Lonavala - a Photo Essay!

Posting the photos of Lonavala trip which I can count as one of my memorable experiences with the great Indian monsoon so far!


HANI-GAVANA

My favorite one!!!!!!!!, On our way back home we had a pit stop at the ICICI bank ATM nearby, where in I spotted this banyan beauty. I am happy to be there at the right spot right time :-)













JALA-DHARE

With plenty of water falls and streams around, its really a treat to watch the GHAT during monsoon.













Curve and the Line
Well maintained roads in the Lonavala valley! Driving down here pouring rains!! hmmmmmmm its is a real pleasure













Valley and the fields


View of lush green fields


Camera: Hand held Minolta(Film)

Check this link for more photos at flickr

Coming Soon: Trekking in the company of Monsoon

Few feathers in the CAP!

Well!!! As I enjoy bangalore's cool breeze enjoying bangalore showers and look back look at last 4 months stay in BOMB-AY, wonder really how did survive with the life there! Where in you have to be on the RUN every minute!

THEN ( 4 Months back)

- Wanted to have a real experience of FastTrack Mumbai and its train/people etc etc
- From the stories which I have heard and seen had a real terrible image of mumbai locals(trains) and the commuters!!!
- Wanted to really live in the city that's alive 24 hours
- Albeit afraid wanted to travel in locals and have a real hard look at Bombay slums
- Wanted to trek and hike places around lonavala/khandala etc etc
- Wanted to experience Mumbais night life!
- ... Well I can go on.. on and on..

NOW( 4 Months Later)

As went there lots of thoughts wasn't really sure how Mumb-ai would treat me and what she would give me back. Well As I enjoy the bangalore breeze, and think

Having weathered Deadly Dadar crowd!, MAD Borivili Crowd, and not so polite Andheri Crowd in Mumbai Locals, this city has definitely taught me how to get touch being very smooth, how to be polite with a bit of rudeness, how to be insensitive to lots of things which are happening around and yet being very helpful when it matters.. blah blah blah........

Mumbai is the city of lot of contradictions! You have people pouring in/out of trains each minute, very same people stand politely in a queue and wait for their turn to board the bus! And people who are generally rude in day to day life go a step beyond what's required in the hours of crisis! You have people who can vandalize and bring the life to standstill at the same time you have same folks decide not to call for any strikes or bundh on a business day( Of course supreme court verdict may be the real reason!) People of this city are subjected to act of terrorism but then very next day city bounces back to normal life! You call it "Resilience", "Insensitive" , "apathy".. Whatever.. Life just goes on here!!!!!

"Ai dil hai muskhkil hai jeena yahaan.. jara hatke jara bachke ............"

Chasing the Monsoon....

I always dreamt of chasing the monsoon in Western ghats. Well all I can say now is that I really started that with a BANGGGG!... Hailing from hilly regions of karnataka, where in sahyadri ranges have always had a big influence on me, finally I got an opportunity to visit one of the most famous destinations in Sahyadri mountain ranges.

It all started on a gloomy Saturday morning. Being one of the lazy folks in our gang, the departure was delayed by an half an hour. Well I would say that was pretty good by my standards. Having rented a car, we hit the road around 6.30AM.
As we hit the most beautifully built/admired Mumbai-Pune express way, rain god was unleashing his power with full force. Well, it’s a real treat to go on a long drive, with monsoon in its full fury and a great express highway, the ghats/streams and the hairpin curves, and the scenic beauty of SAHYADRI for your company, the drive was simply AMAZING!!!. Initially we thought of going to LONAVALA by train, which is of course has its own pleasures, but then renting the car proved to be a good decision.

With plethora of streams around, we relaxed near a road side water fall after reaching Lonavala which was at its scenic best coz of monsoon. Then we went Lions point, at here the visibility was so low due to the mist we could hardly see each other. Then we went to Tiger falls, and the Bushi Dam. Here a guy was selling vadapav with an umbrella in his hand, in the midst of heavy down pour, and water every where near BUSHI dam… Now I really regret of not having taken a photograph of the gentleman (:-

Nevertheless, after having lunch and a brief halt at TATA POWER STATION (which was conceived and built by JRD Tata), we headed towards Karla Caves which also has a temple of goddess Ek Vira Devi. This Buddhist monastery is built around 160 BC and the amazing thing about this is there is 45 mts long and 15 mts high Chaitya which is carved out of the mountain. On our way back we had a glimpse of Khandala Ghat enroute Mumbai.

Having eaten most of CHIKKIs on our way pradeep gloats about the land of CHIKKIShere :-)))

Needless to say, MONSOON was our companion through out the day, and a thus beginning was made :-)

COMING SOON : SNAPS