Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Way off the beaten path!!



Hashim has been keen on eyeballing a piece of land located in the valleys of the Karjat hills and so we set off today around noon.
Karjat is gorgeous at this time of the year and we were treated to at least a 100 waterfalls.
The property in question has no access and so not realizing that would mean trek 1.5 km each way we set off with the guide and driver/broker. After 15 minutes of walking through villages, fields and hillocks the throat was screaming for water but we had not carried any assuming our destination was not really far away.
The new Nike trekking shoes were inaugurated and how! When you don't know that you are on a trek don't you try and save your shoes from total submersion in water for as long as you can? I tried - past the first brook the guide and driver looked back hoping for dramatic exclamations from the madam but hey - I got the better of them. I waded through streams and rapids which were ankle deep, then mid calf and finally on the return half hour later waist deep. Yes - all this to get to a piece of paradise which has a fantastic panoramic view and is like an island between two gushing rivers with absolutely no road access. Oh how I want that little piece!

Finally after chanting 'i can be like a camel' for a few more kms, I decided water in the system was required and as the rain Gods were unleashing heavy bouts of rain - I drank the water streaming off my umbrella. Yikes and yum. Mana from heaven.
A visit to an uncles farm for a chat and chai completed the outing and we were back by 7:30pm. Not bad for a day out in the wilderness.

.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Marry Me Fly Free

‘Marry me fly free.’ Perhaps that was one of the clinchers to get Hashim to go on one knee and present the ring six years ago. Ok, so maybe there were other reasons but we only realised the truth in this statement once we started using the travel benefits that an international airline offers its staff-especially flight attendants.

We had access to domestic Indian carriers paying only 10% of the fare and on the company aircraft we could literally hop on and off without spending a dollar. The catch was all travel was subject to load but if you did get on and there was space in business that is where you could find yourself if dressed right. Those were the days!


Within India we used our travel passes to head to Goa (in the pre baby days when we hired bikes and beach crawled. Now we still beach crawl but in a car), Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Sri Lanka. Our passports wore a well travelled look as the airline took us to Paris, Hyeres (south of France), Rome, Atlanta, Boston, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Chicago.


As the company layover city was Paris, I now know some areas like the back of my hand and in my minds eye retrace those steps often. In addition to the major sight seeing attractions like The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, Arc De Triomphe, Lido, Invalides and Louvre, we have experienced the Paris Plage, Mikes Bikes cycling tours, the quaint Albert Kahn garden, the Latin Quartier (with Le Marathon being a favourite restaurant. Head here before 8pm for the Boeuf Bourgonaise), eaten snails, oysters and rabbit and even watched local French alternative theatre and a Circque du Soleil circus. A complete experience.


Rome was a fantastic experience and Tarun has to have been the most travelled foetus as I was 6 months pregnant while touring the Italian capital and he has travelled in the belly to Paris several times, Goa, Kihim and Pune. The Vatican, Sistine Chapel (a certificate of pregnancy allowed us access without waiting for hours in serpentine queues), Fountain of Trevi, Spanish Steps, Piazzas and pizzas we saw them all.


An aunt and uncle who share our passion for travel and the outdoors invited us to share their holiday destination Hyeres. They introduced us to the ways of the simple life – drink Pastis, play petonque / boules, swim in the Mediterranean, eat olives and salads and drive to Axe En Provence. The villages, towns, local markets, fresh fruit, flea markets, cafes, restaurants, countryside, highways, harbours, beaches, stores, we hit them all. Driving through towns really gives you a different perspective of the people and culture.


The highlights from our trips to the States have to be meeting with friends and family and experiencing the cities with them. From catching The Blue Man Group (http://www.blueman.com/) in Boston and eating Boston Chowda to the Aquarium. From the Empire State building, Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, the MET, the West Village, China Town, Staten Island ferry to see the Statue and Grand Central Station, New York. From Universal Studios in LA to Solvang a quaint Danish styled town. From Pier 39, China Town and trams in San Francisco to a tour of the Google office in San Jose. Las Vegas was glitz and glamour 24/7 with Hashim getting quite desperate as my gambling instincts started emerging.


We are happy we had the opportunity to travel and that we clocked in as much as we could during our flying days. ‘Marry me fly free’ could not have been truer.

Driving through Rajasthan '08

If you are wondering if our ‘to do’ for the travel plan on our application is a little too ambitious then you may be right and we shall naturally have to play it by ear based on how much distance we cover and how fast each day. Going from previous experience though we should manage to do as much as we can pack in at each place.

I base this on the fact that we had a really eventful trip last November. We decided to drive through Rajasthan taking the incredible desert route getting in via NH 15. Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur and back. As we had done Udaipur and Jaipur on our previous drive in February last year, we did not stop to ramble at either this time.

We did about 3,200 kms and quite a substantial amount of sightseeing too – with baby in tow in seven days. He was just under two, talking, walking and already being a little individual. I could write another post about travelling with an infant with information and learning’s from our Auli trip, Rajasthan drive and more but that will be on a baby blog. If you do want tips on travelling with an infant however, write to me and I shall be happy to assist. I will say however that this Rajasthan drive just drove home the point that it is best to travel with a baby – no need to entertain too much, they sleep long hours, are light enough to be carried, don’t have a say in the itinerary and don’t object when faced with another exhibit at a fort or museum. By the end of Jodhpur, Tarun learnt that rooms in an imposing structure meant boredom for him and so on approaching the entrance itself would shout ‘outside, only outside.’ So yes we did see many exhibits in turns but we certainly saw a lot.

First stop was Barmer a small town famous for block printing and carved wooden furniture. We decided against staying at this town as it was a mess and seems the type that has seen haphazard urban planning/development too soon and is unable to cope. It is dusty, dirty and crowded. The block printing workshops however are a must see. Tucked away in the gullies are small shops with walls of shelves bearing bed spreads, covers, table cloths and kurtis in mind boggling designs. Yards of cloth from the store we visited (Panihari hand prints) along with ready made kurtis make it to the Fab India stores around the globe. The owner was kind enough to take us on a tour of the workshop where we saw the karigars actually printing, the drying and the dyeing process. After selecting and paying rock bottom rates for our wares we headed off to Jaisalmer for two days at Hotel Desert Moon.

Jaisalmer is magical and the fort by night is an image that will stay etched in memory.
We visited the fort, one of the few living forts left in the country, meaning that people still live within parts of the fort which is located on a hillock. The three famous havelis were next on the agenda followed by continental lunch at Natraj and siesta at the hotel. We visited the cultural museum run single handedly by an elderly gentleman (whose name I cannot remember) in his attempt to encourage the local artisans and highlight their talents. The museum visit ended with a typical puppet show which was enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Gadisagar lake by dusk was an interesting experience - we fed the ever hungry fish and watched the ripples they created while almost leaping out in fits and starts. The chattris within the lake are lit post 7pm and are a beautiful sight.
Our first taste of authentic Marwari cuisine was at Trio a delightful terrace restaurant overlooking the Raja’s current palace. While the folk musicians took Tarun under their wing and were happy to have a new member on the dhol, we sampled Ker saangri sabji and mutton done with Rajasthani masalas. Ker saangri is a vegetarian dish made with desert beans and capers and is delicious and unusual.

The next day’s itinerary included a visit to the Government Museum which is in a very sorry state but does have a good collection of fossils. Bara Baug was another interesting sight especially when the backdrop was Suzlon windmills. The old and new so stark across the barren, brown sand.

An excellent restaurant for a lunch pit stop was Desert Boy’s Dhani, tucked just off the main road. It has an open air section under a huge bora tree with wrought iron garden benches and furniture completing the casual chic feel and an indoor air conditioned section too. The outdoor area has squirrels and birds hopping around and was the ideal location to delve into the most sinful preparation of Dal Bhati Churma, one of the most popular Rajasthani preparations.

A visit into the Thar Desert was next on the agenda. We were fortunate not to have been swayed by touts wanting to pre-book us on camel safaris. As we needed to be flexible with our plans due to Tarun’s schedules, we decided to drive up to the dunes and take it from there. As we approached Sam dunes we were mobbed by the camel riders who all back off the moment you select one for your safari. We had RajaHindustani who took us all the way into the dunes for sunset views off the powder sand. We even sighted a fox and the very elusive Chinkara.

Happy with our journey thus far we set off the next morning for Bikaner where after a quick lunch at the old world charm ‘Gallops’ we were just in time to see the fort from the outside and visit the cultural museum before it shut. Chancing up Bhairon Villas however was a treat. This heritage hotel offers charming rooms that transport you to a different era with high ceilings, plush though brightly coloured upholstery, old photographs, swords and guns on the walls along with prize hunt trophies – we had a tiger looking down on us.

Jodhpur was our next halt. This blue city has the best kept fort I have ever been to. Ushers in traditional wear, clear signs and info boards, well maintained exhibits and breathtaking views from the top of the cliff-side fort make this a very exciting tourist spot. The Clock Tower and market square were the other highlights but the top of the list has to be the zoo. The animals are well looked after and the zoo is spread over a large expanse. You may have read about my tiger experience here in an older post. If you do visit Jodhpur do not miss a visit to the tiger enclosure.

As we had ticked off our main locations of interest we were now homeward bound and ready to head back. After a few days in the desert your skin gets dry and parched, the grit and sand follows you everywhere and even those with straight hair get a permanent frizz. I believe that is the reason women in the desert cover their heads all the time. Introduce conditioner here and maybe the permanent ghungat style will change.

The state highways we found ourselves on were narrow one lane paths but incredibly beautiful offering views of camels, vultures, neelgai, peacocks, langurs and villages between miles of open land. Getting back onto the NH 8 that leads past Udaipur and onwards to Mumbai was almost a disappointment after the less frequented highways like NH 15 which are well maintained and allow the cars to do speeds we can not imagine trying on Mumbai’s roads. 150 kmph was the average while on the inner roads for our trip.

At Udaipur we halted for a lunch at our favourite thali restaurant named Natraj. This place is frequented by the people of the area and so is not touristy and maintains the authentic local flavours in all the preparations. Worth the detour off the highway.

Pushing ourselves, we pit stopped for the night at Ahmedabad before heading back almost non stop the next day to Chembur – tired but happy.

Since we are talking about the desert let me also include a little bit about Udaipur and Jaipur here though we visited them on an earlier drive.

Udaipur - A fairytale city with its palaces, narrow streets, rooftop cafes, crystal museum, lakes........ charming. The City Palace is a must on the sightseeing agenda - Maharana Arvind Singh and family truly keep the old world charm alive with all its pomp, glitter and grandeur. The Crystal Gallery, at The Fateh Prakash Palace has the most exciting collection of crystal treasures.
Around 1877 A.D., Maharana Sajjan Singh ordered various pieces from F&C Osler, England. The collection is vast and exquisite. From a crystal footrest to a crystal four poster bed. The very well produced audio guide also states that the Maharana with a penchant for beauty did not live to see his collection as he met with an untimely death at the age of 25.
Hashim was in his element at the Vintage Car museum at the Garden Hotel. The guides are passionate about the collection and have an interesting story about almost each of the classics on display-“This Buick was the Maharanis favourite. Hard top was for her and the convertible for her husband. Her car had an opaque glass partition. And most were made to order.” Or “This is the Rolls Royce that James Bond used in the movie Octopussy”. There even is an old now unused Shell petrol pump within the Hotel premise.
Driving into Udaipur, guides were the first people we encountered. A tourist guide is an information packed warehouse and most importantly, they usually zip around the gully laden old city on scooters and they know the fastest and best way to get to the sights. A very useful fact if you are driving yourself and don’t have too much time on hand.
Our guide Mr Singh was very amusing. He chatted with us about life while getting to the sight and then his whole persona underwent a radical transformation as we reached the entrance of our destination. His voice and stature changed, eyes glazed over and he launched into “in the year 18…..King….battle….” in a monotone as we tried to pick out the highlights while diving for the Lonely Planet.
As for the accommodation and cuisine, Hotel Pichola on the banks of Lake Pichola has a great view of the City Palace and the Jag Niwas Island.

Udaipur to Jaipur is a good 400 odd kms in and around the enchanting Aravali mountain range. This highway did not take us through any desert routes but it was a very scenic path especially with the Flame of the Forest in bloom. In sections, these orange flowers on leafless branches seemed to explode from the centre into sprays that looked like a Diwali sparkler. Boulders and shrubs as well as marble and stone warehouses mark this route.
Jaipur in comparison to Udaipur, is like any other big, dirty, noisy city. Granted the Jantar Mantar is mind boggling and The Amer fort with its Hall of Mirrors spectacular, but the pink city is quite a mess. This land of Blue pottery requires at least a couple of days to do justice to the place.

Please cut and paste this link into your browser for more images from our Rajasthan sojourns:
http://picasaweb.google.com/priya.fonseca/Rajasthan#

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Ranthambore - the short and the long of it

Here's the short facebook condensed version:

Tiger Moon Resort Ranthambore is a lovely place that shares a boundary wall with the national park - so roaring tigers / leopards at night too. We saw plenty of birds about 50 different types (the Collins handbook was a super reference), langurs, 1 Tigress, crocs, mongoose, sand boa, water snake, cheetal, sambar, chinkara and neelgai. Fresh air, bright blue skies... bliss. Even tried our hand at pottery! You don't want to see what we made :)
Ranthambore is a must do - please go. August Kranti Express to Sawai Madhopur and then Jaipur Express back.

Safari is early morning and late afternoon - so between that mid morning is good for a swim and post noon for a nap in an ac room. Go to www.indianadventures.com/TigerMoon.htm for accommodation details. They have their office at the start of SV road in Bandra, opposite the Parsi Colony. We did the jungle package which included accommodation, meals, 2 safaris, trip to the fort, nature walk with naturalist and a barbeque dinner and access to their wildlife movies and library. March was a good time to go as the international tourists are just about heading out and the Indian tourists are still busy with exams so we got gypsys for 2 of the safaris which other wise are booked 90 days in advance. I think February would also be a god time but then it would be too cold for the pool.

And now for the fleshed out version complete with bird list:

A wildlife national park has been on our agenda for a while and we decided on Ranthambore in March this time by train. It would be the baby’s first experience of a train and for us unique to be travelling with him in a mode of transport that was the norm for trips until his arrival anyway!

Almost the entire journey was spent reading Winnie the Poo out loud and we started drawing lots for every 2 hour period of reading / babysitting. The cooped up space did get the little guy saying ‘I wanna go out’ very often but books to the rescue.

The others in our compartment were entertained by our little chatterbox though I must admit I was worried about safety after reading about so many stories of theft even on the more popular trains on important routes. So naturally when the devout looking elderly couple offered us Prasad, my city built antennas went up and I did not know whether to accept. Ever trusting Hashim, did accept and we all had a little bit and were fine and safe as it turned out.

Tarun sleeps with a comfort toy named Amu and as Amu was packed away we did bother pulling him out. So suddenly at 11 pm from the topmost berth a tiny voice loudly started saying ‘Oh where’s my Amu – he’s lost – find Amu’ only to be placated when Amu was found and retrieved from the bag.

We arrived at Sawai Madhavpur station to be greeted by monkeys, red mud, dawn colours, superb weather – slightly chill and a jeep and driver (who had just seen a leopard on his way to fetch us!)

Tiger Moon Resort our home for the 3 days is beautiful. It is situated at the edge of the reserve itself and is one of the few resorts that actually has old large trees and so plenty of birds within the property.

The safaris started the very first day. The canter safari was not very exciting as we went down a dusty route and had a few very noisy passengers on board who may have frightened off all the animals anyway. And we thought people may groan on seeing a baby - expecting the child to be noisy! Tarun was a gem. He understood that we were looking for animals and needed to speak softly. We did see many Sambars (in big groups which is rare) and birds and fowl but no tiger.

We decided to venture into the jungle only in a gypsy hence forth and did just that. On our next safari, we came face to face with Tigress T17. A cub but beautiful anyway, though, the collar around her neck and her nonchalance at seeing us made her seem almost like a pet than a fearsome wild beast. For true passionate fury visit the lion at the Jodhpur zoo. He sent shivers down my spine and his roar could be heard for miles as he paced his enclosure wanting to be let out. His eyes burning with fire left me in tears and my hair on edge as the bars separating him from me seemed flimsy and nothing he could not rip apart if he wanted to.

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing by the pool, being taught pottery by a local expert, bird watching within the property, going on nature walks with the naturalist and a trip to the Ranthambore fort and Ganesh temple. The afternoons were too hot to venture out as this was early March but the mornings and early evenings were perfect weather.

All in all a great trip and very different from our usual ones as there was no faithful car to fall back on whenever we wanted.

Here’s a list of the birds and animals we saw:

White Backed Vulture
Common Quail
Red Spur Fowl
Painted Quail
Brown Headed Stork-billed Kingfisher
White Ibis
Grey Heron
Egret
Open Bill Stork
Black Winged Kite
Crested Serpent Eagle
Shikra
Peafowl
Moorhen
Red Wattled Lapwing
Little Brown Dove
Blossom Headed Parakeet
Rose Ringed And Alexandrine Parakeets
Coucal
White Breasted Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Common / Jewel Kingfisher
Little Green Beeater
Golden Backed Woodpecker
Mahratta Woodpecker
Fantail
Bulbuls
Indian And Magpie Robins
Black Redstart
Hill Myna
Tree Pie
Black Drongo
Purple Sunbird
Thicknee
Jungle Myna
Babler Of Many Types
Indian Roller
Ring Plover
Avocate
Common Teal
Stilt Black Winged
Gowet
Woolly Neck Stork
Brahmini Duck
Barheaded Goose
Flycatcher
Bay Backed Shrike
Common Shrike
Partridge
White Browed Fantail Flycatcher
Painted Sandgrouse
Indian Busk Lark
Ashy Brown Sparrow Lark / Black Belly Finch Lark
Soleska Bush Chat
Chestnut Shouldered Petonia / Yellow Throat Sparrow
Stone Chat.

Animals:
Langurs
Tiger
Crocs
Mongoose
Sand boa
Water snake
Chinkara
Spotted deer,
Sambar
Neelgai




Monday, July 13, 2009

Driving in India - this and that

For all of us-drivers in India- a truck or motorcycle going in the wrong direction is normal- as are cows, people and goats stuck in the middle of the road, as are cars doing u turns just beyond a corner, as are people parked 8 feet from the pavement on an empty road, as are ......
It's only when you drive with someone who has never experienced our roads like a firang... that it actually seems to register.

Most of us (35+) year olds have grown up with comparatively empty roads and a basic knowledge of how to repair your own car. You knew what to check on the Premier or Ambie before you left each morning and what needed to be checked if you were off on a longer drive, unlike the fact that 50% of breakdowns today are because the bonnet has not been opened for a year and some small simple fluid has finally run out.

When WD40 was heard of it was the miracle drug for Premier Padminis which conked off when they saw water, unlike the present cars which go through raging streams unaffected. Punctures were an every week occurrence, even with Radials and my father and I--regular travelers--could change a tyre as a team in 4 minutes flat. Ask a youngster today to help change a type and he/she would probably ask "where is the jack" "how does it work"...

Driving was something you perfected while the "old man" sat next to you and gave you gaalies if you faltered, until you finally got it right.
Overtake on a corner at your own peril, not from the danger of the truck you may narrowly miss but from your 'dangerous when confronted with driving errors' Pop.

Tarun you better watch out boy!

Travelling with our baby

Am just done putting our route on Google maps and my immediate reaction is 'phew!' Sure the technology is great but it does take a while to figure out the nuances of the application and am yet to discover how to backtrack on a line without deleting the entire route or how to get the markers / descriptions to appear in sequential order in the left column or even why my images don't appear with the descriptions! in spite of doing what the child like voice directed us to do in the maps tutorial. Phew!
But you do see our general map / route - not accurate though and all the details of the trip are posted here since formatting on the application page is tough and cumbersome to read if all in one block.
I hope we won't have to go by googles distances etc. Give me a map, the internet and a search engine and wave us off.
I started off wanting to talk about our trips with the baby. I know, if we get selected, no extra passengers will be allowed and we will miss our two year old sorely. This is a route we want to take him on and I guess if we are lucky we shall do it twice ;)

Both Ha and I have been taken on outdoor trips from the time we were little. Hashim has done Mumbai – Lucknow with his father in a rally prepared Fiat in the years when in India safety features in cars were non existent, the roads were potholed, rest stops with facilities like restaurants were few and far between and there was a serious lack of information on routes. The internet was still many years away.


I have swum in the Kundalika river that goes through Kolad often when I was a child, played with rabbits and chickens on a farm and my brother as a baby has been licked by passing goats while he blissfully slept. These holidays with our parents are what memories are made of and we want to create a similar memory album for Tarun and pass the goodness around.


There was never any doubt in our minds that we would initiate Tarun into travel at an early age. As long as he was healthy we were ready to expose him to the environment in the hope of him imbibing earthy, grounded values. We attempt to teach him to blend in with our lifestyle and hope that materialistic city living does not get the better of us.

Before Tarun was born, we researched the different car seats available in the market and settled on the Mothercare Lucio Thunderbird which has served us very well.


Taruns road trips began at two and a half months when he went to Pune to visit his great grand mother. Assisted by my parents, we set off for Pune with an overnight halt at a hotel in Lonavala. We learnt that we were seriously over packing and we needed a pacifier. It is a necessary evil. I remember, my Dad driving and all of us getting wound up as Taruns yelling between feeds got louder. Once we introduced the pacifier, baby was happy with his self-soother, we could interact much better and enjoy the drive. Interestingly, our tiny rambler at 18 months no longer uses or needs the choosnis as we called them. They have been donated to the Myna babies in the nest under the a/c.

After Pune, we did several car drives with Tarun to Kihim and Alibaug, beach side towns approximately 95 km from Mumbai. During the monsoon we introduced him to the concept of rain and lush green countryside with a day trip to an uncle’s farm near Karjat approximately 100 km from Mumbai. He thoroughly enjoyed crawling on the grass and looked in wide eyed wonder at the bugs and creepy crawlies.


At nine months Tarun was holding his head very well, so the car seat was fitted to forward facing that gave him a new perspective of the world. Suddenly we were on a ‘look Tarun’ trip, wanting him to see the cow and the dog and the bus and the mountains….. our adorable rambler loved it all.


It was also that time of the year when Goa beckons. We have been driving to Goa in November for the last couple of years and we decided to be brave and attempt a 555 km drive with Tarun.

We set off early in the morning, hoping to get to Goa the same day but we were flexible about that and would stop if we needed the break. By this time, Tarun was on semi solids and was in his weaning stage.We learnt the importance of his favourite music CDs. By the end of the trip both Hashim and I could sing the baby tracks backwards!


Palolem (South Goa) was our destination and we spent four days at the Palolem Guest House. This hotel is near the southern end of the beach but not on the beach itself. We considered staying at a beach coco hut but opted for comfort instead with an a/c room, geyser and efficient, friendly staff. Breakfast was followed by sea time and sunscreen really protected the three of us. Tarun found and held his first ever starfish and helped place it back in the sea. Most shacks are so cosy that we could actually lay Tarun to sleep on the hammocks and take turns at sea dips in the afternoon as well. The only down side was that most tourists smoke at these places and we were not happy about breathing the second hand nicotine.


On the third day we drove towards Karwar and past the Karnataka border. We had to skip checking out the secluded Om beach as the approach is via many steps off the side of a cliff down to the exotic beach. Without adequate time and planning to take all the baby essentials down that route would be like a trek and too exhausting.


Saswara the very stylish yet rustic resort is situated in close proximity to Om beach and we were keen on stopping there for lunch. The resort which is a part of the Cochin based Casino group is beautiful but frightfully expensive and if you consider the distance from the Dabolim airport I would be surprised if they had any visitors at all. We were taken on a tour of the property but “lunch is only for hotel residents” we were informed. Later we realized that the kitchen was probably shut as they had zero occupancy!

The manager did however direct us to the best place for local food, a place simply named ‘Auntys’ as it is run by a lady and her family in her old home in Gokarna. The husband dishes out the meals and the ‘aunty’ and kids cook up fried local fish, unpolished rice, chapattis, fish curry, sardine pickle and 2 vegetarian dishes all served in unlimited portions for a total of Rs. 30/- per head.

Tarun looked on in amusement, content with his - pre cooked in the hotel kitchen - khichdi from his high chair as we licked our fingers clean and a little pigtailed girl chatted with him in a dialect of the region.

This long car drive gave us the confidence we required to contemplate another adventure. By his first birthday, Tarun had many dry runs leading up to our favourite Indian ski adventure destination – Auli, Uttranchal.


Yes - we took the love of our lives on a drive from Mumbai to Auli up the mountain roads and through fabulous towns like Udaipur, Jaipur, Rishikesh and Chittorgard. More about this trip later.

For now - happy and safe driving.
Priya.

Our Travel Plan - details

This is our wish list:
Mumbai – Ganpatiphule - Belgaum / Chorla Ghat - Hampi / Hospeth – Bangalore - Pondicherry – Coimbatore – Madikeri - Jog falls - Tarkarli/ Sindudurg - Chiplun - Mumbai
Total approximate distance to be covered = 3469 Kms

The plan:
Day 1:

Mumbai to Ganpatiphule
NH 17, 375 kms

To Do options:
  • Swayambhu Ganapati Temple - Ganpatipule is amongst one of the `Ashta Ganapatis` (eight Ganpatis) in India and is known as the `Paschim Dwar-Dewata`
  • Prachin Konkan - cultural musuem,
  • Jaigarh Fort - The 17th century fort is located on a cliff at the entrance of the Sangameshwar River, and offers a beautiful view of the sea.
  • Bhatye Beach - black sand on a flat, straight 1.5km beach.
  • Thibaw Palace - The king and Queen of Myanmar lived here after being dethroned and exiled and the five years of their stay at the palace has been immortalized on the walls of their tombs.
  • Try local mango products and Maharashtrian thalis.
Overnight halt

Day 2:
Ganpatiphule to Chorla Ghat
NH 204, NH 4, 300 kms

To Do Options:

  • Wildernest Resort is located at 2500 ft above sea level overlooking the Swapnagandha valley.
  • Our activities here will be within the property and will range from bird watching, trekking, going on nature trails looking for insects, snakes & frogs to walking through the ancient Portuguese trading route, taking in views from the 50 acre plateau and enjoying views of two 150' waterfalls from the property.
Day 3:
Chorla Ghat to Hospet
NH 4, NH 63, 238 kms

To Do options:
  • Overnight halt at Hospet Boulders resort.
  • Visit Hampi's Vijayanagara era Temple Ruins
  • Daroji Bear sanctuary
  • Visit bouldering/rock climbing sites.
Day 4:
Hospet to Bangalore
NH 63, NH 7, 325 kms

To Do options:

Steak at Haroon bhais 'The Only Place',
  • Meet friends
  • Check out Bundi market
  • Visit children's toy shop (Suthradhar, Indiranagar) http://www.sutradhar.com/
  • Visit adventure sport gear stores
  • Try a new Cuban restaurant.
Day 5:
Bangalore to Pondicherry
NH 7, 296 kms

To Do options:
  • Auroville - Visit the Aurobindo Ashram.
  • French attractions - Get nostalgic about Paris while admiring the French qaurtier.
  • Government Park - Supposed to be the most beautiful public space in Pondicherry
  • Botanical gardens - Home to rare species of plants and trees.
  • Meet naturalist Rauf Ali and paragliding expert Gopal.
Day 6:
Pondicherry to Coimbatore
NH 45A, NH 68, NH 47, 371 kms

To Do options:
  • Ramble through the city known as the 'Manchester of India'
  • Do a short trip to Conoor - Sim's Park, Pomological Station & Pasteur Institute and Ooty.
Day 7:
Coimbatore to Madekeri
NH 17, 279 kms

To Do options:
  • Visit the Madekeri fort
  • Abbey Falls
  • Raja's seat
  • Take in the old world charm and architecture. Visit a freind's coffee estate.
Day 8:
Madekeri to Jog falls
NH 17, 385 kms

To Do options:
  • Enjoy the majestic waterfalls and ramble through the town.
Day 9:
Jog Falls to Sindudurg/Tarkarli
NH 17, 354 kms

To Do options:
  • Stay at the picturesque MTDC resort at Tarkarli beach.
  • Visit the Sindudurg fort.
  • Enjoy Malvani cuisine.
  • Snorkel if weather and visibility permits.
Day 10:
Sindudurg to Chiplun
NH 17, 305 kms

To Do options:
  • Enjoy the scenic mountains, ghat and river town by foot.
Day 11:
Chiplun to Mumbai
NH 17, 241 kms