tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-129313932024-03-23T23:16:48.180+05:30Abhijit's Trekking BlogTrek the Sahyadris
A single person's perspective on trekking in the sahyadri mountains. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1125834764263296712005-09-04T00:04:00.000+05:302005-09-04T18:02:54.556+05:30Sagargad Trek<div style="background-color: rgb(0, 255, 153); font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; text-indent: 100px;"><br /><b style="font-family: Arial Black; font-size: 12pt;">Trek To Sagargad.</b><br /><p align="justify">Last weekend [27-Aug-2005], the MumbaiVoyagers group did not trek. Saturday was a meeting day at CCD, Dadar. This meeting of the group was much more successful than the previous meeting when only two people turned up. One - the group founder Vishy and the other - yours truly. I could not attend this meeting owing to personal reasons.</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">This week, activity on the messaging board started early from Tuesday [30-Aug-2005]. Most people had a place they wanted to visit. The moot point of these discussions was whether to go on a Saturday or Sunday. I was in favor of a Saturday trek as adequate rest can be taken on Sunday.</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">The members of the group continued adding messages to the board changing the confirmations. This was before a place or a date was actually finalized. There were also people considering an overnighter. This was not possible for me and with the exception of Vini, all other girls would have dropped out.</p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/Boundary.jpg" align="left" /><br /><p align="justify">Varun had thought of Sagargad trek and I was interested, as I had never been to the place before. Sagargad is a beautiful fort very close to Alibag. There are two approach routes to the top of the fort. One is from a village named Khandala and the other is from Vaghole. Both these villages lie on the bus-route to Alibag, from Mumbai. The route to Sagargad is a scenic one with lush green vegetation complimented by a relatively thick jungle. The route from Khandala has the added attraction of a waterfall. Since this was a monsoon trek, the waterfall was the decisive factor in choosing our route.</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">After discussions with the other moderators (read Vishwa and Vini), we decided to go to Sagargad. I informed Varun about the number of people ready to join. The bus was at six in the morning from Thane. I informed Vishwa about the alternative to travel to Panvel to catch the bus. However he called me up at around 11:30 pm and informed me that he would be coming to Thane with everyone. By 11:30, three people had dropped out. Vini,Surender and Shabbir <b>(Traitors)</b>. We had come down to our more normal, manageable number of six people.</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">There are a number of buses plying between Alibagh and Thane. The first bus in the morning is scheduled at 10 minutes past six. On this particular day, the driver of the bus decided to reschedule it to six am. So the bus started early. I was still paying the rickshaw fare, when the bus took off. Meanwhile, Vishwa, Miss Tee and Miss IRS were still in the train. The latest report received from them indicated that their train had reached Kanjurmarg station, three stations away from Thane. It would take them eleven more minutes to reach Thane station. Three more to reach the bus-stand. So me, Rohit and Varun decided to forego this bus.</p><br /><br /><p align="justify">The next bus is at half past six. So we wait for everyone to arrive. General introductions are made and Vishwa calls up at quarter past six to ask for directions to the bus-stand. He is accompanied by Miss IRS and Miss Tee. Another round of introductions follows. The next bus still hasn’t lined up. Varun and I go to Kunjvihar to have some coffee. We are served, when there is a call on my mobile telling me to reach the stand quickly as the bus has arrived. I gulp down the coffee as fast as possible, scalding my tongue in the process.</p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/FoodStall.jpg" align="right" /><br /><p align="justify">The bus – journey is un-eventful for me as I sleep through most of it. ;) We reach Khandala village by quarter to ten. This is one village which strikes me as odd. There are no chai stalls, no restaurants a very few stalls to be seen. All the stalls are selling is hot "batata-wadas". Just one item to offer. After having a couple of wadas, we proceed to negotiate with the rickshaw driver for a ride till Siddeshwar. Siddeshwar is the starting point for this trek.</p><br /><img style="width: 455px; height: 306px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/OnTheSteps.jpg" /><br /><p align="justify">At Siddeshwar, we proceed till the point where the steps begin. With Varun leading the way, I have no worries of getting lost. Varun has done almost all the forts in Maharashtra. He has a good memory of routes and rarely gets lost. However we do stray from the path once along the way. That is not so bad. After a time loss of about five minutes, we are back on track. </p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/BeautifulSnap.jpg" align="left" /><br /><p align="justify">The route is every bit as good as advertised. Along the way, there is one point, where we have been surrounded by monkeys. I find it slightly exciting, but the others don’t want me to provoke the monkeys. I want to click their photographs, but people around me are tense. So I decide to forego this opportunity. The monkeys look menacing and there are about sixteen of them.</p><br /><p align="center"><br /><img style="width: 479px; height: 319px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/Math.jpg" align="middle" /><br /></p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/Turtle.jpg" align="left" /><br /><p align="justify">We proceed to the Math at SagargadMachi. A Math essentially is a temple with some accommodation arrangements attached to it. The particular Math has a nice stream flowing next to it. This stream is the source of the waterfall. Everybody goes to the top of the waterfall, while I proceed to keep a watch over the bags. There are more monkeys over here and I start clicking their snaps. I also notice a turtle in the well. I attempt three snaps, before I get one that looks right.<br /></p><br /><img style="width: 629px; height: 419px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/BanyanTree2.jpg" /><br /><p align="justify">After this visit to the Math, we go to Sagargad Machi. Along the way we notice some buffaloes taking a bath in the water. All villages under the base of a fort are called Machi. At one of the houses in the village, we have herbal tea. This tea is wonderful. Between the five of us, we manage to finish 10 cups. The villagers are nice people. They do not want any money from us. We force 20 bucks on them. They want us to visit again. We give sweets to the kids.<br />We proceed to the top of the fort. The fort is a vast expanse of greenery with a few dilapidated structures on the top. We reach a banyan tree which looks majestic. I make a few attempts to capture it in a photograph.<br /></p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/Pin1.jpg" align="left" /><br /><p align="justify">Next to the fort is a pinnacle with a flag on the top. The pinnacle makes a good subject for the camera. I wait for sunlight and click a photo. There are some vultures flying around. Varun takes the camera and tries to click a few shots. The vulture is not interested in posing for the camera. It appears as a speck in the sky. I wish I had a telephoto lens and then this problem would not have occurred.<br /><br /><br />We have lunch. Everyone has got loads of snacks. <b>Good work folks.</b> I take out the butter chakli. Miss IRS has got some kind of religion related issues with food. So she foregoes most of the stuff. Good for us. I also eat some mawa cakes. Trekking does increase your appetite for food. It is exciting to eat Mawa cakes, butter chaklis and chiwda on the top. All the foods, that I normally avoid when at home.</p><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="background-color: rgb(0, 255, 153); font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/WFFun.jpg" align="left" /><br /><p align="justify">Our return journey has started after spending some more time on the top. The return journey is equally uneventful. We come all the way down, reach the marker to the waterfall. Varun and Rohit prefer to stay outside the water stream. The rest of us jump in. <b>Whats the point of carrying extra clothes if you do not get wet on a monsoon trek?</b> The steps leading to the waterfall are slippery.<br />The waterfall is a lot of fun. The water is swaying due to the wind. In Vishy's words it is "<i>paisa vasool</i>". Rohit clicks our photographs. </p><br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/Snake.jpg" align="right" /><br /><p align="left"><br />On our way into the village, we notice a group of people beating up a snake. Varun stops them from killing it. Most of the villagers are naturally scared of snakes.<br />Snakes are an important part of the eco-system. They reduce the population of rats. Rat population grows at an alarming rate and snakes are required to keep them in check. This particular snake called locally as "kandar" is a poisonous species. Varun takes a plastic wrapper and picks it up. The snake is not yet fully grown. This specimen is about 10 inches in length. The tail of the snake has been thrashed by the villagers. The women-folk warn us about the poison of the snake. Varun releases the snake faraway. I hope it survives. </p><br /><br /><p align="justify">We reach Alibagh by auto. In the hotel, we have a nice lunch.<br />After a quick change of clothes, its time to take the bus home. There are people who wish to take a ferry. Ferry doesn't look like a logical option to me. I have to go to Thane. The return journey is in an Asiad bus. IRS and Rohit keep on quarrelling througout the journey.</p><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="background-color: aqua; color: rgb(0, 128, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:8;" ><i>More photographs on my yahoo photos - <a href="http://photos.yahoo.com/">Yahoo Albums</a><br />Just came to know that Shraddha has released her version. Here is the <a href="http://sagargad.rediffblogs.com/">link</a>.</i></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1124775114428111252005-08-22T23:45:00.000+05:302005-08-23T18:25:56.396+05:30Kohoj Trek<div style="background-color: black; color: lime;"><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><br /><h3>the plan (whatever)</h3><br /><b>20-Aug-2005</b><br />9:30 pm - After a few calls to Sairam and Vishwa, it has been decided to push the trek start time of 6:00 am to 7:00 am. Good for me, I am able to watch the Asia v/s Africa cricket match that is going on. Ashish Nehra has just dropped a catch. Pathetic. Shoaib Akhtar is bowling with passion. Looks like Asia will win. I turn out to be right.<br /><b>21-Aug-2005</b><br />6:15 am - I am in the bath-room, taking a bath. The phone rings. My mom has to pick it up.<br><br />6:20 am - I call Vishwa, find out that he is at Dadar, waiting along with IRS, for someone to join him.<br><br />6:50 am - I start from home, manage to find a bus going towards Thane Station, before I can get a rickshaw. First time for everything. The bus bangs on every pot-hole and speedbreaker from Ice-Factory till the station. I am on time. Surinder, Rohit, Sairam are waiting for me. Surinder is speaking to Vishwa. They inform him that they are in a Kalyan train at Sion. <b>This means that we will definitely be missing the bus from Thane.</b> I inform the group to buy Kalyan tickets for everybody. We stand in a queue. Rohit manages to sell off his ticket to some poor guy looking for a Mulund return.<i> <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;">That poor guy has not realized that he won't be able to travel back from Mulund on that ticket. He is in for a surprise</span></i> Meanwhile, I reach the window and buy 6 tickets.<br><br />7:34 am - A Kalyan local pulls in platform no 1. Vishwa is standing in the second compartment from the engine. <i>Do local trains have an engine?</i><br />We get in. Introductions take place. Miss T and Miss IRS <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"> <i>Miss IRS is Shraddha Mody. The IRS stands for ir-responsible Shraddha. Miss T has some name which I replaced later with Miss Inner Voice</i></span><br />I flop over at the last seat in the compartment and doze off.<br /><br />8:10 am - Kalyan station. Someone wakes me up. We go to the Kalyan bus-stand and find out that the next bus is 8:45 am. <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"> <i>Thank you very much Miss T. Now that we have missed the bus, we should penalize you.</i></span> Surinder starts to think about the extra time that he could have slept at his house, instead of hurrying over to Thane station. Well these things happen. Thankfully there is a bus at 8:45 am and I have noticed a hotel next to the bus-stand.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/BreakfastHotel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/BreakfastHotel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />8:20 am - Hotel Deepak. Of all the hotels lined up against the bus-stand, we pick this one. We go to the first floor. It is spacious and vacant. We pick up a seat near the window. Idlis, Dosas and Medu-Wada. The Dosas are good. The Idlis seem to have been taken out from cold-storage and the Medu-wadas are dripping with oil. Thank God, everyone did not order Idlis. I finish mine reluctantly. Then hot coffee. Miss T pays the bill :-)<br><br />8:43 am - We rush towards the bus-stop. Vishwa and Sai have gone ahead. Vishwa has stalled the bus for a while. We catch the bus and we are on our way. Miss T feels like throwing up. She gets a window seat, after Vishwa sacrifices his.<br><br />9:15 am - We have just reached Bhiwandi bus-stand. I have forgotten my deck of cards. Dumb-charades is the order of the day. Me, Sairam and Vishwa in one team vs the rest of the gang. We win, cos Shraddha is not able to act out one of the movies correctly. Everyone wants to hit Surinder. His movie is named "Darogha babu I love you". <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><i>I thought that No Home Productions was the rule. Surinder might have noticed the poster of this movie somewhere. Thats my conclusion.</i></span> Vishwa passes it onto Sairam, who manages to mime it.<br><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/WadaBusStand.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/WadaBusStand.jpg" alt="Bus Stand at Wada" border="0" /></a><br />11:00 am - We reach the bus-stand at Wada. After distributing Halls ® Lozenges to everybody, me and Sairam drink a cup of hot tea. The vendor advises us to proceed to the rickshaw stand, where we have two opportunities catching the bus or taking a share rickshaw. After some negotiation with the rickshaw-driver, a rate of Rs 10/- per seat is fixed.<br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/TheRide.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/TheRide.jpg" alt="The Rickshaw Ride" border="0" /></a>We continue the ride and our game of charades.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><br />12:00 noon - We reach Waghote. We are glimpsed with the view of the fort. This is only a facade for the real fort. The real fort lies behind this hill. There are some villagers who point out the way to us.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/FirstGlimpse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/FirstGlimpse.jpg" alt="First Glimpse" border="0" /></a> The fort lies behind the walls that you see from Waghote. Sairam has forgotten to bring the printout given to him by Prajakta.</span><span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><i>I start to wonder, about the number of times we can afford to get lost.</i></span><br /></div><br /><div style="background-color: black; color: lime;"><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><br /><h3>The Trek</h3><br />There are lush green fields, flowing water, small reserviors where women are washing utensils and clothes. IRS goes and asks for directions to the lady washing utensils.<br />Apparently, there are simply too many trails going up the hills. Also the general directions given by Prajakta indicate that the approach route to the fort is not from the front of the hill, but from behind. We continue to trek. Everyone is in good spirits. Along the way someone sings a song, we click a few photographs. We meet a couple of kids on a cycle, who tell us to turn left. The kid wants to lead us, but our hero Vishwa tells him to get lost in a very polite and nice manner. The kid cycles away. <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><i>I am sure at that point of time, Vishwa thought it was a good idea to turn the kid away. It was a bad idea. This incident cost us about 4 hours each. 4 * 7 = 28 hours. Plus the extra physical effort. :)</i></span>We reach a beautiful lake at the base of the hill. A guy has setup a small-scale fishing operation. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/BaitingforFish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/BaitingforFish.jpg" alt="vishwa fishing" border="0" /></a>Vishwa tries his hand at fishing. I get myself clicked with the fort in the background. We ask for directions once more. This time the guy on the lake is confident that we are going to be slightly astray. We start moving on the trail and take a right. There are beautiful patches of pink flowers between green shrubs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/PosinForPics.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/PosinForPics.jpg" alt="shraddha and vishwa posing for the camera" border="0" /></a> I request Vishwa and IRS to pose. In the midst of all that greenery. Its a calendar quality snap. <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><i>Note: calendar quality means good enough to be printed for a calendar. The snap reminds me of Hindi movies in the eighties. Flowers, running around trees were the ubiquitous scenes in those days.</i></span> We reach a flowing brook, where everybody has some snacks. We keep going around towards the right of the hill till we are below the stones. Now is the right time to change tracks. This trail isn't really leading anywhere. So I get into a brook, go up the hill and start moving towards the left. Everyone does the same. We see some goats grazing. There is a goatherd along with them. He gives us further instructions. We smile and click a few more photos. Then we proceed towards the left of the hill. On the trail, we see a boulder, where we click some pics. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/boulder.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/boulder.jpg" alt="the significant landmark" border="0" /></a><b>This particular boulder has a significance.</b> Everyone stands on the top of the boulder to get clicked. Sairam clicks the photo.<br />We proceed on the trail and reach a hump on the hill. This hump is at lower level. The trail seems to have abruptly ended over here. There are some rocks above this hump. Reaching these rocks would require the agility of an ape and the balancing skills of an acrobat. So we decide to abandon the idea. Rohit and Sairam make some futile attempts at trying to traverse the hump. IRS, Surinder and Vishwa start going back. Its almost 2:15 pm and we still haven't figure out a way to reach the top. I am suffering from the Summit Fever syndrome by this time. <span style="font-size:78%;color:#c0c0c0;"><i>Note:Summit Fever syndrome is quite common amongst mountaineers. A trek is complete only if you reach the summit. Otherwise its a failed attempt. This phenomenon is purely psychological and prevents the person from enjoying the other aspects of the journey. Ideally trekking should be about enjoying the journey and not reaching the top.<br />I curse Vishwa for not taking along the guide. I also start to wish for a guide.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/umeshtheguide.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/umeshtheguide.jpg" alt="Our Guide" border="0" /></a>I am blessed and my wish comes true.</i></span><br /><br /><br /><b>The guide.</b> On our way from that hump to relatively level land, we spot a boy going through the woods. Vishwa shouts, waves frantically and manages to convince him to join us. His name is Umesh. Umesh agrees to come along with us. He leads us back to the boulder where we were clicking photographs. We follow him at his pace. This is slightly difficult, cos the inital trekking has left us slightly exhausted and route is sloping upwards. The thrill of making it to the top has enthused everyone with fresh spirits. We reach the boulder where we clicked some snaps earlier.<br />We meet the same goatherd we met earlier, who points us to a trail strewn with rocks on the path. The rocks instead of surrounding the trail, are right in its path. Detecting this trail would have been a difficult job. Umesh leads us and we follow. The path keeps going higher and higher. We are finally on the ridge between the hills. This is when we notice the fort. What we had been noticing all this while, was a just a facade.<br /><br /><br />From the ridge is another 30 minutes. We rest for a while, eat some bananas, apples and amla. Then onto to the trail again. This time, some people do not want to continue. Sairam infuses some energy into them. They consent. Vishwa keeps on saying five minutes more. We finally reach the mandir on a table-land. We still haven't reached the top of the fort. At this point our group splits. The girls decide to stay at the Mandir. Rohit accompanies them. Summit Fever is still raging within the rest of us. We proceed along with Umesh to the top of the fort. Along the way there are water tanks. One of them has clean water. The sky has turned cloudy. There is a very slight drizzle when we reach the top. The view at the top is worth the pain taken to reach it. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/NaturalStruc1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/NaturalStruc.jpg" alt="Natural Stone Structure Enhanced Digitally" border="0" /></a><br />There are some stone structures which make a good copy for a photograph. The sky is overcast and the light is not too good. I decide to enhance the snap digitally.<br /><br /><br />We fill up our empty bottles with water. The water is wonderful. We have our fill and proceed to the temple. At the temple, we have some snacks. IRS gives me some sandwiches, which are filling. I do not want to share them with anyone. After some more snacks, we start our return journey. Umesh accompanies us back till the boulder. Then for a little while and shows us the route.<br /><br />I lead everybody till the lake. At the lake we enjoy the water. Everyone has a spare change of clothes. The water is refreshing. I am the only person who manages to get underneath the waterfall. I change my shoes to floaters. :) Good idea to pack my floaters in. After a change of clothes, we proceed towards the highway. Sairam manages to mislead us once we are in the fields. It is dark now. Me and Vishwa are the only two people carrying flash-lights. We have to wade through ankle deep mud before reaching the way. The grass is knee high in some places. I mention the possibility of snakes. Someone urges me to think of pleasant thoughts. :) The fire-flies light up the fields. We switch off our torches. We reach the highway.<br /></span><br /></div><br /><div style="background-color: black; color: lime;"><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><br /><h3>The Return Journey</h3><br />The highway is deserted. People are confused about the direction to take. People are dazed due to the amount of energy they have consumed in walking. I point them the correct way to Wada and they want to double check it.We get an empty rickshaw, who charges us 20 bucks to drop us off at the next village. I make a STD call and inform home that its going to be late. It is 8:00 pm. We manage to get a Thane bus. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/1600/busBreakDown.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5458/1117/320/busBreakDown.jpg" alt="Bus BreakDown" border="0" /></a>The bus breaks down. Vishwa's torch is helpful to the bus driver. The bus starts and we reach Wada. The bus is sent for repairs. We go and purchase some mineral water bottles. During this while the bus is repaired. We get into the bus. Miss T feels like throwing up. This time, she does. After that she goes off to sleep. Some rounds of singing ensue. Rohit seems to know quite a few songs. The rest of the group can only act as chorus. We reach Bhiwandi, where Surinder gets off to go home. The others proceed towards Thane. I go to sleep on the last seat. We hit every pothole on the highway at high speeds. Some of them really bad. My shoulder muscle is still reeling under the impact. It is sprained. We reach Thane at 11:00 pm. <b>It has been fun, except for <i>sprained shoulder.</i></b></span><br /><div style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #008000; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #00ffff">Here is the link to <a href="http://khojtrek.rediffblogs.com/">Shraddha's blog</a><br />and <a href="http://photos.yahoo.com/johnpublic.rm">my photo album.</a><br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1122224006149146222005-07-24T22:30:00.000+05:302005-07-24T22:25:08.716+05:30Tansa Road Trip<div style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: 12pt;background-color:#800000;color:#FFFF00;text-align:justify;"><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">There were a couple of plans for this weekend. Dhumketu had organized waterfall rappeling at Kondivade caves. An event I was not really keen on attending. The only thing that could have made me interested in that event would have been me setting up the ropes. <br />Since that was not going to be the case, I decided on skipping the event where I <br />would be a mere participant morally forced to do volunteer duties. :) The second <br />option was a trip to Raigad, which too I wasn't keen upon. Plans were being <br />made, mails were being shot and SMSes were being forwarded. My mind still was <br />not really made up. Friday, I attended a training program at SEEPZ and was off <br />by 5:30 pm. Varun gave me a call and he wanted me to return his SLR camera. When <br />I met Varun, he asked me about the plans and as usual I had none made till then. <br />We decided to do something on Sunday. So Saturday, when I called him up, he said <br />lets do Mama -Bhacha. I thought it would be good for a short trek. So I called <br />up my cousin Sanket, who at that point was keen on joining us. Sunday morning, <br />Sanket called up and cancelled and Varun had a surprise in store for me. His <br />friend was driving over to Tansa and we were both going to join up. </font></p><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/ShivajiChowk_Kalyan2.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/ShivajiChowk_Kalyan2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Shivaji Chowk</span><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">So post-breakfast, I took <br />a train to Kalyan station. We had decided to meet at Shivaji Chowk. I reached <br />the place and started clicked a couple of photographs, only to be interrupted <br />by the policeman in the chowki. He just made a couple of general friendly <br />inquiries. He was worried about the blasts taking place all over the world. It <br />is ironic that a blast in Egypt or UK would affect a havaldar over here. I guess <br />that is due to the global village, world getting smaller phenomenon.</font></p><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">Varun called me up on the <br />phone and then on it was a smooth ride towards Tansa. We stopped for air at a <br />local petrol station. The route - Nasik Highway is a scenic one in the month of <br />July. Black clouds were hovering over the route and we also faced the occasional <br />showers. There were clouds all around us. I could see Mahuli Fort and Vazir <br />pinnacle towards my left. Vazir made a pretty sight. It was shrouded in clouds. <br />Mahuli too was surrounded all over. </font></p><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/Canopyoftrees.jpg"><br /><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/Canopyoftrees.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Canopy of Trees<br /></span><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">The route from Atgaon to <br />Tansa is filled with numerous pot-holes. It also happens to a narrow road. <br />However the canopy of teak trees on both sides of the route makes it a real <br />pleasure to drive through it. Atgaon to Tansa is 12 kms on a tar road in case <br />any of you would want to trek it.</font></p><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/Ploughman1.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/Ploughman1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Ploughman<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:12;"><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/CattleEgret1.jpg"><img style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 2px;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/CattleEgret1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Cattle Egret<br /></span><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">There were some farmers <br />tending to their farms along the way. Some sights of cattle egrets and domestic <br />cattle greeted us. A light drizzle of rains greeted us. Tansa is a huge expanse <br />of waterbody and instead of going up to the filtration plant area, we got off at <br />a point where we could take some snaps. Cameras are not allowed inside the dam. <br />If you want to go inside the dam, there are certain forms to filled at the BMC <br />water department. Luckily Varun had his central government ID card and the <br />watch-man let us in. He too was worried about the blasts and all the stuff that <br />is happening in some parts of the world.</font></p><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">We left our cameras in the <br />car and went out to the dam. The water-level was 417 feet. It would have to be <br />422 feet to reach the over-flow mark. The watchman assured us that by mid-August <br />it definitely would. There have been some sightings of Royal Bengal <br />tigers, a truly magnificent animal. Apart from that leopards and some wild-boar. <br />We did not see any of these animals. The watchman told us that the jungle that <br />is here today is only 25% of the jungle. Then he added 95% of the jungle has <br />been cut away. Obviously the poor guy was mathematically challenged.</font></p><br /><p align="justify"><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="2">If you plan to drive till <br />Tansa from Thane, please ensure that you carry BMC permission so that you can <br />get on top of the dam wall. Also do not go on a Sunday, since the canteen <br />is not open. You will not get anything. An over night stay is also a wonderful <br />option. The driving distance is around 70 kms. </font></p><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1121536100940475702005-07-16T23:00:00.001+05:302005-07-16T23:28:25.296+05:30Prabalgad Trek<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;font-family:verdana;" >Trek to Prabalgad.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >Prabalgad is the kind of trek which could be done within half a day or even a whole week is insufficient if you decide to explore the thick forests on the top of the plateau. </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" ><br />Four of the people decided to start at night. Vini, Vishwa, Pankaj and Prem spent the night at Panvel Bus Stand. Till the point Rohit called me, I was not really decided upon going to Prabalgad. Afterall it was my fourth time in this year. However it was the first official monsoon trek since I had been busy with Arun's camp at Karnala and my cousins wedding earlier. So I </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >finally asked Rohit to meet me at the Ashok Talkies ST Stand.</span><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/tyrepuncture.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tyrepuncture.jpg'></a><br />The tyre repair shop.<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >The weather was pleasant and the companions were nice. The start happened with a tyre puncture at Kopar-Khairane, right in front of a tyre repair shop. My enthusiasm for the trek </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >fizzled out just like the air from that burst tyre tube. Fortunately the group at Panvel waited and the repair guy fixed the problem quickly, without replacing the tyre tube. I clicked a photo of a kitten in the tyre shop.</span><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/kitten.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/kitten.jpg'></a><br />Cute Kitty<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >After the fixing we reached the bus-stand at Panvel. I purchased a water bottle and got into the bus to Thakurwadi. The good thing about the ST services is that the bus to Thakurwadi has been resumed.</span><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/prabal010.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/prabal010.jpg'></a><br />The injured hand. Vishwa getting bandaged.<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >We took a number of breaks along the way to Prabalmachi. On the top Vishwa managed to prick a thorn into his palm. So did not come up. Prem joined him in his stay. The rest of us went up. On the way I slightly deviated from the route and realized that immediately. Fortunately we could get back on the route without too much effort. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I have now realized that getting lost on a route is what provides the fodder for excitement.</span></span><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/prabal025.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/prabal025.jpg'></a><br />The standard pic (Pankaj, me and Vini)<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/prabal032.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/prabal032.jpg'></a><br />The treacherous route to the top. On our way down.<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/prabal030.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/prabal030.jpg'></a><br />Along the route.<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >This was my fourth visit to Prabalgad. It seems to have evolved into an exercise and nothing more. The going up the path from Thakurwadi no longer provides any excitement. Neither does the traversing over the crevasse or sliding across the wall. Some of my companions were a bit terrified, understanding that it was their first time. Also it had become slippery owing to the monsoon.</span><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/prabal057.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/prabal057.jpg'></a><br />Coffee break at the end of the trek<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><br /><div style="clear:both;"></div><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/1024/OFF.jpg'><img border='0' style='border:2px solid #000000; margin:2px' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/OFF.jpg'></a><br />OFF - The ultimate insect repellent.<br /><div style="clear:both; padding-bottom: 0.25em;"></div><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;" >One good discovery during this trek. OFF does work. Apply it on your face and you will no longer be bothered by any of these pests that seem to be thriving during the monsoon.</span><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1119936945109792332005-06-28T11:05:00.000+05:302005-06-28T11:05:45.123+05:30Collage <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/collage.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/collage.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1119820050920162172005-06-27T02:37:00.000+05:302005-06-27T02:37:30.930+05:30Going Up Korigad <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona104.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona104.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118776379377388032005-06-15T00:42:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:42:59.380+05:30Day Break at Tikona <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/DayBreakatTikona.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/DayBreakatTikona.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118776233969200732005-06-15T00:40:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:40:33.973+05:30How we went from UsalKhamba to Pet Shahpur for Korigad. Rs 5 per seat <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/RideToPetShahpur.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/RideToPetShahpur.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118776101821498652005-06-15T00:38:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:38:21.823+05:30Pumping Water at the handpump. <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/handpump.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/handpump.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118775953331572222005-06-15T00:35:00.001+05:302005-06-15T00:35:53.333+05:30Cleaning Business in full swing. <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/vesselcleaning.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/vesselcleaning.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118775903319534912005-06-15T00:35:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:35:03.323+05:30Waiting at the bus-stop at Tungwadi <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/W8ing4Bus.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/W8ing4Bus.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118775823356480412005-06-15T00:33:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:33:43.356+05:30Children playing cricket at Tungwadi <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/cricketAtTungWadi.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/cricketAtTungWadi.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118775716357348042005-06-15T00:31:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:31:56.366+05:30Bhairav Nath Mandir At Tung <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/bhairavnathmandir.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/bhairavnathmandir.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118774903826428142005-06-15T00:18:00.000+05:302005-06-15T00:18:23.830+05:30Where we reached after taking the wrong route. <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/WhereWeReachedatTungFirst.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/WhereWeReachedatTungFirst.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118773830229959642005-06-15T00:00:00.000+05:302005-06-23T13:40:54.876+05:30Going up Tikona <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/wrongRouteatTung.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/wrongRouteatTung.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118773682030122232005-06-14T23:58:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:58:02.033+05:30Stick Insect <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/stickinsect.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/stickinsect.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118773528289318912005-06-14T23:55:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:55:28.290+05:30Tikona Front Face <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona18.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona18.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118773483378114412005-06-14T23:54:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:54:43.380+05:30Me at Tikona. Tung can be seen as the backdrop. <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/MeAtTikona.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/MeAtTikona.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118773436195935952005-06-14T23:53:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:53:56.200+05:30Water Tank at Tung <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona92.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona92.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118772782257514772005-06-14T23:43:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:43:02.260+05:30Sleeping at Tung - Maruti Mandir <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona100.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona100.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118772370902332972005-06-14T23:36:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:36:10.906+05:30Entrance at Tikona <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona1.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona1.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1118772321044863442005-06-14T23:35:00.000+05:302005-06-14T23:35:21.050+05:30The cave at Tikona <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tungtikona101.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tungtikona101.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1117964899328656602005-06-05T15:18:00.000+05:302005-06-10T14:50:19.936+05:30Kalwanti Durg - The Thorny Adventure<p align="justify"><br /><u>The Thorny Adventure.</u><br /> <br /><b>4th June 2005</b><br /> <br />Like every other weekend, we were trying to fix up a spot. <br />We considered a number of treks - Peb, Tikona, Tung etc.<br />I was not in favor of tikona, since I had been there last week.<br />There was a group of friends going to Rajmachi, but I had done that just last month. Plus it was a 2 day trek and a single day was what I was keen on.<br /> <br />The next spot was Peb, where my friend wanted to go along with a big group. <br />Then we realized that we had not been to Kalwanti Durg and started to look out for routes. There was almost zero information about the route. Kalwanti had been noticed by us earlier on the Prabalgad trek. So it was decided to go to Kalwanti Durg on Saturday. I called up my cousin who was interested, having finished his HSC exam and nothing much to do at home. :) <br />It turned out to be an <span style="font-style:italic;">(mis)adventure</span> in a weird sense of a way.<br /> <br />The three of us decided to meet at Thane S.T. Stand near the station. We were late by about 5 mins and had missed the first bus to Panvel. <br />There were a number of other options available. We took the NMMT bus to Panvel from CIDCO bus stop. I slept throughout the journey from Thane to Panvel. I was tired, having watched a late night movie on Friday.<br /> <br />At Panvel, the bus going towards Chowk was available 8:30, so we took a ride in a six-seater till Shedung Phata. At Shedung, we had a wada-pav and a hot cup of tea each. Then we took a share - rickshaw till Vardoli. On the way, we stopped at Belavli to buy some water. I purchased 4 bottles of water. Better safe than sorry. Having been to Prabalgad twice in 2005, I and my friend were both completely familiar with the route to Prabalmachi. This route is steep. When you go along this route, you will notice that there are electric wires overhead. If you do not see the wires, then you <br />have missed the route. Within minutes we were gasping for breath and having sips of water. It is a steep route, and we hadn't expected the blazing hot sun. It was hardly 9:00 am in the morning and the weather was hot. This route goes zig-zag towards Prabalmachi. The edges of the route are marked with trees with white bark. If you stand at the small hamlet near Thakurwadi (Vardoli), you should be able to spot the route by looking at these trees.<br /> <br />We reached Prabalmachi at 10:30 and came to know that the hamlet under Kalwantidurg is called Thakurwadi. We followed the electric wires going towards the hamlet. On the way, I noticed a cattle skull and some cattle bones. It is well known that the area around Prabalgad is inhabited by wild-animals. There are leopards roaming in the area. So far none of the leopards have turned into man-eaters, but they do prey upon domestic animals once in a while. This kill seemed to be very old judging from the <br />carcass.<br /> <br /> <br />I picked up the cattle skull and placed it in a better position for a photograph, but a thorn pricked my index finger.<br /><br /><div><br />Cattle Skull <a href="http://www.hello.com/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif" alt="Posted by Hello" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/cattleskull.jpg"><img class="phostImg" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/cattleskull.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /> Next to the cattle skull were cattle bones.<br /><div><br />Cattle Bones <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/cattlebones.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/cattlebones.jpg'></a><br /></div><br /> <br />The going route was pretty much smooth and we didn’t encounter any problem to reach the village of Thakurwadi. The route had some clearings in between, but it was always possible to pick up the route from the clearing. Along the way, there were a lot of wild berries (“karwanda”) and we had our fill. I also managed to get pricked in my hand, my arm and my face with thorns while picking those berries. The pricks were minor, except for one branch that missed by eye. The berries were very tasty.<br /> <br />Some part of the forests had been razed to the ground. Probably forest fire or something.<br /> <br /> <br />Along the way, we noticed a rock with an arrow pointing towards a hill and realized it was another route to Prabalgad. Then we proceeded onto the village and put our sacks down at the first hut that we saw. The local tribals (“adivasis”) were kind enough to give us water and also made some tea for us. The tea was sugarless and milkless. So it turned out to be tasteless. No complaints so far. However I hope that going forward we would make it a point to carry <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">sugar, milk powder and tea </span>in our sacks.<br /><div><br /><a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/tastelesstea.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/tastelesstea.jpg'></a><br /></div><br /> <br /> <br />There were chickens in the porch and I clicked some snaps of the mother hen feeding on rice. Then there was a dog who I treated to a biscuit. This dog grew rather fond of me and started to lick my ear.<br /><div>Dog Licking my ear <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/kalwanti26.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/kalwanti26.jpg'></a><br /></div><br /><br /> <br />The chap who was the owner of the dog, came along with us to show us the route. The route was full of scree, slippery and steep, with some loose rocks in between. It was bordered on one side by <i>Karvee</i> stalks on both sides. After trekking on this route for a while, we reached the steps of the fort. The steps are wide and tall. Each step is about 2 ½ feet in distance. There is a ridge between Kalwanti and Prabal. You need to traverse along this ridge. On the Prabalside, the villager showed us a tunnel which led into a cavern. It was pitch dark inside the cavern. When I lit my torch, I noticed some bats in the corner. <br /> <br />Once we reached the steps, it was a fairly easy route. However Sairam wanted to deviate a bit and he crossed over to a ledge. The route to the ledge was a thin crack and it was totally exposed. The fall would have probably been about 30 – 40 feet. Sanket attempted to cross the ledge, but then he lost his nerve. It was a good thing that he did not cross over. Coming back from the ledge was slightly scary as well.<div><br /><a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/sanketlostnerve.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/sanketlostnerve.jpg'></a><br /></div><br /><br />So back to the stair case. Apart from that, there were a few more times where we left the security of the steps to see the water-tanks. The water-tanks were totally dry and dusty. We were carrying sufficient water with us.<br /> <br />Once we reached the base of the pinnacle. (To call this a pinnacle would probably be an insult to other pinnacles around it), we put down our sacks and roamed freely. We went around till its southern most point. Its interesting to see that there is a smaller cliff next to the pinnacle. There was a piton stuck in that cliff, which had a ring around it. I grabbed the ring and attempted to scale the wall. I realized that it would be foolish to do so. So I stopped and climbed down. Then there was another <b>botched attempt</b> from the sides, which would have been even more stupider. Finally the safe route and all of us were on the top.<br /><div><br /><a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/12FeetToTheSummit.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/12FeetToTheSummit.jpg'></a><br /></div><br /> <br />From the top, you can see Mhasmal, Chanderi and Peb in the distance. You can also see Matheran. <br /> <br />Coming back down was fast, since the steps are quite big. We reached the village of Thakurwadi and then had to proceed towards Prabalmachi. This is where we managed to get lost. We didn’t find any of the yellow chalk marks that we had made on our way. We got entangled in a number of thorny bushes. Both my arms, my legs and my face had been pricked countless times by now. The saving grace on this misadventure was that we had a lot of berries to pluck. There were times, when we came to the very edge of the cliff with nowhere further to go.<br /> <br />We finally managed to find the cattle skull and the electric wires.that had been over-head. Somehow we reached the temple at Prabalmachi. We had somehow missed the opening that led to Vardoli, while following the electric wires. Then we headed back to Vardoli. Vardoli has some farms, where lilies are grown. These farms looked beautiful. Unfortunately the lilies were not in full bloom yet. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Maybe another trip during the monsoon and it will be fun. </span><br /><div><a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/its_me.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/its_me.jpg'></a></div><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Check my <a href="http://photos.yahoo.com/johnpublic.rm">Yahoo Photos Album</a> for more snaps.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1117296095064485362005-05-28T21:30:00.000+05:302005-05-30T11:38:16.760+05:30Tikona Visit<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">28-May-2005</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">I had been to Tikona, today. I wasn't decided about it till 10:30 pm Friday, due to the lack of companions. Finally at 10:30, I made up my mind and off to Thane station. Firstly there was a long queue where the passenger train tickets were being sold. I joined that queue and within 15 minutes I was at the ticket counter. I purchased a ticket to Kamshet and the guy at the counter did not have change, or rather didn' t want to part with change. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">These kind of railway officials would make anyone's blood boil. The ticket was 22 bucks. I paid 30, but he returned the 10 bucks and told me to get change. I went outside to the paanwala and purchased 3 packets of Milan Supari. Then I recalled that I was staying off Supari, so exchanged those packets for eclairs. Went back to the counter and got the ticket.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Off to platform no 5, where I purchased 4 litres of water. Didn't want to suffer from dehydration like <span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 102, 204);">PrabalGad </span>trek. :(</span></span><br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">The <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 204); font-style: italic;">Pune - Pandharpur</span> passenger arrived exactly on time. I got into the last compartment which was full, but not sufficiently crowded. Managed to put my sack on the rack and secured a seat on the floor. After a while, I put my floaters underneath a chair and managed to secure a place on the sleeper. I dozed off in a sitting position and when I woke up the train was leaving Lonavla station. I had managed to consume about 2 and a half hours of sleep on the sleeper :) Next i got off at Lonavla and sat on the floor. Got off at Kamshet. There was a family who pointed me to the bus-stop. The time was 3:15 am.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">I noticed that there was a wineshop that was open. I went there and spoke to the guy for a while. He told me that there would be a hotel on the highway which would be open at this hour. I could get a bus at 6:00 am for going to Kale Colony and from there on I could hitch a ride till Gewandhe village. Gewandhe is also called as Tikona Peth by the locals. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Having decided that there was no point in standing at the bus stop, I walked till the hotel that the guy had mentioned. Ordered a tea and was chatting with the locals who told me no bus till 6:00 am. The time was 4:00 am. So decided to sleep at the hotel. Slept till 5:30. There were a lot of mosquitoes and the spray that my Atya had gifted me turned out to be useful. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">After waking up, I had one more cup of tea, used their bath-room. I had not packed anything apart from two electral sachets. So I purchased some tiger biscuits from the hotel.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">It was time to catch the bus. So I waited on the highway, where the bus was supposed to pass through, but a jeep reached their earlier. I hitched a ride on the jeep. There were several people hanging onto the jeep's frame and I was one of them. In the next village, where some people got off from the jeep, I managed to secure a seat. It was not any better than hanging from it.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Next stop Kale colony, (pop 2000 +). I got off at Kale Colony, looked at the hotels which were waking up. None of them had opened and the two of them told me that breakfast wouldn't be ready in an hour. I decided to skip breakfast and purchased some <span style="font-style: italic;">Kanda-Bhaji</span> at one of the joints who had actually managed to beat the others by starting to serve food. I packed the bhaji and got into a milk-van, which took me till Tikona Peth. I had read previous accounts of this place. So I knew that the easy route to the top was from behind the village. I met one local who told me that his son <span style="font-style: italic;">Dattu </span>would show me the route to the top of the fort. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">I managed to find <span style="font-style: italic;">Dattu </span>and he agreed to show me some part of the route. I paid me Rs 50/- and told him to pick some raw mangoes for me. I then proceeded on my own towards the top. I reached the top and had those bhajis. They were really tasty. I also ate a couple of chillis accompanying the bhajis. I also ate one raw mango that Dattu had given me earlier.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Trekking up Tikona did not take more than 45 minutes. I was glad that I was still able to trek alone. I also realized that my sack was near empty. Then from the top, I also took stock of the difficult route, so that I might try it on next time. There have been a couple of accidents on that route. So its not worth going alone. If you plan to try the difficult route, better go in a group.</span></span><br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">From the top, I did some bird watching. Mostly eagles, hawks and some swallows. Also noticed a green beater on my way back the trail. It was fun and though I missed company, it was ok. I had not taken my camera along otherwise I would have posted some beautiful pics. The Tung fort is visible from Tikona. Lohagad and Visapur can be seen in the distance. Its possible to do both Tung and Tikona one the same day, but I did not attempt that.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Tikona has a two beautiful, clean water tanks. The water here tastes good. I could have done with just two litres of water instead of the four that I purchased at Thane station.</span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Coming back was easy. I hitched a ride till Kale Colony. Then the jeep service till Kamshet highway. From the highway, I took a ride in a truck till Lonavla. Upon hitting lonavla, I was tired of eating those glucose biscuits. I went into an ATM and withdrew some cash. Then off to Smoking Joe's for a </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">pepperoni</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> pizza. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Purchased some </span><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">chocolate fudge</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> at A1- Chikki. Proceeded to the bus-stand at Lonavla to catch the Borivli bus going via Thane. Could not be seated till Khopoli. At Khopoli I managed to place myself in a seat where I could doze off till Kalwa. There was a traffic jam at Kalwa. This particular chowk always has a traffic jam. :( Then got off at the Vandana bus-stand. Changed my shirt and took a rick home. The time was 5:45 pm. </span></span><br /> <br /> <span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 255);">Trekking alone has some benefits. One benefit is no need to share your snacks. The second is that if you get lost, it will be due to your own choice. Not some fool, who decided to take the route that you disagreed upon.</span></span><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12931393.post-1117037549818468702005-05-25T21:42:00.000+05:302005-05-25T21:42:29.826+05:30Ganesh Kartik Climbing - tauli <a href='http://www.hello.com/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbh.gif' alt='Posted by Hello' border='0' style='border:0px;padding:0px;background:transparent;' align='absmiddle'></a><br /><a href='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/640/Photo_11.jpg'><img border='0' class='phostImg' src='http://photos1.blogger.com/img/46/5972/400/Photo_1.jpg'></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0