skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Date: 7th - 9th December 2007Bhimashankar had been on our minds for long - having heard of it from all and sundry. I had been to the temple once, but by road with माँ and दादी . Had found the place really quite and calm as it was off season (went after Dussehra). But trekking there was supposed to be altogether different.Planning started well in advance. We bought sleeping bags and rucksacks in bulk from Sayonara Bandra, to tackle the chilly winter night there. We got a good deal, each sleeping bag worth 900 bucks, with fleece inner lining. That and a lot of ration stocked from Magnet had me fully prepared.We caught the last local to Karjat as usual, and spent the night at the ST depot. Some star gazed, while the wiser ones dozed. Every one was woken up at 4:30, and we had ultra sweet tea from a local's place. Took a couple of tuk tuks to Khandas village. At the village the fairer sex bestowed their attention on the little lambs, while many of us took to morning rituals. A few plates of कांदा पोहा and चाय later we hit the road. After a walk on tar / stone road for some time, we found the jungele trail and started climbing. (The path is not difficult to find - its the only one turning left from the road, towards the mountains)We were soon at the Ganpati Temple, from where the climb became steeper according to our leader. Saurabh and me, the two IITians sped up the way, and unfortunately took the wrong route up. Happy (Harpreet) and another of Pali's friends, who were following us blindly, had also come to a point of no return. The ladies had climbed without thinking, and didn't know how to get down. Safely helped them down, with not much damage done.The sun had come out, but that didn't deter me from marching ahead at a frantic pace (In hind sight I should have saved some energy for the impending climb). The route was a traverse for quite some time. Finally, we reached the plateau from where the Nagphani peak was visible. The camera enthusiasts were busy shooting, while others like me were just absorbing it into the neural networks. We were climbing via Ganesh Ghat, so it wasn't that strenuous.
We reached some tapris, where Ganesh Ghat and Seedhi Ghat meet, at around 11. Had some cool Chhaas to wet our parched throats - Rutu even added Electral to it to create an exotic mixture. Here we made a fatal mistake and filled our bellies with too much stuff, and took a longish break as well. After this, the climb became hellish. It was steeper than before, and the sun was blazing down on us. Soon I was carrying two bags rather than one. I guess I always like to test my limits :P, in process showing my gallantry. Soon everyone was moving at snail's pace, and the large group was divided into smaller bunches.There was a steep portion where we had to climb one by one, after which there was an exposed walk. Finally entered the forest, heavenly it felt ! 8 of us were together - Amar, Neeraj, me, Pam, Gertrude,Rajoba and Saurabh. We stopped for a break, and Amar and me showed off our vocal skills to Gertrude - the Irish lady. The whole trip, she didn't break a sweat, and was all smiles ! And she spoke few words (out of which we could make out even fewer!). We finally reached a pond which indicated we were at Bhimashankar. We lay down to wait for the others to join us. We were the first to reach followed by the Hostway gang - Vinay, Rutu, Sudani, Amol Kulkarni and Neeraj Jha. Slowly others also arrived, and finally Kern - with Raksha egging him on. He had been foxed by Raksha who told him that it was a simple trek ! I don't think he will believe her ever again.We found lodging in a simple dharmshala, and then preceded to a local hotel for lunch. The मिसळ was too spicey for Raksha and co., so I ended up having three plates of food! Amey had his customary cramps with loud exclamations, which had everyone's attention. Next we decided to go to Hanuman Tal, and Nagfani. However Hanuman Tal was a letdown, it was a small tank with dirty water. I had decided to go without footwear and was enjoying the rough terrain. It was close to sunset now, and it was a race to be there before sundown. We had a real good time looking around, although I wished we had been there earlier, for a better view.
The group had now split up unintentionally to smaller sets - the Hostway gang, the Janaki-Sri-Kern-Berty-Amey-Raksha group, Pali and his associates, and the others. It was already dark when we started to get down. Depth perception reduces in the dark, so I had a hard time walking barefoot. I treaded carefully to avoid any mishaps and lagged behind. After sometime, some of them got worried, as I was walking without a light (enjoying solitude), and was reproached by Pam, Janaki and all. We reached the dharmshala and unpacked our stuff. Then ensued some games of cards - people were bemused to see us playing "28", an intricate game played in eastern India. After a light dinner, we all went to sleep, some in the rooms, and the more adventurous ones in the courtyard outside.
The smoke coming from the hut in the backyard woke us up early morning. Lazily people woke up, taking their own time. Then we went to the Bhimashankar ज्योतिर्लिंग. I enjoyed its beauty from outside, as sun played around at the top of the temple roof. The large gong is a sight to behold. After a round of photo shoot and some breakfast, we were ready to head back. 
Pali, Happy and his third friend, and Amar and Saurabh Roy, were returning by bus, so they bid us adieu. The rest of us started our descent at around 9. I was at the rear, and so had the job of encouraging Kern, no mean task! We reached the tapri at last, and I had some well deserved Chhaas.Now Pam was sitting next to me, and was pulling my shirt as I was talking to Janaki. Unknowingly I tugged her hand, and next thing I know I heard a "thud" behind me as she had come crashing down, landing right on her head! I was out of words and ideas at that time. Janaki was taking care of her, and luckily for me no injuries were found. But I felt ashamed and annoyed at myself, although it wasn't my fault (I guess I don't know my own strength! :P). We started from the tapri with me in a disturbed state of mind, having been managing all the splinter groups since the previous day, and still mulling about the last mishap. Now Janaki and Amey were walking with me, and they were lagging behind. So I told Amey to take care of the rear, and said I'll go ahead and check out the people ahead and see that the whole group was together. However, after walking for another fifteen minutes, I realized that Amey and co. and had dropped behind. So I ran back, and what do I find - they are busy taking pictures near a huge rock, unmindful of the group that had gone ahead. I boiled over, shouted at them telling I didn't care where they went and ran ahead. I was mad at Amey for being so irresponsible. In hindsight, I guess I perhaps overreacted. But the anger provided me energy and I set a furious pace.
Soon I was enjoying myself, taking shortcuts and following stream paths, with Sanjay Bhutani sir giving me company. At one point we got stuck in a bush, and had to scramble to get back on the normal track. We hit the road in around 45 minutes. But the sun was out in its full glory, and the arduous flat road walk killed our spirits. We finally reached Khandas, sapped of everything. Rutu and Neeraj managed to cool themselves with a kind local spraying water over them with a pipe. The remaining people arrived half an hour later.
We had lunch and waited for tuk tuks to arrive. After some haggling and bargaining, we were on our way back to Neral. Boarded the next local, with me still peeved with Amey - Janaki et al, and some of them tried to pacify me. Well it worked to some extent, but I don't forgive very easily.The long trip with so many people made me realize that traveling with a जलसा of people is not much fun after all. And organizing trips is a pain in the a@#, and a thankless job. So next day, I announced that I was discontinuing my membership of Moronz, and hoped to join in as a guest only, if others wished to invite me to some event. I rejoined later (courtesy Kalpess Bhai whom I can't say no to), but that is a story for another time !
Date - 9th September 2007
Peth trek came about as we were at a low after our group was cheated of thousands of rupees and commodities by one Mr Rahul Barve. May his soul rest in peace wherever he is! We were supposed to go rafting in Kolad that day, but were duped at the very last moment, after 50 of us had paid 500 bucks each. Anyway, our indomitable spirit was not to be trodden upon, and we speedily thought of a simple trek to do on the same day.
The participants were - Kalepsh, Pam, Deepti/Preeti, Amey, Sanjay, Raksha, Shraddha, Keta, Saurabh Gupta, Kutty, Brownie, Nitin, Purvi, Bhaskar Desai and yours truly.
It had been a fortnight since I had ventured out in the wild, so the primate inside me was getting restless. Managed to wake up at 3 in the morning, and then got to Dadar station at 4:35. There after some time Janaki arrived, to see us off much to our chagrin ! Apparently she had not slept all night, and was ditching the trek. Woke up Pam after 2-3 calls. Kalpesh and Sanjay bhai arrived soon, as did Deepti/Preeti. Amey and Raksha made us miss the 1st Karjat local, and the next one was after one and a half hours. Finally got on, and was hanging on to the door handle, keeping a lookout for Pam at Thane. She got on with some difficulty, and a different compartment. In the train, Kalpess bhai was in his element, pulling Purvi's leg, and all of us having a good laugh. I was also the subject of some attention owing to my deeds at Kalpesh's party (read getting sloshed ... and then I don't remember :P).
We reached Karjat at 9:30. After some वड़ा पाव and relieving ourselves, we moved towards the ST bus stand. There we were lucky to find a bus exclusively to ourselves and merrily moved along towards the base village आम्बिवलि. The journey consisted of Kalpesh and me leading the way, singing songs, and others joining in. It was good to see everyone getting involved. With the rough ride, no one could sleep anyway :P.
We started from Ambivali at around 11. The sun was out, so the fairer sex took out their sun protection. Keta was with us after some time, and boy she was red hot in 15 minutes ! I could see steam rising out of her ears ! Most of us were parched, before I heard the sound of water gushing. I saw a trail going down, and following it found a lovely private waterfall to cool us down ! All of us jumped in, barring Deepti and Preeti. Then the struggle ensued to get the prime spot under the fall. Finally we decided to enjoy it turn wise, and used Pam's umbrella to good effect :P. Kalpess had got Amul छास and it felt like heaven। Finally unwillingly, all of us got out of there। It was already past 12 now. The road to Peth is a cart track and is not much fun. But from the plateau near the village, the view is amazing, and fortunately for us, it was a clear day.
The view from the Plateau
I was going at full steam as usual, and was down in the village in less than 20 minutes. Pam and Sanjay arrived 5 minutes after wards, and the rest even later. We had a sumptuous Marathi lunch with पिठले, भाकरी, आलू भाजी, आचार etc, and our very own Purvi had helped in cooking it! Pam's headache had worsened by now and we were all trying to help her out. I even tried blowing into her ears to force the water out (what was I thinking !). Some rest and निम्बू पानी later, we continued the descent.
I was at the plateau in no time, as the weather had changed, and it was fun running downhill. It soon began to pour, and I continued ahead at some pace. Finally reached the dirt road near Ambivali village, and decided to rest on a wall, till everyone else arrived. Slowly, everyone else joined me, and we went to the village चाय की टपरी for some hot tea. It was already dark, and we were circumspect about getting a vehicle. Luckily some tuk tuks arrived and we hired two to get back to Karjat. I was in the one with wet people (didn't care to change:P), and we comfortably reached Karjat.
We got in the 8:40 local, and I went into my own, listening to music on my Mobiblu MP3 player. Pam wasn't happy with this, and snatched the earphone cord. Thereby ended my futile attempt for some solitude. Made Kalpesh and Nitin listen to some of my favorite songs (Simon and Garfunkel's "Boxer" and Sufjan Steven's "Casimir Pulaski Day" to name a few), and both of them asked me to get a CD compilation at the next Meetup :). Finally got down at Kurla, to end a simple and sweet trek, to wash away the disappointments of a failed trip and being duped by someone many us of trusted and respected.
We Moronz were now wiser and more experienced, and vowed to have much more fun by ourselves in the future, rather than take the help of some trickster like Rahul Barve. And we were confident that we could do a better job than him, as this adventure had proved. Cheers !
More photos here:
Deepti's picassa album
Santosh Kutti's album
Date : 25th August 2007Lo and behold ! After completing just 3 treks, which wouldn't have been possible without the help of other senior members, I was made a leader / organizer for the Peb Fort trek. And I didn't have a say in it either. But I am not someone who backs away when given the baton. This trek was special for more than one reason - Kunal, my roomie was coming with us !So researched as much as I could, and stalked up on the ration. We were planning to make our own lunch and tea on top, and getting the ration for the same was my first assignment. Went to Magnet and shopped, mostly in excess, in hindsight. As I wasn't very sure how it would go - stuck to the tried and tested Maggi Noodles.The plan was to take the last train to Karjat from CST, stay the night at Neral station, and then start the walk / trek early morning। Kalpess bhai honored us with his presence at the station, wearing a "I hate Morons" t-shirt; I guess it was to attract our attention! There were 26 of us for the trek in total - a total जलसा of sorts. The train was packed with people, so the girls took to the ladies compartment. We reached Neral at around 1:30. Most of us didn't want to sleep, so we started off with playing cards (I had stocked up on every possible thing that could make the trip more eventful). Nachiket and Kunal showed their skill at bluff, while I showed how bad I am at it ! Pam, Vj and others were meanwhile taking a nap on some defunct wagon. 
Everyone wasn't involved in cards, so next Dumb Charades ensued. There were a couple of really memorable moments during the game. First up is Brownie's नामकरण . Here it goes:Brownie all smiles (He was playing DumbC for the first time)1st Clue: *Holding Pants* - We guessed pant, trousers, fabric, ... which bewildered him further.2nd clue: *points to a stray dog* - we were clueless by this time so guessed random things, dog, animal, ...Our opposition team was in splits, and we were flabbergastedFinally both sides gave up. Now what exactly was he cluing - "The Bourne Identity". Which he misinterpreted as "The Brown Identity". Fortunately he was wearing brown colored pants, so he pointed to them. But being awful at cluing, he had to resort to other means. Next he noticed a dog lying nearby. Voila he thinks, from dog to dog's name "Brownie", to Brown - haven't heard of a stranger connection in the history of DumbC. So from that day onwards, he was our own Brownie :DNow I was embarrassed about this fiasco, considering we had "Baba" (Kunal's nick) the Lit king in our ranks. Next up was Kutty. I gave him "Memento". Kutty showing his presence of mind clued "Gift" and "Mentos" to their party. Still being brain dead at around 3:30 in the morning, none of them could get the word. Then Kutty clued to them the story. Now Janaki got excited. She had seen the movie - the Tamil version of it ! So she told to the utter amusement of everyone else, and to the complete chagrin of Kutty, the entire plot of the movie. And yet they couldn't guess the name. Fortunately Kutty didn't have any hair on his head to pull out !After dumbC, most of us took some rest। In the morning, we went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast। There Rahul Kumar and Vj grossed out Pam with names of exotic dishes made of what else "crap". Lets leave it at that. End result was Pam went without breakfast. After everyone was satiated, we started our walk. First on tar road, and gradually shifting towards the greener pastures. Rahul Barve was leading us, and I was the rear guard. He managed to make us trespass private property. It was a walk till now, so all new comers were happy. We had amongst us Nitin (a music composer), who was anxious about whether there would be a loo on the fort, and whether we would get mineral water up there ! He seemed to be happy with the walk. 
A little later we could see the col in the mountain, and we started the climb. 15 minutes later, most of the new comers were panting and taking breaks. I was at the rear and was thankful as well, for I was carrying a 20+ Kg sack for the first time. The climb was no too steep initially, and we reached an electric transmission pole standing on a plateau, and took a snacks break. Those of us with prominent ancestral traits (read me, Vj, Venky and Rahul Kumar in no particular order) tried conquering the pole and were captured in the process.
After the break, the hike got tougher, as we were to come up to the col. And there was no breeze. The atmosphere was muggy and cloudy.I was sweating like a dog. So was everyone else. Pam was totally exhausted, and was cajoled by Amol and Vj to move ever so slightly. Janaki meanwhile, was busy clicking pictures and Macro shots. Kunal and Nitin realized that it wasn't that easy after all. We reached the col with some slips and minor bruises. I still had energy in me to try scaling the other side of the col. Finally sense prevailed in me, and I came back to the original path.
From the col, it was a traverse, with a couple of rock patches. I had time to rest, and I gladly put down my bag. Finally we reached the cave. I dumped the bag there, feeling so light !
Now we were supposed to ascend the fort wall using a ladder, and then explore it. Being rid of the heavy burden, I decided on taking the shortest path, where there was none. However, I realized later that I was the one on the right track, and so shouted to everyone to follow me. I was already on my way down by the time everyone reached, and was going at double speed because I had to cook lunch for all. Left the 5 others who were coming with me far behind.
The others were taking a different less steep route. But they managed to get lost and almost went halfway to Matheran. On the way they met a few bulls grazing silently. Kutty, the "bull dodger" tried to shoo them away, to which the bull replied with a nasty glare and a shake of the horns. The sight of Kutty sliding down the slopes frightened was a sight to behold - sadly I wasn't a witness to this and just heard the narrative!
By the time everyone came down, Maggi was ready ! But I had forgotten the ladle. So I used a cleaned stick for the same purpose. At this point I was to have a revelation. Uma, the silent one, who had come with Nachiket, took a liking to me. She started taking my case about how irresponsible a leader I had been. Arguments are not my forte, and with stupid girls its doubly difficult, for you can't shout at them to shut up. So I took everything hands down. She went on and on, till everyone around had had enough and came to my rescue. I made up my mind to never cross swords with that little witch again !The climb down was ridden with many of us slipping and falling, getting their bums scratched. I was thanking my newly acquired Northwest shoes, which had avoided such mishap. We came down in rather quickly, and I was in the lead this time, scampering over boulders, as my sack was now light. Janaki was the last one to reach the electric transmission pole. She and Rahul came running to join us, slipped in the process and landed flat on their bums, their legs pointing heavenwards. At this she cheekily said - "I can see all of you between my legs". Everyone was laughing their guts out at her behest for sometime, including her. After a few "Bum Pics", we continued our downward journey. There was a rush to get the local, and everyone was thankful to their leader as he bought them tickets as they rested.
We learned a lot on this trip, least of all that carrying weight uphill isn't easy and needs extreme endurance and strength. Kunal vowed never to be fooled by me, when I told him to come along for an "easy" trek. He was battered and sapped of energy. Nitin was surprisingly upbeat despite the numerous falls, and promised to join on upcoming treks. I guess he was battle hardenend! Pam was still haunted by the Rahul syndrome, in Tikona it was Barve, now it was Kumar. Also, it dawned on me that monsoons doesn't always mean a cool trek with breeze all along.The trip made me stronger and more determined to undertake more such endeavors in the future, as organizer of trips.For more photos, check the following link :Peb Fort Photos
Mahuli Fort
Date: 15th August 2007
Trek to Mahuli was suggested by Amey and with the trekking ghost encompassing me, I spiritedly joined.Two new entrants this week for trekking - Aditya (I had met him earlier at Cafe Seaside), and Ranjit. And they are awful but enthusiastic singers like me. So good news for the likes of Kalpesh, Rahul and bad news for others 
.So we had - Sanjay, Preeti-Deepti (The twins), Aditya, Amey, Ranjit and myself, and Rahul Barve who came with us to show the route.We started off on the first local fro Kasara from Dadar, and got down at Asangaon. From there we took auto rickshaws to get to the base of the trek. There was a temple at the base - the trek route starts from behind this temple. This board beside the temple clearly outlines the map of Mahuli Fort.
We started off crossing a stream. Amey was leading as he had been to Mahuli previously. The sun came out to our utter annoyance and being on the "leeward" (no-wind) side, we were soaked to the skin soon, without any rain. The trek is quite simple but long, as we traverse over several hills to close in on the Mahuli Fort. The route is well defined with no chance of getting lost. We reached the ladder at base of the fort in around 2 hours. Preeti and Deepti and Bertram were capturing the nature on their way up. The ladder is a bit rickety, and so we climbed one at a time.
On the fort, we explored the various tanks and Dwars, and I managed to climb up a small waterfall, and have a nice shower. After that we had snacks in a meadow with tall grasses, with Adi providing us with yummy salami and omlette. The twins didn't eat much - I guess they survive on air and nothing else ! They had some kaseli and some namkeen though, and kept offering us their food. I was hogging as usual.
Next Amey suggested that we go to Kalyan Darwaza. However, he had forgotten the route to the Darwaza, and after half an hour of futile searching, we decided to start the descent.As we were getting down, Berty started feeling pain in his knees, and so we had to slow down to match his pace. We stopped at one point and sang the national anthem. The twins managed to pull out identical flags. I guess they carry other "one of a pair items" as well. Even their dress and bags are quite similar. For my comments on these, I had to bear their wrath all through the trip, and I realized that their mouths are sharper than whips.
While we were crossing the stream to get to the temple, an idea struck us - why not take a dip in it ? So walked a bit upstream, and found a nice cozy spot for all of us. I caught a violent cold after wards as a result of this, but am not complaining :P. After spending some time frolicking, we went to a villager's hut beside the temple, and had some yummy food - pithle, bhakri and thecha.
After the meal, we took an auto back to Asangaon, where after a slight wait, we got the local to CST - the trip back was full of singing, Ranjit showing his affinity to Indian bands like Jal. I finally got down after bidding everyone good bye.
There can be no better way to celebrate independence, than spending it in the cradle of nature. We were unable to get to Bhandargadh which is on the side of the Kalyan Darwaza, so Mahuli will be calling again sometime soon ...For more photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/deepti.patodia/MahuliAugust152007
http://picasaweb.google.com/bertram.fonseca/Mahuli15thAugust2007
Date: 4th August 2007, Saturday
The weather forecast for the weekend was not so heart warming for many of us but I was looking forward to getting drenched (I love the rains, my affinity to catch a cold not withstanding) and blown away. Our first meeting point was Ghatkopar, and I was the first to get there. Then started the only part of the trek that was a little taxing on me - waiting for people to get there. I am terrible at waiting, with a low threshold of patience ( I am constantly trying to stretch the limit though :P). But the nice part of that was that I got to know some really great people(read Janaki's friends - Rahul, Pooja, Murali and Santosh; and Purvi), and though it was our first meeting, as is the case with all MoRonZ, we gelled really well, the Somaiya gang even threatening me showing that they had the numbers on their side :p. And Sandipan was coming ! Braving the weather and withstanding the pressures of a "Happily Married" life he finally got there, a mere one hour forty five minutes past the meeting time (sorry Sandy - had to rub it in [:p]). And I was close to my boiling point though I have learned to cleverly camouflage it now [:)]. We got on a fast local to Karjat which took us quickly to Kalyan, where Purvi kept asking whether I was sleepy, to which my reply was that I was rather bored. In the meantime, Sandy was suffering the brickbats of not being able to read his love's mind. Sandy boy, you still need to learn a lot in life!
So finally we reached, Kalyan ST depot, at 8 in the evening, the latest of the lot, and had to face the annoying grunts of the others already there. And right in the nick of time as well, for soon after, we got on an ST bus to Murbad, which was occupied majorly by our group. The journey was initially rather quite, for no one was ready to take an initiative and start a conversation. I was still trying to blow away that "Post Wait Trauma" by listening to "Boys and Girls" by Spoon and "Chan se Bole" from "Yahaan" (Listen to them and you will be revitalized in a minute - I guarantee you !). Finally Rahul started the singing with the age old "Humne wo Kya dekha" from "Satte pe Satta" and coaxed me into join him. So I began, in my really high volume "besura" pitch which I use to annoy others, and soon everything seemed absolutely perfect. It was raining and it was dark!
We changed buses at Murbad, and everyone refreshed themselves in whatever way possible in the break. Venkat was there with us this time, and we hello'd each other and shared chocolate. More of the Venkat story later :), he is an important character in this tale :P. The second part of the bus ride was much more interesting, with everyone introducing themselves to the others. We have people from varied professions in our group now - ranging from TV Directors to designers, engineers, financial experts and a weird guy like me [:P]. Ajay - the TV Director was the first one to introduce himself. I was made to sit down forcefully as usual when I tried to explain what I do :(. Sandy was still on his phone. Purvi was really buoyed and it showed in her introductory speech. Then there was Murali - the only "clerk" with us - the call center guy. Then there was Rahul II, who had already impressed us with his vocal skills, and his other half Puja, Santosh "Kuti", another Santosh, another "Ashish", Samar, Noel and some old faces whom I will keep hidden, for I am evil by nature >:). Also with was Clifford, who I was looking forward to meet for he had made some wise remarks about our Mocha meetup. With a booming voice and an uncanny wit to conjure nasty one – liners, he is one fine addition to the MoRoNz group. But the most amazing part of the trip and so of the introduction were the sisters Deepti and Preeti, for they were identical twins! I have seen twins before, identical ones as well, but you can tell one from the other! And I can't in this case, even after spending some time with them on the trek. And them dressing alike doesn't help either. Maybe they even have have the same thought process or the same brain waves! So finally we reached the Gorkahgadh base village - Dehri / Dedhi(Correction made :P). After stretching myself (which was termed a dance routine :D) while the others changed and got equipped, we started our hike. Close to 20 of us were "Lamp Posts", and we realized later how useful that turned out to be. The initial stretch was slippery but relatively flat, giving many of the first timers a false sense of ease and security. However, Rahul had forewarned us of "a rock patch" and I was still apprehensive. By this time Preeti and Deepti had been named and Thompson of Tintin fame. There was constant chattering from Rahul II, and frequent demands by Clifford to have himself captured by the camera, which were readily fulfilled by Preeti / Deepti , as they were clicking anything / everything possible. The "Thompsons" were traveling with a single torch among themselves as well, passing it along to the one in front [:P]. I hope they have better sense for the next adventure !
When we took our second halt, Rahul broke the news about the rock patch lying ahead, and that the girls had to follow him followed by the others. We reached the rock patch and thank god it was night! I think many of us would have chickened out if we looked down into the valley in broad daylight. So started our slow and tiring ascent to the supposed "top". We were to rest inside some caves there. And I had the haver sack with our food supplies etc on my back, which weighed a ton and did not help the cause. I don't know how Rahul and Manoj are able to carry it day in, day out easily. Rahul even carried Keta's bag with him when it got damaged! Hats off to these guys! Well under Rahul's guidance and under the watchful eyes of Manoj and Hemant, we all got through one patch. And lo behold! There was another one awaiting us! I think mathematics wasn't Rahul's favorite subject, or rather, I believe he always wants to scare the mickey out of us, and these memories will be with us forever. I managed to get a glimpse a perfectly ".5 chandrama" among the clouds between all this. We negotiated the other patch as well and reached the caves. Phew! I was finally free of the dead weight on my back!
We changed into dry clothes and took out all the GRUB we brought with us. All of us were hungry, and gobbled up everything that we could lay hands upon. Venky had by this time developed a special "bond" with Purvi, and started offering biscuits and stuff that I had carried all the way up. Poor me! Taken advantage of as usual. After the munching was over (Preeti – Deepti were barely caught having a bite, I think they survive on mutual covalent bonds :p), we restarted our blaring of impossible songs again. Rahul II, and myself were having a stiff competition in who would sing the "chillarest" of songs. Sandipan was joining us whenever he emerged out of his marital blues :P. Unabashed, I dished out the ultimate weapon " Chali aana to Paan ki Dukaan pe" from "Aaj ka Arjun" which I thought was the winner. But Rahul had another ace up his sleeve:
Alu ko Gobhi se Pyaar ho Gaya
...
Saare Matar Jal Bhun Gaye
.... Achaar ho Gaya.
You'll have to meet Rahul to have more of such fun. The people were in splits on hearing this.
The singing continued into the night, but people were now starting to venture into dreamland. It wasn't made easy by our sadak chhaap songs, and indications were given by shouting at us or blinking the torches (read Ashish – the "Happily Married" guy). Sandeepan lent his voice to some as well, baring out some really Dard Bhare Nagme. Finally we laid our vocal chords to rest and laid down on bare ground. All the pristine spots were already taken, so we had to lay down wherever we could. I was the last person to rise in the morning, taking some much needed rest, after a kind soul (read Keta) laid the blanket on me. Got up, had two servings of Pohe, took a leak, and was ready to the trip to the actual "pinnacle". In the process, we witnessed e's primate skills, lurching from a thin branch which extended from the cliff. He was made to fill numerous bottles of water by our leader Rahul, with vote of unanimity from others, for this misadventure. His partner in these ventures was the bubbly Purvi who didn't mind the private time they were getting through this. The view around was breathtaking and the rains and fog were adding to the beauty.
Now we were to start our climb to the top. We had Manoj to help us in this , with Rahul staying behind to cook lunch. Hemant had already left us to conquer the sister peak "Machindragadh". Pooja, who was trekking like this for the first time, decided to stay behind, which was a very wise decision. The first patch was the most difficult one, as there were no steps and holds, so Rahul demonstrated it to us, before leaving us to cook. I was the last person to start the climb with Clifford and Murali ahead of me. I thought I would manage it easily. However, as I started, I got a cramp in my left foot, and I though of ditching the ascent. Clifford was reassuring me from above. I got down, eased my leg and did it on my next try. From next time I will add the fingers exercise to my routine [:p]. We got up there, to find everyone enjoying the strong breeze, and Rahul II posing as a model with his shirt off. We took some snaps there, and enjoyed the view when the fog / clouds cleared a bit. There was a small temple there, and the more religious sort prayed for their safe descent [:p]. The climb down was not much for we were already experienced, Manoj had useful instructions and the fog prevented us from seeing the view down! On one portion in particular, Manoj said that there were no second chances – it was "One Tappa Out". But no one got "out" and we got back to the caves.
We had some time to spare before the lunch got ready, and Janaki was all for Dumb Sharat. But everyone (including me) wanted to guess rather than clue, so ultimately I was the Bakra. We had some fun with that, though its not that much without competition. Cliffords one liners peeved the Thompsons and they threatened to plant "Pug Marks" jointly on his face. We had the now customary lunch and started on our way back. Getting down in the rains is much more tougher than climbing up, for we can't see where we are going ( you have to face the rocks and get down). It was a long and slow process, with Rahul, Manoj and the others helping the girls and "Ashish – Fat Gayee" guy. Pooja in particular, was very scared and took it really easy. Better safe than sorry as they say. I was with them till the rock patch after which we parted and I joined Clifford and Keta. We attacked the flat region and went down really quickly, with and odd slip or two. We thought that the guys ahead of us had gone at least one hour early. Clifford halted midway to come with Bertram and his cousin Noel. Keta and me continued ahead, she was also now gaining confidence and we managed a decent pace. At a crossroad we took a left and thereby went by an unknown route. But at least it was going down! A heavy downpour and strong gusts of wind greeted us and we were thankful that we had already descended the rock patch. We finally reached the base temple, and to our surprise we were not very late - we had almost caught up with Ashish and Deepti / Preeti. We had a snap in the middle of the highway. Then we jumped right into water, a barge had been discovered by Ashish II and Sunil and the flowing water was more than refreshing. All of us had a dip. Then we went to the village Chaay ki dukaan, where the wise ones changed into their dry clothes, and all of us devoured Vada Paav and tea. Then we got on jeeps which would take us to Kalyan, with luxurious seating space as compared to Naneghat. Only 9 of us in a jeep ! Got to know about Raksha,Santosh (Samarth's friend) and Hemant on the way while our "Princess" dozed off. Raksha described how she was dreaming of steps and hand holds whenever she fell asleep nowadays. Came to know of a really cheap Mountaineering Course conducted by Manali Mountaineering institute. Hemant saahab's stories were particularly interesting and awe - inspiring.
We reached Kalyan, and I found out my wallet was all soggy! So much for the rains! We got on the train and I disembarked at Kurla after some nice chit chat with others and Venky's leg pulling. Back to work from Monday, body ache and sleep deprivation not withstanding!
Phew, finally finished it - a rather long one I would say! I hope it does 0.1% justice to the awesome spine chilling adventure we had. And did I tell you that I never used my raincoat! :p
More photos:
Bertram's Pics
Janaki's Pics
