Deconstructing the Half-constructed: getaway

Monday, July 16, 2012

Ye hai Bombay meri jaan!

The third day of this summer’s retreat to the Western Ghats saw us driving to the city of dreams Mumbai! The expressway lived up to its name and reputation allowing us to reach the city within forty minutes.

There it was – the city building tier on tier daily with the high-rises looming overhead, crowded roads, the plethora of people from everywhere milling on the streets. This was Mumbai!

We wound our way through the forests of concrete for a short while before we took an exit through a road more frequented by port authorities and goods carriers. We joined the masses next at Colaba, near the iconic Taj hotel. The old style architecture that this landmark flaunts is mesmerizing. Sitting across the road from the Arabian Sea, the building and the surrounding area represents a well preserved piece of urban history. The feeling to just suck in the beautiful sight was delightful.

To the left at the very edge of land stands the Gateway of India. This historical monument was our next stop and we continued there on foot after locating parking spot on the narrow by lanes. The mammoth structure has been on our text books since kindergarten but to see it all in person was again another delight! Let the photos narrate further.

The Taj Hotel

Gateway of India

Quite realistic,eh?

A black and white photograph of the Gateway from the front

Engraving at the top of the monument

After this it was time to board the ferry and head to the Elephanta Caves, remnants of a great temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The hour long ferry ride was more boring than anything. The smell of diesel wafted from below the deck and this coupled with the rhythmic swaying of the boat resulted in a bad headache. An hour later we disembarked on Elephanta Island. After devouring fruits and other offerings from the vendors whose stalls lined the narrow street we boarded the small toy train that took us further. The climb to the top was not intense but the weather was! The transition from the dry Delhi summer to the extremely humid climate in Mumbai was difficult. By the time we reached the top the handkerchiefs were dripping wet!

The caves having being cut more than a millennia and a half ago still boasted of intricately carved statues. This extreme example of ancient engineering and art is one of the few remaining pieces from the Golden Era in India’s history. Lord Shiva and his various forms have been depicted in a number of caves that have been cut from a side of a hill. This was a nice experience and I took liberty in exhausting the batteries of my camera.

Boarding the ferry

On the toy train

Mom and dad

Entrance to the caves

The caves in the background

One of the various forms of Lord Shiva

Inside the cave temple

A courtyard in the middle

A shivalinga

The three faces of Lord Shiva in one of the most famous sculpted pieces of rock

Another branch of the caves

Accurate engineering of the past!

An hour or so later we trudged back downhill, had a huge thali for lunch and boarded the next ferry back. The return journey on the ferry was more pleasant as this time we decided to sit on the deck above in the open. The view of the Mumbai skyline was quite picturesque and I took quite a few pictures.

A stall on the way up to the caves.

On the way back!

Mumbai- a view from the ferry

Forty five minutes later we stood at a dock where we were off loaded on account of high tide conditions near the Gateway of India. So, a short walk and a taxi ride later we were back where we had started.

Next, was the ride to the very famous Marine Drive and Nariman Point. As the sun prepared for its dive into the sea, we strolled on the boulevard that countless movies had turned into an attraction. The scenic views from this place are a memory to remember.

And as the sun set, I looked yonder

Nature turned a new color

I looked further, it spoke

And lulled me into a world another

Nariman Point

Marine Drive

Posing

With the setting of the sun, we set off too. Through the streets of Mumbai as it now glittered in silver and gold lighting sitting atop those mighty structures, we wound our way to the outskirts and so zipped back home on the expressway.

Thus ended, another wonderful day on my travels this summer.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Summer Getaway - Day 1!

Cool as the dewdrops, fresh in the morn

Painted on a canvas of green

Nature’s divine beauty at work

In the ghats, to lonavala – nature’s jade artwork, I’ve been

The month took me places in and around Delhi but the surprise that was in store for me for a week’s getaway to the Western Ghats happened to be something out of a dream. While the railway tickets played spoilsport in the beginning (and later at the end) we did manage to get RAC seats to Mumbai. The train ride of more than twenty one hours turned out to be fun (rather unexpected!). After a rather heavy breakfast as we crossed Faridabad, we settled down to sleep on the berths that the TTE had allotted (his pockets a bit warmer, of course!). The body made good of the rest that it had sought for the past three days, and I felt strangely refreshed when I woke up around noon. The slumber itself hasn’t been a sound one courtesy, a very loud kid nearby who could only think of one thing and that was calling out to his sister who lay on the berth below. Each time I woke, it was to his shouts of “Pari! Pari!”. When I finally raised myself from the berth and peeped through the curtain to enquire who Pari was and why hadn’t she been replying for the past four hours, I found an infant curled up in deep sleep in her mother’s arms! (Well ,what can I say after that?)

Lunch and two movies later mom and I got down to a game of antakshari. It is common knowledge that I am the worst player in this game. My ability to recall songs reaches an absolute zero and it was this prowess which I put up for display again. An hour later with mom being the obvious champion and with nothing better to do we decided to make faces and sing funnily resulting in a quite intense yet hilarious endeavor! The stomach did not complain at dinnertime as we had continuously fed with the junk one normally devours on a train. So, after some discussions as to who would sleep where (I got a lower one, the air conditioning was too cold for my liking) we finally got down to the final task of the day, sleeping.

An early morning call from my uncle was what woke me this time around. We had to get down at Dadar. Packed and ready we waited for an hour before the halt at Dadar. After what seemed like a long time bargaining with the taxi drivers we finally set off for Lonavala. Mumbai is silent and beautiful in the morning (no traffic!) and it was this half awake city that we left behind as we took the famous Mumbai-Pune expressway through the Ghats for our destination. On the winding roads we travelled among the Ghats, through tunnels. It was the perfect beginning I must say (I said it too soon!).It so happened that ‘travelling luck’ wasn’t on our side and the car was heating up pretty quickly forcing us to make frequent stops. My uncle and aunt picked us up from the exit to Lonavala and in no time we were at their home. The ride all along had been a blur.

Taken from the Mumbai Pune Expressway as we pass through the Ghats

One of the many tunnels that we passed through

Out of the intense heat of the north this paradise was a welcome break. I settled down to enjoy the cool breeze that blew in through the living room window. This was heaven. A peek through the windows confirmed that we were in the lap of Mother Nature surrounded by the most beautiful hills, green and lush, dotted with cottages and bungalows.

In this wonderful retreat, what do you expect after a hearty breakfast? Why, a nice sleep of course! Taking no heed of what everyone was up to and leaving all cares to the world, I jumped into bed for a long, peaceful and uninterrupted slumber (call me lazy, I don’t care!)

With not much happening in the afternoon, we decided to go to Tiger Top, a viewing point near Khandala. It definitely had some great views. The pictures say it all. Under the blue sky, surrounded by beautiful hills, now isn’t that the perfect setting? It is, and this is a big reason that many Bollywood scenes have been shot here.

A view from Tiger Top

Steep drop below

Hills and lakes in the surrounding region

Another great view

Just something different

Not picture perfect, I know!

Having that Bhutta (YUM!)

Just so beautiful!

The night had something special in store for us too. My uncle and aunt took us out for dinner to a roadside dhaba Kinara. The old school village setting and a live ghazal performance set the mood for a very enjoyable night. The ghazals did not let us down and it was quite often that we found ourselves swaying to the gentle rhythm. Some excellent non-vegetarian dishes in that raised wooden hut turned out to be just what was needed. I spent all my time clicking photos and licking my fingers!(I just realized that I was too busy savoring the delicacies and did not pick up my camera during the meal!) The comfortable jhoolas were too much to ignore and we settled on them after the delicious meal. The enchanting ghazals continued.

Finally giving in to the clock’s gentle reminder that it was eleven we returned but not before having the biggest paan of our lives filled such that I had to take multiple bites to get it all in!