Yacht sailing in Mumbai

This was my first sail on a J/24 Class sailboat.

On a sunny Sunday evening I was thinking about doing something new and adventurous in Mumbai. So when the opportunity came up, I booked one seat, without thinking too much.  As per the itinerary, I reached the boarding point near the Gateway of India.

Gateway of India

I met our tour coordinator near the Gateway of India, at the small private jetty opposite to the Taj Mahal Hotel. I saw scores of boats resting on water.

Our sailing boat was little away from jetty, and we took a row boat, and then in the middle of the waters, moved over to the actual sailing boat. When we reached near to the sailboat, the captain of the boat was arranging the boat for sail. He explained about the boat and its importance.

Once into the sail boat, the helper went about opening the sail. Nothing can beat sailing in a sailboat that was designed thousands of years ago.

Sitting in the midst of the Arabian Sea and watching Mumbai's skyline is a memorable experience.

Mind blowing winds,  lovely sunset and being miles away from the hustle and bustle of city life - that's why we love sailing.

view of Mumbai's skyline from the boat

In this trip I realized that they are not only eco friendly but also offer a more up close and natural experience of the ocean. And then we made our way back towards the shore. And as we headed closer to the shore, I could not stop taking shots of Mumbai’s iconic structures, the Taj Mahal Hotel and the Gateway of India.

Taj Mahal Hotel 

And that was the end of a wonderful Sunday afternoon.

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Sandhan Valley Trek

Sandhan Valley is a part of the beautiful Sahyadri mountain range, which is located in Nasik , in the Indian State of Maharashtra.

We started our journey from Mumbai on 12th December midnight to explore Sandhan Valley.  We all gathered at Kasara Station at around 1.30 am  and took a jeep to Samrad village. The 2 hour jeep journey uphill having narrow roads and curves, was not all comfortable. 

We reached Samrad village at around 4 am. The atmosphere was extremely cool . We rested in a temple complex nested by houses.  At the crack of dawn, we strolled around the place. The early morning was magical - village life, beautiful  sahyadri mountain ranges and sunrise. There was a primary school near the temple. I stood there for some time watching children coming to school and the children in turn were curiously watching us, in our trek dress.

Beautiful view of Sahyadri mountain ranges

After breakfast, we moved to Santhan valley. After 2 kms of walk, we reached the entrance of the valley. There were other large groups already on the trek. There were few rappelling patches in Santhan Valley trek and it would take more time for all trekkers to descend . So we changed our plan. We further planned to trek the Ratangad fort via Trimbak Darwaja. Three months back, I had gone for a trek to Ratangad fort via Ratanwadi.

Ratangad fort

We walked through the  forest, green valleys and  grass lands. We lost the way in between. Luckily, we met some villagers and they showed us the actual trek path. The group had already splitted into small groups.  After few hours, past beautiful terrains, we entered the fort via Trimbak Darwaja .

After exploring the fort, we started descending. We took rest under a tree, waiting for other groups to join  us.  We  reached  Samrad village by about 6:00 PM for night camping. The sun had just began to set. In the distance, the sky turned in a blaze of orange and red shade as the  sun set behind the hills.

We had a tiring day but we decided to make the rest of the day enjoyable. Before the night set in, we collected enough firewood from the surrounding area. We set a campfire, sat around it and had fun. 

Camp-Fire



We had to spend the night in the village houses.  We had our dinner and went to sleep so that we can get up early  next morning to begin our Sandhan Valley Trek. Few of us accomodated to one of the village house and rest of the team adjusted in the temple complex. I selected one bed in the house and drifted into sleep.

Day 2:

We bid farewell to the villagers and started our trek in the morning at around 8 am. After a few minutes walk from the village, we reached the entrance of the valley. The actual trek starts from here.

Entrance of Sandhan Valley

Sandhan valley is 15-20 feet wide route, which is carved by water flowing between two huge mountains.  Every year, hundreds of trekkers brave the tough route in the valley, trek through huge rock patches to cross Santhan valley that is 200ft deep and about 2 km long.

One of the interesting experience in this trek is that one can actually feel that he is in a valley of shadows and  as one looks upward, one can see the ray of sunlight falling through the darkness.  After crossing some big rocks, we found a small water pond . In Sandhan Valley trek, you have to cross 2-3 water ponds.  The water level changes according to season. Each one of us crossed the water pool with luggage stuck to their back . This made the trek more exciting.

After continuous trekking (for more than 3 hours), we reached the first rock patch in the valley. The height of the rock patch was 80ft and there was no option but to rappel down. This was my first rappelling and I completed the task with no hurdles.

When light rays fall on the valley walls from different  angles and intensities, they create some beautiful shades on the rocks and walls. I was surprised to see these unspoilt manifestation of nature.

Before others reach, we started our journey towards the 2nd patch .  The descending is not that simple as it appears.

Soon we passed  the 3rd patch with help of a log of wood.

After crossing the second water pool we  headed towards end of the valley. Soon we reached the exit point of the valley.

At the end of the valley,  taking rest becomes a must. The place is in a heavenly spot. There was a big water body and we enjoyed some time there.

The last and final challenge is the long walk through the end of the valley to Dehene village which marks the end of the trek. Dehen village is around 6 km away from here. The trail is along the side of a dry river bed.  Some of us were singing songs which made us feel refreshed.

Soon our track changed to narrow tar road. We sat on a small bridge for rest and had some photographs and fun time. The sun was about to set.  We got a spectacular view of the sun setting down behind the countryside hills, making the evening landscape look serene.

On reaching the Dehene village, we changed our dress and had tea and biscuits. Our jeep was waiting to take us to Asangaon station.

A memorable trek that can be cherished for long.

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MUMBAI ON MOONLIGHT RIDE

We have often heard people saying that Mumbai never sleeps and has a different atmosphere at night .  I was curious to  see the city from the perspective of a bicycle that begins at night and ends before dawn.

It was around 10.30 pm, I took a taxi from CST railway station to Colaba. Shopkeepers were shutting their shops, ending their day. According to the tour itinerary, our meeting point was at MAD OVER DONUTS in Colaba Causeway at around 11:30 pm.  I reached the place much earlier and stood on the footpath outside the shop, waiting for the co-coordinators and team members. I found few of my co-travelers in this event. We then collected the bicycles and helmets and the tour coordinator gave us a kit of snacks and juice pack. After the orientation and introduction session, we started our journey.

We were cycling up the spectacular P J Ramchandani Marg marveling the beauty of South Mumbai's iconic buildings. I was admiring  Mumbai's night life.  After passing by the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and the Gateway of India, we took our first stop at the Asiatic Society Library. We sat on the steps, which are well known to movie buffs. 

Pit stop at The Asiatic Society Library

Out next pit stop was at  Horniman Circle.  Ishita (the tour coordinator) showed us a Banyan tree. We were about to hear an interesting history. This is the tree under which Indian cotton merchants would meet in the 1850s and conduct their daily trades. One day, 22 of them contributed a rupee each and started the Native Stock Exchange, which blossomed into the Bombay Stock Exchange. The modern structure that houses the BSE stands only a few hundred yards from the banyan tree. 

We passed by Horniman Circle branch of Bademia - a massive two floor diner. By that time it was closed. The origins of this food joint can be traced back to a tiny road side stall in the Colaba byline where you can see people stroll up, get off taxis, or park their cars and two-wheelers along-side the restuarant and enjoying Kebabs. I had visited this place few months back.

Soon I realized that the ride was less about sight seeing and more about experiencing the city at night.  From here we went on to Rajabai Clock tower, Bombay High Court, Flora Fountain and CST station. Ishita explained the history of each of the place.  

A pit-stop near Flora Fountain

Down the dark alley, where beggers and street urchins form part of the fraternity of pedestrains.

CST station, is a beautiful place to take in the finest views of South Mumbai… especially at twilight!

                     

CST Station

The BMC building, located just opposite to CST station is absolutely beautiful when lit up in the night.

BMC Building

While crossing the Marine Lines flyover, we got the stunning view of the 'Queen's Necklace'.  As the heat of the day evaporates, teenagers, lovers and families head out to this place to enjoy the weather. It is true that this is the city that never sleeps. We had a long halt at Marine Drive.  Once settled on the sidewalks, people got busy enjoying their snacks and juice. We spent more time here, enjoying cool breeze and chitchatting. I was mentally transported to a different world.      

            

Marine Drive

Next came the difficult part of the journey, the slope at Peddar Road. We got a distant view of  the World's  most expensive home - Antilia House. We finally reached our last stop, Haji Ali Dargah. It is one of the better known landmarks of Mumbai, sets 500 yards into the sea; and a path joins this from the road. The mausoleum of the famous Muslim Saint Haji Ali is accessible only during the low tide.

The frequent stops during this five-hour ride made it much more enjoyable. The information provided by Ishita (the tour coordinator) was very insightful. It is a beautiful feeling, experiencing the city while most of the cities were still sleeping. For me, it was the best night activity I ever had in Mumbai city.

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