Archive for November 2013
5 Treks Near Mumbai-Pune You MUST Go On!!
1) Kalsubai:
Known for: Highest peak of Sahyadris!!! Kalsubai Peak is the highest peak (1646 meters) of the Sahyadris in Igatpuri Taluka, of Nashik district of Maharashtra, an Indian state.
How to Reach there?: There are various routes one can opt for to reach the summit. The main route starts from the village of Bari. You can reach Bari by taking an early morning bus from Igatpuri going towards Pune and get down at Bari. If you are from Mumbai you can take early morning local and get down at Kasara station. There are buses and share taxis from Kasara to take you to Bari.
PhotoCredits: Pankaj Zarekar2) HarishchandraGad:
Known for: It is known for Konkan Kada from where you can get to see breath taking views of the surrounding region and the sunset. The most interesting thing about Konkan kada is that it is shaped in the form of a overhead like a cobras hood. Then there is the Harishchandragad temple which some people say is the pride of Harishchandragad fort. The temple is famous for the sculpture especially that of Nandi and Shivling. Nearby there is Kedareshwar cave which has a peculiar and interesting story.
How to reach there?: Harishchandragad is a hill fort in the Ahmednagar region of Maharashtra. It can be reached from Thane, Pune or Ahmednagar districts. If you are from Mumbai you can take a bus to Ahmednagar district from Kalyan which is in Thane district. You can get down at Khuba Phata and from there take a private vehicle or Bus to Khireshwar village. The village is 7km from the footsteps of the fort. From Pune there are daily buses to Khireshwar village.
PhotoCredits: Matador3) Vasota:
Known For: The entire Vasota fort is surrounded by the dense forest, the view of this fort is really amazing and fabulous. To experience the trekking on the cave of Nageshwar, you would need to spend a night.
How to reach there?: Vasota Fort is situated near Bamnoli in the Satara district in the state of Maharashtra. If you are going from Pune take a bus to Satara, it is around 110 Kms. It will take around 3 hours to reach there. You can go by bus, the bus frequency is good. This hill forest is situated in the region of Koyna. To reach this fort, you need to take a boat from Bamnoli and cross the Shiv Sagar Lake, through the boat. Vasota fort forest is located in the middle of the dense forest, that’s why before visiting this fort, people have to take permission.
4) Rajmachi Fort:
Known for: Rajmachi is one of the longest treks in Sahyadris. The trek is approximately 18 kms long. It takes around 4-6 hours to reach on the top. Rajmachi is one of the most beautiful treks in Sahyadris. You get a chance to see amazing waterfalls on the way. The view is breathtaking from the top. If you haven’t been for this trek then you are missing something.
How to reach there?: It can be reached via Lonavala, a town near Pune. You can reach Lonavala via train from either Pune or Mumbai. The summit is approximately 20km from Lonavala.
5) Sandhan Valley Trek:
Known For: Sandhan Valley is one of the greatest canyon in the splendid spreading for Sahyadri. The water carved valley is 200ft deep and 15 ft long. At some places its width is less than 3 ft. because of which sun rays are unable to reach the ground. Hence, it is popularly known as valley of shadows. This is one of the most beautiful treks in India.
How to Reach there?: If you are from Mumbai take a local to Kasara Station. From Kasara Station you can book a private jeep which will take you to the base village Samrad Village. The jeep may cost around Rs2-3K.
How a trek can make you a better human being?
Trekking has a rich human history. Some people trek to get sense of adventure, some do it to visit places of worship and others do it to take a break from monotonous routines. Whatever the motivation, every trekking experience changes you from within that too for the better. Following are the reasons why -
1) Sense of purpose - Every trek starts with a single purpose i.e. to reach the peak. You negotiate all hardships and pains but try to fulfill this one singular purpose of the trek. Although the trek ends, but something remains i.e. the conditioning, of your mind & body to go after your aim despite all the adversities.
2) Team work - I remember the lines of our trek leader, when we started a difficult trek of Tapovan, he said - "this place is 4500 meters above sea level and -15 degrees at night so everyone should remember one thing, together we survive, individually we die". And trust me, never in years I had experienced such a quality team work where everyone tried to compliment one another, sharing the workload and backing up each other. After the trek, we came back becoming better team players.
3) Friend generator - Treks are time for lots of walk, as well as lots of talk. The setting works perfectly to lower one's guard and share openly with fellow trekkers. If the trek includes night stay with bonfire, well it's a bliss. I am still great friends with many of my fellow trekkers even after years. Whenever we meet, we relive those fun & thrill moments.
4) Sense of beauty - Treks give you unique opportunity to connect with nature. And mind you, it is not the artificial one i.e. found in parks or gardens, but nature's most raw, untouched and beautiful form. In words of John Keats - "A thing of beauty, is a joy forever".
What are your trekking experiences that changed you? Let us know in the comments.
Image credits - Image-1 | Image-2 | Image-3 | Image-4
Things You Should Do on World Aids Day!!
AIDS is still a huge malice in our society. It is something
we can create awareness towards. World Aids day is celebrated on 1st of
December. Here are a few things that you can do on your part and
help create
awareness
- Visit any organization or NGO that helps AIDS patients. Spend half a day with them and get first-hand experience as to what the AIDS patient has to go through each day of their life. Make them feel better by talking to them.
- You can have a street play event depicting the plight of an AIDS patient and how they are made to suffer by the society. For example, You can make people aware that it’s wrong to see the person as a disease and to cut him off completely.
- You can organize a flash mob at a nearest mall or a crowded location and depict a message at the end or through the dance. Everyone loves a flash mob.
- Set up a stall in your locality, college etc and sell T shirts, badges or you could even give away ribbons. Be unique with your T shirt design. Tell people that the proceeds from the sale will go towards any AIDS cause. You can set up the stall in the mall too as many mall owners are quite helpful in such cases.
