7th August: The day broke a bit late for us. The view from the room was astonishing. The far away snow clad mountains were inviting me for a trek... but...

My health was much better than yesterday so we freshened fast and left for site seeing.  We hired moped from another guy who had a shop right opposite our guest house.  Stanzin Tolden is a friendly young lad from a small village 80 km from Leh. We also asked Stanzin to arrange for a shared taxi to Pangong Tso next day. He let us the moped which already had a bit of fuel in it. Yet, we filled additional fuel worth Rs. 300. And sped fast to Spituk. On the way, we checked Hall of Fame, which is open till 7 PM every day.   

Spituk Gompa is said to be the traditional seat of HH Dalai Lama(s). So, I actually wanted to walk from Leh. We had to be careful with utilization of time hence chose to ride the moped. On our way, we saw a group of cyclists pedalling all the way to Spituk. (I was so jealous.)

After Spituk, we decided to head more towards west. On the way, an army officer stopped us. I was a bit tensed as my driving license was misplaced right before this trip and very shamelessly I had forgotten my PAN Card at the Hotel at Manali. They had stopped us to drink some “Abhishek” water. That rose flavored water-sherbet was much needed at that point of the day. Then, at the turn ahead the Army has put a hoarding of “Indus View”. The river looked brilliant from this point.

A few kilometres ahead of this is a gurudwara – Guru Pather Sahib. When we got there, it was well past lunch time but langhar was open as it always is. The officers of the Army Unit which takes care of this Gurudwara were everywhere.  After a long time, I was at a gurudwara. After praying, I headed towards the Langar Hall. They serve with so much respect that you can’t resist eating at a langhar.

It was early afternoon and we made our way to Hall of Fame. This museum – exhibition of achievements and gallantry of Army left me spell-bound. The stories of valour and heroism, the engineering miracles... Hats off to Indian Army. 

One wall post caught my attention and I was speechless. It was a post from October 2011; Indian Army had facilitated a Formula One car run at Khardung La, the highest Motorable Pass. OMG!!! They are fabulous, best in the world perhaps.  Another Army Unit is Border Roads Organization (BRO) ,  they call themselves “Mountain Tamers”. Trust me, they are “THE Mountain Tamers”. They had won a fan for themselves way back in July 2009, this time the fan became a die hard one.  

Post this, we returned to Leh. Praj was a bit tired, so she decided to head back to the guesthouse and after dropping her I decided to ride towards East.  First I rode to Thiksey Gompa. The Thiksey Monastery houses a Maitreya Statue of 12 meters height.  The serenity at Thiksey Gompa helped me gain control of myself again. (It was about time.) After seeing other halls, finally I went to see the Maitreya. The beauty of this statue is beyond words. 

From Thiksey, I went to Shey Palace and Monastery. Once upon a time, Shey was a royal home. Now, it houses only the Buddha Statue which is like 3 storeys high.  There isn’t  much to see here. I wanted to see the palace, but there were only ruins.

I climbed a bit but when I saw the mountain top still far away, I settled for what I had achieved so far.

Shanti Stupa 

When I returned, Praj was waiting for me. As advised by Stanzin, we went to Shanti Stupa in evening. The glitter sparkling all over Leh reminded me of my first sight of Simla city. It was probably not the right time, but I missed my dad.

When we were returning the bike, Stanzin informed us that he had arranged for the shared taxi the next day. So, that was great news for a heavenly evening.  We also requested him to get us shared taxis to Nubra Valley and Tso Moriri as well. We informed him, we wanted to go rafting as well. Again the dinner time at Woodland. (We rarely ate at any other place.)   

We were damn excited for next day... We were going to Pangong Tso.   

8th August: The day began too early for a late riser in me. We got into Innova and went ahead in city, first one to be picked up was Heiko, a German fellow. Later, it was Rohith from Varangal and Lalit Banglore. So a troop of 5 set for a drive to Pangong. Our driver, Zulfi was also a cute young boy.

At Karu, we took our first break for tea & breakfast. Aloo paratha served with Rajma and curd was something perfect on a morning like this. Now on our way to Pangong, we drove past Serthy, where BRO houses their oldest office.

Now, I was feeling something... Oops... I forgot my motion sickness tablet... So it was clear that entire day I am going to be in bad shape. “Sorry guys” is all I could think of...  

Soon we were at Chang La.  This pass is also well above than 5000 mtrs.  Me and Praj were discussing about Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)...  Was it AMS or was it Motion Sickness... I don’t know... But whatever it was, it was killing my joy...

Rohith, Lalit and Prajakta tried their hand at DJing on the way. They also roped in Heiko in playing songs from his cell.

Few kilometres away we were near Pangong Tso. The first glimpse of this lake was like a trailer of a box office hit movie. We were on the road that runs on the bank of this lake. I almost begged to Zulfibhai,

“Please please let me drive. May be just for a kilometre, but please let me drive.” 

And... He actually stopped the car at a point, turned to me and asked,” Are you sure you want to drive?” What else I could have asked for on that day.  I got my first ever chance to drive in the Himalayas. I was so happy, so proud... The mighty Himalayas said they have accepted me as theirs... This was THE DAY of my life. It is like my life has changed forever. I belong somewhere... I belong to the Himalayas. I belong to someone... ... I belong to the Himalayas.

Now, we were at the bank of the Pangong Tso. This lake is like mini high altitude sea. We drove further, and now the shooting point.  Finally, we are near the water. It was so peaceful, perhaps it was the effect of yesterday’s visit to Thiksey. I felt so calm, at a moment I was scared to handle my inner peace.

All of us had some special photo sessions. Time flew fast. In a blink, it was lunch time.  We went to a nearby shack and had food. It was probably best cup of coffee I ever had.  Rohith also tried his hand at driving in Himalayas on our way to the shack.

Zulfibhai is one skilled driver, I must say. He drove with so much care yet with good speed. Soon we were back in Leh. Once at Stanzin’s office, we inquired if five of us could do go rafting next day.  He was arranging for Nubra Valley for Praj and me.  We requested if we could back out. It was a bad thing yet  we requested.  Praj told me that if he is unable to manage, we will have to go to Nubra valley. I was ok with this as I sincerely did not want any bad business name for this kind guy.

At 8:30, the dinner table at Woodlands (Yes, again at Woodlands), my phone rang... Seeing Stanzin’s number, I was nervous. It was like my school results were being declared. I answered and without any games he informed I have managed the thing and you can go rafting the next day. (Seriously, this was my day.)

Post dinner, we all retired to our respective guest houses. I was so excited for next day’s rafting trip that I even dreamt about it.

9th August: It was a happy morning for this late riser. We got into the bus, I already had taken my motion sickness tablet. I was a bit dizzy, but since the Himalayas had accepted me just previous day, it was a good drive.

We drove past the Gurudwara, then the magnetic hill, then the confluence of Zanskar and Indus at Nimmu.  Now, the Zanskar river on our left side. That patch of river which we would be rafting. Rohith had his eyes fixed on the river. I was still dizzy.

Then, some 2 hours later we reached Chilling. Changed into wetsuits and attended the briefing by our instructor. There was a elderly French couple, the man kept translating the instructions for his lady. The love of this couple was very touching.  All you need is perhaps the hand to hold when you are old.

So the rafts were allotted, we were given a separate raft. Rafting through Zanskar, a high altitude Himalayan river itself is an achievement. Again the peace... Like I am finding pieces of my heart and joining them back... Like nothing ever happened. 

At places the river flows with such a pace that you think you are going to fall out of raft. At times, the flow is so peaceful that you can view the banks, the road on the banks... There weren’t marbles but for a split second I felt I was at Bedaghat on a coracle ride. This lasted for 25 kms, we were rafting for some 4 hours before we got to the confluence.

Now, the Indus River. Rafting in Indus was a herculean task. The River has a slow pace, winds were flowing in reverse direction. We could see our camp nearby yet   it took long 30 minutes for us to raft there.

Once at camp, we changed, and had some real good food. On our way back, the bus was quiet as almost everyone was really tired. But at Magnetic hill, I requested our driver to stop for few minutes. I got couple of snaps and we were back on our way to Leh.

Five of us decided to have a dinner, for a change at some different place. This restaurant was chosen by Rohith and Lalit.

On the way, Praj looked for some T-shirts. And I was still excited cause we were going to Nubra valley the next day.  The camel with two hunches (Bactrian Camel) kept chasing a Formula One car in the Sand at Khardung La  all night.

Like every Year, Youth Hostels rolled out The yearly program brochure. Me being a mountain person, was (again) fascinated by Valley of Flowers. Friends from all over the country were also pitching in and the long distance calls of long durations were added to my schedule. Hence, soon the date was fixed and tickets were booked. Then...

Like every year, Valley of Flowers got cancelled (7th of July) (for 3rd consecutive year) and I was (again!) in middle of nowhere to go. This is when buddy called and said she wanted to go to Ladakh at least once before she gets married. So all the inquiries begaun, we had less than a month to prepare. But when the first quote came in and I was already dead looking at the figure (50K per head) quoted. A new business on its brim, few old loans to be paid... No, this cannot happen, I can't afford a trip to Ladakh is what I informed her.

Ladakh has been a long long cherished dream, something like 15 years or so... I wanted to push my limits. And give it a try. I was looking for cheaper options to reach there. Manali to Leh taxi (for two), the quote on Government's website was an expensive affair. Suddenly, a friend, who had travelled to suggested we could take bus from Manali, some other experienced people said, "NO!". Deadlock!!!

Bus from Manali... Hmmm... Let me search... Website - Devil on Wheels came to rescue. I found a comfortable bus from Himachal Tourism. Jackpot!!!

Travel cost to Leh was cut down by 90%! Ticket included stay and dinner and breakfast. Bigger Jackpot!!! So, we cancelled the train to Haridwar and zeroed down on Leh and booked tickets on the Himachal Tourism's website.

Devil on Wheels also suggested that there were guesthouses which provided cheap accommodation. But, me the one who generally follows “the costlier the better” was undecided about such accommodation. Yet, I had a handful guesthouses listed (Well! Well!)

The time passed rapidly during online searches, calls and the notes. And soon, it was 3rd August! I was a bit nervous. (The Pune airport is a bit far away from my home.) Praj had booked a auto for us to take there. I dropped Riki to his hostel and reported at Praj's place at 6:15 AM. I am sure she too was a bit nervous as I was a bit late. We reached airport in time and they consficated my lighter! (First Dash, very upset!)

We got into the flight and dozed off. When my eyes opened, we were about to land in the Capital.

We had booked a semi-sleeper from Delhi to Manali, which was to leave RK Ashram Metro station at 4:30 PM, so we had something like 5 hours in between. I had already done a bit of homework and wanted to visit Jantar Mantar and a few other sites. But the scorching humid weather and Prajakta gave me option of seeing only one site, I chose Jantar Mantar. (Last year, I had visited Jantar Mantar at Jaipur and got a few more sites added to my wish list).

We left the luggage at the Cloak Room of New Delhi Metro Station and went on with our odyssey to Jantar Mantar. The Local bus ticket of Rs 5 per head was a big big surprise to me.

The Jantar Mantar at Delhi wasn't a soothing at all. It was rather disheartening to the current state of this Heritage. (Dash two - my mood is further mellowed) The scorching heat and humid weather almost killed me. We soon got into a restaurant and had lunch, Post lunch, instead of torturing ourselves anymore, we went straight back to New Delhi Metro Station and reclaimed the luggage. We were heading to regular metro station to go to RK Ashram Metro station, this is when, I see a HUGE rush at the ticket counter, I turned to Prajakta and asked, "can’t we just take an auto to RK Ashram Metro station?”. Her reply was instant, "Sure, we can." (Sigh of relief, it was).

So were at RK Ashram Metro station gate 3 at about 3:30 PM. So, there was almost one hour to go before the bus would leave. We decided to relax at a park for a while, which offered pretty good shade. The sun had hit me by now and all I wanted was to get into the bus and doze. I took my (first) motion sickness prevention medication. (This trip has been all about motion sickness!)

After a long wait, finally at 5:30 the bus arrived, we boarded and the bus started... A well dressed guy approached with a tab in his hand, he gave some info of some blah blah application, I was so impressed that I forgot about my motion sickness instantly and hired the tab for viewing some documentaries. But as the bus started, I was visited my old friend (Headache due to heat) and soon I had keep the Tab away and sleep. It was at Ambala, that Praj woke me and I forced myself to eat.

Post dinner, I took another medication for headache and dozed off, next thing I recollect was something like 1:30 AM and the bus had stopped for some quick break... I turned my head and slept off... Then it was about 7:30, and we were in between Mandi and Manali alongside river Beas. It was a soothing site for sleepy eyes.

So the date was 4th August and we were in Manali. The Taxi drivers haunted us, but when we told them, we had further bookings made for departure to Leh their interest in taking us anywhere had dropped beyond our expectations. We cracked a deal of Rs. 100 to take us to some random Hotel near the bus stand.

The hotel was not something for up to the mark, but was ok to complete the morning chores. In less than 2 hours we were again in another bus which left on time from Mall Road in Manali and the feat began. In about 20 mins we were out of Manali town and into the Greater Himalayas. Then the first halt was at Marhi, first glimpse of snow... After long long 2 and half years... Slowly, I was getting back to life. Then Rohatang La (Pass), I was back there after 19 long years. Everything about me has changed these 2 decades. Yes, the time flies fast. Then another halt at Khoksar, next one at Sissu and then Tandi. We reached Keylong at about 6 in the evening. Freshned quickly and went for a small walk nearby.

The town Keylong, is a sweet little town – cum-village. There are several guest houses and couple of monasteries. Both the monasteries are located somewhere uphill, hence we dropped the plan to visit them and chose to chit-chat with co-travelers. Nishat aka Ana from Kolkata, my favourite metro. ( Not really favorite, but the only metro after Mumbai that I know well.) Then, Momo from Japan and Shimena from Mexico. It was a brief introductory chitchat and exchange of some travel stories. Then the dinner and then the much needed sleep. ( Technically, Keylong(3080 Mtrs)  is only 500 mtrs lower than Leh(3500 Mtrs) from sea level altitudes so say it was a acclimatization sleep.)

5th August, we left Keylong at 4:30AM. The attendant must have been happy that everyone had obeyed his previous day’s instruction. The travel continued, and we kept fighting to keep our eyes open. ( Motion sickness tablet, you know). The bus driver kept halting at various places and the attendant kept giving brief description of the place. Jispa, Darcha, ZingZingbar, Baralacha La, Sarchu, Pang, Tanglang La, Rumptse… We had some tea at Sarchu and some noodles at Pang. Then at Upshi I had a omlette and tea and then came, Karu. The military area of Karu was fascinating. Praj even read some milestone that said Lhasa & Beijing. Suddenly it occurred to me that we were much near Indo-China Border. After a journey almost 13 hours, we reached Leh at about 5:30 in the evening.

The taxi drivers didn’t haunt us here but they were available. I had called couple of guesthouses from Keylong the previous day, and we decided to head to Asia Guest House on Changspa Road. Kunzes, is a sweet young lady in the twenties and she showed us around. The room which was available did not have a attached toilet & bath but it was right next door and more importantly it did not stink. The rent was Rs.500 a day. We took the room, cleaned up and headed out to market in search of glorious food.

We had dinner at Woodland in lower Changspa and all we could think was sleep. I woke up with a upset tummy sometime during midnight and knew it was effect of untimely and untidy diet. I took required medication and unsuccessfully tried to sleep again.

6th August: At about 7:30 AM, we went to the restaurant next door and had Black Coffee with lemon. I decided to fast that day. (Langhan-This is an Indian way of dealing with dysentery.) I was determined with targets of the day and was ready to risk my health. We prepared some ORS and left for market. We hired a moped and decided to go to East of Leh.

The Dancers at Sakthi Monastery

The Homework had indicated a festival at Sakthi Monastery to celebrate Guru Rinpoche’s Birthday. So we headed to Sakthi, the vehicle was in such a bad condition that it drank petrol like a thirsty man and the fuel indicator was on reserve mark already. We had travelled barely 50 kms for Rs.300. I was surprised with this performance. But, we had to ignore this and we went to the Monastery, the Buddhist followers were everywhere. They prayed at the monastery and amused themselves funfair. At the other end of the fair, there was a tent with some people performing traditional dance. It was a feat to watch them. By the time we reached there, it was about lunch time and we could only catch a glimpse of the dance.

Sakthi Monastery 

On our way back, we visited Chemrey Monastery and the fuel tank was almost dry. There was a tar road to the monastery, but I decided to be a bit adventurous and climbed the hill. The monk at this monastery was a soft spoken young man who also guided us about places to see in the monastery. We purchased couple of postcards before we left.

Way to Chemrey Monastery

Once at Karu, we picked up a bottle of Minute Maid and water and went a few kilometers towards Leh to get some more fuel from the petrol pump. Once the tank was refilled, we made our way to Hemis Monastery. The largest and richest monastery of Ladakh was a worthy place for all the efforts. We went to the museum and the souvenir’s shop and picked up a few more post cards and some other souvenirs. The ride back to Leh was most hilarious part of the day. The bike was perhaps never serviced! We somehow reached Leh and handed over the bike to its owner. He gave excuses like its high altitude and blah blah… We had our points for counter arguments but there was no point in discussing further.

Post this, we went to Woodlands and had dinner and retired to the guest house.

Hemis Monastery - Panoramic View

एकदा डोंगरात जायची  चटक लागली  की चढाई -उतराई हि नियमित चालूच राहते. तशी आमची ही चढाई -उतराई चालूच होती, परंतु सगळे धोपट मार्गी ट्रेक्स केल्यामुळे काही  विशेष कामगिरी केल्याचे समाधान मिळत नव्हते. म्हणूनच आम्ही अनोख्या  ट्रेकच्या शोधत होतो. कुशलच्या सुपीक डोक्यातून अनेक कल्पना बाहेर पडत होत्या परन्तु उन्हाळ्याचे निमित्त करून आम्ही त्या परतवून लावत होतो. 

अखेर एक दिवस, कुशलने ब्रह्मास्त्र काढले आणि सगळे या लाटेवर स्वार झाले. मुळशी जवळ असलेल्या, कुंडलिका नदीचे मूळ शोधण्याच्या उपक्रमात सामील व्हायला आम्ही सगळे उत्सुक होतो. 

तसे या वर्षामधले बहुतेक treks घाई-घाईत झालेले असल्यामुळे हा trek तरी थोडा निवांत असावा असे आम्ही ठरविले. 

सर्वात प्रथम या भागाची माहिती काढण्याचे काम सुरु झाले. चढाई - उतराई या  पुस्तकामधून बरीच माहिती मिळाली. कुशलने हा trek आधी ३ वेळा केला असल्यामुळे त्याला बऱ्यापैकी माहिती होती. 

हा ट्रेक off -beat  असल्यामुळे आम्ही जास्त लोक नको हे ठरवले, तरी हो - ना करतकरत १६ जणाची  team शनिवारी रात्री चांदणी चौकात जमली आणि ८ दुचाक्यांवर मार्गक्रमण सुरु झाले. पिरंगुट, पौड, माले असे करतकरत आम्ही खालच्या मुळशी मध्ये पोहोचलो. उन्हाळा असलातरी, एक चाय तो बनती है म्हणून एका छोटया break साठी थांबलो . 

रात्री १२:१५ ला परातेवाडी ला पोचलो. लगोलग पथाऱ्या पसरल्या आणि  निद्रेच्या आधीन झालो. 

सकाळी लीडर साहेबांनी ५:१५ ला wake-up call दिला आणि चहाचे आधण ठेवले. चहा उरकून व जास्तीचे सामान गावातल्या एका मामांकडे ठेवुन आम्ही दरीच्या दिशेनी कूच केले. गावातून कोणी माहितगार सोबत घ्यावा असा विचार चालू असताना एका भूभू नी आम्हाला वाट दाखवायला यायची जबाबदारी घेतली. वाटचाल चालु असताना या भूभूचे प्रत्येकांनी आपापल्या मनाप्रमाणे नामकरण केले. 

 डोंगरमाथ्यावर थोडे उलट-पुलट फिराल्यावर कुशलने एके ठिकाणी खाली  उतरण्याची वाट शोधली. आम्ही तिथे जाताना एका छोट्या कातळावर एक  डुरक्या घोणस ऊन खायला येउन पहुडलेला आम्हाला दिसला. एखादया  professional model प्रमाणे त्याने आम्हाला त्याचे photo session करू दिले. 

   आता दरी ची सुरुवात झाली होती… कारण खडकात   खोदलेल्या पायऱ्या आम्ही उतरत होतो.  पुढे एके      ठिकाणी एक खोदीव  पण आता बुजलेले टाके पण  दिसले. आम्हाला  पडलेल्या प्रश्नांना उत्तर देताना  कुशल म्हणाला "हि पूर्वी एक घाट-वाट होती. सावळ-  घाट असे नाव असलेली. परातेवाडी, वान्द्रे, वडूस्ते आणि निवे गावातील लोक या घाटाचा उपयोग भिरा येथे जाण्यासाठी करत असत. "

या पुढची वाट रानामधली असल्यानी उतार  पटकन लक्षात  आला नाही. अजून थोडे पुढे गेल्यावर एके ठिकाणी पायऱ्यांच्या बाजूला अजून एक स्वच्छ पाण्याचे टाके होते. आम्ही आमच्या water bags  तिथे परत  भरून घेतल्या आणि एका छोट्या विश्रांती नंतर मार्गस्थ झालो. या टाक्याच्या थोड्या अलीकडेच या वाटेने आपले पायवाटेचे रूप बदलून नळीच्या वाटेचे रूप घेतले होते… जंगलातील वाट असल्या कारणाने उन्हाचा तडाखा बसत नवता, परंतु दमट हवेमुळे उष्णता जाणवत होती. कोण्या एका अनामिक trekking club / trekker ने इथे मार्गदर्शक खुणा करून ठेवल्या असल्याने रस्ता चुकायची तशी भीती नव्हती. 

जवळपास ३ तासांच्या उतराई नंतर आम्ही कुंडलिकेच्या पात्राजवळ पोचलो. उजवीकडे नावजी आणि कुंडलिका या सुळक्यांनी दर्शन दिले. आणि आता दरीमध्ये traverse सुरु झाला. आता सर्वांच्या पोटात कावळ्यांनी जन्म घ्यायला सुरुवात केली होती. 

स्वच्छ पाण्याच्या पहिल्या साठ्याजवळ आम्ही नाष्टया साठी चूल मांडली. पोळेकरसरांनी मंत्र म्हटले आणि अंकिता आणि कुशल ने आहुती देत आणि अत्यंत प्रयत्नपूर्वक आमचा हस्तक्षेप दूर ठेवत अतिशय चविष्ट उपमा बनवला. (Trust me: Too many cooks spoil the broth.)

नाश्त्याच्या या विश्रांती नंतर पुढची वाटचाल म्हणजे पुन्हा थोडी चढाई होती. पोटोबा झाल्यावर हे अतिशय अवघड असते. साधारणपणे एक तासभर चालल्यावर पाण्याचे कुन्ड दिसायला लागले… एका मोठ्या कुंडामध्ये मुलांनी उड्या मारायला सुरुवात केलेली  बघून अंकिता आणि मी मागे वळालो. 
थोडे अंतर उलट आल्यावर,  गिर्यारोहणाचे नियम काठावर ठेऊन मी आणि अंकिता सुद्धा एका डबक्यामधे शिरलो. थोडा वेळ जलक्रीडा झाल्यावर आम्ही आवरले व मुलांना आवाज दिला. आम्ही वेळेचे भान विसरल्यामुळे बिचारे आधी आवरून सुद्धा अडकून राहिले होते. सकाळी जिथे चुल लावली होती तिथे परत आल्यावर खिचडीच्या प्रसादाचा कार्यक्रम सुरु झाला. बिरबलाची खिचडी शिजेपर्यंत सर्वांच्या दप्तरामधील खाऊ बाहेर आला आणि वळीवाच्या पावसाने चाहूल द्यायला सुरुवात  केली. I am again telling you: Too many cooks spoil the broth. 

पटापट भोजनचा कार्यक्रम आटोपून आम्ही परतीचा मार्ग धरला. पून्हा ती नळीची वाट चढणे आता जीवावर (पोटावर) येउ लागले होते. 

जाणकार आणि स्वस्थ गण पुढे आणि मी शेवटी असे करत करत आम्ही पुन्हा सकाळच्या पायऱ्याजवळ  पोचलो. पठारावर आल्यावर मावळतीला अत्यंत मोहक सह्याद्री आणि त्यामागे अस्ताला जाणारा सुर्य… डोळे भरून हे दृश्य पाहून आम्ही गावाकडे वाटचाल सुरु केली. 

संधीप्रकाशात करवंदीच्या जाळी मधले पिकलेले गोड करवंद खात आम्ही परातेवाडी मध्ये पोचलो तोवर काळोख झाला होता. मामांकडून सामान व चहा घेऊन आम्ही पुण्यासाठी रवाना झालो.
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घोणस आणि अजगर

  

नाष्ट्याच्या वेळेला मोती भलताच लाडात आला.

  

आमचा वाघ

   

लई गोड मैना डोंगरची काळी काळी मैना

तळटीप: 

या trek सोबतच  plus valley, कैलासगड, अंधारबन असे treks करता येतील. 

A grand start with girls on my rooftop…

First weekend well spent… at Rohida…

Toughest trek, highest climb… AMK

Sea shore and some explorations…
Night out in a cave…

Car broke down in March, broke me too…

Sometimes I Led, followed sometimes…

Mountains to Sea shores… Road trips to Drives… Off beats to general ones…

Forth visit to Rajgad  for the night atop in the tent, one night near the sea…

Few movies watched... Few pictures captured...

Some champs retired, some champs surrendered to destiny...

Some stayed strong, few had feet of clay...

At times I Prayed, At times I cursed...




Some partitions... Some reunions...

Words of care and love sent and received across the globe...

Many plans made… Few plans failed…Life goes on...






New Year is just round the corner… New hope fills my soul...
Some Dreams to work hard for… Some goals to achieve…
Some places to travel… Some courses to complete...
Some books to read… Some blogs to write...

Happy memories to create and cherish…

It’s the Time start afresh…

So far, 2013 was the best year with regards to Mountaineering. But December seemed slow and uneventful. Me and my bestie- Parag had been out of touch for a long time until recent.

One fine morning, we just bumped together. Besties are the best people in your life... They come handy when you need a push. So there he was ready to push me again. 

Then one cold December evening, when I was trying to focus on my new painting, bestie's bestie - KV called me and put into conference with my bestie. 

All in all the conference call was a chaos and the two chattered incessantly. I could gather was that they were planning for some night hike somewhere close and a few options were explored. It was taken for granted that I was going. Although, I was fighting bad health, since me and bestie had got back to each other after a long time, there was no chance of backing out.

Couple of days later, early evening, both of them gathered at my place. We reassembled the backpacks and left. Since we had left much before dinner time, we decided to have dinner on our way.

The drive continued with lots of chats of catching up with each other. And… I realized I had forgotten to get a jacket for myself. I had a shawl but with winter solstice just round the corner it felt inadequate. PO told me not to worry and take his jacket.

We explored a few options for dinner and found one roadside shack at Ambawane village. The food had good taste and felt hygienic. The restaurant owner said the hike would take 2 & half hours. The drive continued and soon we reached our destination - Pal Village. I had been through this way in July, but change of weather also changes equations.

I was hiking after long time and that too in night. I recollected, it was almost 19 years ago, in December 1994, I had been to Rajgad for a night trek & stay. So, I was inspired again to repeat the history.

The exercise didn’t give me a reason to miss my jacket. We had 2 bags across 3 people. Me and KV kept exchanging my backpack. Both PO & KV are passionate & skilled photographers, they had packed the entire photography gear in backpack. The cold air of a December night supported the stamina and soon we were near steps.

For no reason, we sat on the first step, gossiped and wasted 20 minutes. KV tried to push us but we were too reluctant to take the advice. It was a refreshing experiencing of climbing steps in moonlight.

We approached the first gate and the photographers were provoked to take out their gear and start clicking. The guys set up the tripod and kept clicking. Besties will do anything to push you. I too was told to take out my digicam and practice my skills. I chose to rest my body and put my grey cells at work to decipher photography jargons. Sometime later, they realized that the girl had frozen they need to wind up the business. Another break of 30 minutes before ultimate destination was done. 

Soon, we were near the ruins of Sadar –offices of the Great King. Just behind this is a plain surface. We decided to set up the camp there. Pitching the tent was a quick task. I and PO were hungry, so we decided to make some soup. PO very proudly showed off his new stove and cooking soup was fun. Having soup on that moonlit cold winter night seemed felt heavenly.

By the time, I cleaned the bowls, KV had started snoring. Me and bestie chatted for almost an hour before sleeping. Realizing that a gap of long time hadn’t changed a thing between us gave me peace of mind after a long time and I slept like a baby. All I remember of the night is some snoring, and some alarms snoozed. 

When I woke up, the photographers already had been clicking all over the place. A bed tea served to wake you up just sets the perfect mood for the day. I sipped tea looking at the Fort Torna, like proud Captain Smith of RMS Titanic.

A peaceful sleep had also corrected my appetite and I was hungry. So we decided to have breakfast. Finally, at 11 AM we wound up the camp, cleaned the place and started walking towards Suvela Machi. This branch of mountain has good fortification, couple of bastions and a gate. 

The only 2 problems of being with 2 passionate photographers are you never know when you will be shot or where they will stop to click something that was absolutely unnoticed. Therefore, a route which ideally should have taken less than an hour for hike, took us around 2 hours to complete.

By the time we reached Nedhe – the natural whole in mountain, it was almost 1:30 PM. Since, this was my fourth visit in this Calendar year, there wasn’t anything new about this place, the view had changed according to the weather. The skyline was foggy yet definitive.

Soon we were near bastion at the end of Suvela Machi, and then we decided to return. The photographers suddenly realized that there wasn’t a good group photo. So at the bastion, Chilakhati Buruj, a studio was set up. After a long photo shoot of 15 / 20 minutes, we had snacks and left.

We descended fast. The tea at base was so refreshing that I almost demanded the car key. Bestie was more than happy to handover the key. It was a smooth drive back home.

A whole new life filled me and lifted my spirits high. The renewed bonds gave me the strength to believe that best is yet to come. Life feels like a blessing now.

February 1661:

It was 2nd of February and the Mughal Army was marching fast towards the Konkan region from Pune. The army consisted of Horses, Bulls, Elephants, small canons and men. They were equipped for a full fledged war anytime. Their head, Kartalab Khan, was a fierce Uzbek warrior. Trusted by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, he was sent to the Pune region to assist Shahista Khan to wage war against the Great Shivaji. Kartalab Khan was assisted by Kachhap, Jasawant Kokate, and the lady sardar RaiBaghan.

The army had reached Lohgad and Khan had decided to take the pass between Lohgad and Visapur to enter Konkan.

The spies informed Kartlab Khan that the Great Shivaji was resting at Kuruwande Village, roughly 4 miles west to the Lohgad. Khan instantly jumped at the opportunity to siege the Great Shivaji and gain higher ranks at the courts of the Emperor. Thus, the army changed its course and turned towards to Kuruwande.

As they reached Kuruwande, they found that the informers had given wrong information and no one was at the village. Not wanting to go back, the Khan and his troop decided to descend the Konkan from the pass near Kuruwande – The Umbarkhind.

The Great Shivaji had utilized his knowledge of the Sahyadri to the maximum and trapped the Mughal army in the dense forest of the pass using his famous warfare: The Guerrilla warfare. He and a handful of men attacked the army from higher side of the pass and one of his prominent men Netaji Palkar and few more men attacked from the Konkan side. February, being beginning of summers, the drinking water was scarce too. Kartalab Khan decided to surrender and sent his lawyer, Lady Raybaghan to The Great Shivaji. Soon the Army left with its leaders and the Marathas had won once again proving their rightful ownership on the terrain.

This story must have been repeated by older generations to discourse about the intelligence and valor of one the greatest king of the nation’s history.

July 2013:

Kushal put forth an idea to me of trekking at Umbarkhind as practice trek before the Enduro for Team Rajmudra.  The discussions on different platforms of calls, whatsapp, sms’s and facebook didn’t even heat up and handful of people jumped in. Although the trail was chosen, to our delight no one knew the exact route. So it was clear that this was going to be a trek full of exploration.

It was real early morning of Sunday morning when I picked up Ankita and we reached Shivaji Nagar Station. We took the 5:45 AM Local for Lonavala. Our friends joined us on the way. The discussion about the bus station in Lonavala was the hottest topic till we found the only open vadapav joint. Once inside the shop the subject of discussion automatically changed to number of vadapavs and tea cups. This was the heavenly morning! It was drizzling, we had hot & spicy vadapavs and tea and a group of wonderful 10 avid trekkers was on its way to explore… You don’t need to die to be in heaven.

After breakfast, we walked till the INS Shivaji chowk and luckily found a tourist vehicle who agreed to drop us at Kuruwande. Once at Kuruwande, The IT Trio of Ashish, Kushal and Amit inquired at a house for the route and we started the hike.

Our New Camping Site

There is a fencing of INS Shivaji & Reliance Industries that needs to be followed till you reach GAIL Gas Pipeline. Ideally you should follow the pipeline to reach the base village of Chavani.
Since, this was the first time we were using GPS we decided to follow it blindly and the result was an awesome trail which lead us to our future camping site and the truth was that we were lost! It was a quick walk of 20 mins to get back to the pipeline.

Once we were back on track, the view kept us mesmerized till the end. The countless waterfalls did not let us crib about the slippery slopes. The view of few waterfalls on one side of mountain was so picturesque that everyone one of us got ourselves photographed with them. After a long time, I had seen so many waterfalls in one glance. After a due photograph and 
long awaited snacks break, we descended further and the Konkan terrain. 
This being a rarely explored was a clean and serene terrain.

I had thought of counting the waterfalls, but lost the track of numbers looking at them…  Countless of them… The stepped ones… The straight ones… The terrain had just two markings one of waterfalls and other was green trees… Unbelievable heavenly scenery… Best part of trek was climbing down the mountain next to these waterfalls.  A feeling of being blessed to have born in this part of world ran down my heart.  







The earlier descriptions had mentioned about river crossing. On the earlier day, I and Ashish had spent few minutes searching for river on Google maps, which was of no avail. So, after the descend, when we kept walking towards Village (Chavani), we crossed a spring, I had thought that this is it. Perhaps this one being an intermittent and only seasonal river was not part of Google maps. Crossing of this spring was refreshing but did not give any sense of adventure. Ashish also mentioned that, this was too small.

With our heavy hearts we walked ahead, and the delightful surprise awaited us! The roaring river needed to be crossed to reach Chavani. Thankfully, Kushal and his friend had slings which we could use to cross a part of the river. The water was flowing with force enough to take a lone person along with the flow. Two villagers noticed us crossing the river and immediately rushed to help us. This river crossing was the first ever experience of my life and thus definitely the most memorable. Everyone was happy with the sense of achievement and adventure.



We marched ahead into the village and a kilometer later we reached the place of battle. There is small memorial, which was submerged in water. The memorial has a bronze mural of The Great Shivaji riding on horse on one side and the brief story of the incidence is carved on white marble on another side. Looking at the memorial of bravery, all of us had adrenaline rush.

 





Now, our tummies had a hunger rush too. We sat down in open and had lunch. Before we could finish the lunch, the rains caught us. We wound up our stuff and started walking towards Khopoli – Pali Road. The walk was on the bank of the river, and 4 kms didn’t feel much. It took a while to get a drop at khopoli which was only 13 kms away. The bumpy ride on a dugdug made the journey full of laughter.

At Khopoli, we changed into dry clothes and had most refreshing tea of our lives and headed to the bus stand. After a chatty, & sleepy bus journey, we reached Pune. With our minds refreshed for the week and hearts full of pride for our King.

It is 3 AM of 20^th May 2013, and it’s just been few minutes, that I returned from a trek to Saandhan Valley.

I don’t know why today throughout the day, I have had a very strange feeling & I am motivated to write this. This post isn’t about today’s trek; this is an account of a trek completed seven and a half years ago! Those were the days when I was a total amateur mountaineer rather just a hiker and a very confused person. I hardly thought of this business as a lifelong passion. It was perhaps to socialize that I joined for this trek. Said to be a tough trek, this was taken also a personal challenge. Harishchandragad it was.

There are 3 well known routes to the destination; we took the one from Khireshwar.  It was mid December 2005 & the sky that night fascinated me way beyond my expectations. Almost every star was trying to prove its existence that night. I had never seen a sky with so many stars, least that I had thought they existed.

As the darkness of night faded, we kept marching up & down the hills. A few hills later I was tired, and the leader kept telling just some more distance & we will be there. It was day break when we had reached the destination. Right in front of us was the ancient “Hemadpanthi” temple of Harishchandreshwar.  

We rested there for a while and ate Kande Pohe, traditional Maharashtrian breakfast. And then it was time for sightseeing. First we went to Taramati, the highest hillock on the mountain. Ajit – the guy I knew only as leader then kept telling us that view from the Kokankada – the legendary concave cliff is breathtaking so we decided move along the ridge to Kokankada. And something fell down just 10 feet below the ridge & was clearly visible. What, How, whose & why were the secondary concerns for many. Well, it was my wallet! It had two precious things apart from money & cards. Everybody advised me to forget about it and I panicked. But then Ajit came to my rescue.

Ajit made an anchor of few guys and used a rope to climb down the rock face. I was horrified… The terror that a mountain can strike had hit me, and I trembled. My brains had stopped functioning. It was a matter of few minutes but it felt like a life time for me.  The want that felt like a need had vanished in a moment.  I didn’t want that wallet anymore.

And, then he slowly raised his head above the cliff, and I felt as if life was returning to me.  The other outdoor experts helped him back on the ridge. My senses were returning but I wasn’t back to normalcy completely. He handed me the wallet & I didn't know how to thank him.

After all this drama, we walked to Kokankada & then back to Harishchandreshwar Temple. After lunch we started walking back to the base village of Khireshwar.

I was and still am obliged to Ajit for saving my family legacy that afternoon. This legacy was passed on to me for protection in spiritual / religious senses. We visited this mountain again in Jan 2010, this time I was a volunteer & not just another participant

Today Seven and Half years later, sometime during the day every day, the thoughts still flood my mind and I am still unable to sort out a lot things. Ajit suggested I should to write a note about this trek. And I kept saying, I will. But I hadn’t till date.

I hadn’t written a word because I didn’t know what to write… To write about facts of that afternoon or to write about the things that changed inside me on that afternoon. Should I be writing about how strong Ajit is as a human being or how good mountaineer he is. Well, who am I to certify him in either case!

After this trek, with time, my friendship with Ajit & Manjiri – his wife flourished. I did most of my Sahyardri treks under Ajit’s guidance. And even today, I seek Ajit’s advice before I set out for anything new.

Today, just one line will hopefully suffice it all & I know everyone who knows Ajit will agree with me.

“If you have a friend like Ajit then you will know what friendship means.”

It has been years that I started trekking. 

My first memory of the trek dates back to 1991, when a group of school buddies decided to go for a one day monsoon trek. The most enthusiastic girl in the class was our leader. It was muddy trail, and by the time we returned almost everyone from the group had become an experienced trekker.

It took a while for me to understand what this business was. But it was that day when I got high with my insignificance on this earth. A pinnacle as proud as a nose of Duke, told me that to respect is the only way to appreciate the Mother Nature.

Several years have passed by; Trekking has become most integral part of my day today life. But the love for this place is ever growing.

Every year when the sky clouds with a promise of monsoons and greener earth, every wanderer gives a shout to the other, "Hey, his nose awaits us". The plans are made, dates are fixed. Every other commitment is compromised and the wanderers set out on a rainy day to reach the ultimate monsoon destination.

This year the time has come, just few hours away in the morning...  And I can proudly say as I start my day today, "I know where I am heading.”

The place which has given me so much to cherish, The place which has added a purpose to my life, The place which has gifted me at least one friend every time I visited."

Here's to Dukes... My First Sanctuary... May your nose stand firm eternally...

As Richard Bach says: “Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years.”

When you know you have found your flock, you are ready to fly with them anytime. The simplest thing you can do for someone is just be their friend.

The birds with lenses wanted to do a photography tour of Induri Fort; Chakan Fort... another bird wanted to surrender at Bhamchandra Dongar And I was just enthusiastic about wandering. So there was a perfect exploring plan which was ready to be executed.

On a Saturday morning, we left the city and rode on old NH4 towards Talegaon. 

After a long time, I managed to catch a breakfast at McDonalds, Chinchwad. A Veg Muffin started one of the best days of my life. 

After one more snacks break, we reached Talegaon.

On Talegaon - Chakan road, at Village Induri, there is a small fortification built on Left hand side. This fortification was built by Khanderao Dabhade during 1720s. The river Indrayani flows by western side of the fortification. There is a temple of Kadjai Devi inside this fort. The Entrance marks a grandiose Royal History. There is a NagarKhana atop the entrance. Although it is all ruins, we had a good time there.

Our next destination was Bhamchandra Dongar... Very less people know this place and so it is still much serene. The rout to the cave is very simple. There are a some carvings. ( I do not know the historical information).  On Talegaon - Chakan Road, there is a village Sadumbre on left hand side. Ahead of this village, there is another village - Shinde Vaasuli. This hillock is on the outskirts of this village. 

After some memorable moments captured in photos, we left towards Chakan, Via Ambethan. After having lunch at Ambethan chowk, Chakan. We visited the ruins of Chakan fort.

Just to make it a complete circle, we rode to Alandi. There is only one word for Alandi... AWESOME!!! 

For me, Alandi was a cosmic experience, just sitting at the steps of ghat was so fulfilling, peaceful. I could feel completely in sync with the entire universe.   I attained my long lost inner peace.

Idea Floats… Four Jump in, one jumps out…

Long lost friend is roped in… He pulls two more…

A small group…

Six set out on a Sunday early Morning…

Highway Ride… Punctured Tyre…

Street food & tea for breakfast…

Final Destination… Walk in the Mud…

Bike Ride in mud, to test the brand new tyres probably…

Random Questions.. Out of context answers… 

Ladders up the hill… All fog, zero visibility…

Lots of Rain… Aloo Mash & Roti from the Tiffin

Hogging Pithala Bhakari…

Lots of Rain, Lost Avenues and Just a few snaps...

Too many waterfalls… Only One making its point clear!

And we reach base… Bike is washed & we start for pavilion.

Some tea cups…

With a promise to ourselves & friends that we will return soon…