Harishchandra Gad

2009-10-22T18:53:00.007+05:30

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."
Saint Augustine

With Diwali fast approaching, I realized I had to escape. Escape the cacophony in our urban lives. Not that I dont like Diwali or other Indian festivals. Our festivals are unique. Where else do you see so many people coming together to celebrate a common cause and share their joys? The problem with Diwali though is the incredible noise level that is generated. I woke up on the Saturday due to the crackers having slept only five hours. I was in a grumpy mood. I just knew I had to go. Luckily some other friends were free. Our wavelengths match almost all the time and they too had similar objectives as mine. Within no time, references were drawn up on the net and a decision was made to trek to Harishchandra Gad.

We (4 including me) left on Sunday (18^th October) early in the morning from Thane. The intended destination is on the way to Ahmednagar. The travel itinerary basically looks like this-

Thane to Kalyan. Local train. We decided to go to Kalyan because lots of buses leave for Ahmednagar from Kalyan. An enquiry at the bus station let us know which buses go through the same route. We took the 7:30 bus to Ahmednagar (more fondly known as Nagar). We got off at Khubi Phata (phata is pass in Marathi) at about 10:15 from where we walked to the base village Kireshwar.
Tip: Leave early to save time. Because it is likely you will be traveling on a weekend, dont expect to get a seat. We were traveling on Diwali weekend so you can imagine the rush. People reserve seats by throwing their handkerchiefs from outside the bus!
Khubi Phata to Kireshwar. Kireshwar is about an hour's walk away from Khubi Phata. The breath of fresh air and spectacular scenery that hit me instantly will remain with me throughout my life. Close to the village is a beautiful lake. A lake that will remind you that there is beauty in this world, only you have to look for it. We spent some time at the lake before realizing that we should come back to it on our return journey rather than lose precious time then.
Kireshwar is a quiet little village at the base of the trek. As is the case with such villages on the tourist trail, there are a couple of hotels. These are basically homes which have a small veranda where people can sit. Almost three or so hours in the sun had made us want a rest. Unfortunately, we were made to wait an hour and a half before we got our lunch. We devoured it in fifteen minutes.
Tip: Carry your own food. Even if it means your bag becomes heavy. Dont depend on anyone else as it will cost you time.

After feeding ourselves, we set off on what was to be the best trek of our lives. The sky was so blue that at one point I got goose bumps just looking at it. I went crazy with my camera clicking many pictures. Right at the start of the forest proper, we made a mistake. There is a fork at the base of the forest and the left hand of the fork has a stone with an arrow pointing down that path. Dont take it. We lost almost an hour on that route before we luckily encountered a villager who told us that we were actually on the wrong trail.
Tip: Ask every local you encounter on the way for the right track. Corroborate the track as many times as possible. Nobody minds answering such questions; they have been at it for years.

After picking the right track, we started on our trek proper. The path toward the top is basically the path of a stream which one can imagine would be in full flow during the rains. It was then we realized why websites and reviews advised people not to trek during rainy season. Since it is mainly an upward trek with very few plateaus let alone down slopes, it is very tiring.
Tip: Take periodic rests to recharge your energy although too many rests will lead to fatigue accumulation. Take plenty of glucose/glucon-D. Our decision to take Parle-G proved to be a master stroke.

After about two hours in the forest, we reached the base of a 100 odd foot rock climb. There are small poles for railings at regular intervals. The railings themselves though are missing from most of the points. Supposedly, locals sell the metal for money which is rather unfortunate. None the less, the climb was enjoyable with some more breathtaking views. We were above the forest and had a clear view of the surroundings. It took us about an hour to traverse this part before we reached what is known as Tolar Khind (khind is peak in Marathi). There is where we met a group of trekkers from Pune. More importantly, there we also met our beautiful golden guide, Gods messenger in the form of a dog whose contribution to our trek just cannot be ignored. From there on, the path was up and down with plenty of lovely little streams forming bath tubs of sorts. Our guide whom we christened Harishchandra (after the name of the fort), let's just call him H, lead us through rapidly deteriorating light to our destination. On the way we encountered the howling of some kind of monkeys and cricket racquet.
Tip: Well, I cannot advice you as to how to find H. If you find him, good for you. There is nothing to worry about though as the path is well defined. In our case, H helped keep our morale up.

Our destination was the temple sitting pretty atop the fort. By then, our water was exhausted. To our amazement, the temple folks told us to refill from the temple tank which is basically a tank filled by the rains. Out of desperation, we took what we got. Then we found our landlord- of the cave. Yes, a cave! We spent the night at the cave. There were many caves around the area. In many ways, this was a high point. After having roughed it for about four hours to get to the top, we actually lived the way early man did- in the absolute wild. Although our sleep was far from comfortable what with rats running amok within the cave, the experience of being one with nature was extremely liberating. Our landlord told us that he'd been brought up in that cave and that was his life, his livelihood.
Tip: Carry plenty of water, even at the expense of your back even though the temple water was quite good. For food, another viable option is cup noodles. The cave dwellers burn wood to keep warm and cook and the fire could be used to heat the noodles.

Due to our slow speed, we had missed out on the view of the sunset from Kokan Kada (kada is cliff in Marathi). We woke up early morning, relieved ourselves in open air (ahem) and started on our way to Kokan Kada. Amazingly, we were joined again by H. About half an hour later we were there. The cliff and the view from it is beyond words. I cannot find the right adjectives for it. We could stare into the horizon; miles on end. We realized what we had missed out on the previous evening. After a brief photo session there, we headed back to the caves. H parted with us at the caves. After paying our due (which was about Rs. 75 per head for food and stay), we set off. Another high point in our trip was the jeep ride from Kireshwar back to Khubi phata. On a horrible kacha road, we sat on top of the jeep which bumped up and down, left and right. Our asses were sore at the end of it all but it really was worth it.
Final Tip: Carry first aid when on a trek. A friend cut his toe and we had nothing to help him so I'd say carry band-aid or some bandage to wrap wounds.

On the way back, the inevitable questions came back to me. I pine to get away from the bustle of the city, to live in the lap of nature, to be at peace for an extended period of time but just how long can I live like that? As urban animals, I suppose it is only a matter of time before we want to get back to our usual settings. So in effect, such escapades are just that-escapades. I suppose my mind no longer wants security or constancy but home can never completely become alien. The journey back was tiring to say the least and we were welcomed into the city by swarms of people and lots of noise near Kalyan station. I got home, ate and slept off immediately.

We had spoken to a bunch of trekkers on the way about similar treks and they had suggested Rajgad and Ratangad. One of them is next. Watch this space.

P.S. I have uploaded some photos here. I am severely limited by my internet connection so please make do with these. I will upload more if can. You can find the map to the base village here.

Travel checklist

2009-10-06T17:43:00.009+05:30

I’ve travelled quite a bit over the last four years by train, bus and more recently by flight too. A travel checklist has been on my mind for a while now. This is in no way exhaustive. Do get your thoughts in so that all readers can make note of it. All in the name of better traveling!

Always travel light. Cut out stuff that you don’t need. Don’t pack stuff out of excitement. I’ve seen so many families lug stuff around with much difficulty. I myself have been guilty of it and believe me, it is not fun
Keep your tickets safe. It is not such a priority on flights as they have booking reference numbers. For buses and trains however, it is mighty important. Keep it in a place which is easily accessible and yet it should be difficult to misplace. I usually carry two or three copies and keep them in different locations
Clothing- When I am away from home, I wear light clothes like shorts, bermudas or cotton (full) pants. They are very comfortable to go around in and don’t take up much space in bags
Valuables-As far as possible don’t carry any valuables but in case you have no option, keep them well shielded inside your non-hand/check in baggage. Bags get thrown around a lot by coolies and handlers. For the same reason keep your laptop close to you at all times
Jacket/windcheater-If you are travelling in the rainy season (which is what most people in India do because it is holiday time for their kids) don’t forget to carry a rain jacket. You won’t regret it
Extra undergarments-you never know when you will never need it
Bottle of water which you can refill-In India especially, you can never say what quality of water you will get and as such, it is better to drink bottled water when outside unless you know you are getting purified water
Non perishable snacks-Food on trains is better avoided no matter what people say about the effect Lalu has had on the Indian Railways
Eye patch-With people all around you in buses, trains and even flights, an eye patch will serve you very well
A good book-If you like to read, a book is a must. It is ideal when you are on a long distance train or bus and you feel sleepy but cant because of various factors
Toilet paper-Hygiene standards in India are quite poor and even if you don’t carry ANY of the above, make sure you carry this item
Medicine-Your crocins, anti-julabs (for lack of a better word!), and what not medicines are a must. Things can get bad in the middle of a journey
Camera!-Any journey can’t be complete without a camera to capture all the memories

Travel Blog

2009-10-06T10:15:00.006+05:30

Ahoy fellow travelers!

This blog is an attempt at logging/chronicling my experiences on the road. I experience a unique thrill quite unlike any other while traveling. I suppose it is the mix of excitement and unexpectedness of seeing a new place that thrills me most. New places offer a traveler the chance of seeing scenic landscapes, flora and fauna, different people, historical landmarks and so much more. My love of photography only fuels my desire to get outside and explore. It is funny that as a child, I hated the rigour of travel. Long bus rides made me sick and gave me head aches. When and how that changed is a mystery to me. Now I am most comfortable outdoors. Having said that, I can also say that I love my time of peace and quiet at home but that serves as a recharging of the batteries if you like.

So friends, do read and dont hesitate to add your thoughts. After all, I will be putting down my own experiences and it is likely that I may have missed out on something interesting at a certain place.

Bon Voyage!

The bug has bitten...

Harishchandra Gad

Travel checklist

Travel Blog