Mahuli - The Road not Taken

Incurable Travelers - Arindam (The Basu), Falu, Maulik, Sheeba

Date of Travel - July 6th 2008

(It is advisable not to go between mid-July and September, due to the mosquitoes the monsoons bring)

This one is about how we didn't go to Mahuli, or at least the right one...

Sticking to tradition, the intrepid four set out bright and one hour late (9am) from Kanjurmarg station. Mahuli is in Thane district and you need take an auto from Asangaon station to the base village. With the train switches, wrong trains and stops to buy breakfast, we got to the base village at 12 pm - in time to see the early bird trekkers on their way and also in time to build up enough of an appetite that we stopped at one of the houses for some food. Well rested and armed with bhajjias and vague directions we set out for the trek. What we didn't realise that the dry river trail that we were following was just a scenic route to no-where...

After some neat acrobatics on the way, we came to one of the

 most beautiful waterfalls I've seen. It wasn't big and gushing or awe-inspiring... In fact, with more of a water trickle. But the set up was beautiful - it was this big stone caught between two rock faces, creating a little niche underneath, 

and water flowing down as a curtain in front of it (remind you of Indie Jones?). We stopped to take pics, but didn't dare to venture into the little cave. The pic would have been good, but would demand the high price of us getting soaked to the skin...

When we tired of the water and decided to move ahead, we faced a dilemma - there was no way ahead! The river trail had sprung from the waterfall. So we decided to make a path where none existed - we scaled the side of the trail and headed uphill, through calf high dry grass, in search of a more trustworthy trail. We didn't find that, but we did find a plateau. I'm not sure if any human had seen this plateau before, but it definitely was a popular hangout for goats (don't ask me how I know). And it was at this auspicious time that Basu got a call from some long lost friend who asked him 'Are you at home? Where are you?', to which Basu replied 'Err, no.. I'm somewhere near Kalyan...' For future reference - when you have no idea where you are, 'somewhere near Kalyan' is a good enough answer. 

So far, we had seen a rivulet, a waterfall, lots of grass and a plateau. Continuing our journey up hill, we came across the one missing piece - woodland! And for wildlife, we were greeted by a horde of mosquitoes - who were really happy to see us. Since it was now blindingly obvious that we had taken the wrong trail, and were in fact on the wrong hill now, we debated trying to find a way to the right hill, or just giving it all up and going back. Since we couldn't see a path ahead, we turned around and headed back, and the mosquitoes decided to give us company. 

Twenty minutes and several different 

trails later, we realised we were completely lost and couldn't find any way down. All the routes seemed to lead to cliff like endings and we didn't know which way we came. And the mosquitoes were still with us. And this brings me to the spookiest part of this trek - The brave adventurers fanned out to try and find a way down before it got dark, Maulik to the left and Basu to the right. And a few seconds later, we heard shouts from Basu. Picture on the left, is what he had found, etched into the ground by some past traveler, who had been lost and then found his way, or maybe even space aliens. I'll never get over that. How in the middle of nowhere, after following so many different trails, just when we really needed to find the way down, we found the answer written out in the ground. And also how the sentiment mirrors my state of mind more often that not...  

We followed the arrow mark and found the way down to a more sizeable river. And there we stopped for over an hour, splashing in the water like 5 year olds and devouring the bhajjias. The most fun in the whole trip. And we finally got rid of the mosquitoes. 

The rest of the day was mostly drab. We found our way back - with only a few missteps, one of which took us to a beautiful lake - through forests and rocks and farmland and gaping farm workers. Till we reached the road that runs between the base village and the station. And not knowing which way was better, we just turned right and started walking till we reached a bus stop.... The bus doesn't go all the way to the station, so we were ejected at the nearest stop. 

And once we made our way back to civilisation, and the necessary bath, we celebrated Nadal victory over a pizza and pepsi, ending an action packed day. 

More of the gorgeous pics (courtesy the industrious Maulik Nagpal) here

Go Goa..!

I'm not as great a writer as Ms D'mello- but nevertheless :)

Reached Calingute in around 15 hours via Bus. Thankfully, were able to get this very cute cottage quite near the beach- but would definitely suggest those shacks right on the sea-face. Some of the highlights of the trip follow :)

Harshal fight maroing for a good bike so that he could impress the gals :)
The sun and sand
Watching the boys become kids :D
The loooonnng bike ride to Palolem
Shopping in the shops lining the road near the beach
Titos- my first (and Last!) tequila shot
Watching DG running into the water in the middle of the night
Tripling to the beach- for water sports
The banana ride
Lazing on the beach :)

Overall the BEST trip ever... with a bunch of guys- who finally got to be called Kabila :)

Snapshot of 'Thu-shargiri'

Date of trip: June 2006
Travel time: About 2 hours from campus
Mode of transport: Biking or Jeep
Duration: Day trip
Cost: Rs 250 per head
Nature of trip: Trek
Don’t leave home without: Covered shoes (there be leeches in the monsoons), sunscreen, water, caps, salt (for leeches), camera (extra charge of Rs 50/- for camera use)
Recommendations: The view is amazing during the monsoons, with the waterfalls in full force. But you could go for hikes in the dry season too. Order a meal at the lodge before you set out on your trek, and have a full traditional Malyali meal waiting for you when you come back (with red rice and fish fry). Groups of 5-6 work best.

Highlights:
Getting soaked to the skin in the waterfall.
'Ahhhh!!! Is that a leech on my leg? Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!!!'
The thrill of adventure sports for those who went ahead to the bigger waterfalls
The famous 'Bala can swim' video

(Pics to come)

Misty Mountains and Red Laterite Roads - Matheran

Travel time: 1.5 hrs from Kurla Station, Mumbai
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

Lost at Duke's Nose :)

This one's for all those adventure freaks- Rappelling at Duke's nose near Lonavala. These camps are generally conducted by various adventure sport groups like campfireindia.com (the one that we had taken)...you can easily find groups like these on google- it happens almost all weekends I believe.

So basically we took a ST bus from Dadar @ 2am which dropped us at Khandala at around 4ish. That is the most stupidest thing to do ever- coz everything is dark and closed and it's definitely not safe. (The best thing is generally to reach the campsite on the previous nite and camp there overnight.) Somehow we got a lift and managed to do a tripling on a Hero Honda to the nearest auto stand :) Woke up the sleepy auto guy and gave him the instructions- and lo behold- we're lost again! :D It might sound funny now- but when you are lost in the open landscapes with no cell phone signal- it can be very scary (or romantic- depending on how you look at it ;)

Finally we found the way and trekked up the hill to reach the camp site on Duke's nose at Lonavala- was able to just catch the early sunrise beyond the mountains- was like one of those pictures we used to paint in school (with the sun behind the mountain and open landscapes).

To cut the story short- they made us climb this huge peak from where we were supposed to rappel down. The rappelling part of it was even more exciting that you can imagine. As you can see from the pic- it was quite some way down. It's like a straight wall and if you fall- your simply dead...

Once you're down- you need to do a spiderman act and walk over a thin ledge and come to the main camping point again. That was scarier than even the rappelling- coz I actually looked down the gorge to see how deep it was. You'll love the rush of adrenalin- it was almost like you're in some movie.

Finally back at the camp site- got some food and hiked back down the hill (to be lost in the field again... hehehhe.. this time it was seriously hilarious!)..

Back at Lonavala, you'll easily find buses to Mumbai... the return journey was covered sleeping... came home and crashed :P

Alibag-Nagaon beaches

The agenda was to do nothing. A relaxing weekend in a new place. And that was exactly what we got.

Saturday morning saw these two Incurable Travellers headed to the Gateway of India bright and early. The ferry left The Gateway at 8.30am, which gave them very little time to buy tickets and grab some chips for breakfast. There are 3 ferry companies to choose from, all three have stalls at gateway, with ferry timings listed prominently. Fares are between Rs 80- Rs 110. We chose the Maldar non-ac upper deck tickets. Since we were among the last to board, we didn’t get the best seats, which are the ones on the side of the deck.

On getting to Mandawa, we headed towards the buses. If you choose to spend some time at Mandawa, you can take the next bus to town, which may be about an hour and a half later. Make sure you hang on to your ferry ticket. The Mandawa beach didn’t look interesting enough, so we moved on to Alibaug. There were two company buses, both of which were filled to overflowing. The rest of us were put into the autos, which made the ride slightly more interesting.

We got off at the city and headed to the most promising looking restaurant for breakfast. A Vada Pav and Masala Dosa later, we were interrogating the nearest rickshaw driver on the closest beaches and their attractions. The Alibag beach is of course the closest and hosts the fort. We got there around 11am, to find no beach and the fort looking more like an island. We were told that it was high tide and by 3pm, the water would have receded past the fort. There’s not much you can do here during high tide, and so we decided to come back post 3pm.

The auto ride to Nagaon costs 100 bucks, which is way too much, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Akshi beach lies on the way, and we took the detour to investigate it. It’s secluded and less populated beach. But it is reputed to be the hangout of ‘sharabi-log’, as our knowledgeable driver told us. So we decided against it and carried on to Nagaon.

Nagaon beach was better than expected. There is a reasonable crowd on the beach on weekends, but it is big enough to hold everyone. There are a few shacks on the way to the beach, but nothing on it. And it is mostly clean. The water is pristine and very nice to walk in. If you look carefully, you can see mollusks scurrying into the water. Activity on this beach is provided by tanga rides, and volleyball nets that you can make use of if you go in a big group. Or you can buy Frisbees, cricket balls, etc from the stall outside. Needless to say, we didn’t do any of these things.

Faithfully sticking to our agenda of not doing anything, we spread out old sheets on the sand settled down for a couple of hours of serious resting. The couple of hours stretched out into some more hours of resting. If you are not as serious about rest, or if you are not the talkative type, we suggest you take some music and books along. Maybe even a pack of cards.

The beach has limited scope for photography. The sand is clay-like and forms patterns when the waves recede. And the trees lining the beach and the odd tree stump provide a good backdrop.

We had our caps and our sunscreen, but it was a very sunny day. When we finally left for lunch at 4.30pm, we left in a slightly toasted condition. Lunch was the usual ‘thali’ at the shack outside the beach. The food was good, soft rotis with cabbage curry. The other stalls sell fried snacks, bottled water, beach-clothing (tee shirts and shorts you won’t be caught dead in) and other assorted necessities.

We caught the auto back to Alibag beach, although it was too late to explore the fort. When we got there, the water had receded sufficiently. But the beach it left behind was soggy and very marshy. The only attraction was the fort, and the tangas that take you to it. The whole setting looks very Victorian, with lamp posts to match. Some photography and a little shopping later, we went back to Alibag to catch the bus back. The last bus that leaves Alibag is the 6.30 PNP bus. The ferry leaves Mandawa at 7.30 and you have the choice between the AC lower deck and the much more interesting non-AC upper deck.

Mumbai always looks beautiful by night, more so when you approach it by sea and the lights are all you can see. We got off at the Gateway and hung around there some. An elaborate wedding reception was in progress a little way off, by the sea-side. So we gawked at the set up and the life-size dolls that were kept at the entrance, to greet the guests, and then left for Marine drive. Some more bakar by the sea and a nice dinner at Zaffran’s at Crawford market completed this very very nice Saturday.

How to get there: Take the ferry to Mandawa from the Gateway of India, followed by a bus from Mandawa to Alibag city. An auto from there will take you to any of the beaches closeby.

Travel time: Ferry – 1 hour + Bus – about 45 mins.

Budget: The whole trip (including food) came to less than Rs 400 per person.

Tip: The trip can easily be extended to 2 days. Book a room in advance in Alibag for Saturday evening. Room rates are around Rs. 500 a night and if you check out before Sunday afternoon, you get billed for only a day. One day can be spent on the Kashid beach, which is reputed to be very good. The second day can be used to visit the fort (during low tide) and Nagaon beach. Take some food along. Some of the more remote beaches like Akshi beach don’t have food close by.

Ferry Schedule:

Company PNP		Company AJANTA		Company MALDAR
Gateway departure	Mandawa departure	Gateway departure	Mandawa departure	Gateway departure	Mandawa departure
8.15 am	9.05 am	6.15am	7.30am	8.30 am daily	9.30 am
10.15 am	11.05 am	7.15am	8.30am	11.15 am daily	12.15 pm daily
12.15 pm	1.05 pm	9.15am	10.30am	1.30 pm daily	14.30 pm daily
4.15 pm	5.05 pm	10.00am	11.15am	3.30 pm Fri/Sat/Sun	4.30 pm Fri/Sat/Sun
6.30 pm	7.30 pm	11.00am	12.15pm	5.45 pm daily	6.45 pm daily
		12.30pm	1.45pm
		2.00pm	3.15pm
		3.00pm	4.15pm
		4.00pm	5.15pm
		5.00pm	6.15pm
		5.30pm	6.45pm
Fare Rs.110/-per head Mumbai- 022-22885220 / 22885221 Mandawa-02141(952141)237087 Alibaug-02141(952141)-225403		Fare Rs.65/-per head Mumbai 022-22026364 / 22023585 Alibaug 02141(952141)-224437 Mandawa 02141(952141)-237550		Fare Rs.80/-for main deck Rs.100/-for upper deck Mumbai-022-22829695 / 22823841 Mandawa-02141(952141)-237464 Alibaug-02141(952141)222797