Harne-Murud - the drive.....

11 March 2009

A dry fruit packs all the goodness in the-sometimes misleading-pint size, just like a good trip that packs all the adventures in 2 days! Our brush with religions, spirituality, tranquility, adventure and discovery was the perfect break from the crazy Mumbai pace!

We originally belong to the Konkan (west coast stretching from Mumbai all the way up to Goa!). Our family is not staunch about religion, but we do believe in prayers and little bit of devotion. Our family deity is in a town callked Harne-Murud and we do go there once in two years to reconnect with our roots and to indulge in bhakti. Hence the trip to Harne-Murud, home to unexplored beaches, dolphin sightings, mango trees, simple way of life and Durga Devi's (our family deity) temple, i.e. our 'Kul Devat' as we locally call it.

On the day of Eid when the prayers could be heard from the mosques, we chanted the name of 'ganesha' and embarked upon the 6-hour drive in our Santro, at sharp 6:30m AM. The sun rays were finding their way through the moon-kissed skies. The traffic was thin, weather refreshing and in no time we were at Pune Expressway, but not without some previews of the adventures to come ahead!

We played radio at full-blast!! Music never sounded this good! We sped at full-speed, captured random buildings and telecom towers in our lens, kept a close watch and cheered on the bunch of professional cyclists who were apparently driving to Pune and stopped at the 'panch mukhi (five headed) maruti mandir'.

Instead of taking the express highway, we took the Karnala ghat route towards Dapoli. The route is mainly ghat/hills. The road winds after every few turn of wheels and the traffic is quite a bit. The road flatens considerably before Mahad and that is where we discovered ancient buddhist caves perched on a hill. WE saw them by sheer accident when we spotted two guys, one in bright yellow and other in red climbing the mountain with sheer ease. That's when we realized that they were climbing stairs and their destination were a cluster of strange looking caves.

The caves were well maintained, with newly laid steps to climb up. The caves are a protected monument, yet there was no sign board of their name, or history. The caves had ancient carvings, writings and partial remains of stairs and figure carvings. The view from the caves was brilliant, with the green and yellow fields ahead, the road cutting through them and mountains on the other three sides! The caves cost us about 30 minutes, and enjoying a cup of tea, on our descent, we drove ahead.



We stopped for a breakfast of idli, dosa, pohe and bata vada at 'Amantran restraunt' at Pen-Wadkhal naka. The food here is simple and the service is quick. In fact, this place is always crowded and that just proves the trust people have in their food. Though, if you ignore the stained mugs and tea overflowing into the saucer, also a chipped edge or two, you may develop a liking for this place! Not me though! After a sumptuous meal and a leak in the smelly toilet, we set off again towrads the final 3 hour journey to Harne-Murud.

By the time we reached dapoli, we were extremely hungry and our legs were eager to stretch. We drove through the narrow lanes and market places of Dapoli looking for saree shop. It is a custom that when we go to the family deity, we take along a saree/blouse piece(cloth), coconut, flowers and rice for the offering. We call this custom as "Ooti" i.e "offering" in english or "Chadhava" in hindi. Sadly, we missed a turn and ended up on the highway again hoping that we'd find a saree shop in Murud.

By 1:00 PM we were at Murud. We checked into our resort - Silver Sand, beach resort and settled into our wooden cottage called "Jaswand". It was great to whiff the salty . It played with our senses and brought with it glimpses of the discovery ahead.

Wat-a-board! - 2

I went to Dahanu with my collge friends. While walking parallel to the coastline and getting a glimpse into the Dahanu life, I came accross this board.



Beauty and looking beautiful certainly knows no distance! This beauty parlour was located right beside the fish and chicken stall.

Meeting Indian Ocean at Marine Drive !!

(In the photo: View of the fathomless Ocean from Free Press Bulding at Nariman Point)

I love beaches and sea shores for several reasons. I can completely identify with the moods of the ocean, the certain calm, the violent outbursts, the storming, the ebb and fall of waves and the whiff that emnates from it. I love everything about it.

My mom tells me that when I was a kid, growing up as a toddler in Cochin, they took me to the beach for the first time. Assuming I'd be scared of the water, they were being extra-careful with me. But realising I was comfortable when the waves touched my feet and the breeze played with my short wavy fair, they let me be. Me and the Ocean. Perhaps that was my first bonding with the ocean.


(In the photo: Indian Ocean and its hues in the lunch hours)

I used to sit for hours in my trademark wooden baby-chair in my balcony in Cochin and look at the ocean. Later on in Karanja, the ocean was a stone's throw away and it saw me grow up.

Moving to Vizag, the bond strengthened and later weekened as there was no seashore in the landlocked New Delhi, capital of India. Returning to my place of birth, Mumbai, I rekindled the liking for the ocean. The bond continues still....

I've had some of my best memories and some of the worst memories at Marine Drive.


(In the photo: A flower seller with a friendly smile at Marine Drive)

Seen in the above picture is one of the many kids selling flowers at Marine Drive. This little girl came to me when I was sitting with a friend from classes. She asked him to buy me flowers....Both me and my friend smiled :) I took the flowers from her, smelled them and handing her a Rupee ten note, I said keep the flowers as well! She was delighted. Returning a few moments later, she showed me the flowers again. This time I clicked her picture and she was thrilled!! That's the small pleasures that you get by the sea shore.

I've even sat there alone a couple of times thinking about nothing at all. I've walked from my hostel to marine Drive in pouring rain just to take one look at it.


(In the photo : Heading off for a walk from the hostel to Marine drive in puring rain!!- Rekha, Devina and Moi!)

I've got off my bus randomly just to sit and ponder by the sea shore.I'm fortunate enough to be working at Nariman Point where the Ocean stays with me.


(In the photo: Nandeep, a fellow article in the backdrop of a Beautiful Tree on the boundary of Free Press Building that looks over the Indian Ocean)


(In the photo: The tree that I find mysterious at Free Press Building)


(In the photo: A coincidence picture. I randomly asked Anuj to pose fore am image while Nikul was taking a picture of the Ocean and the result is this studding image taken at Free Press Building)

We go for walk during lunchtime to catch a glimpse of the ocean and to feel the sea breeze and the sun. Look how galant the Ocean looks at 1:30 PM in the images below-


(In the photo: Views from Free Press Building)


(In the photo: The ocean in the afternoon sun)


(In the photo: The buildings that stand tall at Nariman Point)


(In the photo: Another view of the Buildings and the majestic Ocean)

I can go to Marine Drive anytime, even if its 4:00 PM and the sun is too hot to handle, like I did on saturday when i even stayed on till sunset :D cause it makes me happy and brings me peace after a fruitful day....


(In the photo: At marine Drive on a hot saturday afternoon)


(In the photo: Enjoying the sunset)


(In the photo: Good-bye sun)


(In the photo: Let the night fall upon the Island City)

However, the sea has also brought with it a wild terror in the form of Mumbai Bombings at Taj, Oberoi, Trident and Nariman House. Man's first discoveries were though the ocean, so were several wars, but this new war of terror is not just a question on our lack of oceanic patrolling, it is the newest scare! Seen below is Taj Hotel bang opposite gateway of India. The Old building is magnificent. Despite the severe damage it still stands tal, much like the unflenching spirit of Mumbai and Mumbaikars. A salute to all of you!


(In the photo: New Taj Building)


(In the photo: Old Taj Bulding, still standing tall and proud)


(In the photo: With a little help, Taj will be the Taj of Mumbai again!)

Here's me signing off from Marine Drive raving about my Oceanic Tales. Until next time....miss me.........but who knows, you might see me at Marine Drive!!!


(In the photo: Anant, why so shy...?!)



(In the photo: Having a good time at Marine Drive with Anant who also loves Marine Drive as much as I do!)

NARARA ISLANDS – a living museum

The fog hangs low, the salty breeze whispers secrets – the waves carry them to miles on end. The veil is lifted as the first sunrays reveal the unspoilt beauty. The sun, sand and the waves invite you to discover treasures that the living museum of Narara holds. Islands accessible by Road.

Located west of Jamnagar, Gujarat, Narara Islands are one of the 45 protected islands that collectively form India’s first and possibly the only Marine National Park. Barely 2 hours (60 kms) from Jamnagar city, Narara islands are sandwiched between two oil giants namely Essar and Reliance. Researchers’ abode and tourists’ fascination, Narara maybe the only islands accessible by road as well! (Yes, you read it right! - no boat needed, just your good old car would do!)

Overview

Ordinarily one would need complicated scuba diving gear, or at least snorkeling gear to take in the breathtaking (quite literally!) views of the marine flora and fauna; not at Narara though. Here one has to wade through shallow water and set off on an unearthing.

How the hell can one wade through the water and not stand the risk of drowning, especially the non-swimmers? - Easy, Narara is accessible only when the tide ebbs. You’d be surprised to know that the very coral reef that you’d been walking on would be drowned in nearly 15-17 feet of water when the tide surges!

The best time to visit Narara is from October to March when the weather is cool. It is prudent to check on the tide timings, either online or with the Forest Department. But as informed by our guide, usually from 12th of a month to the 6th of the next month, low tide is at 7 am and from 6th of a month to 12th of the same month it is from 2 pm.

Being a Marine National park-and hence a protected area- prior permission from the Forest Department is a must. Also, securing a guide (while tying up for the permits) makes the trip worthwhile and obviously more educational.

A Minor Hitch



Remember, the earlier you reach the better it is. We were excited and ready to hit the water at 7 am sharp, but Hasanbhai, our guide for the day caused us a minor delay. Luckily it was a week day and we were the perhaps the only tourist, thereby making the reef exclusively ours for a few hours.

The first thing that Hasanbhai noticed was my footwear! I was wearing slip-ons (luckily with thick soles) and mom’s footwear was no better – conventional ladies sandals. For a minute I feared the end of the marine excursion that never even began due to the lack of proper footwear, read sports shoes or thick-soled floaters. He asked us if we would be able to walk on the reef with such footwear. “Yes!” we replied instantly. If we were cool with it, Hasanbhai had no issues.

A Walk to Remember


The sun had begun peeking out of the comfort of the puffy clouds. The air was chilly and one look at the water ahead of us was enough to spread warmth of anticipation in my body. As we walked over the soft beach sand, the mangrove forest planted fairly recently by the researchers marked sort of a green revolution for the islands. The type of mangroves found here is called Aurisia Marina. I found the mangroves very cute especially because they reminded me of miniature banyan trees!

Crabbing it!

As we walked towards the shallow water, we saw sand crabs and Ring plougher. Sand crab spits out any sand-that it accidentally swallows-in the form of small round balls. These balls can usually be found in clusters of several hundred balls and form a unique pattern on the dry sand! Walking further we saw a hermit crab in a shell. If you’ve come across painted/decorated shells, they’re most probably shells of a hermit crab! We then saw a Ring plougher which is a marine creature that feeds exclusively on crabs and shells.


Crabs are yum to eat, but scary to be around. Sadly for me there were so many species of crabs! Nonetheless, the little terror of ghost crab, the peak-a-boo of the coral - crab stuck to bottoms of live corals, the vivid colors of the Neptune crab (most handsomely earning exported variety of crab), the creepy tentacles of the wolf crab, each specie marveled us.

Water-o-Phorm, not chloroform

When our feet touched the cool waters, the real treat for the eyes began. Imagine a plastic coated plant! We found just that – the padeira, more commonly known as plastic plant is brownish in colour and plasticky to touch.


There were other flora types as well, the fascinating one’s being - the Feather plant (leaves shaped like feathers) and Sea grapes (miniature version of a bunch of grapes.

Coral reef under our feet

In my family everyone loves corals. We have several decorate corals at home thanks to dad adventures to Andaman and of course South East Asia. But here we saw corals lying on the sand. Imagine picking up a coral and using that to decorate your home. But sadly, most corals were brown and dirty. Our guide told us that corals should be washed and scrubbed and left to dry in the sun to make them as good as new! Finger coral/barnacles was the specie that we got back home as a souvenir.

Touch-me-not

Wading further ahead in the cool water of Arabian Sea, we saw a bright green, carpet like roundel. The guide told us to wade softly through the water (as it generates vibrations in the water as well as forces the sand and mud to rise and turn the water brownish, until it settles again thus blocking our view of the flora and fauna) as he’d just spotted a sea anemone. Sea anemone is a creature with tentacles (both long and short) which stays close to the ground and sucks in its body and into the sand as a defense mechanism.


The green anemone has shot-trim tentacles, almost like the threads of a carpet. The moment I touched it, it shrunk and eventually disappeared into the sand. The next anemone we spotted was bright-red, with longish tentacles. The prettier among the two, it was even the more sensitive one disappearing into the sand at the slightest touch.

Hold your breath

Imagine a fish that knows how to hold its breath, bloating up its tiny body to do so. Puffer fish fascinates by doing that and more. The puffer fish is a small fish and the second most poisonous vertebrae. It gives tough competition to Shankar Madavedan’s breathless by using its ability to inflate itself rapidly as a defense mechanism. It does so by filling its elastic stomach with water and hence saving itself from predators who get intimidated by the increased size and of course to stay alive when out of water for a short span of time.


Initially I was very scared of the puffer fish, refusing to even hold it in my hand. But seeing my dad and brother do so, I gathered courage and asked the guide to gently place the bloated fish on the palm of my hand. It was woobly and not as slimy as it looked. As it held on to its breath with eyes wide open, I also held my breath in anticipation. It just sat there and the moment I placed her back in the salty water, it swam away to glory! The guide then chased the poor fish until she got so tired that she flipped her body to float on the water, back-down, like how we normally sleep on the bed. She lay playing dead for a while, then swam again as the tiredness subsided.

Six-legged wonder

I’m not particularly fond of slimy, six-legged creatures….but octopus and its defense bowled me over. All through the walk, I was cribbing about not having seen any octopus yet, which mind you is the star attraction. But the cribbing ended and wonderment settled as we got to see not one, but maybe 7-8 octopuses.


The first two octopuses that we spotted seemed to be a couple, for when the guide tried to catch hold of one of them (we presumed a female), the second one came near her and left a blackish dye, thus blocking the guide’s vision and protecting his queen of hearts! Love blossoms even in deep sea!

Further, the octopus is chameleon of water! If it’s swimming over sand, it turns brownish; if swims over rocks, it becomes grey and spotty and so on. The change of colour and pattern of its skin makes it all the more harder to spot. In my fear, I did not hold the octopus in my hand, but I did touch it.

Baby Star-fish, Sea slug and more…


We also spotted two baby star fish and the guide placed them both in my hand. I wondered how beautiful they’d look on growing in size by January. The bight-orange, almost paper-thin sea slug, sea cucumber (brownish-cucumber shaped creature from which gum is extracted by certain African tribes) and tape worms were also fortunate enough to meet us! *winks*

Count the colours…


How many colours can you name? Don’t worry, this is not a quiz. I just asked the question to tell you that Sponges are found in colours that varied colours that you’ve hardly seen or heard about- 92 colours to be precise! They’re mostly found under rocks and never fail to bedazzle the tourist with their sheer variety of colour scheme.

A Happy and Fishy Ending!

By the time we were done with the oceanic adventure, the sun was glaring down with us and we were badly tanned. The hunger pangs were setting in and the walk back to the starting point seemed to take eons. However that did not deter our curiosity when we saw a dark guy shooting the marine birds with professional camera.

The guy, as we found out after our conversation was Arpit Deomurari, a naturalist, currently working with Forest Department and well known for his nature photographer, particularly birds. He spoke to us about his work, his adventures and his hi-tech camera. He even invited us to come for a session of marine bird photography, but sadly we had to decline due to prior commitments on diwali. After our brief farewell and exchange of numbers, we our tired legs traversed us back through water and onto solid land, where finally, we felt like home - more so because there was home-made pasta waiting to be devoured.

Hasanbhai mentioned-sometime during our walk-that even though he shows several marine plants and animals to the tourists, they’re never satisfied and happy until they get to see the puffer fish, octopus and sea anemones! To conclude, we were satisfied and certainly very very happy!!

I thank Picasa for helping me create the collages and saving me the task of uploading each image.

AU 001 - Outdshoorn, S. Africa (Ride ostrich, dive with crocs....etc)

What are we doing weorking our ass off!! If I had a choice I'd leave the work, the studies and head out on an adventure!

AU i.e. Adventure Unlimited will talk about the places I stumbled upon on the internet that offererd unlimited scope for adventure!

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This post talks about 'OUDTSHOORN', South Africa. It is a heaven for adventure and wildlife enthusiats! See you there ... (sometime in future!)

PS - This post is a jist, check oyt the official websites with a lot of patience to know what you're missing!

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CANGO WILDLIFE RANCH
http://www.cango.co.za/

THINGS TO DO
Temple Ruins
Vulture Cliffs
Giant Flying Foxes
Walk on the Snapper Gorge
Pygmy Hippo village
Otter waterfalls
Crocodile exhibits - jumping jaws

RATES
Cheetah Encounter : R 145 / Rs. 712
Tiger Cub Adventure : R 300 / Rs. 1474
Croc Cage Diving : R 240 / Rs. 1179

CANGO OSTRICH FARM
http://www.cangoostrich.co.za

THINGS TO DO

Get ostrich information
Hug & kiss the ostrich
Feed striches
Ride the ostriches

RATES
Adults R. 50/ Rs. 245
Children R. 25 / Rs. 122

CANGO CAVES

A wonderfull limestone cave! The heighetend humidity and tempetaure is worth it for the stalactites and stalagtites are beautiful!!

RATES
90 min (adventure) R. 70 / Rs. 344
60 min (standard) R. 55 / Rs. 270

OTHER ACTIVITIES IN OUDTSHOORN
http://www.oudtshoorninfo.com/index.php

Quad Biking
Abseiling
Caving
Kayaking
Hiking
Mountain Biking

Stumbled upon this South African Heaven while reading an article by Carly Blatt travelogues at gonomad.com

Ostrich Farms, South Africa - http://www.gonomad.com/features/0810/south-africa-oudtshoorn.html
Antarctica - http://www.gonomad.com/destinations/0507/antarctica.html
Colorado adventures - http://www.gonomad.com/features/0609/colorado-adventure.html

Wat-a-board!

Ok. I've been too lazy to update this blog despite the recent trip to Chennai. So here's a warding-off-the-guilt-post.

Check out this sign-board that I saw in Madras Crocodile Bank, ECR, Tamil Nadu.



I LOLed at the sight of the board!

Dream Itinerary - Ladakh

DREAM ITINERARY is just what the name reflects. It is a destination itinerary that I dream to visit and is born out of backgrowund research that I carry out on the dream destination. I do not know if this will be a regular feature on my blog, but even if it is not, I have no doubt that my dreams of traveling will and are rather regular.

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Ladakh

General

I. How to reach

1. Fly from New Delhi
2. New Delhi to Manali by Bus (12 hours) + Bus/hired car from Manali to Leh (allows you to take pit-stops as and when the scenery turns breath-taking!) Buses begin plying from June 15 to September 15.
OR
Hire a car in Manali and drive to Leh. Take a stop at Keylong and Sarchu making it a three day travel. Alternatively, some people stop only at Sarchu or Pang. Tour operators usually stop at Jispa which has a modern hotel. Try tented restraints for food and stay(stay only if you have a good winter sleeping bag!)

II. Eating out in Leh

1. La Terrace
2. Summer harvest
3. Tibetan Kitchen (momos)
4. Kokonoor (better momos than Tibetian Kitchen)
5. Badshah
6. Mentokling Bar
7. Zen

III. Staying in Leh

1. Best hotels – Spic & Span, Lotus, Lharimo
2. Guesthouses (an extension of family houses usually serving tea and breakfast and making it a homely experience)
3. Guesthouse at Lamayuru monastery
4. Old guesthouses have rooms for Rs. 150- Rs. 400
5. Newer one’s having attached toilet are between Rs. 400 – Rs. 800
6. Some popular guesthouses – Ti-sei, Delux, Padma all three near Fort road) and rainbow, Oriental and wisdom are other popular ones.
7. Sarchu and Pang have tented accommodation usually advertised as Swiss cottage deluxe tents (but they hardly offer any luxury!) (on the way to Manali)

IV. Other Attractions

1. Polo match on 15th August is very exciting
2. Leh has world’s highest golf course
3. Check out local archery at Oracle and local Amchi (doctor, not the witch doctors!) to learn about zen, meditation and usual tourist traps
4. Ladakh Festival known as Hemis festival, from 1-15 September is very popular among tourists.
5. Good tourist books to refer to – Trailblazer by Charlie Loram and the local book Reach Ladakh are popular.

V. Day by day itinerary

Day 1: Leh

o Acclimatize
o Roam around the sundry markets
o Eat at food-joints at Chang-pa (Israeli part of Leh)
o Get inner-line for Nubra valley, Pangong Tso, Moriri Tso permit from DM’s office (near parade ground). Also keep 7-8 photocopies of the same to be given at various check points.
o Visit Shanti Stupa in the evening
o Watch the sunset

PS – for any travel help, meet ‘Dilli’ at Dragon Tours & Travel, fort road, Leh.

Day 2: Nubra Valley

o Drive to Nubra valley in Karakoram range (Leh is in Himalayan range)
o Nubra valley is Y’ shaped with Sumur and Panamik on the North and Diskit and Handar on the South.
o Stop at Sumur and see the Samsta-ling Monastery.
o Drive all the way to Panamik which has hot sulphur springs (till here no permit is needed)
o Head back to Diskit. You may visit the monastery if you’re interested.
o Stay the night in some Hotel in Hander.
o Hander has two-humped Bactrian Camels resting in the sand dunes amidst the snow-covered peaks. This was the part of ancient trade route to Tibet. It’s an amazing sight.

Day 3: Leh and around Leh

o Check out the camels in Handar if you could not spot them the previous night.
o Head back to Leh via Khardung La where you can interact with BRO guys. (this road is closed every Monday as the BRO guys do the servicing)
o When at Leh, head to Thikshey & Hemis Monasteries and Shey palace in the afternoon.
o The lucky one’s can spot monks in procession around the huge Buddha statues in different incarnations.
o Spend the night at Leh.

Day 4: Phey-Nimoo

o Try rafting in Indus River if you’re adventure inclined. Book yourself with a rafting tour operator, best one being Splash Adventure Tours located in Leh Bazaar.
o If you go in for rafting, request rafting in Phey-Nimoo rafting stretch where Indus and Zanskar meet. The rafting crew give you lunch and drop you off at Leh bazaar in the afternoon,
o You could also drive all the way to Nimoo and watch the confluence of Zanskar and Indus.

Day 5: Pangong Tso OR Moriri Tso OR Lamayuru

o Can be visited only if the army has opened the high passes
o Pangong Tso is the highest salt water lake in the world.
o It is a full day trip to the lake and its recommended that you spend the night here.
OR
o Moriri Tso, another lake south-east of Leh.
OR
o A picture-perfect town set on a cliff on Srinagar home to Yung-Drung swastika (Lamayuru Monastery)
o Stop over al Alchi, the cultural heart of Leh and famous for its caves, paintings and the oldest Gompa of the region.

The above three are in three different directions, so make a wise choice or do all three if you have time. You may also trek to near-by monasteries, esp. Spituk (near Leh). Don’t forget to try the salted butter tea.

Day 6: Likir and Rizdong Monastery

o Drive to Rizdong and see the Rizdong Monastery. It is the only Nunnery Monastery in Ladakh.
o Lekir monastery is set on a low-hill.
o Drive back to Leh.

Day 7: Sabu & Stok

o Drive to Sabu village after breakfast
o Visit the local Buddhist house to see private chapels and traditional kitchen
o Also get demonstration of preparing gur gur tea (local tea)(butter tea)
o Sabu can be seen by afternoon.. You can club Stok village with Sabu.
o Visit the Stok palace, museum with royal family heirloom, tibetian handicraft centre/school and then drive to Choglamsar (largest tibetian refugee village).
o Alternatively, you can also visit Stok and Choglamsar on the next day depending upon the time you have.

VI. Other

1. For non-trekkers, Nubra, Alchi and Moriri Tso are the best!
2. If you’re a pop music lover, check out local pop music termed as cherry pop in Ladakh and Spiti.

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NOTE: The information given above is a consolidation of the text and opinions by other travellers that I've read. I take no responsibility fir the accuracy of the information stated above, nor do I claim that the day-wise itinerary will actually work. But this is possibly what I'd follow when I go there! :)