A wild trip to Kolad...

Another weekend off and I was looking out for convenient places to visit. Well, I & Roshan had already decided of visiting the Kaneri Caves @ Borivli - Sanjay Gandhi National Park and clicking some pictures there. However, this wouldn't take much time and we felt we would not be using the entire weekend. So, at about 8.30 pm, I was at Roshan's place surfing the net and looking out for other places. I saw Kolad, a small town village in Maharashtra where the Kundalika river (fastest flowing river in Maharashtra) flows. There were a lot of opportunities for adventure here with Kayaking, River rafting and some beautiful scenery of the village.

But, the place was a little far and was not for a 1 day trip. It would be too exhausting. Still, as crazy as we are, we looked on and started searching for trains that go there. There was a Dadar-Sawantwadi Special @ 11.55 pm that night (Friday Night) which would drop us to Roha - just 13 kms away from Kolad. I just thought, if we got into this train, reached Roha by 4 am, slept there at the stn for like 2 hrs and went on to explore Kolad - it would be feasible. I just asked Roshan, how the plan was. He said an immediate yes. I called up Sameep and told him about the plan. His dad was here in Mumbai, so Sameep was busy accompanying his Dad. He was to get free by 11.30 pm. He also was willing to execute this plan. So, this is how the KOLAD trip was planned.. - within a time of 1 hr.

We reached Dadar stn and were waiting for Sameep. That guy was still at Grant Rd. and had not yet caught a train. It was already 11.45 pm and our train was supposed to come within 10 mins. I kept calling him every 2 mins asking where he had reached. Finally, he reached and just a few seconds later the train arrived. We had a General ticket. However, there was NO WAY, we could have got onto that train in the general compartment. We decided to get into the sleeper and then bear the consequences later. Initially, they both got into another coach, whereas I got into another one. It was so crowded, people pouring in with their luggage and small children. The small ones sitting on the shoulders of the elders. This was supposed to be a Sleeper coach, where we have reservations. What reservations, later, it so turned out that people who had reservations were not able to get into the train. It was so packed.

I managed to get down and enter the other coach, where Sameep & Roshan had got into. I just got in and settled at one place. This coach was no different with hundreds of people standing, luggage on their head.. no place to move.. I managed to find a decent spot for myself, where I at least stood comfortably. I called up Roshan and realized they were at the Door. Cool.. all three in the same compartment. This journey went on for another 3 hrs with people fighting, some crying out of helplessness. The toilets were not spared either. There were people sitting in the toilets as well. This is how bad the state is. After conversing with an old man, I realized this is how people travel for 12 hrs continuous. After an hr or so, my legs were paining, and to add to that no room to move. I told myself, there are older people bearing the pain and travelling.. I can't be so weak and crib about this. At about 2 am, some one told me to climb up and adjust myself there which I happily did. So, this is how it was till we got down at Roha. Before getting down at Roha, I had interacted with a few and realized how thirsty everyone was. I bought them a bottle of chilled water from the stn and could see the relief. It made me happy. We then had a nice tea at the platform and Sameep & myself dozed of on the seats there.

We got up at 6 am and started our journey towards Kolad. Had a Missal Pav and hot tea. Then caught a Mini Dor (Sharing rickshaw) to reach Kolad @ 8 am. The Mini Dor was affordable - Rs. 10 each. After that, I searched for shops where I could find batteries for my camera. Roshan found one. After that, our next visit was the Kolad Dam built on the Kundalika river. It was 5 kms from there. We started walking towards it. After a long 45 mins walk, we reached the spot. It was beautiful. While on our way there, we could see the water flowing through a canal for irrigation purpose. We reach the dam, clicked some pictures and came back for a dip in the water in the Canal which was not so deep. It was fun, initially it was just sameep and me. We then convinced Roshan to also join and he did. We three enjoyed in the the Nature's pool, clicked some pictures and moved on.

On our way back, we got a lift in a tempo till the highway :) It was a gr8 free ride. We felt like true travelers and were hoping for more. Our next destination was Bhire Dam - 26 kms away from Kolad. It was very far from there. We managed to get onto sumo's and rickshaws and reach the spot. The Sumo ride was again a little uncomfortable as there were about 14 - 15 people stuffed into it. That is how people commute there and we were just being one of them. Walking towards the Dam, we met a guard who was from Punjab. He gave us chilled water to drink. We also filled some of our bottles and moved on. He did tell us, not to click pictures as it was a government site. We went ahead and reached the Dam. 

The view was mind blowing. I just could not take my eyes away from the beauty that was there. This water body was surrounded by mountains on all side. It was HUGE and humongous. We did click pictures on our way towards the other end of the Dam. 

We found a huge tree, where we decided to rest. It was cool and breezy. We felt as if we were in a paradise. We decided to have a natural pedicure. Dipped our feet in the cold water and sat there just feeling nature and experience its beauty.

It was getting late, and we knew we had to move since our trip back was a long one. We reach Kolad in similar fashion, Sumo's and share rickshaws (called Mini Dor's). From there, we decided to go to Panvel (75 kms from Kolad) and then catch a Local to reach our home. We got a lift in a Qualis and reached Panvel @ 8.30 pm. Mid-way Roshan was not feeling well and he puked when the Qualis halted at a petrol pump. He was fine after that. From Panvel, we caught a local to CST. Sameep got down @ Kurla and we got down @ Wadala. Tired and painful that our legs were, we desperately wanted to reach home. We reached Borivli by 11 pm and were in our homes by 11.15 pm. It felt so wonderful and peaceful to be back home, with all the comfort and luxury. Being there in a village, understanding how people live and survive everyday.. makes us know how much we have and still we cry/crib for small things.

Well,  this was one of my best trips till date where we took lifts, slept at the stn and much more... Now, I guess I need to concentrate on my MIP project else I will be kicked out from college and will have to settle in another village like this. Hoping for another trip though, before I leave for Manipal.

Cheers..!!

KG

A Visit to the Historic Elephanta Caves..!!

My last trek to Lohagarh was a thrilling experience and I had all the reasons to go on and explore more places. I had planned to visit Silvassa this weekend with my friends. We wanted to include Sameep in this trip as he had not been a part of the group that went to Lohagarh. Well, it so turned out that he had to work that day and would be free only by 1.30 pm. It was then, that I decided, we would explore Elephanta Caves, a place close by and convenient for a half day trip. So, Sameep was in, Roshan as always ready and myself, we three were set to explore the Elephanta caves.

Roshan & me set off from our place at 12 pm. We took a train to Churchgate. Sameep was supposed to meet us @ Colaba. I had neither done my breakfast nor had my lunch and was super hungry by the time we reached churchgate. We bought 2 burgers from the station and walked towards Colaba. The burger was so pathetic that I could not finish it. I gave it to Roshan who happily ate it J.

We reach Asiatic Library where we met Sameep who was looking like the Top Gun man with his glares on and a stylish walk J. Jokes apart, we then caught a cab and reached Gateway of India from where we were supposed to catch a ferry to reach our destination. The ferry ride was amazing. Initially, we weren't clicking pictures as there was a note on the boat where it was mentioned "No clicking pictures". But, then later.. Yeh Mumbai hai meri jaan.. yahan sab chalta hai".. everyone was busy clicking pics and I didn't want to be left far behind..

We reached the destination after a 1.15 mins sea ride :) We then started walking towards the caves. Roshan paid for the tickets. I bought a bottle of water and a bourbon buscuit :) The weather was really very hot and we decided to take a short break. After the break, we thought if we could spend the night there. So, we started asking the vendors there whether we could spend the night somewhere. unfortunately, the last ferry is at 6 pm and if you miss that there is a police boat that comes to pick you up. Obviously, it wont be such a lavish treatment. We have to pay hefty fines. So, we decided its better off if we return on time.

The time was 4 pm. We had about 2 hours in hand to have a look around. Yes, 2 hrs is enough to visit the caves and return. We started with cave 1 where there were beautifully sculptured idols of God and other statues. Other caves were similar. We clicked pictures along the way. While going towards cave 2, there were a lot of monkeys playing around and waiting to grab anything that is there in your hand. After clicking some pics, we decided to go on top of the mountain where Sameep had been earlier. He said, he remembers there was a canon placed there somewhere. So, we started our climb.

It was a 30 min climb. And guess what, like our Lohagarh trek.. we found another lemonade stop where we had nice, chilled lemonade juice. Climbed on the top, took a shortcut.. and reached the spot where there was a Canon placed. It was huge and fantastic design. It was placed on a disc which could be rotated in any direction. Also, the movement of the canon itself gave it so much flexibility. Wow.. those guys were great designers and had fantastic brains. Yeah, they didn't have a degree or anything, but they were genuinely brilliant people. We clicked some snaps here as well and then realized it was already 5.40 pm. We headed down towards the port to catch the last ferry.

On our way back, from the ferry I got an opportunity to click some really nice pics with the scenery being so beautiful. We reached gateway in about another 1 hr and headed towards Sameep's favorite food spot - The Crystals @ Charni Rd. stn. You get the most delicious food there at reasonable rates. We ordered Paneer masala, Chana Masala, Rajma.. some chapati's and Aamras (which is just too hard to resist). I ordered 2 :)

After the most fantabulous dinner, we went to Sameep's place @ Grant Rd. to transfer the pics and then from there we left for our homes.

It was a great experience to visit the historical place of Elephanta Caves. So many years in Mumbai, and I had not been there. Felt great after visiting that place. Now, looking for some more adventurous trips.

Cheers...!!
KG

Trek to Lohagarh..!!

Everyone wishes to travel and explore places.. Who doesn't like to do that? You ask anyone.. and almost 90% of them would say yes, I love nature. Well, the only sad part is out of those 90%, almost 80% of them are either lazy or do not find time to do this activity and I am no one special. Till yesterday, I was also a part of that group of people who WANTED / WISHED to travel and explore. But yes, with Berty Thomas & Prasad Nayak around.. I was inspired and understood one thing - If one wants to do something, he will do it.. no matter what.

So it began. My travelling expeditions. I have weekends off at my workplace. So, decided to google and find a nice trek route near and around Mumbai, my hometown. There were many results that came out, and I decided Lohagarh it was. This was my first trek (initiated on my own) and so, will always remain close to my heart. To add to this, I had my fantastic set of buddies willing to join me for this. I had actually planned this trek with Sourav (My college mate @ TAPMI) and Roshan. Then, Sourav had a sudden change in plan and had to back out. One night before the trek, we thought of inviting Ankit (Tanna) who imeediately said a Yes.mHe got along two more guys, Abhishek (Abu) and Franklin (Anna/Frankie). Our team of 5 was decided and we planned to meet at my building gate @ 4.00 am in the morning. 

Surprisingly, everyone was on time. We left from Dahisar stn. all exited. We got down @ Dadar and boarded another train headed towards Lonavla. We had a general compartment ticket - and gosh.. it was full so early in the morning, with crowd pouring in every time the train stopped. We finally reached Lonavla @ 8.10 am. From there, we had to catch a train to Malavli stn. which would take another 10 min in the train. Finally, we arrived at Malavli at 9.00 am. This was our base location. We were to start our trek from here.

I had borrowed a camera from my beloved sister, but had forgotten to buy new batteries. Luckily, we found a store there which sold batteries and also 50 paisa wala pepsi :) We bought those and started walking. We passed through a bridge over the Mumbai - Pune expressway where cars zoomed before we could even get a glance at them. Our next destination was Bhaja Caves. We climbed through the steps clicking photos along the way. Finally, we managed to reach the caves where we took a well deserved break and also clicked some pics.

Next, we were to cross another mountain and climb about 1600ft to reach Lohagarh fort. For that, we would have to first descent this mountain. The stairs were in the opposite direction of the Fort. We decided to climb down this mountain instead of taking the normal route, which turned out to be very adventurous. We were apprehensive about two motus in our group - TANNA & Abu. Well, it so turned out that Tanna started leading the way while Abu lagged behind. Well, finally all of us reached down and decided it was time for a break.

We started our climb on the next mountain which would lead us to the Fort. The view of the fort from the base of this mountain was amazing. It was huge and covered the entire top portion of the mountain. I had a very good feeling of climbing this mountain. I wanted to reach the top of the fort.. and get a glimpse of how it looks like. Well, it was a difficult climb only because of the immense heat. I realized we were loosing a lot of fluid and so, decided on taking frequent breaks. By now, Abu was down. He was unable to walk and started panting. We took a food break. After eating apples and drinking Glucon D, all of us felt refreshed but for Abu. He was saying, he didn;t want to climb up and would stay there. However, we could not leave him there and convinced him that we would be taking frequent breaks. And this is how it went on for another 2 grueling hours. The last hour being the toughest, where we had ran out of water.

Finally, we reached the base of the fort. We could see a small hut from distance. When we reached there, an old lady was selling Lemonade. She gave us water to quench our thirst. We just sat down there and had that lemonade. It felt as if we didn't need anything else at that moment. That lemonade was priceless. Aaha, I forgot to mention one thing. Our friendly dog, that we had come across after climbing down from the Bhaje caves was still accompanying us. It rested when we rested. It was our guide and had come been with us for like 3 hrs. We gave him some biscuits to eat. The base of the fort was another 10 mins away.

After reaching the base of Lohagarh fort at around 12 pm, we decided to have our lunch in one of the houses there. We requested Amruta kaki (we came to know her name later) to make some food for us. We washed our hands, put water on our faces (it felt amazing) and sat down on their small varanda to eat. "Kanda Pohe", "Kanda Bhaji" (Onion Pakodas)and "Taak" (butter milk) was served and it was mind blowing. We ate like animals. The taste was authentic. I will never forget the taste of that Kanda Pohe. And yes, our friendly dog was still with us resting there in the shade. However, this was the last we saw her. She left us there and went down again, may be to guide someone else.

The climb to the top of the fort was another 30 - 45 mins. After a lot of effort and cribbing from Abu - we finally reached the gate of the fort which we thought was the top. We still had a long way to go. We kept climbing. Finally, we managed to reach the tip of the fort where were clicked pics. The view was brilliant. Absolutely stunning. I felt very strong even though I was exhausted. I got a feeling, I had conquered that fort. (I know, too dramatic.. but yes, it was like that). We were there for some more time and then decided we should climb down.

Our climb down wasn't difficult but painful as our legs were tired. We reached the Lemonade spot in 25 mins, from where we had taken around 1.5 hrs to reach the top. We had another round of the awesome lemonade juice and started descending down. It so happened that we decided to take shortcuts, and found one which directly took us to the bottom of the mountain. It was steep, risky, adventurous but fun. Abu descended all the way through the path. We finally met him at the base and walked our way back to Malavli stn. From there, we got a local to Lonavla stn at around 5.30 pm.

Our trek was awesome and we were looking at the pics while waiting for our train to arrive. We had a general ticket again, and AGAIN it was crowded. Infact, this time.. it was difficult for us to even make space to stand comfortably. After the entire days trek, our legs had gone numb. We stood like that for 2 hours after which we got place to sit at Kalyan.

Then, from Dadar, we caught a Virar bound train and reached home by 9.30 pm. It was a great trek along with Roshan, Frankie, Abu and Tanna (Who was named HABIBEE - bcoz of the look, handkerchief tied on the head and wearing a twisted cap). Yes, it was indeed was super fun. Though every part of my body hurt badly, I had a peaceful sleep and a very content feeling that finally my expedition kicked off. I could still feel the toughness of the fort, the heat.. and the thirst..

This trek gave me enough strength to move on in life and explore more beautiful places around. And that is what I plan to do.

Cheers..!!