Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Getting off the high speed lane

I had to travel to Pune yesterday, and I happened to take an ST bus which went over the older NH4 route through Khopoli. I haven't taken that road ever since the expressway became operational about 7 years back! So the sight of the Khopoli bus stand and the Tata Power complex brought back memories of old days, when that road was the only option available.

The road back then was not even as wide as it is now, and traffic jams were the norm. There were days when you could have spent 12 hours getting from Bombay to Pune (it's never more than 3 hours now!). The ghat section has roads with steep gradients, something the expressway has totally removed from the equation.

So no surprise that there was a small temple in Khopoli, just before the the really steep sections started. I don't know if people prayed, but nearly every vehicle that went past offered a few coins to the goddess ... just flung them out the window into the temple. If you are the believing kind, you might think it saved a lot of accidents back then; especially if you would have seen the number of overturned vehicles littering the roadside.

Sure enough, the bus slowed down and a few coins - although lesser than the earlier days - were tossed out the window. The tradition remains, and even though I'm not much of a believer, I like to see that these small things are still alive! In the age of homogenisation, they provide some relief and some color to life.

It's these small things that are missing when you travel on the expressway. Sure you've shaved a couple of hours off the travel time, but the journey is that little bit poorer for the lack of the temple. Maybe they could have built a temple along the expressway just to keep up the tradition ... but then, who needs God when you have ABS and airbags!!!


Saturday, October 20, 2007

Where the gods did their time!

My trip to Delhi was supposed to be simple. Leave Bombay on the 2nd of Oct, reach Delhi on the 3rd, take the train back on the 4th, and get back home on the 5th. What actually happened was a slight deviation from this plan!

On the 4th, I realized that I was going to have to stay in Delhi one extra day ... and that was the end of "the plan". After canceling the original return ticket, I found that there were no seats available to return on the 5th. That was interesting news, because then it brought about the possibility of a "detour" (According to the Oxford University press dictionary - /deetoor/ • noun a divergence from a direct or intended route. • verb take a detour. — ORIGIN French, ‘change of direction’). Detours are something my friends and I specialized in during our days in Bangalore ... and I'm still doing my bit to perfect the art :) Because Delhi -> Varanasi -> Calcutta -> Bombay would cause both time and budget overruns, I chose Delhi -> Indore -> Bombay. Varun booked my ticket, and on the evening of 5th October, I was on the Indore intercity express leaving Delhi.

Not much of note happened on the journey, apart from some inspired moments when I wrote my first poem, and some awesome Pohay served at the BabanBhai B Savli stall on platform 2 of the Nagda junction Railway Station. By the afternoon of 6th, I was having beer with Benny in Indore, thinking about where we could go for a couple of days. We had already picked up a copy of "The Madhya Pradesh State Road Atlas" (useless waste of paper), and after an entire day and night of deliberation ( accompanied by chicken curry at Neeta Aunty's - Benny's mom - place in Ujjain), we decided to go to Pachmarhi.

Like most other hill stations in the country, Pachmarhi was "discovered" by the British in 1857, who built a cantonment here and used it as a sanatorium for British troops in the Central Provinces of India. It is 52 kms from the nearest railhead (Pipariya, on the Jabalpur - Itarsi line), ~220 kms from the nearest airport (Bhopal, capital of MP). Pachmarhi is so named because of five caves (pach marhi) carved into a small hillock here. Legend has it that the Pandavas in their period of exile, spent some time in these caves. Although the caves have now been established to be of much later Buddhist origin, the legend and name have stuck.

Getting to Pachmarhi was not easy because of the time we left Ujjain. We had to take a local bus to Dewas (35 kms), another from Dewas to Bhopal (150 kms), and finally, a night train from Bhopal to Pipariya. At 02:30 in the morning, we were in the waiting room in Pipariya station; me sleeping blissfully on the floor, and Benny sitting around hoping that a mattress would materialize out of nowhere; I don't think he found his mattress that night! At first light, we were in the front seat of an overcrowded Tata Sumo making the final 52 kms to our destination. Pachmarhi is near 3500 ft above sea level, and the early morning ride up gave us no chance to complain about the cramped seating. The morning chill, slivers of sunlight through the trees, lily covered lakes, winding roads, all contributed to our saturated senses as we pulled into the town. I was feeling so good, I even forgot the twenty rupees the driver owed me!

Pachmarhi abounds in cheap hotels, and when the first place offered a room for Rs.200 a day, I did not think twice before taking it. In retrospect, that was a rip off - The hotel was an absolute dump! Anyway, an hour later, we were off to get breakfast and start our day of exploration. Maruti Gypsys seem to be the norm here, but I was very much in the green mood, so I forced Benny into doing the day on bicycles. Unfortunately for us, it was too early for the bicycle shops to open, so we decided to take the Pandava caves on foot (This based on a local's estimate of 1.5 kms. This is a phenomenon I've never really understood ... any distance to a local is always 5 mins or under 2 kms, never more!).

The distance turned out be at least twice the initial estimate, but we weren't really complaining when we got to the site. The caves themselves are not much to see, some of them even locked in with metal grates in the typical Indian preservation method. Sadly, people in our country have still not learnt to appreciate history without leaving their traces in it! We spent some time there looking out over the panorama and enjoying the feeling of clean morning air. It's always a heady feeling when you can see out that far out into the distance!

Back in the town, we went out and found ourselves bicycles. Benny found a mountain bike, while I picked up a "doodh-wala's cycle" from one of the cycle shops. These roadsters - though out of style in urban settings - are really comfortable for the springiness in the seat and the very comfortable gear ratio, and still rule the rural markets in India.

A full stomach later, we were cycling to Bee falls. I am told it's so called because if you stand under the waterfall and look up at the water cascading onto you, it looks like a swarm of bees. I could not even keep my bloody eyes open, so I presume the madman who named the falls in that manner would now be blind! It was a good ride, metaled road for the first 2 kms, then downhill jeep track for the next 4. Half way down the jeep track, at the entrance check post, we abandoned the cycles. Good decision that, because we'd only have to drag the cycles back up the rest of that slope! Being a Monday, the holiday crowds were absent and we had a great time at the falls. We even got a couple of photos clicked by the local lensman, and by 04:30 p.m. we were back in the hotel room.

After watching India beat Pakistan in the day's match, we stepped out to see whether we could arrange tickets to get back home. Fortunately for us, there was a bus later in the evening straight to Ujjain. So after a bhurji pav dinner near the bus stop, we boarded the bus. While Benny carried on home to Ujjain, I got off at Pipariya to take the 1094 Mahanagari Express to Bombay.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Thank you aunty

Just a small incident in the train to Delhi. Wouldn't count for much in the larger scheme of things, but I think it deserves a mention. There was a lady in the seat next to me, just my mom's age I guess. Her son who came to drop her off at the station was just a few years younger to me. She spoke very little, all throughout the journey. Just spent her time looking out the window, or sleeping. We smiled at each other a couple of times, but that was the only real communication between us.

When night came, the compartment started to get a little cold. I was a little uncomfortable, although not enough to complain. The unknown lady, without a word, draped half of her shawl over me! Maternal instinct? Neighborly love? Trying to explain it will probably dilute the beauty of the incident, so I'll leave it at that.

In the morning, we had a small conversation introducing ourselves and talking about our lives. When it was time for her to get off at Mathura, I helped her with her suitcase and she left. No goodbyes, nothing.

Though it might never get to her, this post is my "thank you". The one I left unsaid ...


Manjakkili

That's the Malayalam name for the Eurasian Golden Oriole. Spotted it on the acacia tree outside my balcony. That's the most brightly colored bird I have seen yet :)

Apparently has a beautiful call, but this one was not in the most talkative mood when I saw it. Here's a good close up shot.


Monday, October 15, 2007

Let's do our bit

Today is October 15th ... and it wouldn't be a particularly memorable day if it wasn't Blog Action Day. Although this could serve as an awesome PR tool for the guy who came up with the idea of this day, I'll let him have it because of the potential this has to make a change. What's happening here is that thousands of people are blogging today about one issue ... the environment. It's a way of letting people know that we care; a way of spreading the message out to more people; and a way to make a change.

Here's my list of simple ideas for people who'd like to join in the struggle ...
  1. Realize that we have a problem - Those who don't can probably log off right now, because no amount of my ranting is enough to convince anyone that there is a problem. I'm convinced because I see the problems right in my face. There's the increasing temperatures each year, the erratic weather patterns, the missing stars at night, the heaviness in the air when I'm breathing, the missing birds. Those who aren't convinced by this should stop to notice these simple things, and then check out the massive amounts of literature doing the rounds (the counterarguments included).
  2. Tell people about it - There's tons of people out there who just refuse to believe that there is a problem, or believe the problem is not as grave, or that there is no alternative. The fact is that there are things each of us can do to help ... simple things which could snowball into huge changes. Talking about it is one way. Once you are convinced yourself, make the effort to tell a few others about it. Every new person convinced adds to the network.
  3. Take the bus - Every once in a while, leave your car at home. Take the bus to work, or better still, cycle. I know it's difficult in a hot country like India, but I believe the problem is grave enough for each of us to take action even in the face of a little personal discomfort. And do get your cars serviced to make sure they are not polluting any more than they should.
  4. Change to energy saving CFLs - Though slightly more expensive, they repay through saved energy costs. And energy is only going to cost more in future! Check out a cost benefit analysis.
  5. Switch off the power - When not required, switch off your appliances. Just leaving your phone charger plugged after usage can increase your power consumption by 5%.
  6. Avoid flying - When you have the time, choose rail instead of air. I've always found that trains are a lot more comfortable and enjoyable than aircrafts (I was even inspired to poetry the last time I was traveling by train :) Check it out!).
  7. Plant a tree - This page gives an indication of how much a single tree can do. The data is US centric, but it's enough to get the idea across.
This is a very minimal list. Think up your own easy ways to save energy, post it in the comments, put it in your own blog, tell others about it. Let's all do our bit ...

The following links should make good starting points for further reading.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Children of the earth

Children of the Earth

She runs through the fields, with careless abandon
A dog in tow, her friend and companion
Skipping stones in the pond, watching them jump in joy
A dip in the river, or is it soaking in life?

There's something she knows, something I ought to know too
I hid it from myself, for oh so long too!
Her eyes spoke to me, as she smiled from afar
Children of the earth, that's what we are.


I was traveling Delhi to Indore, and wrote this in a moment of inspiration as I saw a girl in a field.

I've made an earlier attempt at poetry (I wrote one for a girl once :-)), but the only fathomable reason she could have liked it is because she was overcome with emotion!!! I really forced myself to write it after deciding to ... and it showed in the result. Thankfully, I do not remember any of it, so cannot go through the agony of repeating it!

This, on the other hand, came from the heart. I just had to put the words together. I love it myself ... it's honest.

Forgot to carry my bird book!

On my Bombay Delhi train journey, about 4 hours was daytime travel as I approached Delhi passing through Rajasthan, Haryana, and UP. And the amount of bird life on display was mind blowing. My only regret is that I forgot to carry my bird book!

Even without the book, I managed to recognize some birds. The most beautiful sight was a couple of Sarus cranes. These are the tallest flying birds in the world, and I could see that these ones were taller than humans in the nearby fields! Hoping for a good winter birding season ...

P.S.: My wishlist ...
  1. A good set of binoculars
  2. Canon EOS 400D / Nikon D70

Why I'd like to travel the Garib Rath again.

The Garib Rath (poor man's chariot) is Laloo Prasad Yadav's gift to the poor of India. It's a chance for them to travel in air conditioned luxury (and travel fast). The fares on this train are almost half as compared to the fares on other trains, and they take the same time as a Rajdhani traveling on the same route. A very well intentioned gift, considering the utility to the public, and the votes that he stands to gain.

I recently traveled Bombay to Delhi in the chair car on the Garib Rath. And although current circumstances make me technically garib, I am by no means so. Not surprisingly, none of my co-passengers fell in the garib bracket either. In a country where per capita income is Rs.23222 (2006 figures) and over 25% of the people live below the poverty line (the poverty line is an income of approximately Rs.500 a month, which is the cost of the ticket i bought!), this train cannot qualify to be called the Garib Rath.

Not faulting the fact that this is an excellent service that could be used by people in the relatively lower income bracket, there is no way anyone really garib can use it!!!

The train itself is basic. The chair car I took is horribly cramped for shoulder space, leg space, and space of any kind. The seats do not recline, and the only way you can get any real sleep is to get a dose of valium. The upshot is a lively trip with everyone awake, and joking about the train and the facilities.

The low fares made sure that I got entertaining and eclectic travel companions. My companions included a retired wrestler, a middle aged civil engineer, couple of doctors, couple of small-town-small-business owners, and more. And the conversation included discussions on the medicine man's profession, Mayawati's political strategy, the Ram Setu controversy, and the Kashmir problem. A complete revelation for me was the fact that most people are knowledgeable about a lot of stuff, and there are radicals and liberals alike in the general populace! In short, an uncomfortable but entertaining journey to get me to Delhi in double quick time. Isiliye ...


Jab tak rahega samose mein alu, Tak tak rahega railways mein Lalu!



Saturday, September 29, 2007

They're back

The bulbuls' calls woke me up in the morning today, and I got a visual as well. So they're very much in the vicinity. Only looks like they've lost interest in the Sitaphal tree!

I mentioned the Melissa Etheridge track for Al Gore's movie in an earlier post. Just read some other stuff about her which I wasn't aware of. She's fighting breast cancer while she's doing all these songs with a message.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=3665549&page=1

Looks like she's quite a fighter, apart from being a person with a heart!

Friday, September 28, 2007

Add one

... to the bird species count observed from my window.

Just noticed a whole bunch of Oriental Magpie-Robins (Good pictures here, here, and here) in the morning today. They disappeared the moment the first rays of the sun were out!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Where have all the bulbuls gone!?

I've lately taken to bird watching, and I find it a thoroughly beautiful and engaging pastime. It's amazing how many different birds you see if you are actually looking for them. Before I developed this interest, the surroundings of my urban nest were occupied by only pigeons, crows, sparrows and mynas. Latest reports double the count of species observed from my window!

My reference is Salim Ali's Book of Indian Birds, a superb book that is comprehensive, easy to use, and has excellent illustrations. If you get a good look at your subject, it's highly unlikely that you will not be able to identify it using this book.

Last week I noticed a bulbul, and was going crazy trying to ID it because I did not get a good enough look. Fortunately for me, the bird in question was back soon - with company - and they seemed to love the Sitaphal tree right outside my bedroom window! The result is a positive ID - a red vented bulbul (That's the specific English name for the very common bird called simply "bulbul" in Hindi. Good pictures here).

Apparently, this species is not just common, it's horrendously invasive! Having learnt this though, does not in any way diminish my joy at having identified it. On the contrary, having spotted and identified the bird makes it look all the more beautiful to me. I have also begun to enjoy the calls it makes sitting out on the Sitaphal tree. They are loud and gregarious, but quite melodious in my opinion!

I haven't seen them for the last couple of days though ... Wonder whether they just went off to invade another country!?

Friday, September 21, 2007

I need to wake up

Melissa Etheridge did this single for Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth. For those who ask what all the fuss about global warming is, this movie makes an excellent primer. Although it is a little America centric, the point it gets across is valid across the globe.

The Melissa Etheridge track goes with the credit sequence and just reinforces the message. I'm impressed by the depth of the lyrics. Even without the environmental angle, they connect with my life. Here goes ...

Have I been sleeping?
I’ve been so still
Afraid of crumbling
Have I been careless?
Dismissing all the distant rumblings
Take me where I am supposed to be
To comprehend the things that I can’t see

Cause I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

And as a child
I danced like it was 1999
My dreams were wild
The promise of this new world
Would be mine
Now I am throwing off the carelessness of youth
To listen to an inconvenient truth

That I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change

I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

I am not an island
I am not alone
I am my intentions
Trapped here in this flesh and bone

Oh I need to move
I need to wake up
I need to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

I want to change
I need to shake up
I need to speak out
Oh, Something’s got to break up
I’ve been asleep
And I need to wake up
Now

... Reproduced from http://www.metrolyrics.com/

Monday, April 02, 2007

Sudhagadh

It was a first time camp out for all the six the guys on the trip - Krishna, Jilson, Nixon, Sony, Abde Ali, and Abde Razzak. Avinash was providing the transport in his Tavera, and as we left Vashi at 10:15, the excitement was evident. The guys introduced themselves as we set off for Thakurwadi ... our base village for the trek.

Abde Ali, Abde Razzak, Nixon, and myself are classmates from school. So there was a lot of old times to talk about on the way. Homoeopathy and Ginseng were the flavors of the day, and the Abde brothers taught us the basics of their trade, and enlightened us about the homoeopathic cures for impotency.

Most of the guys had skipped breakfast, so we stopped at Aishwarya hotel on the way to grab some brunch and tea. Aishwarya hotel is about 20 kms before Pali on the Mumbai-Goa highway, and appears on the left side as a rundown, not very popular place. The Misal pavs and Bhurji pavs though were pretty good, so we came out a satisfied lot. Pali came about half an hour later. We stopped to buy water for the trek, and also got ourselves some weird cocktail of Kokum, Awla, and a few other things. Excellent stuff, but it seems to make you thirsty. Jilson though, had a different take on the thirst. His theory was that the dry landscape made you feel thirsty just by looking at it! It's probably true ... the landscape really did look parched!

It was 01:30 pm when we reached Thakurwadi and after some repacking to distribute the load between us, we started off on the trek immediately. Seemed a good idea, because although the heat was on, there was a strong cool breeze blowing from the east. Must have been a dry breeze though, because the water was being consumed in serious haste! Shoe problems too came up soon, and Abde Razzak and Jilson realised that their soles were peeling off! Well, nothing to do but move on ...

Sudhagadh is a straightforward trek. the destination is always in sight, and there's very little scope of getting lost. But the dry landscape and the fallen leaves can camouflage the trails. We found out as soon as we entered the tree covered portion of the path, where we missed the trail going to the right and turned left. Although we were off the trail, it was alright really, because I knew where we had to get to. So after a bit, we cut right through the trees and came out on the path once again, just near the stone stairs that lead you up to the entrance of the fort.

The entrance on the Thakurwadi side is not the main entrance. The main entrance is on the trail from Dhondase, and has a beautiful Maha Darwaja that is a replica of the one in Raigad. The Thakurwadi side has only a small blink-and-you-will-miss-it entrance, really just a gap in the wall. The stairs leading upto the entrance though is a narrow pathway between steep cliffs, where the wind really whips through. We did sit there for a bit to enjoy the cool breeze while munching on dates, apples, and pears.


Past the entrance is a further half hour climb to get upto the top of the fort. Although everyone was already quite sapped, we did manage to do this quite fast simply because the end was in sight! The fort has a lot of plateau on top and crumbling stone walls and enclosures are all around. There is also an old Bhorai Devi temple and a new Shiv Temple, besides the houses for the caretakers. The picture shows an ancient stone pillar in front of the Bhorai temple. The current caretaker is an old lady, nearing 60 I guess, who tends a few cows and buffalos, and hosts any visitors who come to the fort. Another interesting point on the fort is Takmak Tok - a steep cliff which was used to punish the bad guys by pushing them over.

After resting at the house for a bit, we went around exploring and found the pond - the perfect coolant for our bodies after the heat of the day. Rushed back, got our luggage, refilled water in our bottles, and came back to the pond to set up camp. We chose the campsite close to the pond and then went right in to take a dip.

A few notes about the water ... The drinking water on Sudhagadh comes in multiple hues. The first bottle we got was clear water with a minimal number of floating particles, the kind you would get anywhere in the hinterland (this comes from a distant source). The next 3 bottles were a murky green color, and not for the consumption of the weak hearted (This is available closeby). Anyway, it all tasted like water, so we did not complain :)
The water in the pond is also a green color, which we figured could be because of the one foot thick deposit of slimy algae at the bottom, or deposits from the cows that had been in the area. In any case, we needed the dip, and did not stop to think. Post mortem, it couldn't have been bad, because noone complained of any skin irritation afterward.


Soon after, a fire was going and the tents were up. We were all changed into fresh clothes and salivating at the thought of maggi for dinner (A day-long diet of fruits is not something most Indians are cut out for!!!). Soon after, chief cook Jilson and his associates got on with the job and cooked up some really tasty maggi. AbdeAli took on the role of chief khajoor roaster ... awesome stuff but a delicate operation if you dont want to be eating a lot of ash. Soon we were all full and happy and ready to crash for the night!

The wind was conspicuously absent, surprising, after the performance it put on the whole afternoon! So we decided to sleep out in the open. We got the mats out and went down in a row. A couple of rounds of changes in position followed (to adjust for the land contours), and most of us were sleeping peacefully. Sony's radio gave us company all the while. We listened to the commentary of the India-Bangladesh match, only till we realised that India was going the familiar way.

There was an interruption in the middle of the night when some guys realised that it was cold enough to move back into the tent, others suddenly realised that they were sleeping very far away from the rest of the gang, and some others realised that there was another group of people across the pond shining torches! Too much activity to continue sleeping, so we got a fire going once again and chilled out for a little while more. By 1 in the night, everyone moved back into the tent and fell asleep once again.

Early morning, we got up, rolled up the tents and prepared ourselves some really awesome tea. Nature's calls answered, we trudged back to the caretaker house after cleaning up our campsite. Filled up a couple of bottles of water there, checked out the temple, and then started on our way back down to Thakurwadi. It was much easier work heading down, and inspite of 3 pairs of destroyed shoes, we got there in one hour flat. Avi was waiting for us at the same spot and it did not take too much time for us to load up our stuff and start on the way back. After a wada pav / cocktail / grocery shopping / tea stop in Pali and a total of two and a half hours on the road, we were back in Vashi.

Here's a tip ... Always end a trip with a hot water bath, a full meal, and a couple of hours sleep. It's a whole different experience! :)

Thursday, January 25, 2007

... They lied to me!

My last post was about Chembra ... but there's some inconsistency in the data. My GPS unit (which has been consistently showing correct readings) displayed 1850 meters on the peak, but Chembra is documented to be 2100 meters. Smell a fish?

I got back and did some research on the net and there's more people who have noticed this! And although it was misty at the peak, I do think I saw another peak taller than the one we were on! This is the explanation I believe ...

The real Chembra is in denser forest zone and the authorities want to keep people out of there ... which is why they sell the the relatively deforested Chembra to the outside world!!! This is where everyone goes, but is really about 250 meters less higher than the real Chembra!

Well ... that leaves another day for the real Chembra to be explored! Anyone interested?


... And I couldn't be unfair to Kerala, could I!!!?

The highest point in Kerala is Chembra peak, in Wayanad. It stands 2100 meters and is higher than both Kalsubai in Maharashtra (1640 meters), and Mullayangiri in Karnataka (1950 meters). Here's an account of our trip to Chembra. I got a guest writer this time ... Ujjwala Menon, who was good enough to pen her experience down for me.

Thanks Ujjwala ...

Wayanad : A trip to God’s Own country

Day 0: September 22, 2006
Time: 10:30 p.m.
Venue: Reception, The Senate, HCL Bangalore.

Well the moment of truth came and we all assembled there except for a few latecomers (Mr Manoop!!!) Our group comprised of a fair mix of South Indians with our trek leader (read Ajay) also being a mallu so the trip was smooth with no need for exercising our sign language capabilities.

The bus ride was fun but the luggage was overflowing due to the over planning of the enthusiastic first timers but it’s a known fact that we Indians adjust everywhere. So with rounds of intro and singing songs (all types!!!) we proceeded to Wayanad ...


Day 1: September 23, 2006
Time: 7:00 a.m.
Venue: PPS Holiday Home (Kalpetta)

All of us alighted half-slept yet full of excitement, and dumped our luggage in the rooms (which was a luxury according to the seniors) as the plans for camping had been cancelled due to reports of heavy rain, but thankfully the weather was just right. We had breakfast and proceeded towards Meppadi, the base of the Chembra peak where we got our lunch packed ...

Then through the winding roads and the amazing scenery around we proceeded towards the point where we had to start the trek (I don’t know the name) and so mission Chembra started. After a fun trek, we all managed to reach a height of 1650 meters above sea level. Our dear Manish had some teething troubles but he eventually made it under the able guidance of some of the co trekkers. The sights surrounding us were just amazing with the clouds coming on our faces. It was breathtakingly beautiful and the highlight of the trip was the heart shaped lake. It was very serene and these kind of sights make taking all the pains worthwhile.

We had our lunch there while the more enthusiastic chaps decided to get to the peak. It took them an hour to get to the peak (1835 meters) and back, by which time the rest of us had started the journey back. The path had become a little slippery after the slight drizzle and there was every possibility of finding leeches, but thankfully I encountered none. Later we had a grand dinner at the guest house with everybody hogging and the poor waiters running around all over the place to take our orders!!!


Day 2: September 24, 2006
Destination: Meenmutty Waterfalls.

Excited and stunned by the awesome trek of day 1 to the Chembra peak, all of us again braced ourselves for what seemed to be a light outing to see Meenmutty waterfalls.

We reached Vaduvanchal from where the vehicles could not go any further. The falls were a 1 km walk from here through coffee, cardamom and arecanut plantations, and we clicked a lot of photographs enjoying the pristine beauty of Kerala.

It had been raining the night before hence the path was a little slippery, and a local guide came in to take us till the falls. As we kept on walking the path started becoming narrower and winding but there was no sign of the falls!!! There was a deep valley on one side and we were walking on the other side. Then slowly the mud and grass gave way to rocks which were also slippery because of the rain. I was down on all fours and with ample help from my co-trekkers was able to climb down that stretch, there were times where the rocks were in an odd formation and you had to jump, or maybe slouch but it was very adventurous and slowly the sweet sound of water gushing was becoming louder. And then lo and behold there was an opening, and then we saw the virgin Meenmutty falls and the water gushing forth in abandoned joy.

The falls come down in 3 stages totalling a height of 300 meters. For the point we were at, we could only see the middle stage. More trekking needed to see the other stages of the falls, so we just decided to give it a pass :-)

We could not go near the water because the rocks were too slippery, we just stood there near the falls stunned by the beauty and everybody was overawed by the sight in front of us. We got wet simply by the shower sprayed when the water hits the rocks!!!

While going back it had started raining and the climb up the rocks was a little arduous. We reached our vehicle and then we all proceeded for an authentic lunch at a local restaurant in Vaduvanchal.

After lunch we proceeded to Kaduvakuzhi caves. The caves were discovered very recently and were named thus because of the leopard that inhabited the caves (Kaduva = Leopard, Kuzhi = hole in the ground). These are actually enormous underground caverns and the people we spoke to claimed that there were huge water bodies inside with fishes et al, but unfortunately we did not have the proper equipment and also we could not locate the cave mouths properly. Somewhere below us was the cavern we could not get to ... but the disappointment did not stop us from admiring the scenery and taking some very nice pictures. Finally, we left for Bangalore fulfilled after the awesome time we had.

Eagerly awaiting the next trip ...




Tuesday, January 23, 2007

And then there is the real top ...

Mullayangiri peak (seen in the background with the house on top) is the highest point in Karnataka ...

The top of Karnataka - atleast effort wise!!!

Since I've already touched upon the top of Maharashtra, I should also talk about the top of Karnataka. It's not really the highest point, but for sheer effort required, Kumara Parvata tops anything else in Karnataka. Easily the most spectacular trek in Karnataka ...

I'm not going to waste too many words blogging this, because my good friend Madhavan already did! He's better at writing, and he's a pro at photography, so go right ahead and read about our 15-Dec-2006 trip to KP.

Monday, January 22, 2007

The top of Maharshtra

I'm not bound by the corporate work week anymore. So when I decide to trek upto Kalsubai, 14-Jan is as good a day for me as any other! And fortunately, because it's a Sunday, I get Kavi's company. Kavi was scheduled to pick me up from Kopar Khairane at 0600 hrs, and she was right on time. Not much to prepare since it was a day trip. We had all the necessary arrangements done on the previous evening, and once I was in the car, all we had to do was drive up to the base village.

At 1640 meters, Kalsubai is the tallest peak in Maharashtra. At the peak is a small temple to the goddess Kalsubai, and a spectacular view of the surrounding areas! The prominent peaks that can be seen from Kalsubai are Madangadh, Kulang, Alang, Ghanchakkar, and Ratangadh. Also visible are Arthur lake (Bhandardara dam) to the south and Belae lake to the north.

Although there are a lot of tracks to get to the peak, the main trekking route starts in the village of Bari. To get there, drive on along NH-3 through Igatpuri upto Ghoti (12 kms from Igatpuri), and take the diversion to Sinnar / Sangamner. Just past the Belae lake which is visible on the left side, the road to Sangamner takes off to the right. The surefire way to not miss this turn is to keep following the signboards to Bhandardara. Bari is about 30 kms from Ghoti along this road.

Negotiating the life-threatening traffic and frustrating traffic jams of NH-3, we reached Bari at around 1100 hours and were promptly hijacked by a local chap waiting to make some money! It's always a good idea to pay a local to look after your vehicle while you are gone, but be circumspect on who you pick for the job. Some of these guys will try to fleece you while generally imposing on you and being a pain in the ass! Anyway, assured that the car is safe, we carried on along the track as directed by the local chap.

A little way on into the trek is the first landmark, a small temple with a courtyard. A nice place to rest (although you would not be tired enough yet!) and get some limbu paani. It's important to stock up on drinking water around here. Once you get a little further up, there's no drinking water available.

The track continues from behind the temple and goes pretty much straight up the mountain. This could be classified as an easy trek, except for a few steep sections. Some portions of the track are also loose stones and gravel making the climb slightly tricky. To aid the climber in the 3 steepest sections are metal ladders that look quite rickety to the eye, but rest assured, can support a reasonable sized human.

Enterprising locals sell limbu paani along the way. We stopped at 2 places to rest and soak in the scenery while sipping on the refreshing juice! Though the locals claimed that it was possible to get to the peak in 2 hours and 30 minutes, it took us a full 3 hours to get there (thanks to Kavi's bad shoes). It's been a year since I've been telling her to get better shoes, and considering that the shoes are finally coming in next week, we should be making another trip to see if she fares any better (Not that I expect a hugely improved performance! As they say in Hindi "Nach na jaane, aangan tedha!" :-p).

Fifteen minutes from the peak is a plateau, pretty spread out, and there's a well here with very cool water. On this plateau is a huge block of basaltic rock which rises up to form the peak of Kalsubai. After splashing ourselves with some water, we moved on to cover the final bit. The block of rock would need some pretty smart climbing if it were not for the ladder installed, and getting to the top is really simple business. 1415 hours we were at the temple.

After checking out the temple and soaking in the scenery, we took out our lunch pack (that's just a loaf of bread, some mint chutney, and a couple of apples). Lunch done, Kavi rested and took in the breeze while I referred to my hand drawn map to try and spot all the landmarks around (I did spot most of the peaks mentioned earlier in the post ... which speaks well for my spotting, as well as my map drawing abilities! :-)).

We did not have too much time as we wanted to get back home for dinner, so we started our walk back at 1500 hours. With the slippery paths, it took us longer than required to get down, but in 2 hours we reached our first landmark of the day - the temple behind the village. Our limbu paani seller's house was right next to the temple and we decided to take his invite for tea. We were served the usual sweet concoction that passes for tea in most of Maharashtra's rural areas (always wondered why they drink that stuff!!!!!), and after a small chat with our friendly hosts, we left to get the car.

It took us a bit to vasool our 20 rupees change from the missing car watcher's father, and it was 1800 hours when we finally started on our way back to Bombay. The sun had already gone down behind Kalsubai and the first half hour's drive was like a dream in pleasant twilight. Dreams seldom last very long though, and we hit NH-3 within the hour!!!

It was 2200 hours when I finally got off the car at Airoli bridge and said goodbye to Kavi. A good day's trekking done, I took a bus back home while the blue swift headed off home towards Worli ...