halt at Hanuman Chhatti for 45 mins as the 2 pm gate at Badrinath was opened for downward traffic.

1530 hours: Badrinath at 3133m/10270 feet looked unruffled, calm and peaceful. Gully cricket was very popular among the locals and many of them played on the main road itself. I too pitched in a fast delivery at Amitesh which was a bit wayward and hence was safely negotiated: P

1600 hours: Hotel Dwarkesh, a new entrant in Badrinath was where we stayed. Good hotel with extremely comfy beds and 24 hrs supply of hot water.

1900 hours: We visited Badrinath Shrine and offered our prayers to the Lord. The illuminated Temple looked beautiful in the night. Neelkanth peak behind the clouds kept eluding us.



14th August 2008 :
0800 hours: It was time to head north to Mana, our final frontier. Mana is a small Tibetan settlement 3 kms north of Badrinath at an altitude of 3118 m/10200 feet. Moving northwards from Mana would mean moving away from civilization as this village marks the end of any kind of habitation. It’s the last village on the Indian side with Indo-China border less than 50 kms away.

0830 hours: We visited Ganesh Gufa, Vyas Gufa and Bhimpul in Mana. The Story of Bhimpul dates back to the Pandavas epoch. Legend has it that Draupadi was obstructed by the fierce flow of River Saraswati while She along with the Pandavas travelled to Swargarohini. It was Bhim who came to her rescue and flung a huge rock over the river thus bridging the gap. This rock bridge is called Bhimpul (1st pic below is Bhimpul and the second one is the view from Bhimpul).

0930 hours: YHAI group from Mumbai also had arrived at Mana.

We: Aaplog Vasudhara falls tak jaaoge? (Are you going till Vasudhara Falls?)

YHAI member: haan,hum jaa rahe hai. (Yes, we are.)

Hearing this, our catch 22 situation of going or not going to Vasudhara falls(5 km trek from Mana) got solved. We decided to go for it having come all this way. But Sharmil and Hiren turned their backs soon and headed back.

Amitesh, Nimit and I got our feet going for one last time. The YHAI group marched ahead and we followed suit. The sky was erratically painted in blue and stuffed in white as the Sun played peek-a-boo with petite creatures walking towards Vasudhara falls.

1100 hours: Vasudhara falls acts as a dead end for us as well as the trail. The valley stretches beyond, leading to the high altitude lake of Satopanth. A small opening high above us allowed the waters of Vasudhara to leap straight onto the boulders below.

It is believed that Vasudhara falls sways away from sinners. Now, there has to be many definitions of ‘Sin’ as I was not dry when I left Vasudhara :)

1330 hours: The weather turned gloomy during our return from Vasudhara and it continued to be so, whilst we left for Delhi from Mana.

1400 hours: The gate in Badrinath was thrown open and so were the gates in heaven. I fell into slumber watching the wet windscreen getting wiped every 2 seconds.

1500 hours: Just 18 kms from Badrinath and 4 kms before Pandukeshwar, we got caught in the claws of Nature – Landslide it was and it appeared to be a major one.

It was as if the clouds wanted to empty their month long stock at that very place. The unfurled uncertainties that lay ahead was enough to make a decision to head back to Badrinath.

Just as we took a U over the stones that masked the road, we could sense that there was no going back. The road to Badrinath too was blocked. STRANDED, we had to get ready to do nothing :)

1730 hours: A lull in the downpour allowed us to get out of the car and flex our stiff muscles. It was but obvious that the night was going to be a long one.

1930 hours: The loud gush of Alaknanda River was all that could be heard as darkness pitched itself in completely. It was time to have some Maggie and tea before the shops closed.

2030 hours: Just as we were thinking on how to spend the night in this enclosed cabinet, a localite approached us and made an offer to stay in his house. Ofcourse, not for free :)
I was more than happy with the offer and convinced the others and we made our way up the hill to enter their small house which had a room big enough to accommodate 4-5 people.

We fell asleep discussing the events that unfolded during the day.

15th August 2008:
0700 hours: We left their house and paid them Rs 300 as part of the deal.

0800 hours: We saw a cop approaching from the landslide affected area.

We: Yeh landslide kab clear hoga . (When will the landslide be cleared?)

Cop: Aaj 15 August hai. Clear hoga ki nahi kuch keh nahi sakte. (It's 15th August, not sure whether it will be cleared or not)

A collective gape as the cop’s bombardment left us stunned. Ironically,it was Indepedence Day and here we were....Trapped :)We had to reach Delhi asap as we had to catch our flight back to Mumbai the next day.

0830 hours: A Yellow colour vehicle on the other side of the landslide made entry into the scene. Yes, it was a bulldozer which was out to clear the debris. Everyone stood by the edge of the road and watched the magnificent machine doing the clearing act. Moments later, a loud thud was heard and a car size rock started making its way down the hill. It was right on target to hit the bulldozer and BANG. The boulder hit the picker section (in the front) of the bulldozer and then continued on its way to meet river Alaknanda below.

1100 hours: The landslide was cleared. The engine of our Innova got back its long lost life, 20 hours to be precise and it was time to cross the affected area. Phew! We finally made it to the other side and tough times for ChandraShekhar began as we had to reach Delhi soon.

We whizzed past curves and bends at good speed and we quickly crossed all the Prayag towns and by dusk we had reached Rishikesh.

16th August 2008:
0200 hours: We were in the Capital. Hiren, Sharmil and Nimit decided to stay in a hotel and head to the airport after breakfast. Amitesh headed straight to the airport, preponed his flight and left for Mumbai at 6 am. I stayed at my uncle’s place as I had to attend the Raksha Bandhan ritual early in the morning. I flew out of Delhi at the onset of dusk.

Dev Bhoomi Uttaranchal – A land that offered spiritual adventure, valleys that hummed the music of mysticism, an experience that will be ever etched deep within our hearts, and hence the title, The Valley Of Gods!

Ganpatipule Getaway

It was 3 months back when I last undertook any trip on a major scale. This time it was an elegantly planned trip to the land of the Elephant headed God- Ganpatipule.

4th April 2008:

A dozen of us after having a hectic schedule in office, finally managed to sneak through a gateway to getaway from Mumbai. A comfortable 14 seater mini bus was all set to hit the road at 10 pm. Exactly an hour behind schedule, we finally kicked off towards Ganpatipule, which is around 375 kms from Mumbai.

Being with a bunch of mischievous friends, it’s always difficult to doze off. While the music played its part, we pulled each others legs, which was more than enough to keep everyone awake at least for sometime.

NH-17, seldom had any rough areas and we zoomed smoothly towards our destination and were off the Mumbai-Goa highway by daylight.Ganpatipule is around 30 kms off the highway and one needs to head west from a small town called Nivali.

5th April 2008 :

Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation(MTDC) resort is well known for its strategic location and decent accommodation for budget travellers. Reached the resort at 8 am and checked into our tents. 4 bedded tented accommodation was what we had opted for. We therefore occupied three tents adjacently pitched amidst tall coconut trees.

The group...even i am there. Notice the shadow.

The first thing that caught my eyes much before entering the tent was the beach. My initial reaction was a gape and an utter of the word….’WOW’. It looked pristinely beautiful with bluish waters as far as the eye could see. My fingers gave me an itch; I went clicking straightaway.

The waves just after formation on the brink of its fall, displayed its emerald green colour crashing down thereafter thus forming spumes with immense force before gently caressing the wet golden sands at the shore.

Our empty bellies then cried for breakfast. The restaurant too faced the beachfront. We took considerable amount of time to break our fast as every other minute; our eyes looked at the sea right in front of us.

It was then time to get ourselves soaked in the dangerous but beautiful waters of the Arabian Sea. It was quite intimidating to venture deep inside the sea as the waves, no doubt, lashed with great force making us wobbly everytime it hit us. There were quite a few occasions when the waves got me down; so one can imagine the power with which it tumbled down.

We spent nearly 4 hours playing like kids in the vast emptiness of the gorgeous beach. It was only when our bellies cried again that we moved out of the beach towards our tent. It was time to have lunch.
Looking at our faces, one could easily make out that our batteries had discharged and the next thing that was on the cards after lunch was a trip to the land of dreams.

Some more shots of the beach and resort before I fell flat in the tent :)

Revitalized after a good afternoon siesta, we walked on the beach towards the Temple. The beach in the evening looked different as the water had receded leaving behind some more wet sand which was arguably spotless and unperturbed.

Within 15 mins, we reached the 400 year old Swayambhu Ganpati Temple which is located right on the beach at the foot of a hill. A beautiful path around the hill is paved for pilgrims who perform the 1 km Parikrama of the Temple.

Paved path for Pilgrims.

Just while beginning our Parikrama, I noticed that the Sun God was all set to touch the sea. We just didn’t want to miss the Sunset. The pace with which we completed the km varied every minute. We started off leisurely followed by some brisk stuff and ended up jogging to finish the Parikrama and catch a glimpse of the incredible reddish orange setting ball of fire.

Attended Aarti at 7 pm and headed back to our tents. We (Myself, Preeti and Saurabh) were quite surprised to see a yummy cake on the table which was waiting to be smashed on our faces. This surprise was thrown in by Amitesh as all three of us had just recently turned a year older.

Post dinner, we went to the beach, sat on the cold sand listening to the gentle sound of the waves patting the shore, simultaneously looking high up towards the star studded sky which we rarely get to see in Mumbai.

Some of us kept chatting till 2 in the night. There were moments when none of us spoke as we didn’t have any topic to discuss on :) Moreover, we were accompanied by some boozed out men and women who were totally out of their senses, scampering in the night around coconut trees like wolves.

6th April 2008:

We had to check out of our tents by 9 am. So got up quickly and went straight to the beach to have fun for one last time.
We left for Karateshwar Temple and Jaigad fort via Malgund, some 20 kms north of Ganpatipule.

En route, we got to see some lovely scenery.

The temple and fort sit on a peninsular cliff which offers magnificent views of the Arabian Sea.

It was time to leave Ratnagiri district and head back home. The 9 hour journey began again and we once again pulled each others legs. En route we also visited ParashuRam Temple near Chiplun.

It was almost midnight when we reached home .After having seen the place, I rate Ganpatipule beach as one of the best beaches in India. A must visit for everyone.

Trek to Triund and Laka

The trend of being in North India during New Year continued this time as well as I headed for a 2 day trek in the Himalayas.

--->A trip which ended even before we could sink in the feeling that we were away from home in the lap of the Himalayas.
--->A trip which was finalized just hours before we boarded the plane to Delhi.
--->A trip which was completely unplanned yet looked pretty planned after its completion.

So let me take you through my short and sweet trip to the snowy ridge of ‘Triund’ and glaciated ‘Laka’ in Himachal Pradesh.

29th December 2007:

8 am: My cell rang. I blabbered something in sleep. It was my friend Amitesh who had called me. I called him back and it was decided on the spur of the moment that we were moving out of Mumbai to the cold vibes of the Himalayas.

5:30 pm: We boarded the HRTC bus to Dharamshala from ISBT, Delhi. Fare: Rs 297. Distance: 530 kms.(approx). Out came the pullovers and jackets. One hell of a journey that was bumpy and agonizingly cold.

30th December 2007

5:30 am: Dharamshala bus depot was eerily empty (but obvious). Our next destination was Mcleodganj where we had to find a guide for our trek. We walked up the stairs which led to Dharamshala market. Share jeeps ply between Dharamshala and Mcleodganj every 10-15 mins. We were lucky enough to find one. Reached Mcleodganj at 6:30 am, 10 kms from Dharamshala. Fare: Rs 10.

After a hot cuppa tea, we leisurely walked towards Bhagsu Temple(2 kms) enjoying every bit of the beautiful Sunrise(rare sight for people like me who generally wake up when the Sun is right above the head :))

In Bhagsu, the search for a guide continued until we found Terrestrial Adventures. Struck deal with those guys there and we were ready to leave by 10:30 am.

10:50 am: Myself, Amitesh and Kamlesh(guide) hit the trail to Triund via Dharamkot- a distance of approximately 9 kms.

I noticed a cow which had a lovely nose :) Enlarge the pic for better results.

We started gaining height in no time and found ourselves in the middle of a thick pine forest.

We made our way out through the forest to reach a small temple from where we could see valleys on both sides.

The trail now continued to meander which gave us spectacular views of the Kangra valley.

Some strange but beautiful trees.

Our first encounter with ice.

At around 1 pm, we had our lunch just a few yards beyond the so claimed Oldest Chai Shop which is exactly midway between Mcleodganj and Triund. We were happy to know that we had covered 4.5 kms:)

We could now clearly see Triund, our destination, a ridge lying just below the snow capped Dhauladhar range as seen in the pic.

The well defined path started getting worse by the minute as it was ice covered. It was so slippery that only deft handlers like Kamlesh could make their way through in one attempt. We skillfully slipped and slopped the remainder of the distance.

3:30 pm : The mighty Dhauladhar range stood right in front of us. We had reached Triund(9200 feet approx). We spent the first few moments just gazing at the impressive range which seemingly was at stone throwing distance. As the distance between us and the mountain was less, it looked humongous.

Kamlesh met his friend at Triund who owned a tea shop. Johnson-a pup, was his pet.

On top of a ridge, beautiful vistas of the Kangra valley on one side and the colossal Dhauladhars on the other, a cup of tea in my hand…ahhh….it couldn't get any better.

To my surprise, the Reliance phone network had not gone. I called home and informed that we had reached the top. I must say Reliance has a very good coverage all over.

We spent the evening wandering around the ridge having a gala time with Johnson.

Sunset - needless to say, was remarkable.

The tea shop owner left for Mcleodganj that evening and gave us the permission to stay in his tea shop that night. We were in two minds whether to stay in a tent(which is fun) and bear the shivering night or stay in his tea shop which might give us some respite from the cold. We chose the latter as it was indeed very cold.

31st December 2007:

8 am : Kamlesh woke us up and gave us bed tea. It was then time to have some delicious bread omelette.

8:45 am : We pushed off towards Laka glacier some 3-4 kms away at 10500 feet(approx).

We came across a rock which said Snow line Café -3kms

Very soon we found ourselves walking on snow and ice. Amitesh had a sore knee due to which he opted out from venturing ahead into the snowy land. He headed back towards Triund leaving me and Kamlesh on the trail to Laka.

The route ahead was curvy, constricted and snow covered making it extremely treacherous and intimidating. It was quite an unnerving experience until we hit a gentle slope where we found lots and lots of soft snow in store for us.

10 am : We reached Snow line café near Laka which was partially covered in snow.

There was snow everywhere. The weather was perfect with spotless blue skies which formed a brilliant background for some of the pics.

Some more pics.

A few furlongs ahead was a gentle slope which led to the base of Dhalaudhar. Kamlesh pointed out Indrahar pass (4350m.) and Lahesh Cave.

10:30 am: It was time to get back to Triund as Amitesh was all alone and we had to be back in Dharamshala by evening to catch our 8 pm bus to Delhi.

11:15 am: We reached Triund very quickly. Amitesh was lazing around on a rock. While tea was being brewed, we ambled along the ridge, took some more pics and chatted with some foreigners.

12:10 pm: We bid good bye to Triund and swiftly made our way towards Mcleodganj.

3:45 pm: Back in Mcleodganj. Snacks time. We left Mcleodganj only after thanking God for our wonderful trip to heaven. We visited BhagsuNag Temple, Saint John's Church and Namgyal Monsatery.

8 pm: Occupied the last 2 rows in the Volvo which were empty. Stretched our legs and off we went to sleep welcoming 2008 in dreams.
Fare: Rs.715

1st December 2008:

5:30 am: ISBT, Delhi. Temperature : 5 degrees celsius.

As the flight back to Bombay was at 10:55 am, we went to my uncle’s place.

11 am : Luckily, Delhi was devoid of fog and all flights were on time and by 1pm we reached Mumbai with wonderful memories.

Tryst with Jog falls

Wake up at 10 am. Have tea. Surf the net. Have bath. Have Lunch. Watch TV. Again online. Again watch TV. Have tea….Online….Dinner….Online…..sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

What happens to a person having such a routine everyday for almost 2 months? But obvious, he’ll go nuts and his brain shuts. He surely would need a catalyst to rejuvenate himself.

This person is none other than Me…Myself :)

The much awaited catalyst came suddenly.
One fine (Mon)day, Amitesh calls me and says I m free from Tuesday evening to (next)Monday…lets go to Bangalore to meet our friends. I said to myself, wow….tomorrow I m going to Bangalore. There’s ample time to book tickets and that too only 2 of them:) And as usual my freaky mind suggests that we should squeeze in one more destination en route to Bangalore. Suddenly I see water falling everywhere….yes Mumbai to Bangalore via Jog Falls.

Jog falls is the highest waterfall in India situated in Karnataka. Going deeper into geography, it lies on the border between Shimoga and Uttar Kannada districts of Karnataka. The nearest coastal town is Honnavar which is 60 kms away from Jog falls.

Honnavar is around 190 kms from Goa. Goa being easily accessible from Mumbai, we decided to go there first and then plan the onward journey.

The unplanned trip full of surprises began.

14th August 2007

Booked 2 Volvo( Konduskar) seats to Goa . Fare 500 rs per head. Exactly two (last) seats were available and we escaped from running our luck out. 9 pm departure. As always I was late and had to lose my precious calories which I had stored all day. I did a mini marathon to reach the pick up point of our bus only to learn that our bus was still on its way. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t miss my bus. Then came a jolt. My cell phone wouldn’t take any calls and wouldn’t allow me to make calls….Gosh what’s the matter with this piece of technology now…..Here i m dripping wet and my phone’s gone out of order.
I had to call Amitesh from the nearby pco to inform him about our bus as he was going to board the bus from New Bombay.
An hour later at 10, the bus arrived and left without much stoppage. I had to inform Amitesh that I had boarded the bus and it will be at his place by 11 pm. But how am I going to inform?? I asked a fellow passenger to lend me his phone so that I could give Amitesh a missed call. 'All lines in this route are busy'. I decided to try later.
Then I just tried calling him from my phone and bingo….my cell was still working….God knows what the fault was.
Amitesh joined me soon and the bus was making good progress towards Goa.

15th August

I got an sms early in the morning. Happy Independence Day. I was still half asleep and then I realized…oh ya…it's 15th August. What a proud day it was….60 glorious years of Independence.
11 pm : we got down at Madgaon bus stand. We came to know that there was a bus to Honnavar at 2:30 pm. We decided to fill our empty bellies. By then it was 1 pm.

Bus services to Karwar (103 kms from Goa) are plentiful but skeletal to Honnavar.
Suddenly, we heard a conductor yelling Karwar, Ankola, Kumta….I quickly enquired whether the bus would go to Honnavar. The affirmative nod got us going. Then came a bouncer. The conductor in his typical south Indian accent said that the bus would not go beyond Kumta( 20 kms before Honnavar) but he also added that we would get many buses which ply between Kumta and Honnavar. We gave him a clumsy smile. The ST bus made its way to Kumta via Karwar. It was a bumpy journey. Fare 76 rs per head.
We reached Kumta at 5:30 pm. The conductor was right, a connecting bus to Honnavar was easily available. Fare- 13 rs per head The bus journey to Honnavar was smooth. Reached Honnavar at 6:30 pm.

The light was fading quickly. I felt that we should stay at Honnavar that night and travel the remaining 60 kms early next morning to Jog falls. But Amitesh suggested that we should continue our journey to Jog falls and check into some hotel there. I was a bit hesitant to continue because I knew that the journey ahead would take us through dense forest. Forget about the hotels en route, street lights itself would be difficult to spot.

We then asked a few private travel agents about the cost to Jog falls. The cost was sky high. 800 rs for 60 kms. We had spent less than that to reach Honnavar from Mumbai :)

Then out of the blue, a good samaritan asked us to board a bus which was headed for Bangalore. He spoke to the conductor in Kannada and we were told to get down at some place called…Mavingundi( 5kms from Jog falls).

We thanked him for the help.
The bus left Honnavar at 7:00 pm. 60 kms through the pitch black ghat section....seldom any vehicles passing by….Oh My God….it was horrific….not the journey…but the feeling that we would be getting down somewhere in the middle of this thick forest…brrrr.

It was 9:20 pm. I kept wondering how long does it take to cover 60 odd kms. Frantically, I shook the conductor out of his dreams to ask him how much more time is it going to take. 10 mins more was the reply. That settled my nerves and the fact that we had not overshot our destination made me feel comfortable.

We then got down at that place(Mavingundi). Surprisingly, we could see a few shops and restaurants. I wanted to dine before proceeding to jog falls as the journey ahead was full of uncertainty. After some enquiry with the shopkeeper, we got to know that there was a bus to jog falls at 12 am. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Who would go to Jog falls at midnight? I felt that we were being misguided so that we would easily fall prey to him. And yes, I was right. He said that he would drop us at Jog falls in his Omni. Charge 150 rs for 5 kms.

We struck a deal with him. Finding accommodation at Jog falls for us was his responsibility. It was 10:30 pm when we reached Jog falls. As per the deal, he found a hotel for us and it was good enough for 1 night stay.

Hotel Tunga run by KSTDC. 312 rs. per day inclusive of tax. Now, that’s what I call cheap.
Finally, after a long, exhausting and adventurous journey of more than 24 hrs from Mumbai, alighting and boarding several buses, we were at jog falls. It was dark outside but we could hear the falls. We hit the bed and dozed off listening to the faint noise of the falling water.

16th August

Woke up at 8 am. We were located exactly opposite the falls. Strategic location of our hotel, I must say. So I opened the window to catch a glimpse of it. I could see the falls at some distance but it was engulfed by fog.

The check out time was 12 pm. It would take 3 hrs to go down and come back from the base of the falls. We quickly had our breakfast and straight away decided to trek down.
We thought that we would wait till the fog lifts up but we were racing against time.

The fog gradually lifted up and we were rewarded with the most magnificent view of the falls. It was as if a woman was lifting up her pallu to allow us to see her beautiful face. Oh crap, bad analogy :)

We then started our trek down to the bottom of the falls.

Jog falls is the highest untiered waterfall in India and it falls from a height of around 900 feet. River Sharavati splits into four streams before taking the plunge. These 4 streams together form the so called Jog falls.
L-R: Raja, Roarer, Rocket and Rani.

The descent was quite easy but slippery too. A small lapse in concentration and u would find yourself at the base of the falls. Exaggeration intended….lol.

We were completely drenched even before reaching the bottom of the falls. The shower created by the falls was too much when we finally reached the base. We had a tough time handling the camera down there. Somehow managed to keep it dry.
The sight from below was truly awesome. Free fall of Jog falls…amazing!

After some fun and frolic, it was time to head back. We enjoyed the descent but now we had to climb up almost 900 feet. A few stops in between, some lemon juice and cucumber and soon we were reaching the top.

This is what I noticed during our trek. Trash Trash Trash. I am afraid; we still have a long way to go as far as cleanliness is concerned.

1 gb memory was filling up at brisk rate. Here r some more shots of the falls.

We won the race against time and checked out at 12 pm and took a rickshaw to British Bunglow. This is where river Sharavati loses height-the spot where the river falls.

Raja, aptly named, was at its elegant best. It flowed with dignity and grace. Here's the justification...have a look at these pics.

Roarer as the name suggests was the noisiest of the lot.
Rainbow was visible for a brief moment.

There was an overhanging rock on which people laid down to get the top view of the falls. Took a few snaps of the falls by doing the same. It was a grand spectacle. One slip and again u r at the bottom of the falls. No exaggeration this time :)

Watch the video

2 pm: It was time to leave Jog falls. Bangalore is around 374 kms from Jog falls and there r hardly any direct buses to B’lore. We therefore took a bus to Shimoga town. Reached Shimoga by 5pm.

We were tired and fed up of travelling by bus. So the next option was railways. Train to B’lore from Shimoga was at 10pm. We decided to travel in the general compartment not because we wanted to, but because there were no seats available in sleeper class:) Fare- 73 rs per head.

17th, 18th, 19th August

Met our friends in Bangalore and were out all the time visiting McDonalds, malls etc.

As I said earlier, this trip was totally unplanned. I had to return back to Mumbai by Volvo. Fare- 975 rs. It took 18 hrs to reach Mumbai (1000 kms approx), less than the time taken by train and it was comfortable too.

Back to Mumbai and back to basics…..same old routine continues:)

CHANDRATAL- Lake of the Moon

I had heard a lot about this pristine lake , so what better than undertaking a trek to this high altitude Himalayan lake before joining our respective companies.
Like any other trip, there were many add-ons and drop-outs. Finally five of us were game for the challenge lying ahead of us.
Disaster struck just days before we left. Amitesh had to pack his bag with formal wear instead of woollens as he was asked to join his company in 2 days. But the trip had to go on. We were just 4 now.
We had planned to take the following route from Manali,
Manali-Rohtang pass-Gramphoo-Chhatru-Chota Dhara-Batal by road(jeep)
Trek from Batal-Chandratal-Tokpo Gongma-Tokpo Yongma-Baralacha pass
Baralacha pass- Keylong-Manali by road(jeep)

13th June 2007

Boarded Paschim express to Chandigarh from Bandra.

14th june

Reached Chandigarh at 4 pm. We then visited Rock Garden, Sukhna lake, Rose Garden and sector 17 market. It was soon 9 pm and we left for Manali in an Innova(taxi).

15th June

It was 5 am when I woke up to the sound of the gushing Beas river. The Sun had already come up .We had reached Kullu. The very sight of River Beas made me feel fresh and pure. Half an hour later we were at Manali. Altitude 6200 feet approx. I felt really good to have a sumptuous breakfast after having some less than proper food in the train (if it can be called food) , like the extremely dilute and bland puri bhaji in Ratlam( Madhya Pradesh). We then spent the day exploring Manali on foot. We sauntered through the lush greens to visit Hadimba Temple and Manu Temple.

The 2nd tragedy of the trip struck in the evening when Rahul got a call from home and he had to head back as his grandma was critically ill.
Like the Indian Cricket team, we were a depleted side by now. Less the number of people , more the loneliness and more the chances of getting bored.
But the ardour to reach the lake was still present which kept our spirits high.

16th June

Early in the morning at half past 5 we left for Batal, starting point of our trek (120 kms approx). Our guide, Premji, loaded our luggage in Bolero and off we were to surmount the mighty Rohtang pass (51kms from Manali). The drive through the narrow roads was very scenic, the peaks were lit gradually by the rising sun. We reached Marhi at 7 am. Altitude 11500 feet approx. It was time to fill our empty tummies. A hot cup of tea in the rarefied air was just what we needed.

An hour later we were atop Rohtang pass (13050 feet). Rohtang pass connects Kullu valley to Lahaul and Spiti Valley. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) had done a good job by cutting the huge chunks of ice to make the road motorable. No wonder the road to Rohtang and places ahead remains closed to vehicular traffic during winters. The walls of ice were easily 10-15 feet in height. Our hands almost instantaneously went in search for the camera.

At 8:30am we left rohtang pass. We then reached Gramphoo. We took right(eastward) leaving behind the somewhat well maintained road which connects Manali to Leh.
We now enter deeper into the Lahaul and Spiti Valley where the landscape is much barren and bleak as compared to Kullu valley.

En route to Batal




We had tea at Chhatru, a hamlet in the middle of nowhere.



We continued with our journey admiring the beauty of Mother Nature’s lunar like landscape. The muddy, turbulent and constantly murmuring river Chandra flowed below in the gorge. World’s second largest glacier ‘Bara Shigri’ was nestled somewhere inside the mountains. Only a part of it could be seen. Can anyone guess which is the world’s largest glacier?? ( it’s in India :))

By noon we reached Batal. Altitude 13120 feet approx. I’m not sure about the altitude but according to the locals it’s higher than rohtang and somewhere close to 4000 meters.
Chandra Dhaba in Batal is the only place where one can find mortals. The area surrounding it is desolated.



By the time we finished our lunch in the Dhaba, our tents were pitched.
What I read about Batal in blogs was so very true. It’s a gateway for winds. These winds bring the chill factor into account. The winds pick up in the evening and they become incredibly strong and gusty forcing everybody to crawl inside their tents. We did nothing different and soon we dozed off hoping that the tent would remain upright and not leave us with stars above :)

At Batal

17th June

Early in the morning at 5:30, Jagat Ram, our cook served us bed tea. Bed tea brought back memories of my trip to Kailash Manasarovar. We unzipped our sleeping bags reluctantly. The very concept of bed tea is to provide warmth to our bodies before stepping out in the cold climes.

The early hours of the morning was perfect with some of the peaks being kissed by the clouds and some being lit by the Sun.

We were waiting for our horses to arrive. They were the backbone of our trip. At around 7:30 am they trudged along with their master. They started rolling on the ground upon arrival probably to get rid of itching.



At 8 am, we started off with the arduous 14 km trek from Batal to Chandratal.



Premji(guide) led from the front and we all followed with our small backpacks which contained first aid kit and packed lunch.
The trail we followed was a well defined road which was about 10 feet wide with huge slopes on one side and deep ravines on the other. The road was full of small gravels and disintegrated soil. At some places gigantic rocks just stood at the edge as if it was waiting for the right time to roll down. The stones on the slopes were so loosely held that slightest of movements could have triggered a landslide.

The first few kms. were done with gr8 ease. We soon reached a junction from where one road went to Kaza and the other to Chandratal.
We then reached a point where we had to cross a small stream which flowed across the road down the hill to meet river Chandra below.

The curvy road gradually gained height and that’s when we started getting the symptoms of altitude sickness. We gasped for air and had to put in extra effort for every step. On reaching the top, we found that the road continued to meander and we couldn’t figure out the end of the road. This happened ‘N’ number of times. It seemed like eternity and this made us bleary. The only force that was driving us now was the passion to see the lake.



3 hours into the trek and there was still no sign of the lake. The wind slowly started picking up which brought in clouds and the Sun never came out thereafter. The depressingly dull weather made the trek even more strenuous as the wind was intermittently pushing us making us wobbly.
Nausea started distressing me. Hiren also started feeling a bit unsteady but we had to move on. We had to cross another stream after which I decided to have lunch. The effect of nausea was even more severe now.
The last few kms. was all uphill and we all were drained out completely and our lungs worked harder and harder to enable us to stand. By now I just couldn’t withstand the feeling of nausea and I just puked everything out. I felt much better. Minutes later we reached the top and finally……we could see the bluish waters of Chandratal.

View Chandratal on Google Earth

We had to walk down the hill and along the periphery of the lake to reach the north end of the lake, our campsite for the next 2 days. The time was 3:00 pm and I straight away went inside the tent to take some rest.
Hiren was constantly saying that we should return back to Batal next day itself and not continue further. He couldn’t withstand the cold and was afraid that going ahead could prove to be fatal in this kind of weather.
I asked him to wait for a day and give time for the body to acclimatize. We had not had rest since we left Mumbai. We had been travelling for 4 days, hardly giving our body the time to acclimatize. He agreed and we all slept off quite early that day. Late in the night, Hiren started feeling cold again. He was shivering and we had to call our guide. He then called our cook who brought the stove to make the tent warm from inside. Hiren’s feet were cold, our cook then rubbed his feet. This did a world of good and soon we all slept again.

18th june

In the morning we all were in the best of health. Inside the tent we saw a tag dangling which said “Keep all flame and heat sources away from the tent”. We all had a laugh because that was exactly what we didn’t do last night.
It was rest day at Chandratal. The weather was clear. The lake was placid and ripple free as there was absolutely no wind. This led to unbelievable reflections in the lake. The immaculate lake had all the properties of a mirror. I have never seen any water body with such gr8 reflections.

Chandratal is at an altitude of 4337 m/14225 feet above sea level. The lake is crescent- shaped. This gave it the name Chandratal or Moon Lake.
Later, we climbed a hillock near the lake from where we could see river Chandra, the CB(ChandraBhaga) range and ofcourse Chandratal. The most striking of the lot was the lake. The Sun was shining which gave the lake spectacular colours. The left half of the lake was emerald green and the right half had a tinge of blue. The tranquility of the place was nothing short of heaven.

We then returned back to our campsite to have Biryani.
Gentle breeze was now blowing around the lake. The shimmering waters made the lake look stunning. We decided to go around the lake in the afternoon when the weather was just perfect. We walked along the circumference of the lake(2.5 kms). The water was crystal clear and we could easily judge the depth of the lake. It was quite deep from the beginning itself in certain areas. When we reached the southern side of the picturesque lake we met a few trekkers. We had a gr8 time chatting with them and soon it was 4 pm.

Some more shots of the lake.

We headed back to our camp. The winds showed no mercy at all. It blew with all the strength it had. At one point we were discussing the velocity of the wind. That was it. We were arrested in the tent for the day.
By the time the winds ceased, we were in deep snooze. That night, Hiren shivered again. Once again the stove was brought in.

19th June
Early in the morning the view of the lake, with illuminated peaks in the background was awesome. That’s the kind of morning I would love to see everyday.

Coming back to the point. We were in a dilemma whether to proceed further to Baralacha pass or not. We met a shepherd who said that we were the first people this season who wished to go ahead to Baralacha and so if we went ahead, we would have to make our own path through the snow and ice.
Considering this and Hiren’s shivering problem, we decided to abort the onward journey.
At 8 am, we left the charming and enchanting lake with the hope of returning back again.
The journey back to Batal was easy as our body was well acclimatized. We did face some difficulties while walking back. Blustering winds blew against the direction in which we were walking. At some places I stopped and turned around to avoid the dust. En route to Batal we even saw vultures having a feast. Reached Batal at 1:30 pm. Hiren left for Manali the same day as he didn’t want to spend yet another shivering night. Myself and Srinath spent that day at Batal.

20th June

We waited for the HRTC(state run bus) near Chandra Dhaba. Boarded the bus to Manali at 11:30 am.



Luckily there were exactly 2 vacant seats. I had to sit on the last seat which meant that I would be tossed up and down :) The fare to Manali from Batal- 92 rs per head.Reached Manali at 5 pm after a very bumpy journey. Hiren waited for us at the same hotel. We were back to civilization.

21st June

Settled the amount with the travel agent in Manali. We then left for Naggar, 22 kms from Manali to see the Naggar castle and Roerich’s art gallery. Returned back to Manali in the evening.
As our train back to Mumbai from chandigarh was on 23rd, we planned to go to Kasauli, a quaint hill station near Chandigarh. We booked a car to Kasauli.

22nd June

At 5 am, we left for Kasauli(250 kms approx). Reached at 2 pm. Quickly checked into a hotel and enquired about the tourist spots in Kasauli. We then visited Monkey point. Locals call it Manki point, we didn’t bother to find out the reason for that :) But the point was worth visiting. The Christ Church near the mall road was unfortunately closed.

23rd June

Boarded the early morning bus( 6:30 am) to chandigarh. Fare-45 rs.
8:30am –Reached Chandigarh. Had breakfast and then a rick to the railway station.
11:30am- Paschim express back to Mumbai
Next day 3:30pm, reached home with wonderful memories of the trip especially Chandratal. Himachal Pradesh- an absolute paradise where landscaping knows no bounds.

Trek to Matheran

26th January was nearing. People came up with different suggestions. The initial plan was to go to EsselWorld. I was not too keen and my opinion was to get outta Mumbai. Matheran was always on the cards and everybody agreed.

On 25th Jan, Thursday, just a day before our trip, around 10 people were willing to come. Amitesh wasn't feeling well but he said he'll give it a try.

Our plan on 26th January 2007
Board the early morning train(5:36 am) to Karjat from Thane. Get down at Neral.
Trek/drive to Matheran and return back by night.

My plan
Wake up at 4 am. Leave by 4:30 am to Thane from Andheri

So off I go to sleep after setting the alarm hoping that it would ring to wake me up.
After a sound sleep, i got up and saw the time.....Hell.....it was 4:40 am. The alarm didn't ring! And that was the last thing I wanted.
The first thing that came to my mind was " Wow...What a start....i m going to miss the train."

Got up, went straight to bathroom, brushed my teeth, quick shower,out by 4:45 am. Meanwhile, my mom brewed tea for me. 4:50 am, I m out on the dark roads wondering how am i going to catch the 5:36 train from Thane.
Hopped into an auto rickshaw and asked him to take me to Mulund( Rickshaws in Mumbai are not allowed beyond Mulund)

Amitesh had asked me to wake him up. But my dreadful start gave me little chance to call him.
Reached Mulund at 5:20 am( andheri to thane-1/2 hour flat) thanks to some excellent work by the auto wala. I then walked to the other side i.e. Thane district and hopped into another rickshaw to reach Thane railway station. 5:30 am- I am at thane station. There i met Bhushan,Ashish,Vaibhav and Hitesh(Bond).
They all laughed at my plight. We Mumbaites are always in a hurry :)

I asked them about our other friends. They said many of them backed out. I also enquired about Amitesh and they said he aint coming. So we were 5 of us from Thane. We then boarded the train to Karjat. Tushar joined us at Dombivli thus taking the headcount to 6.

6:30 am-Neral station

Matheran is around 8-10 kms from Neral. We weren't able to decide whether to trek the distance or hire a car and reach the top quickly. Everybody believed that the journey was the destination and so the hike began. We had a nice cup of tea after which we pushed ourselves towards Matheran.

After covering a kilometer, the uphill journey began.

We walked on the winding roads for an hour. It was getting a bit monotonous.
We therefore decided to go off track leaving the road behind. We entered the forest, made our way through the rocks and loose soil.

We then came across the railway track.The narrow gauge track connecting Matheran and Neral was in bad shape. The rail service was in dormant mode and not functioning as it was severely damaged because of the 26th july deluge. The track route is longer(20kms) as it meanders up the mountain over large swathes of forest territory. We decided to follow the track for sometime.

We then again vanished inside the dense forest and started a steep ascent. This cut short a lotta time and we again reached the road. The final leg was completed by walking on the road. We reached Dasturi car park(Matheran’s entry point) at 10 am.
Most of our hike was through the forest which added adventure to our journey.

Some pics clicked enroute to Matheran.

We all were quite hungry and we needed something to get ourselves re-energized. Had misal pav and a hot cuppa tea.

At Dasturi car park area. Gimme red.

We then entered Matheran. Matheran is at an altitude of 800 metres/2625 feet above sea level. A place where there is no vehicular traffic. All vehicles are allowed only upto the car par area. But one will find many horses and extra precaution has to be taken when those horses start running.

We walked towards the market area & railway station( 2kms from Car park)

On our way to the market.

After reaching, a click at the railway station.

We then bought the map of Matheran. Then, a long discussion about the points to cover in Matheran. We finally decided to visit Alexander point, Charlotte lake, One tree hill and if time permits Porcupine point.

So off we start and ramble towards Alexander point(around 2 kms). We reached the point and our jaws dropped in awe when we saw those huge cliffs which had great depths. Photo session followed.

We then munched our way towards Charlotte lake(2 kms). Calm greenish waters of Charlotte lake and some thick woody trees around was a pleasant sight.

We started having lunch on the banks of the lake. Minutes later, we saw a monkey gradually approaching us. Soon his/her relatives also followed :) A dog sitting close to us also witnessed these gradual developments. All of a sudden, the dog, our savior budged from its position to shoo away the monkeys. Thank God, we could eat peacefully thereafter. We collected all the waste in a plastic bag.

We must always make it a point to keep our surroundings clean.

It was almost 3 pm and the heavy lunch made us more lethargic. We still wanted to visit One tree hill point(3 kms).

On our way to One tree hill point, a monkey snatched the plastic bag which contained all the waste. The monkey tore apart the plastic bag and couldn’t find anything. We all bursted into laughter. Unfortunately the bag couldn't make its way to the dustbin.

We reached One Tree Hill at 3:30 pm. This hill is separated from the main land and a narrow path leads to the bottom of the hill from where one can ascend the hill. Only a single tree atop the hill makes it quite unique. Hence the name, One tree hill.

We walked to the base of the hill and we were quite hesitant to climb the hill as it was very steep and therefore risky.
It was around 4 pm. Having trekked the whole day, fatigue had set in and we still had to cover a good 4-5 kms to the car park area via the market and the railway station. So we dropped the idea to visit Porcupine point better known as sunset point. We reached the market at around 5 pm. We decided to have something before making the final push. We sat in the garden and refilled ourselves.

Some more pics.

5:30pm- we headed towards the car park area from where we took a taxi back to Neral station. Here, these taxi drivers make good profit by plying between Neral and Matheran. Charge per person-Rs.50

We reached Neral Station at 6:30 pm. The train back to Thane was at 7:20 pm. So we again had some refreshment. Boarded the train and had a good nap. Tushar got down at Dombivli. Rest of us disembarked at Thane. Bhushan, Ashish and Hitesh reached home early. Myself and Vaibhav boarded another train to reach Andheri and Airoli respectively. I reached home at 9:30 pm.

Our shoes had turned red because of the nature of the soil in Matheran. Thorough washing required to make the shoe look as it did 12 hours ago:)
An exciting day’s trek to Matheran is over.

Some important Stats:
Mumbai to Matheran-100 kms (approx)
Total distance trekked-23 kms(approx)
Total time taken-16 hours.
Pics- Bhushan
Video shooting- Vaibhav

Drive to Shirdi

On 18th January 2007, I was online as usual chatting with my friends and surfing the net. Weekend was around the corner. My friend Amitesh suggested that we'll undertake a quick trip to Shirdi to seek blessings from Babaji. As always, I was ever ready and we decided to go ahead with the plan. Unlike other trips, we thought of trying out something different this time.

Why not take the car and drive the distance of 258kms (to be precise) from Mumbai to Shirdi ourselves. Not a bad idea for a quick getaway, isn't it??

Next day morning, our plan was to leave Mumbai by 1 pm. We then became conscious about the fact that we did not have a camera to capture all that was going to happen on the way. After borrowing the camera from Rahul, our friend, it was time to leave. We left Mumbai at 3pm. The 2 hour delay was mainly because of our late realization about the camera and traffic snarls.

At Rahul's place(Thanks for the camera).

The car we drove was Hyundai Getz and luckily the petrol tank was full (thanks to my Dad). I decided to get behind the wheels at the start. We reached Thane by 4 pm and then entered NH-3 on which we drove till Nashik. This Highway connects Mumbai and Agra.

Once we left Thane, I stepped on the accelerator and were cruising at good speed.
There were a few incidents during the drive which shook us up resulting in increased adrenaline levels.

First one being the speed breakers. God knows why on earth there are speed breakers on the highway. Fine, let there be speed breakers, it's not a big issue.....but what really surprised us was the fact that there were no boards which gave any kinda hint about the speed breakers ahead. Moreover the speed breakers were not even painted. We hit the speed breakers really hard and I have no doubts in my mind that our car flew for a few seconds. After covering a few kms, there was another one. This time we flew even higher :) Good God, we were safe.

The second heart trembling incident that took place was near Nashik. We were enjoying the drive and listening to songs .Suddenly from no where a truck driver started poking his nose from the side as he wanted to get on the highway. We were at reasonably good speed and it was difficult for us to stop and let him go. We gave him the indication that we will be going first. But that fellow was not bothered at all and drove in, blocking our way. Luckily, the brakes were powerful enough to halt our car.

We then continued driving. Gradually, the trees and hills gave way to buildings and traffic signals. We had entered Nashik. We took a right turn leaving NH-3 behind. The time was 7 pm and we had travelled 170 kms at a trot.
We therefore took a break in the outskirts of Nashik. We human beings just think about ourselves, what about the machine? Even the car needed rest and our 45 min break cooled down the engine to some extent.

After refilling ourselves, we got inside the car. This time Amitesh sat on the driver’s seat to cover the remaining 90 kms. The sun had set and the drive became somewhat dangerous as the headlight glare of the oncoming vehicles created a blinding effect. Amitesh drove cautiously and we reached Shirdi at 9:30 pm. We stayed at hotel Abhishek close to the Temple.

km reading after reaching Shirdi.

Next day morning, we got up at 5. We got good Darshan of Shirdi Sai Baba after waiting for an hour in queue. We also visited Dwarka mai and other temples in the Temple premises. By the time we came out it was 9:30am and we quickly gave a call to Shikha and Divya(and 2 more frds) as they too had come for Darshan. They had taken an overnight bus from Mumbai.

At Shirdi.

We decided to meet them and we had to be quick as their bus back to Mumbai was at 10 am. Luckily we got to see them. Myself and Amitesh made a note of the bus number and decided to follow the bus and take a break wherever the bus would stop for lunch. By doing so, we thought we could have lunch with our friends. It wasn’t a bad idea. So the chase began.

The bus we followed.

Amitesh resumed his drive and started following the bus. He drove well and we were just behind the bus all the time until we reached Nashik. We were caught in signals and the bus disappeared. We informed our friends that we lost track of the bus and are now heading towards Mumbai. Our plan failed :(

Quick change of drivers and the drive continued. It was 2 pm now and we stopped for lunch at Baba da Dhaba just after crossing the Kasara ghat.

After a sumptuous lunch, Amitesh again took charge of the wheel and I started clicking photographs.

After driving for an hour and a half, we again changed seats for the last time and the last leg of our drive began.

It was 4 pm and I started driving quickly as I wanted to avoid the traffic in Mumbai that slowly builds up in the evening. At the same time, I also knew that I had to hand over the key (and the car) safely to my dad :)

I dropped Amitesh at Nerul on my way to Andheri. The petrol tank was almost empty, but I knew that there was enough petrol to take me to Andheri. Reached Andheri at 5:30 pm. That was the end of our short and sweet trip.

Total distance covered- 561 kms.
Total driving time -13 hours. Mumbai-Shirdi-Mumbai
Average speed-43 kms/hour.
Total trip time-26 hours.

Don’t drink and drive :)