The Brook , Lonavala

Mumbai to Lonavala,
Sep 04,2007


A two hour ride onwards to the mumbai pune highway takes one through the initial hurdles of mumbai traffic and then across tunnels and rocky enclaves all moist and covered in green; and once you reach the upper range, the chill weather announces your arrival to Lonavala.
One among he numerous tunnels you pass through

Its a good sight to see the valley down below, provided you convince the driver to stop alongside the roadway. The group comprised of Deepak,Hemant,Alok,Prajyot,Mani,Saurabh,Rohit, Gaurav and muself...Felt the same way Alok migh have felt when he came on a trip with me in Bangalore...
Karla Caves

Buddha sculpure

It was a sad plight to see the poorly maintained caves but still the majestic giant pillars left us in awe. Many carvings were still intact, and there were chambers where probably the monk used to meditate.....the group also tried to meditate, a joint effort, in one such chamber.

Kansal clueless on how to climb down; caves visible above

The entrance to the Buddhist cave; the hindu temple can be seen aside

Inside you could see the stupa, various sculptures and the old scripts embedded in the walls and pillars. There is also a small hindu temple of worship though i doubt if it was as old as the caves. Probably, it was built by the locals later on ,in keeping with the Indian way of having temples around all major historical sites of religious importance.

In front of the caves

Inside the Chaitanya hall

There was a small tiled path going to the back of the cave from the outside ....the path was slippery and gave way to a patchy ground trail which further along became more and more narrow... A group of goats passed along and I could see a few more caves on this side. Kansal joined in but in a few minutes we decided not to venture further. A light rain and we had to scurry back downhill, interupted only by the small crabs which kept running in front of us, along the side of the steps!

After the down pour

From the hill , it was a wonderous site to view the farmlands down... light green, a pleasant view to the human eye....

Behold! View from the top...

From Karla, we had lunch at the town centre and tasted the famous local chikki speciality. Our final destination was a small dam on the way to Ambi valley and another point on the top ranges , a few kilometres away from ambi valley. We had crossed a Navy quarters and as soon as we reached the point, it started rainng heavily ...off and on...It would rain and then stop suddenly...in a moment everything would be covered in thick fog. Everyone were out to dancing and running around.Had a steaming hot tea and biscuits and moved off to the dam.

Gone Beserk!!! A lighter moment ...

In another 5 seconds, it turned all foggy...

It was a very one indeed, but the intensity of the waterfall was huge. There was one big pool where it was risky to get into, so everyone moved to the other one down which was less deep. Everyone were into the pool and after someime I decided to venture a bit more but was called back by everyone as they didnt trust me going away from sight with a stick in hand ; "Hakuna Matata".....

Alok achieving Nirvana :)

Me,Gaurav ana Alok on the way down

The last leg over, everyone wanted to settle down and relax. I wandered around and reached a small dam. Climbed over and was amazed to see this small patch of green beside a pond....undisturbed....Deepak accompanied me and in another hours time evertone were on to this newly found bliss...

A new green discovery

There was this patch of green...a brook crisscrossing...snails slugs and tiny fishes...slippery rocks, yellow flowers strewn across ..... this was what we had come for....Moved on further in till I slipped over a rock and cut my hand. Some one had thrown glass bottles in this area and I got my hand cut while falling over it.

Me by the Brook

It emptied into a small lake

Played with a few crabs, some big fat white ones and whiled time sitting silently on the banks....Remembered Tom Browns School days and a poem taught in school...Dunno why , but started thinking about school days....This silence was what i wished for!!!

I come from haunts of coot and hern ,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley...........

The Group from SIMSR, Mumbai

Returned back at around 6 in the evening and stopped only at a wayside restaurant to have some tea and snacks and in time we were back at Shoppers Stop near Sahkar plaza.

Tryst with the Cauvery...

Silent Flows the River ....Atop the hill with the Cauvery in the backdrop

Monsoons were in...... after the trip to Kerala, it was now time for another weekend of relaxation; the monsoons had breathed in fresh life to the jungles around Bangalore. Morover after the Himachal trip two years back, this would well be the last trip by the four of us together – Me, Balaji, Praveen and Sinu, before Sinu packs off to Germany! The nearest was Bheemeshwari around two and a half hour journey from Bangalore, it was not a dense jungle thus a one day trip seemed to be fair enough….

Roadside view along the way to Kanakapura

Ideal place to have our breakfast

Dining quite far from the city!

We started off quite early at 0600 Sunday morning towards Kanakapura; Out of Bangalore, enroute to Kanakapura the roads are lined by numerous water bodies. Had packed up our breakfast, and as soon as we sighted a perfect spot - a small pond and clusters of banyan trees, alighted there for food….it was as if someone had prepared the settings just for us.

After entering the village; near the fields

There were a few unmanned checkposts....deserted roads

Another hour passed by and then we saw a sign board that read 18 kms to Mutathi. We had to take a left turn into a village where we could see elegant ethnic houses, the architecture which none of us had seen in Bangalore; these were the typical Kannadiga houses a wee bit similar to the nalukettu of Kerala. We passed by a few hills covered with blankets of fresh grass and never knew when we had crossed over to the forest range, but then we were alone. Lots of small birds were fluttering around and occasionally we could glimpse a forest pheasant shoot across the road.

Nothing much in the fields to capture, so why not us!!!

Trek gets a head on, Balaji needs to catch up a bit...

The vegetation remained the same for another ten kilometers, the entire stretch was a thin stretch of forest on both sides and in the distance one could see the hills. Surely the rains did help bring in color to the region! Once we reached Mutathi, we took a ticket from the locals there and went towards Bheemeshwari. We had enquired the day back about the trip and were advised by the forest officials to pay the fees at Mutathi and then proceed to Bheemeshwari. However we couldn’t find any booking centre and so took off to Bheemeshwari.

The initial stretch was less wooden.

Walking towards the hill...puff! pant!!!

Once there, we went to the adjacent Jungle Lodges camp where we inquired about the treks. The moment we said we had called up the forest officer a day back, help was on the way. We paid 100 each for the forest pass and 50 for the guide, but were not quite sure whether the person would actually pass it to the forest office. Actually, anyone can just get along without a guide and paying the money, there were a few unmanned check posts on the way, maybe because it was the start of the monsoons the guards might have thought it better to get along with a nap!

Thats a huge discovery mate!!!

On the dried river beds; there were numerous ones all around...

We were provided a boy in his teens to guide us along….The Cauvery whirled through the entire forest area, and in many places we had seen boards warning people of whirlpools in the river and we had also heard that some stretches were infested by the marsh crocodiles. The walk all along was invigorating but other than a few monkeys and deer there was nothing much to be seen and the reason was we never ventured in deep.

More wooden and fresh grass lined all along the tracks

Higher up the hill, there was thick vegetation

In the beginning the vegetation was distinct with bushes interlaced all along. There was a road which crisscrossed the range, and on the way towards the hill the vegetation started to get denser. We were to climb to the top from where we could see the entire forest range and then move down to the Cauvery.

Another steep climb....

Wonder whats lurking behind all that grass!

C'mon old man, just a few more steps up'....Me with our guide.

Up the hill, there was bountiful fresh green grass all along and the view from atop was really amazing. We could see the Cauvery zig zagging all along, it was not yet at its best, but that was good for us as we could tred at least to the middle of the river. The trip from the hill down was a bit scary, there was no way to support ourselves amonst the rocks and stones and slowly we had to trudge down.

Ahoy! We made it...Cauvery from the hilltop

'Wat makes you think I am not wild'...Sinu trapped in between all the grass

'Oops!!!' ; Balaji seemed to have a tough time climbing down the hill....

It started drizzling as we reached the river and a perfect invitation to jump into the waters. Spend around an hour there and got back as soon as the flow downstream suddenly started to increase. The Cauvery was not brimming, and we were amazed to see that once fulled to capacity, it would immerse most of the trees along the banks. That would be a perfect time to visit Bheemeshwari, at the peak of the Monsoons.

Cooling off in the Cauvery; Someone watch out for the Crocs!

Me and Sinu climbed up this one mid afternoon....Hot indeed!

Once back at the camp, we found a deserted elephant camp except for a small calf which had been caught from around Salem and bought here,this was a wild one and in no way it seemed inttrested in allowing us to get near. On the way back from there , we stopped on the way near the hills. It was around 1430 and me and Sinu took off for one of the hills, an urge just to try to reach to the top.

"Whats there in your hand; Come nearer, lemme have a closer look"

The calf seemed more interested in the twig I had in hand!

Balaji and Praveen decided for a nap and the winds there were too good a reason for that. The climb to the top was really an adventurous one, this along with the Cauvery were the better parts of the trek. Climbed almost three forth of the hill and then we could move up no more. It was so windy at the time and it did remind me of my trek to Shivadurga with Shivaraj Maddapura Siddhappa from Infy. No more stoppages but for tea and we were back at our flat by 1700…….

Monsoon Trails ..........

This could well be the last trip during my two month stay at Kottaram, Bangalore. After Mysore, Balaji threw up an invitation to his house; Praveen and I were ready for it and Sinu as usual came up with his regular version of Ifs and Buts....Well, the plan was to board the Friday evening train ‘Kochu Veli Express’ leaving at 20:00 from Krishnarajapuram whereby we would reach Ernakulam at 07:00 the next day. Rest of the trip was not planned, but we had made it a point not to miss the famed backwaters…..

It had started to drizzle.....

Herons,Egrets and Cranes were a common sight

Being my first trip to Alappuzha, was determined to enjoy to the fullest. The train reached Ernakulam at around 0600. Took a bus from there to Cherthala, Balaji’s hometown…Reached his house and lo!, in a few minutes time, we were left pondering the uniqueness of this land….There was an elephant, quite an old one from a nearby temple being taken out for a walk; it was standing near the gate and gazing at us. Well, such things happen only in Kerala!!!

No stretch of land went waste

The downpour had started to gain strenght

We left by Bus from Cherthala and reached Alappuzha bus stand in forty minutes time; there were four of us - Balaji, his brother Banarji, Praveen and me. The water ways are adjacent to the Alappuzha bus stand so one would not find it difficult to get to it. There were a few small houseboats nearby. We had some contacts through whom we got a boat arranged. Being a costlier option, we skipped the idea of a houseboat and opted for a normal one. It was still drizzling…..

House on the river side

The temple on the way; Serenity!

Started off at 1200 noon; we drifted away from the city bustles and were greeted by a myriad of riverside birds. The cool breeze along with the intermittent drizzle added to the spectacle. There were picturesque scenes all around, everything lush green and lively. Huge houseboats were trailing by even though it was an off season. We first came across a small strip of land, a beautiful strech connecting two land masses. There was fog all around, a lone mango tree stood out, a deserted canoe by its side; we just stood there gaping at the beauty, the charm…..

Regular sight all along the way; Fishing on the banks

The lone mango tree; Picture Perfect!

Went further inland to Kuttanad ‘the rice bowl of Kerala’; scores of children along with their family members were searching amongst the rocks for shrimps and prawns for their afternoon fiesta. Lot of Toddy shops were scattered all along the sides. Around 1400, we had lunch at one such shappu. The “Karimeen” was available for a hundred and a scoopful of prawns could vent around two hundred and fifty from ones pockets. After the meal we started our return journey; enroute we chanced upon some paddy fields and decided to get down there. A few steps into the fields, the downpour started heavily, bad for us, we had to rush back into the boat. There was this man fishing alone and he showed us his catch of Karimeen and a few huge carps. One can find so many people fishing in the waters; they use a thin thread and a paste of tapioca to lure huge fishes. Lots of birds were there all along to keep us company till the end of the journey.

Rains don't seem to bother the people there

Most of the fields were inundated, except for a few like this

By now it was raining heavily; decided to get all wet – decided to enjoy the downpour! Around 16:00 we reached back at the bus station; the whole backwater ride of three and a half hours cost us just around 800/-.

Picturesque sight indeed!

Mathoor temple during the rains

From there we decided to visit Balaji’s family temple Mathoor Bhagavathy Kshethram in Mathoor. A bus ride for another twenty minutes and we were there. On the way, one can see people selling huge prawns and fishes on the roadside. From the main road, we had to trudge another kilometer inside. The road stretched on, surrounded by rice fields with a few cattle moving around. There was a nallukettu and an ettukettu in a dilapidated condition, just a few blocks from the temple. Inside the temple it was pitch dark, the sheer majesty of the goddess all dressed up leaves you spellbound. By the time we returned, it was around 1800; took a bus back to Cherthala via Alapuzzha. By the time we reached the house it was around 21:00.

You find nothing else but the fields

Next day left alone from Cherthala back to Alappuzha, this time to pay a visit to Sinu. Planned to have lunch there and get back to the railway station on time. The train was scheduled to leave from Ernakulam at 1700. There were only two of us for the return trip – me and Praveen. We reached Bangalore quite early at 0400.

Time to bid adieu!!!

The rains kept us company throughout the trip and amidst all the ruckus over the chicken gunya scare, this trip was a time to unwind oneself and enjoy the rains….Just two weeks left to get back to Mumbai and what better way to wind it up than a trip to “Gods own Country”, a trip to the backwaters!!!

For more photos, please visit my friends' photo pages:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nostalgicmemories

http://www.flickr.com/photos/panantha

http://silentphotos.blogspot.com