Malshej Ghat, the Prince of Sahyadris! - a perfect weekend getaway from Mumbai!

Malshej Ghat, view from the plateau

Not many would believe it, but Mumbai is still a blessed place! As Mumbaikars we are indeed privileged to have places like Malshej Ghat at a driving distance of only 3 hours.

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10 Amazing Photos of India - a photo-essay featured on Go! Overseas

God's Own Country, Kerala

Go! Overseas have this week published on their website a photo-essay contributed by me. The objective of this photo-essay, titled '10 Amazing Photos of India', is to market India as a destination where the international community can explore opportunities to teach, study and volunteer. The pictures are a preview to what they can expect in India in terms of the beauty and the culture of the place.

The post has been compiled based on the pictures taken by me during the many journeys I have undertaken to discover the magnificent diversity of India and hence (constrained by my travels) may not be truly representative of all that India has to offer.

In the words of Go! Overseas - "From the towering Himalayas, to white-sandy beaches, India clearly is blessed with an amazing abundance of natural and cultural diversity"

To read the post click here
To know more about Go! Overseas, click here


I hope you enjoy the post. As always I look forward to your feedback. A special thanks to Andrew Dunkle of Go! Overseas for providing me the opportunity to showcase India.

Lahaul - Spiti Valley Jeep Safari: Notes & anecdotes from a 7 day odyssey through the middle land!

Connoisseur’s delight…door to freedom...

Komic

If you are not averse to any of these -

• living at an average altitude of 4,250 metres in a cold desert;
• travelling on narrow (single lane), gravel and water filled roads winding through the Himalayas, which stare thousands of feet down into a violent river, and where road blocks due to landslides and snowfalls are as common as the day and night;
• living without newspaper and telecommunication network (save for BSNL) in a place unscathed by modernity;

then Spiti is the place for you - the connoisseur traveller, the solitude seeker, the adventurer!

Spiti Valley came on my radar a couple of years back while researching some exotic driving holidays in the Himalayas. I was instantly taken in. Ladakh had been on my travel list for over seven years (since the time the populace had not even heard about it), but seeing the swarm of casual tourists thronging to it since the release of 3 Idiots, I decided that it had to be Spiti that I must visit this time around, before the hotels over there too started dishing out thalis!

View of Spiti Valley from Kye Monastery

Spiti, which means ‘the middle country’, is the land of ragged and snow capped mountains that reach out to the clear deep blue skies. Here, in the cold desert, trees are scarce and the moonscape expansive. Spiti is the land of several perennial rivers - Spiti, Pin, Chandra - whose gurgling sounds will soothe you in the night and whose ferocity will awe you when you travel alongside them in the day time. Ah, and not to mention the placid, azure blue lakes like Chandra Taal, Nako, Dhankar. The observer would also be struck by some of the most beautiful canyons and the most unusual clay and rock formations along the river bed and in the mountains. The continuity of the landscape is only broken by numerous waterfalls and glaciers, including one of world's largest non-polar glaciers - Bara Shigri.

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The Tigers of Ranthambhore National Park, India

“A Tiger is a large-hearted gentleman with boundless courage and that when he is exterminated – as exterminated he will be unless public opinion rallies to his support – India will be the [sic] poorer, having lost the finest of her fauna.”

 – Jim Corbett, Man-Eaters of Kumaon (1944)

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Wanderers

"Not all those who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien

Undeterred by the haze, Kiran sets his eyes on the target above...

In picture: Kiran Bhangare; Location: Karnala Bird Sanctuary

In picture: Mahesh Kondwilkar, Swarupa Amin, Kiran Bhangare, Vikas Kokare; Location: Morbe Dam

In picture: Nilesh Wanjari; Location: Morbe Dam

Some pictures of fellow birders taken during the HSBC Bird Race held on 21-02-2010.

For more pictures of the beautiful environ of Morbe Dam (an earthen dam in Karjat, near Mumbai) please see my Flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelegendreturns/sets/72157623518410664/

Naked

This tree surely believes in shedding and giving (great visuals). Sights such as these are worth walking a thousand miles for...

Panoramic Sahyadri

This picture was taken on our way from Bhandardara to Amruteshwar (an ancient Shiva temple in nearby Ratanwadi). The Sahyadris or the Western Ghats have a charm of their own owing to their distinct rugged identity (mountains appear in bizarre shapes and forms unlike in other parts of the country). These mountains are a trekker's delight because of their seeming invincibility.

This is what wikipedia has to say - the area (Sahyadris) is one of the world’s 10 "hottest biodiversity hotspots" and has over 5,000 species of flowering plants, 139 mammal species, 508 bird species and 179 amphibian species. At least 325 globally threatened species occur here!

Check this one out: what appears like a fort is in reality a rock formation atop the mountain.

and check this one out: straight out of Mackenna's Gold

I could just go on and on...

Head in the clouds - Majestic Kalsubai

Kalsubai, at approx 5,400 ft, is Maharashtra's highest peak and keeps a watchful eye over Bhandardara. Kalsubai is also a trekker's delight. There is a temple at the peak (dedicated to a lady Kalsu who died at the spot) and on the day we passed by it a number of villagers were on their way up and appeared like an army of white ants from below.

A journey to remember

Igatpuri, which is about 130 odd Kms from Mumbai and 40 Kms from Nasik, is largely known as an industrial hub and home to the famous Buddhist Vipassana center. It, however, is also a scenic location surrounded by rugged mountains and deep valleys (Bhatsa valley, Camel valley). During monsoons the place is verdant and replete with waterfalls (small and big). The best way to enjoy the delightful sights is to travel by train as it passes numerous tunnels and bridges (such as this one).

Pole dance

Lush green fields in this village near Kolad (off Mumbai - Goa highway) are a treat for the eyes. Nature dancing naked in all its glory!

Barge in

A barge floating in the Savitri river that separates the district of Raigad (where I stand) from Ratnagiri (hills). Barges are a popular mode of transportation over there - people, vehicles, goods, animals, et al.

A walk to remember

A walk in the Eravikulam National Park is truly one to remember given the breath-taking visuals all around. The park is known for the presence of Nilgiri Tahr goat (blogged earlier) and is a must visit for people travelling to Munnar.

Thums Up

Personally felt that this hill (popularly called the Thums Up of Raigad) would look even better when captured through the naked branches.