tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31872275978172692202024-02-20T15:54:03.633+05:30www.timetotravel.co.inGet up early, pack your bags, catch that early train, as its time to travel. But, How to go ? Are there any places to eat? What are the places to see ? These are the questions we often face before we embark on a trip. There are a lot of sources available on the net. However, not every source gives us the detail that we need. This blog intends to address all that. The places, the food, the costs, the journey, the adventure.If you wish to support this blog hit the like button.Enjoy reading.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-52387505444094885372019-05-15T08:21:00.152+05:302022-01-30T10:26:34.250+05:30Uttarakhand VI - Badrinath<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYQ-ieuhVYYv_-kyr5TmE9VGt0tv3EZOXCAQ0oJDuCDfIuEl_8oFzLtQW5czFiLtQOrtBXLYa9wS0tYmZmll7_FOP2yxTeEdaxHKBYH6FC-rsiDH-iAN_SX9mgTq4-jOsUHQU24nJJvHE0I23nBDaiCBslnabFIbNP3UwSBdeB94zoGuBfo-guVnAA=s1200" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYQ-ieuhVYYv_-kyr5TmE9VGt0tv3EZOXCAQ0oJDuCDfIuEl_8oFzLtQW5czFiLtQOrtBXLYa9wS0tYmZmll7_FOP2yxTeEdaxHKBYH6FC-rsiDH-iAN_SX9mgTq4-jOsUHQU24nJJvHE0I23nBDaiCBslnabFIbNP3UwSBdeB94zoGuBfo-guVnAA=w400-h300" title="Chopta" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Chopta</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Prelude</b> It was around 8 in the morning, that I woke up only to find my friend missing.
As I came out of the room, I could see a couple of my friends had pulled out
some chairs and were seated on the balcony. Oddly enough, they were not talking
and just watching outside. It made me wonder why. I moved
towards them to see what had grasped their attention. With every step
towards them, my curiosity only grew. And as I entered the balcony, the
realization dawned upon me and it all made perfect sense, why they weren’t speaking
a word. The views that we were greeted to had stunned me as well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We were so tired from our excursions from the previous two days,
physically as well as mentally, that no one was in the right frame of mind for
yet another trek. The most adventurous friend of the group was down with a slight
fever. With that, our plans for the Tungnath - Chandrashila trek were put to
rest. So, everyone had decided to take it easy and wake up late. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chopta, the paradise</span></b><span style="color: black;"> Although we couldn’t make much of the hotel
surroundings the previous night due to darkness, the morning sunlight had
revealed the location's ethereal beauty. And it is this beauty that had stunned
us all. In front of us, was a meadow, surrounded by tall deodar trees on all
sides. A small stream of water passed through the meadow. On the left side,
there were an array of tents. Our driver had stayed in one of them. If the
visuals were not spectacular enough, the morning was greeted with a cacophony
of chirping birds. The place was famous for bird watching in <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1597077-d4137887-r281397975-Chopta-Ukhimath_Rudraprayag_District_Uttarakhand.html">Chopta</a>. It was
called Duggalbitta. And to make the atmosphere a notch higher, there was
a trickling sound of water bodies nearby. For once, it made sense to not
speak a word and just soak in all the sights and sounds. The surreal sights,
coupled with the fresh mountain breeze along with the good night’s rest had
energized our tired bodies and minds, except for our bellies.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In such a nice environment, what better than Aloo parathas for
breakfast. Well, it also happened to be the only item on the menu. We asked the
hotel room service to put our dining table out in the open air. The experience
of eating out in the environment that we were in had its unique charm. And we
surely didn't want to miss one bit of the atmosphere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1wKCDA2N-jo7d31XoL9lE_inwzvSlYT1oB6IFIO7P8Io0cIVyBjOCr_j9F_VzJ5pxq4F0SLjTWixi_QPw5Z9GZ02Sq6zsdVSLoCOSTxrBtvF55o5zj2hfiK161pg-ItLKP3Z3T2w33DhMUtdJmxI9Gd9GWGs2esKckqvbpoFGA_zpse9N4AD1CTCL=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1wKCDA2N-jo7d31XoL9lE_inwzvSlYT1oB6IFIO7P8Io0cIVyBjOCr_j9F_VzJ5pxq4F0SLjTWixi_QPw5Z9GZ02Sq6zsdVSLoCOSTxrBtvF55o5zj2hfiK161pg-ItLKP3Z3T2w33DhMUtdJmxI9Gd9GWGs2esKckqvbpoFGA_zpse9N4AD1CTCL=w400-h300" title="Garhwal views" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Garhwal</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After a sumptuous breakfast, we got ready for our onward journey. Some
of us had to take bath with cold water, as the hotel couldn’t arrange for hot
water. One of the rooms bathroom pipes was broken and the hotel guys took them
some time to fix it. And the worst was still to come. The hotel bill. They had
charged exorbitantly. All that delayed us further. What a pity, such a
beautiful surrounding, but, poorly managed hotel. Finally, we left for a rather
long road trip from Chopta to Badrinath. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The route was rather long with a lot of twists and turns. On the way, we
took halts for snacks and lunch and lots of photos, such were the views. Must
say, the Garhwal belt of Uttarakhand offers stunning views at every nook and
corner. As we went higher, the chillier it got. Everyone got their jumpers and
jackets on. We reached Badrinath at around 8 PM. We didn’t have a hotel
booking. We enquired at a few hotels and finally settled for one on the main
road closer to the temple. After having a light dinner, we all retired into our
rooms.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Badrinath<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As expected at this time of the year, Badrinath was brimming with
people. There were devotees all around. The next day, as we got ready and came
out of our hotels, we could see the surreal beauty of the place. Nestled in
between mountains all around. We could see the snow-capped peaks of different
mountains, with the morning sun shining bright on them. Neelkantha peak was the
most prominent of them, right behind the temple. The holy town was on the banks
of the river Alaknanda.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiepe23hsqlt3c2fC9TYk_fZfuUobHW-XeMlvPJj9kksfgpK2V7q8Y4KonkErfgkHRjRE_jj32_VDxDrofoZ8B_fOiW-Njbmls94B7QWRN4tsmOqLON28ggF7MoBMO5wDZ4eynXfEZEDcemZCYCRoEKRezb5jLPCyq3f4nNmaRyMuWv8_VMCeJnyaWq=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiepe23hsqlt3c2fC9TYk_fZfuUobHW-XeMlvPJj9kksfgpK2V7q8Y4KonkErfgkHRjRE_jj32_VDxDrofoZ8B_fOiW-Njbmls94B7QWRN4tsmOqLON28ggF7MoBMO5wDZ4eynXfEZEDcemZCYCRoEKRezb5jLPCyq3f4nNmaRyMuWv8_VMCeJnyaWq=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Badrinath</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Considered as part of the Chota Char Dham yatra, <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Attraction_Review-g1091050-d3368896-Reviews-Shri_Badrinath_Ji_Temple-Badrinath_Chamoli_District_Uttarakhand.html" target="_blank">Badrinath </a>has attracted
millions of devotees, every year for centuries. Badrinath Dham is dedicated to
Lord Vishnu. Also known as Badri Vishal, there are multiple legends of the
name. There is one legend that goes like, Goddess Lakshmi appearing in the form
of a Badri (wild berry) tree around Lord Vishnu while he was meditating to protect him from
the cold winds. The other legend, mentioned <o:p></o:p></span>in the Puranas, was that the temple
was named by Nar and Narayana, the sons of Dharmaraja along with the other four
Badris (temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu) in the vicinity of the Alakhnanda
River. There is a famous pilgrim circuit that follows the different Badris,
known as Panch Badri.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The temple was not visible from the road near our hotel. We had to move
ahead and cross the river over a bridge to reach the other side, where the
famous temple resided. As we moved near the bridge, the temple was visible now.
The sight of the temple had made us forget all our tiredness. The temple was a
huge and colourful, standing elegantly tall midst of the snow-capped peaks. As
we crossed the bridge, we could see the might of the Alaknanda river flowing in
its full might. A few devotees were taking bath near the banks of the holy river. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNmEcx85g4iJ2vdeTWPMG-25XFndteLav2OpyFJ-lT56zv8T7hW-K4jnut-4FqG0zww76CFC0PgcYSIOFDlGmhhhQPhBiX-Ds3qnqtBNdZ0R8rZVTnJDH72-1vTw2V3gRjXYcX6OzX_oh1DEntl-thJzE9Dt5yv9LijbM7YlmakbxHRn1DSTe-rAEI=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNmEcx85g4iJ2vdeTWPMG-25XFndteLav2OpyFJ-lT56zv8T7hW-K4jnut-4FqG0zww76CFC0PgcYSIOFDlGmhhhQPhBiX-Ds3qnqtBNdZ0R8rZVTnJDH72-1vTw2V3gRjXYcX6OzX_oh1DEntl-thJzE9Dt5yv9LijbM7YlmakbxHRn1DSTe-rAEI=w400-h300" title="Badrinath Dham" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Badrinath Dham</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: black;">Darshan</span></b><span style="color: black;"> We soon reached the temple. A small queue had formed near the temple.
We too joined the queue. We bought a few prasad items from the shops lined up
near the queue. There was good security and management of the queue by the
temple authorities. This helped the queue move quickly. Soon we found ourselves
inside the temple complex. And in a matter of time, we had entered the inner
sanctum of the temple. We had our darshan. Although there was some jostling and
pushing around, overall it was a pleasant darshan. Within the temple complex,
there were a few smaller temples, apart from the main temple. After the darshan
in all the temples, we had the prasad and finally came out. Camera, phones were
not allowed inside the temple complex. So, finally, we took some photos from
outside the temple. With this Darshan, the core agenda of our journey had
completed. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Mana Village</b> After our Darshan, we moved to <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUserReviews-g1091050-d4096907-r280097931-Bheem_Pul-Badrinath_Chamoli_District_Uttarakhand.html">Mana Village</a>. Just a few km away, Mana
Village can be reached by car. It was a beautiful border village, termed as the
last village of India, beyond which was our neighbouring country, Tibet. The views were stunning. After
spending around a half-hour there, we returned to the hotel. We had a light
breakfast, packed our stuff and started our return journey. And it was going to
be a long and tiring one. However, the anticipation of our next destination
gave us some solace - Rishikesh.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaKJEgXGRnSqQ2o3kK9UyklKCP4YULf9lXZc5Yoe5DwXbSv-YnThG-KDMVZBpIns5tdp2RMZ45h3KIqNmWJTbT97Qk_poW2IpGef2OnMIoOSBkjTQ54FBIZE4mqnRP25i9vH4XVuf0MxJ705vhMcw__h6WUbmQymLWAEpGN1Gr4yTOO_EBygerGH__=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaKJEgXGRnSqQ2o3kK9UyklKCP4YULf9lXZc5Yoe5DwXbSv-YnThG-KDMVZBpIns5tdp2RMZ45h3KIqNmWJTbT97Qk_poW2IpGef2OnMIoOSBkjTQ54FBIZE4mqnRP25i9vH4XVuf0MxJ705vhMcw__h6WUbmQymLWAEpGN1Gr4yTOO_EBygerGH__=w400-h300" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Mana village</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">References: </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana,_India</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badrinath</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Badrinath, Uttarakhand 246422, India30.7433085 79.4937633999999922.4330746638211558 44.337513399999992 59.05354233617885 114.65001339999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-51819395184904327362019-05-14T20:34:00.000+05:302020-06-01T09:44:03.861+05:30Uttarakhand V - Kedarnath Temple Darshan Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbudL6RhbXuoIlzyQVkGogECNQCJggqQG7exHDTEm4mL2CQzi9vd0aK8TwrT2CXgZ_nGo0f6gE7LBQdTCOKdSYTH94AJDA_QHkBjqE3dFPYM3s-_4vRDoOUNP9u0djwiXN_e4Ag9FhggA/s1600/IMG-20190621-WA0001.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbudL6RhbXuoIlzyQVkGogECNQCJggqQG7exHDTEm4mL2CQzi9vd0aK8TwrT2CXgZ_nGo0f6gE7LBQdTCOKdSYTH94AJDA_QHkBjqE3dFPYM3s-_4vRDoOUNP9u0djwiXN_e4Ag9FhggA/s640/IMG-20190621-WA0001.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<b>Prelude </b>After a dramatic night, we were all excited and looking forward to the darshan at the famous temple. We had to get tokens for the darshan. The token would have the time of the darshan. So, the earlier you would stand in the queue, the sooner you will get the Darshan. So, we decided to wake up at 4:00 am and get into the queue early. However, we discovered getting ready so early wasn't as easy as we thought. The water was too cold for us to take a bath or brush, and to make matters worse, there was no electricity. However, we took turns and got ourselves ready to face the most important day of the tour.<br />
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<b>Chaos before the start</b> - Just before getting on the walk towards the temple, there were steps leading up to the place. Just below the stairs, the organizers made makeshift arrangements for distributing tokens. Handling the large crowd of devotees proved to be extremely difficult for the organizers. There was no queue, no proper communication. The organizers, two of them, ended up being helpless in front of the crowds of devotees demanding tokens. It took them an extreme step of stopping all distribution of tokens for a few minutes to force the devotees to come in proper queues. Soon, we got our darshan tokens and the time listed was 11:00 am. The time when we would get to witness the most famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyotirlinga" target="_blank">Jythorlinga</a>.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZU54w5KVyDzhuvOdwz7Wz8dqLpm0XS8pL8WgUbRgjFAsDxZp0SDso05gXtdGnLrGjrG8TIiylyHNZaZP4iEDdKP-s5jbNWHtBivaJtFIqWfyFQZ7ThwkiRi3SqjhaJ4NDSe-knwoyrA/s1600/IMG-20190517-WA0134.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZU54w5KVyDzhuvOdwz7Wz8dqLpm0XS8pL8WgUbRgjFAsDxZp0SDso05gXtdGnLrGjrG8TIiylyHNZaZP4iEDdKP-s5jbNWHtBivaJtFIqWfyFQZ7ThwkiRi3SqjhaJ4NDSe-knwoyrA/s400/IMG-20190517-WA0134.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kedarnath temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>A magnificent view </b>- This was the first time, we were getting close to the temple. As we went closer, the anticipation only got stronger. A lot of unexplained emotions passed our minds. And what a magnificent sight it was!! At 3500m above sea level, with a backdrop of snow-clad mountains on all the sides, the whispering sound of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandakini_River" target="_blank">Mandakini </a>river looking pristine and flowing peacefully beside, the white sheet of clouds around the famous temple. No sight of flora or fauna as far as the eye could see. Behind was the famous boulder that stopped the raging floods of 2013 and protected the temple. In front of the temple was firmly seated, the Nandi bull, guarding the temple diligently. Right in the centre of all this, was this elegantly standing ancient structure - The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kedarnath_Temple" target="_blank">Kedarnath </a>temple. One of the twelve jyotirlingas and the most famous and also the highest of them. The air was filled with divine energies and one could feel the intense spiritual reverberations that filled the atmosphere around the much-sought temple. The feeling was unexplainable, surreal, just of the world. All the hardships vanished in a moment. It was all about this moment.<br />
<br />
As we were soaking in the majestic sight, our attention went towards the queue that was beginning to form next to the temple. Must say the concept of tokens is still very nascent in religious places. Although the tokens are meant for a specific time, people ended up joining the queue, even if their darshan time was later. This was followed with the unnecessary pushing and pulling. As it slowly started to drizzle, I volunteered to stand in the queue, while my friends went back to the cottage to get the rainy wear. I took some prasad items and waited for my friends to turn up. Every raindrop felt like ice, my patience was wearing thin. I called up my friends asking them to hurry up. There was chaos there, with the indicator not working, no one to inform, whether to stand or not. After they arrived, I explained the situation. They too joined me for a brief while. With all the jostling around, it didn't make any sense to stand there in the rain. We got out of the queue, with a bit of despondency, hoping for a miracle.<br />
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<b>Darshan </b>- We stood under a shelter for some time. The rains were having a field day. When the rains reduced, we moved out. We were just wandering around the temple when suddenly, we saw an opening and we entered the queue again. The security guard just asked us to show our tokens and allowed us to enter. And soon we entered the famous temple. There were statues of deities all around the temple. The temple itself was made of rock with unique carvings on the inner walls. The sight within was stunning. The intensity of the place kept getting stronger, people raising slogans hailing the Lord, "Bolo Shankar Bhagwan ki Jai!!!" Things moved quickly and soon we found ourselves in the inner sanctum. Immersed in the hymns of the Lord, devotees were offering prasad, milk, fruits & flowers or just prayers. The pujaris and some of the temple volunteers were there to handle them. Although the crowds were huge, they didn't show any signs of stress. They made sure everyone got a few minutes at least. We made a pradarshan (circumambulation) around the famous linga. We even got a chance to bow down and touch the linga with our foreheads. The pujari applied a holy tilak on our foreheads, a sign of the blessing of the Lord. And within no time, we made our way out.<br />
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<b>Return -</b> I waited for my friends, just outside the temple, under a shelter, since the rains were persistent, soaking in the fact that we had nice darshan. After a while, I got a call from one of my friends, he was back in the cottage. Probably, I missed seeing them coming out. He informed me, the other friend was still at the temple, searching for his shoes. I found him & helped him in the search but for no avail. We returned back and packed our stuff. We enquired with a few horse wallas if they could take us back down to Gaurikund. We had decided to take it easy on our way down as we didn't want to exert ourselves too much. Although, one friend chose to return back walking. Luckily, we found a few horse pullers who were ready to take us. We took some pictures. It was getting chillier a bit, looked like it was going to be a day of rain. And just before we started our descent, we took one last look back at the temple and wondered, will we ever return here again?<br />
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<b>Journey to Gaurikund </b>The journey down was rather smooth, with the dandi (horse puller) telling us the story of 2013 floods. There was a light drizzle throughout the day. We felt relieved it didn't rain much the previous day when we were on the ascent and that too by foot. We hardly took any break and in a matter of 4-5 hours, we were back at the base, Gaurikund. We had some tea and Maggi in one of the eateries there. The mobile network was bad and we were unable to connect to our friend, who was trekking down. There was a huge queue with yatris waiting for a ride back to Sonprayag. So, we decided to walk down. We had just started, and we found ourselves being asked by a driver if we wanted a ride back. He was escorting some family members down and didn't want his empty seats to go wasted. Without a second thought, we hopped in. As we were on the move, some people who were walking down, ran and got themselves latched on to the vehicle. With the twists and turns, there were calls of oohs and aahs from all of us, especially from the ones who were hanging out. And within 15-20 mins we were in Sonprayag. As we waited for our other friend, we collected some cash from ATM that had some moolah refilled. Our driver too, who had completed the yatra was back early and relaxing in the vehicle. After some time, our friend who walked all the way from Kedarnath to Sonprayag arrived. He was completely exhausted with the exertion. We gave him some time to freshen up and take a breather before we started our journey.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Triyuginarayan temple</td></tr>
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<b>Triyuginarayan </b>Although, we had to pick up our friend, who had to abort his yatra in Gaurikund, along the way, before we could do that, we had taken a detour to go to the famous temple called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triyuginarayan_Temple" target="_blank">Triyuginarayan</a>. After a hectic couple of days, we were pleasantly surprised with the route. Quiet and empty roads, no honking cars, fresh breeze flowing, tall trees on the sides and scenic views. Within half an hour, we reached Triyuginarayan, which was another ancient temple. Lord Shiva and Parvati were married there. It is said, the fire from their marriage burns even today. The temple complex had a few smaller temples and the main one. We had offered our prayers in those temples. It was a quaint little temple, secluded and peaceful. The views around were fantastic too. Strangely though, in a remote place that it was, there was some police bandobast (arrangements), which was quite unusual. We couldn't figure why, but, soon, we discovered the reason. Check out the picture and figure out for yourself.<br />
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<b>Travel to Chopta - </b>We picked up our friend, whom we had to leave behind in Gaurikund, his hotel was on the way to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopta" target="_blank">Chopta</a>. We had booked our night stay in Chopta. He had quite a story to tell, where he stayed, how he got there, whom he met. Apparently, the place he ended up was actually on the backside of a helipad. So, he had a busy day. We have had some tea and biscuits along the way. Much of our journey to Chopta was spent sharing the events of the day, eventually, all of us dozed off. It was that kind of the tiring day.<br />
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<b>Drama in Chopta</b><br />
We woke up all of a sudden. It was middle of the night with neither light nor a sound. We were in Chopta. Chopta has no power supply, hotels, a few though, ran on solar power. Pitch dark with not a soul in sight. Except of course the stars, shining brighter than ever. The driver looked confused. We were wondering if we were in the right place. We got down from our vehicles and tried to stop a few vehicles on the way, but, they wouldn't stop. Network signals were sparse. As per the driver, we had reached the destination, but, our hotel was nowhere in sight. We had seen signs of wild animals in the vicinity, mostly bears, along the way. So, that ran at the back of our minds, as we got down from the car. As we were searching around, we found the board of the hotel. The hotel was not on the road, but, slightly inside. And one had to slowly get their car down a slope to reach the hotel. The hotel was known to be a spa-cum-resort that offered herbal massage and also organized treks to nearby places, the most famous one being the Tungnath trek. We could see the hotel from a distance. It had neatly arranged tents to one side of the hotel, with tall trees all around. Our anticipation of getting a nice herbal massage after tiresome days just brightened up.<br />
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<b>Hotel unforgettable</b><br />
As we entered the hotel, we were greeted by the hotel manager also a special guest, who was waiting for us in our room. One may say, we were a bit rude, but we had to push the guest out. That gave us an idea of the beauty of the hotel. Must say, the hotel was beyond our expectations. It gave the best experience of wilderness, no electricity, cold water, a furry cat running all over the hotel, perhaps, she got interested in the curry, and a few other guests and the different sights and sounds that were on offer, absolutely free. The saving grace was the food, the cook prepared a nice meal which helped us get over the hardships of the last few days and also the unique experience of the hotel. We all had a huge laugh over the situation we found ourselves in. <a href="https://www.euttaranchal.com/hotels/mayadeep-herbal-resort-chopta.php" target="_blank">Hotel Mayadeep Chopta</a> is a hotel, we can never forget. Well, not for the right reasons though !!! With that, the most important day of the tour came to a closure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special Guest in hotel</td></tr>
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<b>Next up</b> - Travel to Badrinath and darshan<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Kedarnath, Uttarakhand 246445, India30.7346267 79.066894330.727802699999998 79.0568093 30.7414507 79.0769793tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-90134622981649862512019-05-13T11:00:00.000+05:302020-05-31T19:15:43.807+05:30Uttarakhand IV - Kedarnath trek<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kedarnath trek</td></tr>
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<b>Prelude</b>: It had slowly started to drizzle. At the height of 10000ft above sea level, each raindrop feels like ice. I turned around to look out for our pitthu (porter). He was carrying a huge trekking bag which had all our stuff. But, now, the porter was nowhere in sight. As the rain got heavier, it started a cacophony of events. People were covering themselves with raincoats, children crying, parents trying to console them & covering them up, horses slipping a step, grumpy old people cursing the weather. My friend too covered himself up with his raincoat, I had none. I had taken it off and given it to our porter, due to the extra weight while walking. We quickly went under a shelter and waited for him. The porter had been walking along with us most of the time. We were sure that he hadn't crossed us. So, we waited there for a few minutes. As patience began to wear thin, there was a sinking feeling, what if the porter had moved ahead and we just missed noticing him moving ahead. My friend and I looked at each other, it was a deja vu moment for us, our minds flooded back with memories of <a href="https://www.timetotravel.co.in/2011/06/north-tour-2011-diary-iii-amarnath.html" target="_blank">Amarnath Yatra in 2011</a>.<br />
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<b>GMVN Rampur to Sonprayag</b>: Our day didn't start that dramatically. We had planned to get up early and leave by 5. Although we did get up early, it did take us some time to get ready. The geyser wasn't working as efficiently. We had to wait for some time till the water heated up for our bath. As time was getting lost, I thought, no point in waiting, I took the plunge with cold water, and it was a real shock, to say the least. We had a cup of tea, some biscuits, packed our bags & checked out from the cottage. We had put on some extra layers of warm clothing. After taking some pictures, we started for Sonprayag. From GMVN Rampur, the journey to Sonprayag is a downhill ride of around 5 km. We had a brief halt due to traffic of vehicles ferrying yatris going towards <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonprayag" target="_blank">Sonprayag</a>. We dreaded the worst, but luckily the traffic couldn't bother us much, as it soon got moving, and we reached our destination. We parked our vehicle in the Sonprayag parking lot. It was a huge one with cars, jeeps, tempo travellers, even buses parked there. We took our trekking bags & marched ahead to Sonprayag.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queue for shared taxi at Sonprayag</td></tr>
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<b>Sonprayag</b> was a typical base town for a trek. There were shops, eateries, security arrangements everywhere. The shops had all the things a trekker may want, at nominal prices too. One could buy woollens, caps, scarfs, shawls, jackets, gloves, shoes, even trekking bags & walking sticks. We did some shopping there. The town was brimming with yatris which included senior citizens, families, kids, groups, locals. They were seen everywhere. There were huge queues of yatris near the registration office to book palkis, dolis, to register themselves for the Yatra. It is mandatory to register oneself for the yatra. Since we had already completed our registration formalities <a href="http://onlinechardhamyatra.in/" target="_blank">online</a>, we were spared the queue. We enquired regarding the booking of horses, dolis & other modes of transport for completing the yatra. We were informed, all modes of transport were booked for the day. And we could try our luck at Gaurikund. So, we joined the long queue for Government-run shared taxis to reach Gaurikund. We took turns and had our breakfast. It was good old Maggi. It took us an hour and a half to get our ride. We all cramped inside the vehicle, a Bolero which had more passengers than usual, and started our journey to Gaurikund. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gaurikund</td></tr>
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<b>Gaurikund</b>: The journey from Sonprayag to Gaurikund was 5-6 km. Our vehicle went spirally upwards into the mountains and we reached there in 10 minutes. We stopped slightly behind, because of the traffic ahead. We got down from our vehicles and moved ahead. We were greeted with a huge green colour signboard showing the distance to Kedarnath was 16 km. That was an indication that our Yatra had started. It gave us all a reason for excitement, as this was it. All the planning, exercise, struggles, discussions, etc. was for this journey. Gaurikund was pretty much on an incline. As we went up, we could see hotels, shops on the sides. Apart from the yatris, there were a lot of porters, horse pullers, flocking the place. On the right side, was the Mandakini river flowing with all its might. The famous kund was next to it. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauri_Kund" target="_blank">Gaurikund</a> is actually a hot water spring. A friend went to have a bath in the kund. Bathing in it is supposed to have medicinal benefits. </div>
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<b>A sad moment</b>: We were all on a high to start the journey. However, our excitement didn't last long. We soon discovered, there were no horses. One friend was badly hit with this unexpected development. He had planned to do the yatra on the horse. We asked a few horse pullers, doli lifters & porters coming from Kedarnath if they could take another trip to the top. There were no positive answers. We were hit with a roadblock even before our journey started. As we were deliberating on how to help our friend, that's when he said, in a sombre tone, "You guys go ahead. Don't waste more time for me". We all looked at him in shock. It was he who initiated the plan, every time the plan was in danger of going astray, it was he who stood rock solid and helped the plan to go through. And now destiny had other plans. We persuaded him to walk a few km, what if we find a horse ahead. However, he stood firm, as it was not possible for him to trek. So, we had to move ahead without him. He gave away the dry fruits, biscuits and even a head torch to us, which he had bought with childlike excitement. It was a sad moment. We all embraced once and wished him to take care. And just before wishing us goodbye, he broke into a cry to motivate us, "Bholenath baba ki Jai !!!".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route map</td></tr>
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<b>The start of the journey</b>: We recruited a pitthu (porter) to carry our luggage, as we ended up packing more than needed. The initial part of the yatra was smooth with hardly any stumbling blocks, however, we were still not ready to accept that our friend was not making the journey. We, ourselves kept asking doli lifters, horse pullers if they could take another trip. We enquired with our friend if he was able to find any mode of transport, hoping he would still make it. The regret of not starting earlier consumed us. It was only when he mentioned, he planned to go away from Gaurikund-Sonprayag to some neighbouring village for night stay, that's when it finally dawned upon us, that, he wouldn't make it. From there on, our focus shifted to our own yatra. Must admit much of the route didn't require any herculean efforts. It was a smooth walk, and we enjoyed it at a leisurely pace, with frequent breaks to quench our thirst and give our legs and lungs a breather. We had our lunch at a restaurant in Jungle Chatti. The menu was basic with few chappatis with two curries and dal rice.</div>
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One friend amongst us decided to move ahead, after lunch, as he didn't want to take too many breaks. He felt it disturbed his rhythm. Most of the time, the pitthu was walking along with us. There was a drama some time in the middle, where we couldn't find him. We were not sure if he had gone ahead or left behind. After a brief wait, we moved ahead, only to find him seated in the sitting area ahead waiting for us. Apparently, we missed seeing him move ahead. In Kedarnath yatra, at every few km, there is a shelter with seats for people to relax, some tea stalls, juice sellers etc. Kedarnath yatra was well managed. Intermittently, we would call our friend who had gone ahead, to enquire where he was. The network is intermittent in the hills. Although we were walking at a brisk pace, as we moved higher, I could feel something amiss in the air. Oxygen probably. It got steeper in some patches, nothing alarming though. But, slowed us down to some extent. </div>
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<b>An unexpected development</b>: As it turned to dusk, with the sun giving away the last rays for the day, so were our bodies and mind. The strenuous journey had taken a toll on us. Breaks got longer, walks became shorter. We were somewhere between Bheembali and Lilcholi. That's when we called our friend who had gone ahead. He was already at Kedarnath Base camp. It was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but, he seemed perplexed. He informed the place where we booked our stay for the night, Kedardome cottages were still 5 km away. That stunned us. We were already struggling way behind. And to hear that we still had 5 more km to cover was difficult to come to terms to. Some tent wala at Kedarnath base camp had suggested our friend take accommodation there. We put our friend on standby. I and the friend who was with me all the time, had a discussion, to check if we both were prepared to walk an additional 5 km. After having consensus, we asked our friend to move ahead. No matter what it takes, we will join him at Kedardome cottage. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slippery route</td></tr>
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<b>The last leg</b>: With that determination, we entered the last leg of the yatra. We took certain shortcuts at Lilcholi, that saved us some time. There was an icy slippery patch after Lilcholi. There was ice on all sides, even on the path, which had almost everyone slipping, even horses. To make matters worse, it was pitch dark. One wrong foot, we would have slipped. We negotiated that patch very carefully. The head torch was very useful there, thanks to our friend who couldn't make it. In fact, it helped everyone around. Once, we crossed that stretch, and a few steep climbs later, we reached Kedarnath base camp. It was a huge campsite, although not as big as Lilcholi. It had a lot of facilities, like food, first aid, etc. However, we had to move ahead. Kedardome cottages were very close to the temple. We could see the Kedarnath temple very clearly now. All our pains, niggles, breathlessness had ceased to exist. The route was mostly flat with hardly any incline. And soon we reached our stay rather quicker than expected. The journey from Kedarnath base camp to Kedardome cottage was hardly a couple of km. The tent wala at Kedarnath base camp had misinformed our friend earlier, probably to fill up a few additional berths. The decision to move ahead was the right one.<br />
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<b>Cottage and final drama in the night</b>: Since our friend had already registered on our behalf, we straightway went to our cottage. We were in Cottage number 14. The cottage was made of wood, which protected us well from the cold, icy weather outside. Each cottage had around 16 bunk beds, although not fully occupied. The beds were neatly arranged with blankets, rugs, pillows etc. Our friend had already cuddled into one. As we were tired, we skipped our dinner and just hit the sack. I found it very inconvenient, with breathlessness in the low oxygen atmosphere, both outside the cottage and very much inside it, in the closed environment. After much discomfort, I decided to walk out and see if I could find a doctor to check for any remedy. I couldn't find any. In fact, not a single soul. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I saw one yatri. I couldn't stop myself from narrating the problem. He advised me to first remove all the extra warm clothes and then he gave me some camphor to smell, which is a natural remedy for the breathlessness. That made me feel much better. As I turned around to thank him, he was already gone. Who was he, where he disappeared remains a mystery. I returned to our cottage and this time slept near the door, keeping it slightly ajar. Others were already snoring.<br />
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We had seen so much drama, adventure, some highs and some lows, some decisions turning out good and some bad during the day. It was the best preparation for the next day - the day of darshan. We were at the doorstep of one of the panch kedars, the most famous of the Char Dhams, at 11000 ft above sea level, in hostile conditions, with ice and snow all around, low oxygen with neither a leaf nor an animal around. The place had seen so much a few years ago, miraculously saved by the grace of the almighty, still attracting millions of yatris. With the hope of a good darshan, the next day, there came an end to one of the most adventurous days ever. Only Bholenathji knew what was in store.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last mile</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-54371331587197699112019-05-12T22:46:00.000+05:302019-12-21T00:43:34.334+05:30Uttarakhand III - Haridwar & Journey to GMVN Rampur<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night sky </td></tr>
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Prelude: It had been a long day of travel. It turned to pitch dark. With no pollution or lights in the mountains, the night skies are clear & the night appears darker than in the cities. I was trying to catch a few doses of sleep. One friend was busy on his phone. Whereas the other was talking to his wife, assuring her that he was fine, and not having too much fun. Not sure if that is even possible in an all guys trip, especially when another friend is yelling in the background, "Abey, volume bada naa !! " (<i>Turn up the volume</i>) And definitely not, when the song playing in the background is of the Punjabi rock star, Sukhbir.</div>
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That's when the guy seated next to the driver said, "Has anybody else noticed, it's been some time since a car passed us either way".</div>
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Everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked at him.</div>
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A friend asked the driver, "bhaiyya, hum sahi jaa rahein hain naa?". (<i>Bro, Are we on the right track?</i>)</div>
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The driver responded in his typical style, "Hain ? ". (What?)</div>
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The friend showed him his phone and said, "Google Maps kuch aur bata raha hain". (<i>Google Maps is showing something else</i>).</div>
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The driver said, "Pata nahin sir, main to pehli baar Kedarnath jaa raha hoon". (<i>Don't know sir, I am travelling to Kedarnath, the first time</i>). Everyone was left stunned at that admission.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk2X8jauRh656P0JgDfA_VOLeRYds4JglKDrOJ8IeWUrJBcoxd95SbBeqFdbayfjGUAvVjBSZfoa7DUD6KLzoxo2rRxEywW_Ixz4pOHB0jJiBaIbCeMGaqqMRUwQzdvZqX8X3XFnLYNs/s1600/Capture1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="801" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk2X8jauRh656P0JgDfA_VOLeRYds4JglKDrOJ8IeWUrJBcoxd95SbBeqFdbayfjGUAvVjBSZfoa7DUD6KLzoxo2rRxEywW_Ixz4pOHB0jJiBaIbCeMGaqqMRUwQzdvZqX8X3XFnLYNs/s320/Capture1.JPG" width="320" /></a>Earlier in the day, I was in Haridwar, waiting for my friends to arrive. With the hope of a good night's rest, I had dozed off the previous night. Unfortunately, the rest was not to be, the electricity went off a few times & to make matters worse, the generator wasn't working. Finally, after the hotel guys managed to fix it, I closed my eyes for the elusive sleep. Suddenly, I received a call, it was from my friend, it was already 6:00 AM. So, not exactly, the rest I was hoping for. They didn't have a good night's rest either. Their train was late by an hour. I went to the station to receive them. After the reunion, I took them to our agent's office. They left their luggage there. As we had to quickly get moving towards Rampur, where we had accommodation booked in GMVN, we contemplated splitting up. We were discussing whether a few would go over to the public restrooms and remaining to the hotel room. That's when, one of the friends, called out, "I would take bath in the Ganges". With that statement, our discussion concluded.<br />
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Yes, everyone decided to take a bath in the Ganga. To be in Haridwar, and not take a bath in the Ganga, we couldn't let that happen. So much has been talked, read about the river Ganga, for us, this was the first sight of the river Ganga up close. From the station, we took a shared rickshaw (Rs. 20/- per seat). We reached <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Har_Ki_Pauri" target="_blank">Har-ki-pauri</a>, the famous ghat on the riverbank of Ganga. Our rickshaw left us a few 100 meters from the ghat. As we walked towards the ghats, we saw a lot of makeshift tents of nomads, babas, some eateries, shops selling plastic & bronze containers. Most people carry the holy Ganga water. And soon we reached the ghat.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoM2vN25agH8K6wsHomOEv9NFM9DN-ogY5Jq_deou739stt6dnffQvXhQMKMkTrUbLNYkl6iouvCfl9rF0_ueVhvK0WpYkXaoffXCAAkHyIxj8GCv_UvQPj2uJYyFUoLDFJpnRt6SZSw/s1600/IMG_20190512_082327105_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoM2vN25agH8K6wsHomOEv9NFM9DN-ogY5Jq_deou739stt6dnffQvXhQMKMkTrUbLNYkl6iouvCfl9rF0_ueVhvK0WpYkXaoffXCAAkHyIxj8GCv_UvQPj2uJYyFUoLDFJpnRt6SZSw/s400/IMG_20190512_082327105_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Har-ki-pauri</td></tr>
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What a majestic sight it was. Had never seen a river flowing with such calmness and elegance. There was a certain feeling of peace looking at the river flowing with such nonchalance. The authorities had tied up chains, next to the bank, so that people can catch hold of it while bathing so that they don't get swept away. Soon, we too got into it and took the dip into the holy river, three times to be precise. It wasn't the most comfortable experience though. Wondering why? Oh, forgot to mention, the water was damn cold!! Still, it was an experience worth remembering. Taking a bath in the Ganges is often said to provide spiritual and health benefits. We were definitely energized for our onward journey. So energized, that one friend started doing yoga on the banks. No, that's not funny, what is funny - a crowd quickly gathered there to watch him in action.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon, we left for our hotel, packed our bags, had some light breakfast. And by 10-11, we were off on our journey. We were greeted with traffic on NH34. There was a patch near Haridwar, which took us a couple of hours to cross. </span> It was so bad that we often used to get off the vehicle and wait for the traffic to get moving. After we experienced exactly what our agent warned us of<span style="font-family: inherit;">, we were on our way, as soon as we crossed that patch. The roads were under construction as part of the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Char Dham Expressway construction, that started in 2016</span>. We had our lunch at Sainik Hotel Delux. The owner pretty much had his entire family managing the hotel. Apparently, his son, who was a full-time doctor, was taking orders for the day. We enquired about traditional Garhwal meal, for which he explained it needed to be planned in advance & hotels usually serve only the most ordered meals. We had the regular Punjabi food, topped up with a glass of buttermilk. The food was OK. </span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhMjSYIXkj92DeHC0pltXoKD3VUQ551dYxo4ah__Hg4qm2_sHqbUIsMqCYR8fbE1TR__MYZea1kWTqNRxRsuVC6zFJfjsHelOlR9iVeBCQ2na7neAn6PjCfb_jDquieVIEN6hLSqkr7M/s1600/IMG-20190519-WA0130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhMjSYIXkj92DeHC0pltXoKD3VUQ551dYxo4ah__Hg4qm2_sHqbUIsMqCYR8fbE1TR__MYZea1kWTqNRxRsuVC6zFJfjsHelOlR9iVeBCQ2na7neAn6PjCfb_jDquieVIEN6hLSqkr7M/s400/IMG-20190519-WA0130.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devprayag</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alaknanda beach</td></tr>
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There were some beautiful sights along the way, but, none better than the creation of Ganga itself. Yes, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devprayag" target="_blank">Devprayag </a>it was. If Ganga was subtle and peaceful in Haridwar, here, which was, slightly higher up, it was ferocious. It was the confluence of two rivers, the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi. Both had distinct colours. Alaknanda was slightly greener and Bhagirathi had a brownish colour to it. And their confluence and turning into Ganga was a spell bounding sight. We naturally got down and took some pictures. Also, must mention another sight, Alaknanda beach which we visited in the evening. It had a surreal feel to the place. We had tea and biscuits in a small eatery there. We spent much part of the journey being the DJ, playing songs of their choice, a role that was rotated every hour. </div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Travel can be boring after a while, but, not for us. Especially, late in the night, when we realized no vehicle had passed us for nearly half n hour, and after the driver admitted, it was his first visit to Kedarnath. Google Maps in the mountains can get confusing. But, then, we realized even the Maps weren't working. The driver did admit, he might have missed a turn. Good, that was a relief which soon disappeared when he also admitted, he didn't know where he missed it. We definitely knew we were off the track, because, we couldn't see the road, as much of it, was covered with water and snow. We were just about to lose our minds when a car appeared out of nowhere. We asked the driver of the other vehicle, the route to Kedarnath. He concurred with what our driver had admitted earlier, we indeed had a missed a turn. He guided our driver to follow him & soon reached our route. We lost an hour in this detour. Had we continued on the wrong route, we would have reached Ukhimath. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>We laughed off the matter and started focussing on better things to come like our Yatra next day, hoping the rest of the journey to be easy and calm without any further drama. But, it was not to be. We had to cross a very thin patch of road, where only one vehicle could go. On one side was the mountain and valley on the other. There was a huge traffic jam over there. One of the friend got pissed and shot off, "That's why it's not advisable to travel in the night in Uttarakhand ". It might have been quite late in the night, but everyone was damn awake with rapt attention to watch the driver make turns with utmost care. Obviously, one wrong turn, we would have reached Lord Shiva rather quicker. But, these drivers are truly skilled ones. But, not the one who was in the bus ahead. It was a yatra bus from Delhi. And city drivers generally have very little clue of driving in the mountains. He chickened out & was unable to proceed, which actually caused the huge jam. It took some local driver to get out of his vehicle and guide the poor guy. And soon, the jam cleared, and we also move ahead.<br />
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We reached GMVN hotel, Rampur (Ph No. - 9868006646) at 1100 PM and checked-in to our cottages. The cottages were on the edge of the mountains. We could hear the whispering sound of the river flowing. It was extremely cold. We had some light dinner. As it was the Yatra season, the kitchen ran 24 * 7. There were some people in the hotel who completed the Kedarnath journey. We gathered some information from them, we had to reach Sonprayag first, from there, take the shared vehicle to Gaurikund. It was from Gaurikund where we would get the horses & was the starting point of the Kedarnath trek. One yatri who had completed the Kedarnath Yatra had warned us of lot of snow along the tracks. Some elderly people had returned back as they couldn't find any horses. They advised us to leave early around 3 AM, in case, we needed to book any horses. However, we were not in a state to get up that early. As we were all tired, with the long journey, we decided to sleep till 4.00 AM and leave by 5.00 AM, the next day. We needed some rest. Whether it was the right decision or not, only time could tell. We packed for the next day, one small bag to carry, rest to leave in the car. We all went off to sleep, all excited for the big day. We already had enough adventures for the day, what will the next day bring. This was it.<br />
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Just like the kids in the movie Jumanji hear the beat of the drums, we began to hear, the beat of Shivji's Damru....babam bam Bhole...!!!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3Sonprayag, Uttarakhand 246471, India30.6325757 78.99527539999996930.6257442 78.985190399999965 30.6394072 79.005360399999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-26167186919228364692019-05-11T20:39:00.000+05:302020-05-31T19:15:56.087+05:30Uttarakhand II - Delhi & Journey to Hardiwar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chole Bathure</td></tr>
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"Delhi should be declared the street food capital of India", these were the exacts thoughts that came to my mind, as I munched another bite of the spicy chole curry with an extra soft Bathure, with fillings of Paneer within it. It was like a pleasant shock to the taste buds, which hadn't experienced anything like this for some time. Yes, Mumbai street food would come a close second. Delhi street food vs Mumbai street food - What is your take on it?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Airport Bus</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Eating street food of Delhi has always been a regular feature of any journey to the North. As a matter of coincidence, we got a little extra time to try out the street food thanks to the Jet Airways fiasco. I
had to rebook an early morning flight to Delhi. Others were reaching Delhi in
the evening. Since I was reaching earlier, it was decided, that I proceed to
Haridwar earlier, meet our travel agent, ensure all our arrangements were in
place, and yeah, take a good night's rest too. I had to reach the New Delhi
Railway Station from where I had a train to Haridwar. To reach NDLS from the
airport, one could take a cab, airport bus etc. I decided to try the metro. If one needs to reach NDLS, via the metro, one needs to turn right after getting out of the airport
terminal and then take the airport bus. The airport bus has a neat section to keep your large bags. It would drop you at the Aerocity
metro station. From there, you can take the airport express metro to reach New
Delhi Railway Station. I proceeded accordingly & reached NDLS without much trouble. The metro train was rather empty.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br />
Since there was still some time for
my train, I decided to try out some local cuisine. So, just opposite to NDLS, in Paharganj, is the famous eatery called <a href="https://www.zomato.com/ncr/radhey-shyam-subhash-kumar-special-chole-bhature-paharganj-new-delhi" target="_blank">RadheShyam Chole Bathure</a>. I read some good reviews
of the place. It is a roadside eatery, with no seating arrangement and no
ambience to speak whatsoever. The only thing it was famous for was the
authentic Chole Bathure. "Aur kya Chahiye?". (<i>What else is needed?</i>)
No doubt, it was bursting with the flow of people - families, college students,
office goers. The Chole Bathure was served with some raw onions, lemon and a very special chutney. The Bathure was extremely soft and had
stuffing filled with paneer. The chole was spicy and the yummiest preparation
known. A piece of the soft Bathure with the spicy chole tasted like heaven. I had a
sumptuous meal topped with, of course, the thick Punjabi lassi with extra
dollops of malai. Meanwhile, few friends who reached Delhi next had their meals
at the airport cafe and went to one of their relative's place, even they had
homemade Chole Bathure. Coincidentally, the last friend to arrive in Delhi,
even he had Chole Bathure at Haldiram's. Guess, it was a Chole Bathure day for
all. Later, they had all regrouped and roamed around Old Delhi. They had an overnight train. They took
the pleasure to inform me that they were having World's best Rabri, Kulfi &
Icecream at the <a href="https://www.zomato.com/ncr/gianis-di-hatti-chandni-chowk-new-delhi" target="_blank">Giani's</a>. sic. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJiAoQ4eNcIItFy6Oanu-uOUckmoXlPeht_o0QG_9GU9vMeY7yL8DuAZy7K9Lv2fzSDw4Mu2k3QrRDxXyjYeQXat6t2WPvuE6v0tjjwAHZA1FCOINST-z99yES-OL0purDj8h7yUrAjo/s1600/IMG_20190511_201131310_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaJiAoQ4eNcIItFy6Oanu-uOUckmoXlPeht_o0QG_9GU9vMeY7yL8DuAZy7K9Lv2fzSDw4Mu2k3QrRDxXyjYeQXat6t2WPvuE6v0tjjwAHZA1FCOINST-z99yES-OL0purDj8h7yUrAjo/s320/IMG_20190511_201131310_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haldiram's</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had booked my ticket on the NDLS
to Dehradun <a href="https://indiarailinfo.com/train/-train-new-delhi-dehradun-jan-shatabdi-express-12055/392/664/456" target="_blank">Jan Shatabdi Express</a>. The train
started on time and was a smooth ride. The train was filled with a lot of
people, mostly tourists. My co-passenger informed me, during the season the
whole of Uttarakhand is filled with tourists, yatris & foreigners. And so
was the case in my train as well, there were different groups of tourists in my
compartment, speaking Telugu, Marathi & Gujarati. And I was seated in the
middle of all these groups, understanding what they were speaking, but choosing to remain silent. The rest of the journey was quite relaxed, rather, a short one. The
train literally got empty in Haridwar.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-uAPDsOG4k7z54QgNQFrefVUXeEFGDghLK17OgYB89YUIPeITJ54ezrxvJYAypRagZ-NKV9GEXgQLa2KXErmlU1lPdd2U_QK3Lmta3NIXFN0EWYO-iuk5NSoP5Vx3l7oomP3QpF7UDo/s1600/IMG_20190511_215412.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-uAPDsOG4k7z54QgNQFrefVUXeEFGDghLK17OgYB89YUIPeITJ54ezrxvJYAypRagZ-NKV9GEXgQLa2KXErmlU1lPdd2U_QK3Lmta3NIXFN0EWYO-iuk5NSoP5Vx3l7oomP3QpF7UDo/s320/IMG_20190511_215412.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel Arjun, Haridwar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
Before I came to Haridwar, my
opinion of the place was that it was more of a temple town with not much of
development, would probably be deserted by the night. But, how wrong I was, it
was buzzing with people, almost like any suburb of Mumbai. I had booked a room
for the night at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.in/Hotel_Review-g616028-d2454609-Reviews-OYO_3395_Hotel_Arjun-Haridwar_Haridwar_District_Uttarakhand.html" target="_blank">Hotel Arjun</a>. Thanks to Google Maps, I
could easily locate the hotel. It was in the lane called Jassa Ram Road, just opposite the station,
which had most of the hotels. The hotel lobby was filled with guests, hoping to
get a room. It was that kind of season. I checked in to my hotel. I informed
the manager that there will be a couple of guests in the morning, for which, he
demanded extra payment. </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
After freshening up, I decided to
venture out to explore Haridwar. Jassa Ram Road, where the hotel was located, was quite
crowded with tourists, Indian as well as foreigners, babas, shops, roadside
eateries & even rickshaws passing by. On some occasions, there was hardly any space to walk. There
were a lot of ashrams, bungalows converted into hotels. There was a constant sound
of aarti & bhajan happening in the place. Surprisingly, there were a lot of
Gujarati restaurants & shops there. I had my dinner at <a href="https://www.zomato.com/haridwar/dosa-plaza-punjabi-tadka-devpura" target="_blank">Dosa Plaza Punjabi Tadka</a>. It was a quaint
little family restaurant. The food was ok. Meanwhile, the rest of the friends had boarded their train <a href="https://indiarailinfo.com/train/-train-mussoorie-express-14041/1126/349/1645" target="_blank">Delhi-Mussoorie express</a> and were on their way.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJDpXGwYLholKG_guwfqVh0ZmQ7TyLH1H5OEJjznLVOLjcGx69JGN9UaNPp2cSwLj4wSLaMVX8k93m2mEiwTPhKepyR-wpyhM89aV3k0VA0DN1Qx8ulyf0jA9O3N6g70KN6KDIzjZeWY/s1600/BeFunky-collage+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1600" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJDpXGwYLholKG_guwfqVh0ZmQ7TyLH1H5OEJjznLVOLjcGx69JGN9UaNPp2cSwLj4wSLaMVX8k93m2mEiwTPhKepyR-wpyhM89aV3k0VA0DN1Qx8ulyf0jA9O3N6g70KN6KDIzjZeWY/s640/BeFunky-collage+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jassa Ram Road, Haridwar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
I located our travel agent’s
office, which was just opposite to Haridwar Railway Station. After a brief
introduction, we discussed our plans for the next day. I enquired about any
washrooms to freshen up for my friends, he informed, as you exit the station, as you walk towards the left,
there were public washrooms which were well maintained, with clean restrooms, bathrooms with
geyser facility at nominal charges. Regarding the journey itself, He advised us
to start early to avoid traffic, as it was a long day of travel & most
importantly travelling in the mountains can be unpredictable. We had to reach
Rampur, which was close to Sonprayag, the base village for the Kedarnath yatra. It was going to
be a gruelling 8-9-hour journey in the mountains. With that news, I decided to wind off for the day & bid farewell to our agent. I went back to my hotel room,
hoping for a good night's rest as the next day was going to be a hard and long day of travel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMtsEdQNxR1Hoc0nBs6c3YXoZaIXPdCtSDjTqLU5gHAnLnb7K-XRlSXprhPia8HXf9Y9ENStpynRSOMA5ONixK-6hHnmm2IXnRzKZUltiBZzFaqBlvr7QE4Dle7SgDlYtmYRV7N2_lCw/s1600/BeFunky-collage+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMtsEdQNxR1Hoc0nBs6c3YXoZaIXPdCtSDjTqLU5gHAnLnb7K-XRlSXprhPia8HXf9Y9ENStpynRSOMA5ONixK-6hHnmm2IXnRzKZUltiBZzFaqBlvr7QE4Dle7SgDlYtmYRV7N2_lCw/s400/BeFunky-collage+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Public Washroom, Haridwar Station</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Note - This blog series on Uttarakhand journey, is not the usual one with details on how to go, places to see, etc. Although the details are very much there, I have covered over the course of the blog along with the experiences. Hope you like it. Enjoy reading !!</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0New Delhi, Delhi, India28.6139391 77.20902120000005228.3907261 76.886297700000057 28.8371521 77.531744700000047tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-64690811686059744392019-05-11T00:56:00.000+05:302020-01-19T12:21:39.858+05:30Uttarakhand - I - The making of the journey<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsK8pt4dMmO82LomkNDLh0puAr8aHag9hpVxYylSaF1LHrLLLrvOhJbTWpC5Em-w2AgdVKrF6FzWGptveNTLCKinAhp3mxfKGseVK6z-EiN-cFPqZt5vYM6gqTpIoaBFqz_xkQDdP7HU/s1600/IMG_20190513_191429901_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsK8pt4dMmO82LomkNDLh0puAr8aHag9hpVxYylSaF1LHrLLLrvOhJbTWpC5Em-w2AgdVKrF6FzWGptveNTLCKinAhp3mxfKGseVK6z-EiN-cFPqZt5vYM6gqTpIoaBFqz_xkQDdP7HU/s400/IMG_20190513_191429901_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kedarnath trek</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The mobile phone, which was idle for the most part of our journey, rang suddenly. The call was from a friend who had gone ahead. The friend who was along with me picked up the phone and put it on speaker.<br />
<br />
We answered in somewhat of an excited manner, "Hey man!!!, Where have you reached ???".<br />
<br />
Our friend on the other end spoke in a sombre tone, "There is a piece of good news and bad news".<br />
<br />
I answered, "Hmmm...OK, What is it ???".<br />
<br />
Our friend on the phone said, "The good news is, I have reached the base camp !!!".<br />
<br />
"Wow!!!! Cool man!!!", we exclaimed.<br />
<br />
Our friend not being affected by the euphoria from our end, responded calmly, "The bad news is, our cottages are 5 more km from here".<br />
<br />
My companion friend and I looked at each other with disbelief, "How could that be ??", we enquired.<br />
<br />
Our equally despondent friend said, " I have enquired with someone at the base camp, and they advised, our prebooked cottages were far and it would be better to stay put in one of the tents at the base camp".<br />
<br />
We were perplexed, what to do, the sun had almost set for the day, we ourselves were quite behind, and to make matters worse, it started to drizzle & the call got disconnected as the network died. <br />
<br />
Such were the scenes from our trip to Kedarnath early this year. It had been 8 long years since our trip to the North. Over these years, whenever we met, the discussion always came up, whether we shall ever be able to replicate our <a href="http://www.timetotravel.co.in/2011/06/north-tour-2011-i-new-delhi.html" target="_blank">North trip of 2011</a>. We have had some family trips, but, never the Himalayan journey - a trekking expedition, which always seemed elusive. There were many such conversations of returning back to the Himalayas. One who has been there will admit a certain unexplained feeling that makes you want to go, experience the Himalayas again. We always wanted to do the Amarnath Yatra again, this time from the Pahalgam route, since, some of our friends had missed the magical and out of the world experience of the Pahalgam route. But, looking at the state of affairs in Kashmir in recent years, we dropped the idea. It turned out to be the right decision, because, Amarnath Yatra was called off this year mid-way.<br />
<br />
There were clearly two distinct trains of thoughts among the group - Adventure & Spiritual, which made the core basis for the choice of the destination. Our most adventurous friend often said, "Let's go somewhere, where there is trekking involved". He had his priorities clear. Whereas, there was another line of thought, the destination needed to be a spiritual one, which anybody could do it. Which I agree to an extent, I often wondered, a journey without a spiritual exaltation, how exciting could that be, reach some mountain top and return back. May be its fun, but, I feel something is amiss. After going through a lot of difficulties, crossing one's own boundaries, physical and mental, to reach the lap of God is an experience, no other journey can ever match. Perhaps, its an experience from our own journey to Amarnath caves, that I relate to.<br />
<br />
Early February this year, in one such conversation, Kedarnath - Badrinath came up. We felt this could be a trip where the contrasting ideas could converge. Kedarnath has a good 16 km trek, with a lot of options including horses, helicopter, pitthu, palki options available. And Badrinath can be reached by car. This could be the right destination. We quickly bounced the idea around. And luckily, it fell through with everyone. Quickly an itinerary was formed. We also included the Chopta trip with the famous Tungnath temple trek added to it, with the disclaimer, whoever has the fuel to make it after Kedarnath could go ahead. Those, who wished to take rest could enjoy the hotel stay. We included Rishikesh in the itinerary, as a place to relax after the intense & physically demanding days preceding to it. There was an option to do some river rafting as well. Here is the itinerary that finally took shape. One may think the itinerary is quite tight, considering there is no room for any unexpected delays, especially travelling in the mountains.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolEjy9uVjAE3KZfoubVngv7ic8i4omVMZefRDVsDMK2E3YSofBQR5KSp9UHf0fCXwj07FZX3PialTqYHJ26kJMjrT7f43bpjn8p664ltIhSfaquyQc-vB5zv2vIb6MMa1_Q3i06EZJnc/s1600/map.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="631" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolEjy9uVjAE3KZfoubVngv7ic8i4omVMZefRDVsDMK2E3YSofBQR5KSp9UHf0fCXwj07FZX3PialTqYHJ26kJMjrT7f43bpjn8p664ltIhSfaquyQc-vB5zv2vIb6MMa1_Q3i06EZJnc/s400/map.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Itinerary map</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li>11th May Reach Delhi</li>
<li>11th May Delhi to Haridwar overnight train</li>
<li>12th May Reach Haridwar, sightseeing, leave for Sonprayag</li>
<li>13th May Kedarnath yatra, Overnight stay at Kedarnath</li>
<li>14th May Return from Kedarnath, proceed to Chopta, Overnight stay at Chopta</li>
<li>15th May Trek to Tungnath temple, Return back, proceed to Badrinath</li>
<li>16th May Badrinath Darshan. Proceed towards Rishikesh, Overnight stay at any mid-point (Karnaprayag/ Srinagar)</li>
<li>17th May Reach Rishikesh, overnight stay at Rishikesh</li>
<li>18th May Relax at Rishikesh, sightseeing, Ganga aarti, overnight stay</li>
<li>19th May Travel to Dehradun. Dehradun to Delhi by train. Night flight to Home</li>
</ul>
<div>
We booked airline tickets and train tickets. Our stay at some of the places was also booked. Our rooms were booked at GMVN Rampur ( Ph No. - 9868006646). This is close to Sonprayag. We booked the Kedardome cottages - near Helipad (Ph.No. - 9412045813) at Kedarnath. It was said, it is quite close to the temple. In Chopta, we had booked our rooms at a hotel called Mayadeep Chopta, which offered a spa, herbal massage. After, the strenuous trek of Kedarnath, we felt, this could be a good place to halt. Rest of the places, we decided to book based on the fly, based on where we were at that point. We also registered ourselves for the yatra on the GMVN <a href="https://gmvn.in/char-dham-registration/" target="_blank">website</a>. For our travel itself, we reached out to GMVN tourism, however, their package didn't work for us. It was with stay and travel all-inclusive. However, we opted with a travel agent based out of Haridwar, Yatracare Tour and Travel (+91 9897 63 6681, +91 9045 33 7002, + 1334 22 0999). The office was just opposite to the Haridwar Railway Station and run by a person named as Gurvinder. And the estimates stated by him were found to be reasonable. But, this was only for the vehicle and travel. And any sightseeing was separate costs.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzsfhnF5jAmYa3bpbBe-s7oJVNy6Zg_UE7iQFGLrginGu2JoPErT8hnqwrDDsUwJ0shiRaw6-I87goK1E3FqfUBBZR4r-gQzzt0UaMTHK1NijCy3rsLrab7FNzlfJPVBtrQ9Pbvgitr8/s1600/BeFunky-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzsfhnF5jAmYa3bpbBe-s7oJVNy6Zg_UE7iQFGLrginGu2JoPErT8hnqwrDDsUwJ0shiRaw6-I87goK1E3FqfUBBZR4r-gQzzt0UaMTHK1NijCy3rsLrab7FNzlfJPVBtrQ9Pbvgitr8/s320/BeFunky-collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And with that, after eight long years, our journey to the Himalayas was set in motion. Each one of us, started some physical preparation, a little bit of running, walking, yoga etc. We used to egg each other on to keep up the good work. The motivation for the journey was enough to leave all the laziness behind and try to be in good shape for the event. As the event came closer, some of us, who had booked on Jet Airways found ourselves in a quandary. The airlines went bankrupt and got shut down. We had to rebook our tickets on another airline. We made all the purchases for the journey, right from warm socks to trekking shoes, rainwear, even a head torch. The night before is always the longest one, last-minute packing, deciding what to keep, what to leave out is never easy. There was excitement, at the same time some anxiety. A lot of things have changed in these 8 years, are we ready for the task? But, we all knew within, we were better prepared this time, as we knew, one key thing about these journeys, "Always expect the unexpected". </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-12488717789488234212014-02-22T00:02:00.000+05:302017-02-06T01:02:15.629+05:30Goa - How to go, places to see<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Once in a while,
all domestic airlines start a price warfare. Tickets to popular
destinations are sold at throw away prices, which mean travellers have a
bonanza. Even frequent train travellers start thinking of the airline
option. It is a win-win situation for all. A similar event happened early 2014.
Sometime in January, all airline companies started this price battle.
Obviously, some of our close friends got interested and started making
elaborate plans. With the same motive, I had called a close friend to
convince him about the plan. I still remember our conversation quite
vividly. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Hey,
do you know about the airline ticket rates going down? Others are
thinking about a holiday plan sometime in April. So, what do you say, don't
think we can get air tickets this low!!!” I explained to him, hoping he
would buy into the plan.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Yeah, I
know about it.", he replied calmly.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"OK
Great! So, what do you say?”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"That's
good. By the way, I already bought tickets."</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"What? Where?”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Goa"</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Goa!!!”</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Yeah, I
already had a plan with a tours-n-travels company. I thought why not now." </span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">"Would you join?"</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There was a
pause in the conversation. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Well, the other
plan for April never took off, the air ticket prices had rocketed as well.
So, eventually, I did join him. In fact, the tickets cost a lot more
for me than what it cost for my friend. And it was just a matter of a
day. So, that's how the plan to Goa took off. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">How to Go: </span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">By train:
Goa is well connected via two major stations <a href="http://indiarailinfo.com/arrivals/vasco-da-gama-vsg/512">Vasco-da-gama</a> and <a href="http://indiarailinfo.com/arrivals/madgaon-junction-mao/511">Madgaon</a> Junction.
Trains from across the country travel to Goa on a frequent basis. For
people travelling from Mumbai, there are plenty of trains from 2000 to 2300
hrs, which arrive next day at Madgaon early hours around 600-900 hrs. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">By road:</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Details of road travel from Mumbai to Goa can be
found in the blog<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.holidify.com/blog/mumbai-to-goa-roadtrip/" target="_blank">- https://www.holidify.com/blog/mumbai-to-goa-roadtrip/</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Yes, its the same route that Sameer,
Akaash and Sid took in DCH. I am not sharing the details again, just sharing
the video :) </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9coA7bcpJII/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9coA7bcpJII?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">By air</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">: Goa has an
airport - Dabolim International airport. Flights from domestic as
well as international shores arrive in Goa, which is quite popular with
Indians as well as foreigners alike. Goa is a premier holiday destination. As
you reach the airport, the setting outside isn't that great. There is a
small restaurant just outside. One may have light snacks and cool drinks.
There is the usual chaos of taxi drivers outside, with each one trying to lure
you in to take their taxi. Government must take certain steps to curtail such
behaviour, when dealing with tourists, especially foreigners. It shows our
country in poor light. Unfortunately, except for Kerala, I have found it to be
the same outside airports and even railway stations. There is a pre-paid taxi
counter as well. We took one which cost us Rs.900* to Mapusa,
that's where our hotel was. Although, rented scooters are best way to roam
around the place, we had opted for a taxi. White coloured taxis with yellow
registration plates, that is the signature of a tourist taxi
in Goa. You get tour packages with such tourist taxis for all major
tourist destinations in North & South Goa.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Places to see:</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our first leg of
sightseeing started with North Goa. We started our journey after having a nice
sumptuous breakfast at our hotel. Our first sightseeing was at a place which<span class="apple-converted-space"><u1:p></u1:p> </span>Goa
is known for - the high seas. <u1:p></u1:p>We
had gone for a unique boat ride. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our tour
guide-cum-driver took us to the narrow bay on the Aguada Siolim road near Nerul
river. On our way, he showed us the Kingfisher villa. He mentioned it being the
venue of Kingfisher Calendar photo shoots & IPL auctions. The villa
had this massive door, almost making a statement on the kind of king-sized life
the owner lived. It was closed though. But, that didn't stop us from peeking
inside. It’s only when the guide reminded us that the calendar shoot happens
once in a year, and not throughout the year, that's when we asked him, in a
rather disappointing tone, "<i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">Aur
kitna door hain?</i>" How much far? (<i style="font-family: times, "times new roman", serif;">to
our destination</i>)</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4PtWqPUZ09UXyaRi9NoeCq-W7OLFIcxttQu2dd9Faa9mFVta8Yv41jtWe5X-u4j6qc0m1BtCCuSNALCb6kXl3U6pg88HfPm2_qcwWl8WAU_fN_AN5n_cbAQ-ic_loWCwy_4sgMsQngM/s1600/Dolphin-Trip-Goa-1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4PtWqPUZ09UXyaRi9NoeCq-W7OLFIcxttQu2dd9Faa9mFVta8Yv41jtWe5X-u4j6qc0m1BtCCuSNALCb6kXl3U6pg88HfPm2_qcwWl8WAU_fN_AN5n_cbAQ-ic_loWCwy_4sgMsQngM/s400/Dolphin-Trip-Goa-1-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boat ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Soon we arrived
at the jetty. We took the tickets for the boat ride. The tickets for the boat
ride cost us Rs. 50* per person. We were provided with bright orange
coloured life jackets. It was a 12-seater motor boat. There were two boatmen,
who helped us get on the boat. We were seated at the back side of the boat.
As the boat started, we got all excited, purely, due to the unique nature
of the boat ride.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The boat started
slowly and went past the headland. Soon it made its way to the middle of the
sea. Meanwhile, the boatman doubled up as our tour guide. We went past a
massive old oil rig, which was a unique sight. The boatman showed some of Goa's
famous landmarks that were visible from the sea. We saw the famous Aguada
fort & its light tower. He went on to show us the Raj
Bhawan & even the Central Jail. We hardly listened to his commentary,
as we were busy clicking pictures. And suddenly there was silence...</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The boat had
stopped right in the middle of the sea. We turned around to check what was
going on. There was another motorboat facing our boat. The boatman from the
other boat and our boatman were talking in a low voice. The other boatman
pointed to something far in the sea. Everyone in the boat including our boatmen
looked in that direction. We didn't have a clue to what was happening, but, it
did catch our attention. At that time, a boatman from a third boat, which was
at quite a distance from the two boats, yelled something in their native
language. At that very instant all three boats started racing at frenetic
speeds. The speeds were such that they were almost flying in the air. It did
become scary to be racing at such speeds. Everyone in the boat held on to
whatever they could. And then suddenly they dropped speed and started staring
at the water, searching for something. And then one of the boatmen shouted at
the peak of his voice, pointing towards the sea, "There it is!!!” Right,
from the middle of the boats, out came two Dolphins! The three boats started
chasing the mammal. It was like a dolphin hunt. The hunter instinct
of the boatman was at display. It surely got our adrenaline pumping too.
Two dolphins jumping out of the middle of Arabian sea were sights to behold.
This sudden stops and rapid starts went on for quite a while, with everyone
chipping in, trying to find the next location in the sea where the dolphin
would pop up. Phew!!It was quite a ride...</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
<b>Aguada fort and Light tower:</b> </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishMFX2aCprX1QZTU_zfBWE8iAVaGM2t4fs9JBYyc4KkjcQ7QC3Ck7j9uDBl5Fh6jntr6v741GJkNfWqbwTO517GNVASPMcPEHil_vfky3KRm4H0m2I28grRcz8EpBMvYQduRgaDW1Eeo/s1600/Light-House-Fort-Aguada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEishMFX2aCprX1QZTU_zfBWE8iAVaGM2t4fs9JBYyc4KkjcQ7QC3Ck7j9uDBl5Fh6jntr6v741GJkNfWqbwTO517GNVASPMcPEHil_vfky3KRm4H0m2I28grRcz8EpBMvYQduRgaDW1Eeo/s400/Light-House-Fort-Aguada.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Next up was the
much talked about early 17th century Portuguese fort - Aguada
fort. We treated ourselves to some fresh lime juice just outside the fort
entrance. It was really a much-needed energy tonic, especially in the
sweltering heat. There were shops selling juices, cold drinks, fruits,
cucumber, hats & even clothes. We got ourselves some
hats. Much like the state of most forts in India, there was no
specific entrance so to speak. People just started walking through a wide-open
space. We could see a few walls made of large stone bricks. With a few
turns here and there, we are in the middle of a massive court yard. The fort
built by the Portuguese served as a bastion to guard against any invasions from
the Marathas and the dutch. <span style="background: white;">The fort was
named after the Portuguese word ‘Agua’ meaning water; it was named so because
the area around the fort was rich with freshwater springs which supplied water
to the ships that stopped by. It also contained a light tower, modernised in
1976. The lighthouse on the fort is oldest of its kind in Asia and offers breath-taking
panoramic view of lush greenery and beautiful ocean. The view of Arabian sea
from the fort was breath taking to say the least. Several Bollywood movies
are shot at Fort Aguada, making it a popular destination for Hindi film buffs
along with history loving tourists. </span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFVel6k9FTgLTT-dniv01xwkzs3YqaN8I9RtKraENkvLHau8s6BldO4R3dCAqOMc8T9przCfPRe5mQii5kJD4CK7qnDkS-TPdHWkCiTqeO8lor3Ruz1tOIeZRYERJXCJHgJ9keiPYAN0/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFVel6k9FTgLTT-dniv01xwkzs3YqaN8I9RtKraENkvLHau8s6BldO4R3dCAqOMc8T9przCfPRe5mQii5kJD4CK7qnDkS-TPdHWkCiTqeO8lor3Ruz1tOIeZRYERJXCJHgJ9keiPYAN0/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Baga beach</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
<b>Calunghute, Baga, Anjuna, Vagator<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>:
The rest of the day was spent visiting the four famous beaches of North Goa.
Although, more time could have been spent on each of the beaches,
however, we were on a tight schedule & had to wrap up North Goa in a day.
Each of the beaches had their own distinct character that separated one from
the other. Calunghute and Baga appeared to be the most commercial of the
beaches. The entrance of Calunghute had a vast expanse of shops on either
side of the road leading to the entrance. Shops selling variety of goods right
from clothes, hats to even local liquor. No prizes for guessing which shops
attracted most crowds. The beach had lots of activity going on. There was
an array of shacks spread out over the beach serving drinks, snacks for beach
revellers. We didn't spend too much time at Calunghute, so we moved to the next
one - Baga beach. There is no clear demarcation as to where Calunghute ends and
Baga starts. One of the most popular of the beaches of North Goa, Baga offered
adventure sports like para gliding and para sailing, motor boats. Unlike other
beaches, Baga had a lot of foreigners sunbathing. Naturally, we decided to wind
off at Baga. We took a shack and spent some time relaxing on the beach.
There were some sea guards in their jeeps keeping a close watch for any
untoward accident, since the tides were getting bigger. The atmosphere was like a party with the neighbouring restaurants playing loud music. After spending
some time at Baga, we decided to move on. The next two beaches Anjuna &
Vagator were not as loud as the prior two. However, they were lot picturesque
than them, the kind of beaches where you would sit back and just watch the
waves. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbjMXKvvYIij0nL5vi_gvDQhx4HJlmX7V4EpWENO4yKXauZmgUxbq147SJgM3Y7N0Typz6sLAeEfSyrRsy09Vr3qPmbtr4ujJvUmGGkCekuGeNIYhpL54wBQSf1jfwYi38_-P6o_G6ws/s1600/anjuna-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbjMXKvvYIij0nL5vi_gvDQhx4HJlmX7V4EpWENO4yKXauZmgUxbq147SJgM3Y7N0Typz6sLAeEfSyrRsy09Vr3qPmbtr4ujJvUmGGkCekuGeNIYhpL54wBQSf1jfwYi38_-P6o_G6ws/s400/anjuna-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anjuna Flea Market</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For Anjuna, you need to climb down the cliff, as the sea is down below,
battering the rocks. Most people would settle on the rocks enjoying the sea
breeze with waves kissing one's feet. There are lots of shops at the top. We
treated ourselves to some cold drinks and refreshing lime juice. Anjuna is
famous for its flea market. Although, we didn't go to the market, it is open only on Wednesdays. However, I would recommend to check with
the locals, in case it is open on other days. Then, we went to the final beach
of the day - Vagator. It certainly wasn't the biggest of the beaches, we
graced that day. However, there was a unique feel to the beach. Probably,
the calmest of the lot. Didn't find any shacks. The best thing about
the beach was the breeze. It was already past dusk when we reached
Vagator. So, it was slightly getting chillier when we were at the beach. We
spent some time at the beach before moving on.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Basilica of bom jesus</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white;">Basilica of Bom Jesus</span></b><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The next day was
spent visiting South Goa. We visited one of the finest examples of Jesuit
architectures - the basilica of Bom Jesus church. </span><span style="background: white;">The title '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_basilicas_in_India" target="_blank">Basilica</a>'
is bestowed upon large churches that are important as places of pilgrimage or
for a specific devotion such as to a saint. In this church, the saint happens
to be 16th century saint St.Francis Xavier, whose mortal remains are present
there. The body is kept for public viewing every 10 years (last kept in
2014). </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As we approached the church, there were urchins selling some
candles. We took a few of them & entered the church. We lit the candles in
one of the inner chambers. The architecture inside was quite unique. We could see the body kept in a casket at a height. Although,
the church is not in the best of shapes, but, it was far better considering the era in which it was built in. Even present day, it attracts thousands of visitors. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Mangeshi Temple</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white;">Mangeshi temple: </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Next stop was the famous<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.shrimanguesh.com:8080/manguesh/" target="_blank">Mangeshi</a> temple. We reached Mangeshi temple going through
some old narrow lanes. As with any other temples, there were shops selling
flowers, prasad outside. We took some flowers from an old lady and
climbed the stairs to the temple. There was a shoe stand where we left our
footwear. That's when we realised, how hot it was that day, it almost burnt our
feet. The temple had this tall structure called deepstambha in front of it,
within the temple complex. As we went inside the temple, we found there was a puja
going on. The temple was in a good shape, especially considering it to be a 400-year-old
temple. It gave a glimpse of the pre-Portuguese days of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Goa" target="_blank">old Goa</a>,
which can barely be seen nowadays. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, this temple has a
prominent Nandi bull. After our share of prayers, we got down, spent some time
eating some raw mango pieces and some </span><span style="font-family: "Nirmala UI", sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">बोर</span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> fruit with a
glass of fresh lime juice to wash it down. Yeah, we kept ourselves well hydrated throughout our trip.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="background: white;">Panjim jetty </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Afternoon was spent shopping and having
our meals at restaurants near Panjim jetty. There were some ships along Panjim
jetty, well, can't call them ships, as they were not big enough for ships, but
can’t call them boats either, as they were bigger than boats. Gambling is
permitted in Goa, these boats had these huge<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.bestgoacasino.com/tariff.php" target="_blank">casinos</a> on
them. One had to purchase tickets to those casinos to enter. Obviously, we had
no interests to part with our money, we chose to give it a miss. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY925RNm6pvXCVbgGgXj83U-DV90-FxZKVSsB44AKL_IZf75zDGvp3VgozWH8_Xz_-WtfXiJ8XzmPK9ZdmagGdEbUNtAW06dRr55TiyHxoF1oH4Ha7d4HNIfsE__mOQIbvyQgozPxM3pM/s1600/dona-paula2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY925RNm6pvXCVbgGgXj83U-DV90-FxZKVSsB44AKL_IZf75zDGvp3VgozWH8_Xz_-WtfXiJ8XzmPK9ZdmagGdEbUNtAW06dRr55TiyHxoF1oH4Ha7d4HNIfsE__mOQIbvyQgozPxM3pM/s320/dona-paula2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Donna Paula
jetty </span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Then we visited the famous<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://inngoa.com/beaches/dona-paula-jetty-the-lovers-paradise/" target="_blank">Donna Paula</a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>jetty,
especially for young ones and couples. It's also called the lover's paradise.
There are a lot of mysterious stories about a lady named Donna Paula, after whom
the jetty was named.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="background: white; letter-spacing: .3pt;">One legend has it that she was the
lady-in-waiting of the Governor-General's wife, and in course of time the
Governor fell victim to her beauty and charms. They were found out and the
governor's enraged wife had her stripped and bound and rolled over the cliff,
into the sea, wearing only her string of pearls, a gift of love from the
Governor. The fishermen of the area have a marvellous collection of ghost
stories about Donna Paula. On moonlit nights, they say, on pitch dark nights,
say others at the stroke of midnight, she rises from the sea and roams the
area, wearing a string of pearls and nothing else. Seems straight out
of a Bollywood plot. As a matter of fact, the famous movie of yesteryear
Ek Duje Ke Liye was shot there. </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Miramar beach -
</span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And
finally, we reached the Miramar beach. It can be reached easily, as it is well
connected to the main road unlike other beaches of Goa. There is a large
structure of a fish at the entrance of the beach. Obviously, we had to take
some pictures around it. The beach itself was quite wide, slightly less
populated than the other beaches we visited the previous day. Must say, it was
much cleaner than the other beaches. We were just in time to see the sun go
down, and with that our short trip to Goa. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Summary:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">As we returned to our usual busy
city lives, I can recall a thought that came to my mind - If one would wish to
own a holiday home, what better than Goa. The day usually starts a bit late,
there is no rush to go somewhere, do something. One can roam around from one
corner to another in very little time. There are hardly any traffic jams,
hardly any cars as well. Low pollution. The presence of tourists everywhere.
Almost, as if it’s one big party. What I liked the most about Goa is, it’s a
place, one would lie down and not think about all the big things one often
wishes to do. It’s a place, one would lie down and not think of all the places
one often wishes to go. It’s a place, one would lie down and not think of
all the people we know. It’s a place, one would lie down...just lie
down.....</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Enjoy Goa !!! Enjoy Travel !!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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References : </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.shrimanguesh.com:8080/manguesh">http://www.shrimanguesh.com:8080/manguesh</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.trodly.com/india/destination-4712/fort-aguada-and-lighthouse">http://www.trodly.com/india/destination-4712/fort-aguada-and-lighthouse</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Bom_Jesus</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://www.goatourism.gov.in/"><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p><u1:p></u1:p>http://www.goatourism.gov.in/</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://inngoa.com/beaches/dona-paula-jetty-the-lovers-paradise">http://inngoa.com/beaches/dona-paula-jetty-the-lovers-paradise</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com24Goa, India15.2993265 74.12399600000003414.319374499999999 72.833102500000038 16.2792785 75.414889500000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-66002720561642063382012-06-24T10:23:00.000+05:302014-11-30T23:15:01.906+05:30Karnala Bird Sanctuary - How to go, Things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Note to readers : </strong>Its been a long time since we published any new blog. In spite of that, we have been receiving a lot of feedback from readers over the years. A big thanks to all. Never thought the blog would be so well received. OK, now to clear some old backlogs.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Karnala Bird Sanctuary</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Karnala Bird Sanctuary : </strong>It was the first trek of the monsoon season. As usual, the trek featured on the <a href="http://www.yhaimumbaiunit.org/" target="_blank">YHAI</a> trekking (Mumbai unit) monsoon schedule. We had been with them on earlier treks. It is a fun group to be with. And what more, they are a knowledgeable bunch too. The trekking location was extremely close to Mumbai, its a Mumbai trekker's must visit place. Its hard to believe such a trekking destination exists so close to Mumbai. Yes, we are talking about Karnala Bird Sanctuary. It featured as a trek that had a difficulty level that ranged from easy to moderate. Our initial thoughts were how difficult would be a bird sanctuary, that's when we realized there is a fort around which this sanctuary was built - The Karnala fort. We hoped the trek to Karnala fort shall be the start of a new season of treks.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>History : </strong>When you talk about the fort, most people know about Karnala is that, it was probably some fort that was either conquered or built by Raje Shivaji. Perhaps, you can say the same for most forts in Maharashtra. But, beyond that a lot is unknown about Karnala fort. In olden days, it was said to have strategic importance. Looking at how the control changed hands from Devagiri Yadavs, Tuglaqs, Gujarat Sultanate, Portuguese, The Nizam of Ahmednagar, Shivaji Raje, The Mughals to British East India company makes one think, "What was so special about this fort ?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In ancient times, India traded with countries like Syria, Egypt and pretty much the entire middle east. The goods from these countries obviously used to land on the ports of Gujarat and Sopara. In order to transport these goods, mostly on foot & horse, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhor_Ghat" target="_blank">Bor Pass</a> was the only way that one could get them from sea ports to the interiors of Maharashtra. Which meant the one who controlled the fort, pretty much controlled Bor Pass. No wonder, many battles took place for the control of this very fort. The British East India company eventually built a railway line in the Bor Pass for easy transport of goods. </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This also meant the strategic nature of the Karnala fort was no longer important. And as the fort lost its importance, it remained unused, the biodiversity of plants and most importantly birds in the area around must have slowly changed over the decades making it home to some of the diverse species of birds and eventually it was declared a bird sanctuary at some point of time, which still stands even today. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>How to go : </strong>Located on the Mumbai-Goa Highway, Karnala Bird Sanctuary is located just around 15 km from Panvel station. In case you are travelling by private vehicle, take the NH17. As soon as you go past the urban areas of Panvel, look for a protruding thumb like structure on the eastern side. </span>You could also look for the Karnala Bird Sanctuary sign board itself. And of course the locals are always helpful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Public Transport :</b> We had gone using public transport.We assembled at Panvel station on Mumbai's suburban harbour line. The trekkers arrived from various parts of Mumbai. After the initial introduction, we were all off to Karnala bird sanctuary via local auto rickshaws that carried around 6-7 passengers. It cost us around Rs 10.00 per seat. The frequency reduces after 6 pm. So, one is advised to wrap up ASAP and mostly you be able to wrap up as well. On the way, we stopped over at Dutta Wada Pav centre. It is the famous wada pav centre, which is "the eatery" of anyone who is in for a long drive on </span>Mumbai-Goa road. After having a good breakfast, we were back on the road to Karnala bird sanctuary.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKG88RCBbP5lQZlT7t3i1RqmtDZxgRM9w6vqhhvIMmD7fUtI7G9vkXKNYyh7JsH945RQaKPlNvnlS-f_-0sW7-DmaUivIpiU7CW3-XeiTci3DxngkWMjatz41y3SoI9zqHiqbUpfTCXk/s1600/100_1553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKG88RCBbP5lQZlT7t3i1RqmtDZxgRM9w6vqhhvIMmD7fUtI7G9vkXKNYyh7JsH945RQaKPlNvnlS-f_-0sW7-DmaUivIpiU7CW3-XeiTci3DxngkWMjatz41y3SoI9zqHiqbUpfTCXk/s1600/100_1553.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></span></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Entrance : </b>Within 15-20 minutes we were at the entrance of Karnala bird sanctuary. There was a huge parking lot present. The entry fees to the sanctuary was around Rs. 20. One thing good about Karnala was, the authorities were keen to preserve the nature. If one had to carry a plastic bottle one had to make a deposit of Rs. 50 and register in their log near the entrance.The deposit would be returned only if you manage to get the plastic bottle on your way back. Quite a neat and effective way to ensure no throwing of plastic.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">What is there to see : </span></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Right at the start of the trek, there were a few bird cages that had a few species of commonly found birds.Initially our thoughts were, is this the reason why it is called a bird sanctuary, then why so few birds? Truly speaking, one had these vivid imagination that there would be birds all around the park. We would get a lot of birding snaps. Unfortunately, the birds in the cage were the only ones that caught our eye.There must be a lot of birds in the sanctuary, but our eyes were not trained enough to spot them.We got our first lesson in birding. One has to be extremely patient about it. As the trail started, we were greeted by a tar road leading up to the interiors of the sanctuary. Although, we were ascending, it never gave you a feeling of ascent, rather a smooth walk. The walk was surrounded by tall trees. One could hear different sounds of birds all along our trail, evoking similar calls from the trekkers, getting the birds even more vocal. Perhaps they were some mating calls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>At the base of the fort</b> :</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoKXlsLpYpvKzqilVlCl8Oc69g5HXjUhHTUz5oI67jyUxoFNYGx5mqaqS5awbggC3qM2rm2u3G6_2XMS9ktaW7bT9f7A2aNWwbl653JYnzUzTUIwwkCztWo2mXmd8i11-VN7aFvNaiJg/s1600/537716_10200241203417058_1147449295_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoKXlsLpYpvKzqilVlCl8Oc69g5HXjUhHTUz5oI67jyUxoFNYGx5mqaqS5awbggC3qM2rm2u3G6_2XMS9ktaW7bT9f7A2aNWwbl653JYnzUzTUIwwkCztWo2mXmd8i11-VN7aFvNaiJg/s1600/537716_10200241203417058_1147449295_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Goddess Karnai temple</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As the tar road concluded, we were in the midst of the dense part of the sanctuary. The trees got taller, closer to each other. Even the sounds of birds grew clearer, louder. That's when a light drizzle started. And soon, we reached a straight and clear route which led to the fort. All along what was hidden behind the tall trees, this tall, dark structure peeked out starting at us. We were at the base of the Karnala fort. On right side of the straight path to the fort, just near its base, the views were spectacular. One could see the entire sanctuary from there. Naturally, the scenes provoked some of the fellow trekkers to take some snaps in the titanic pose. There is also a temple of Goddess Karnai near the base the fort. Most of the trekkers prayed for a moment or two. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9pqdTHrY1B33pXJ2KqKwifZ86tXsuG_RpjpgtofmYEWNQfo53TfKKzEfp5W1_fmAIUWW8DtuITAViWemKh-3v5rUEkgEpkxP1h6GbASOHp3wTa7JmOfHhz15nV7iItfsA6GOOWTAeDw/s1600/100_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN9pqdTHrY1B33pXJ2KqKwifZ86tXsuG_RpjpgtofmYEWNQfo53TfKKzEfp5W1_fmAIUWW8DtuITAViWemKh-3v5rUEkgEpkxP1h6GbASOHp3wTa7JmOfHhz15nV7iItfsA6GOOWTAeDw/s1600/100_1562.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">The pinacle</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The final ascent :</b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The climb to the fort from the base of the fort was slightly tricky one. On one side was earth and on the other side there was a free fall. Although, it wasn't dangerous, one could only fall back to the base of the fort. That's when the organizers stepped in. They placed their volunteers at strategic places, so as to help fellow trekkers valuable support. Even at the entrance, it was their volunteers who stood there and gave hand to every trekker to get in. And there we were, one by one each of the trekkers entered the Karnala fort. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Within the fort : </b>After passing through a series of openings, with a little jumps here and there, we were in front of the central structure of the fort, which was a tall pillar like structure, always known as pinnacle. In olden days, it was used as the watch tower. Climbing on the pinnacle was not allowed, as it is said to have taken lives of the climbers. There were two water holes right next to the pinnacle. One must acknowledge our ancestors, every fort you go, how they used to store water in indigenous but enterprising ways. To pass from one section of the fort to other one had to pass through a corridor, with free falls on both sides. The wind were a lot stronger in those corridors, which made it difficult to pass from one section to the other. There was an open space at the far end of the fort. Most of us went to the other end. It was an open & plain land, we had our lunch there. We spent rest of the afternoon relaxing on the plains, where as some of the more enthusiastic lot continue to take more pictures, explored places around the fort. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ppPOUgF4QAAjQON4PqwAia21PaRenYU88BM18nM4ThxedSY6dJhA8WSaP9Fi73CGqe6esUhjZsGpUMRZukopWN_VpcQBGekxF7p-0C1MzBRxBVCpxBxIcp2SvMiKh-01t9BF10FjRcg/s1600/34715_10200241210977247_1375018646_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ppPOUgF4QAAjQON4PqwAia21PaRenYU88BM18nM4ThxedSY6dJhA8WSaP9Fi73CGqe6esUhjZsGpUMRZukopWN_VpcQBGekxF7p-0C1MzBRxBVCpxBxIcp2SvMiKh-01t9BF10FjRcg/s1600/34715_10200241210977247_1375018646_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;">Water hole</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><strong>Return : </strong>After getting out of the fort, with the help of the volunteers, we started our return. The way back down to the entrance of the sanctuary was quite easy. In fact, we reached the entrance in less than an hour. Everyone washed up, and then posed for one big happy group photo. Overall it was a relaxing trek. We can never imagine how crucial this fort may have been in olden days, however, the number of times it changed hands itself tells a lot about the fort's importance in those times. Even p</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">resent day, attempts to conquer this land continues to happen with builders, politicians alike having an eye on this piece of history. Before that happens, do make a visit to the most pleasant and cheerful fort close to Mumbai. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">References : </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnala_Fort</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">http://wikitravel.org/en/Karnala_Bird_Sanctuary</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5Karnala, Maharashtra 41020718.9 73.116666718.9 73.1166667 18.9 73.1166667tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-46946354330035960512011-12-17T07:00:00.000+05:302014-08-19T06:29:43.578+05:30Sanjay Gandhi National Park - How to go, things to see, places to eat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQV8dspjsoDAOvn7_LRkz4HOrRIGwbG2mDy3xwAyIZvCd3AofPnyxCvkLDKt9ojW1tn_5ptcGXshUsFRMKka8EJfMqxYPYrM3iKUp02Vs0gEk2U7o-9aYiyo2VGa049lTyna3evPTpX6w/s1600/sgnp-forest-road-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQV8dspjsoDAOvn7_LRkz4HOrRIGwbG2mDy3xwAyIZvCd3AofPnyxCvkLDKt9ojW1tn_5ptcGXshUsFRMKka8EJfMqxYPYrM3iKUp02Vs0gEk2U7o-9aYiyo2VGa049lTyna3evPTpX6w/s1600/sgnp-forest-road-1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 20.133333206176758px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It had been a very long time since we went for an outing. Everyone was sure of one thing; no one was in a good shape for any trek or expedition. So, the plan had to be of moderate intensity. How about a cycling trip at good old SGNP? Recently, one of my friends had been there and had a lot to discuss about it. Obviously his experience and more importantly the photographs influenced me. Putting an idea to the group and convincing everyone's whims and fancies usually takes a toll. However, this time it was different. Everyone agreed almost immediately. So, that's how the plan came about and we were off to SGNP.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How to Go:</b> </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 16.100000381469727px;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanjay Gandhi National Park is located in Borivali. In fact, it is also known as Borivali National park or simply National park. It is this huge green land that occupies a major portion of North Mumbai. Although technically one may say it has entrances from different parts of city, the main entrance is at Borivali. Just 10 minutes' walk off a straight road from outside Borivali (E) station will lead you to SGNP entrance on the Western Express Highway. One may enter the park by purchasing an entry ticket of Rs. 10.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>History : </b><span style="line-height: 115%;">Long before any of this, right in the midst of the forests, the Kanheri
caves offered a staying place for the traders who used to carry their wares from
the sister ports Sopara and Kalyan. Later, the wandering Buddhists monks
converted this place into 109 Buddhist caves, outcropping from a single basalt
rock. The remnants are still present and in good shape too. In pre-Independence
era it was also known as 'Krishnagiri National Park'</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is there to see : </span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cycling at SGNP</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Right near the entrance, we found a shop that rented cycles. Nice colourful bicycles of different sizes stood there waiting for their next riders, who incidentally happened to be us. They cost us Rs 50 for two hours. Soon we were busy in choosing the most suitable one, ensuring there were no issues with the cycles etc. We even tried riding them to get the feel. It almost felt like good old childhood days. Soon each one of us had chosen a nice bike and there we were, on our marks, got set and off we went...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the initial lap, when each one of us tried to outrace the other, it was just a matter of time that we realized that cycling wasn't as easy as the last time we did, just a few twenty years ago. We took the necessary photo session and water breaks. Of course, we had to mark our territorial presence which was very important in the forest. So, we had to have breaks for that as well. We even egged each other on climbing a tree. I was definitely enticed into it, however, glad that I was able to pass the climb-a-tree test with flying colours. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Stupa</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had taken the most popular Kanheri caves trail. It is a
straight route from the entrance and then you take a sharp left. We were almost
to the middle of it, when one of cycle's chains came off. After some failed
attempts at give-that-thing-to-me-i-know-how-to-fix, the poor guy whose cycle
was broken had to return to the shop to get a new one. While the rest of us
had better things to do like taking photos of our ancestors. There were many
monkeys in the park. Groups of them jumping, shrieking from one tree to the
other. At the same time, another friend who was late initially arrived on a
motorcycle. Yes, bikes are allowed in SGNP. Together we moved slowly so that
the one who had gone back to get his cycle repaired or replaced could catch up. And as he joined us
back, we were close to the Kanheri caves. Buddhist caricatures Kanheri caves
are spread right in the middle of the park. There are some eating facilities
near the entrance. We locked our cycles and decided to have some cool drinks. There is a nominal
entry fee of 10 Rupees for the caves. The caves were numbered and authorities
referred to the caves by their numbers. It is said that these entire range of
caves was carved out of boulders. Each of these caves was different in size and
probably importance as well. There is a tall statue of Buddha around 25-30
feet high. The cave in the centre had a huge inverted bell like structure,
called stupa. Other significant sight in the same cave was the roof. It had
paintings which still were pretty much in good shape with their colours’
intact. The people who painted them had very good knowledge of dyes. </span></div>
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quite huge and looked as if it was a resting place of monks. However, the
ambiance inside suggested the monks meditated there. The caves' </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">caretaker</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> gave out a loud call of </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;">बुद्धम</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;">शरणम</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;">गच्छामि</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"> "buddham sharanam gachaami" which resonated among the walls
of the cave giving rise to tremendous energy which could be felt. After
exploring and spending extended sessions of photography, we decided to climb up
on top of the caves. There was a route to get on top of the caves from the backside.
The view from </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">the top</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of the caves was magnificent. One could see the towering skyscrapers of the West. On the other side, one could see the vast expanse of the park.</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;">We spent some time
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYkXCnUr6rOduEpr9l_cdSZ7t56f8THUaS1WrQiv_3LNdrQWzqdOuIdnMISyZlzp6pca96_nFoe5p4IKtaRRJhluMe6IgdHTdjp8bh4J3iczf467C7cEj3H9mabSNNcRsN3cFbT7IZkk/s1600/100_1337.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGYkXCnUr6rOduEpr9l_cdSZ7t56f8THUaS1WrQiv_3LNdrQWzqdOuIdnMISyZlzp6pca96_nFoe5p4IKtaRRJhluMe6IgdHTdjp8bh4J3iczf467C7cEj3H9mabSNNcRsN3cFbT7IZkk/s1600/100_1337.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 115%;"><b>Tiger safari: </b>We decided to wind up at
Kanheri caves and return. On our way back we took a small detour and decided to
take up the tiger safari. The park authorities had buses with grills for the
safari. One had to wait in queue for the next trip. It was a long wait between
each trip. Luckily we everyone managed to get on the same trip. There were kids
</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">on</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> our trip. Naturally </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">their excitement was infectious. Everyone was asked to keep their hands inside.</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">The tiger and lion enclosure had a huge gate. The ones you see in movies like </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jurassic </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">Park</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Slowly the gates opened, the excitement increased. Soon after entering the park, the bus raced through and stopped at </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">an</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> unassuming location. There was silence. The birds started </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">chirping in a peculiar way. All of a sudden, the park attendant yelled at everyone, "To the right". Everyone looked out of the window intently,there it was, "the king of the jungle". It was siesta time for the </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">lion. It almost seemed that it was strategically placed there, so that people could see it. It just turned its head, saw who was bothering him and again got back to his slumber. So much for the excitement. After that, we went to the tiger enclosure. The tigers were at a distance. We could see them playing in a </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">pool of water. After a brief stay, enough for a few clicks, we were on own way </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">back, pulling</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;"> down curtains on our great day at SGNP. We promised we would be back again to explore the other trails in </span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">the future</span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Kanheri caves</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Summary : </b>As we returned, one observation about the trip seemed to bother us all. The tigers at the park looked very thin, almost malnourished. Such is the sorry state of India's national parks. Encroachments all along the borders of national parks have rapidly changed the fabric of this dense green land. The intense pressure from businessmen, politicians & builder lobby is unstoppable, relentless to acquire this land mass. And, they are winning, in a mighty way. The trees, the animals, the flora, the fauna & the sounds may not last for another 50 years. But until then, like nature always does, SGNP will continue to awaken the child within...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References :</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.mumbaikarsforsgnp.com/history_of_mumbai.htm</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanjay_Gandhi_National_Park</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-49036606910693392852011-11-20T22:50:00.000+05:302012-11-21T22:55:02.461+05:30Daman - How to go, places to see, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party at Daman</td></tr>
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Daman :</b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A marriage is often said to be end of one life and start of another. No wonder we often try to make the end as glorious as we can. That's what, we had decided for a very close friend of ours. It had to be party, which neither we nor him should ever forget. Initial plan was to go to some far off place with lots of activities to do. But for some reason or other, all plans seemed to subside.That's when one of us suggested, "Why not go to Daman ?" Daman is often said to be a heaven for party revelers. Its a place quite near to Mumbai too. Less than 3 hours ride. So, Daman it was. The planning was done pretty quick, a half a dozen of us got on a car and we were off to Daman.</span><br />
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How to go :</b> To reach Daman, one has to take the Western Express highway or NH-8. Its a smooth ride as the roads are pretty good. Within no time we were at the check nakka of Gujarat state. Our driver did some paper work at the office, meanwhile we were involved in some photography sessions. After crossing the check naka, in no time we reached Vapi. At Vapi we needed to take a left and get on the Vapi-Daman road. From there it is a pretty straight route. Not for us though. Instead of taking a left, we went slightly ahead and took a left on a parallel road which was ahead of the Vapi-Daman road. We had to cross a railway crossing. After that, we again came back and joined the Vapi-Daman road after asking a few locals.After driving slightly on the Vapi-Daman road, we came across a four way crossing. To reach Moti daman, you need to take a left. In case you go straight ahead, you go to Nani Daman.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In case you are coming by rail. You need to get down at Vapi railway station. There are regular taxi and bus services available to Daman from the railway station for a nominal fare.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Moti Daman and Nani Daman: </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Daman is divided into two major regions Nani (small) Daman and Moti (large) Daman by the Daman ganga river. Both the regions are connected by a bridge known as Rajiv Gandhi Sethu- Bridge. Although the name <i>Moti</i> indicates large, from a tourist point of view Nani Daman is much bigger place than Moti Daman. That's because most of the resorts and hotels are on the Nani daman side. Moti Daman is more reserved for factories, government offices etc. Daman is a heavy industrial area. Daman & Diu being a union territory lots of industries are set up here and the neighboring Vapi. Most of the slew ends up in the beaches of Daman. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Jampore beach (Moti Daman) : </u></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lkmCK6CAsZgvzzNRaloi3csEvAq5IoozXbGX3HIxmuzlcdFAF4KDgJiiK2xrIsYF3jFqAmdIgMX46HoWHB4JFQhn9v24_gNSumdIrWJgiC53tQVg5wvKlY3Dbo4h8brBfiBcgOCIhLE/s1600/P1090711+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6lkmCK6CAsZgvzzNRaloi3csEvAq5IoozXbGX3HIxmuzlcdFAF4KDgJiiK2xrIsYF3jFqAmdIgMX46HoWHB4JFQhn9v24_gNSumdIrWJgiC53tQVg5wvKlY3Dbo4h8brBfiBcgOCIhLE/s1600/P1090711+copy.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jampore beach, Moti Daman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In comparison of the beaches, the beach on the Moti Daman side, i.e. Jampore beach is much better than Devka beach on the Nani Daman side. Devka beach is mostly rocky and hardly any beach to speak about. There is a certain stench as well on the beach at the Nani Daman side. However, not so with Jampore beach. We decided to have a look at the Jampore beach and then return to the Nani Daman side. There are signs presents everywhere to guide the passers of the location. So, Jampore beach was easy to locate. There was just one hotel in the vicinity, Hotel China town. There were a lot of trees. And after the array of trees, there were the famous shacks of Daman. Beyond them was the barren beach. It was around 2-3 when we reached the beach and it was a time of low tide. The sea water was just too far, what was left was the neat,fine beach. Perfect for a game of cricket. Within no time we hit the pitch or rather beach. Many of us enjoyed the game of cricket, playing together after ages. Obviously, no one was really keen to field. Some of us really hit good form and were hitting all over the place including the sea. With one bounce out rule made it really interesting.It was great fun. Some old rivalries were revived and some revenges taken.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cricket on beach</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After an exhausting game of cricket, we ended up lying on one of the shacks. Drinks were available on the shack. The side dishes (<i>read chakna</i>) that you get along with them were bhel, some nice masala chana and what not. Notably, the shacks were more busier than the beach itself. We spent almost couple of hours there talking about almost the entire world. The time spent at Jampore beach was probably one of the highlights of the trip.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Forts of Moti Daman and Nani Daman: </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are two famous and historic forts, one each in Moti daman and Nani Daman. As the name suggests the fort in Moti daman is a massive one and the one in Nani is a smaller fort. Both these forts were built in the 16th century by the Portuguese to protect against the Mughals who ruled the area until the Portuguese arrived. Many present day government offices are now placed in these forts. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAp2mXsX2Mj8usA93ze_0F-OYDL1Ev8C5ebemcRQikeeTrjPaqD5TYYo2FfM-miq4xCvL9Ds0jv8kzEq4t_9xNFz1EmT-M26KQthyphenhyphenEj4WdqP2ol2ynFxYUbz1F_1u3XhWF5y3UWwCzYs/s1600/Daman-Diu+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAp2mXsX2Mj8usA93ze_0F-OYDL1Ev8C5ebemcRQikeeTrjPaqD5TYYo2FfM-miq4xCvL9Ds0jv8kzEq4t_9xNFz1EmT-M26KQthyphenhyphenEj4WdqP2ol2ynFxYUbz1F_1u3XhWF5y3UWwCzYs/s1600/Daman-Diu+(4).jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cathedral of Bom Jesus, Daman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Cathedral of Bom Jesu :</u> Another historic place worth visiting would be the cathedral of Bom Jesu. Yet another 16th century church built in typical Portuguese fashion, its one monument not to be missed. T<span style="line-height: 18px;">he carved doorway as well as the interiors and lofty ceiling are a pleasure for sore eyes. There are six statues as per the Roman Catholic tradition and rosewood carvings all around the church are magnificent.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the exhaustive afternoon adventure, we were in no mood to spend more time outdoor. So, we skipped the forts and chapel and were off to Nani Daman resorts.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuwDO3JTQvfyMiloqCXzGHj1SlfSgpoxrQNDbR_1ImFwzC8XESr0LDZs8ZOyyKpku8UGCOvWoLVJIru9-GLg6zuSNjf20fGbuHoDYSCuuBXd9FAQHl17ijMxLlUqJOgVmlGfj4vS9DLg/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibuwDO3JTQvfyMiloqCXzGHj1SlfSgpoxrQNDbR_1ImFwzC8XESr0LDZs8ZOyyKpku8UGCOvWoLVJIru9-GLg6zuSNjf20fGbuHoDYSCuuBXd9FAQHl17ijMxLlUqJOgVmlGfj4vS9DLg/s1600/20.jpg" height="290" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel Miramar, Devka beach, Daman</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places to stay :</b> We were looking for a resort/hotel which had a swimming pool. Our driver informed us that there are only 3 hotels in Daman which had a swimming pool - Sandy resort, Hotel Miramar and Hotel Cidade-de-Daman. The hotel Sandy resort looked neat, with a barbecue next to the pool. There was a party going on. However, it was totally booked that day.We checked out the remaining hotels and finally decided on Hotel Mirarmar. Unlike Sandy resort, this was attached to the beach. It was a nice hotel which offered complimentary breakfast. We checked in the evening. The hotel had a huge pool and adequate space for parking. However, the</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> pool was closed in the evening. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The security at the gate was in traditional dress with a big </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mustache</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> almost resembling the AirIndia mascot :p We had taken two rooms next to each other. The rooms were neat and had all basic facilities like 24-hr hot water, A.C., LCD T.V. One of the rooms had some problem with the A.C. which was sorted out rather quickly by the helpful hotel staff. Initially we thought of partying by the beach. But, the presence of mosquitoes dissuaded us from partying outside. We partied in the hotel room. Won't go into too much specifics here. All I can say the party went quite late in the night and we were thankful to the hotel staff for the excellent room service which continued as long the party lasted. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Found some time in between to have a stroll along the rocky Devka beach, which is on the rear side on many resorts. Must say the beach itself is not really the best place to hang out in Daman. We returned rather quickly back to the resort. </span></div>
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Return : The next day started in the pool. The pool at Miramar is really a good one. Bifurcated well for young and old. The are stools in the pool where one can sit and even have some drinks. But, didn't really try anything of that sort though. After spending some time pool side, we packed our stuff and were out in the restaurant for some breakfast which was complimentary in our stay. The hotel offered some really nice options from south indian, european cuisines. We had our fill and checked out the rooms. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sadly, we didn't leave the room in a good shape. Overall Hotel Miramar is a good recommended hotel. Our return journey was a rather smooth one. Most ended up dosing off and within less than 3 hours we were back. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at Daman</td></tr>
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Summary :</b> Although it was a memorable trip, However, from a historic point of view,there is nothing much to see in Daman. For nature lovers, this is no Kashmir or Kerala. For beach lovers, if you go expecting a Goa, then you will be disappointed. Must narrate an incident when we inquiring about the hotels. One of us asked one of the hotel receptionist, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Is booze available ?". The hotel receptionist smiled and answered, "Yes, of course, You are in Daman". That signifies D</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">aman for you. It is the place to be for party revelers for its various resorts and specially the cheap booze.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> No wonder, people from neighboring liquor-banned state of Gujarat flock Daman on weekends. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Some may like Daman, some may not. However, when you are with friends any place is good, so was Daman. Enjoy your stay !!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some useful references : </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman,_Daman_and_Diu">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daman,_Daman_and_Diu</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.daman.nic.in/historic.asp">http://www.daman.nic.in/historic.asp</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2011/06/daman-often-ignored-cousin.html">http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2011/06/daman-often-ignored-cousin.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://merwynsrucksack.blogspot.in/2012/05/cathedral-of-bom-jesus.html">http://merwynsrucksack.blogspot.in/2012/05/cathedral-of-bom-jesus.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.hotelmiramar.in/miramar/index.htm">http://www.hotelmiramar.in/miramar/index.htm</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://whimsytourist.blogspot.in/">http://whimsytourist.blogspot.in/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Naneghat :</b> Had been missing monsoon treks for quite some time now. Hence, was keen to make one monsoon trek this year. <a href="http://www.mumbaihikers.org/" target="_blank">Mumbaihikers</a> yet again provided the options. With lot of trekking groups publishing their itineraries on the site, we opted to go with best of the lot - <a href="http://yhaimumbaiunit.webs.com/" target="_blank">YHAI Mumbai unit</a>. They had pickups across Mumbai at <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">Sion circle, Amar Mahal Ghatkopar and Teen Haath Naka with the starting point near Dadar Station Jain Temple. We had to reach the place at 6.00 am. There were other fellow trekkers there. We did some chit chat as there was some delay. The bus came around 7.00.</span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> It was in fact a school bus. Most people who were supposed to join the group at Dadar had already arrived and we were all set to go our adventure to Nanaghat. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naneghat signpost</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How to go:</b></span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The route to Naneghat is via the Eastern Express Highway. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> C</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; line-height: 18px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">ross the Thane Bhiwandi toll naka, take right at the large cross road junction on the SH 222.</span> You need to travel through Kalyan, Shahad, Murbad, Saralgaon, Tokavade, <em style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Vaishakhare</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>. In case you are travelling by public transport, you may take any ST bus from Kalyan going towards Ahmednagar. Except the Kalyan-Shahad road, most roads were in good conditions on the trip. After Shahad, we stopped over at a small hotel called Hotel Dajiba. It was a vegetarian</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> hotel that offered good breakfast and snacks options. We bought a lot of water here as we were told water could be tough to find. Once you cross Murbad, look out for a thumb shaped mountain peak on the right. This is called Nana's thumb or <i>Nanacha Anghatha</i>. I am sure it had nothing to do with a certain middle aged Marathi actor :). Soon we reached the base</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px; text-align: left;">, there was a clear board pointing towards Naneghat and arrows marked on the stones. We got down from our vehicle, took our belongings, water etc. We formed a circle, that's when the leader introduced himself. Each one of us introduced ourselves as well. For some of them, it was their first trek for some it was at least second or third time they were scaling Naneghat. The plan was to have one group leader right in the front and the other at the end of the group. With a plan in place, we were ready to scale the Naneghat. So far, a good start. That's when the downpour started.Welcome. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nanacha anghata</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The trek </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">started on green plains, with the usual photography sessions of fellow trekkers. The peak was in sight from there, and we just couldn't stop ourselves from imagining what the view will be from the peak, once we reach there. As it began to rain, we put on our raincoats. It was nothing more than a light and thankfully pleasant drizzle. Soon, the trek moved into the forests. It was a narrow trail through the jungle, possibly made by the foot marks of trekkers and locals who had gone by the route.It was an easy route </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to follow</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, which was slowly ascending towards the peak. It was a slippery and muddy path interspersed with light streams of water. At one such place, we found some work going on the regular route, not sure what it was, but, that stopped us from going ahead along that path. The group leaders quickly went into action mode. One of the group leaders along with a few others, started to look for an alternative route, with the help of some locals. And once they found it and were sure, everyone took this new diversion. As the ascent finally started,it was a rocky patch. And it seemed to be the same till the top. Perhaps they might have been stairs ages ago. Climbing all these was tiring everyone. The breaks started increasing and the ascent longer. There were rivulets flowing at edges. At one such rivulets, everyone washed themselves and also drank water from it. The fresh rain water really invigorated our senses. After almost two to three hours of trekking, we reached the top. We were greeted with a nice gush of wind with a bit of rain. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caves at Naneghat</td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things to see :</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM50NShPSakAMIBJKPixqfHWJTdMDmGrLBlQouSDr7Fz1cd8FoRBwAcHUBkb4UcFE3uvaYeYOKVJh-uOfwpsh_xUdvfQBLxYYZRIVzT-ViDiMceahmHaAqGydgqg5ZbPW3AFAtZh4LWE/s1600/Photo0212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOM50NShPSakAMIBJKPixqfHWJTdMDmGrLBlQouSDr7Fz1cd8FoRBwAcHUBkb4UcFE3uvaYeYOKVJh-uOfwpsh_xUdvfQBLxYYZRIVzT-ViDiMceahmHaAqGydgqg5ZbPW3AFAtZh4LWE/s400/Photo0212.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we reached the top, we saw there was a narrow ascending rocky patch in between two hillocks. There were caves at the top in both the hillocks i.e. on both sides of the rocky patch. It seemed to be carved out of the mountain. The cave to the left was a huge one and most trekkers opted to take rest in this one. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> There were little kids in the cave selling masala tea, cucumber, etc. They were probably from </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">neighboring</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> villages.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were inscriptions written in a language that appeared like Sanskrit. As we sat down and had our lunch, we wondered what this place was used for, what was its significance. As per many sources around the web (<i>Don't forget to browse through Chandrasekhara's blog on Naneghat - </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://chandrashekharasandprints.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/traces-of-an-empire-the-mountain-pass-of-naneghat-part-1/" target="_blank">Traces of an Empire – The Mountain pass of Naneghat</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), these caves were built in the rule of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satavahana_dynasty" target="_blank">Satavahana</a> period. In those days, Junnar was a big town of political importance. Goods from all far off places used to taken to Junnar for sale and distribution. Goods that landed in the port cities of Kalyan and Nalasopara, too used to be taken to Junnar. This pass was built by the kings in the period in order to cut down </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the time to take the goods from reaching Junnar from the mentioned port cities. In fact, taxes or rather toll taxes were prevalent in that period too. There were huge pots built in which the travellers used to put coins as tax. The pots are still present today, one can see them if one walks further up. We also found a road at the top. Yeah a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">motor able</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> road to Junnar. It would have taken 5-6 hours for our vehicle to reach the place, i.e. going around from the base. No wonder, this pass was so popular and generated income for the kings. In fact, Nane is also another name for coins.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The descent:</b> The climb was so challenging that some of us felt, our vehicle would be at the top, and we don't have to trek down. But, that was not the case. After spending around couple of hours, we were back on our way to the base. The idea was to reach the base before it grew dark. Our group leader did inquire about us having any additional torches. But, the need didn't arise. Expect for the initial rocky patch which was a tough one for average trekkers like us, the rest of the descent was pretty simple. Some of us had a couple of falls too, but not serious though. The descent was easy.We reached back to the base rather quickly.Everyone washed themselves at the base in a rivulet.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnJ9_y-Fpmz_-ZJoxMluVJ_FW1ffb_yc6iRae2iTF55osUmeFOLb2SSbZZwBlhoERuRgsBTJs_YExYyge2nv3rbxcFS6U6Y6BeGHgivLmHPmXUqwBkcYfXkeaObIy17Dzr4WnpcXUg-g/s1600/Naneghat+-+Before+and+After.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwnJ9_y-Fpmz_-ZJoxMluVJ_FW1ffb_yc6iRae2iTF55osUmeFOLb2SSbZZwBlhoERuRgsBTJs_YExYyge2nv3rbxcFS6U6Y6BeGHgivLmHPmXUqwBkcYfXkeaObIy17Dzr4WnpcXUg-g/s400/Naneghat+-+Before+and+After.jpg" width="267" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Summary</b> : This trek can be termed of moderate difficulty for an average trekker. Monsoon showers, detours, tryst with nature, history, a few falls, it had everything. Overall it was a very satisfying trek, excellently managed by YHAI, Mumbai Unit. With lot of historical importance attached, every trekker must have Naneghat on their list. Sadly the entire nostalgic look of a different era seems to have lost at Naneghat nowadays. Not sure if anyone gets to go inside the caves any more. The government authorities have now put barricades and grills on the caves leaving behind travellers of future generations wondering, what it must be like in Naneghat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">References: </span><a href="http://www.enotes.com/topic/Naneghat" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">http://www.enotes.com/topic/Naneghat</a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naneghat">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naneghat</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satavahana_dynasty" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satavahana_dynasty</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7Naneghat, Ghatghar, Maharashtra19.297575 73.686633119.267602 73.647151099999988 19.327547999999997 73.7261151tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-9188875053049547962011-07-05T09:02:00.511+05:302011-12-04T02:11:35.883+05:30Amritsar - How to go, places of interest, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikb1unLf5GEHV1eKRN2AfOr_Q8AqKm5bRIgF4VR_TjAuDdrDLOzVGXpfYTlO5n08ZPccfivcc2LKjgYu7ko0OaCZiJwfERhsdDeAxJCvOaZKozjajkLOXRnn1BsS4KI_5ov7ynLgTaXsk/s1600/DSCN0446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikb1unLf5GEHV1eKRN2AfOr_Q8AqKm5bRIgF4VR_TjAuDdrDLOzVGXpfYTlO5n08ZPccfivcc2LKjgYu7ko0OaCZiJwfERhsdDeAxJCvOaZKozjajkLOXRnn1BsS4KI_5ov7ynLgTaXsk/s320/DSCN0446.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Prelude :</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After three eventful unforgettable days, we were back on the road. Our friends picked us from Khannabal around 11.00 am. We were on our way to Jammu. We had to reach Jammu Tawi station by 9:00 pm, as we had a train to catch. As things had been going for us on this trip, some adventure was always around the corner. Our driver didn't know the route and tried some short cut. And guess what, we were lost, and were in danger of missing our train - the Jammu -Bhatinda express. Although, our driver was a safe driver, he too looked a bit nervous, especially when it turned dark. After asking a few locals, we found the route to Jammu Tawi station and reached just in the nick of time. After much drama, we got the train and were on our way to the last leg of our tour - the iconic city which is often regarded as the spiritual center of Sikh religion - Amritsar</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amritsar" target="_blank">Amritsar</a> :</b> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to go :</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Amritsar is well connected by road, rail and air. It has the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Guru_Ram_Dass_Jee_International_Airport" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Sri Guru Ramdas Jee airport</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> which has regular domestic and international flights to destinations across the world. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Located on the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Trunk_Road" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Grand Trunk Road</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, Amritsar can be reached by road from anywhere in India. It is well connected on rails too. Almost from any part of the country, there are trains to Amritsar. There are many trains to Amritsar from metros like Mumbai and Delhi. The Shatabdi, Golden temple Mail are some of the more popular trains to Amritsar. We reached Amritsar late in the night around 2.00 am. Vehicles were available at that time in the night as well. We were promptly approached by the cab drivers. As we were a group of seven, we needed a bigger vehicle. We were lucky to get a Omni. The carrier on the top took care of our luggage. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places to stay :</b> Finding a place to stay that late in the night, that too in an unknown place can be daunting. However, we had done some good research on the hotels in Amritsar. We stayed at a hotel called <a href="http://www.hotelbasera.net/" target="_blank">Hotel Basera</a>. It was a two star hotel. Nothing fancy about the place. It was neat, comfortable and reasonably priced. Perfect for a short stay. Being close to the station made it perfect for us. We took 3 rooms. Each room had neat toilet-bathroom attached, television, air conditioner, double bed and a couple of chairs. They provided extra beds too for a nominal fee. Room service was not quick but good enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We woke pretty early after a short but good night's sleep. We had a big day ahead of us, so we decided to have breakfast in the room itself. The hotel offered regular fare like bread, butter, cornflakes, aloo paratha etc. for breakfast. The cost was slightly higher than usual. After having our breakfast we started our sightseeing of this wonderful city. The autorickshaws here were slightly bigger than the ones we find in Mumbai. One autorickshaw could accommodate all of us. Our first stop was the spiritual center of Sikh religion.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places of interest : </b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmandir_Sahib" target="_blank">Harmandir Saheb</a> (The Golden Temple) :</b> </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2L1Ka9zU3VUyRR9qFRXLtEJ44nClAfJtb2fkx4LMj1Gd_eeXNCPCMeyatc5eKbckSOP3LvkO4AuFhNcor1bONsUzqDdctWfRoLTj6iV2EZNh09Cht_qkCT_fhzDuMJfPeTbuTqfAePuY/s1600/DSCN0440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2L1Ka9zU3VUyRR9qFRXLtEJ44nClAfJtb2fkx4LMj1Gd_eeXNCPCMeyatc5eKbckSOP3LvkO4AuFhNcor1bONsUzqDdctWfRoLTj6iV2EZNh09Cht_qkCT_fhzDuMJfPeTbuTqfAePuY/s320/DSCN0440.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the Golden Temple</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Entering the temple:</b> As soon as we got out of the rickshaw near the temple, people surrounded us offering saffron coloured head scarves. We picked up a few of them for Rs. 10 a piece. There was a lot of crowd, as expected. However, it was very well organized. There was a cloak room for keeping our shoes, bags etc. Unlike other religious places, mobiles and cameras were allowed in the Golden Temple. There were places where water was being offered. Instead of glasses, water was being offered in unique bowls. The water center was split into two ledges. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were bowls of water and empty ones spread all over the ledges. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were temple sevaks who were offering the water. After drinking water from a bowl, I had kept it on the top ledge. No wonder, that made the sevak frown at me. That made me realize that, t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">he water filled bowls had to been kept on top ledge and the lower ledge was to keep the bowls </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">after drinking from them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/90YOU4BTKuk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Inside the temple: </b>We had to wash our legs before entering the temple. There was a pool just before the temple, these pools had water filled in them. It was a nice way to ensure people wash their feet before entering the temple. After washing our feet, we entered the temple, it brought the memories of the famous Rang De Basanti song 'Ek Onkar'. The very sight of the Golden temple right in the center of all the water of Sarovar lake gave an awesome feeling. The temple complex was rectangular in shape. The floor had marble tiles, which made it easy walking bare feet on them, in spite of all the summer heat. There were Sikh hymns being recited within the temple which were being played on loud speakers. At one end of the temple, there was a large TV screen which was screening the teachings of Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Devji. </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjCFkN8U-GRBT-u1ohDAjMWa3QqWlxXSm1872EuRY8873Wg0KvW9zPFmAIwpKQFBjUQVYj4r9M1kBeAyghgwQB5duOvL5c7bgJfVu_t_1L-KPF_SbDvZclK9YO2vVgjfU3SUNYOUlkYI/s1600/DSCN0445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjCFkN8U-GRBT-u1ohDAjMWa3QqWlxXSm1872EuRY8873Wg0KvW9zPFmAIwpKQFBjUQVYj4r9M1kBeAyghgwQB5duOvL5c7bgJfVu_t_1L-KPF_SbDvZclK9YO2vVgjfU3SUNYOUlkYI/s320/DSCN0445.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gold fishes in Sarovar lake, Harmandir Saheb</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The entire mood of the place gave quite a calm affect. Its quite a huge temple, I felt it was much larger in size than the temple at Shirdi. As went towards the Harmandir Saheb</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all this while. The Harmandir Saheb holds the holiest Sikh literature - 'The Guru Granth Saheb'.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the <i>darshan, </i>we had some prasad. We visited some of the other structures within the temple complex. All across the temple, there were holy scripts written about the various Gurus and warriors of the Sikh religion. At one end of the temple, people were doing some holy service like cleaning the temple by pouring water for the cleaners to clean the place. We decided to participate in the service. It was meant to be service to the God. Overall, the time spent at the temple was really great. Time had passed so quickly in the temple. We wished to stay back longer, however, we had to leave. Although, we did plan to visit the temple again in the night. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCRqv3uXRkfBSd__QEj8gZOJPBLnaGkDuLBx-yONYQzqx3-yd7ICOOGrln1EyVZz5cUB4rFwFuSVfhj7mg0VZpdGLPczghB-rgiBCmNIpoeeSzj4q73XJtP1vAj4tB0BHzemmZXHuh-Q/s1600/3150091677_d6ba0d6d4f_o.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZCRqv3uXRkfBSd__QEj8gZOJPBLnaGkDuLBx-yONYQzqx3-yd7ICOOGrln1EyVZz5cUB4rFwFuSVfhj7mg0VZpdGLPczghB-rgiBCmNIpoeeSzj4q73XJtP1vAj4tB0BHzemmZXHuh-Q/s320/3150091677_d6ba0d6d4f_o.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Amritsari Kulcha, Bhrawan's Dhabba</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Places to eat : </b>Visiting Punjab and not savouring the local food is almost a crime. The auto rickshaw driver had suggested couple of places near the temple for having our lunch. We insisted having authentic Punjabi food. He had suggested Brother's dhabba and Bhrawan da Dhabba. We went to the latter. It was a huge hotel and pure vegetarian cuisine. Some of us ordered the local cuisine - Amritsari Kulcha with chole. And top it up with lassi. Punjabis really know how to make it large. The lassis were offered in tumblers that were really huge. Unlike in places like Mumbai where lassis are so thin, in Punjab the lassis are one of a kind. After a sumptuous lunch, with all that butter, a lassi can be too much. But, definitively worth it. The hotel really lived up to its reputation. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh" target="_blank">Jalianwala Bagh</a>:</b> Although we couldn't visit the place, one should not miss the Jalian Wala Bagh. This public garden had seen the most evil side of human nature in the form of General Dyre. It is said that what happened on </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">13 April 1919, can still be vividly felt as you walk through this historic garden. The walls, the well, the lanes all tell tales of the gore human nature against innocent civilians. Hope to be there on our next trip. </span></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagah" target="_blank">Wagah Border :</a> </b></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sbx_KaaO4SN4rHmGW0FicWK_jrU5_SLC3BvlsiJSHePg1K8f11DppPiYR7hi5vfuVAL4a4OAxCjEp3q54uXh7PMtIAlDvtahFikt0ghbHzo9E0onsMMBQcFQL5YqTYNfj5N28TnNuXw/s1600/DSCN0474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Sbx_KaaO4SN4rHmGW0FicWK_jrU5_SLC3BvlsiJSHePg1K8f11DppPiYR7hi5vfuVAL4a4OAxCjEp3q54uXh7PMtIAlDvtahFikt0ghbHzo9E0onsMMBQcFQL5YqTYNfj5N28TnNuXw/s320/DSCN0474.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag waving at Wagah border</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Crowd control: </b>One needs to be at the Wagah border before 4 PM to get a good seat, that was what was told to us by the locals. After our lunch, we reached at 4.30 PM. We had to hand over our bags and any costly items if we wished to, at make shift cloak rooms. There was heavy security at the site. People were frisked before entering the place. There was an enormous crowd. We wondered what is there to be seen that locals who must have seen this innumerable times were queuing up. Especially since the Lahore-Amritsar bus ride, Wagah border has become a must see place for every tourist. But, in spite of the huge crowd, it was beautifully handled by a single BSF officer on a horse. It made me wonder, why horses are never used in a places like Mumbai to handle huge crowds. They were used under the British rule. Even now, the London police use horses to control crowds. The BSF officer made the crowds move slowly, steadily towards the Wagah border. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Song and dance and then the Retreat:</b> There were large seating arrangements on both sides of the road. One side was for the ladies, children and foreign dignitaries. And on the other side was for the male population. The female members of our group had gone to the other side. We could spot them as they were seated right in the front. As the proceedings started, there were scenes of nationalistic jingoism on display. Women danced to almost all patriotic songs. The BSF people provided some huge flags to the crowds to wave. This went on for almost half an hour. </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkXc19_hn6cp-fWdMzEAMczIFejp5XyrVNAuHzC8GEUoVPB5aswJhP2ZknYbxFPlbBXK4WTR13-z9Pyo4wVG_9afO2Wyw7HE63Vs7wqJO_GtkZY8I5SxvUqLyUBTtFh3dsQLp2Pa84Ew/s1600/DSC06360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYkXc19_hn6cp-fWdMzEAMczIFejp5XyrVNAuHzC8GEUoVPB5aswJhP2ZknYbxFPlbBXK4WTR13-z9Pyo4wVG_9afO2Wyw7HE63Vs7wqJO_GtkZY8I5SxvUqLyUBTtFh3dsQLp2Pa84Ew/s320/DSC06360.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flag lowering ceremony, Wagah border</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After a routine of song and dance, the dancers were asked to be seated. Then out of the blue came this white clothed officer from the BSF quarters. This brought a huge roar from the crowd. He was a crowd choreographer. With his unique mannerisms, he made people cheer, yell, shout chants of Hindustan Zindabad. On the other side of the border, we could hear similar proceedings , although due to lesser crowds, they were slightly muted in response. The crowd was a much bigger one on this side. Soon the extremely tall BSF officers took part in a parade to lower the flags. While doing so, the officers on both sides did it in a very hostile, but choreographed manner. It is said to be done in such a manner in order to display the country's pride. Obviously, this brought a lot of cheer from the crowd and the choreographer had huge role to play. No wonder, after the event people were queuing up to take a photo with him along with the tall officers. It was a nice event and brought out patriotic and slightly jingoistic sentiments for the nation. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Summary :</b> On our way back from the Wagah border, we visited the Golden temple yet again. Visiting the temple in the night was a must see for us as it was supposed to be an awesome sight with all the lights. And so it was. We had our dinner at the Temple Langar. We even collected some memorabilia from the temple. And with that our trip to Amritsar came to an end. We had an early morning train to Delhi, and from there the train back home - Mumbai. It was an adventurous-cum-spiritual trip to the Northern part of India. It started with the Akshardham and ended with the Golden Temple with Amarnath caves in the middle. What else can one ask for. The tour put us in different situations, and asked different questions. Luckily we pulled all the right triggers and came up with the right answers. We may feel we could have done things differently. But, I guess it was meant to be that way. It was an experience. And experience is often the best teacher. I hope you enjoyed reading the series of North tour 2011 as much I enjoyed writing it. Nothing else can be more apt to say than '</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh</i>'. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Golden Temple in the night </td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2Amritsar, Punjab, India31.6339793 74.87226420000001831.2551448 74.421824700000016 32.0128138 75.322703700000019tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-37072963693820546892011-06-29T20:43:00.002+05:302012-11-21T23:01:00.334+05:30The Amarnath Yatra - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarnath_Temple">Amarnath </a>caves are different from any other place. Hence, even this blog needs to be different.This time, there are no usual sections like places to visit, how to travel etc. It is more about the experience of the <a href="http://www.amarnathyatra.org/">Amarnath Yatra</a>. I have tried to concise as much as possible. Still, it has ended up as a very long blog. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It has been a long time coming. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hope you read till the end. The joys, the pains, the thoughts, the moments, the ultimate experience of Amarnath Yatra. Enjoy reading :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"Why is he running back?” asked a friend looking towards another friend. The other friend was running towards us, waving at something and screaming all along.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">He huffed and puffed as he came near us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"What happened?", we asked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"There is a rainbow there", he replied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"So?" <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>Rainbows are lucky for me</b></span></i>. Every time I see a rainbow, something good happens to me."</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even before we could react (read ROFL), everyone around us got out from their stationary cars and rushed to the spot to take pictures. Our friend had ignited a commotion there. And suddenly, the cars started moving. Everyone rushed back to their cars.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Traffic jam at top of the world:</span></b><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b>We were stuck in a massive traffic jam just outside <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltal" style="color: black;">Baltal</a>, base camp for Amarnath Yatra. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Every vehicle was being checked. </span></i></b>No wonder there was a heavy traffic jam that spread across miles. Baltal (3525 meters) is situated north of Sonamarg. Just north of Baltal is the famous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zojila" style="color: black;">Zojila </a>pass, which is enroute to Leh. Baltal and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pahalgam" style="color: black;">Pahalgam </a>are the two routes for the Amarnath Yatra. Among the two, the Baltal route was the shorter route and took less than a day to reach the caves. The scenes at Baltal were quite beautiful. So, for a change, the heavy traffic didn't really bother us. We were at a picturesque location. It took us a couple of hours to reach the checkpoint. We had to leave our vehicle there. No private vehicles were allowed beyond the checkpoint. We took our belongings and left for the base camp. There was heavy security around the place. Every Yatri was being frisked, and their luggage was being checked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">The bus ride:</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span>We were not at the base camp as yet. We had to take a bus from the check point to reach base camp. There were buses every 30 minutes which charged around Rs.10 per head. Just as we were about to take the bus, suddenly, we realized <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">one of us was missing</span></i></b>. Phones obviously didn't work. His wife was getting all panicky, which was natural. We were getting anxious too. Luckily, we found him, as he chose to return back. He had wandered off ahead. He claimed, he went ahead and was waiting for us. Meanwhile, one of us had used the make shift toilet which was built by the government agencies. The toilet was horrible, to say the least. Soon, we got on the bus. There was a unprecedented rush of Yatris to get on the bus.The steps of the bus were slightly higher than usual. So, one had to climb on it rather than walk into it. As I was climbing, the handle of my <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>bag got stuck somewhere and snapped</i></b></span>. And the bag fell down. Ooohs and aaahs followed. Someone lifted and gave me my bag. The bus was overcrowded, with barely any place to set our feet. We somehow managed to squeeze in and got a seat too. As we waited for the bus to start, we began to wonder, we had seen so much already - chaos, the disgusting facilities, raw emotions, people getting lost, panic, a broken bag. We got a glimpse of what was in store for us. We could only hope things would get better. As our good friend predicted, something good was going to happen to us. And then, the bus started and Cheers followed...”Barfaanee baba ki..Jai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Baltal</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">was this huge camping site, surrounded by ice capped mountains on all sides. It was more like a village of tents. After an airport like metal detector checking; we entered into Baltal base camp. We tried to stick together, as </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i><b>we could have easily got lost</b></i></span><span style="color: black;">. The crowd was enormous. We were greeted (rather mobbed) by different people - tent walas, horse wallas, etc. We were looking for tents. We checked one tent which was near the gates. Somehow, the tents didn't quite appeal us. We were looking for Paramount tents, the most famous tents. The base camp had two main roads parallel to each other. The road to the left had various bhandaras on one side of the road. On the other side of the road, there were shops selling just about everything - clothes, torches, batteries, prepaid cards, water, medicines, etc. We were surprised to find good Airtel network coverage at the base camp. After checking a couple of options, we finalized a tent on the other road. The tent was a water proof tent covered with a florescent green cover. There were 7 beds in the tent. The beds were complete with bedsheets, pillows and even rugs and blankets to keep us warm. The tent wallas inquired if we needed any horses for the yatra.We asked for 4 horses. Our plan was, 3 of us would travel on horse backs and 1 horse would be used to carry the luggage. We unwinded and decided to check out the place...especially the bhandaras.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Bhandaara/Langar :</span></b><span style="color: black;"> </span>In case, you are'nt aware, Bhandaaras or Langars, in lay man's terms, are food joints of the Yatris. The people who run bhandaaras do it as volunteer service and don't charge a penny for it.They have their own staff of cooks, waiters. One could find each one totally engrossed in his work. One could find someone baking rotis, serving food, serving water or kesar milk. Each of them did this with a lot of devotion and enthusiasm.They consider it a very auspicious and holy thing to do. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">The food is pretty hygienic too.</span></i></b> There were many bhandaaras lined up which ensured none of the Yatris went hungry. We went to have our dinner at one such bhandaara by the name 'Vishal Bhandaara'. It looked a lot cleaner and well organized than the rest. They had neatly arranged tables and chairs for people to sit and have their food. In most bhandaras, it was self service; here there were volunteers who served the food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>The song of Yatra - Babam Bam :</b></span><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b><span style="color: black;">The atmosphere was sombre at first, with bhajans playing in the background. However, in no time it turned into a celebration, thanks to the the song 'Babam bam' by Kailash Kher. The Yatris forgot their impending journey and broke into a dance. The effect of the song was truly mesmerizing, one couldn't resist dancing. The drums, the beats, the loud music, the words, the energy of the song transformed the entire mood of the place. Yatris, on lookers, even the people serving started shaking a leg or two. It was almost as if the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>Yatris fell into a trance</i></b></span><span style="color: black;">.Shiv Taandav.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;">Meanwhile, I managed to find a cobbler, yes, a cobbler to mend my broken bag. After that we returned to our tents. As we retired back in our tents, the tent walas asked us to get up by 4.00 am as that when the horse walas or dandees would be coming over. Setting our alarms we were snuggled into the layers of blankets and rugs. off to sleep. I</span>t was going to be a very short night for us. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Chaos at 4:</span></b><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b>Damn Cold!!! The icing freezing water just couldn't be used for anything. We had barely slept the previous night, the tent walas woke up all of us. We heard tales of disgust about the facilities there. There were make shift toilets and wash basins. The toilets were 100 mts from our tents.There were queues to use these toilets. The toilets were unclean, used, dirty. (We could use all adjectives of dirty). Some of them had no water too. No one could use such a toilet. Luckily, our friends who had already used some, informed us which ones were better. The wash basin had icy cold water. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Forget washing your face, one cannot gargle with such cold water</span></i></b>. There were slightly better arrangements for bathing though. Small 3*3*8 little tents were put up. Probably, it was arranged by the tentwalas. Perhaps, that's why it was way better. They had been providing us buckets of hot water. And soon most of us were ready for the Yatra. We had put on two layers of clothing and warm clothes too. And topped it up with raincoats. and the monkey cap of course. After making the payments to the tent walas, we left for the Yatra.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">The yatra begins...</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">The Yatra begins:</span></b><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There were thousands of Yatris eager to get out of the base camp to start the Yatra. Kids, old people, youngsters, parents carrying their kids on their shoulders. The army had closed the gates and opened a very narrow gate. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">This was to prevent any stampede.</span></i></b> As we all know how we the Indians can be, everyone wanted to get out of the gates at the same time. So there was pushing, jostling, pulling all around. In the midst of all this commotion, I was busy clicking a few photos. Soon, we were out of the base camp. Our horses were waiting outside. Three of us climbed on a horse. The Dandees (horse pullers) tied our luggage together and placed it on one of the horses. We bid good bye to our friends, who chose to walk. Chanting with the words, "Bum bum bhole", our journey began...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Roadblocks even before starting: </span></b>The shops on both sides of the road offered us water, elachi tea, some things to eat like samosa, etc. all for free. Usually people prefer to undertake the journey as soon as it is open for public. That is more due to the reason that, at the start of the Yatra, the shiv ling has a good height. As the Yatra goes on the shiv ling melts down. This was the second day of the Yatra. No wonder the crowds were huge. Horses galore. We had heard that the horses that went to the caves the previous day, returned quite late in the night. We moved along smoothly. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Soon there was a halt. </span></i></b>The road ahead was steep and was quite a narrow one. The army had stopped all horses from moving ahead. The trekkers went ahead. Our friends, who came from behind went ahead of us. We waited on the horses. After some time, the army allowed the horses to move ahead. After some time, we were stopped again, again the wait. This went on. As the roads were narrow, there wasn't enough space for two horses to move ahead. They had to move one behind the other. Space was needed for the returning horses as well. So there was a massive jam of stuttering horses. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>No use of going ahead, Return back</b> : As we waited, we met people returning, each one sharing the story of their journey. Most of them had started their journey the previous day. Some of them advised us not to go ahead and return back. In fact some of the horses had returned mid-way. It was already 9 am, and we had hardly moved anywhere. There were shops selling lime juice and cold drinks along the way. The prices were steep too. A bottle of water cost R.s 40. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>The wait was getting frustrating.</i></b></span><span style="color: black;"> Our phones didn’t help either. Except for BSNL network, all other networks stopped working as we moved higher. Soon our dandies advised us, there was no use of waiting any longer. Even we felt the same. The people, who were walking, moved ahead, the horse riding Yatris were stranded. It was o.k. for us to leave the horses and walk, but what about the luggage which was on one of the horses. We were in a dilemma as our friends had </span>already moved ahead. Now, we couldn't have left the luggage behind and walk ahead. In no sense we could have carried the entire luggage. It would have been much better had we all stayed together. Well, that was the plan initially. Frustration levels only grew. We waited for a miracle. And it happened. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">The saviour and the decision: </span></b>In this moment of distress, there was a saviour. We found a pitthu (porter). He agreed to carry our luggage to the caves for little over Rs. 1000. So, we paid our dandies some nominal money and bid our horses good bye. Our pitthu took the entire luggage and tied them up in one big cloth. So, now the three of us and the pitthu eventually started our journey on foot. Although, we opted to walk, none of us was really in a good condition to do so. Normally people practice long walks two months before the Yatra. We had not done none this. Some of us had recently come out of sickness. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">We hoped it would be a normal easy trek.</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span><b><span style="color: black;">It ain't easy: </span></b><span style="color: black;">Initially, we were walking rather quickly, rarely taking any breaks. There were people, horses, pithus, dandies, army personnel walking along the way. At the end of every km, there were signboards informing how many kms were left for the caves. We decided to take breaks only at the sign boards. There were stalls selling cold drinks, water, biscuits near the sign boards. Things were going well. We stopped at a langar along the way recruited another pithu. This one was a sharp lad. He charged us more for lesser distance. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i><b>We were in a helpless situation</b></i></span><span style="color: black;"> and had to recruit him.We were concerned that the first pithu was carrying way too much stuff. We thought of reducing his burden. Additionally he could carry some of the bags that we were carrying. Hence, we recruited another pithu. Now, our entire luggage was with pitthus. We resumed our walk again. We felt we were progressing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">A sad moment</span></b><span style="color: black;">:</span><span style="color: black;"> At one place, all crowds had accumulated. No one was walking any further. The army had stopped everyone from walking ahead. It was a narrow pass. We were standing at one end of the road near the mountain. Room was made on the arrow pass for people who were returning. We waited there for a couple of hours. What started out as a single non-moving queue, multiplied in no time. It soon became a bottle neck, narrowing down the road even further. Now the space for the returning people became even lesser. People were getting restless.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i> Disaster was waiting to happen</i></b></span><span style="color: black;">. Then an army officer slipped from the edge. He probably lost the balance and fell from the edge of the mountain. Luckily he caught hold of a bush that saved him. Even a horse went crazy and was about to fall off. The lack of space to walk might have scared the poor creature. Common sense prevailed. Public tried to create single queues instead of so many queues. During this wait, we saw something the army officers were bringing down. It was not clear at first. But, as the army officers came closer, we realized what it was. It was a dead body. Not really sure what happened to the departed soul. It was a sad moment. Everyone around stopped yelling and froze for a moment and allowed the body to pass.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After some time, the army allowed us to move further, but in a single line. We slowly, steadily moved ahead, taking more breaks from before. Somehow, we managed to drag ourselves to a place called Barari top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">All hell broke loose:</span></b><b><span style="color: black;"> </span></b><span style="color: black;">We had been hearing all along that the caves were just an hour from Barari top. When we heard it was 4-5 hrs walk, all hell broke loose. We were just not ready to walk. We kept pondering whether we could travel again or should we take a break and resume our journey the next day. It was around 4.30 pm there was still bright sun light. We had some heated arguments over what to do next.</span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">One of our friends's wife had already gone ahead with our trekker group. So he was keen to travel the same day. We were confused, perplexed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black;">Maggi saves the day</span></b>: We decided to have some food. Probably having some food into our system would help the brain function clearly. We had some maggi, yeah that's right, almost 12000 ft above sea level, it was maggi that gave some energy.We finally decided to take horses and travel to the caves. They charged us around Rs. 1000 /- per horse. The pitthus had a different route than the horses. We bid our pitthus good bye. We planned to meet at the first langar. Off we went on the horses. We traveled past the langars, out of Barari top. We soon reached a place called Sangam. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">This was the steepest part of the journey</span></i></b>. The dandee asked us to get down and travel by foot. It was amazing to see how the horses managed to handle the steep curves. Soon we were up again on the horses. And resumed our travel. We went past iced glaciers, caves, rivers, , steep trenches and some angry Yatris too. And finally, in couple of hrs we reached our destination - Amarnath Caves. We paid our dandees the travel money and some bakshish too. They charged us a bomb and then they desired some more bakshish (tip). We did end up paying them some bakshish. It was because of them, that we reached the caves. The decision to travel by horses that fateful evening was the brightest decision of the day.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="color: black;">Drama that doesn't end:</span></b><b style="line-height: normal;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></b><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">Amarnath caves were at least 2 km away from the entrance. The area was snow clad. It was solid ice. Had it been fresh snow, it would have been better. Solid ice meant not having a solid footing. We slipped many times. At that altitude there is very little oxygen. We were getting tired with every step. </span>It turned dark too. <span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">Luckily one of the friend's phone had a torch. We had to walk till the first langar. That's where the pithus were going to meet us. We somehow pushed, slipped, held each other and reached the first langar. The pitthus were nowhere in sight. </span><span style="color: black; line-height: normal;">We were getting more frustrated than ever. </span>We received a call. Our friends had managed to grab a BSNL phone from somewhere and had called. They were in a tent that they had taken. It seemed the tent was near the entrance itself and we must have gone past it. We asked our friends to meet us at the first langar, so that the searching could be saved. They informed it was not possible for them to reach the first langar and gave us the tent number. And it was up to us to search the tent. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">That's when we completely lost it</span></i></b>. We didn't know where the tents were, we didn't know where our luggage was, and there was no help too. We didn't know what to do. We felt like banging our heads on a wall. Probably, the lowest point of the day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="line-height: normal;">The day that finally ends: </b>Standing in front of the langar waiting didn't make sense. We started calling out the pitthu's names loudly, just in case one of them hears.But to no avail. We decided to walk to nearby places. One of us was standing there, just in case the pitthus turn up, remaining two were looking around. We looked to the right of the langar, but the pitthus were no where in sight. Then we walked to the left. We walked mid-way when my friend suggested, we should return back. For some reason, I wanted to walk till the next langar. We walked ahead. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>"Oye saab"</b>, was the call from behind. There were our pithus sitting in their typical style.We heaved a sigh of great relief. The pithus weren't aware that another langar was put up ahead, and were under the impression that the second langar was the first langar. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We all walked towards the tent. Suddenly, a man came from nowhere asking if we were looking for the tent no. 432. Everyone yelled together , "Yes". The tent wala took us to the tent, which was on the back side of a Prasad shop. We took off our shoes and went inside. The tent was on ice and had at least 14 people sleeping side-by-side. Our friends were not in a great shape. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>One of them was wearing an oxygen mask</i></b></span>. The friend whose wife had reached ahead almost broke into tears when she saw him. "This place is unforgiving" said our most adventurous friend. I had a slight head ache due to the low oxygen. I took a Crocin and prayed, "Oh Lord, Help me get past this". With those words, we just talked about the day's adventures. What a day it was...what a day. Meanwhile, our good friend had already started snoring. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="color: black; line-height: normal;">The amazing Darshan day : </b>There are no toilets at the caves. Everything was out in the open. We didn't have the will to take a bath in the cold weather. We brushed our teeth and packed our bags and left for the Darshan. We left our bags in the tent. Initially, <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">we were tempted to some rather insane ideas</span></i></b>. We wasted few hours trying to take the shorter route. Only to find the army had discontinued the shorter route. There was a shorter route for the elite public, senior citizens who came by paalkis. We actually took our good friend, who was slightly sick by the paalki. But it was of no use. We had to start again. We joined the queue, right at the end. Some of us got an entry somewhere in the middle. We chatted with the people around, sharing our experiences, listening to their experiences. It was a pleasant, slow walk to the caves. We walked in snow, in land. We had lunch at a langar. It was a six hours long queue. And the best part was, <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">we never felt it was a six hours queu</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i><b>e</b></i></span>. Time passed so quickly along with other Yatris. Had we not tried the shorter route, we could have finished the Darshan much earlier. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Later, we were joined by our remaining friends.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The caves itself were gigantic and awe inspiring. All of us did the Darshan together. The ice shiv ling was a huge one this year. We couldn't take any pictures as cameras were banned at the place. Although, there was an army presence at the caves, they didn't push us off or anything, like it happens at other holy temples in India. They gave us enough time for a good darshan. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We even saw the two doves.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>A problem</b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">much bigger </b><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">: </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On our return, we had some light snacks at a langar. We had already started thinking about our return journey. We returned back to our tents by the shorter route. Along the way, we were debating on how should be our return. It was already 6.00 pm. According to our original plan, we had planned to return via the Pahalgam route, which was a longer route. However, the turn of events over the past two days meant loss of time.<b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> One thing was sure that no one wanted to spend one more night at the caves</span></i></b> in that weather. There were horse wallas suggesting to take the Baltal route. However, we had seen the dangers of the Baltal route during the previous day. And travelling in the night, surely it would have been a lot riskier. It was again one of those moments where we were not sure of what to do. However, as we were contemplating both options, we realized, we had a problem which was way bigger than anything. We had very little money left !!! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Two different groups, two different routes: </b>We never realized that we had spent all our money on tents, tent walas, hot water, pithus, horses etc. No wonder we had very little money left. There were no ATMs anywhere close. Pahalgam and Baltal were two places where ATMs were available. No one was in any shape to walk. Both the options had their pros and cons. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">The Baltal route was shorter, but riskier, especially in the night</span></i></b>. The Pahalgam route, which was the traditional route was longer, but safer. Some of us were keen to get back to the normal world a lot quicker. Some wanted to reach safely. After much deliberation and clash of conflicting thought processes, we decided to split up. One group </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">decided to go via the Pahalgam route. The other group </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">left for Baltal. I was part of the Pahalgam one. After settling our accounts we left for our different destinations. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The journey back</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>First stop -Panchtarni</b> : The first place to reach on the Pahalgam route was a place called Panchtarni. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is a confluence of five rivers, that are set to be originating from Lord Siva's hairs.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The basis of choosing this route over the Baltal one was safety and a clear, unified decision to avoid travel in the dark in those mountains. Panchtarni was only a couple of hours from the caves. Tents were available at very nominal rates at Panchtarni. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>We had just enough money to pay for the horses to reach Panchtarni and for the tents that the night</i></b></span>. As the journey till Panchtarni was less, the charges were around Rs. 300 for every horse. The route was much simpler and broad enough for horses as well as people to pass through comfortably. Along the way We kept calling each other to check if we were fine, and mostly to keep each other's motivation going. And within no time, just as the day was being engulfed by the darkness of the night, we reached Panchtarni. We thanked the dandees who did not even ask the customary bakshis, looking at our plight. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We didn't have much food that night, just some biscuits. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We took a tent, which was again quite a huge one. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoKa8hzqG8YyeEfG1taHa8uvxz9xw3cx4h6qx8trtBrRiOOUnJidW5kBAGjul4tz5fzHqIy65lYxZoKHJiaxUTSVFbFCYXumVwl7o732GiEfdi8-pivxdJ24IV7gwl5MKy7PCy11_2sQ/s1600/DSC02516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoKa8hzqG8YyeEfG1taHa8uvxz9xw3cx4h6qx8trtBrRiOOUnJidW5kBAGjul4tz5fzHqIy65lYxZoKHJiaxUTSVFbFCYXumVwl7o732GiEfdi8-pivxdJ24IV7gwl5MKy7PCy11_2sQ/s400/DSC02516.JPG" width="400" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>A good night's sleep : </b>In such traumatic and extreme moments, the importance of a good night's sleep cannot be under estimated. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everyone had good night's rest.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Especially when you have a long way to go. We woke up around 6.00 am. We freshened up and took some horses. We explained our position to the dandees. They were fine with the condition that, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>we could pay them only at the end of our journey i.e. Pahalgam</i></b></span>. Each of us sat on a horse, with all our luggage on a fifth horse. Led by a senior dandee, we left for Chandanwadi. The Dandee told us about Pahalgam, horses, the story of Amarnath Yatra, his ancestors, etc. The horses at Pahalgam were a lot different than the ones in Baltal. They were sturdy, a lot bigger, stronger and probably of a different breed than the Baltal ones. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Idli, Dosa ??? : </b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Everything about the Pahalgam route had been lot better than the Baltal one. The Baltal route is just one decade old. The Pahalgam route has been there ever since Amarnath Yatra existed. The langars were quite big, and there were many of them. Almost everything could be found there - Chole bhature, Aloo chat, Idli, Masala dosa, Puri bhajji, all kinds of sweets, fruits and Chinese too. </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Even the toilets were lot better and well maintained</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">. Most of our journey was spent either admiring the natural beauty around or eating some of the best food.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;"><b>Sheshnag lake, the lake out of this world</b> : Our remaining journey was quite a pleasant one. Thanks to the picturesque sights. The routes were quite wide and there were no chance of any mishaps happening. We went past places such as Mahagunas, Sheshnag, Pissu top. Each place has a story behind it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">No wonder it is called the traditional route.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Sheshnag lake was one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. It a tinge of blue to it, that made it one of most spectacular places to be. We had seen some great sights in the past few days, but nothing could better this. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">We just couldn't get our eyes off the lake</span></i></b>. The dandee informed us that, some years back, there was a five hooded snake spotted near the Sheshnag lake. According to mythology, Lord Shiva had taken off the Sheshnag from his neck and left it near the lake. Even to this day, the lake has a lot of snakes. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheshnag lake</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Back to the normal world : </b>It was around 3.00 pm, that we began our final descent at Chandanwadi. The weather began to change too. After the extreme cold in the last few days, it started getting hotter. We started seeing some trees, birds chirping. Due to the lack of oxygen, not many trees or birds can been seen as you go higher. For some it was relief, for some sadness as the Yatra came to an end. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We took a taxi from Chandanwadi to Pahalgam, which was 45 mins away. One of the dandees accompanied us. We found a SBI ATM at Pahalgam. We took out the money and that was a sign of really returning back to normalcy. We paid our dandee handsomely. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">He insisted some extra bakshis</span></i></b> and offered our good friend some special Kashmiri feast, promising him some real fun, whispering all this in his ears. We were surprised as to what made him make the remark to our good friend. We had a laugh about it later. We took rooms at a hotel. We had dinner at a local restaurant. The next day, we reached a place called Khannabal, which was on the Srinagar - Jammu route. Our other group that had gone via Baltal was returning from Srinagar and was going to pick us up from there. They reached there around 11.00 am. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As we traveled back, some were happy to back in the real world. For some it was sad leaving the place. We had seen just about everything - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the decisions, the in-decisions, the raw emotions, the anger, the frustrations, the people. It was so real up there, <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">it so much brought the real self in us</span></i></b>. We had seen so much struggle. Not to forget the great darshan we had. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was almost as if, after conquering almost everything,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you had reached the lap of God. And now, you are going away. No doubt, the journey, the experience, the moments will remain with us for ever...Bolo Shankar bhagwan ki....JAI !!!!!</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7Amarnath Caves34.216667 75.534.0065835 75.184143 34.426750500000004 75.815857tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-72350135811248530392011-06-27T07:01:00.003+05:302011-11-30T23:39:21.390+05:30Srinagar - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjIkQDPzOVIlzUf2Y6cQT7Xn2NvoO84XJ82hNKGcXvzQ-V_KRzxAMQuu0I-9XJNFHQJGxeG2uK_HzG-2YywjHhlKwCJXVvJ5Cy3bm9qUVL6Hm41xO8pgGZGwnV2BlIKk6vKkoxam2dqo/s1600/DSCN0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjIkQDPzOVIlzUf2Y6cQT7Xn2NvoO84XJ82hNKGcXvzQ-V_KRzxAMQuu0I-9XJNFHQJGxeG2uK_HzG-2YywjHhlKwCJXVvJ5Cy3bm9qUVL6Hm41xO8pgGZGwnV2BlIKk6vKkoxam2dqo/s320/DSCN0040.JPG" width="240" /></a><strong>Contd</strong>. : "Saab, Naashta, Coffee..", yelled the railway's tiffin wallah, waking us up from our not-so-deep slumber. Not sure if any of us got any good sleep that night.We were travelling from Delhi to Jammu via the ANVT JAT Special. As we woke up hesitantly, we were somewhere in the heart of Punjab. According to the train's schedule, we were supposed to reach Jammu at 11.00 am.The train had got delayed, so did our entry into the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Most of us spent time playing cards, joking around, reading newspapers, eating some snacks or just simply watching out of the window. Travelling in North has its own charm. The cool, fresh, northern breeze was blowing on our faces. It offered a nice and pleasant view of the greenery all around. It had rained the previous night in most of Punjab, so it looked much greener. No wonder, this state has been the pioneer of the green revolution in India.If Punjab looked so beautiful, we couldn't imagine how beautiful Kashmir would be. The wait was intriguing us even more, as the train continued to move along in fits and starts. Meanwhile, we crossed Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Chakkibang. Most of us took a short nap, unable to take this suspense. And suddenly, the friend sitting closest to the window, yelled and called us all. There was this huge signboard that read, "Welcome to the State of Jammu and Kashmir". Cheers followed.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Jammu Tawi railway station</b> : Jammu Tawi is this huge station. Although the number of platforms may not be as many as a NDLS or a CST, the number of people around seemed to be equal to the stations mentioned. There was chaos all around Jammu Tawi. Fruit sellers, shops, food stalls selling Rajma Chawal, security personnel, people everywhere - at reservation counters, on the platform, outside. In fact, most people like any station in India, turned the platform into one big waiting room. Put one bedsheet on the platform, and there you have your waiting room for 6-7 people. Although there were a lot of waiting/retiring rooms in the station, with toilets and bathrooms attached. The toilets were not clean and there was no way one could use them.Luckily we found a paid public toilet just outside the station. At least it was lot better than the ones inside. Jammu Tawi is a very important junction at this time of the year. With millions of yatris travelling to these parts primarily for Vaishnodevi and Amarnath Yata, makes this station an important junction.You get a lot of buses to Katra from just outside the Jammu station (for Vaishnodevi).There are lesser options for Srinagar though. We were lucky to find a vehicle to reach Srinagar.It was going to be a 8 hr road trip.It was going to cost us Rs. 4000/-. You can reach Srinagar via plane as well.Certain private airline companies have regular flights to Srinagar. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN46Skgk9qXHdIqBhinKg5RUA_UexGBki3yBtV-gN_7IS31d7FJJWiDAzCKnCu7e-i1JG7gnZeV3vzMSuV4bw4mB71ve7oGjIbfZb2cIdu-apgMxWH4Mh1j-tSA3z29Yd6lJ-8gyJTPA/s1600/DSCN0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisN46Skgk9qXHdIqBhinKg5RUA_UexGBki3yBtV-gN_7IS31d7FJJWiDAzCKnCu7e-i1JG7gnZeV3vzMSuV4bw4mB71ve7oGjIbfZb2cIdu-apgMxWH4Mh1j-tSA3z29Yd6lJ-8gyJTPA/s320/DSCN0023.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>The road trip: </b>We started our road trip at around 4.00 pm in the evening. We didn't want to spend too much time at the station, so we never had any lunch. Just some fruits and snacks along the way was what we decided upon.And we were off to Srinagar. The journey from Jammu to Srinagar is a very scenic journey, probably one of the best in the world. Although, only a fraction of our journey was in sunlight, as most of the journey was during the night. The scenic places that came our way were Patnitop, Udhampur, Ramban, Khannabal, Qazigund. We found a lot of monkeys along the way. The roads were quite good. Of course, it was the NH1A. We witnessed calm, serene sights all along the way with mountains all around. Each time we witnessed a spectacular sight, there was just one thought that came to our minds, "This was just the beginning", and with that we went higher into the mountains.Some of the mountains were quite steep and were known for landslides and other serious accidents. Luckily we had an experienced driver, who seemed to be in quite a hurry. Apart from his unusual driving style especially at sharp turns, he was a safe driver.<br />
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<strong>Dinner at the top : </strong>"What's special ?", asked a friend. "Rajma Chawal, saab" came the reply. "Ok, What else is available ?", the friend asked again."Well, that's the only thing available". We stared at each other, a smile broke out. "Yeah, get us Rajma Chawal". We had our dinner quite late in the night, as our driver was in no mood to stop anywhere. Some amount of stern voice was needed to make him stop. This was a typical road side dhabaa. Rajma chawal definitely has to be the staple diet of Jammu. We found many such dhabas along the way. Served with steaming hot rice and a very special chutney (couldn't really make out the ingredients of the chutney) , didn't seem special at first. With the very first spoon, we realized, "Boy!! this is yummy".There is a very special ingredient in the delicacy which gave a very distinct flavour - lots of ghee!!! And boy, did we enjoy. Special indeed.<br />
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<b>Places to stay : </b>We reached Srinagar around 1 am. It was quiet, with empty roads and not a single soul at that time of the night. However, there were army barricades and personnel at almost every turn. Our driver who was in more hurry than us took this opportunity (of empty roads) to speed away.Only to be severely being reprimanded by an army officer at a check post.As we went past the majestic Dal lake, we could see the brightly lit up boat houses. We reached the hotel, ' Ab-i-Hayat'.(09906460372).(Near Nathu sweets, just in front on Dal lake). After some yelling, calling and even honking, the hotel authorities opened the gates and let us in.We bid our driver adieu and settled into our hotel rooms. They were basic hotel rooms, with two beds, T.V., toilet bathroom attached, a study table, cupboard. There was a discussion of changing the rooms to another hotel etc. the next day. However, after way too much discussion and convincing, common sense prevailed and we decided not to waste valuable time in searching, bargaining for another hotel. I guess the hotel room rent being Rs. 700/- only also helped.It was time to do some Srinagar site-seeing.<br />
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<strong>Places to visit / Things to do :</strong><br />
We took a vehicle to travel across Srinagar that day. A one day site-seeing trip should cost you roughly around Rs. 1400/-. But it depends on the vehicle too. Here are the places that we visited -<br />
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</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.inewsone.com/2011/08/23/celebrating-life-as-a-picnic-in-scenic-kashmir-feature/70687">Mughal Gardens</a>: As the name suggests, these gardens were built by ancient Mughal rulers. The Mughal gardens consist of many gardens - Nishat, Shalimar, Zabarwan Park, Chashme shahi being some of them. Each one has its own specialty. Shalimar being the largest one. Chashme shahi garden has a water canal which has pure water continuously flowing from the mountains. Many people fill up their water bottles with water emanating from the water hole. We also visited the Pari Mahal. This monument used to be a Buddhist structure, which was later modified by the Mughals. It oversees the great Dal lake and offers spectacular views of the lake. Entry into each of the gardens costs Rs.10. They are well maintained with different flowers, fountains and even security. These gardens have prominently featured in some of the old 60's Shammi Kapoor movies.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjo5kAUa-mNc1Qnf96_-pe29Uvuf5aGpVUwmv5bBSrXhpltRHRcmZ4Vco6MdmZIlYEByxRl-2cbuP10kSSDqnTy5BkHVxheaR65C5hXnZ6HXHJvAHmFwA1nRsps7jZ6pwLA26jvNdgLs/s1600/6887256175eb518f4cb2b21d16af_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjo5kAUa-mNc1Qnf96_-pe29Uvuf5aGpVUwmv5bBSrXhpltRHRcmZ4Vco6MdmZIlYEByxRl-2cbuP10kSSDqnTy5BkHVxheaR65C5hXnZ6HXHJvAHmFwA1nRsps7jZ6pwLA26jvNdgLs/s320/6887256175eb518f4cb2b21d16af_grande.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazratbal_Shrine">Hazratbal Mosque</a>: We visited the mosque in the night. The lake side mosque is one of Kashmir's most holiest shrines. The shrine holds an ancient relic. Supposedly it contains prophet Mohammed's hair. There is security just outside the mosque. There are barricades to restrict vehicles from parking just outside the shrine. The shrine looked really beautiful from lake side. Decorated with fluorescent green lighting, it looked awesome. There are gardens around it make it a peaceful place. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shankaracharya_Temple">Shankaracharya Temple</a>: There are various stories about the temple. Some say the Pandavas built them. Some say the great Mughal king Akbar built it.It is said that the famous seer Adi Shakaracharya had once visited the place. The temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the state.Located on a hillock, one has to climb a series of steps to reach the temple. It is said, the view from the temple is awesome and gives a great view of the Dal lake. Many of the Hindu rituals are still followed this day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAerytjxO8Ube4eqTnzdf2ExMeDXjdDnBLk0wz5MWnJEPJDMsnDXjJVelYbqoAttk7LPUtwpuhoQpDU-1qaTsnoU6BFTtUu4PLZselDFghS-LWPofAvHpmsNFIIPWgDfq0ZLjXPqZuAU/s1600/DSC02333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmAerytjxO8Ube4eqTnzdf2ExMeDXjdDnBLk0wz5MWnJEPJDMsnDXjJVelYbqoAttk7LPUtwpuhoQpDU-1qaTsnoU6BFTtUu4PLZselDFghS-LWPofAvHpmsNFIIPWgDfq0ZLjXPqZuAU/s320/DSC02333.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulmarg">Gulmarg </a>: To travel to Gulmarg you need one whole day. Gulmarg is just 2 hrs away from Srinagar. Its better you book a vehicle for Gulmarg. It cost us around 1700/- for our trip.The moment you get down in Gulmarg, you are greeted with a strong smell of horse dung. In a moment, you would find yourself surrounded by dandies or horse pullers. Each one giving a story of his own, how difficult it is to get a ticket for the gondola. Now here are some things you should know - Gondola is a cable car which takes you from one level to another. In Gulmarg, the snow can be seen right at the top of the mountain(at level 2). To reach there, you need to travel via two gondola rides. So, if you start from the base, you take the Level 1 Gondola and once you reach there, you take the second level. Locals may advise you how difficult it is to get tickets and may advise you to go to some other place like Khilanmarg on horse backs. In fact, some of them even are ready to bet on you not getting the tickets. None of that is true. Just walk up to the Gondola ticket counter and there you would have the tickets. Tickets are sold only at the prior level. Level 2 tickets can only be bought at level 1, and not at the base. The base Gondola counter is to the left. We had lost our way, as we took a faux route to the right.We ended up taking a longer route and lost a lot of time in the process. However, we found a cute little restaurant, where we had our lunch. At the counter, we hardly found any queue. The only thing to remember is you need to be early enough. The counter at second level closes at 3.00 pm. So if you dont reach before 3, you might end up disappointed. We too reached second level only around 3.30 pm.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIdiaBXT_PD7UFuyYsQ0zneNwCE6sOcIVb_LQW1yDk8P12xYJysWu_sHrqWcxLJ1gjuvzJIbdpTjB2LB2DaUSWb2IvKBtrW_47aLVmtnAQOE1JJg_2LN2UUkzqhjX3vlQE0WRNHtUKZk/s1600/DSC02381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIdiaBXT_PD7UFuyYsQ0zneNwCE6sOcIVb_LQW1yDk8P12xYJysWu_sHrqWcxLJ1gjuvzJIbdpTjB2LB2DaUSWb2IvKBtrW_47aLVmtnAQOE1JJg_2LN2UUkzqhjX3vlQE0WRNHtUKZk/s320/DSC02381.JPG" width="320" /></a>However, we found a guy who had some extra tickets and charged us a bomb for them. We took the tickets anyway, and took the Gondola ride. As we traveled up, the visibility changed. There was lot of snow out there. As it was summer, the snow was not fresh and was more solid and slippery. People were slipping and falling. There are sking equipment available, if one wished to ski up there. There were ski instructors who could give you a 10 mins pillion ride for a mere 100/-. It began to rain and people were constantly being told to return. After enjoying our time in the snow, we returned back. On our return, we tried the Kashmiri kabah. I won't go into details of this beverage. If you haven't tried it. It is served really hot and served in glasses instead of cups. This rich, exotic drink will surely surprise you.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTVXuvQmnQiAGW24zmTl_kq3D0CD9BJyLLH-gWU8k8oyHJGsFdE86nwAOdneRz9FLsfwZ5rKav5_G2uABNQikPq2baDWYo4cU_AaoGD4UnbIrgGhX6jv4tFZCPFD2w3SfMxuzf1KebV0/s1600/DSC02425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcTVXuvQmnQiAGW24zmTl_kq3D0CD9BJyLLH-gWU8k8oyHJGsFdE86nwAOdneRz9FLsfwZ5rKav5_G2uABNQikPq2baDWYo4cU_AaoGD4UnbIrgGhX6jv4tFZCPFD2w3SfMxuzf1KebV0/s320/DSC02425.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonamarg">Sonamarg</a> : It is one of the most beautiful places in Kashmir. A four hour drive from Srinagar. Named as Meadow of Gold, it is truly a golden treasure for nature enthusiasts and photographers alike. The mountain peaks, glaciers, the gushing rivers, greenery all around are worth visiting. There were some white water rafting spots available as well. Thajiwas glacier is one of the major attractions of the place. Ponies are available for travelling to the glacier, which is an hour away from the main road. We found a lot of rock climbing training centers run by government agencies.If we had gone further, we could have visited the Zoji la pass, beyond which lies the ultimate place on planet - Leh - Ladakh. However, our destination was somewhere else..Baltal. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Conclusion : We spent 3 interesting and eventful days in Srinagar and places nearby. Visiting Gulmarg was important because, we got a glimpse of the conditions we were going to face. After the visit, we felt we had acclimatized to the conditions and were ready to face the ultimate and most important leg of the journey. Only destiny could tell what was in store for us in the future...because next up was "The Amarnath Yatra"...Just as I write this, I can hear a feverish drum beats thumping in my ears.."Babam Babam..."</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India34.0836581 74.797368133.9784501 74.6394396 34.1888661 74.9552966tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-50569550236689839882011-06-25T21:45:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:23:57.437+05:30New Delhi - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hVfxLuWkZLYnVS1Z2T6ExSBZgK5mY-p0VylcQHTfsU1g91KxoXSrLEeWcPwv1LAM2OeyIwDvL4JPXfCB0WpjOiNsxvhjpKdPn_IO_PWNB_Da90TcHBViP8DIFCJw-CSrs9yueHEu0lM/s1600/DSC06097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hVfxLuWkZLYnVS1Z2T6ExSBZgK5mY-p0VylcQHTfsU1g91KxoXSrLEeWcPwv1LAM2OeyIwDvL4JPXfCB0WpjOiNsxvhjpKdPn_IO_PWNB_Da90TcHBViP8DIFCJw-CSrs9yueHEu0lM/s320/DSC06097.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><b>Prelude:</b> "Lonavala", suggested a friend. Another friend remarked, "Naaaah, been there many times, How about Matheran ?". Soon various options followed: Malshej Ghat, Ratnagiri, Shirdi, Tugareshwar. Then out of the blue, comes a suggestion, "Lets do the Amarnath Yatra". Everyone stares at the friend.Silence follows."Yeah, right", was the reply and the discussion moved to other topics.Obviously, chuckles followed later. Amarnath yatra....gotta be joking...!!!. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Preparation:</b> Over the time, one thing never that changed was, this friend's persistence with the idea. On a get together, early this year, this friend brought up this idea, yet again. Can't really recall when I actually fell for this spiritual-cum-adventurous idea. I guess, it was only when another friend said,"Who said 90% ?, I am 100% surely going to be on the trip", and was quite excited about the trip. His innocent, simple, child-like excitement somewhat spread like virus in the group. At least, I somehow caught it. Not sure of the tickets, leaves from office, accommodation or any logistics . It was a Yes, from me.<br />
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<u>The permit :</u><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkYCDYMB1qCWzm-UGt5Ho1Gj4U8QF5TEqEVTpaHZmyHO5YPLVR_VB5dwIlXLY29iC_nEYPD7XCJyQsSKorfwViE3In4bSoVug1KRebyFeqPjpx_pEoJk9YMCOICwKLTCECWMW-6KwAxk/s1600/20VBG_AMARNATH_662698f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidkYCDYMB1qCWzm-UGt5Ho1Gj4U8QF5TEqEVTpaHZmyHO5YPLVR_VB5dwIlXLY29iC_nEYPD7XCJyQsSKorfwViE3In4bSoVug1KRebyFeqPjpx_pEoJk9YMCOICwKLTCECWMW-6KwAxk/s320/20VBG_AMARNATH_662698f.jpg" width="320" /></a>For doing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amarnath_Temple">Amarnath Yatra</a>, one needs a permit. The <a href="http://www.shriamarnathjishrine.com/index.html">Sri Amarnath Shrine Board</a> starts issuing permits around early May. One can get these permits from J&K Bank.They have a lot of branches all across the country. We need to fill an application form and submit it with an ID proof at the bank itself. In case, you are planning to go for the Amarnath Yatra, make sure you are aware of two things - (i) Date from when the permit forms are available (ii) Actual dates of Yatra. The Government of India publishes the dates of the Yatra, which usually lasts for two months. Its better to apply for the permits early, as, you would get initial dates of the Yatra. The permit has the date on which you can enter the holy cave. This year the dates of the Yatra were from 29th June to 13th August. As we applied early, we got 30th June permit.<br />
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<u>Tickets:</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvbmfHp_ve9g0a1Ut_4N-WeWPmMlmGy9J8DuKiI3ZF55YbT5rO2fRgBdXHbM8TfMrWpB-gLrGeb3QO4AKVN2E1zFFATo6lOWCbCDYZj1mfx9GS_zB3a5W4knq2A8siwKoMO9WS_zbXzw/s1600/DSC06056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvbmfHp_ve9g0a1Ut_4N-WeWPmMlmGy9J8DuKiI3ZF55YbT5rO2fRgBdXHbM8TfMrWpB-gLrGeb3QO4AKVN2E1zFFATo6lOWCbCDYZj1mfx9GS_zB3a5W4knq2A8siwKoMO9WS_zbXzw/s320/DSC06056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Next were the travel bookings.With just around one month to go, we still hadn't booked our tickets. Eventually, when we did chalk out an itinerary, we sat down to book our train tickets. Obviously, we didn't get tickets on the preferred train - the Jammu Tawi Express. We had to settle for a detour with New Delhi being our base station. Here are our tickets details : </div><div style="text-align: justify;">From - To - Train Name - Departure - Arrival </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">a) Mumbai -Delhi - August Kranti Rajdhani - 24/Jun/11 - 25/Jun/11 </div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">b) Delhi - Jammu - ANVT Jat SPL - 25/Jun/11 - 26/Jun/11 </div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">c) Jammu - Amritsar - JAT BTI EXP - 3/Jul/11 - 4/Jul/11 </div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">d) Amritsar - Delhi - AMRITSAR SHTBDI - 5/Jul/11 - 5/Jul/11 </div></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;">e) Delhi - Mumbai - MUMBAI RAJDHANI - 5/Jul/11 - 6/Jul/11 </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here's our itinerary of 13 days : Mumbai - New Delhi - Jammu - Srinagar- [Baltal - Yatra - Pahalgam] - Srinagar - Jammu - Amritsar - New Delhi - Mumbai. . </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Items to Carry: </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In case, you need help with the items to carry. Here's what we took - might help you in case you take up a similar trip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Clothes :</u> 6 shirts, 6 pants, 5 shorts ,5 t-shirts ,6-8 kerchiefs ,undergarments </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Footwear :</u> 4-5 socks, canvas shoes / trekking shoes, sports shoes, slippers</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3f4TFcylEcD-uEQyI7vRR1Yv2udo1NNdWRcyGHTMASyEq7rxq75GaS5Lvhyphenhyphen2zKXzQtoiVUcv_Sbnv5fC0_RN2O3Kck__mspe9Xo88J1u7a6_EJZ20uUjKgX45oBjVCH5N2MIiwnNhfAE/s1600/trk_img.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3f4TFcylEcD-uEQyI7vRR1Yv2udo1NNdWRcyGHTMASyEq7rxq75GaS5Lvhyphenhyphen2zKXzQtoiVUcv_Sbnv5fC0_RN2O3Kck__mspe9Xo88J1u7a6_EJZ20uUjKgX45oBjVCH5N2MIiwnNhfAE/s1600/trk_img.gif" /></a><u>Bed :</u> Pillow - 1, Bed sheet - 2 : (i) thin bed sheet, (ii) thick bed sheet<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Toiletries :</u> Bathing soap - 2, oil, shampoo, comb, tooth brushes - 2, toothpaste, tongue cleaner, shaving cream, shaving brush, razor, Vaseline, cold cream, sun screen lotion, towels - 2, deodorant, washing soap - 2, mug / Large bottle, Tissue rolls - 3, Paper soap - 3-4</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Warm clothes :</u> Gloves, Thermal wear - top, Thermal wear - bottom, ear plugs, jacket , sweater inner - half, sweater outer - full, monkey cap, muffler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Documentation :</u> entire trip ticket copies - 2, Amarnath darshan permit, PNR Nos. list , Team phone nos., Emergency numbers, ID proof, Pen, Papers</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Food</u> : plate - 1, spoon - 1, glass - 1, water bottle, Dry fruits, Theplas.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Others</u> : camera case, camera battery, camera charger, mobile, mobile charger, watch, Cap, torch, pen knife, plastic bags - 6, rain coat - top, raincoat - lower, matches, General medicines, Travel Bags - 2 (i)Large (ii) small for 2-3 days items.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Luckily everyone got leave from their respective offices, D-Day 24th June - Yatra Begins....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">First stop New Delhi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>New Delhi: </b>The capital of our country. Visiting the place has always been cherished by any Indian tourist. The rich culture, heritage and political importance of the place is evident from the architecture visible in the monuments, people. If you have the new age places like the Connaught place, engineering marvel in the Delhi Metro, architectural brilliance in the Lotus Temple. You get an Old Delhi feel in places like Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid and the Red fort. The various cuisines offered by Delhi are not to be missed too. The Dahi bhalla, Aloo Tikki, the parathas and various other delicacies just strike your taste buds wanting for more. The recently held CommonWealth games and the metro train have transformed the very fabric of travel in Delhi. We visited Delhi twice on our trip, once before going to the Yatra and second time was when we were returning from the Yatra enroute to home. This was my second trip to New Delhi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How to go there / travel around: </b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">To reach Delhi, there are a lot of options - train, place, road(it can get hectic though). We booked our tickets on the August Kranti Rajdhani Express, mainly because there was a stop at Borivali. The other Rajdhani doesn't. The perks that go along with travelling on Rajdhani are : food, bedding, tea, coffee etc. The only glitch, they wake you up very early :( We had a nice journey with cards, dumb charades and good night's rest being the highlights of the journey. We reached Hazrat Nizammuddin around 1100 am. We had booked for a vehicle for our pick up via a local friend who had a travel company in Delhi. However, there were other options too, which we came to know as soon as we got out of the Hazrat Nizamuddin station. We were greeted by hordes of cab drivers. Surely, we could have been taken for a ride, had we not booked earlier.There were autos, prepaid taxis as well. However, you need to stand in a queue to register for a prepaid taxi.Our's was a seven seater Innova, and it was going to be our mode of transport for the day in New Delhi. To travel in New Delhi there are a lot of options - the roads are pretty wide and mostly devoid of potholes. Luckily we never faced any traffic the whole day, which made our lives easier. Then, there is the ring train, which is pretty much like the Mumbai local train, except it is green in colour. And finally you have the Metro train which in itself is a site seeing place. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Places to see / visit:</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ASYfFenDs-jOJhymoa0YkrnNowDHuAbUDwplwRszHRBBRGbSzgv3SycZu9kIRoZgqTopnPzK1asPYveWarWacwYC5fwnyiC_LDBHDQ4YzPqXUZ3wi0JqIQWi5hUPsB_08M1deb_bVus/s1600/akdm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ASYfFenDs-jOJhymoa0YkrnNowDHuAbUDwplwRszHRBBRGbSzgv3SycZu9kIRoZgqTopnPzK1asPYveWarWacwYC5fwnyiC_LDBHDQ4YzPqXUZ3wi0JqIQWi5hUPsB_08M1deb_bVus/s320/akdm.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.akshardham.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="http://www.akshardham.com/">Akshardham</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> : If you have been to Delhi and not seen the Akshardham, trust me, you have missed a great spectacle. The sheer size and architecture of the temple will leave you awestruck. It is located on the National Highway 24, on the way to Noida from Greater Delhi. You can either travel by road or you can take a metro to Akshardham metro station. You cannot carry any electronic items, sharp items inside, not even cameras. Built by the Swami Narayan sect, the temple has culmination of 15000 years of Hindu traditions. You can also see the life history of Swami Narayan retold in the form of pictures and commentary. There is even a boat ride, gardens, canteen, musical fountain, Giant screen. If you found that, the outer temple is something to be spell bound, wait till you go inside. The interiors of the temple are equally awe - inspiring. Click </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akshardham_(Delhi)">here</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"> for more information.</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDeekYpk3nvPEkAsKXIdaSrNsqLcsZE9s6eFk7f6sSFl23rCpsfRJfB3qmK-rmYjMdBnoZpcoPquCdO2K0yG7RgfakWi0fXQEe3NBiE-ZhQbV4OFuOY781t7gc7fDa3nykukzt4qpnbA/s1600/DSC06077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiDeekYpk3nvPEkAsKXIdaSrNsqLcsZE9s6eFk7f6sSFl23rCpsfRJfB3qmK-rmYjMdBnoZpcoPquCdO2K0yG7RgfakWi0fXQEe3NBiE-ZhQbV4OFuOY781t7gc7fDa3nykukzt4qpnbA/s200/DSC06077.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhu3v3Z5COxT4TfGbLM424FAgoJ-JAOxMGil4fk3sA8RuD6p9ZajJe-sJjTiVlQrqnU07qkxXSMi6Hyc97WvTYMMkM68vlXs_pVKMtil6A2LMb23lc70Nh34rZM_wANdfz__hzkFpgs/s1600/DSC06081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaNhu3v3Z5COxT4TfGbLM424FAgoJ-JAOxMGil4fk3sA8RuD6p9ZajJe-sJjTiVlQrqnU07qkxXSMi6Hyc97WvTYMMkM68vlXs_pVKMtil6A2LMb23lc70Nh34rZM_wANdfz__hzkFpgs/s320/DSC06081.JPG" width="320" /></a><u>Chandni chowk</u>: This place has a lot of history attached to it. With Red Fort and Jama Masjid in its vicinity, makes this place a must see one. One of the busiest and oldest markets in the country, there is an Old Delhi feel to the place.There is a constant noise of honking cars, some fight somewhere, commotion everywhere.No wonder this place has featured in many hindi films - Delhi 6, Chandni Chowk to China, Kabhi Khusi Kabhi Gham etc. You can see cycle rickshaws, people in traditional clothes, selling old coins, beggars, cart pullers, people selling water, fruit salads, sweet shops. And in the midst of all this you have the famous parathe wale galli, which was naturally, our main point of interest :). To can reach Chandni Chowk, you may get down at the Red Fort and walk from there. Then, there is the Chandi Chowk metro station as well. As you enter the famous galli (street), you will find various shops, all selling different types of foods items - sweets, juices, fast food items, lassi. Although, the primary item was the Paratha. There are these little restaurants serving different varieties of parathas - Aloo, Gobi, Paneer, Mixed veg. etc. And the various chutneys that come along with it, just make it all the more irresistible. And just don't miss the lassi. Served in a kulhad (earthen tumbler) with the malai topping. This lassi is one of a kind, and should not be missed. Another point to note, the food there is very hygienic too. And after savoring the food to our full, our mission to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandni_Chowk">Chandni Chowk</a> was achieved!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKgl4zDmSjny2vy3fGMGgqd8hNry7ykMPRAxPDtT6Yn5vLF6cLr9RsjvH1QMRDnDBQIJTy2CEA-P1aUdWnjbNhHlW-LgsqP2BAJZTCsNPLxdrc_ol6Th66QxUuDB7W8O1T1iu9H3vUwE/s1600/DSC06085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKgl4zDmSjny2vy3fGMGgqd8hNry7ykMPRAxPDtT6Yn5vLF6cLr9RsjvH1QMRDnDBQIJTy2CEA-P1aUdWnjbNhHlW-LgsqP2BAJZTCsNPLxdrc_ol6Th66QxUuDB7W8O1T1iu9H3vUwE/s320/DSC06085.JPG" width="320" /></a><u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Fort_of_Delhi">Red fort</a></u> : A stone's throw away from Chandni chowk is the Laal Qila. Built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, this vast fort is now one of UNESCO's World Heritage sites. The Prime minister of India holds his national address on the 15th of August every year from this very monument. The very spot from where the address happens is visible from the ground. Covered by a bullet proof podium like structure, right in the center of Red Fort, surely it must offer a great view. No wonder, the monument is chosen as the location for the Prime Ministerial address, as the Red Fort was considered to be the symbol of power during the Mughal era. On the outer side, the main fort is separated form the outside by a large canal,which is supposed to be filled with water from the neighboring Yamuna river, however, it doesn't seem so now, with dense vegetation filling up the void. There are a lot of important structures within the fort - Diwan-E-Khaas, Diwan-E-Aam, etc. There is an entry ticket that needs to be purchased to explore the fort inside.We refrained from venturing into the fort due to time constraints.After a few clicks we were off to our next destination.</div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGssdzSwx8ThC9xkikYSDE0kAU3jRA5yoP0wy_9WbNECJMFm814P4TnF8nJzzj8sFouvmRV9QKj_Mo2V4iO_Cs1W0gZrAJOPbaOVY_xFvGq2ZcYXbVllwL6F2bOfZhEyB6dmTEQzPI8/s1600/DSC06106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjGssdzSwx8ThC9xkikYSDE0kAU3jRA5yoP0wy_9WbNECJMFm814P4TnF8nJzzj8sFouvmRV9QKj_Mo2V4iO_Cs1W0gZrAJOPbaOVY_xFvGq2ZcYXbVllwL6F2bOfZhEyB6dmTEQzPI8/s320/DSC06106.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Lotus Temple :</u> This place, also known as the Baha'i temple of faith is a major tourist attraction. The lotus like structure has got many world architectural awards. Built primarily for the Baha'i faith, there is no restriction on any other faith. Sermons from different faiths can be read out in different languages. We were lucky to witness the sermons being carried out. Due to the unique structure of the place, it gave a very peaceful atmosphere inside the temple. People were asked to be quiet before they entered the Place of Worship. This meant peace and quietude in the temple, the sermons sounding even more divine with echos of the noise resonating inside. The only glitch we couldn't understand the language :) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_JGZy1oCrJ8DhPpUMBRLqHSl-bpn1z3-v4ibVj-kwXC3GHs2gztN_qXr98nBCc_yQUSxuJXaaZHoYQzXhKKKPzkXqBPcx8JO5Ls5iVB781PEFuCsLztxmmwW1kqGjxb1kWE5YdAkDp8/s1600/DSC06117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_JGZy1oCrJ8DhPpUMBRLqHSl-bpn1z3-v4ibVj-kwXC3GHs2gztN_qXr98nBCc_yQUSxuJXaaZHoYQzXhKKKPzkXqBPcx8JO5Ls5iVB781PEFuCsLztxmmwW1kqGjxb1kWE5YdAkDp8/s320/DSC06117.JPG" width="320" /></a><u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Gate">India Gate</a>:</u> Our evening was spent at the India Gate. With gardens all around the place and with the great monument in the center, made it a fantastic place to be in the evening.The place was filled with evening revelers, picnickers, youngsters, kids, families and hawkers. People were clicking pictures near the monument, along with the army personnel who were busy parading the place. Kids were cooling off in the fountain and near by pond. The place was buzzing with activity. India Gate, built as a monument for the army people who gave their lives for the country even has a shrine at the bottom of the monument. The shrine contains a fire burning continuously from 1971- The Amar Jawan Jyothi. Also known as <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">the flame of the immortal soldier. We spent most of the evening at the monument reveling at the spectacle, watching people having a great evening time and wondering why Mumbai never has such places.</span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Rashtrapati bhavan / Parliament :</u> These are two places we couldn't visit as it turned too late. But, it is worth mentioning that visiting the place, one does get a feel of the political importance of the place. The roads, the traffic and the security arrangements around the place give a bureaucratic presence to the place. Some of the roads were closed as it night and that stopped us from getting a closer look. May be on our next trip, we could visit the place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOosq98Fc6ILsEsl8b62JmAusRti18AQ2W_KWO3MHiiYztm9u0PQ0EFNz-6QxAb2qoCG29PNb1vGeXely6IjX4isxoRYhez5WJM4nbAsBoFZxvYcG35gCfET6EgAYLP4w9Z_2RwJRlUqE/s320/Delhi+Metro.jpg" width="320" /></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/Default.aspx"><b><i></i></b></a><b><i><a href="http://www.delhimetrorail.com/Default.aspx">Metro </a></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">: </i>Metro train was visited by us on our return trip, i.e. when we returned back from the Yatra in the last leg of our journey, on our way back home. We wanted to ensure, we didn't finish our North trip without travelling in the metro. If there was one thing that we felt travelling in the metro was - pride. Truly, to have something like this in India is really a proud thing. We had to purchase plastic coupon coins which could be used on the metro. There was airport like security check too. Although, we had to travel a short distance i.e. from NDLS to Chandni Chowk, but the experience was great.And the good thing is people have been taking a great care for the transport system.Very easy to travel, comfortable and cheap too.</span></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Conclusion : </b>We had our dinner at the Connaught place, before moving on to the Anand Vihar Terminal for our next leg of journey. We had to catch a train to Jammu. All in all the trip to Delhi was a short one, but a good one. Delhi has definitely changed over the years, for the better for sure, not so sure what the important people of Delhi have done for the rest of the country though. For all aspects, whether its places, monuments, food, people, well all I can say in Facebook lingo, "I like Delhi".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Coming up next :</b> <i>Entering the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the amazing road trip from Jammu to Srinagar, the food along the way, the adventure and much more.. </i></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-32299035907630242472010-10-02T21:42:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:24:22.461+05:30Korigad - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH6RAtv5AZdid4PjdBsObwBSS0CuqaJqbJjZsQQxdvjaDZtRzc3FKnf9kkVaRD95fr5vCBgGV1etM74tvdDhcZjjndXPqG01wfrTAuYndY7p_lGwZ6gex6nvGVkMhQKrkUscoSDYWKyo/s1600/DSC06051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiH6RAtv5AZdid4PjdBsObwBSS0CuqaJqbJjZsQQxdvjaDZtRzc3FKnf9kkVaRD95fr5vCBgGV1etM74tvdDhcZjjndXPqG01wfrTAuYndY7p_lGwZ6gex6nvGVkMhQKrkUscoSDYWKyo/s320/DSC06051.JPG" width="320" /></a><b style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Oct'2 2010</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> : Frequent travel on official purposes, especially during the monsoons meant, missing out on the monsoon treks for quite some time now. However, thanks to the extended spell of rains this year, made it possible to make one trek in this year's monsoon. Easy access, popular and last but not the least an easy trek were the parameters considered for the choice of the destination. A friend who had visited the place recently had some good words for the place.It was an easy choice. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It was Korigad. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After much deliberation, train was the mode of transport and it was going to be a one day trek.Korigad, here we come!!! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>How to get there : </b>Korigad is situated close to Lonavala. <b>If you are travelling by car</b>, reach Lonavala via the Mumbai-Pune highway. Once you reach Lonavala head north and take the Jalvayyu marg. Pass the Simbi point and then take the Vayyu marg. It would be better to ask passer's by for the route to Amby valley. Korigad is on the way. Its around half hour drive from Lonavala. Make sure you carry a copy of the map, directions from google maps.The place to reach is Peth Shahapur <b>We traveled by public transport.</b> Must say, it was a hectic journey, as we had to travel some part of the journey, standing, with barely any space to stand in train. We booked our tickets on the Intercity Express from Dadar to Lonavala. As luck would have it, we got our tickets on the waiting list. We purchased additional Gen tickets and got on the over crowded train. And there began our 2 hrs of hell. Standing, pushing, hanging was the order of the journey. No wonder we cursed ourselves for not taking a private vehicle. We reached Lonavala around 9.00 am. All over the web, while doing research for the trip, we found that, there was only a single bus for Amby Valley, which leaves at 9.00. Obviously, we missed that, as we didn't know where the bus station was anyway. On inquiring from locals, we reached the Lonavala bus station.There was another bus which left at 10.00 am for Amby Valley. We had a quick breakfast - Misal Pav. It was just routine fair, nothing special. Then, we got on the bus. Along the way, there were quite a lot of army vehicles passing by. There seems to be a cantonment near by. We reached the Peth Shahapur around 11.00 am. The conductor informed us that the return bus arrived the same place around 3.00 pm. So we could catch it then on our way back.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LaYIWpMtaQIRGaLfm4_IXkrUu07DV3GkASJgBSlKvTgaYQhITJxZdIUHnDS5S_XjLkSRe9F9BZwmgIx-yKqh4qfVwebsdiyxoqTiJQTeTyzhKHKU78bDvPsiiLN9_wg7YvoruBStsqI/s1600/DSC06005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7LaYIWpMtaQIRGaLfm4_IXkrUu07DV3GkASJgBSlKvTgaYQhITJxZdIUHnDS5S_XjLkSRe9F9BZwmgIx-yKqh4qfVwebsdiyxoqTiJQTeTyzhKHKU78bDvPsiiLN9_wg7YvoruBStsqI/s320/DSC06005.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Reaching the base of the fort :</b> Staring at the fort on top of the hill, some of us wondered, if we could scale it in under 45 mins. (Well that's the time it would take us to reach, as was informed by my friend). The hill-cum-fort is on the left of the road to Amby valley. Now, there are two routes to reach the fort. One that is right ahead via Ambavane village and is presumed to be steep and difficult to climb. By nature, we took the easier one! i.e. the one to the left. So, we started our trek on the left hand side. To make things more clearer for you, from the S.T. bus stop you need to take a left. Right ahead, you would find a temple. You need to walk towards the temple. With the fort on your right, when you are walking towards the temple. Just as you cross the temple, take a right. You would find a huge water tank.Walk past the water tank. The road gets quite muddy during the rains. Luckily, there weren't enough rains on that day. The trail from there onwards is pretty clear which leads up to the base of the fort. After a good 20 mins walk, don't be surprised to see a road. Not sure, where this came from. In fact, there was some construction going on in the area. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The sight of the road does turn you off for a moment. Anyway, now, we were minutes from the base of the fort. The fort being on the right. We were at the footsteps of Korigad!</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBnF_ru3Agli7kEa_Nq4uFB5gyYnna9zs0sC2UHWeiSaTPtwx2zZawahkJBjMU84pOWjqSWAciSvUmGklWY4rWwJ0Xryc7hcVtxoCSTU0vdzYKhXt4HbRb6JWvP_GZ53Umx4WwjtaWUs/s1600/DSC06010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKBnF_ru3Agli7kEa_Nq4uFB5gyYnna9zs0sC2UHWeiSaTPtwx2zZawahkJBjMU84pOWjqSWAciSvUmGklWY4rWwJ0Xryc7hcVtxoCSTU0vdzYKhXt4HbRb6JWvP_GZ53Umx4WwjtaWUs/s320/DSC06010.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The fort : </b> The ascent to the top was rather a steady one. There are stairs made of cement along the way to the top. Its good to have the stairs, however, not sure it would last for more than 3-4 years. The steps seem to have withered due to millions of footsteps that must have travelled on those stairs over the years. The government or even the local people must do something about these stairs before the Korigad fort goes out of reach of the trekkers.The stairs neither too steep nor difficult in any way, go spirally upwards. Watch out for some portions of the climb. There are sections missing on sides of the stairs, as they seem to have lost due to landslides. Mid-way to the top, there is an idol of Lord Ganesha.It seems to be well maintained by the locals and trekkers alike, as puja items like oil and <em>kandil</em> (lamp) are present next to the idol. There are certain water reservoirs on the way to the top, not sure what their purpose might have been. But, the water does not look anywhere close to potable. As we climbed higher, the view was just awesome. It gave a great view of Amby Valley. Soon, a few turns and climbs later we were up at the large entrance.The entrance was around 10 feet high. Can't recall if there was a gate as such. This is called Ganesh Darwaja. However, we did capture some pics at the entrance, celebrating our efforts.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRf5rqfmtZDcilkE24X7B0hBWy0MehxM7k3Jj-t4-_8_XB6AvZQgcBwPj2isgE_fkIoF9y3k4TqOpRsRUWALZjmxXphbvyV9bwl3TZ3PfiywBMODKxBzlKXjh_MhyphenhyphenFlDe7rxFJcAIcQ8/s1600/IMGP1731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRf5rqfmtZDcilkE24X7B0hBWy0MehxM7k3Jj-t4-_8_XB6AvZQgcBwPj2isgE_fkIoF9y3k4TqOpRsRUWALZjmxXphbvyV9bwl3TZ3PfiywBMODKxBzlKXjh_MhyphenhyphenFlDe7rxFJcAIcQ8/s320/IMGP1731.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Times;"><strong>What is there to see : </strong></span> </div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The top of the fort is a large open green area almost equivalent to two Shivaji Parks, (excuse me for the vague comparisons ;) However, the centre of the area is split up into two ponds. Obviously each having its own microcosm universe inhabited by frogs, small fishes etc. There were a lot dragon flies, plenty of them on the top. There were a few cannons too, one to the left seemed quite prominent. The fort itself is actually in quite good shape, especially the perimeters of the fort. Trekkers could actually walk along the perimeter. We were not the ones to try that option though. Right ahead, from where we entered the fort, one can see the road where we got down from the bus,i.e the road to Amby Valley. On the right i.e across the two ponds, if you can make efforts to climb up, one can see the helipad and a small runway. There is a hutment in the vicinity and a few cows on the top. The fort does have a care taker.There is a temple on top of the fort. It is said to be of Korlaidevi. We never prayed at the temple, cannot say much about the temple. After, spending a few hrs at the top, we decided to head back.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60pxCB6icWMGrTDj8H4dOAJsvbLwArB0apAtU5Pxmi1AJPbLdlcAiYQ5gLqN88cTiDiBjw1VfGtkG3rPHPzC65-Q44Kl_8wHYY2anW6zQCdU2r2el3nJnyFPT5-R3peInUKhIr-gmlSk/s1600/DSC06016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi60pxCB6icWMGrTDj8H4dOAJsvbLwArB0apAtU5Pxmi1AJPbLdlcAiYQ5gLqN88cTiDiBjw1VfGtkG3rPHPzC65-Q44Kl_8wHYY2anW6zQCdU2r2el3nJnyFPT5-R3peInUKhIr-gmlSk/s320/DSC06016.JPG" width="320" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>Places to Eat : </strong>There are no places to eat at the Korigad. Just a few shops near the bus stop, where you can purchase water, some cold drinks, chips etc. So, its better to bring some food along. No wonder, we found many picnickers bringing their huge picnic baskets and having sumptous meals at the top.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong><br />
</strong></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strong>Return Journey : </strong>The return journey was rather quick one, as decents usually are. We got down and reached the bus stop in less than 40 mins. Luckily in time for the 3.00 pm bus back to Lonavala. The bus was quite empty and inspite of the twists and turns we managed to doze off on our way back. We had our lunch at one of the restaurants at Lonavala. For our return journey we headed back to the Lonavala bus stand. After a few bargains with private taxis walas and looking for buses to Mumbai, We were lucky to find a bus to Borivali, which meant easy, relaxed return back home.Although,overall the trip was a short, relaxed one, it went as expected. It was pretty much a budget trip under Rs. 500. Would recommend first timers or people who wish to have a relaxed one day outing, Korigad would definitely be the place to be.Hope this helps you on your trip to Korigad. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><br />
</div><div dir="ltr" style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Times;"><strong>Some useful links :</strong></span></div><br />
<a href="http://thepunekar.com/2009/08/29/korigad-fort/">http://thepunekar.com/2009/08/29/korigad-fort/</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korigad">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korigad</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOeuw1at0mtjc51Rjv3d0hyphenhyphen5eYQ9BuQgzzY3MnJVQcqiNi94X8sEp7At8pS06NNe9RPmfGlYfgUJ4Fulp1DGaYUex_EdjqMYfdcJ4nCu55ImqDGKlqCle_qvZrCTlzXqxHpDE5Xd6a40/s1600/DSC06047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLOeuw1at0mtjc51Rjv3d0hyphenhyphen5eYQ9BuQgzzY3MnJVQcqiNi94X8sEp7At8pS06NNe9RPmfGlYfgUJ4Fulp1DGaYUex_EdjqMYfdcJ4nCu55ImqDGKlqCle_qvZrCTlzXqxHpDE5Xd6a40/s320/DSC06047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-75524809386060418702010-08-13T12:41:00.001+05:302011-11-27T18:27:07.736+05:30Smoky Mountains - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgOMD_leY3UFy-BW4TDFUHAfRaDVv6FAHdcRS_9eF8HAH0VDKEZ3203CSi3jWzFHzcGK4uUupXEHY4aT7MKp7lACkmNmNxKd_XXOpzmsYAFDAza2vfPhGMdIrI09dBKjzM5FBrkGHDYc/s1600/DSC05962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqgOMD_leY3UFy-BW4TDFUHAfRaDVv6FAHdcRS_9eF8HAH0VDKEZ3203CSi3jWzFHzcGK4uUupXEHY4aT7MKp7lACkmNmNxKd_XXOpzmsYAFDAza2vfPhGMdIrI09dBKjzM5FBrkGHDYc/s320/DSC05962.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smokies</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aug13'2010: <span style="color: red;">"</span></strong><em><span style="color: red;"><strong>How to celebrate India's Independence Day in a foreign country ?"</strong></span> </em>, was the question on everyone's mind. In fact, even more important question was, <em>"How do we make it memorable ?"</em>.Most people in the group had already visited the usual places like Chicago, New York, Niagara - the places Indians must visit.Not sure who made that rule.We wanted to spend the weekend at a more peaceful place, a more natural place - Smokies was the destination chosen.Six of us left from Cleveland. We were to supposed be joined by another friend who was on his way from Atlanta, which was just 3 hrs away from Smoky Mountains. Was the trip memorable? <span style="color: black;">Read more to find out.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><strong>How to get there :</strong> Smoky Mountains a.k.a. Smokies is one the many national parks that exist in the United States. Vast in size,with over 760 sq.kms spread out forests makes this national park a mighty one in terms of size alone. In fact its actually called as <em>"</em><a href="http://www.nps.gov/grsm/">The Great Smoky Mountains National Park</a><em>". </em>I would discuss how to reach Smokies from the city we resided in i.e. Cleveland.However, it would be of useful only to readers residing in the northern part of United States. But, having well laid out maps and having advanced GPS capabilities, you don't really need guidance while travelling in the U.S.We took the I-71 S route from Cleveland till Cincinnati.Then we took the I-75 S.The major cities on I-71 S were Columbus,Cincinnati(Ohio). The major cities on I-75 S were Lexington(Kentucky), Knoxville, Pigeon Forge then our final destination Gatlinburg(Tenesse). Gatlinburg exists in Tennesse state.Any GPS or maps from Google Maps can help you find the route.We left around 6.30 pm on Friday. <strong><em><span style="color: red;">After having an interesting dinner and even more special indian drink near a popular local restaurant, we started off to a rather slow start to our trip to the "The Great Smokies". </span></em></strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vchb4Rixm4zTC9z2ZsYDie9DT_ih4wVvBXRtUNeV4HyYZK_clnHBLgq0j_sVB0gPEl07q_WnV10u2O2SotQErktdOp8aJXG-24EzlfTdPZIEkWF8Qgq_zMAlacLGgdyPkDQj936ndAQ/s1600/DSC02529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vchb4Rixm4zTC9z2ZsYDie9DT_ih4wVvBXRtUNeV4HyYZK_clnHBLgq0j_sVB0gPEl07q_WnV10u2O2SotQErktdOp8aJXG-24EzlfTdPZIEkWF8Qgq_zMAlacLGgdyPkDQj936ndAQ/s320/DSC02529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><strong>Places to stay / eat : </strong>We reached Gatlingburg, thanks to our loyal GPS which guided us way inspite of the forests and mountains almost accurately.GPS's in the past have had this habit of breaking down mid-way. Since most of the journey was overnight, except for the guys driving the vehicle,rest of us dozed off. I guess we had taken just a couple of breaks since our dinner.We had booked a cottage with <a href="http://www.mtnlaurelchalets.com/">Mountain Laurel Chalets Inc</a>. We reached the office around 5.30 am. We took cottage keys from the main office and from there proceeded towards our cottage. they even provided a map to the cottage along with the keys.With two storeys and a basement, made it ideal for staying in these parts i.e in forests. There were signs to keep doors closed. We wondered why? The reason was simple. To k<span style="color: black;">eep the Wild Bears out!!!</span><strong> </strong>Gulp!! Our friend had already checked in. I mean the friend from Atlanta and not the bear ;) After spending couple of hours <span style="color: red;"><em><strong>checking the house all over, around and within ;) </strong></em></span><span style="color: black;">it slowly sinked in that we are actually staying in a huge cottage with a lot of amenities</span>. Just read this - 1) Two bedrooms on each floor including basement - Six in total. 2) A vast drawing room with a large dining table. 3) Neatly arranged kitchen with all the cutlery one might need. 4) Fire place on every floor waiting to be lit up. 5)Toilets, bathrooms with all the towels,soaps, etc. 6) Balcony at each level with table and chairs 7) A pool table 8) jacuzzi 9) Two Huge LCD Monitors with a massive sound system, enough to shake the cottage.There were books, maps and novels, DVDs too. And finally the view from the cottage - staring right down the valley with huge forest trees all around. The highest peak in Gatlinburg in sight, right across. The atmosphere too helped create an aura around the place. Being early morning meant being greeted with the birds chirping, the entire smell of freshness spoke volumes about the place. Just too enchanting.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-e3ltIDfc5AUbyvBAHKOp3EOP5dVygS-Sy_pl7nVaf8FDbd_8jxRFwKfL9jQ67eqM_fPWyHGT39qrBqbMBChHTNl2uPBfN8DYw4NxFHzhbv-A_NYWXYsSwpCnKTfZGH2aDlpJljterI/s1600/DSC02528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ-e3ltIDfc5AUbyvBAHKOp3EOP5dVygS-Sy_pl7nVaf8FDbd_8jxRFwKfL9jQ67eqM_fPWyHGT39qrBqbMBChHTNl2uPBfN8DYw4NxFHzhbv-A_NYWXYsSwpCnKTfZGH2aDlpJljterI/s320/DSC02528.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining Hall</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JaJTCqJGCW5U-Y2C-h4Ns_ITx5erOb-kKXEjlfpKl5D9-5bW89IiYFJmSvLjF6DDJNmfdHje94ZDMTZjd7zAz9cv_0dHqG1NHt21tkB9XS7s6BVWi29QmQx89gp68kWgrJnn15rwMHs/s1600/DSC05884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4JaJTCqJGCW5U-Y2C-h4Ns_ITx5erOb-kKXEjlfpKl5D9-5bW89IiYFJmSvLjF6DDJNmfdHje94ZDMTZjd7zAz9cv_0dHqG1NHt21tkB9XS7s6BVWi29QmQx89gp68kWgrJnn15rwMHs/s320/DSC05884.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>What is there to see / Things to do : </strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Breakfast @ River Road Pancake house & Grill</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After everyone got ready, we decided to have a brunch. We went to the main busy area in Gatlinburg and tried some of the local delicacies available especially in breakfast. We tried out this place called River Road's Pan cake house. It was run by some Thai immigrants. So much for local.:) We tried out some of the omeletes. Does sound very regular breakfast, but it wasn't anywhere close ot being regular. Omelette's made of 4 large eggs with filling of America's most famous accessory - cheese. There were fillings of two different cheeses - Mozzarella and cheddar. Top it up with some nice sauce.Hash browns and some toasted bread with salted butter. Boy!!!! Was that some brunch ? <strong><span style="color: red;"><em>I wondered if any of us could finish that kind of breakfast.</em></span></strong>Well, we did finish it though.And what more there was enough space in our tummies to order some more stuff.How about some Waffles?Why not? Brunch almost became a heavy meal. It cost around 10-12 $ per person. Well, now it was time to sleep..oops I mean to do some sight seeing. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Site seeing tips :</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Smokies offers a lot of activities - white water rafting, rappelling, rock climbing,mountain biking, etc. The lazy guys we are- we couldn't do either. ;) we tried the usual stuff - simple hiking. And there are plenty of options for that too. Smokies has lot of trails spread across. In fact hiking is the prime activity.Simply because people of all ages can take this up.Most trails are well planed with a proper walkable road and signs to the place. There are variety of options too - river, waterfall, mountain peaks.etc. There are different visitor centers in the Smokies. The centers are often the starting points for all these trails. We went to the closet one - Sugarlands visitor center.They have friendly and experienced staff who can guide you the trail to take up according to your liking.There is also a store there for memorabilia or stuff you might need on the trail - ponchos etc. There are maps available for 1$. The maps are really informative which tell you all about all the trails - how to go, difficulty level, distance,the duration etc..In fact, that helped us plan better.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsnQAxNOXnnIWS6MvDO4wrRzaywVRS9NBGHNoYXZubax3ZNJfb53VIveRpzJNCSB_ENlQmFEQV5FwalDKHNY4G_f-vlqUtqU6pdQeR0rrYHCcQby9GmpjtgDlDKiYvxV6uxYTDGCM_u8/s1600/DSC05898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsnQAxNOXnnIWS6MvDO4wrRzaywVRS9NBGHNoYXZubax3ZNJfb53VIveRpzJNCSB_ENlQmFEQV5FwalDKHNY4G_f-vlqUtqU6pdQeR0rrYHCcQby9GmpjtgDlDKiYvxV6uxYTDGCM_u8/s320/DSC05898.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail to Laurel Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Trek@Laurel Falls :</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We chose to go to the nearest one - Laurel Falls.As expected, the trail was well maintained- a proper walkable road leading up to the falls.On the way,we could see many people - young, old, families, couples all enjoying the walk in the nice weather. There were even forest officers patrolling the trail for any incidents, just in case.There were signs everywhere to guide you to the place. The weather was a bit cool because of the light drizzle, but manageable. We reached the falls in around 1/2 hr. However, the fall was a bit of disappointment. It was just too small to be considered as a fall. Anyway, it was a nice walk.If you are visiting the smokies, make sure to have enough time to explore various places. We were on a short trip, so there wasn't any time to explore. Also, if you plan to do whitewater rafting, make sure you do it early morning. We were too late to try that, and the next day being a Sunday, it was closed.Missed!!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Trek @ Clingman's Dome :</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-b5xhtdqeUOTZaHs_pm8ZA_o8WManQF6lSuOkLqD6HxGFdWmRgvXDWfptOsGdO83TKHOD2vNcPlCMgkaUqqMqxyZ3WoLeG2CB2TA6jOUjdpLUemkVmHbx2eI1WD_D3gJPXxkXsLfuh4/s1600/DSC02586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv-b5xhtdqeUOTZaHs_pm8ZA_o8WManQF6lSuOkLqD6HxGFdWmRgvXDWfptOsGdO83TKHOD2vNcPlCMgkaUqqMqxyZ3WoLeG2CB2TA6jOUjdpLUemkVmHbx2eI1WD_D3gJPXxkXsLfuh4/s320/DSC02586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Way to Clingman's Dome</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Next, we tried the highest peak in Smokies - Clingman's Dome. (6643 ft.) We need to reach the base of the trail by car. It was an interesting drive to the base. Lots of turns and low visibility due to fog meant the skill of the driver getting tested, especially as we were ascending the mountain to reach the trail. In almost an hour or so, we reached the base of the trail. the trail was around 5 miles.It was a steep trail. So it took a lot of effort to reach the top. However, it didn't take us more than 40 mins to reach the top.It was fog all around us - no wonder it was called the smokies.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Shopping@Walmart's</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On our return, we ate food at the restaurant - <a href="http://www.nowayjosescantina.com/">No Way Jose's</a> which offered pretty good Mexican food. In case people want to do any shopping, you would find almost every store in Gatlinburg. We did some shopping at Walmart. It was nice to have walmart close by. <strong><span style="color: red;"><em>So we did spend some extended time at the Walmart shopping</em>.</span></strong> We reached the cottage around 10.00 pm. After <strong><em><span style="color: red;">some interesting and unique attempts at lighting up the fire place</span></em></strong>, we had a little party before we retired for the day.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><b>Horse-riding@Cade's Cove</b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">The next day, we packed up and left around 1100 am. We had to hand over the keys to the cottage authorities as we were checking out. We then proceeded to <a href="http://www.cadescove.net/horseback_riding.html">Cade's Cove horseback riding</a> center.It was far from Gatlinburg. <b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Spent most of the way listening to some memorable and now unforgettable numbers.</span></i></b>It almost took an hour to reach there. All of us took horses - they provide helmets. The ride cost around $75 per person. The ride was going to be of one hour. Obviously none of us had done horse riding before. They gave us horses of varying heights may be depending on our heights. They took us through the jungle.Almost 8-10 horses following each other, with the expert horse leading the way. We spotted some deers in the jungle. Riding on the horses and observing how they handled a rabbit, or a car or even a stream of water was a good experience. The horses were well trained. Still the moment they found some grass, they would stop and grab a bite.Did learn a thing or two on horse riding.The ride was one of the highlights of the trip.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwD8k0hvk_mXDvO7nsn49Vk6D9WsCXoMDzLkntTvInnuQh8SZ56dZLu69lUqjSclyJuGJgWOkjEAybTomUAuYhINCdQQL36IAucn3Ew8EFxsk07vHjFrpbu8EwHIZEA-3CIWv5BU5T-k/s1600/DSC05975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPwD8k0hvk_mXDvO7nsn49Vk6D9WsCXoMDzLkntTvInnuQh8SZ56dZLu69lUqjSclyJuGJgWOkjEAybTomUAuYhINCdQQL36IAucn3Ew8EFxsk07vHjFrpbu8EwHIZEA-3CIWv5BU5T-k/s320/DSC05975.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenic Views</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><b>Lunch@Thai Thani :</b></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;">Our last stop in Smokies was the hotel Thai Thani. The restaurant had variety of oriental food including Chinese,Japanese and Thai. Mostly non-veg. Luckily for me, they agreed to make a special vegetarian lunch.The food was as usual.I guess the non-veggies enjoyed more.Well, that wasn't really the last stop - <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i>we did stop at a couple of places more before bidding the smokies a warm good bye</i></span></b>.We visited some local shops. Please Note - Tennessee is the state of Pepe Jeans. So you would find lot of jeans stores here in Smokies.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"> <strong>Return journey : </strong>Return journey was rather smooth - most of us dozed off. We had a couple of breaks in between. However, it was a nice journey back home. We reached around 6.30 am. With that our little trip came to an end. Hope our exploits mentioned above guide you on your trip to Smokies. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>P.S. Things 'not' to do in smokies</strong> :</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ol><li>If you have ordered dinner on phone, when you visit the restaurant to take your parcel, it is perfectly ok to eat at the restaurant itself. - You don't take the parcel and eat it in the car parked just outside.</li>
<li>Never order tea at the time of dinner - especially if you are in a hurry and the restaurant has run out of milk.</li>
<li>You shouldn't be waiting for an hour for tea.</li>
<li>When you are briefly checking out the place you are going to stay - you don't open every cupboard and every drawer hoping to find if someone has left something behind.</li>
<li>When you go out for a picnic - Walmart shouldn't be on your must see places</li>
<li>On a picnic, if you do end up going to Walmart - make sure you don't end up buying a whole load of stuff almost as if its the month's groceries.</li>
<li>Never try to light the fire place during summer.</li>
<li>Never use petrol to light up the fireplace.</li>
<li>While lighting up firewood stand away from it doing so - if the fire lights up suddenly you might end up burning your eye brows.</li>
<li>Make sure the chimney is open before trying to light up the fire place or else your room will end up becoming smoky mountain.</li>
<li>If the fire turns big, its o.k. to use water to extinguish the fire. You don't blow air tiring out your lungs out.</li>
<li>"<i>Jungle Jungle baat chali hain pata chala hain</i>" from Mowgli is not supposed to be on the list of most memorable songs.</li>
<li>When you go to places like Starbucks especially if the there is a huge queue, make sure you buy everything at one go - You don't keep going back and standing in queue for everything.</li>
<li>Last but not the least - when you go out for a picnic, the places you visit should be the highlight of the trip - not the food!!! </li>
<li>The question on your mind should be "Which site shall we visit next?" and not "What shall we eat next ?".</li>
</ol></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Site seeing places visited 3 - (1) Laurel's falls, (2)Clingman's Dome, (3)Cade's Cove</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Restaurants visited on trip 6 - (1)Delhi Darbar, (2)River Road Pancake House, (3)No way Jose's, (4)Thai Thani, (5) Starbucks,(6)Apple Bees</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Btw the above 15 were points were lessons learnt from our personal experiences learnt on the trip. Yes, it was truly a memorable one. <a href="mailto:Enjoy@Smokies">Enjoy@Smokies</a>.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-25547441098995384962010-06-12T23:34:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:24:48.233+05:30Kolhapur - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Md-DCwQ0-ibxop5D19tdtOhJRFnGYrOJ66TGOrO-xe0FpuXXbM-G4LuhyphenhyphenvlLyYrXTsgtrwQnCgunEhBgwHiD-E209Xkm6MSt9_dLNoIaxcpP2w97GbUISr2fnvS93J1etxYurkx9_0/s1600/DSC05838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL7Md-DCwQ0-ibxop5D19tdtOhJRFnGYrOJ66TGOrO-xe0FpuXXbM-G4LuhyphenhyphenvlLyYrXTsgtrwQnCgunEhBgwHiD-E209Xkm6MSt9_dLNoIaxcpP2w97GbUISr2fnvS93J1etxYurkx9_0/s320/DSC05838.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>12th June'2010</b> : Kolhapur - a destination that usually would find it tough to get on most travellers' must-see list. However, a friend's marriage prompted us to have a visit to this southern Maharastrian city. Googling Kolhapur gave as an overview of places to visit, things to do. But, we weren't sure if we would get enough time to visit those places. Our plan was to leave on Saturday night and return either early Monday morning or late Sunday night, depending on the availability of buses. Private bus transport was chosen to be the mode of transport.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>How to go :</b> There are lot of private buses available to reach Kolhapur. <a href="http://www.redbus.in/">redbus</a> is a good place to book your tickets.It is the premier site for booking tickets for private transport(buses). You can purchase tickets to and from all parts of India on buses provided by different transport companies.Konduskar Travels was the transport company chosen.They provided Volvo buses to Kolhapur at regular intervals. It cost around Rs. 525 per ticket. The site sends you a confirmation e-ticket which you need to produce while getting on bus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> The bus started from Borivali picking up commuters from all across Mumbai. Cannot tell which route the bus traveled, had dozed off almost immediately. I guess the bus traveled via the western express highway before moving on to the eastern side.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> If you are travelling your own vehicle, there are two routes that you can take to reach Kolhapur. NH4 or NH17. If you take the NH4 you would have to go via Pune, Satara, Karad. If you take NH17 you would go through Panvel, Roha, Khed till Karad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Places to Stay</strong> : Reached Kolhapur bus stand around 5.30 am. Our friend had booked rooms for us in a nearby hotel named <em>Majestic</em>. Since others were arriving in a different bus, I checked into a room. Others who were on a different bus, were meant to arrive an hour later.Went to the bus stand after an hour to receive others.Had a cup of Kolhapuri chai' at a local tea stall.Was surprised to find that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>Kolhapuris love their tea sweet</i></b></span>.Or was it just me.Anyway,The room was big one with four beds, a T.V. and bathroom attached.There was a provision for hot and cold water. Must say that the location of the hotel being central with bus stands(most private buses had starting points to various destinations just below the hotel), railway station and a lot of restaurants nearby to choose from made the hotel favorable.Rest, I would suggest you to check out the place on your own.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8PwOO46fLH-uA9TOCuPeFzYH9FYzYPBdFVCXfg0bgKjEmLuUmd0arIYSmJOhvzw5I6ZNxvGW5Aus9x45M82rFZKIWiIGFtnil4_fRNA6xRqBy5BHZPBOxM-Vq_hs0Wwrv7a4MPvjlP4/s1600/DSC05822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8PwOO46fLH-uA9TOCuPeFzYH9FYzYPBdFVCXfg0bgKjEmLuUmd0arIYSmJOhvzw5I6ZNxvGW5Aus9x45M82rFZKIWiIGFtnil4_fRNA6xRqBy5BHZPBOxM-Vq_hs0Wwrv7a4MPvjlP4/s320/DSC05822.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Places to visit :</b> <i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Autos seemed to be the common mode of transport in Kolhapur</span></b></i>. We found ourselves an unusual auto to travel in. Behind the customary three-seater bench, there were two benches laid perpendicular on both sides. The structure was similar to imagine a Tata Sumo with an auto like portion in the front seat.The auto rickshaw costs were found to be nominal.We traveled a lot of places, the fare never went beyond Rs. 40-50.Perhaps, not being a huge city reduced the distance too.But then not every city is Mumbai.Also,There is no meter-system here. The fare depended on the deal you made at the start of journey.After attending the marriage, we visited the famous Mahalaxmi temple.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The visit started with purchase of some offerings.There was huge queue, but it was manageable.One noticable thing about Kolhapur is the heat. With Mumbai, being close to the sea, there is a lot of moisture in the air which helps to reduce the heat, but here in Kolhapur that's not the case.The Kolhapur heat really hits you. A prolonged moment out in the sun would probably cause some heat burn.Although there were shades provided in the queue, still, there were some unshaded portions.As a result, there were some occasions where we had to stand in queue in the Kolhapur heat on barefoot.The stoned tiles didn't help either.<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i>Must admit, it was not the most pleasant moment. </i></span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The temple was built during the shivaji times. The architecture of the temple is breath taking, pristine, ancient, it tells more about the Shivaji times. No wonder, you find a lot of devoteess turning up at the temple here.Although, the temple is still intact, there are some portions that are being restored. As we approached the temple, the queue split into two - one for male devotees and the other for female.Even after entering the temple, the queue extends till the main diety statue. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>The pushing around only gets more intense as you approach the main diety</i></b></span>. And its not even a moment that you pray that you are pushed away. Did make me think, visiting a temple should offer serenity and peace of mind and not this struggle.The temple authorities have tried their best to manage the crowd, I felt there could have been a lot more that could have been done.May be they could learn a thing or two from Shirdi.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjGB5dESBc9R-XisLgWVE56yDJ_ZgyK_YZiVRIxw4nptW25X-YWBs1kJPPerrvs9HGr5udkhBYWu-MVz6H5lRJzfEVnV_RPc2HELqG6XeQnY4V8hCxFFum23wA6q7oS6w-xS369J_xNU/s1600/DSC05835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjGB5dESBc9R-XisLgWVE56yDJ_ZgyK_YZiVRIxw4nptW25X-YWBs1kJPPerrvs9HGr5udkhBYWu-MVz6H5lRJzfEVnV_RPc2HELqG6XeQnY4V8hCxFFum23wA6q7oS6w-xS369J_xNU/s200/DSC05835.JPG" width="200" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">After our visit to the temple, we decided to take a break and travel back to the hotel to have a s-nap (short nap:). It was around 4.30, all of us got ready to visit another famous place in Kolhapur - the Rankala lake.It took us 20 mins to reach the lake by auto. In tems of size it was slightly smaller than the Powai lake. However, there was a lot more activity happening out there. There was a lot of crowd. People of all ages enjoying the nice atmosphere around the lake.There is a walking track around the lake. The lake looked clear by normal standards. There was a stretch near one end of the lake, which extended almost to the middle of the lake. People could walk almost upto to the center on that stretch.Then there were the eateries at one end. Bhelpuris, Panipuris, Baloon shooting stalls, bubble sellers. Almost all the elements that make up a normal indian <i>mela</i> were present there.After our share of shooting ,We tried out a special bhel known as the "Indian bhel"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"> </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">We asked the vendor to make it spicy. And boy!! Was it spicy !!!</span></span></i></b>We then had one of the most popular items - "The Falooda" from one of the Mewad icecream walas present there. There were options for chocloate, vanilla, stawberry, mix.Truly Mewad originally from Rajasthan have some sort of monopoly on faloodas and icecreams in these parts and now we knew why? The falooda was just too good.Each one of us had an extra helping.It was around 6.30 pm we left for hotel again. </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7zAB1xesLHFfHbIN3RSYU3duIygVwMB2eYQrEnH5rsxTwHB-xdo8jpEIbBIAImQZl41If0DCRHQ3T5BTgbJeM6i1gs_Al_iUmkEUt6S11GRtOhr90Omzq75yZ9SYELApnkMUYgOo8Zs/s1600/DSC05840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC7zAB1xesLHFfHbIN3RSYU3duIygVwMB2eYQrEnH5rsxTwHB-xdo8jpEIbBIAImQZl41If0DCRHQ3T5BTgbJeM6i1gs_Al_iUmkEUt6S11GRtOhr90Omzq75yZ9SYELApnkMUYgOo8Zs/s200/DSC05840.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <strong>Places to Eat :</strong> We decided to have an early dinner.Just near the hotel, on the other side of the building across, there was a restaurant named "Saawan".The non-vegetarians in the group tried out the special non-veg thali, which seemed to be a specialty there.And they tell me, it was just yummy - the kheema bhaji, the masala in each of the bhajis had an entirely different taste, probably a special kolhapuri touch to it. No wonder they just enjoyed it thoroughly.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b><i>Also, there was a special thaak (kind of buttermilk), they really seemed to enjoy it</i></b></span>.I had to contend with regular veg. mixed bhaji and chapatis.After we completed our sumptuous dinner, there was hardly any time to do anything else. We had to just pack up and leave.Reached hotel, packed up and off to go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC4e7a5BZu1oRz41kINwu7dOT13zeQaUvJhGIJ8jvQiiTSwcuxFh1yOdxEydhV4tZXcvCLdPIEHDHotUoCY8ENcmHc8DEEN6sSeRa-Nkt_DhGhZrT04wtgTI_Fst4y32id4jAo2tSuxA/s1600/DSC05845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuC4e7a5BZu1oRz41kINwu7dOT13zeQaUvJhGIJ8jvQiiTSwcuxFh1yOdxEydhV4tZXcvCLdPIEHDHotUoCY8ENcmHc8DEEN6sSeRa-Nkt_DhGhZrT04wtgTI_Fst4y32id4jAo2tSuxA/s200/DSC05845.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Return Journey : </strong>The return journey was a rather short one. We again traveled by Volvo, this time it was a brand new Neeta Volvo.They charged us around Rs. 800. The journey started around 10.30 pm. Most of the journey was spent in dozing.The bus reached Borivali around 6.30 am.An rather short trip - a few places missed out - the Panhala fort, Vishalgad..probably some other time. Hope this helps you on your trip to Kolhapur.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-48354125978378922892010-04-17T20:38:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:25:18.440+05:30Diveagar - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVC5BR8Rwhn81oHO6nmAa9Rk7HE2ARsEbhsuhloDNMPIHTeCorZERjWOYoB724CFrkmGnUtW_6peZIshLK4F0Y9aBF1OkX0QL8PKhu8v17xJ4vWzSjgtbuawfNY3BhuUjBgikLUbNECU/s1600/DSC05732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVC5BR8Rwhn81oHO6nmAa9Rk7HE2ARsEbhsuhloDNMPIHTeCorZERjWOYoB724CFrkmGnUtW_6peZIshLK4F0Y9aBF1OkX0QL8PKhu8v17xJ4vWzSjgtbuawfNY3BhuUjBgikLUbNECU/s200/DSC05732.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><strong>April 17, 2010:</strong> Divenagar, Divaghar, Divyaghar...well, these were the names that we used to identify the place, until a villager told us....its Diveagar (Dee-ve-ah-ghar).We have had enough of reunions in restaurants..etc.Now, it was time to reunite at an outdoor location.Although, we had been planning this for a quite long time, things just were'nt materializing. Our age old rule of "<em><span style="color: red;"><strong>Last minute kulti Not Allowed</strong></span></em>" was'nt working ;) But, somehow this time everyone seemed to be serious.Mumbai is lucky to have a lot of beaches around - Kashid, Murud, Alibag, Daman, Kelve to name a few.However, we wanted to go to a relatively unknown beach. The internet was quite helpful here, a few searches - we found this place.Attributes such as serene, unknown, clear waters, white sand were all over the net. It was quite appealing and at the same time hard to believe.So we decided to check it out ourselves - <strong>Diveagar</strong> here we come.....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>How to get there : </strong><br />
<u>By Public Transport:</u> There are S.T. buses which ply from Mumbai to Diveagar. They leave from Mumbai Central Bus Station to Diveagar Bus Stand.Although, there are just two buses, it won't be difficult to assume, they would be crowded. There buses from Thane too. Checkout the <a href="http://www.msrtconline.in/timetable.aspx">MSRTC</a> site for more details.The journey takes roughly 6-7 hrs.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: justify;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><u>By Personal Vehicle :</u> Although, we had the bus option, we went by one of our friend's vehicle.We got in from Matunga around 9.30 a.m. and picked each of our friends along the way. One of us got just 1/2 hr to wake up, decide, pack and leave!!!Last of our friends got in from Panvel. We picked up a few vada pavs from the famous Shri Dutt snacks in Panvel. Well, you must have guessed it already, we were on our way via the Mumbai-Goa highway.Diveagar is a 200 kms drive.Its kinda drive thats not too far and not too close. The viallages that come along the way were Pen (69 kms), Wadhkal (71 kms), Nagothane (93 kms), Kolad (111 kms), Indapur (123 kms), Mangaon (132 kms) along the highway. It is in Mangaon, that you need to take a right towards Mhasala (159 kms). </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UAMM31GsCQIh7YMoQVa_ZygDpaW0OUvmxSmrCLd5lYoC6uVjv9XEfYF4j7-sfVRHw6oi6lLFyHZyuV-asKcoUXtHfS6WnfA_PeGaflh2fDsnYmA2VmJbgpqmYvqfZBfzys7M9mQBzQ8/s1600/diveagar_roadmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1UAMM31GsCQIh7YMoQVa_ZygDpaW0OUvmxSmrCLd5lYoC6uVjv9XEfYF4j7-sfVRHw6oi6lLFyHZyuV-asKcoUXtHfS6WnfA_PeGaflh2fDsnYmA2VmJbgpqmYvqfZBfzys7M9mQBzQ8/s320/diveagar_roadmap.jpg" wt="true" /></a> As you go through Mhasala, look out for sign boards that will guide you to Diveagar. Usually at important turns there are signboards put up to help you in your journey.The government is not that bad after all.. ;) Refer to the map attached.It was around 2-3 pm, we were still at Mhasala. One of the villagers advised us to have our lunch at Mhasala.The reason being most places would be closed for lunch by the time we would reach Diveagar. So, we stepped out at a local place to have lunch, thali was the preferred food snack.Other feasted themselves on some chicken.We started our journey post-lunch. The journey was scenic and somewhat a careful drive. It was through ghats with lots of blind turns. Infact, <span style="color: red;"><strong>there were lots of places where there were signs to blow horns</strong></span>.It was scary at times, especially when there is a vehicle all of a sudden in the opposite direction.However, the guy at the back of the steering wheel was a good one.</div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Locals are helpful and sometimes funny too !!! :</strong> <br />
The villagers are usually helpful, but, sometimes interacting with them can be an altogether different experience. There is no frequent public transport in these parts. So, you can imagine, people would always like a free lift, if they can get one.At one particluar turn, we saw an old man.He had this long white beard.His face structure suggested he didnt have any teeth. We decided to ask him the way to Diveagar. His reaction was euphoric.There seemed to be sudden burst of energy on his face.He rushed towards our car. There were already five of us. Two seated ahead & three in the rear.So there was'nt any place anywhere.Still, he was trying to forcefully get into the rear from the left door. God knows, where he was intending to sit.!!! The old man was calling out <span style="color: red;">"<strong><em>ho ho Dighi Dighi</em></strong>".</span> What's going on?? That's when one of us calmly told him, we needed the way to Diveagar and not Digha..suddenly he stopped, and guided us to the way to Diveagar.He had a dejected look on his face.Poor guy, he thought we were going to take him to Dighi. All this while our friend seated near the left door was scared to hell!!! ;p</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVycLlV-p1kJX4Ce-UCVXM1NDmF1U1VumTkGN70-Hgl7YeDFuzIelmfJn0RLJdpo36RzTBlvf2-MusKTZFNFIBuvRN8fwH0y-1JPsaiUp4LTXs-RAhfd4eRU0QvydWdU8eYCAqr_6mPrs/s1600/log-cottages-in-survan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVycLlV-p1kJX4Ce-UCVXM1NDmF1U1VumTkGN70-Hgl7YeDFuzIelmfJn0RLJdpo36RzTBlvf2-MusKTZFNFIBuvRN8fwH0y-1JPsaiUp4LTXs-RAhfd4eRU0QvydWdU8eYCAqr_6mPrs/s320/log-cottages-in-survan.jpg" /></a></div><strong>Places to stay/eat : </strong>Soon, after the funny incident, we were back on our journey to Diveagar. It was'nt too far from the place. As you enter, the zilla or village of Diveghar greets you a warm welcome.No, they dont come and offer you garlands, but, there is large structure at the entrance, welcoming all. As you enter Diveagar, you need to pay a toll of around 30-40 Rs.As you proceed,you can see cottages, hotels along the way. Some of the bigger hotels like Exotica, Hotel Prathamesh, Bapat Khanawaal, Pinakin have even kept directions to their hotels.We opted for <a href="http://www.exoticaretreat.com/">Exotica Beach Resort</a> (9869068676), which has a partnership with MTDC. For Exotica, you need to go straight ahead along the road and then turn left. Watch out for signs. The reason for us opting for Exotica was purely for its proximity to the beach.Although there are direct routes to the beach from other hotels as well, this was the closest. The resort was spread across with really some nice cottages with check in check out at 1200 PM.With trees and flowers all around, the silence, chirping birds and to top it all the sound of the whispering waves, gave it the perfect ambiance. There is lot of parking space. A large area for sitting,relaxing. For recreation purposes, there are carrom boards and table tennis as well. The resort has its own pantry and offers good palate of veg. - non. veg food.There is a huge dining space attached to the office. We opted for a room with two extra beds. Well, they don't allow that, but, I guess it was a matter of just one person and they adjusted.It was an A/C room which cost us around Rs.3000 along with the extra beds.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>There is a problem of load shedding in these areas</b></span>.They have generators for every room. although, you won't be able to use the A/C all night.That was fine with us.The rooms were neat, so was the bathroom. They provided us with neat towels,bedsheets,pillows, soaps and even a free complimentary fruit basket. Each room is also provided with a Television with all the regular channels.The room even had a small balcony, where you can sit down for a while and enjoy the nature.All in all, there is good value for money for these rooms.Alas, we reached at 4.00. Had it been earlier, we could have availed more. <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">Lesson : Plan better & Always Leave Early!!!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Places to visit/ Things to do : </strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8ydj9mR6ho-JpY4e-uHizMrVeGekBUDPMs_gaRpMR4AI5SAV_qb4ULZpvAUGiUZOs0iMMio7FXSpMcLytGT_Ejj1W5MqSvfti-zBvLC0rkGDwzSjmdp43kMnOopm0zWG2fUfwbj7WiI/s1600/DSC03691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8ydj9mR6ho-JpY4e-uHizMrVeGekBUDPMs_gaRpMR4AI5SAV_qb4ULZpvAUGiUZOs0iMMio7FXSpMcLytGT_Ejj1W5MqSvfti-zBvLC0rkGDwzSjmdp43kMnOopm0zWG2fUfwbj7WiI/s320/DSC03691.jpg" /></a></div><strong>The first glimpse: </strong>As soon as we took the room, we freshened up, took the camera, the bat the ball, water and we were off to the beach. All this while, we hadn't seen the beach yet. Although our resort was close to the beach, there is no way you can see the beach, because of a thick, dense of growth of trees near the beach.In fact the beach, in a way is protected from people's eyes with this dense forestation. This was going to be the first glimpse of the beach.All the stuff we had heard, read about the beach was going to be realized now.As we walked towards the beach, we could see people, kids, vendors through the narrow lane to the beach.And in minutes, we crossed the thick forestation and we got our first glimpse of the beach.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>S-p-e-c-t-a-c-u-l-a-r-!-!-!</b></span>White sands, clear waters, lesser crowds and clean. This is how beaches are meant to be.You often seen in movies, photography magazines..the scenes here were pretty much the same. If you are a nature lover, this is one place you cannot miss.Hard to believe , but, its true.Such a nice beach and so close to Mumbai and not many know...Good for it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxio_E_KXxqb4aiWEksq9BwMNyk2agYGXLyFcHGNkyEm0S6Uuz8amiMlwxt7onVL0dnNfAEoZrpXtCxybE6INRDIej9XJjAefN5zPPQodcFyNQqrEP5OdM5Lac84wAJ9gljcI9EIEpVow/s1600/DSC00249.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxio_E_KXxqb4aiWEksq9BwMNyk2agYGXLyFcHGNkyEm0S6Uuz8amiMlwxt7onVL0dnNfAEoZrpXtCxybE6INRDIej9XJjAefN5zPPQodcFyNQqrEP5OdM5Lac84wAJ9gljcI9EIEpVow/s320/DSC00249.jpg" /></a></div><strong>Cricket, cricket, cricket : </strong>After a nice sighter, we got on with the game.As expected, everyone was out of form.We hardly were able to get a ball on the stumps.It was a more of a session of cricket photography, than actually. Guys wanting to get themselves photographed either bowling or batting.Until then we were pretty much well restrained the whole trip. Cricket brought the raw energy out..Abuses flew here and there. It was sledging of the worst kind.Bit of cheating, bit of <i>masti </i>and only photography. Some kids wanted to join us. We allowed them to play with us, some of us feasted on their bowling. Whats more, we even asked them to field on their own bowling. <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">Well, some of us got back their form with kids bowling..!!! ;)</span></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LZwJw_aI_ORKN3Pop109MQpUhjYzg9AMa2DYFJBft7ZtPkTwJpYicNms8QjE3qy8oo4pcM_16_lp1ZfV_PhTvGpjbXGDRKmYfGXcD0YBpr-ghPeOPco-VrY-f7dzCyBKxy8MV-7ZZ7o/s1600/DSC03570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LZwJw_aI_ORKN3Pop109MQpUhjYzg9AMa2DYFJBft7ZtPkTwJpYicNms8QjE3qy8oo4pcM_16_lp1ZfV_PhTvGpjbXGDRKmYfGXcD0YBpr-ghPeOPco-VrY-f7dzCyBKxy8MV-7ZZ7o/s320/DSC03570.jpg" /></a><b>Royal Bath, the jog & the camel ride : </b>It was a low tide at the time.Clothes out and off to the water!!!We had to walk a long way into the sea to get into the water.We walked until the water was till our thighs. None of us knew swimming, so we didn't go any further.The water was quite clean too. It was fun waiting for the waves to pick up slowly and hitting you with force.<br />
After bathing there for some time, some of us went for light jog - me included. Wasn't sure if I would be able to make it after all the exertion of the day. But luckily the jog was a light one.However,<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">our mission of the jog failed</span></span> </span>-<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"> No, there weren't any foreigners sunbathing on this beach</span></b> ;(<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnq7hBIwQGxZIUOqPjOKPb9xz1d9idg_6j5wK4toHBCbFSNYZt62JkyW-6s_PYQJ0GEVXVpjcqFP3pQ-WbbQvINQO6rDZxACBfKLilaQP0zj0qZlAz1Y8zPS0HgWkPgBCvAQ8dQZO9Uk/s1600/DSC03616.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnq7hBIwQGxZIUOqPjOKPb9xz1d9idg_6j5wK4toHBCbFSNYZt62JkyW-6s_PYQJ0GEVXVpjcqFP3pQ-WbbQvINQO6rDZxACBfKLilaQP0zj0qZlAz1Y8zPS0HgWkPgBCvAQ8dQZO9Uk/s320/DSC03616.JPG" /></a></div> Now, it was time for some photography. After taking a few scenic sunset pictures, we were on our way back..until...one of us spotted a camel.God knows what got into us, camel ride was the top priority. The ride cost us 30 Rs. per ride per person. The camel sat down, and it was an easy climb. If you try something like this, hold on to the camel tightly, when he stands. It was fun, as the camel moved slowly.Wished he would have been quicker, then I realized this is no horse. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><b>If you fall from the camel, the damage is not going to be nice!!!!</b></span>Watch out for the landing, it ain't gonna be smooth ;)<br />
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<b>Dinner & games : </b>After each one of us had a bath, we went to the dinning space to have our dinner. They even deliver the food in your rooms.We felt, eating in our room would make the room dirty. The food did cost more than usual.However, that was fine. Some opted for Mutton Biryani, while others chose a veg. cuisine.The food was sumptuous and descent enough.After the dinner, while some decided to rest straight away. Few of us had a night stroll on the beach followed by a few games of T.T. On our cards was also a little party which continued till 2.00 am. That's when we decided to hit the sack.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD3CicLnMsVmEZZEvN7nC6Y4h31a4J99_u9RHbr2hXGUS-xi45f9zMEBWLVsO8mgwgpi5whfvugnEJeAeiNaRLpW2cgdPn4XA4hM7na0fE2BJROOHyAp1liSXYOP8r1bHcq4XvQinxCo/s1600/DSC03687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjD3CicLnMsVmEZZEvN7nC6Y4h31a4J99_u9RHbr2hXGUS-xi45f9zMEBWLVsO8mgwgpi5whfvugnEJeAeiNaRLpW2cgdPn4XA4hM7na0fE2BJROOHyAp1liSXYOP8r1bHcq4XvQinxCo/s320/DSC03687.jpg" /></a></div><strong>Return journey : </strong>Some of us woke up by 6.00, as watching the sunrise was on our mind. We thought, the white sand can be captured best when there are early rays. We went for a long walk taking pictures of the morning scenes. Yeah, the white sand did look whiter. In fact, our walk took us two hours to complete.We didn't realize, how time passed so quickly. As we returned, we had a nice breakfast of omelette and fresh fruit juice. Later, we took our bath and packed our bags as it was time to leave. Yeah, our journey was cut short because some of us had some important meetings to make. A few pictures, the payment and we bid a farewell to Diveagar.The return journey was quite smooth.As we knew the route, we were able to return quicker. Overall, it was nice weekend getaway. Planned quick, executed quicker. The only regret being not able to eat at Bapat's Khawaal which is known to serve one of the best the elusive Maharashtrain Thali and not able to visit the Suvarna Ganesh temple, which a must see.There is always a next time. However, we witnessed one the best beaches close to Mumbai. You got to see it to believe it!!! Hope you enjoy your trip to Diveagar. </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-17098658663929181992010-03-21T11:35:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:25:42.341+05:30Shirdi - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhZ3ZA_BUOwVom-zoGvIx0KivK70ROD661sd6QAfI_AoISLcjgQbxet36qfOAormlIvQUDQo056Xg5_imJQVCBJ2GCzVMRSbi3dhu5CA0vaUoVEyxnMZd8K0HagsWCymf70tV79zZebCQ/s1600/Shirdi+Tour+Shirdi+Shirdi+Sai+Baba+Shidi+Sai-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpthdayyr2UQ2TzwB_iH-Lyi17uQ_aapGvU_nIhEEg4N4NH5l40CLwVeVsc5qYOptq2YNSLrOSkb4vWq_2Esm9ZjDLvSi115FYfWx_jE7qI8unSM9ykYJkyrLQXh3lgq_fGI7FJlSG4Fs/s1600/Shirdi+Tour+Shirdi+Shirdi+Sai+Baba+Shidi+Sai-43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpthdayyr2UQ2TzwB_iH-Lyi17uQ_aapGvU_nIhEEg4N4NH5l40CLwVeVsc5qYOptq2YNSLrOSkb4vWq_2Esm9ZjDLvSi115FYfWx_jE7qI8unSM9ykYJkyrLQXh3lgq_fGI7FJlSG4Fs/s200/Shirdi+Tour+Shirdi+Shirdi+Sai+Baba+Shidi+Sai-43.jpg" width="188" /></a></div><b>Mar'20 2010</b>: "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><i>Whosoever puts their feet on Shirdi soil, their sufferings will come to an end - Sai baba</i></span>". It was our that time of the year, when we usually make our annual Shirdi trip.If you didn't know, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirdi">Shirdi</a> is famous for the shrine of Sai Baba.Couple of friends' cousins who were in city were keen to visit Shirdi, so were we.Hence, without too much of planning, we just decided to go.Shirdi was our next destination.<br />
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<b>How to get there :</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Personal Vehicle</u>: Its around 300 kms route. You have to take the NH3 - i.e. the Mumbai Agra Highway.There are signs all along the way.You can either go straight to Nashik and then take the Manmad-Ahmednagar highway. The other route is On NH3 itself, there is sign from where you can take a right to Shirdi, however, beware. This route doesn't have good roads like the former one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nzEKJaFbAia6srW42jzqNZw1Hj4garvMB_jxsZT71wW_XFiyZoM5-5Do9cXDuRfyQXx7imnm8FnivI20Il-2KGRVjUl8b6wU0-65lM8vm-Nqmv0lacVhYfSYw9W4Gil3NHLB4ejYIFg/s1600/DSC05666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9nzEKJaFbAia6srW42jzqNZw1Hj4garvMB_jxsZT71wW_XFiyZoM5-5Do9cXDuRfyQXx7imnm8FnivI20Il-2KGRVjUl8b6wU0-65lM8vm-Nqmv0lacVhYfSYw9W4Gil3NHLB4ejYIFg/s200/DSC05666.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><u>Public/Private Transport</u> : Getting to Shirdi is probably one of the most easiest journeys you can make, especially if you are travelling by public transport.There are innumerable options available.Just walk into any tours and travels office, you are bound to find some good options for Shirdi.We booked our journey through <a href="http://www.redbus.in/">redbus</a>. The transport company was Neeta travels.Neeta provides regular bus services to Shirdi, we opted for a day travel instead of the usual night trip.It cost us Rs.400 per person. There were 5 of us.No bargains were entertained.We boarded a bus from Borivali West (near Gokul Hotel) at 5.45 am. The bus had pickups all over Mumbai.We initially moved along the western express highway and then turning over to the harbour side and central side.The last pickup being at Thane (Teen Hath Naka flyover - nr Neeta tours and travels office) at 7.30.It was a video coach bus, fully a/c, with comfortable recliner seats.However, this wasn't a new bus.Our seats were right ahead. Usually those are not the best seats.The curtains were not washed, and there was a distinct smell emanating in the bus.The smell was more evident near the seats ahead. [<i>Always take seats in the middle or rear</i>.] Those are some of the quirks of public transport. The bus has two halts during the journey, one at Neeta hotel and the other one just near shirdi, probably around 50 kms away.Hotel Neeta was good, spacious.Being a early morning journey, we took regular breakfast items like idli,uttappa etc.It had nominal costs and tasted decent enough(less than Rs. 250 for a good breakfast for 5).The best thing about the hotel was the prompt service. I guess all Neeta buses have a halt there. We could recall that the last time we travelled by Neeta, we had stopped at the same hotel. I guess the hotel is owned by the bus service itself.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLgrlLc2jM7GreE2jKgwvieUcAR7C2Qjp-3Z15ZMp76ufN3y8ymqu6H9oY0suCTbCKYCuUKFNGke9qio-PSxWykYYXxVBExe7m9D2rxsBciDlGePBdJT3QrX256oFmRIzsAv2gqbpd0U/s1600/DSC05662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLgrlLc2jM7GreE2jKgwvieUcAR7C2Qjp-3Z15ZMp76ufN3y8ymqu6H9oY0suCTbCKYCuUKFNGke9qio-PSxWykYYXxVBExe7m9D2rxsBciDlGePBdJT3QrX256oFmRIzsAv2gqbpd0U/s200/DSC05662.JPG" width="200" /></a>One of the reasons of opting for the day travel was getting to see the scenic views on our way to Shirdi.Sadly, that was not to be. Travelling in comfortable A/C buses, we made most of the luxuries - all of us dozed off for major part of the journey. :) It was just 50 kms more to go, we took our second halt. Cannot recall the name of the hotel, we didn't have any food there.Most of the time we spent there was enhancing our photography talents clicking unique pics. The other important thing we did there was have nice, fresh sugarcane juice just outside the hotel.The sight of the juice vendor extracting every bit out of the sugarcane reminded me of someone....my boss. ;)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Places to stay :</b> We reached Shirdi at 2.00 pm.As you enter Shirdi, the first thing you realize is, its not a rural village/town any more.The place keeps getting busy, more crowded, more hotels, restaurants, more options. And the same has been the feeling in every visit.Usually the bus stops next to some decent hotel.Same was the case.Shirdi has lot of options to stay.Hotels offering Rs. 50 per person just for 4 hrs to hotels offering rooms for full day as well.There is a limited period in which you get the 50 Rs-offer (i guess only till noon). Its primarily for night travellers who need to use the room to freshen up.We got our rooms at the "Hotel Sai Shiv Ram"(Ph.No: 09371915349). It has A/C- Non A/C Rooms.Located behind Hotel M.T.D.C. One of their agents whom we met, just as we got down from the bus, got us there.Yes, as soon as you get down from the bus, you get lot of agents offering you rooms,quicker darshan, nice deals on flowers, offerings etc..Tourism is the only business in this area.We got our rooms - a 3-bed Non-AC room costing just Rs. 600.We could stay there till 9.00 pm some of us were good at bargaining. :) All we had to do was freshen up and leave.So by 3.30 to 4.00, all of us took bath and left for the darshan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What is there to see</b> : If you wish to go to Shani Shingnapur, there are vehicles available which will take you there. And you can finish the entire trip in 4 hours.Most people do that, when they visit Shirdi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>As you enter : </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOm5i1fBM27lkthtyFkvgJp3NL2GRPPYIo1yDzjK8614BKYKIPpxVpxdXkxNnLuAtgj5uwt-9xlOIxTWrujT-D_dvLsugm_m3Ww8mFwVTYekr3WVUzqf02RDe8kwP0Zja4-yWCLYj8r4/s1600/map.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOm5i1fBM27lkthtyFkvgJp3NL2GRPPYIo1yDzjK8614BKYKIPpxVpxdXkxNnLuAtgj5uwt-9xlOIxTWrujT-D_dvLsugm_m3Ww8mFwVTYekr3WVUzqf02RDe8kwP0Zja4-yWCLYj8r4/s320/map.gif" /></a></div>Shirdi is famous for the shrine of Sai baba.It is maintained by the <a href="http://www.shrisaibabasansthan.org/">Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust</a>. If you have never been there,you may want to know how it is structured, where to start, etc. There is a main entrance near the temple road to the extreme end (Now, the mall end). which is the starting point. Now, this is the main entrance to the temple i.e. where the shrine of Saibaba exists. The "temple complex" has many other structures like - dwarkamai,other temples,counters etc. including the main temple aka Samadhi Mandir. This queue which you have joined would take you directly to the main temple and once you get out of it, i.e. after darshan, you can go to the other areas,as mentioned.You can even go directly to these other temples,instead of going to the main temple, but through other entrances, but not through this main entrance.The main entrance will lead you directly to the main temple - samadhi mandir.In olden days, you needed to hand over mobiles, cameras at a counter just outside the main temple for a rupee or two. Now,that has changed, we were quick to find that at the main entrance itself. The security guard asked us not to carry any mobiles or cameras in the temple complex.Although the counter was not very far from the main entrance.It was just across the road. It was so hot, and we were bare feet too.So you can imagine how hot it felt.Anyway, they accepted our stuff for just 2 Rs. per bag. No need to worry here.Its maintained by the temple trust and its safe to keep your valuables there.Just don't loose the token.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>Queues : </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeMq0Q7cdWlBdG36I5V7__oOadpXrCethYM-5O6SBIlRy2Z-289ccparlXjW7BHPNEMPeOxINdz7Z5dgz3sSdl0QJA1cyl6itZMMRmXG28wFSOCfl-TCW12R2iB4m4PYlVmayhhEKLb4/s1600/shirdi_sai2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyeMq0Q7cdWlBdG36I5V7__oOadpXrCethYM-5O6SBIlRy2Z-289ccparlXjW7BHPNEMPeOxINdz7Z5dgz3sSdl0QJA1cyl6itZMMRmXG28wFSOCfl-TCW12R2iB4m4PYlVmayhhEKLb4/s200/shirdi_sai2.jpg" width="151" /></a>There was a huge queue here.Usually visiting the temple around 4 pm, you may face long queues. The last time we visited Shirdi, we had a night trip, which meant an early morning <i>darshan</i>.And at such times, the queues are usually on the shorter side.However, that was not the case this time.There were hordes of devotees waiting in the queues for <i>darshan</i>.Devotees of all races, castes, classes, professions joined the same queue for <i>darshan</i>.Some with huge garlands, some with small flowers, waiting with eager eyes to find a glimpse of the almighty.Chants of "<i>Sai baba ki Jai</i>" erupted regularly. In case of long waits due to the queues, there were counters for water, juices, food items along side the queue within the temple. In about a hour and half, we were in the the main temple known as <i>"Samadhi Mandir</i>".Here, the queue got split into two.Each one moving on either side of the lord's statue. We choose to move into the right. one As that would have meant getting to touch the feet (<i>Paduka</i>) by kneeling down.There are priests near Lord's <i>samadhi </i>(Final Resting place) to manage the queue and also to take our offerings for the Lord.They usually take some offerings and return the rest, as <i>prasad</i>.So within minutes, we reached the samadhi, finished our prayers and were out of the main temple. Yeah, thats how quickly the queue moves.<br />
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<b>The temple complex :</b> As you move out of the exit of main temple, you find youself in the temple complex.The temple complex has many temples of other deities too viz. Hanuman, Shiva, Shani Dev.The first thing you notice is the tree under which Sai baba used to sit - Gurustan.If you walk parallel along the main temple, there is a small window in the main temple, which offers you a direct view of the Lord's statue. One of us ended up with an extended session of praying.I won't go into too many details of the temple complex. But, just an overview. Apart from the different temples of Hanuman, lingam, durga, there are prasad distribution centers.<i>Udi</i> (holy ash) distribution centers, Donation counters, museums, <i>granthalaya </i>(books-center), counters offering water, lassi, butter milk.After our darshan, we moved out of the temple-complex through exit 3. We had to visit Dwarkamai, which as on the right. Dwarkamai is a mosque where Sai baba used to stay. The queue for it was way too long. We skipped Dwarkamai this time. However, inside you would find some of the things Sai baba used in his daily life.We then proceeded towards buying some Shirdi laddoos. This is outside the temple-complex.When you get back to the main entrance road. Just keep walking toward the left. Its called "Prasadalay".We bought 10 packets of shirdi ladoos. Each costs Rs. 10 (4 pieces).Unfortunately we had to stand in a queue each time.Yeah, they give only one packet per person.But, it was a small queue so no worries.<br />
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<b>Places to Eat</b> : There are a lot places to eat. There are a lot of restaurants serving Gujrati,Punjabi, South Indian even Chinese food.In fact, I had asked one person, where I could find proper, authentic Maharashtrian thali. I guess, with that, I might have touched some nerve of his.He erupted, "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">You would not find even one restaurant which serves Maharashtrian thali</span></i>". Giving up hopes of finding the elusive cuisine, we stuck to the usual.We had a Punjabi thali, It tasted decent enough for a nominal cost(under 150 for two). As I ate my dinner, made me think for a while..so much has changed in Shirdi..So many shops, hotels,people, crowds, noise.There is even a mall now at Shirdi which has brands like "Tara Bhagatchand" in it. The mall is still not fully functional though.Then the angst of the poor shop owner over lack of traditional Maharashtrian Thali. With all this commercialization..I hope the sanctity of the place is not lost forever...Btw,. I was having my lunch, at dinner time :)<br />
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<b>Return journey : </b>By the time we finished our lunch (at dinner time;) It was 8.00 pm.We spent some more time buying lockets, Saibaba photos,etc..Remember, We still had to check out from the hotel.But before doing that, we were looking at options to return back.We walked our way to the S.T. Stand. which was away from the main temple road(Manmad/nagar road). There were S.T. buses at regular intervals to Mumbai. However, some of us wanted to go by A/C bus. There are no dearth of options from Shirdi.So we went back to the main temple road. There we found a bus service( I think Rajhans), which was leaving at 9.30 pm(Rs. 350/- per person). The agent told us, "<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">If you can reach here by 9.30, the bus would wait</span></i>".It was already 9.00 pm. So we rushed back to our room.And guess what, we were faced with a unique situation - lights out!!! One of the phases was down, and there were no lights. The hotel attendants provided us with a torch light.One of us held the torch - and for the rest..the search was on - did I keep my camera back, my mobile, that towel - was on everyone's mind.Luckily there wasn't much for this trip, so we packed our stuff in that torch light and checked out in a hurry. As we reached the place, the agent was missing!!! Frantic calls!!! The bus was no where in sight!!There was someone else, who said, the bus on the Nagar/Manmad road.We ran our way...as we reached the place..the bus had already left!! Few more calls..the agent had arranged for an auto. The chase began!!!In cities, the max number of passengers is usually 4.Here, there were 12!!We just stuffed ourselves in...Thoughts began.. were...Are we on the right trail? Would we get our bus?...A petrol pump in sight...And there it was...the bus was waiting for us. Rest of the journey was not so exciting - as usual we dozed off ;) But, it was an exciting end to our nice little trip to the land of Sai baba - Shirdi.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-10075744746089879172010-02-27T13:37:00.003+05:302011-11-27T18:26:43.617+05:30Lohagad Fort - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Feb' 27 2010</b>: This time the excursion was with a group known as Breakfree journeys. It was a new group run by a young college bloke by the name, Rushikesh Kulkarni. Quite an enterprising bloke must say. (For more details on the group and its activities - <a href="http://breakfreejourneys.blogspot.com/">click here</a>) He had published the event on the '<a href="http://www.mumbaihikers.org/">Mumbai Hikers</a>' blog. Mumbai hikers, obviously is the central blog portal where most of Mumbai trekking groups post their upcoming events.Quite a good initiative.It was calling for trekking enthusiasts to join them for a trek to Lohagad fort for a one-day event, with the return journey planned for the evening.Some of my friends had been to the Lohagad fort before. They had suggested it was an easy trek.'Easy' that's what attracted me to this trek.This was going to be my first "real" trek.And after a few calls with Rushikesh on Friday night confirmed my presence for the next day.Lohagad, here we come..!!! :)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>The Journey </b>: Pickups were planned at Kandivali, Dadar, Chembur,Kalamboli, Panvel.There started our journey.After picking up enthusiasts along the way, our numbers rose to 17 with a couple of office collegues joining in.All towards our destination - Lohagad.The way to Lohagad was to through a place Malawli - Base Village.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<b>How to reach Lohagad : </b>There are different ways by which one can reach Lohagad. As discussed earlier, you have to reach the base village called as "Malawli".<br />
<b>By Public Transport :</b> If you are planning to travel by public transport, you need to catch a train to Pune.(from Mumbai).On the way, Malawli is the next station after Lonavala.Make sure the train you catch stops at Malawli.Once you get down at Malawli Station,walk towards the end of the station, i.e. towards the Pune side.Once you reach the end, turn right.And keep walking, till you come across a patch of land - we shall call it 'Junction'.That's because you would find shops, hotels and some houses too.You would also find an open space - courtyard on the left side.Its used as a parking space.This is the Bhaje gaon.<br />
<b>By Road : </b>We came here by road - the route is even simpler take the Mumbai-Pune express highway, soon after passing through Lonavala, we started looking at signs for Malawli and also asking people at every turn, just to be sure.Soon, we made a turn to the right, i.e. after asking for directions to local people.We then crossed over the railway lines,near the Malawli station and reached the "Junction" - Bhaje gaon.<br />
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After parking our vehicle there,We had a nice sumptuous breakfast of Pohe served with freshly cut lemons to go along with it.Not more than 20 Rs.After a few group snaps, we were all set to start our trek.Some of us, me included, bought some water from the nearby shops. Make sure you buy water here, you will surely need them, as there are no other shops on the way to Lohagad.From the junction, you can see some stairs in the distant background,on the left hand side.Those are the stairs to the "Bhaje caves" - our next destination.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrrsSD9Rs_tKTYr7cAvoBuriG8l8LjxBrhFORHfnveYb80L9_kABTj9gilNze6tafgfa876EvedrDS80wghF2hWdM9cEWPeli3IMHGdnP4msZqX6Jcz1tOIVYRU_vGidxiFEZwbTXOWM/s1600-h/DSC02939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrrsSD9Rs_tKTYr7cAvoBuriG8l8LjxBrhFORHfnveYb80L9_kABTj9gilNze6tafgfa876EvedrDS80wghF2hWdM9cEWPeli3IMHGdnP4msZqX6Jcz1tOIVYRU_vGidxiFEZwbTXOWM/s320/DSC02939.JPG" /></a></div><b>Bhaje Caves:</b> They are 2nd century BC Buddhist caves.They are a set of 18 caves, cut straight out of rocks.Amazing bit of ancient architecture. The pictures and links would help you more.For more details click <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaja_Caves">here</a> <br />
<b>Journey</b>: The journey began with the climbing the steps to the caves. These are unique steps, each step being low in height, and high in terms on length and width.So actually, when you climbing them, its almost as if you and walking instead of really climbing.Still, after a few levels, it starts tiring you out.It took us not more than 20-30 minutes to reach the top.Again, that depends on how fit you are.On the way, we found a few local vendors selling chaas,cucumbers,lime juice.Once we reached the caves, we had to pay some entrance fees to It was Rs. 10 for an adult and Rs. 5 for a child.Finally, after some struggle, we reached the caves.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K3GF73052GyVdZMiR8C5zootvL87wTr3Rf5H2LI_dRiDS3i00IyKQMlUE-07HogPZg_xH4mD_nmsv2FlETri0FcXqMkh-TLXH1p0Po0BMWZ4LC8U1RarfdIj8H-lbqLMB5bLUd4Cn40/s1600-h/stupa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0K3GF73052GyVdZMiR8C5zootvL87wTr3Rf5H2LI_dRiDS3i00IyKQMlUE-07HogPZg_xH4mD_nmsv2FlETri0FcXqMkh-TLXH1p0Po0BMWZ4LC8U1RarfdIj8H-lbqLMB5bLUd4Cn40/s200/stupa.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><b>What is there to see : </b>As soon as you enter the caves vicinity,you see a huge cave in the center.This is called as <i>chaithya</i>, This was used by the Buddhist monks for praying.It is a prayer hall.You can see pillars on the sides, all made of rock.The ceiling of this hall is made of wood.It appeared to be made out of wood,wonder how it lasted for over 2000 years.And then, at the distant end of the cave, you find an inverted cup shaped structure, almost like a bell.This is called the "<i>stupa</i>".It was said that, Buddha's relics were kept in the stupa.You can imagine Buddhist monks meditating near the <i>stupa</i>.Infact, we did try making some sounds in that temple, and it gave a mild echo to our sounds.As we came out of this huge-center cave,on the right hand side, there are broken steps leading to the other smaller caves.Its quite easy to climb.Within those little small caves, you would find small bed-like structures, all cut out rock.Must be the Buddhist monks retired to these smaller caves.After exploring little, we then returned down the broken steps, for first-timers like me, even that is challenging, however, there is always support.So, carefully, we got down from those caves.Unfortunately, the tight schedule wasn't allowing us to explore the "Bhaje caves" more. So, after a few pictures, we turned our heads to Lohagad.<br />
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<b>Lohagad </b>: Lohagad fort, one of prominent forts built by Shivaj Maharaj stands tall at 3,450 feet (1,052 m) near Lonavala.Known as the Iron fort (Loha=Iron). It is said to have been used by many dynasties that ruled the Marathi kingdom.There are many structures built on the fort by the people who ruled it which includes a water tank, temple etc. A favorite among the modern day marathas - the trekkers.The fort has always attracted hordes of tourists across Mumbai and Pune.Usually seen as a beginners trek.For more details on Lohagad <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lohagad">click here</a>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkI7Fe6KhLTUw7eMj3Fzxy6zunfmYB_tTPqRknjqClFFYIj1cDDe0Kk9mv8JsiklXcCm3NBI6bUSG1d-c7BaZ_KLU46geysm5u6t4-9LjekkldQE7O8jmZFezXHGPQSxAC9ycsA0P4ZJc/s1600-h/DSC02957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkI7Fe6KhLTUw7eMj3Fzxy6zunfmYB_tTPqRknjqClFFYIj1cDDe0Kk9mv8JsiklXcCm3NBI6bUSG1d-c7BaZ_KLU46geysm5u6t4-9LjekkldQE7O8jmZFezXHGPQSxAC9ycsA0P4ZJc/s320/DSC02957.JPG" /></a></div><b>Journey:</b> <b>Descent from Bhaje caves</b>: The normal route would have meant getting down by the steps, which we had used earlier to climb. And then turning to the left and travel by the straight ascending road to Lohagad.But things were'nt as simple.As you head out of Bhaje caves, there is a small trail near the entrance.No, I am not talking about man-made steps but, its actually a narrow trail to the side of the hill.Suddenly there was a buzz of trying get down through this trail.After agreement from all, we decided to get down by the trail.I was hesitant, still agreed. This was not the usual way to Lohagad. Initial few strides were easy. Its actually quite helpful to be following someone, as your going on a path travelled.But, soon it became steeper.There are definitely some skills to be learnt for a trekker, especially while descending.Making use of every tree, branch, rope even the person ahead's bag :) Its all a matter of grip. Being in the best of sport shoes, I slipped a couple of times.That's when I learnt the feet need to placed sideways instead of placing them straight.Anything that gets you a good grip.Some of the experienced trekkers were making way for others to follow.Being a novice, I followed it well.Soon we were at the base of the hill.We just turned around and looked back at the Bhaje caves. It was an awesome feeling, looking back how far, how high we were and the manner in which we got down from the trail.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd72-or8Udjb_gvDjOXOc9fxmXW3t60AAjuCQ1csyL-54ys7zuhO1yPdS6hZld-22W3Kq7dj6FSmnnPuvQZ4_nm5WgrUJCZgieBf1pDvRLtMULWYcJLBfCK0aF4sYHQWuHJoQ7gtL-pWc/s1600-h/DSC05593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd72-or8Udjb_gvDjOXOc9fxmXW3t60AAjuCQ1csyL-54ys7zuhO1yPdS6hZld-22W3Kq7dj6FSmnnPuvQZ4_nm5WgrUJCZgieBf1pDvRLtMULWYcJLBfCK0aF4sYHQWuHJoQ7gtL-pWc/s320/DSC05593.JPG" /></a></div><b> Trek to Lohagad: </b>The trail to Lohgad is quite an easy one.You just need to follow the straight road ahead.Its not a motor-able road by any means.It might have been motor-able many years back, but, not any more.The route goes spirally upwards.Almost like a zig zag.Some people were climbing up by the small ravines.I was'nt one among them.I travelled by the normal route.All this climbing was tiring me out.Little travel, little water breaks, little sitting breaks in shade was the order.As you climb up, you would find two peaks - the one straight ahead and the other to the right.The one straight ahead is Visapur fort and the one to the right is Lohagad.There are places during the ascent you may not be sure which side to turn.Take the right.There were two such occasions.Also, the local villagers would be very helpful. (if you find any).Usually local villagers travel up to sell water, lime juices etc.Make sure you take help from them.When we were almost there, we found a small juice-vendor to the right, with a nice tent put up, selling freshly made kokam juice.We took a break of 15-20 minutes. After quenching our thirsts, we were back on our way to Lohagad. It was half an hour of journey from here. The journey so far was a good one.It was not a trek which you need to take with any experienced trekker as such. Since, most of the route was a rather straight one, it was quite easy even for first timers like me. The tough part was the tiredness from all the travel., but regular breaks made it quite easy.And soon, after almost 2 hrs we were at Lohgadwadi ,base village of our destination.You can reach here by a proper motor-able route as well., I guess from Malawli.There were a lot of people there.It was almost like a trek mela there.People turning up from everywhere.It was a festive atmosphere.Young, old, local,city folks - all kinds of people here.There were a lot of trekking groups like ours everywhere in shops, resting,climbing up.We took a shelter at a place called Sai hotel.Our organizer had given an order for our lunch, which we were going to have after visiting Lohagad fort.After leaving all our bags at the place, we were on our way to Lohagad fort.Wondering - again the climb? Yes, we were at the footsteps of the fort.We just needed to climb those.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgJlTgAflx2Cqv05iXEV3n03TSj44UR-2rPwPRAVSo7SlqGELjX2AtfsqNPg3MgiyZEqIg0gz1JvHX-_rqe2s64MCkNX-N7y5uH33dWERdA_5THK6kruHIE-r1eF6OnWTfAZ286zObew/s1600-h/DSC05595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCgJlTgAflx2Cqv05iXEV3n03TSj44UR-2rPwPRAVSo7SlqGELjX2AtfsqNPg3MgiyZEqIg0gz1JvHX-_rqe2s64MCkNX-N7y5uH33dWERdA_5THK6kruHIE-r1eF6OnWTfAZ286zObew/s320/DSC05595.JPG" /></a></div><b>What is there to see :</b> As you climb up, you find the majestic Pawna lake behind i.e to the right, the village Lohagadwadi in the center and the Visapur fort to the left.The steps were quite high in terms of height.Making it even tougher to climb.But soon in 20 minutes or so, we were at the Ganesh Darwaja - the main entrance to the fort. Lohagad fort has 4 doors called "darwajas" - Ganesh Darwaja, Nayaran Darwaja, Hanuman Darwaja and Maha Darwaja.The Ganesh Darwaja seems to have either painted or built again.Having full of sharp structures protruding out,these are tall doors atleast 10 feet in height.Each darwaja comes up as you climb up the stairs introducing you to a new section of the fort.This section or open space gives a panaromic view.You can see there are small openings in the walls of the fort.You can imagine these openings to be used for cannons on other waring provinces and Mughals.We found a small cannon or two, we even tried to lift, but it was way too heavy for any of us to lift.The final Maha Darwaja opens up to a vast open courtyard.Its more like a peak of the mountain rather than a fort.Its wide and huge and houses a temple, a few ponds, a dargah and the famous vinchukatta.Most of the time spent up was exploring the different parts, taking pictures.Here is picture showing the layout of the fort.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeZ3c9Z-NPUIIsjBf_ucqWrS1VZVLcRsjVUKZZHS8sk5HZKlxtZEJRpb37L365Pc4Bm_X-7iSloSAJsuBpZI4GUA2lJzCKVANnNClUdkb1GlokK-8rZZFa45xBATYJ8L0175X4CiQLe0/s1600-h/Lohgad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeZ3c9Z-NPUIIsjBf_ucqWrS1VZVLcRsjVUKZZHS8sk5HZKlxtZEJRpb37L365Pc4Bm_X-7iSloSAJsuBpZI4GUA2lJzCKVANnNClUdkb1GlokK-8rZZFa45xBATYJ8L0175X4CiQLe0/s320/Lohgad.JPG" /></a></div>As we were exploring the fort, we came across quite a nice pond - called "16 koni talav" With shade on one side, all of got down near the pond, took off our shoes and just spent some time cooling off our feet in the pond.The water was quite clear, although there were some frogs and fishes in the talav. Its almost like a hidden spot.Its next to the famous "Vinchukata" - Scorpion’s Sting, a long and narrow fortified structure. This is a finger styled projection of fissure of Lava and the name scorpion’s sting due to its natural shape. The attractive beauty of the pinnacle of this hilly terrain is worth visiting.Since, many of us were hungry, we started our trip downwards. Only few proceeded to the "Vichukata", rest moves towards the base.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJIVhoxBbsj2I-HTRFnM5i96v9jSk2h873tIeA3UmVmIY2Duy62-dzL441rEANXMHzhpnNP2wucLxbRQr6-Mkgg4o1FAa2dKoV4Lyh8fBsczbkxvas5MUWvM2Ob3HsKOe3fxGgaY5jUU/s1600-h/DSC05601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJIVhoxBbsj2I-HTRFnM5i96v9jSk2h873tIeA3UmVmIY2Duy62-dzL441rEANXMHzhpnNP2wucLxbRQr6-Mkgg4o1FAa2dKoV4Lyh8fBsczbkxvas5MUWvM2Ob3HsKOe3fxGgaY5jUU/s200/DSC05601.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b>Where to eat : </b>We had a nice meal of zunka bhakar at the "Hotel Sai".It cost us 35 Rs. per plate. Also, they added a nice chutney made of mirchi(Chillis).It is the most spiciest thing you can eat.It was just yummy!!!We started munching one zunka after the other.Some had rice plate which included rice, dal and few chapatis and bhajis.All that to gulp it down with a nice lemon juice.After having our fill, we started our journey back.The journey back was a quick one.We clocked a mere 40 minutes on the way down.i.e to Bhaje village.We were the first group to reach the base.Soon, group by group started arriving at the base.All of us had tea at the stall.And then we started our journey back to Mumbai with a small detour planned along the way - Pawna lake.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pawna Lake</b>: It is an artificial lake formed by the Pawna Dam built across the Pawna River nearby Lonavala. The lake attracts many tourists due to its imposing natural ambience and cool climate.Beautiful, serene, usually used by corporates for holding team building events.</div><br />
<b>Journey </b>: As you reach the Pune-Mumbai highway,by road, coming from Lohagad, take a left at Lonavala.You need to cross over the train lines and go by the parallel road on the other side tback owards Pune.Make sure to ask local people the route, as you need to take a right.It takes around 30 minutes to reach Pawna lake from Lonawala.After a few turns we were again in the country side (Lonavala is almost a city nowadays).Soon we could see the lake in the distant background, but reaching there seemed like forever.We were getting down to lower plains and the roads were spirally taking us down.Although they are one-way roads, if any big vehicle say a truck or a big car came towards you, it meant slowing down and going on the side to allow the oncoming vehicle to pass by.Slowly, steadily we manage to reach the lake.There was a big parking place nearby, that's where we parked our 18-seater.We could hear noise of the boats from there..<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKScV7SzlIcP895_FMrTX2TAcIR5UoJXlRcUbRmXQ_QzLq_Jhg36thYhQ91DQUDL3ZtTnCD862eLF89LyJHES45LmyNBNeuffY2ZhzwNWmCKUWoAQj7xi55mEzzQFvsm_fXkvA1VZq0o/s1600-h/DSC05644.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKScV7SzlIcP895_FMrTX2TAcIR5UoJXlRcUbRmXQ_QzLq_Jhg36thYhQ91DQUDL3ZtTnCD862eLF89LyJHES45LmyNBNeuffY2ZhzwNWmCKUWoAQj7xi55mEzzQFvsm_fXkvA1VZq0o/s320/DSC05644.JPG" /></a></div><b>What is there to see:</b> Pawna lake offers natural beauty. Not only is the water clear, the time being dusk, it offered a spectacular view of the evening sun.Its the kind of place, you would lie down and do nothing, just gaze at the beautiful spectacle.But there is more to Pawna lake.It has a restaurant which offers all kinds of food.Its quite normal to find corporates organizing their team building events at Pawna.Infact we saw a huge delegation of officials holding their annual day there.Now for the boating - It offers two boating facilities - the group boating costing 30 Rs per seat. It took 8 of us at one time.Usually the boat ride lasts for 5-10 minutes which includes a circle around the little island which is seen from shore.The other boat ride is one for the more adventurous - a speed boat ride. Costing at Rs. 80 per seat - its a 2 seater ride. and the ride lasts for 3-4 unforgettable minutes.Well, I won't go into more details here, its there for you to experience it.Just hold on when the boat operator turns side ways..!!!!<br />
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<b>Return </b>:We spent over an hour at Pawna lake, before moving on for our return jorney.Someone had informed our organizer that you do not have to get to Lonavala to get on the highway. There was an alternative route to Mumbai.After asking a few locals we were soon on our way back to Mumbai on the expressway.Overall it was well organized trip by <a href="http://breakfreejourneys.blogspot.com/">Breakfree journeys</a> - there was a bit of history, hard work, great food, some adventure, serene breath taking scenes, lots of pictures.Hope this blog helps you on your trip to Lohagad..!!<br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-67292205900871901682010-01-02T21:14:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:26:24.684+05:30Arnala Fort & Jivdani Temple - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;">Jan 2,2010: <b><span style="color: blue;">Arnala</span></b>, not to be confused with Karnala, was our choice of destination for this early Jan trip.In fact, we had a pretty good discussion, where to go, Arnala or Karnala? Karnala, of course, houses the famous Bird Santuary and the Karnala fort.But, we decided to go to Arnala, which was closer, and was quite a simple trip.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="color: blue;">How to get there:</span></b> <u style="color: red;">Auto ride</u><span style="color: red;">: </span>Our plan was to explore the Arnala Fort island, which was near the Arnala beach.Virar.So, all of us met at the Virar Station, the west side of the station. Arnala beach is on the West.We all gathered around 11.00 am.Just near the main ticket entrance/auto stand.We took an auto from the autorickshaw stand.We were a group of 5.Its allowed in Virar, i.e. two on either side of the driver, and 3 behind.We asked him to take us to the beach.It cost us Rs.15 per head.It was not the most comfortable ride, especially for two of us, seated ahead.But, we knew it was just 20 minutes of struggle.Yeah,It took us around 20 minutes to reach the beach.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQLp_6v5fOhZzpbJsfdzProBxLCoEZANIXiILZ7v5-0Q4EibKOt25vNQLcA_D6IbRWeADs4B2udsvPjGALISwBVmNs5vUrke6YUEFpUb3W0DPzetzYiywvOHAwaRyf6_nIQ5-nA6P1Nc/s1600-h/DSC05472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFQLp_6v5fOhZzpbJsfdzProBxLCoEZANIXiILZ7v5-0Q4EibKOt25vNQLcA_D6IbRWeADs4B2udsvPjGALISwBVmNs5vUrke6YUEFpUb3W0DPzetzYiywvOHAwaRyf6_nIQ5-nA6P1Nc/s200/DSC05472.JPG" /></a><u style="color: red;">The ferry ride:</u> The auto left us near the jetty.This is where, we get the ferry to the island.This was not the usual ferry ride in many ways, the kinda which you take while going to the Essel World.This was slightly different.It was not a big boat, but a very small one.Usually overcrowded, the entire boat moves, whenever anybody got in, or got out.It didn't dock at the jetty, but, right on the beach.So we needed to walk, towards the boat.The walk meant wading through, the lines of fishes, hanging for drying purposes.Arnala is strictly fishermen's beach,if you didn't know that.So don't be surprised, to see fish,find fish, & smell nothing but fish...Also, another point, the beach is full of human litter all over, so watch where you are stepping.I wasn't lucky though, unfortunately had to celebrate the new year by cutting a human cake..:( Luckily there was water around to clean up.So,finally, when we reached the boat, there was still one minor task to do, to get on the boat!!.The boat is usually a few meters in the sea, so you need to walk through the water.For some of us, who were unprepared, in jeans and shoes,this was uncalled for.They had to remove their shoes, pants, get into shorts and wade through the water.Make sure to keep loose things like keys,purse, money firmly in some bag, as one of us dropped his mobile in the water, while getting on the boat.Luckily, one of the local fisherman on the boat, spotted that, immediately started scouting through,everyone on the boat joining in.<i>"It's there..its there.."</i> were the chants, still, there was no sign of it.We all knew, it was a loss,the guy who lost it, admitted, the only thing he needed were the numbers on the phone.And suddenly, eureka, the boy/helper on the boat, found the mobile!!!And everyone on the boat, exclaimed a sigh of relief.Although, each one had a few advices to give,advices like "<i>remove the sim,remove the battery, keep it for drying</i>." followed. The owner, our friend, was just too happy to get it back.The ride cost us Rs. 10. This was the price for return journey.It was going to be a 15 minutes ride to the Arnala Fort island. So much, for the adventure already,now,over to the island...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbujsqKobuRubcdbke2wK4uL8P10wnNbUJbCez2uc5qAmytN_iSKSIouRNu8yCNVPQh6tYovGG57bxNaW1Ed1o_FFltxKzmLek-w62J0Hct4drHJnHpBSz98pTGyBooXZXy4IR1lYDbk/s1600-h/DSC05474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbujsqKobuRubcdbke2wK4uL8P10wnNbUJbCez2uc5qAmytN_iSKSIouRNu8yCNVPQh6tYovGG57bxNaW1Ed1o_FFltxKzmLek-w62J0Hct4drHJnHpBSz98pTGyBooXZXy4IR1lYDbk/s200/DSC05474.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhK_nmFnTEgRsYz4KrHU3VE7E7XnqCvMIfFF7Lqs8OFEAfnsDetq8KeNNW_swHfjf4fntw3uPdl4XPK3HYAlZ5teGHOwL5XGb31-Sao2yJakBXlSKyJyXP4JLLpoLRpGdLs84sHGDkTQ/s1600-h/DSC05473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhK_nmFnTEgRsYz4KrHU3VE7E7XnqCvMIfFF7Lqs8OFEAfnsDetq8KeNNW_swHfjf4fntw3uPdl4XPK3HYAlZ5teGHOwL5XGb31-Sao2yJakBXlSKyJyXP4JLLpoLRpGdLs84sHGDkTQ/s200/DSC05473.JPG" /></a><b style="color: blue;">What is there to see :</b> <u style="color: red;">On our way:</u> Just as geting on the boat, is an art in itself, so is getting out.So once, all of us got out, we were greeted, once again with lines of more fish.If you are planning to take this trip, you better come prepared, to smell fish.After asking for guidance, to local fishermen, we found our way, which was pretty straight, through the small lane of the fishing village.On our way,we found a local shop, where we purchased some biscuits,water and some chips.For the fort,you need to just go straight along the lane.Nothing too confusing.You can always ask the local people.They are quite helpful.So helpful, that, one of them,assumed himself to be our travel guide, and was actually walking along with us, even joining with us for pictures..!!!After, we got to the fort, and got rid of him,(so much for being helpful,we city people are so ungrateful ;)just kiddin, we did thank him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0SRlOrIoYeJWNfjp_6yTEzJ8DmKU85WY7OsvI55HrkDl6vuxi-X5dkjOIZwfZgYQS_6g1yt6_BQLrm-wxsy50_WmVDdATtnXPmbQk4hFmRbXjrFEgwoTaF0KHpjil2WScluvYDd5kBI/s1600-h/DSC05501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ0SRlOrIoYeJWNfjp_6yTEzJ8DmKU85WY7OsvI55HrkDl6vuxi-X5dkjOIZwfZgYQS_6g1yt6_BQLrm-wxsy50_WmVDdATtnXPmbQk4hFmRbXjrFEgwoTaF0KHpjil2WScluvYDd5kBI/s200/DSC05501.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyns-nuFZXqedynX3a8XmtJEO9TmuU7KtjJZBbq6xOWlmVPrS-3CfUC7z2783n4LwEla5IgCIGckal6y_t4QIJmV2GJHl5vLM6IvUcJcHC_THZr57_FPx7u3Tc1sSi2rDoqkuTV5bNGVU/s1600-h/DSC05485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyns-nuFZXqedynX3a8XmtJEO9TmuU7KtjJZBbq6xOWlmVPrS-3CfUC7z2783n4LwEla5IgCIGckal6y_t4QIJmV2GJHl5vLM6IvUcJcHC_THZr57_FPx7u3Tc1sSi2rDoqkuTV5bNGVU/s200/DSC05485.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76-2g7i4WiEuGH6rwK9UrhnnCssRisJTtDiaIORxwtC511a4q6hxptwajabfZE7j2KCd9k32XnM2zVe-qvpJzU3WU5fQwP4hGX-oK-LTTG90WcooN5mhtzuIgDAyNd3ylCcxqgFZKBVo/s1600-h/DSC05484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh76-2g7i4WiEuGH6rwK9UrhnnCssRisJTtDiaIORxwtC511a4q6hxptwajabfZE7j2KCd9k32XnM2zVe-qvpJzU3WU5fQwP4hGX-oK-LTTG90WcooN5mhtzuIgDAyNd3ylCcxqgFZKBVo/s200/DSC05484.JPG" /></a><u style="color: red;">The fort</u>, was not as we had expected it to be,it was not as huge, as other forts, which we had visited earlier,it was more like an out house, need to research further, was it really a fort after all, it looked more like an watch place.Still, it was big enough, almost as big as the Shivaji park, with boundaries all around.Don't know, how many of you, would agree with that description. We were greeted once, again with more fishes, actually, this fort is extensively being used by the local fishermen, for drying their fish.The fishes, which I presume are shrimps, of all sizes,were laid along the four walls of the fort with a very narrow, line, to walk along.These are walls of the fort, which you can see in the pictures.So our exploration of the fort, was only limited to walking along the four walls,and inside the fort.There were some odd staircases along the way, we did try and have a peek, by going in, but eventually chickened out, owing due the darkness.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82oOZlnc5X93_ezcMI2iRJk2yFomkyd06b0jVPCs1l6RedPT208A9dqaaEmjWlSQ-sjM1n4LnVMmAJOBlpCUYu84G4qDLtuydA0cY-zPMC0SPrqMoNLCP2mXEts069e1Efhd_ZEYU2d4/s1600-h/DSC05537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh82oOZlnc5X93_ezcMI2iRJk2yFomkyd06b0jVPCs1l6RedPT208A9dqaaEmjWlSQ-sjM1n4LnVMmAJOBlpCUYu84G4qDLtuydA0cY-zPMC0SPrqMoNLCP2mXEts069e1Efhd_ZEYU2d4/s200/DSC05537.JPG" /></a><u style="color: red;">The fort within </u>Once, we got down, we moved towards, exploring the center of the fort, which included a temple and a mosque.The local people were busy washing clothes,near a well, which was right in the center of the fort.We moved towards, a large banyan tree.We relaxed under it, chated for some time.One of us had brought some dosas,all of us,enjoyed a quick bite.Banyan tree, meant vines hanging from it, which meant swings, made by the local kids.There were in fact, couple of swings created by tying the vines, few of us, tried their instincts, and gave a shot, at the swing.It was fun,very raw kind of fun, the kind of fun, you had, whenever, you visited your native place.There was no fear of breaking of the vines, they were really strong vines.Yeah, getting to push people around is a fun in itself, especially, if you push them towards the tree.;)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq4xpTQP_RPog4tFQcKGQ-IwksC3dVIGBpVIUlOZ5S3IVwn1uM2LXTy7d44Jtg6whVkm3QsORVxOXJSYZJLQO-7GlFJvNAnAGbQYkJ6ic5_Q4T67Wu3E_KXlQGQIrnXxTGCUuZUFEjJg/s1600-h/DSC05533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiq4xpTQP_RPog4tFQcKGQ-IwksC3dVIGBpVIUlOZ5S3IVwn1uM2LXTy7d44Jtg6whVkm3QsORVxOXJSYZJLQO-7GlFJvNAnAGbQYkJ6ic5_Q4T67Wu3E_KXlQGQIrnXxTGCUuZUFEjJg/s200/DSC05533.JPG" /></a>Soon, it was lunch time.we were told there was a resort on the island, only to find that, the resort was actually on the beach and not the island, this made us bring our fort/island exploration to an abrupt end.This ,somehow dissapointed me,as we could have explored some more places on the island,only to get on the ferry for our return journey.It was slightly confusing, where the resort actually was,That's when,the boat operator, told us there was a resort on the island,itself, and it was worth going, which dissapointed even further, as none of us, was ready to get down, i.e. before the boat started ;) So it was a journey back,again.Might have to come again,here,sometime,to explore other parts of this island.The boat, was thought, not to be plying during the noon hrs, but, we found, that's not the case, the ferry is available, even during the noon hrs, but with lesser frequency.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On reaching the beach, we were told, the resort is just too far, and not anywhere close.,which meant, we skipping that resort plan, and getting back to our base, i.e.Virar station.So around 2.30 pm, our trip ended abruptly, and we were on our way back. <i style="color: purple;">Learning curve: make sure to make some provisions for food, or explore on food options, before making any trip.</i><br />
<i style="color: purple;"> <br />
</i></div><div style="color: red; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: blue;">Return Journey :</b><span style="color: black;"> On our way, we decided, to eat at the hotel Shreya just opposite to the station.Also,seemingly dissapointed,as there was still time, we thought,how about, going to the famous temple of Jivdani ? The answer was unanimous...Why not???<span style="background-color: white;"></span></span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: blue;">Jivdani </b>: After, having our food at the hotel,Shreya,its a purely vegetarian hotel,which served quite good food.We just mulled over, this sudden change of trip, which meant much better, than we had initially planned.Jivdani temple, of course, is the temple made for the goddess Maa Jivdani.The temple, also gives a pictureseque view of the Virar township.For some of us, this was our first trip to Jivdani.For more details on the temple and goddess Jivdaani <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jivdani_Mata">click here</a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXirOVrGgBWDX7hqy7HiXN_R7TzNpfcNjCE6Hw6O5baqckLVa-UxDG4NuklPS6jDNosC8IGmRnditovihvaZQJ1ZZnoVHVMmSKOgxxympxaqMLJJRteBL1GDidvsczs_fWg7Ga1tyzmE/s1600-h/DSC05550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXirOVrGgBWDX7hqy7HiXN_R7TzNpfcNjCE6Hw6O5baqckLVa-UxDG4NuklPS6jDNosC8IGmRnditovihvaZQJ1ZZnoVHVMmSKOgxxympxaqMLJJRteBL1GDidvsczs_fWg7Ga1tyzmE/s200/DSC05550.JPG" /></a><b>How to get there :</b><span style="color: black;"> For Jivdani temple, you need to go Virar, East,there are regular autos from there to the temple.It cost us, Rs. 5 per person.Again, five in the auto, 2 ahead.Actually, this time, we got quite good at it.</span><span style="color: black;">Traveling, by siting ahead,hanging by the auto comes naturally to us now.Within minutes, we were at the base of the hill.Jivdani temple, is situated on top of hill, if you didn't know that.Getting to the temple meant, climbing up the hill, which means climbing up more than a thousand steps.Well, not an easy task, for people, who have rarely been on any treking expeditions.Let's see how it went.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: justify;"><b>What is there to see :</b><span style="color: black;">The first few steps of the climb, din't seem much to bother.It was quite easy.There are shops on both sides, selling pooja prasad,flowers and other puja offerings.You can buy them,there, or at the top, there are a lot of options.You can even keep your chappals at those shops, or at the shoe stand at the base, if you wish to make the climb bare foot.We made our trip with our chappals on.</span><span style="color: black;">There is a railing, which at the centre of the staircase for the devotees, for support while climbing.</span><span style="color: black;">Soon, after a climbing 100 steps, fatigue started showing.So we took a break for a breather.Its surprising,climbing steps tires you much quicker than any other activity like sports, running or even lifting weights.There are shops offering water and cool drinks and some eatables too.But, we stuck to just drinking water along the way..It was so tiring,, it was draining each one us, except for one.He looked quite fresh even after climbing the top.He had done the smarter thing, instead of climbing a lot, he just stuck to walking a few steps and then taking a break.<i>"smart boy"</i>.There was quite a crowd along the way,same was the case for each of them, little climb, little break So, finally after 40 minutes of climbing, we reached the top of the hill.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk1go39dLQ6EfenNNDvb2wqmLpeWWkqgaqrXRL0rpFWbu4WNjMjO1wS-qZNrSITdMdluSYjVckycnnmtOHMct963Nim9J4ragpzkUHmAu2_ti1yb_BLLHpceUtoEvJGPthOdDXEesb0c/s1600-h/DSC05556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVk1go39dLQ6EfenNNDvb2wqmLpeWWkqgaqrXRL0rpFWbu4WNjMjO1wS-qZNrSITdMdluSYjVckycnnmtOHMct963Nim9J4ragpzkUHmAu2_ti1yb_BLLHpceUtoEvJGPthOdDXEesb0c/s200/DSC05556.JPG" /></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: black;">After purchasing some offerings,and placing our chappals, at one of the shops,we were headed for the temple.The temple at the top had a further, staircase, which led you into the temple.There are signs everywhere.Right in the center, it was the goddess Jivdani,.There were other gods as well around.Its really,an enriching experience, after climbing so much, to pray at the temple.Almost a Vaishnavdevi kind of experience, a trip we wish to take some time in the future.There was one more storey, just to the right side of the temple, where devotees can relax. It had some shops selling tea,some cold drinks.But, it was more for relaxing and enjoying the view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_0WQh_SU9uspwoo2NAYLeodBbwL3h0J9JEj3qKIbbHIR1MT28cdqJtjYxXQ_yQTocSPEf6dvju1bHgUf-ipgwjdzVe7KATGKVq_7U-dNwZ2f40kii7Yh5uwk99unmVuIZbEaiLkRDP0/s1600-h/DSC05560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_0WQh_SU9uspwoo2NAYLeodBbwL3h0J9JEj3qKIbbHIR1MT28cdqJtjYxXQ_yQTocSPEf6dvju1bHgUf-ipgwjdzVe7KATGKVq_7U-dNwZ2f40kii7Yh5uwk99unmVuIZbEaiLkRDP0/s200/DSC05560.JPG" /></a></div><span style="color: black;">Yes, the view from the top was absolutely breath taking, very surreal,very unlike any view anywhere near the city.It was almost a hill-station like feel to it.We spoted a very beautiful view of the township of Virar.But, the thing that disturbed us was the garbage, thrown there.The environmentalist witin our group, was really pissed at the sight.In his own words, "<i>this is garbage which will not be recycled in a 100 years</i>".Yes, it was all plastic. He quickly grabbed a camera, and clicked some pictures.What bothered him the most was, pollution in itself is wrong, that too so close to the temple is something very bad.When will we realize, this is going to hurt us in the long run.We agree, with our environmentalist. here.Soon, the sun started sinking, for the day, which us gave a fanastic view of the clouds and the rays of the sun.So it was time for some more pictures, and finally, we started our descent.<br />
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</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZZF30Mqx3cs8o999vk5oad54WlEmCi2nkS1j9c803wCkEpv7NuqPcsWYEvYeCJyc95LImvazU_-XmdH_JFrNqS9FnEs5CDyfXpQKHFaXrxquz-04zsYEPaA6EoDa78PiSJzb3aAiKhs/s1600-h/DSC05573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZZF30Mqx3cs8o999vk5oad54WlEmCi2nkS1j9c803wCkEpv7NuqPcsWYEvYeCJyc95LImvazU_-XmdH_JFrNqS9FnEs5CDyfXpQKHFaXrxquz-04zsYEPaA6EoDa78PiSJzb3aAiKhs/s200/DSC05573.JPG" /></a><b>Return journey :</b><span style="color: black;">The descent was easy, the breaks were lesser,and within no time, we reached the base.There was a Hanuman temple at the base, we prayed for a few minutes there, and after some account settling, we got into an auto, with six passengers this time.Dont ask me how was the ride. And with that, our trip ended.It was again, a sudden</span> <span style="color: black;">trip, made, changed along the way, which is quite normal.In the end, it ended well.As they say, "<i>all's that well, ends well</i>" or should we say.."<i>aal izz well</i>" ;) Have a good time at Jivdani and Arnala.Hope this was useful.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3187227597817269220.post-23522031245743316202010-01-01T21:21:00.002+05:302011-11-27T18:26:02.214+05:30Vasai Fort - How to go, places to visit, things to do<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;">Vasai Fort : </span></b>June 27, 2009: It was a sudden decision to meet, a few phone calls we (a group of 5).decided to meet at Vasai station, we planned to meet at 1.00 but ended up meeting at around 2.30 p.m. So after having a meal at one of the hotels near the station Vasai (West), we began our journey to Vasai Fort. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b style="color: blue;">How to get there :</b> When you reach the station, you need to go to Vasai(west) to catch an rickshaw which shall take you to Vasai(Fort).There are S.T. buses which ply between Vasai Fort and station, and the frequency is not too bad.We, however, took an auto.(4 can be accommodated in an auto). Although, in our case, it was just 3, as the other two(a couple) came via their bike, which was following us closely.So, the journey began, after few minutes of getting out of the hustle and bustle of the station area, we were on our way to Vasai Fort.On the way, you come across the station Naigaon,on the left, open fields on both sides, you call it "khaadi" by the way. The journey was smooth, nothing to talk about, until you get into Vasai fort, where the autorickshaw driver stops i.e at the S.T bus stand-cum-auto rickshaw stand.It cost us around 40 rupees. Our biked-couple had parked their bike nearby, its safe to park there by the way.As, we found our bike in its place, when we returned from the excursion. :). The Vasai Fort exploration begins.....</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNepY0dBN1zsBXURgzd6JnS72ehDxky0XjDUGTH_TdpoBkre0GzCxWeg5Fivq824r2dOLoSEP9hkWD6igt91qNGIDQNsn8N1_XHxi4-Mr5vWkfdQEEF88B_w4EaeL02636a1mlCzA3RY0/s1600-h/DSC04922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNepY0dBN1zsBXURgzd6JnS72ehDxky0XjDUGTH_TdpoBkre0GzCxWeg5Fivq824r2dOLoSEP9hkWD6igt91qNGIDQNsn8N1_XHxi4-Mr5vWkfdQEEF88B_w4EaeL02636a1mlCzA3RY0/s200/DSC04922.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMXmpuFarvrCpZ9fp8aWL_y4FUBLgv-F00GcCzFwWEuR0Dj_XyYPtng5ermZvOMVa4ITMUDSBZXupje0ebRFFJLKehM5lFk_IlJd6le8AvOn0mjghtQuV9OEtyC2vz9JolLtzXI2dzaY/s1600-h/DSC04872.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSMXmpuFarvrCpZ9fp8aWL_y4FUBLgv-F00GcCzFwWEuR0Dj_XyYPtng5ermZvOMVa4ITMUDSBZXupje0ebRFFJLKehM5lFk_IlJd6le8AvOn0mjghtQuV9OEtyC2vz9JolLtzXI2dzaY/s200/DSC04872.JPG" /></a><span style="color: blue;"><b>What is there to see :</b> </span>There are four parts to explore in and around Vasai Fort.As you reach, Vasai Fort, the autorickshaw driver takes you to the left, and parks it there, for the first leg, you need to walk in the opposite direction i.e towards the right, you come across the church, actually you can see it from a distance, so not a problem locating it. On the way you see trees(must be banyan trees, not sure) with large vines hanging. Also, there is a small ground on the left hand side, where you see some local kids trying their hand at being a dhoni or sehwag, yeah playing cricket, very often its the case.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_n6CR-G_8HjZML4OuCOuYRu5CwsdwPEcehbDIIPds4-PkryMMUyTZFSGDnrueIPMzsMOweBuoHf3fH9pAurNwHHH-YRo6ik4jMLOX-tAivpr6sRsBWhZqflZYOOdR_aZHOCcp8jARUQ/s1600-h/DSC04902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_n6CR-G_8HjZML4OuCOuYRu5CwsdwPEcehbDIIPds4-PkryMMUyTZFSGDnrueIPMzsMOweBuoHf3fH9pAurNwHHH-YRo6ik4jMLOX-tAivpr6sRsBWhZqflZYOOdR_aZHOCcp8jARUQ/s200/DSC04902.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqLUBX5FncM-kQHLN6w0T1nvA-nat-UA8wWLyhngeJCfND3gl8GEXBtyKzZ13vLniTUJ9q-IAbMzASlvIYG9PTt_4TzbxyvyhycBO00H1vsN_kPgJjbil18orWsQV8X0v_AM_wkhwPdQ/s1600-h/DSC04876.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVqLUBX5FncM-kQHLN6w0T1nvA-nat-UA8wWLyhngeJCfND3gl8GEXBtyKzZ13vLniTUJ9q-IAbMzASlvIYG9PTt_4TzbxyvyhycBO00H1vsN_kPgJjbil18orWsQV8X0v_AM_wkhwPdQ/s200/DSC04876.JPG" /></a><b style="color: red;">Holy Church</b> About the church, you can see that its being renovated, by the ASI. Not sure what the name is, from the web, I could find out that , its called the Holy Name church.As you enter, you see the church is actually in quite good shape.The empty altar, the ceiling which was restructured by ASI.The size of the church is so huge, you would know that, when you hear, the echo of your whispers.The backside of the church is a place worth exploring.The ruins are vast.You can actually climb to the upper tier, but be careful, don't try from the staircase on the left, the staircase ends mid-way. -columns missing But, if you try from the right side, you can climb up, the stairs are good,and actually you can see the inside of the church from the window/door there. We tried pushing one friend from there ;) (Only through images though).It never fails to amaze how people used to build, live in these forts.And how time has got the better of them and these structures. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ1PU5SveE7lLodc61j3d9Ia5tsqRF5LtlnFX2yPgcXPGKCa2ST3n45C3ygHUv9lI6H18yQD8samqpQbJ3ZnzKWGOwaWH6jh50i2-9-10evREOGoa4B-io7jNHhKvzzt9AQ9BTh49hTo/s1600-h/DSC04951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBJ1PU5SveE7lLodc61j3d9Ia5tsqRF5LtlnFX2yPgcXPGKCa2ST3n45C3ygHUv9lI6H18yQD8samqpQbJ3ZnzKWGOwaWH6jh50i2-9-10evREOGoa4B-io7jNHhKvzzt9AQ9BTh49hTo/s200/DSC04951.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5zXkOv0_sWv9b-xsNzDEEA8dbCFlQdcuQQYX4AcJBAmFidkE58CC-za06VY5A0CyylfW4XqmRvY-KBNpxQ3dYYBRkx__EVkYKcOO8Rhau2TMNv4KQvMq0nxB6Vc3P3MheSpmjOoRdII/s1600-h/DSC04941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ5zXkOv0_sWv9b-xsNzDEEA8dbCFlQdcuQQYX4AcJBAmFidkE58CC-za06VY5A0CyylfW4XqmRvY-KBNpxQ3dYYBRkx__EVkYKcOO8Rhau2TMNv4KQvMq0nxB6Vc3P3MheSpmjOoRdII/s200/DSC04941.JPG" /></a><b style="color: red;">Kambakth Ishq </b>After exploring the back side of the church,we start walking along the trail on the right side of the church.i.e. going even further from where we initially started.There you take a turn, and keep walking, until you come across another part of the ruins. Its a church like structure with an open space, in the center with graves all around. The graves dating back to the 14th century. Obviously belonging to the Portuguese kings and queen.This fort was built by the Portuguese, if you didn't know that.Did I mention this is the famous place where the famous Urmila song "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2tg1Kvhjy8">Kambakth Ishq</a>" was shot.Its only then you realize they actually shot all the dance sequences on the graves!!!!Well, the portuguese are not going to like it!!!The rock structures are unique here, i.e. the walls. We ended up shooting a lot of pictures against this background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9RHvbfuoc-S_UUyxtyZysn6f6pcilRmfBOmNTVmBtTUkhZf3_6XV4Va-RhJZgyH-jOpfyshA_g5ECofiruVoat5YrLg6c9dEjz3YhzBt_JrShumxoHINw4vqqODJ4hOn46c48jrhCnI/s1600-h/DSC04975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ9RHvbfuoc-S_UUyxtyZysn6f6pcilRmfBOmNTVmBtTUkhZf3_6XV4Va-RhJZgyH-jOpfyshA_g5ECofiruVoat5YrLg6c9dEjz3YhzBt_JrShumxoHINw4vqqODJ4hOn46c48jrhCnI/s200/DSC04975.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-OxRDlMgacDex6Hif8-Luu513LKqBOnQ9CPiWwucTiTqmw3uNjK8h0dIpk9MRf8VqlPHdTKx68R4mS1v8nZoids0TnJjHUAGdV6DpBavu6Fl5WDu0As5X_neSqoM5Kl7EIa-8VH7xCs/s1600/DSC04972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-OxRDlMgacDex6Hif8-Luu513LKqBOnQ9CPiWwucTiTqmw3uNjK8h0dIpk9MRf8VqlPHdTKx68R4mS1v8nZoids0TnJjHUAGdV6DpBavu6Fl5WDu0As5X_neSqoM5Kl7EIa-8VH7xCs/s200/DSC04972.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWji3Y6WnzomLygnkbg2hvy1FCrhjQv9LQQfSMFku9o_CEExH0_elkIeZBXrNUBLXRxuUY4nNxS8dLZvIdxw9fzaCpWkLKh4QDJQ6LSoFswgO_HNGeiik_m18pKY505xzJaVoqJF50rQ/s1600-h/DSC05008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWji3Y6WnzomLygnkbg2hvy1FCrhjQv9LQQfSMFku9o_CEExH0_elkIeZBXrNUBLXRxuUY4nNxS8dLZvIdxw9fzaCpWkLKh4QDJQ6LSoFswgO_HNGeiik_m18pKY505xzJaVoqJF50rQ/s320/DSC05008.JPG" /></a><b style="color: red;">Staircase to Heaven </b>From there, we walk back to the ST/auto stand, going past the church on our way.From here, we walk further left, its a small walk, along the trail, make sure you do this journey in the day time.Well the entire journey should be made in daylight.Anyway, dont be too confused, as you may be, you just need to turn left, and right again and keep walking by the trail, until you come by another beautiful part of the fort. A ruin, yet again being renovated by ASI.Well, they are getting cement to fill all the cervices..must be lack of funds, the entry in this is restricted, no, we didn't have anyone stopping us, but all the entrances to it was covered with thorny plants, must have been done by the ASI. Or may be just to prevent any vehicles from getting there. However, a small gap in the through thorny bushes, helped us get it.On one corner, you find a small opening to a stair case.Mind your head here, its not the usual staircase.So, be careful as you go up. Its 3 storeys high.You are sure to find some lonely couples on the way up.Vasai fort is famous for such visuals. ;) But ,when you reach the top, the view is just spectacular..!! You can see the arabian sea.,the Vasai-Bhayendar rail bridge, Utan . The view just too serene, beautiful.After spending some time, we explored other parts of this section. Serene is the word. Waves washing away at the mangroves,the sun almost down,the clouds.It was a surreal experience. After spending some time exploring, and just enjoying the place.We got into other parts of this section,one section being better thatn the other.We started clicking some beautiful pictures.Some of them really came out well,especially the ones which were of DCH-style.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1h6Dp-dJp_JlgoBdck9lpOOBZdIg-tETPvwKxlhKeP3AFZJMHcksa1h5paPWYgj0nJSRkKX4m5g8SXSpoZ_RkpJ6a_Oxjn2rXC6-8W0XK_xz8GQkk0_LpYYuLo7MnxosUxqMbTtvHQk/s1600-h/DSC05017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ1h6Dp-dJp_JlgoBdck9lpOOBZdIg-tETPvwKxlhKeP3AFZJMHcksa1h5paPWYgj0nJSRkKX4m5g8SXSpoZ_RkpJ6a_Oxjn2rXC6-8W0XK_xz8GQkk0_LpYYuLo7MnxosUxqMbTtvHQk/s200/DSC05017.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjQAc3X2LUMl7nzALLVA20o_VrMG-namjqVW7TNqjYo8KIOgFt3pwotZ2zlsqq4Nc6fTU0ZVycCb4M3VubDNnnNKFOQ6wLmcM45X458RzEzTpBldDU8S1TeJ5AjBNvJ67qhKQ-0vdL7o/s1600-h/DSC05012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjQAc3X2LUMl7nzALLVA20o_VrMG-namjqVW7TNqjYo8KIOgFt3pwotZ2zlsqq4Nc6fTU0ZVycCb4M3VubDNnnNKFOQ6wLmcM45X458RzEzTpBldDU8S1TeJ5AjBNvJ67qhKQ-0vdL7o/s200/DSC05012.JPG" /></a><b style="color: red;">Jetty and temple </b><span style="color: black;">Finally we began our last and final leg, walking further ahead, we reached a Hanuman temple right inside the fort. After praying there for a couple of minutes, we came across our exit. In olden days, there was never a sign saying exit, but a huge 10-15 foot iron gate!!!Yeah, its a unique piece of structure. And actually it still holds strong.No, its not used, but it doesn't appear to be rusted or anything.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">As we came out of the fort, the all we could hear was the waves of the sea. </span>We walked towards the jetty, which was to the right. There were a lot of people there. Just enjoying natures gifts to the planet.There were some boats on the sides.Not sure if they are used now.After, clicking a few pics, we started our trip back.<br />
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</div><div style="color: blue; text-align: justify;"><b>Return journey:</b><span style="color: black;">We walked back through the iron gate, walking past the hanuman temple, going past the staircase structure, turning up at the ST bus stand.We heard a ST bus roaring, this made us all run towards it. It was frentic chase, and we got into it, by the whisker.We love doing these kinds of things. And thats it, just like that, our trip ended. It was a simple trip filled with history, exploration and fun-filled and we ended with a lot of picturesque photos and more importantly with great memories.<br />
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<span style="color: black;">If you are looking for a simple trip, make sure to make it to the Vasai Fort.Hope you have a fun time.</span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7