Bhandardara-Near Igatpuri

On 1st Aug 09 I, Arunabha and Ashish set out for Bhandaradara in Arun’s car. We took the malshej ghat route and at the shivneri turn, we went straight and finally reached a village where we took left and drove towards bhandardara. It was my second visit, and spend the first day with the local sigh seeing and stayed at room given by the locals. There was no bed, neither TV. Total damage: INR 500.00. Next day morning we set out for Ratangadh fort, which was near the Amruteshwar temple (near Ratanwadi village) supposed to be build by pandavas in one day as told by the locals. On reaching the place Arun parked his car and I negotiated with one of the locals for guiding to the summit. Total damage: INR 175.00. The place is at its best during rainy season and we were simply amazed at the nature’s beauty. Finally we started the climb at 9.00 a.m. and after passing through streams started the trek .The jungle was having thick vegetation and finally at around 11.00 we arrived at the summit. The last stretch of the climb is the most dangerous one since we had to climb on huge boulders without any support except for the small gaps in the boulders which was used for climbing. At the summit was a small cave kind structure used by trekkers for overnight staying. Since it was rainy season there was so much of fog that we couldn’t see anything.

Key Takeaways: Best in rainy season, travel in your own vehicle/hire, carry rain jacket.

Near Murbad: Malshej Ghat

On 18th July, I and Amit Bhalerao set out for Malshej Ghat (110 K.M. from Mumbai) in his Honda Civic. He picked me at around 7.00 a.m. from Gokuldham Gate and we took the Western express highway and via Jogeshwari Vikhroli linked reached the eastern express. We proceeded towards Thane and after passing Bhiwandi took the right turn and moved towards Murbad. The surroundings was amazing with lush green vegetation all around and was overall terrific being outside Mumbai. On the way we halted at ‘’Mamaji Dhaba’’ and had poha and tea. Total Damage: INR 80.00. The road was in pretty good condition and was not so crowded. As we started approaching Malshej Ghat, the landscape, atmosphere surprisingly took a marvelous change and was everything was looking simply amazing. The road was surrounded by lush green trees on both sides and huge mountain was visible on the right side. The roads were full of ups and downs and we were literally at 100/100 kmph. Finally we arrived at the ghat at 10.00 a.m. and as we started driving uphill we were in clouds and there was so much of fog we were not able to see things beyond few meters. Finally we had arrived at Malshej ghat—basically a road beside the mountain with multiple water falls at short distances and a valley on the other side of the road. We parked our vehicle like others and started enjoying the scenic beauty. There were lot of vehicles parked on the road side and travelers were enjoying the bath below the water fall. One however needs to go with his vehicle, since the place has lot of visitors who come drunk and actually create a nuisance. There are few small time vendors selling corn, tea etc. Its feels great enjoying corn and tea among the mountains. The area is surrounded by monkeys and one needs to be beware since they are interested in the eatables. We stopped for almost 45 minutes and proceeded on the same road towards Shivneri fort—Birth place of Shivaji. Roughly 5-10 minutes from the ghat on the left side was MTDC resort. As we went on we were followed by a river on the left side and the entire scene was terrific. After travelling for almost 30 k.m. we arrived at a small village, from where we took right. The road was pretty quiet with fields on both the sides. Finally we arrived at Shivnrei fort and the road goes upto the base of the fort. There are vendors selling tea, lemon water, wafers, and biscuits. After parking our vehicle we started the climb and there are 2 big doors on the way. The fort is on pretty good conditions and there is a garden build inside were one can take rest. Finally we arrived on the top after roughly 15-20 minutes of climb. There were water tanks on the way and as we proceeded further we came to this small place where Shivaji was supposed to be born. This was a small room, locked and has steps which can be climbed to arrive on the first floor. Behind this structure was a small water tank and with a walk of 5 minutes was a point from where the entire surrounding area could be seen. Near the birth structure with a climb for 5 minutes we arrived at the summit which had a mosque like structure. We climbed down and went on the other side of the mountain to arrive a temple which was inside the mountain and beside that were small caves which were basically used for storing goods etc in those times. The view from the mountain is amazing and we relaxed there for almost 30 minutes. Finally we started towards back home and took lunch at the shivneri village which was settled near the base of the mountain. The village was pretty big with ST stand, markets, small time hotels, schools etc. After finishing our lunch we proceeded to Mumbai and thus our one more amazing journey came to an end.

Key Take away: Visit only in rainy season; take your own vehicle, avoid driving at night since there are no street lights.

For pictures please follow the following link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Dwarka- Jyotirling

On July 10, 2009, I parul and daksh set out for Dwarka and caught the saurashtra mail at 9.15 p.m. from Borivali. Next day at around 3.45 p.m. we reached Dwarka station. It’s a small station and was filled with devotees arriving from across India to visit Dwarka and Bet dwarka. The station was unique in the sense it was different from other stations I have visited so far. There were no single shops, outlets and bus stand. There were however autos waiting for passengers arriving at the station. We took an auto and asked him to take us to a budget hotel, near the temple. He took the only single road outside the station and after travelling across residential houses for roughly 10 minutes we arrived at Meera Hotel. I checked the hotel room and seemed to be ok for one night stay. Total Damage: INR 250.00. Auto damage: INR 20.00. We got a room on the first floor and after taking a bath I went out to enquire of the temples and surroundings. Just outside the hotel I checked with an autoguy and he agreed to take us to Jyotirling, Rukmini temple and drop us at Main temple. Total Damage: INR 200.00 within half an hour we were ready for our trip and our first stoppage was Jyotirling at a distance of 13.00 K.M. from our hotel. Meera was located near Isckon gate and was just outside the main city and roughly at 1-1.5 k.m. away from the main dwarka temple. It was however centrally located and was at a suitable location to cover rukmini, bet dwarka, bus stand and jyotirling. The road to the jyotirling was quite empty and was surrounded by lush green vegetation on both the sides. It was the perfect place to be and we were enjoying each moment and on the way saw lot of peacocks. On the way I saw the local animal called Neelgah (as big as horse, with skin colour similar of donkey). Finally as we were approaching the place one can easily see a huge statue of Lord Shiva standing tall amidst the place. One can hardly miss the beauty of the place and I was surprised to see a religious place which was not at all crowded by smaller outlets. It was almost 5.00 P.M. and there was hardly any queue and we got darshan within seconds. On the temples left was a huge Shiva statue and in between was a banyan tree and the whole place was having a tranquil and peace atmosphere. After few photo sessions we set out towards Rukmani temple which was on the way to Bet-dwarka and hardly 2 k.m from the main city. The temple was quite old and had the ancient look with sea water hardly 800 meters away. One needs to be beware of the local priests who promises to narrate the entire story of the place being away from main dwarka temple, ending up with donation of INR 100.00 towards the trust. We then proceeded to the main temple which is in the heart of the city and the city itself is quite small. The temple is magnificent from outside and one cannot take camera, mobile phone inside. Inside the temple has the status of Lord Krishna and has separate queues for male /female. Just behind the temple is the Arabian sea/ghat. After our darshan we searched for some good place to dine. In dwarka there are lots of dining places with gujarati thali concept. We somehow found it difficult to look for some good place and finally after much enquiry reach at a local chauk and took a dinner at a famous thali restaurant. Total Damage: INR 60.00. Dwarka as such has nothing great place to shop except for pooja items, bangles, idols of God etc. next day we left our hotel at around 7. 00 a.m. and reached the bus stand and got into a bus for Bet dwarka. Total damage: INR 40.00. Roughly after travelling for 40.00 minutes we arrived at Okha and immediately proceeded towards the ferry. There were people who were alredy waiting and the ferry takes in almost 65-70 people. Total Damage: INR 20.00. One can also book the entire boat for INR 600.00. The ferry took almost 20-25 minutes to reach Bet-Dwarka—basically an Island on the other side where Lord Krishna ruled. The boat ride is worth an experience and the breeze was great /fun. Finally on approaching the other side one has to walk for roughly 5-10 minutes to reach the place which is surrounded by shops/ small restaurants and the temple is a roughly a 2-3 mnutes walk. One has to leave his cellphone /camera outside and even luggage is not allowed inside. Its an old temple, but worth a visit. After finishing darshan we took the chakkda and proceeded towards a Hanuman Temple- roughly 5.00 k.m. from the main temple. Chakkda is basically the cheapest /only mode of transport in bet and has a handle just like motorcycle with a carrier just like the tractor trolly for carrying people. Parool and daksh sat in the trolley with other passangers and I rested on the side frame balancing myself and the luggage. It was a lonely, road trip with mangroves on both the sides without any human settlement—the perfect places I always love. We finally arrived at the temple where one needs to take care of ants-big ones which dot the entire place. After our darshan , we proceeded further for just 5.00 minutes and arrived at an ashram of some ancient saint. We were running late and had a train to catch from Okha and rushed towards the ferry and finally managed to reach Okha station at 12.00 P.M. since we had 30 minutes more, we took lunch just outside the station and had a great food along with butter milk.
Thus one more journey to an end, but will always remain in my soul.
Key Take aways: Ready to adjust to gujarathi food, Bargain hard,return journey best from Okha
For more pictures please follow the following link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Aurangabad- Ajanta & Ellora

On 25th June 2009 I, Parul and Daksh set out for Jalgaon. We arrived sharp at 10.15 p.m. Dadar to catch the Nagpur Special departure at 10.25 p.m. Next day morning at 6.30 a.m. we arrived at Jalgaon station. We proceeded towards east side and outside the station there was a rickshaw stand and SBI ATM. There is a single straight parallel road outside the station and after walking for 2-3 minutes we arrived at Anjali Restaurant (based on locals recommendation).We had idli sambhar and the restaurant was no cheap as compared to Mumbai ones. Unfortunately the restaurant does not serve tea, however there a numerous tea stalls .After having breakfast we caught auto to proceed to New Bus Stand. Total Damage: INR 15.00. There is also old bus stand, which is for intercity travel. The shops were closed and usually open at around 9-9.30. Within 10-15 minutes we arrived at the bus stand. The bus stand was quite clean and organized as compared to normal upcountry bus stand. We were advised to wait near stand no.7 and the bus was at 8.00 a.m. Finally the bus arrived at 8.00 a.m. and was 2*2, much comfortable then normal ST bus. Finally at 9.25 we arrived at Ajanta and the bus dropped us on the main road –towards Aurangabad. Total Damage: INR 100.00 and the distance is 55-60 K.M The place was great as we can see mountains on all the sides. We proceeded towards the main gate and after taking left arrived at the entrance and were asked for entrance fee. Total Damage: INR 14.00. There was this straight road without any vehicle noise and took right to arrive at entrance –various shops were present selling maps, stones, paintings, eatables etc. We proceeded towards the bus stand and after passing through the shops arrived at the bus point. There are 2 options available: A/c and Non A/c: INR 12.00 and 7.00 accordingly. Total Damage: INR 14.00. We caught the bus and it was remarkably good one and once sufficient passengers had aboded we set out for AJANTA. After travelling for 10-15 minutes we arrived at the entrance of Ajanta. There is an entrance of 10/person Total Damage: INR 20.00. There is a restaurant named Ajanta and one can have some stuff before proceeding since it’s the last place where u can eat something. There is a cloak room where we kept our luggage and it also has toilet facility available. Charges: INR 4.00 for Cloak and INR 8.00 for bath facility. There are pottery facilities for elders and for small children’s. Charges are INR 300.00 negotiable. There is a giant banyan tree right at the entrance and we rested for around 30.00 minutes and had bhel.
Right at the start on the left side there is a lonely wooden bridge which is used while coming out and the official journey starts with a climb on stairs. Everywhere there were mountains and after walking for 5-7 minutes we arrived at the entrance where the entrance tickets are checked. Thus we started our Ajanta journey with all the caves in sequences numbered from 1 to 30. The caves are great with paintings which still seem live and the initial caves have lights since its quite dark inside. We were not alone, but accompanied by numerous tourists i.e., Indians and foreigners. The caves were not on even base, however one has climb up and down. It was really tiring since it was quite hot and I was carrying daksh most of the times. In between we halted numerous times to rest and have some food. Finally we finished at around 3.45 p.m.and one has to travel the same route to come back. There was a waterfall on the extreme right towards the final caves, however we dropped the plan since there were no waters, and it would have been great in Aug. we arrived back and reached the main road at around 4.45 p.m.we waited on the main road and after waiting for 15 minutes got a lift from GATI logistic TATA 407.We were seated beside the driver and was an amazing experience. Total distance is 98 K.M. from Ajanta to Aurangabad. Total Damage: INR 160.00 finally at 8.10 p.m. we arrived at Aurangabad bus stand and after asking parul we wait at the stand I started the search for the hotel. I got a hotel near the bus stand –SHANGRILLA INN. Total Damage: INR 250.00. The room was nice and big with toilet and TV facility. We had dinner at Paradise restaurant near the bus stand. All the hotels are near the bus stand in a single lane and there is no good restaurant for dinner except for Paradise and Manjeri near the bus stand. Manjeri is pure veg.

Next day on 27th June 09, after taking bath and other morning chores we proceeded towards the bus stand for Ellora 7.15 a.m. we took breakfast-poha at one of the tea vendors and decided to take an auto for sight seeing. The places to be covered were Ellora, biwi-ka-makbara, jyotirling, daultabad fort, tomb of Aurangzeb, pan chakki. After negotiation –Total Damage: INR 350.00 we proceeded first towards Daulatabad Fort which was at a distance of 25-26 k.m. from bus stand and finally we arrived at the fort. Being early morning it was not so crowded and after paying and entrance of INR 10.00 we went inside. It was a huge fort and believed to be one of the finest of that time and was quite huge. Just at the entrance there is big hall which has cannons of various types displayed with one big one at the centre. After proceeding inside on the left side there is a ‘’step-well’’ but in a depilated condition. After proceeding further there is big minar structure –red color which stands out. On the left side there is a huge structure which seemed like assembly hall and is connected to an old temple towards right side. Further walking for 5-10 minutes one arrives at the entrance of the fort. There are lots of monkeys inside the fort. On arriving inside this fort we came across a bridge which was to cross the water beneath –almost 30 feet and look marvelous with huge boulders. On crossing the bridge we arrived at a small entrance and took a guide to explain further—since there was a ‘’bhool-bholiya’’. Total Damage: INR 50.00. He took a mashal and explained us each and every intricacy and it’s impossible to go without a guide. We came out and there is a big cannon- 14ft which is worth a look. One can climb 750 steps to the summit –however there is nothing worth going except for scene. We proceeded towards Ellora and after travelling for 20 minutes arrived at Ellora. Entrance fee: INR 20.00 + 10.00 for auto. We were asked to visit Cave 16. First since it was the best one. Indeed the same was the case and we were left speechless. One should not miss this cave and we saw all the caves till 22. Caves 22-32 were slightly far off—walk of 1.00 k.m. and since it was quite hot we dropped the plan. However I found Ellora much better then Ajanta. We proceeded to jyotirling which was at 10 minutes from ellora. Since it was afternoon it was not so crowded and after spending 20 minutes in queue we arrived at the main entrance. Mens are supposed to remove their upper clothes and we took darshan in flat 30.00 minutes. We proceeded towards the tomb and after travelling for 10-15 minutes arrived at the mosque where we saw Aurangzeb, his son, wife and gurus tomb. The mosque was quite calm and pleasant. We moved towards Biwi-ka-maqbra and arrived in 30.00 minutes. Entrance fee: INR 10.00. While moving towards biwi, we took lunch on the highway and there are good restaurants. Biwi-ka-maqbra looks like taj mahal however cannot be compared in the real sense. The marbles are giving away to rugged looks and appear brownish. On the entrance there is water pool with ducks quacking and daksh enjoyed a lot and was infact not moving from there. The walk towards the main building takes 5 minutes and has a bi garden on the left side. The main building has a mosque on the left side and few buildings on the right and behind. The structure is big and has its own importance. Finally we arrived at PanChakki and since we were late we couldn’t see as there was no electricity and one has to arrive before 4.30 P.M. or after 7.30 P.M. we arrived at 5.00 p.m. in our hotel and after resting checked out at 8.25 p.m. and arrived at Aurangabad railway station –distance 3-4 k.m. Total Damage: INR 20.00 –Auto. There are restaurants near the station and the station building is quite good. Finally our train arrived at 11.45 p.m.and we boarded the train and thus our journey to Aurangabad came to an end.
Key Take aways: Take any means from Ajanta, Bargain hard, carry sufficient waters, food.
For more pictures please follow the following link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/

Igatpuri—Mt.Kalsubai

On 13th June 09, I and Ashish Negi set out for Mt.Kalsubai. We reached Dadar station at 11.45 p.m. to catch the Mahanagri express , however the train was delayed for more than an hour and arrived at 2.15 a.m. instead of its actual departure at 00.25 a.m. At 5.00 a.m. we arrived at Igatpuri station and after using the public loo on the station we set out. We walked towards the platform 1 and came out of the station. There is a rickshaw stand immediately outside, however we proceeded towards the bus stand which was towards the right hand side once we were outside the station. We arrived at the bus stand after walking for roughly 10-15 minutes. The shops were closed since it was only 5.25 a.m. We enquired at the bus stand and were being informed that the first bus to Bhandardara was at 7.00 a.m. and Kalsubai was one the way. Immediately outside the bus stand are tea vendors and I had tea. The entry point of the bus stand has a dargah and the exit point has a temple. We waited at the temple and caught the bus at 7.00 and the bus left sharp at 7.00 a.m. Total Damage: INR 40.00. After a journey over almost an hour we arrived at Bheri—small village which is the base from where one starts for Mt. Kalsubai. There was a small outlet where we got down and we took tea and Poha. Total Damage: INR 26.00. There is no other option except for poha and biscuits. One can see majestic Kalsubai from the stand and was magnificent. We proceeded towards the Bheri Village and after walking for 15-20 minutes arrived at the village. There is a well outside the village which was surrounded by villagers collecting waters which were dropped in by the tanker. We walked just beside the school and asked the locals for the direction and they were quite helpful. We walked and passed across the fields and kept on moving. There was no major trouble in finding the path since they were made on account of people walking. On the way we came across Bheri temple and few huts of villagers and we kept on walking and finally were very close to the base. There was a group of hikers who were walking down and had come from Mumbai. They informed of starting the trek at 6.00 a.m. and at 8.30 a.m. were down. They told us of the climb and step to be taken. Our journey had started at 8.35 a.m. and we were pretty comfortable in our timing. Finally we arrived at the spot where there were iron girdles and steps which were to be climbed. The steps and the iron girdles were of great help and additionally I was carrying a bamboo stick which was of great help in the climb. Ashish unfortunately was not wearing any cap and was neither carrying stick. After climbing on the steps for 20 minutes we came across iron ladders which were laid since steps could not be built as it was vertical rocks. One needs to be cautious while climbing the ladders. We kept on climbing with intermittent halts of 2-3 minutes to restore energy. Finally we came across a family with 2 children’s who had started at 8.00 a.m. we arrived at 10.40 a.m. at a spot where there was a tree and a huge stone where we all rested and infact we took a nap for 20.00 minutes. I was under impression that we had arrived, however the guide with the family informed that still there was a steep climb. By this time the sun was also bright and was taking its toll. We kept on walking, on the step, sometimes flat land and finally with intermittent iron ladders. We reached a flat top where the small temple of Behri was visible and that spot was the tallest peak in Maharashtra. The last step to the temple was through the iron ladder and finally we had arrived at the summit and it was 11.37 a.m. It took us 3 hours to reach top without any stretch. The view from the top was something which left us forgets out tirelessness. On the one side we can see the Bhandardara Lake and on the other side were the wind mills on the mountains. As far as our eyes could see there were only mountains and nothing else. At the top beside the small temple there was nothing and there was no shady place to take rest. We rested and ate Sattu, dry-fruits which I had got. After resting for 25 minutes we decided to travel down and decided to rest at the place where we had waited earlier while climbing. While travelling down we came across cattle’s i.e., cow grazing. We took rest at the spot and after resting for almost 1.5-2.0 hours at 2.30 p.m. started descending down. While climbing down it was easier, however on the iron ladder one needs to be really careful. We finally arrived at a small hut where we had nimboo-pani for INR 5.00/ glass. We arrived at the village and it took us 2.00 hours to reach the base. We had not eaten and Ashish was quite hungry and there was not a single hotel since it was a small village. We reached the main road and at the roadside shop we ordered for Poha and tea. Total Damage: INR 41.00. We waited for the bus at 6.00 p.m. since we had missed the 4.30 p.m. and finally caught the bus and arrived at Igatpuri station and it was 7.05 p.m. we roamed in the local market and Ashish had Chinese at the dinner and I took some fruits. We caught the Howrah-Mumbai at 8.25 p.m. and arrived at 11.05 p.m. at Dadar. Thus one more memorable journey came to an end.

Key Takeaway: Start Early, carry eatables, good quantity of water, cap.

For more pictures please follow the following link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30002962@N05/