Beauty of Maharashtra

Source: Here

All travel enthusiasts must be familiar with this. Travel plans many a times be like this. And finally the plan is dropped, till some other day. Depressed, Dejected, Dispirited... you go back to your corner.

But this time it would be different. I had decided. 'Koi aye ya na aye, main to ja raha hoon.' That's what I had in mind. And so one fine Saturday morning, I left on a solo bike ride to explore the Sahyadri Range.

The route I took

Did I had this route planned out? Not exactly. My only plan for the day was to visit Raigad Fort via Varandha Ghats. While returning I decided to take a different road. One of the best decisions in life. **Big Smile**

So I left my place around 7 in the morning. The Sun was up, the sky was clear, nothing better to start a trip. Took the highway - clear road, clear skies, best way to ride - till Shirwal.

Then the road to Varandha. A fairly good, two lane road with a few villages to traverse through. Everything is nice and dry, and then out of nowhere it starts drizzling. The sky is still quiet clear though. I hope it would be dry up ahead and so I keep moving.

As I get closer to Varandha Ghats, the weather is saying 'Surprise! Surprise!'. Dark clouds pop up like popcorn and no sooner it starts pouring. As I ride, the rain drops feel like bullets against my face.

'Be it Sun or be it Rain, the Rider will not stop, unless of his own accord.' One of my crazy selfmade theories. And so I kept going, on and on, till I reached the spot. The spot where I had come a year back with my friends - Allan and Vishakha - and some strangers.

Last year we thought this was the end point of our journey, this year I went ahead to realize that it was just the beginning of the ghats. The greenery and the desertion from human settlements makes this place beautiful and dangerous at the same time. If at all the vehicle stops, then you are sure to have a hard time finding help in this place. The roads at certain parts are pretty much in a bad state. And its highly prone to landsliding - evident from the rocks in the middle of the road and craters.

The only human contact I had while amidst the ghats were the 2 tea stalls at the midway. Went into one of the tea stalls and had hot tea and kandha bhaji. The old lady was quiet a talker, contrary to her son who was just helping her silently. A relief in the rains. This was the only place where I could halt and get a pic.

The visibility in this area was 10 meters max, due to fog and rains. Varandha Ghats is scenic for the road trippers.

Caution: Keep your speed low, cause you never know what might surprise you here.

After the lush enjoyment of the Varandha, comes the cloud bursting rains of the western part of Sahyadri. By now my face had become numb of the constant pelting of the rains.

Streams had become rivers, while rivers were reddish brown from all the eroded soil of the banks. Farms were flooded, with only their boundaries peeping out. A few villages to pass by until I turned for Raigad.

The road to Raigad wasn't deserted much. On my way, I met a group of kids returning from school, looking for a lift. It was still 5 odd kilometers before I could get to Raigad. I gave lift to one of the school kids. A boy studying in class 8. The kids walk all the way from Raigad - situated at the top - to school at the foot of the hill. Only a few lucky get a lift.

Since, it was raining, the guy had his umbrella open to protect his bag and he was keeping the umbrella low to prevent it from upturning. And therein lies the problem. The umbrella obscured the road at few turns. God only knows how I managed it. But it was nice watching the kid express his happiness, shouting out to his schoolmates on foot. Everything is worth for a kids smile, I suppose.

On reaching the village at the top, the kid told me there were 2 ways to reach to the fort. One can either walk it out or take a rope-way for mere 250 bucks.

I decided to walk it out, thinking it wouldn't be too high. The walls were fairly visible and above that it was all covered in white of the clouds. As I began the climb, it came to me how high the fort was actually built. Raigad was true to its name - Kings Fort. It was situated above the rain clouds. As I reached half the way, I ran out of breath and decided to turn back. Only regret, not being able to get to the top.

Well, during the ascent I did curse Shivaji in my mind, for building a fort so high with big steps. Had I uttered out the words loud, I would have been hacked to death. A great many Shivaji bhakts were there shouting out 'Jai Shivaji!!'. Got acquainted with few other people as well. But I choose not to describe it, rather than bore you guys with the details.

Couldn't get any pics here, for obvious reason. Here's a pic that closely relates to my view.

Source: Here

Return journey, was just as amazing. I took the road to Nizampur via Pachad. Mind you, the road is single lane with sign boards close to none. The road is literally into a forest area and bifurcates at certain points. A wrong turn and you are lost in no man's land. Net connectivity is zero, so GPS also doesn't lock on to your correct position. I had some luck guessing the correct way out.

After Nizampur is a straight way to Tamhini Ghats. Tamhini has a lot of small waterfalls to offer to its travelers. Its also a getaway spot for the IT professionals in Hinjewadi.

Note: People drive crazy here, and the turns are pretty unexpected.

And so my journey in a part of Sahyadri ended.

Monsoon is the time when the Sahyadri is dressed in green, draped by a white shawl of clouds. The best it can offer. A treat to the tired soul.

Pick a spot, pack your bags and head to the Sahyadri's before the monsoon runs out.

One thing that keeps me going

I am blogging about my dreams and passions for the Club Mahindra#DreamTrails activity at BlogAdda. You can get a Club Mahindra Membership to own your holidays!