Time spent there: Day trip
Cost per head: Approx 300.
Nature of trip: Hike
Don’t leave home without: Depending on the time of the year you go, sunglasses and a cap will be helpful. Water is necessary, but you can buy that there.
Tips: If, like us, you plan to travel by local train, try to leave early and avoid the rush hour. And try to take the direct train. Monsoon season - great views and you’ll be glad to escape Mumbai in the rains. Non-Monsoon - you get to ride the toy train.
Date of Travel: Sept 2007
While the Matheran expedition is part of the ‘mild hike’ category, getting to Matheran via the local train must be classified as ‘extreme adventure sports’, what with some people falling off trains, others getting off to let people pass, and not being able to get on again, and 5 people in two groups getting completely lost in Thane station’s multiple platforms. You could also drive to Matheran, but will have to leave the vehicle outside.
But we finally did get to Neral Station (Central Line. Two stops before Karjat), a little later than planned, but safe and sound. From Neral station you take a cab to Matheran (Rs 50/- per head). If you go in the dry season, there is also the scenic ride on the toy train, which takes about 2 hours. But it is out of commission during the monsoons. Our group of 5 fit easily into a Maruti van and rattled our way to the hill station. Before you leave, it’s a good idea to check about the last trains back and time your departure for then. The cab ride takes about half an hour.
Matheran is a quaint town, with a few colonial style houses. It has no motor vehicles and no tar roads. Cycle rickshaw, horse rides and of course, walking, are the only means to get around. You can hire horses in the main part of the town. More on the background of Matheran here. A handy map of Matheran is available here.
The main roads of Matheran are full of shops and give it a 
commercialized feel. But as you walk out to the different ‘points’, you get treated to spectacular views and shady paths. We covered Louisa Point, Charlotte Point and Echo Point. A nice lazy meander, and some lovely phot ops. We passed some beautiful, but unfortunately neglected, bungalows on the paths. Most of which looked ideal for a classy bhoot movie.
For the wildlife quota, we came across a bunch of monkeys (and boy, were they wild!) at Lord Point, guarding the dustbins and the food that went in. Okay, not that smart, since no one went close to the bins with them there.
For lunch, we went to ‘Khan’s Hookahs and Tikkas’ which had been recommended by friends. But due to our incredibly bad timing (we went at 3pm) we just missed the tandoor, and had to give the kababs a miss. The food was quite good inspite of that. And the bill came to a modest Rs 500 (for 5 of us).
We had to rush back after that, since we had to cover 3 kms before dark. Although there is the option of taking a horse ride back.
Highlights of the trip:
'Motwani ki Chingaari' - General bakar at Charlotte Point and our plan to make a spoof on the Sholay spoof. (Isme hum Thakur ki nakoon katenge!! - Megh). Misty mountains for a backdrop and 'In Aankhon ki masti' playing on someone's radio.
Granny monkey at Lord's Point and with her incredulous look of ':-O. Did you just shoo me away?'.
Fried Butta and the goat. All the animals we met seemed to like Ridhi a lot - first the goat and then the monkeys.
Final thought: Matheran is highly recommended for a day away from the hustle of Mumbai. But it does take a whole day, so set out early.
More pics of the trip here
No comments:
Post a Comment