Travel Diary: Dec 18 - 22, 2010

I returned recently from a 17 day trip to Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram. As before, I kept a travel diary and I'll be putting up my entries online, beginning below.

Day 1 - Saturday - Dec 18

Mumbai/Guwahati

RG & I take a cab to the airport at 9.30 am. We reach reasonably quickly, and well in time for our 11.20 am flight. The 2 hour flight to Delhi and the connecting 2.5 hour one to Guwahati are painful. Major earaches. Maybe it's because I've not flown in over a year. Also, an additional 1 hour delay to our 2 hour stopover at Delhi airport means we only arrive at Guwahati airport well into late evening.

It's cold outside. And dark. I'm wearing a T-shirt and a heavy jacket, along with my warm skull cap. Our friend RB meets us at the airport. He used to live and work in Mumbai, among other places, in our colony in fact, which is how we met him. He's now returned to Guwahati to set up his own business. We take a rick to a circle in Guwahati (the airport is way outside town) for Rs.300, where RB's cousin picks us up in his car and we drive around for a little while. He tells us about this idea he has for a houseboat on the Brahmaputra river.

We're dropped off at RB's house, a large beautiful place, where we meet his parents and my friend ZP, who travelled here by train, leaving Mumbai 3 days ago, and only just reached Guwahati early this morning. Greetings are exchanged. I have a bath, and then a special dinner, that's absolutely delicious.

It gets colder as the night progresses. The floor is to cold to walk on barefoot. ZP and I share one bedroom, while RB & RG share another. We plan to go to Cherrapunjee tomorrow, in a car that RB has hired for the day (for Rs.2500), where we've booked a couple of tents at Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort for 2 days, and see a little of Shillong en route.

ZP and I have a lot to talk about. We're up till 4.00 am.

Day 2 - Sunday - Dec 19

Guwahati/Shillong/Cherrapunjee

We wake at 7.00 am today. I've not had much sleep, but feel fresh, excited.

Even though Guwahati and Shillong are the capitals of two different states, Guwahati being located close to the border of Assam to the south, and Shillong close to the border of Meghalaya to the north, means that they're only around 3 hours apart by car. And the good highway connecting them makes for a lovely drive.

We set off at around 9.00 am, after tea & biscuits. Guwahati's roads are dusty. We soon leave the city and the drive to Shillong is beautiful and peaceful. We stop to click pics at Umiam lake on the way to Shillong, and have a little pork snack. Pork is very common here.

We reach Shillong. Most of the city is closed because it's Sunday. No shops. No people. No nothing. But it seems like a nice place, and we make good time because of the absence of any traffic. We go to Ward's lake, which is a kind of picnic spot. Some people are here relaxing on the nice lawns, but the lake itself is brown. We don't want to spend too much time here.

Shillong seems like a nice place to walk around. There's nothing 'touristy' as such here, no clickable sights, it's more a place to take a walk in. We drive to the Cathedral next. It's grand. Lovely. Something clickable. It's past lunchtime now but we go to Shillong peak next. It's this hill really high up on the hill station that is Shillong from where you get views of the whole city. It's literally bone chilling up here, and the view is just O.K.

We drive to Cherra, all of us feeling sleepy in the car. The drive from Shillong to Cherra is again short, just about an hour or so. The scenery is very beautiful. The place is green even in winter. It's essentially a huge valley, much larger than Khandala, and stunning. We stop for a late lunch at Cherrapunjee town. Cherrapunjee is also called Sohra. The restaurant we stop at is called Halari. It's close to the petrol station, and they also offer rooms for 800/night.

Lunch here is delicious. We have 2 plates of steamed pork momos, 2 plates of pork dry fry (the best), 2 pork potato chops & 2 plates of rice, all for Rs 150/person. It gets close to twilight. Because these places are so far east, they're really in a different timezone altogether, but because they follow IST, sunrise and sunset both happen much earlier here. Sunset in winter, for example, takes place at 4.30, with it growing completely dark by 5.00 pm.

Our resort is about 15 kms away from Cherra town, along an inside edge of the valley. The narrow bumpy road means it takes a while to cover these 15 kms. We arrive, and check into our tents. They've set up the 2 huge army tents in a thatched room on the first floor of an under construction building next to the present resort. The tents each have a double mattress and blankets, and the temporary thatched room is somewhat cosy with moody lighting, tables & chairs, & gives us some privacy. A great place to chill out. The room is easily accessible via an external staircase and we have access to external bathrooms too.

So we sit around drinking as dinner time approaches, talking and planning our next day. RB & ZP do most of the drinking from 7-9, and RB keeps us laughing with his stories, after which we go down to the resort to eat. They have an excellent menu, and we have 2 pork jadoh stems (sort of like a pork biryani) and pork neiiong (a spicy pork curry). Heavenly food. I eat a lot of pork in Mumbai, but nothing like this.

ZP and I decide to do a trek to the double decker living root bridge at Nongriat village tomorrow. It's a full day trek. He wants to spend the night at a village guesthouse there, and I would too, but we're on a tight schedule here, so we decide to make it a 1 day trip. RG & RB decide to stay back and stroll around tomorrow.

There's an American here, TP. He did the trek yesterday and gives us some tips, like taking photos on our way up instead of down since we'll be taking more breaks going up anyway. He was here for 2 weeks last year, and went caving. He's done a lot of Alaskan treks, and is used to the cold. He tells us to say hi to Andreas at Nongriat tomorrow.

There's a campfire set up outside the resort, which we use to warm ourselves before retiring for the night.

Day 3 - Monday - Dec 20
Cherrapunjee

The plan today was to trek to the double decker root bridge. We had originally planned to leave at 8.00 am. We finally leave at 8.45, after a breakfast of 1 paratha for me and omelettes for the others. The resort has fixed us up with a guide for Rs.500. His name is Bat. RG decides to join ZP and I at the last minute.

We start walking from the resort. What we need to do is follow the motorable road leading down from the resort to the nearest village, and then to a second village, and it's a proper trek from there. This road is about 3 kms, and we begin walking, taking a few pics along the way. It's so green, it feels as if it's rained only yesterday. We manage to hitch a ride all the way to the second village.

We walk down many many steps from the village, seeing some beautiful spiders on the way, before making it to the bottom of the valley, from where I change into something lighter, and we take a short detour to the first root bridge, which is the longest one. It's a sight to behold, and we walk across it. It's scary at first, but we soon get the hang of it. It's pretty sturdy. We return and get on the trail to the double decker root bridge. This involves crossing a couple of steel cable bridges, where we run into a group of guys from Shillong who've been here many times, and another small wide root bridge, before ascending a few tiring steps to the village of Nongriat, where the double decker is located.

We relax at the village. This trek down has takes us 3 hours, and I'm soaked. I had set out in full warm gear - 2 t-shirts and a jacket - and our guide is now helpfully carrying most of that. We meet Andreas, a local primary schoolteacher there, with whom we arrange lunch with and then walk to the double decker root bridge. It's awesome, like the others. They're even guiding the tree roots in a way that will make it a triple decker in some time.

We have lunch at Andreas' place for Rs. 60 each, and then do the long walk back to the resort. It's much harder this time because of all the uphill climbing, though they're only steps and not an actual dirt track. We make it back up to the village where we take a shared vehicle to the resort which we reach by dusk. So the trek took 8 hours in all, quickened by hitching rides, though I think ZP & RG slowed me down by at least 1 hour with all their extra breaks.

We freshen up, relax and ZP & RB drink while I warm myself by the campfire. We have dinner - pork meatballs, chicken & pork jadoh stem, dal in mustard leaves, and a dessert of apple cubes in cream for RG.

After dinner, ZP and I arrange a cab from the resort back to Sohra for Rs. 300. Travel is really expensive here. It pays to have your own vehicle. Shared or cheap public transport isn't always readily available. We discount any other travel plans here, like hiring a cab for the full day to visit the waterfalls and caves, because of the expense, but we'd really like to return to do some caving & exploring.

ZP and I chat with TP for a while, before retiring. RG and RB are already fast asleep. RB had the whole day to himself here, and he spent it walking around and watching a football match. People here (the Khasis) are really football crazy.

Day 4 - Tuesday - Dec 21
Cherrapunjee/Shillong

We wake at 9.00. Our bodies are aching after yesterday's trek. Have a breakfast of parathas, omelettes and orange juice. The resort restaurant is really good, and we've all eaten well. ZP orders a masala omelette, but gets one with onions and no masala. He queries this, and we discover that's how they make masala omelettes over here.

We pay up and leave by 10.30. Our cab drops us at Cherrapunjee (Sohra) town, from where we take a shared taxi to Shillong for Rs. 50 each. Though they're close, and the ride is scenic, it seems to take us much longer than 2 days before. The approach into Shillong especially is hell. Too many bottlenecks and too much traffic.

We get off at the shared taxi stop and take a local cab to Police Bazaar to drop Ravi off for his bus to Guwahati, and then continue on to Mizoram House to get our permits for Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. ZP has discovered that there's a direct bus leaving for Mizoram every evening from Shillong, and we're aiming to get on one of those. We've already made some extra passport size photos in Sohra town this morning for Rs.60 each.

Mizoram House is almost deserted when we arrive at 3.00 pm. We have to go looking around for someone, and when we finally find someone, they're just leaving, but get us our permits without much hassle. The permits cost Rs.120 each, and require 2 photos and you filling out 2 forms with your basic info, one of which serves as your permit and the other which they keep for records.

That done, we take the cab to the area where buses leave for Aizawl and visit a couple of travel agencies to get our tickets, but one of them only has seats available for the 22nd evening (the other one doesn't have any), which means we'll have to spend a night in Shillong.

So we return to Police Bazaar and, after searching for a long time with one of us guarding our bags and the other 2 heading off in different directions to inquire about rooms), get a nice room at Stay-Inn guesthouse for Rs.1000 for the 3 of us. We dump out bags and roam around PB.

It's like this huge city centre, a central node on a little incline, with around 5-6 streets tapering down and off from the centre in all directions, like spokes on a wheel, each little street housing numerous hotels, restaurants and different kinds of shops. It's nice, not the cleanest, but nice if you like busy. It's crowded, everyone Christmas shopping, everyone busy. Most of the locals are very smartly dressed. Everything's lit up and decorated.

We haven't had any lunch today, we're all hungry, and it's getting to be dinnertime. We walk to a highly recommended restaurant nearby - Centre Dhaba - but that turns out too expensive and has been mostly booked out for a wedding reception. So we keep looking, find a Bengali section of PB, and then a local restaurant called Travellers Point, where we order chilly pork, mixed special fried rice, and rice & chicken gravy for Rs. 265.

RG goes to bed, while ZP and I walk about checking out the nightlife. We go to Cloud 9, a lounge bar here in PB. Posh, but reasonably priced. Also a bit small, and almost empty. We check out another bar at just after 9 pm, but they tell us they've just closed. Few bars here, and they're either deserted or shut by 9.00. Everything seems to close early here. Even the restaurants shut by 9.00. One of the places we check tells us they take their last order at 8.30.

It's getting progressively colder as the shop lights go out and the night goes on. Shillong is the coldest place we've been to so far in the N.E. We walk around for a bit just talking, watching PB shut down, before getting back to the guesthouse.

Day 5 - Wednesday - Dec 22
Shillong

We get up late deliberately, skipping breakfast. We've earned it. Check out of the hotel at 12.30 but leave our bags behind to pick up later. We begin walking to the Don Bosco museum. We figure we'll go there as it's supposed to be good and we have a day to kill.

We walk a fair distance before realising it's really far and then manage to take a shared cab the rest of the way. The cab driver is playing Scorpions. We reach the museum and discover it's closed from 22-25 Dec due to Christmas. We walk down the street from the museum. This is nothing like PB. It's an area/district called Mawlai, a quiet beautiful locality with lovely bungalows. We catch a cab back to PB by 3.00 pm and look for lunch.

We go to a Manipuri restaurant for lunch. We had first seen it last night. We figure we'll try some Manipuri food here since we're not going to Manipur. And for Rs. 60 each we eat some of the most delicious chicken curry, fish curry & rice we've ever had. It's 4.00 by the time we're done. The owner tells us he used to run a Taikwando school in Colaba.

We kill time for 2.5 hours, first listening to some open air carol singing, which turns out to be a preview to some more serious worship, then shopping for supplies - biscuits, alcohol and chocolate - our next few meals on the bus to Aizawl, and then finally chilling out at a coffee place that's a dead ringer for CCD. I call a Mumbai friend who's Mizo and currently in Mizoram. He helps with some info.

At 6.30 pm we collect our bags from the hotel and catch a shared cab to to the designated bus stop. The bus is late coming in from Guwahati. Damn Shillong traffic. It finally arrives at around 8.30. We leave. No dinner tonight.

Travel Diary: Dec 18 - 22, 2010

Dear Lonely Planet India

Dear Lonely Planet India,

I bought a 2007 copy of the LP in May 2009, to take with me on a May-June 2009 backpacking trip to Ladakh and Himachal. Though the LP is written primarily for foreign visitors, I being both Indian and a resident of Mumbai for 10 years, still managed to find the LP very useful, primarily because as a backpacker, and a first time visitor to Ladakh and Himachal, my travel needs were not very different from those of most foreigners there. 

Here are some thoughts:

I found the lists of places to stay, with their rates, and places/things to see, most useful. The maps and public transport info were also much used. These are probably the main reason anyone would really want to own a Lonely Planet guidebook.

I liked the add-ons too. I liked the little ‘boxed’ information offering useful tips/information, and warning people of possible dangers like not to wander about the Parvati valley forests alone, or get involved in drugs, or get taken for a houseboat ride scam. I also liked the little snippets of history and general information all over the LP. It gave me context.

Now that we’re done with what I liked, can we commence with a few suggestions?

First, the North:

I like that the LP is compact enough to carry around. But I do have a request. Could you please issue state-wise or region-wise LPs for India, in addition to the full India LP? That would be so much better for us travellers who are only visiting one or two states/regions and don’t want to lug around a big fat LP for the whole of India. Carrying a smaller issue would be lighter on the back and pocket, don’t you think? I know that you currently issue specific LPs for Goa and the North-East. That’s a good start. How about one only for the North, like Kashmir-Himachal-Delhi?

I’d be happy if you could elaborate on the Old Manali–Solang Nullah ‘trail’ through Goshal village that you guys have mentioned in the chapter on Manali in Himachal Pradesh. I tried looking for it but only managed to stumble across a full moon rave party that had gone on for too many moons.

Your map and information about places in the Parvati valley in Himachal Pradesh are woefully inadequate, even in the 2009 LP edition (I checked). You need to mention that there’s a bus route that goes upto Versaily, which is the last bus stop in the valley. It would also be nice if you included more specific route information from Versaily to Pulga village and Khir Ganga and the hot springs there, given the number of foreign visitors to the area. Also, Tosh village (near Versaily) isn’t even mentioned in the LP, despite the fact that it’s become a destination with its own charm and decent accommodation. Maybe you could have your writers talk to a few Israeli tourists in the area? They seem to know more about the layout of these places than anyone else.

And now for Mumbai:

The LP entry on Mumbai seems skewered in favour of South Mumbai. While this is understandable to some extent, there’s a lot of stuff happening in the North that you could be mentioning, like clubs, restaurants, etc. For example, there’s so much to see and do in Bandra, like the numerous old Churches with their attractive architecture, and the original Wall Project on Chapel Road. And so much to see around Bandstand and Carter road. And so many eateries & pubs in Bandra that you’ve missed out on.

You’ve not mentioned Powai lake or the controversial Hiranandani architecture close by.

Further north, you’ve just given the Sanjay Gandhi National Park a passing mention, when there are so many well-worn trekking trails within the park that you’ve left out, like the Shilonda waterfall trail, the trek to the highest point in the park, the trails to Vihar and Tulsi lakes, and the trails commencing from the entry points in Goregaon and Thane. Do you know how many groups of people trek here each week during the monsoon? As far as entry points go, you’ve only mentioned the Borivli gate. And the only activities you’ve included are the lame safaris and the crowded Kanheri caves. There’s so much more for nature lovers. Plus, you’ve excluded the Aarey milk colony adjoining the park, also a popular green zone.

You’ve not even mentioned the giant Pagoda at Gorai (next to Esselworld), a breathtaking structure and Vipassana centre that's been reeling in curious onlookers. For that matter, what happened to Gorai, Manori and Uttan beaches? No entries on them, though they remain the cleanest beaches within Mumbai limits, and non-crowded to boot. Same story with Madh island and Aksa beach (though Aksa can get as bad as Juhu or Chowpatty). Where are the write-ups?

Further north, you’ve not mentioned Chinchoti falls at Naigaon, one of the few real natural waterfalls within Mumbai city limits, and one that gets crowded on weekends and has been responsible for a lot of drownings. You've also left out Bassein fort at Vasai, and Arnala fort at Virar. Are you not aware of the existence of these places?

Navi Mumbai fails to find mention in the LP. I find this strange since you could have used this opportunity to present the popular Karnala bird sanctuary and fort (near Panvel) and Peth/Kothaligad fort (near Karjat) to interested readers. There is accommodation nearby, but given their proximity to the city, I'm sure foreign visitors based in Mumbai wouldn't mind day trips.

And moving on to the rest of Maharashtra:

North Maharashtra doesn’t seem to exist in the LP. You’d do well to know that the towns and beaches of Vangaon, Dahanu and Bordi, along with nearby Parsi strongholds, make for interesting exploring.

The North East of Mumbai, beyond Kalyan, holds a few well-known gems. I’m referring to Malshej Ghat, one of the most beautiful drives from Mumbai that’s heavenly possible, and Shivneri town, home to the massive but crowded-on-weekends Shivneri fort, birthplace of Shivaji. The fact that you’ve left out what constitutes one of the most beautiful and fulfilling day trips I’ve been on makes me want to cry.

You’ve made a passing reference to Igatpuri in the ‘Around Nasik’ section but have failed to mention its main attractions – beautiful Bhandardara lake, Mt. Kalsubai - the highest peak in Maharashtra, and a trekkable one at that, and a few waterfalls.

Talking about the Nasik region, you’ve left out the hill stations of Jawahar and Vikramgad, about two hours drive from Mumbai, with attractions such as the palace, Dabossa falls, caves & mountains, and excellent valley views.

Your entry on the Konkan coast begins on a bad note - describing the food as being monotonous. I hope that’s a joke. Or maybe I just dreamed up those delicious fish dishes and mutton thalis I’ve eaten there.

The rest of the entry on Konkan is bare at best. You begin with Murud-Janjira, move on to Ganpatipule, then Ratnagiri, and end with Malvan-Tarkali. You’ve missed out at least 7 beaches between Mandwa jetty and Murud – Kihim, Awas, Alibaug, Korlai, Kashid, Naigaon & Nandgaon. Alibaug, Kashid & Naigaon are popular beaches and get quite crowded on weekends; you don't have to recommend them but you shouldn't leave them out. You’ve also left out Alibaug fort, and the entire villages of Revdanda (built within the ruins of a fort) and Korlai, home to the beautiful Korlai beach, lighthouse, and fort, all situated on a little peninsula, and one of my favourite places in Maharashtra. How could you be so cruel?

And moving south of Murud, you seem to have bypassed Diveagar, Srivardhan, Harihareshwar, Guhagar & Vengurla beaches, amongst others, and Chiplun town, amongst others. Diveagar tends to be secluded though you can have a hard time finding a guesthouse that isn't full, while Harihareshwar tends to get crowded due to it being a pilgrimage centre, though it is vast.

Moving to the hill stations, I find no mention of the famous Khandala at all, with its beautiful valley and trekking routes. You have mentioned Lonavala, but have left out information pertaining to Korigad fort, and the trek to nearby Rajmachi village, with its twin forts, temple, caves and pond. You’ve also left out the fact that there’s a direct motorable road to Lohagad-Visapur forts from Lonavala, or the fact that the forts are engulfed in mist during the monsoon, giving them a magical feel. You need to give people a reason to visit a place. 

I also find no mention of the very beautiful Pavna dam/lake or nearby Torna fort, or the route to Amby valley. In fact the only attraction you've listed about Lonavla are the same ole same ole Karla and Bhaje caves. Give me a break. There's so much more. I do see with some relief that you haven't noted disastrous Bushi dam, though whether this is out of purpose or ignorance I do not know. It might be fair to include it in your next edition, if only to ward unsuspecting travellers away.


These then are some of my suggestions of places to visit in and around Mumbai. Places I've been to and had loads of fun. Places that are beautiful, clean, mostly non-crowded, and worth travelling to. Places that any foreign traveller would enjoy. Places that for some reason are not listed in the LP. And then you wonder why foreigners only hang out at Colaba. You've built up this image of Mumbai as revolving around the town area (by the way, please have your writers stop referring to Worli as North Mumbai), with the only external locales worth venturing to being spots like Elephanta. No wonder you don't see any foreign tourists at the well known beaches, hill stations, or forts. They don't know about them. And they depend on you to enlighten them. And you could do a lot better.

Please let me know if you’d like my help with updating the next LP with any information pertaining to the suggestions above. I’d be happy to contribute. Also, if you should find these suggestions out-of-this-world useful and in your immense gratitude feel like gifting a copy of a more recent version of the Lonely Planet, or feel like offering me an author’s position at your esteemed publication, I wouldn’t say no.

Edit - 11/Aug/2010 - LP have written in to say that a lot of these places have been left out due to space constraints. Also, the Pagoda at Gorai wasn't included due to it being incomplete at the time of publication.

Dear Lonely Planet India

More Recent Adventures

The Pavana Trip

I was home on the 5th and 6th of September, during which I attempted to recover from a mild case of vertigo brought about by my sinusitis. This was only the second time this monsoon that I hadn't gone out anywhere. On the plus side, I got to meet a cousin who dropped by during a 10 day break from work, and my uncle before he left for Calcutta.

However, it was back to travelling on the following Saturday. I was keen to go to Pavana again since we only just got an appetiser of it the last time around. But my cousin and his car weren't available. While talking to RV about the possibility of him getting a vehicle, he confirmed what I'd been thinking - that I'd become lazy and too dependent on private transport. I started off this monsoon trekking but now preferred comfortable travel. Part of this was due to health reasons of course. I still hadn't fully recovered from the sinus attack. I was still getting headaches, was not 100% and definitely couldn't think of a trek, even a short one. But he was right, I have grown lazy, after just two trips in a car.

But I so wanted to go out that weekend. RV finally managed to get a Tata Sumo from his uncle and called three other friends along and the five of us decided to visit Pavana, via Khandala. This would be my fourth trip to Khandala this monsoon, though we didn't visit Buffalo falls this time.

The day started off with me travelling to the Directi building at seven on Saturday morning, meeting RV after his graveyard shift. The others were late, still in bed (I don't know why I even bother getting up so early if everyone else's going to be late) so we chilled out for an hour, me beating RV royally at fooseball (I've recovered my touch it seems; I guess I'm good at one on one fooseball). He, not to be outdone, ran away to play TT as soon as the table was free, and showed me how good he was at beating me at that.

The others called to say they were ready at last, and we picked them up. The drive to Khandala along the expressway was warm but non eventful. A lot of this trip was going to be non eventful, I was to realise by the end of the day, at least compared to previous trips. We visited St Mary's villa and Father Robin first - he used to organise camps in the area. We then checked out the cliff face path leading to the Garden of Eden, before driving to Lonavala, for money, fudge and alcohol as usual.

We then drove to Pavana. It was exquisite, the play of light on the water, the different shades of blue and green. We drove all round the dam and up and down various paved and unpaved roads, stopping now and then for pictures. RV, being the only driver in the group, had to do all the driving.

We stopped at one of RV's family friends' beautiful weekend home for a while at one point. They plan to rent out a room and bath to travellers. That's good to know. What I liked most about he place was the view of lake from the large verandah.

We then drove up into the hills, looking for something to eat. I ate some Choris Pao that RV had got while the others had fuller meals. RV was tired by now. We went back to Khandala and Fr. Robin's place for some thick hot soup, and that, together with a lot of cigarettes on the way back, kept him awake.

I caught a train home from Vile Parle. The trip was good, but I really should be doing overnight trips to the area.

The Shivneri Trip

With RV in Paris the following weekend, and RG and his car still unavailable, it didn't seem like I'd be going anywhere the following weekend. But a colleague suggested Shivneri and I launched onto the idea of a bike trip on Sunday, 20 September.

It was a truly exquisite trip. It took us (four guys on two bikes) 5 hours to get to Shivneri fort via Malshej ghat, with Borivli as a starting point, and another 5 hours to get back. My legs were sore the next day from riding pillion in the same stiff position for that long, but it was worth it if only to see the beauty of Malshej once again. I hadn't been there in 5 years.

And Shivneri fort was a good visit. I wish we had more time to explore it. Being the birthplace of Shivaji, it was well maintained and busy. Uptil this point, Janjira had been the largest fort I had ever visited, but Shivneri seemed larger, at least because it's built on a hill and you need to go up a winding way to get to the top.

My friend's blog post on the trip is here. Again, it was a wonderful trip, and even chilly in parts (the ride up and through the ghats) and we even encountered heavy rain on our way back. This is the last monsoon trip I did.

The Kashid Trip

And that finally brings me to last week's Saturday trip. RG, RV, NS and I drove to Kashid and Murud for the day. A lovely trip. RG and I picked up the others from Jogeshwari and Andheri, leaving at 8.00 A.M for Vashi and Panvel, from where we continued along the highway for Pen and Alibag, passing Karnala on the way. I depended on the others for directions till Alibag, and they depended on me for directions till Murud, I being the only one among us who had been there before. The drive to Alibag was pretty peaceful, with very little traffic.

We came to a trisection on the outskirts of Alibag and after asking for directions, took a left for Revdanda. This road was narrow but peaceful, with bungalows lining both sides. We soon came to a junction where we took a right for Revdanda, came to a crowded town, and passed under ancient arches, the ruins of an old fort and town, on our way out.

We continued south, the road turning into a coastal one, coming next to Korlai, which we passed by, and then finally to Kashid, where we stopped for a rest, snack and pictures. The beach is clean and beautiful. And a row of shacks along an embankment along the beach provide refreshments, shade, and hammocks. And behind the embankment is the road and across the road from the beach is a beautiful green woody slope.

You don't get full meals on the beach, and have to visit a resort for that, so we drove 20 kms south to Murud for lunch, stopping for views of Nandgaon beach and the palace on the cliff.

Inspite of being hungry, we drive through Murud to see Janjira fort, almost coming to Rajpuri village itself. We were happy with a view of the fort from the hill overlooking it, and went back to Murud for a heavy seafood lunch. The drive back, as is usually the case, was never-ending.

My friend's post on the trip is here.

More Recent Adventures

Travel Diary: May 18 - 22

Day 11 – Monday – May 18
Leh

Woke at 8.00 A.M. Had a hot bucket bath. Left the hotel at 9.00. Had a luxuriously long good breakfast of mushrooms on toast & coffee (Rs.60) at Lamayuru Restaurant.

Walked to the Shanti Stupa junction north on the outskirts of town and then took the long winding road right and round towards the series of steps cut into the side of a hill that serves as a sort of back entry directly towards the gompa above Leh palace.

The steps form a winding tiring path up the hill. I climbed them steadily with lots of breaks. On reaching the gompa, I found an Am/Can man who showed me another way down – a kind of steep dirt path between the palace and gompa that would take me directly to the palace below. I hadn’t seen this on my last visit to the palace, and including the long approach road for vehicles, would make up the third way to reach the gompa.

I looked around the gompa and the fort above it a bit. This has got to be the highest I’ve ever been to in Leh, and is probably Leh’s highest point. The views from up here are indescribable. It’s lonely up here, and windy. The gompa was closed, and I didn’t see any other tourists save that one man during my time there.

I decided to walk down from the gompa to the palace using the dirt path between them. Easier said than done. The path essentially runs down a very steep slope, zig zagging from one end of the slope to another so as to enable you to keep your balance. I started off a bit shaky at first because of the height and the slipperiness, but made it down to the palace entrance, then climbed down from the palace into Leh town, following the drain and moving between houses as before.

I met P at the shake place, and we walked to the Tourist Information Centre to get directions to the Snow Leopard Conservancy office, from where we hoped to get details about the Markha valley trek. They drew it out for us on a map.

As we walked to the office, I realized for the first time today hot it was. My back was soaked. It’s probably the first time I’ve ever sweated since arriving in Leh, and possibly the first warm day of the year. There was no wind at all today, come to think of it, and even a few minutes in the sun were enough to make you want to get back in the shade, where the temperature dropped dramatically.

Still, for all our efforts searching for the office, and finding it, no one seemed to be in. We made plans to visit tomorrow, and I walked to the SBI ATM, only one of two ATM's in town, and where lines during the daytime are really long. It’s best to go there early in the morning or late at night.

I chilled at the hotel, had a shave, and then went to see P & T. We go to Summer Harvest Restaurant, a pretty expensive place. Still, the portions of food were generous. I had a chicken biryani (Rs. 110) which was very substantial with egg and a lot of chicken so I couldn’t complain. I wasn’t able to finish all the rice unfortunately.

I went back to P & T’s place after dinner and drank vodka with Miranda and Sprite, watching Office Space and the CSK vs KKR IPL match side by side.

I went back to my hotel at just before 12.00, wary of the street dogs on the two minute walk to my hotel. The dogs here are really shaggy – they seem to be covered with a mountain of fur. I noticed it wasn’t cold outside, even for this time of night. I didn’t need my gloves or scarf or sweater. Left the monkey cap on though.

Day 12 – Tuesday – May 19
Leh

Awoke late today – 11.00 A.M. The hotel now has running hot water so I had a hot shower today for the first time in 12 days. Went to Lamayuru Restaurant for brunch at 12.30. Had a paneer mushroom with rotis (Rs. 70).

Walked to the SLC office again. They were in this time. Very friendly people. They gave me details of the trek and a tour organiser who could arrange homestays along the way.

I walked up to the Shanti Stupa junction again and took a left this time to go to the Hall of Fame museum. I was sure this road would lead me there. The walk went on for at least four kilometers. Most of it took me past army barracks and buildings on my right.

A section of the army structures are built against a mountain which seems to have sand running up almost the entire length of it. It was very windy in some parts along the road, creating sandstorms that I had to pass through or stop for occasionally.

The Hall of Fame museum was nice. The three rooms to the left are dedicated to Ladakhi history, culture, flora, fauna, and industry.

The centre room contains a large display of the important Ladakhi mountain passes, with information on some of the key personnel involved in helping to capture them.

The three room to the right contain information and displays about the air force and their role in Ladakh - like the 114 helicopter squad that’s responsible for airdropping supplies to soldiers at high altitudes.

The two rooms on the first floor contain information on the army’s presence in Siachen and the special equipment used by soldiers there - like their clothes, boots (which are really shoes within shoes), supplies, and pictures of them performing their duties.

The walk back to Leh town was mostly the same way, only uphill, but I took a right turn about 15-20 minutes before coming to the Shanti Stupa junction through a village like area. I thought it would be an interesting detour back into town, and I wasn’t mistaken.

The detour took me past some beautiful two-storey village bungalows with large green lawns, yards and pastures; then guesthouses and finally taking me to Fort road, where all the best restaurants are and where P & T stay, my hotel being on the road next to it and meeting it at the taxi stand junction.

I rested at my hotel for a while. It’s definitely cold today, more so compared to yesterday’s heat. I then walked to the tour organizer I was recommended earlier, who gave me additional details about the trek.

I went to P & T’s next. Drank a vodka and pineapple juice – it had quite a kick – and watched Species. We went to Happy World restaurant for dinner, where I tried Italian food for the first time. I had a Pico chicken lasagna. It was just chicken baked in white sauce, which I’ve had before, but in layers. A bit boring.

Went straight to bed afterwards. Quite tired, and in no mood for more alcohol.

Day 13 – Wednesday – May 20
Leh

Woke a little after 9.00 A.M. Had breakfast at Gesmo Restaurant. A mushroom omlette and coffee (Rs. 50). Then back to the hotel for a hot shower – real nice.

The guys and I decided that we’d meet at 11.30 at my hotel. P showed up, and we decided to join a family going to Pangong Tso lake tomorrow.

We then walked around, and went back to their hotel where I borrowed a book to read – Mark Tully’s India in Slow Motion. We went looking for lunch at 1.30 - Gesmo again – where I had a yak cheese chicken sandwich with chips and salad (Rs.80).

We went to see a movie at 3.00 P.M at the Women’s Alliance of Ladakh – Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh – based on the book by Helena Norberg-Hodge.

Went back to the hotel to read for a while, and then to P & T’s at 6.30, where I watched a bit of the RR vs KKR match. We went to the newly opened Dreamland Restaurant for dinner, where I tried Kashmiri food for the first time - Rogan Josh and rotis (Rs. 100). The mutton had a distinctive taste I’m not used to in the mutton I usually eat. It’s not my favourite kind.

I got a water refill and went back to get a good night’s sleep. We’re supposed to meet at 6.20 A.M tomorrow for the lake trip.

Day 14 – Thursday – May 21
Leh/Pangong Tso

Met P at 6.20 today. We left at 6.45 A.M in a jeep with the Indian family we’re sharing costs with. A husband, wife, and their son who seemed to be around six or seven.

We climbed up into the mountains south east of Leh and crossed the world’s third highest motorable road – Chang La. On the other side, we breaked for breakfast at 10.30 at Tangtse village, where we had paranthas and salty tea (Rs. 40). Pangong Tso lake is a 40 km drive from the village, through desert like land where we saw a few wild asses.

The lake is beautiful, and large. The different shades of blue were the first thing that struck me about it. That, and it’s size. We couldn’t see the end of it, and I’m told most of it lies in China. It’s bordered by mountains for the most part, and the approach road that we drove on only took us so far. There’s a small army encampment at the lake, it being a sensitive area, and all visitors require permits.

We got out of the vehicle and spent about a half hour at the lake, just walking around it’s shore and taking pictures. There were other visitors as well – a lot of package tourists in jeeps and vans. I saw a few gulls over the water, which was cold. The lake area itself seemed to be colder than Leh, and this didn’t seem like the time to picnic there.

We drove back to Leh, reaching it at 5.30 P.M. The drive was uneventful both ways, and the trip cost us 1,100 per person.

Back at Leh, I freshened up and met the guys for dinner. We went to Budshah Inn Restaurant, the same place we went to on our first night here. I had a chicken tikka and rice (Rs. 170) and a bit of the gravy from the chicken mughlai (sweetish) and chicken tikka masala (stronger) that my friends ordered, though I still felt a bit hungry. The chicken tikka is sure not enough for Rs.150.

Day 15 – Friday – May 22
Leh/Spituk

Woke at 10.00 A.M. Breakfast at Lamayuru again – coffee, beans, mushrooms and French toast (Rs.50). Very filling but the mushrooms were in the bean sauce – I prefer my mushrooms dry.

I caught a bus to Spituk, a town just outside Leh, about a half hour’s journey. My destination was the monastery. The bus dropped me at what seemed to be a real isolated place. I found and walked up the approach road to Spituk monastery, where I took a lot of pictures. A separate approach road leads to a large Buddha statue above the monastery.

I walked back down, not sure where the bus stop was, and decided to walk to Spituk town. Luckily, I saw a bus approaching from the opposite direction, flagged it down, and returned to Leh, where I hit the ATM, and rested at the hotel.

I had lunch at Tenzin Dickey Tibetan Restaurant on Fort Road at 3.00 P.M – fried veg cheese momos (Rs.60) & Sorig Tea (Rs.20). Then spent a little time on the internet.

I met P & T for dinner. We went to a newly opened place again – Bon Appetit restaurant. A lot of activity seems to be taking place this week. Restaurants long dormant have been lifting their shutters and the number of visitors has been increasing. I guess businesses are anticipating the opening of the Manali–Leh road. That should bring in most of the tourists.

Anyway, I tried Italian food again. I had the Pasta Napolitana. Not very good and boring as well. I should stay off Italian food for a while. Or at least Italian food made by Indians in India. We then went to a bar nearby. I had a 60 ml of rum (Rs. 30) and a pepsi, watched the IPLK semi final – DC vs DD. Adam Gilchrist can bat!

Went to bed at 11.30.

Travel Diary: May 18 - 22

Janjira Fort Trip

Finally went to the Janjira sea fort at Murud on Sunday. Been planning this for a while now.

Awoke at 4.00 A.M. Left home by 4.45. Took a train to Churchgate and a taxi to the Gateway to meet PV and BD, who were already there. I reached just a couple of minutes after the first ferry of the day (6.15 A.M by Ajantha Launch Services) left.

So, after apologising for my lateness, we settled down to wait for the next ferry, at 7.15. PV and BD had a bite to eat while waiting. Taking the next ferry turned out to be something of a good thing, since we got to watch the sunrise as we pulled away from the harbour.




The ferry ride to Mandwa jetty took an hour, and the accompanying free bus ride to Alibag (also by Ajantha) took another 45 minutes, so it was 9.00 A.M by the time we reached Alibag.

We walked down the road to the S.T bus depo and hopped into a bus bound for Murud, which was the closest stop to our destination. The bus ride took another two hours.

We got off a few stops before the last stop, so we had to take a rick to Murud market and another rick to the jetty from where we could catch a boat to Janjira fort.

As the rick hugged the hilly coastline in its path towards the jetty, we caught a breathtaking glimpse of the fort.


The jetty is pretty enough with clear views of the fort, and boats were constantly ferrying visitors to and from the fort.




We spent about an hour at the fort looking around. It was large, very large, with cannon turrets around every corner, and ruins of what were storage, administration, religious and living dwellings within its confines.









Took a boat back to the mainland, and a rick to Murud beach, where we gorged on thalis for lunch - I had the mutton one whereas my two fellow explorers had the chicken ones. We then waited for an S.T bus to Alibag and then took an Ajantha bus and ferry combo back to Mumbai.

Got a chance to watch the sunset from the ferry on our way back.


We chilled out at Leopold's for a while before taking a taxi to Dadar where we split up and I took a train home.

Janjira Fort Trip

And I'm back

Back from a 10 day trip with FP to Bangalore (now Bengaluru of course), Mangalore and Cochin (now Kochi). This was a reunion of sorts, with FP and I meeting old Muscat friends KD and EN during our 3 days each in Bangalore and Mangalore respectively, along with their families, before finally travelling to Cochin for 4 days.

Bangalore

Left home at 5.00 A.M on Saturday the 17th of January after a quick breakfast. Took a rick to the airport where I met up with FP for the 7.30 A.M SpiceJet flight to Bangalore. This was only the second time I was meeting FP since he arrived from Toronto in Nov. The first time was in early Jan. And our only previous visit since he left Muscat in 1996 was in 2005. He seemed quite impressed with the departure lounge of the Mumbai domestic terminal.

Didn't mind there being no breakfast on the flight. Landed at the swanky new Bangalore airport and made our way to the BMTC bus stand.

It was nice and cool outside - 16 degrees the pilot had said. KD had given us good instructions on how to reach his place - details of the Volvo bus service from the airport with routes, numbers, timings and fares; and a map of how to get to his house from the bus station, which didn't completely work. Everything went like clockwork until we got off the bus and couldn't figure out where we were. We ended up asking around, making a call, and taking a rick to a landmark nearby from where we walked it out.

KD has a lovely spacious home in a quiet part of Bangalore, which we reached at around 11.00 A.M. We were greeted at home by his mom, who fed us a second breakfast, and later on by his dad returning from work, and then his sis back home from college, whom we all had lunch with (delicious pork), and finally KD himself in the evening, back home from work, after we had taken a nap. In the whole process, FP had to tell his whole Canada experience story around 3 times.

We went out in the evening. KD's dad was kind enough to drive us around in his van and show us Bangalore by night. It was a bit chilly and KD lent me a jacket before we left, saying my sweater made me look sick. We drove about for a while before going to Ulsoor lake. Really beautiful.

Also saw a few weird houses around Ulsoor lake, constructed in such a way as to accommodate trees growing in and out of them. I would never have seen them if KD hadn't pointed them out to me.

Went back to KD's place and had a great dinner - tandoori butter chicken - before turning in for the night with a lot of late night joke cracking.

Day two in Bangalore started with us all going for Mass in the morning, it being Sunday, the 18th of January. We then had breakfast at a good south Indian fast food joint nearby. They make the best masala dosas I've had in a while, and excellent large mehdu wadas as well.

We then went back to KD's home for a quick break before going for a long drive with him and his family. The first place we visited was KD's dad's work location and the interesting tree in its compound.

We then saw Mallya Hospital and Complex, Vijay Mallya's and Rahul Dravid's houses, Trinity Circle, M.G Road, Brigade Road, and St. Mark's Road.

Then on to Cubbon Park, created in 1884 by a British engineer, which seemed really peaceful and well planned. We had a look at the large red Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall situated in it and its surrounding gardens.

Disaster then struck as the van wouldn't move. Apparently, it had a weak battery and we had to give it a push to make it move, which it finally did. We then saw the other buildings nearby - the legislative house of Karnatika, Vidhana Soudha, and Vikasa Soudha next door.

We drove on to Lal Bagh, Bangalore's large central park, where we spent a good amount of time taking in the interesting botanical sights. It was a photographer's paradise. We also visited the flower exhibition in the garden, which only runs once a year on the Republic Day week.

Next we drove to St. Mary's Basilica, the oldest church in Bangalore and a truly spectacular sight. This has got to be the most beautiful church exterior I've ever seen.

Pushed the van to get it going again and then went to KD's home to have a late lunch at around 4.00 P.M. The evening was spent in a jam session, with KD and FP playing guitars and the rest of us singing along - it was a mini MIPC session.

Day 3 in Bangalore - Monday, the 19th of January. KD showed us around Electronic City. It's size was mind boggling. It's a city within itself.

Unlike Mindspace in Malad, companies here don't own floors, but entire buildings or building complexes, and golf carts to ferry employees between buildings, and gyms, restaurants, lounges, etc. I wondered aloud at the lack of food and drink joints around the place, and KD told me that each building had its own CCD, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. Security was tight around the area and rightly so.

We then made our way to Forum mall. KD and FP had a small lunch at a fast food joint opposite. Like the one we visited on Sunday, this one also had no seating arrangements, and only tall round tables at which we had to stand around while eating.

Forum mall was huge, larger than any of the malls I've been to in Mumbai, though I haven't been to Nirmal or Oberoi yet so I can't really compare. It was definitely larger than Inorbit and Infiniti though. We had a chicken kadai pizza at Pizza Hut there and visited Baskin Robbins later, where I tried the Chocolate Ribbons flavour. Not as good as my favourite flavours - World Class Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Fudge and Bavarian Chocolate.

Rested in the evening when we got back, and looked through old Muscat photos. Surfed the net for a while before turning in early for an early morning the next day.

Mangalore

We woke at 4.30 A.M on Tuesday, the 20th of January, and left KD's home at 5.30 A.M, saying our goodbye's. KD's and his dad came with us to the BMTC bus stop, KD's dad driving us there in the now infamous van which thankfully started easily. We ended up taking a cab when the bus didn't arrive and we could wait no longer. The drive was lovely and cold. I noticed I could see my breath when I spoke - a novelty for me.

Bangalore airport I noticed again was incredibly modern looking. Our 8.55 A.M Jet Airways flight to Mangalore took off more or less on time and was characterised by a delicious breakfast which we passengers unfortunately couldn't really enjoy and had to wolf down when we were told, a minute after we started eating, that we would be beginning our descent in three minutes.

We reached Mangalore airport at 10.00 A.M, the smallest airport I have ever seen, and met EN outside, who, like KD, looked more or less the same after all these years. He seems to have got quite far in his career, so far that FP and I began riddling him about the amount of power and clout he seemed to hold in Mangalore.

We drove for about a half hour to Mangalore city and EN helped us check into the Prestige hotel that he had booked earlier, where we promptly took a long nap while he returned to work. We woke at around 3.00 very hungry. EN was supposed to meet us for lunch but couldn't make it and we found a text message from him telling us about a Chinese place across our hotel where we might lunch.

This turned out to be a place with authentic Chinese food, unlike the mostly Indian Chinese hybrids we get in Mumbai. There, we stuffed ourselves with noodles, fried squid and pork in oyster sauce, all at a reasonable rate, before going for a long walk along what seemed like a main street, where we passed two lounge bars - Liquid Lounge and Amnesia - the latter being the one that would become the center of attention in a few days, and soon found ourselves beholding Milagres Church in front of us, resplendent in the late afternoon light.

We walked back to the hotel to rest, and met EN in the evening for dinner. He took us to Froth on Top where we snacked and drank a bit and then to a pretty posh but deserted restaurant at the Goldfinch hotel where we had a hearty meal.

Mangalore as a whole really didn't seem crowded at all. It had a more laidback feel to it, more akin to that of a small town than a city's. I guess Mangalore is to Bangalore what Pune is to Mumbai. EN told us that like Bangalore and all other places in Karnatika, all pubs had to close by 11.30 P.M. and the city in general was more or less dead, with nothing much happening after 10.00.

Day 2 in Mangalore, Wednesday, the 21st of Jan. EN hired a car and driver and took leave from work for the full day to show us around and visit his home. We started the day with breakfast at the hotel cafe - sheera, mehdu wada and coffee for me.

After breakfast we drove outside the city to where EN took us to a famous 1000 pillared Jain temple at Moodabidri.

We then went to see a 40 foot statue of Bahubali (Gomateshwara) atop a hill, with a breathtaking view of surrounding countryside.

We got to EN's home by lunchtime, where we greeted EN's parents, who treated us to a feast. His dad humbled us by opening a rare brand of scotch for us, Swing, which was followed by a huge Manglorean meal - beef rice, vegetables, pork, mango chutney, and koriroti.

We rested for a while at his place, surfing the net and then EN gave us a guided drive through tour of the university town of Manipal, before visiting Malpe beach in time to watch the sunset.

FP and I then dropped EN off at his home and had the car take us on a long drive back to the hotel. I was feeling a bit dizzy with all the driving, and with us still feeling stuffed after the huge lunch, we decided to skip dinner on our return and just sleep.

Day 3 in Mangalore, Thursday, the 22nd of January. We had booked an evening flight to Cochin to save costs so we had the whole morning and afternoon to ourselves. EN was at work and couldn't join us, but promised to meet and drop us to the airport in the evening. After the same breakfast we had the previous day, I hit the ATM with FP in tow for my first withdrawal since we started our trip. We had already decided to see St. Aloysius church that morning which was more or less opposite Milagres church but on our way there from the ATM came upon St. Sebastian, with its bell tower.

Went to a local barber next, for FP wanted to experience a shave and massage. Little did he know what pain, torture and agony would befall him. As I filmed, he got a shave, followed by a facial, and a massage which to him seemed no different than being beaten up.

Walked to St. Aloysius next, which took a good deal out of us, it being noon and hot. FP's face had turned red by now with the combined effect of the facial on his sensitive skin and the heat. While Milagres is at the bottom of a slope, Aloysius is at the top of a hill. There is now was I can describe its beauty. From the outside, it looks like the most unassuming church building or school extension, but once you step in, it's a different story, with carved pillars and every inch of blank space on the walls and ceiling painted with words and pictures of well known bible themes and stories.

We took a rick to Sultan Battery next, which I thought was a major fort. We were disappointed on finding just a small watchtower when we got there, though it wasn't that far away from the city. The watchtower overlooked the Gurupura river, which was clean and blue.

We took the same rick back to town, and FP tried out his Manglorean Konkani with the driver, asking him to suggest a good local place where we could lunch. The driver suggested Pereira's and drove us there. We were not disappointed. It was a Mangalorean fast meal place, sort of like one of Mumbai's Irani joints, with no menu's and just a handful of items on offer. We had the chicken and mutton curry with parothas, which are unique to the South. Good tasty cheap food. We were happy to taste the local fare for two days in a row.

And as all the travel guides I read told me, no visit to Mangalore would be complete without a visit to Ideal's, the ice-cream parlour, which was just about next door, and their famous Gadbad ice-cream.

So we settled down at Ideal's for dessert. FP had a Kulfi stick and I had the famous Gadbad. It was very filling, but not exactly the best ice cream I've had, though it wasn't bad at all. I'm not sure what I can call it. It was topped off with a scope of strawberry ice cream, with pieces of jelly below, chopped fruit beneath that, and a scoop of vanilla at the bottom. Now I love fruit salad, and I love trifle, but this was different, and vanilla and strawberry aren't my favourite flavours. Still, it was filling. We sat there killing time and cooling off in the air conditioning, and then did a bit of shopping at the bazaar nearby.

Around 4.30 P.M, we walked back to the hotel where we had left our bags in the morning while checking out, and decided to go to Liquid Lounge to kill time again until EN arrived with the car. The place was almost deserted, it being a weekday afternoon. We talked and lazed around and then went back to the hotel and read a couple of magazines until EN picked us up at 6.00 P.M for our 7.50 P.M Kingfisher flight.

We said our goodbyes and entered the airport, I again noticing how small it was.

Cochin

Unfortunately, our flight was delayed, and we only reached Cochin airport, which was pretty, with its roofs covered in tiles, after 9.00 P.M, taking another hour to reach our homestay which we had booked in advance with Errol's help. We were exhausted by the time we got into the room that FP and I were sharing, and I went straight to bed; both of us skipped dinner for the second night in a row. I only got a glimpse of the area we were staying in - Fort Kochi - on the drive there.

Woke late the next morning, our first day in Cochin, on Friday the 23rd of January. FP had already awoke, gone for a walk and, starving, had woken me so we could go out and get some breakfast. I could have slept the whole day.

So we walked to a nearby cafe that's managed by the same family managing our homestay and had breakfast there. It was there that I first noticed that Fort Kochi was the tourist district of Cochin, dotted with numerous restaurants and with a predominantly white crowd, like Goa, but with absolutely no Indian tourists. I also noticed that it was a heritage district, like Colaba, and that all the buildings were quaint old European style houses, most now converted into hotels or homestays with shops and restaurants but retaining their original designs and many of them painted in pastel shades of cream. Other things I was to observe during our four days there would be the prevalence of continental food on the local menu's, catering to the foreign tourists, and that their prices would rarely be exorbitant, but expensive by South Indian food standards. The prices would in fact be quite comparable with restaurants in Bandra.

So we planned out our four days with one of the owners. Tourist activity in Cochin is very easily organised, with every homestay or hotel in Fort Kochi being able to help their guests register for an event like a houseboat stay or performance by selling them tickets or arranging travel. Rates are more or less fixed across the board and there are absolutely no touts or shady agents lurking about.

We walked to the beach nearby after finishing breakfast and the first thing we saw were the famous Chinese fishing nets. We couldn't miss them. After taking a video and photos of them, FP actually had me film him helping out at one of the nets.

We then walked the entire length of the eastern part of the region to Jew Town, where the ancient Cochin Jewish community lived and where their last dwindling descendants still do, through Bazaar Road, taking in all the sights and antique stores on our way to the synagogue, which was closed.

We walked back to our part of town at around 3.00 P.M, it being extremely hot, and we had lunch at an open air restaurant next to Vasco Square, Salt and Pepper, where the food was good but also took a good 45 minutes to arrive. FP had the Chicken Mushaka and fries; I had the Fish Malabari with some bread, my dish turning out to be non-spicy, more continental than Indian, and reminding me of Chicken Stroganoff.

We went back to the homestay to freshen up and bought tickets for a Kathakali performance in the evening. It started at 5.00 P.M, with the audience able to see the elaborate hour long make up session, followed by an hour long demonstration and performance.

For dinner, we went to a little restaurant called Taj Mahal, which was cheaper than the one we went to in the afternoon. I had the Aviyal while FP had the Prawn Curry, both if us eating them with chapattis. Our bill came to 175.

Day 2 in Cochin, Saturday, the 24th of January. We had arranged to take a backwaters houseboat ride that day. Had breakfast at the homestay and the minibus picked us up at 8.00 A.M. Drove for about an hour to where our group got into 2 canoes that took us on a picture perfect tour of a narrow Kerala river.

We then transferred to a houseboat that took us for lunch on an island.

The same houseboat then took us on a 2-3 hour ride along a wide river with islands passing us by.

We finished the trip at 4.30 P.M, at which point we were dropped off at our homestay. Went for Malayalam Mass at 5.00, at the Santa Cruz Basilica, the Mass being peculiar as it had communion before the sermon. We then made plans for the following day.

FP decided to skip dinner again and just have some chips, while I went to Chariot Beach Restaurant, another open air affair.

Day 3 in Cochin, Sunday, the 25th of January. We had planned to visit the elephant sanctuary at Kodanad for which we woke at 5.00 A.M in time for our car which was supposed to arrive at 6.00 but only arrived at 7.00.

Drove for about an hour to the sanctuary in the early morning coolness. We reached the banks of a river and waited there awhile, and soon we saw them. A bunch of elephants being led to the river to be bathed. It was a sight to behold.

Came back a few hours later, stopped for breakfast in in Cochin city at an India Coffee House. Being really sleepy, we skipped lunch and slept through the afternoon. We did go a Kalaripayattu performance in the evening from 4.00-5.00 P.M.

Surfed the net for a half hour and then had dinner at Elite rooftop restaurant, where we waited for ur food for 45 minutes. We didn't really mind waiting, as we had time to kill.

Day 4 in Cochin, Monday, the 26th of January. We had an evening flight again so that gave us the whole morning and afternoon free. We packed, breakfasted at Kashi Art Cafe, and then went to St Francis church nearby, the oldest European church in India, built in 1503, and where Vasco Da Gama was once buried.

While FP went for a walk elsewhere, I visited the Dutch cemetery nearby and then doubled back to our homestay, where we relaxed till lunchtime. FP wanted to visit a typical south Indian joint nearby that our car driver had told us about yesterday. We walked there at about 2.00 P.M, noticing hordes of Indian tourists on the streets, it being a public holiday. We found the lunch place more or less closed to lunchers till 3.00 and so sat and chatted nearby and checked out another restaurant before going back to the original place for dosas at 3.00 P.M.

We then took a rick to the Jewish Synagogue, built in 1568, which was open but crowded and didn't allow photography. Also, FP had to rent out long pants at the shop next door as they don't allow people with shorts into the synagogue.

Took a rick back to the homestay, passing the Jewish graveyard on the way, and checked out. It was 4.00P.M by then and our car was waiting outside to take us to the airport for our 7.15 flight back home to Mumbai.

And I'm back

Trek to the SGNP highest point

Went to the SGNP on Sunday for a trek to its highest point, organised by the BNHS. Met up with BD and PV at Borivli Stn. and walked to the park in time to meet the rest of the group at 7.30 A.M.

Took a few pics of these flowers near the entrance before boarding the BNHS bus to Kanheri.



With around 60 people attending, the bus had to make two trips, automatically splitting us up into two groups, ours being led by Sunjoy Monga, the other by Sanal Nair.

It normally takes two hours to walk to the caves from the park entrance; going there by bus only took us 15 mins. We were there by 8.00 A.M, long before the caves usually get crowded. At that early morning hour, we got to see the Kanheri caves as perhaps the Buddhists themselves saw them over a thousand years ago - silent and beautiful.



A quick brisk walk from the caves to a little hillock that comprised the halfway mark left us feeling quite refreshed. This is a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

The hill we were on consisted of black rock strewn with straw like vegetation, and was quite open, with a lot of breeze near its edges. We sat and rested here for a few minutes before looking around and taking pictures.



An interesting thing about the place we were on was that, from the end where we had climbed up, we could see the outline of the city bordering the park.





And from the other end, we could see both the Tulsi and Vihar lakes back to back.



There were a lot of Cacti formations on the hill.



This one had a spiders web on it.



We continued our way upwards, into what soon became a proper forest, with a canopy above us for the most part. Among the interesting things we saw here were many funnel spider webs.



A lone flowering plant that we couldn't identify.



And ant hills shaped like flowers.



We took a break in the forest before continuing onwards and upwards, at which point I managed to get a photo of almost the whole group.



Leaving the forest behind, and after a short walk through Karvi, we came to the highest point (486 metres), from where we could see 3 lakes (Tulsi, Vihar and Powai) in a row.


Rested here for a while before going back down. As it is with most large groups on a trek, descending invariably splits them up into smaller groups. BD, PV and I somehow deviated slightly from the original route on the way back down and ended up to the right of the caves. But we soon found our way back to the main path, despite the complicated maze like cave system.

There was some confusion getting transport to the main gate as our bus had parked in a clearing a little way ahead from where it had dropped us near the caves in the morning. Security wouldn't let them drive up to the caves in the afternoon, and most of the group, not knowing this, seemed to be waiting for the bus near the caves. We had already walked to the clearing and, tired of waiting for the rest of the group to figure out the situation and arrive, hopped into a BEST bus (they were running services that day because of a Buddhist meeting at the caves), which dropped us to the main gate, where we left the park, and went to a restaurant across the highway, whose power cut off the minute we took our seats. I had a chilled drink while my friends gorged on lunch Thalis; we then walked to the station and parted, promising to trek again soon.

Trek to the SGNP highest point

Elephanta Trip

Went to Elephanta island on Sunday.

Woke up at 5.15 A.M. Left home a little before 6.00. Bought a return ticket to Churchgate at Borivli station. Took the 6.18 slow. Got off a Dadar at 7.00. Met PV and BD at 7.15 and took a cab to the BNHS office together, which we reached at 7.30, and registered. Walked to the Gateway with the group.





Took a ferry to Elephanta. Enjoyed the one hour long ride to the island. Being November, it was hot but the breeze that accompanied the ferry ride was quite refreshing.


Passed an oil tanker on the way to the island, and private boats as well.



Reached Elephanta and walked along the long wharf to the mainland.


Also saw some fishing boats.


The island is mostly made up of hills and we had to walk up a long series of steps to get to the top, where all the real action is. Traders were selling touristy wares on both sides of this path.


The point towards the top where the stairway ends is a sort of junction, with a left turn going into secluded forest area and the path straight ahead leading into the famous Elephanta cave complex. We, however, turned left to begin our birdwatching trip.


The path we took soon led us to a lake, where we saw a number of birds.


The path went on past a village and ended at the coast.


Where one of our guides, Vinod Patil, managed to catch this beautiful creature.


PV and I did go see the caves later, marvelling at the large and beautiful structures cut into the hill, and the amount of time and effort it must have taken to do that. Couldn't take any pictures unfortunately since my camera batteries were too low.
Had lunch at an MTDC restaurant on the island (average food, poor service) and finally took a ferry back to Mumbai at 2.30.

Elephanta Trip