Takmak Trek

Route: Bandra → Virar → Sakwar Village → Takmak-gad

Height: 2700ft

SAKWAR VILLAGE.

One Friday morning, Sr.Bindi and I boarded the 5.39am train to Virar where we were met by our fellow-trekkers, Leena, Suparna, Deepa and her three friends. After some hot chai, we spent some time haggling with the rickshaw drivers before starting off on the 25km long ride to the base village of Sakwar.

OUR GUIDES

Sakwar village is a very picturesque place with little houses, lush, green fields and a river bubbling merrily by. We managed to enlist the services of two little village boys, Ajay and Suraj, who were more than willing to lead us up the Mountain.

RIVER

Takmak falls in the Raigad district of Maharashtra and is said to be one of the approx’ 300 forts built in Maharashtra by Shivaji. Although not much information is available about this particular fort, it is said to have been used as an execution site from which sentenced prisoners were hurled to their death.  

En route to the peak, we had to wade through the cold river, climb over styles and rickety fences that bordered the many fields around us. Here and there, we caught sight of a villager or two busy toiling in the fields.

VILLAGER IN THE FIELD

After a long, mosquito-infested, yet enjoyable climb we stopped at the first plateau to have a snack of sandwiches and boiled eggs. We spent some time munching into the sandwiches and admiring the valley below and then started off again. Our next stop, after about an hour or so, was at a tiny, yet full waterfall in which we splashed about for some time.

LOOKING AT THE PEAK

The last few minutes of our climb were rather steep, but we managed it somehow, only to realize that there was still quite a long trek ahead. The main peak was some distance away, playing hide-n-seek among the rain clouds. Visibility was rather poor on account of the swirling mist and we could barely see the peak. Every once in a while we caught a glimpse of a flag waving at the peak. It looked like a rather difficult climb, and, since many of our group were trekking either for the first time or had lost touch with it, we decided to avoid the peak this time. 

VIEW FROM TAKMAK-GAD

So, after three hours of climbing and scrambling, we sat atop this plateau and admired God’s creation all around us. It was here that we also had our lunch and then started on our way down. I must say that getting down was much faster mostly since some of us slid down at many places.

VILLAGE BOYS TAKING A DIP

Once at the base, we spent a good time splashing about in the cold river and then stood waiting for a rickshaw to take us back to Virar station. while we waited, we were entertained by the antics of the little village boys taking turns to jump into the river. After what seemed like a very long time, when we realized that getting a rickshaw wouldn’t be easy, we hailed one of the passing truckers and hitch-hiked all the way to Vasai station from where we took a train back to Bandra.


Pics by Misha

Kochi - a heavenly slice of God's own country.

KERALA BELOW

 My first ever view of Kerala was from the plane window and what I saw was very green and very beautiful. Kochi airport itself is rather pretty with it’s sloping, red-tiled roof. It doesn’t seem as fancy as the one in Mumbai, but the people here make up for it by their friendly and polite manner.

 Our destination was Fort Kochi, which is about a little less than 2hrs ride from Kochi airport. Although one can reach Kochi by taking a bus or rickshaw to Ernakulum and, from there, it’s just a very cheap, short and enjoyable ferry-ride to the Fort Kochi jetty, we purchased tickets for Rs.170/- each and boarded an air-conditioned bus that took a long route before dropping us off at the very same jetty.

 Fort Kochi, at first glance, is wonderfully quaint and peaceful town. Nothing here opens before 10am and everything shuts down by 9pm, so there’s not much to do by way of nightlife. Fort Kochi, I think, is a place for anyone looking to spend a few days of tranquility enjoying the simple things of life. Fort Kochi was inhabited first by the Portuguese who were followed by the Dutch and then it passed down into the hands of the British. Thus, the town displays a beautiful blend of south Indian and European architecture. Almost all the buildings have a colonial look to them. Many have been converted into B&Bs and restaurants.

ROOM AT VASCO HOMESTAY

We were put-up at Vasco Homestay, an extremely clean, beautiful and colonial place that is said to have been the residence of Vasco da Gama himself. The rooms are very spacious with large windows and high ceilings.

Sight-Seeing

St. FRANCIS CHURCH (CSI)

In spite of being governed by three different European powers, it is the influence of the Portuguese that is most visible. The town still boasts of Vasco da Gama, who first visited Cochin in 1502. Although his remains are now in Lisbon, one can still see, in The St.Francis Church (CSI), the site that marks the place where he was buried after his death, in Fort Kochi, on Christmas Eve in the year 1524. This church, which was constructed in 1503 still has the pankhas used by the British and the entrance is paved with old gravestones. The northern sidewall is lined with Portuguese gravestones while the southern sidewall is lined with Dutch gravestones.

VASCO DA GAMA'S GRAVE

The Dutch Cemetery, a short distance away is said to be the oldest cemetery in the country.

SANTA CRUZ BASILICA

One can also visit the Santa Cruz Basilica which is a Roman Catholic church. Adjoining this is another building I was very happy to see - a Canossian Convent with the familiar statue of St.Magdelene standing on a pedestal. I guess I was happy to see it because I’ve studied in a Canossian institute myself.

  When this sleepy town wakes up from its slumber, there’s lots to do here. We walked along the promenade and stopped a-while to see the fishermen at work at the Chinese Fishing Nets. These follow the ancient pulley technique and are the only ones of its kind along the Indian coast. The fishermen work at the nets and haul in a catch by raising and lowering the nets in the water at least 15-20 times a day. Most of the fish caught here are then auctioned out along the promenade. One can purchase fresh fish and get it cooked for a sum of about Rs.100 per kg.

CHINESE FISHING NETS

We also took a rickshaw to Mantacherry and purchased an entry ticket to The Dutch Palace. It doesn’t look very palatial, if you compare it to European palaces or the palaces of North India, but a palace it is. Inside, you will find wooden floors and wooden, carved ceilings. There are intricate murals on the wall and many exhibits giving evidence of the opulence of the once royal family of Kochi.

A kilometer away from there, we then visited Jew Town, home to the Synagogue and the few Jewish families still living in Kochi. The streets here are lines with shops selling Jewish articles and also plenty of things that might interest a tourist.

KATHAKALI DANCER

One thing we did enjoy was a Kathakali and Kalaripyattu Performance at the Kerala Kathakali Centre. Kathakali is a dance form through which dancers recount tales from the Indian epics. Kalaripyattu showcases the ancient art form of Kerala, that combines grace with a variety of martial arts. We really enjoyed the performance, but didn’t volunteer when, at the end of the display, the ‘warriors’ invited members of the audience to come up and learn some techniques for tackle and defence.

Our trip was cut short due to certain unforeseen circumstances, but the little time we did spend in Kochi was truly a beautiful experience.


Pics by Misha

Mahabaleshwar

Distance from Mumbai: 305kms via Pune. Approx’ 6hrs by car.

Route:  Mahim → Sion → Panvel → Chauk → Shilphata → Khandala → Lonavala

→  Karli → Kamset → Pune → Kapurwahal → Shirwal → Surul → Wai → Panchgani →  Mahabaleshwar.

The dawn of October 26^th saw Akshay and I all geared up for a trip to the Queen of all hill stations’, commonly known as Mahabaleshwar. Although private and government run buses are available at regular intervals form Mumbai, we had decided to drive ourselves and set out from Mahim at 6.33am.

The roads are quite empty at this early hour and the journey is an altogether pleasant one, especially once you get onto the expressway. There are hardly any diversions and if at all you are uncertain about the route, keep an eye out for the location indicators on the fringe of the roads at fairly regular intervals.

At Sherwal, the road now winds itself around a hill before reaching Surul. At this point, look out for a fuel station to your left. It’s a good place to stop for a breather and for a cup of chai. The drive so far had taken us three and a half hours.

From the Surul fuel station take the first right, cut through Wai and stop next at the quaint and picturesque town of Panchgani and take a walk along its narrow main street. Athough there wasn’t much to see here, the climate made the walk quite an enjoyable one.

Driving on to Mahabaleshwar, there’s no missing the Mapro Gardens where, apart from sampling various Mapro products, people were enjoying light snacks and ice-creams. They also have a nursery and flower garden that’s open to visitors, but we skipped that and feasted on a bowl of Mapro’s famous ‘strawberry and cream’.

The name ‘Mahabaleshwar’ is derived from three Sanskrit words; maha (great), bal (power) and ishwar (God).

This beautiful hill station was discovered by Sir. John Malcolm (Governor of Mumbai) in the year 1828. Earlier called Malcolm Peth, it used to be the summer capital of the British Raj and is now a common holiday destination for honeymooners, families and those looking for a break from the rush of the city.

We discovered that finding accommodation isn’t much of a problem even in peak season. Hotels do provide meals along with accommodation but it’s nice to scout around for alternate eating options. The non-veg fare was pretty awful, but the veg is good, especially at the MTDC restaurant. We think that the parathas and huge glass of hot Bournvita here were excellent.

For a great thali we recommend Sai Yash and for dessert our two favorites were Strawberry & Cream at Grill and Chill and Milkmaid Golas available at any of the street stalls.

The main market begins at the ST bus stand and extends up to Shivaji Chowk. This entire stretch is lined with shops, hotels and restaurants. There are also two temples, a mosque and a 177yr old church, said to be the world’s smallest parish consisting of only seven families.)

The town goes to bed by 10.30pm and comes alive at 8.30am. If you’re an early riser like me, it’s not a bad idea to take an early morning walk around town. You can probably catch the sunrise at Wilson’s Peak (ht-1436m), the highest peak in Mahabaleshwar. If you start walking at the bus stand, it’ll take you approximately 25-30 minutes to get to the peak. On my way back I sat to enjoy a cup of hot coffee and watched the sleepy town slowly come alive.

The evening of our arrival, we drove to Bombay Point (ht-1294m), advertised as the best place to watch the sunset and get a glimpse of Pratapgad in the distance. We, however, felt that the view from here isn’t all that pretty and the place is often too crowded with noisy tourists and brightly lit games’ stalls.

The next morning, after a good breakfast, we headed 7kms away towards Connaught Peak (ht-1385m). This peak, formerly known as Mt.Olympia, is the second highest point in Mahabaleshwar.

Further away, Old Mahabaleshwar is an ancient and religious place filled with temples built in the 13^th century. The way to the temples is lined with stalls selling trinkets and temple-offerings. Worth visiting is the Panchaganga Temple. It is believed to be the meeting point of the five holy rivers, Krishna, Koyana, Venna, Savitri and Gayatri. From here the five rivers become one and flow out through the Gaumukh. It is very humbling to see the modest origin of the river Krishna, one of the longest rivers in India. The Hindus believe that the Krishna is Lord Vishnu himself, while its tributaries, Venna and Koyana are Shiva and Brahma.

We next paid short stops at Marjorie Point, Savitri Point and Castlerock Point before moving on to Arthur’s Seat (ht-1348m). Named after Arthur Mallet, this point offers a nice view of the Savitri Valley far, far below.

After a much needed rest, later in the evening, we drove to Lodwick’s Point (ht-1240m) which offers not only a view of the valley, but also of Elephant Head (a huge rock face shaped like the head of and elephant.) It was here that we were greeted with the most spectacular sunset we had ever seen.

Early next morning, we had our breakfast and, at 9.45am, started our drive back to Mumbai. En route, we stopped for a nice boat-ride at Venna Lake. Later, for lunch, we stopped at Vishal Garden Resort that lies to the left somewhere between Khalapur and Shivapur toll nakas. The ambience is nice, and the service and food are good. We recommend you make this stop here as, once you get on to the expressway, it’s a long drive ahead.

We reached Mumbai with hardly any major traffic problems but progress was slow once we entered Chembur and Sion. Still, we reached home at 5.30pm, which wasn’t bad.

All-in-all, the weekend at Mahabaleshwar gets a thumb’s up from us.

Old Goa

Off we go…

Early one summer morning, Caroline, Martha, Melina and I headed to the Margao bus stand where we boarded a bus to Panjim. From here we boarded another bus that took us to our final destination, Old Goa.

This was the capital of Goa during the Portuguese rule. The state capital was later shifted to Panjim and so it has remained to this day.

BASILICA OF BOM JESU

Once there, we first visited the Basilica of Bom Jesu, the famous shrine that houses the relics of St. Francis Xavier. Although the interior is very pretty, the peaceful atmosphere was killed by the excited chatter of tourist’s voices.

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

There is a little altar of the Blessed Sacrament beside the main altar. It is said that the image of this altar cannot be captured on film. I couldn’t check that out as I didn’t have my camera with me, so we climbed some wooden stairs leading to a painting gallery. It’s a dusty little loft, but the ancient paintings are quite bright although the themes are rather gloomy-looking. After browsing through the bookstore in the Basilica, we paid a mere Rs.10/- to watch the Light & Sound Show. It’s an hour long, interesting walk that takes you through the entire life of Christ, St. Francis Xavier and also Bl. Jose Vaz.

Our next stop was just across the main street- the Archaeological Museum. I eagerly purchased a ticket and entered the museum only to walk out within a few minutes. We didn’t find it interesting enough. So, we then walked to St. Augustine’s Chapel which lies in the Museum complex itself. This large chapel was empty, devoid of any furniture, images or statues, yet it still had a strong ‘God feeling’ about it.

Se CATHEDRAL

Sharing a wall with this building, is the Se Cathedral, a huge cream colored building that houses the baptismal font used by St. Francis Xavier. Apart from the main altar, there are almost a dozen altars lining the sides of this church. One of these is dedicated to the ‘growing’ cross. Outside, if you stand facing the cathedral, you will notice that one of the towers is missing. It is said to have crumbled down years ago, but has been left untouched as it gives the cathedral a nice look. I suppose, the church would have looked as ancient as it is if it wasn’t for the fresh coat of cream, almost-yellow paint.

St AUGUSTIN'S TOWER

The grounds are well manicured and, a short distance away, you can visit the Chapel of St. Catherine, a tiny stone structure that has a haunting quality to it. It’s empty now, but one can easily see the main altar and a little loft at the back end of the chapel. There are stairs leading to the loft, but I climbed a few steps and ran back down and out of this chapel. You may not believe it, but it felt like I could almost see and hear long-robed nuns walking beside me, chanting on their beads.

RUINS OF St AUGUSTIN

Once safe outside, we waited a while deciding where to go next. Caroline saw the St. Augustine’s Tower peeing at us from amongst the trees in the distance, so we crossed the street and were soon standing at the foot of the tower. Currently under renovation, this tower was once part of a huge monastery that held within its walls a chapel, many altars, rooms for the priests and many other rooms. All that’s left now of what used to be a one-storied massive building are crumbling ruins- a tower, the altars and many nameless graves. You can also see quite clearly some windows, doorways and a staircase that led to the upper level, now extinct.

CONVENT OF St. MONICA

Right opposite the ruins is the Convent of St. Monica, the first ever convent in India. One glimpse at its massive walls and fine-grilled windows gives us an idea of what life must have been like for the nuns who lived inside. This place I now used as a study centre for the nuns. Beyond the reception area, the convent is closed to all visitors, but you are permitted to walk through a narrow, extremely high-ceilinged passage that leads to The Weeping Christ Chapel. It is just as beautiful as the other old churches around, but here, the altar still stands. As the name suggests, here you will find the ‘weeping cross’ from which Christ had wept tears into the open hands of a nun praying at his feet.

A few feet away form this convent is the Museum of Religious Artifacts with many exhibits made of pure gold. And last along this lane is another little chapel, the name of which I can’t remember. If the guard isn’t watching, you can enter and sneak up the spiral staircase and go to the choir loft or even to the little tower window. The view from here is really beautiful. We sat awhile outside this church enjoying the cool breeze and the coolness of the stones at our backs. Then, while walking back the way we had come we saw the Convent of St. John, which is now a home for the aged run by the Franciscan Hospitallers.

St. CAJETAN'S

For lunch, we stopped at a little restaurant at the end of the lane. Here, we enjoyed a goan meal of rice, fish curry and sausage chilly-fry. After this we took turns visiting the public toilets which are cheap and very clean.

A little more walking and we reached St. Cajetan’s, a church that is built on the lines of St. Peter’s in Rome, but on a much smaller scale. There are beautiful paintings adorning the walls inside. The main altar is in the center of the room and under it is an old well. If you lift the little trap-door under the altar table, you can take a little peek. People believe that if you’re good, you can see a little lamp shining brightly in its watery depths. But that’s only if you’re good.

St. CAJETAN'S MAIN ALTAR

The eager guard took us the crypt behind the church. It’s musty, eerie and was used to dress and prepare the body for burial. A few, old, cob-webby and broken coffins are still standing against the walls. It is also said that there was a tunnel here, connecting this church to the main Basilica, but the entrance has now been walled up.

The outer wall of the church has four figures, that of a man, a bull, an eagle and a lion. Each of these represents the evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

MANGUESHI TEMPLE

Our last stop was the Church of Our Lady of the Mount. To get here, we had to trek up a hill until we came to the white church set in the middle of a beautiful garden. We sat here for about an hour, enjoying the view and a few mangoes we had stolen from the church garden. We were also eyeing some guavas, but none were within our reach.

COLVA BEACH

We then caught a bus back to Margao, but this time we took a direct bus that goes via Ponda. The ride is long but not tiring or uncomfortable. En route, you can catch a glimpse of many Hindu temples including the Mangueshi Temple.

From Margao, we went directly to Colva Beach to enjoy the sand, the water and some ice-cream.