Prabalmachi Camping and Kalavantin Pinnacle Trek

Prabalmachi is an old village near Panvel, Navi Mumbai and trekkers use this place as a base-camp to trek up the Prabalgad fort and Kalavantin Pinnacle.  Prabalmachi offers beautiful view of Panvel outskirts along with breathtaking view of both Prabalghad fort and Kalavantin Pinnacle.  Kalavantin Pinnacle is a steep hill and trekkers consider it as an ultimate destination for their trekking journey.

Day 1:

We started our trek from Thakurwadi Village at around 7.45 PM after an introduction session and reached the top of Prabalmachi at around 9.15 PM with few breaks in between. At night, we could not see anything including valley on one side, so people climb easily without fear. From the top, we got the beautiful view of sky with full of stars.

At the plateau there is a small hotel which offer trekkers with food such as breakfast, lunch, dinner at reasonable rates. Also Accomodation, tents and bonfire services can be availed from them. Our dinner was arranged in the hotel and they served Peethla, Peas,  Brinjal, Dal Rice with Rice Bhakris. Everything served was hot and fresh. After having dinner, we had fun time with campfire, barbeque and games. You will get an expansive view of Panvel skyline as the property sits on a hilltop.  And I felt twinking stars beneath to me. You literally feel like you’re living in the clouds, supervising Earth from up there. 

Day 2:

After having breakfast we started our trek to Kalavantin Pinnacle at around 7.30 AM.  The initial trail goes through rocky terrains and steep climb. There is a cave on the way towards up, it is a small cave, and some meters long.

Further trail was the real challenge and risk. When I searched Kalavantin Pinnacle over internet, it looked like a steep hill but in real it is not that  steep. Stairs are carved  in double steps and there were no stair rails so there is some amount of risk involved for climbing. It is advisable to climb the steps holding both the hands and legs and crawl upstairs.

After one and half hours trek, we reached the top. The view from the top was fantastic.  You will get a view of the deep valley between the Prabal fort and Kalavantin fort.

There is one rock patch at the top and climbing to this final summit requires little climbing technique or you need someone's help to reach the top.  As we don’t have any ropes with us, one of our organisers ascended ahead and the other one was below, guiding one by one. Thus all of us reached the top.

Climbing that small rock also give you thrills. From the top, we can enjoy the beautiful view of Mumbai as this is located in Mumbai Pune Express Highway.

It was becoming exceedingly hot and humid. After spending few minutes with photography, we started our descend at around 9.45 AM and reached Prabhalmachi at around  11 AM.  Ascending path is quite steep and dangerous but exciting and thrilling at the same time.

After having lunch and a few photographic sessions, we started our descend at around 12.30 PM. Descend was quite easy. We stopped at a stall for nimbu pani. At around 2 pm, we reached  the base village.

A memorable trek with pleasant hike during the night, camping and games, spectacular view from Kalavantin Pinnacle and walking in the hottest month of March.

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Holi and Camping at Bhandardara

Mumbai celebrated Holi in weekdays and each and every corner of the city was a crowded mess.  I was looking to celebrate Holi in a much different way and came to know about Holi special camping at Bhandardara.  I've never been camping before so I was excited about the camping activities.

Bhandardara sits by the Pravara River, is situated close to Igatpuri and is just 185 kilometers from Mumbai, in the Indian state of Maharashtra.   Surrounded by natural beauty, waterfalls, mountains and greenery,  a campsite at the Bhandardara Lake offers one of the best place to relax and enjoy.

Day 1: 7th March

As scheduled, all of us assembled at Kasara station at around 3 PM and left towards Campsite by hired jeep. We reached Bhandardara at around 5 PM.  After having freshened up and short break in one of the village house, we moved towards our campsite.  

We had a big task in front of us. As many of us didn’t have the experience of pitching a tent, the local villagers arranged tents for us at the campsite. Within a hours time, our campsite was ready.

The place was  absolutely breathtaking. The campsite was in the shore of river surrounded by hills on all sides.  We had a photography session with breathtaking backdrops. The surrounding was a breath of fresh air. I walked around by enjoying unmatched view of hills and water.

The sun was about to set. The hills and the water in sight, I took the beauty of nature in  my camera at its best.

We kept our luggage inside the tent. Our coordinators were busy arranging a bonfire!  Before the night set in, we collected enough firewood from the surrounding area. Around midnight, each one of us had gathered around the campfire. By that time, the temperature dropped and we began to freeze. It was time for activities - Barbeque, songs, games, DJ using mobile phone and Speaker, UNO and Star gazing , it was a pure joy. We illuminated the tent interiors with the torch light.

The air was so cold and fresh.  I was warming in my sleeping bag.

Day 2: 8th March

By 7 AM everyone was awake. When I stepped out of my tent, I saw the magnificent view of the surroundings. Then a gentle walk along the shore of the lake. The early morning was magical - village life, beautiful  sahyadri mountain ranges and sunrise

Then we cooked magi noodles for breakfast. Then is the much awaited Holi. The villager's provided  organic colors. We put colors on each others face and deliberately pulled others to water .

The water was a too cold . The mobile phone and Speaker were switched on and few of us started dancing.

By 12.30 PM we were ready to leave the place and proceeded to pack up the campsite and clean away our trash. 

Around 2.30 PM we left the camp site. Our jeep guys were waiting for us. We returned back to Kasara station to proceed to Mumbai. It was my first time camping experience and Holi with unforgettable memories.

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City Travel : Exploring Reay Road, Mumbai

It was 4'o clock, when I reached Reay Road railway station. The previous night I was cycling till morning from Nariman Point to Bandra to explore the coastal areas of Mumbai.  I had a good sleep till mid-day.  I din't want to miss any event in Mumbai because I was not sure how long I would  staying in Mumbai and I wanted to live every day intensely. For me every day is different  and  I do what I want. Who knows there might come a time when travelling is not possible as we wish.  Moreover, I can meet new people  and establish friendship with a few of them.  Meeting different kinds of people has always given me a new experience every time. These are now things that I live for and love the most about traveling.

Usually, photowalks are conducted in one particular area with a theme for the day. This time, the place was Reay Road and our theme was 'fire and metals'. As a practice, we  post at least two photos we clicked during the walk in the facebook group page. A large group of enthusiastic photographers assembled in front of Reay Road railway station with a range of cameras with them. 

We started our walk from Reay Road Station, which is located directly east on Mumbai’s Harbour Line.  We could see pavement dwellings under the overbridge just opposite to the station. You will find that these roadside homes have everything you expect in a home.  Many slum dwellers had built two or three lofts atop their hovels.

Within few minutes we were looking deep into the lanes and by lanes of Reay Road. Here you can find industry workers, fishing villages, markets and more. A variety of life  filled with urban energy. I saw a man having a shower right on the street and when he saw the  camera,  he was even more happy to pose. Like any other street  I saw a man frying  peanuts with sand.

The afternoon was oppressively hot, and people were roaming around the place comfortably. I noticed food cooking in brass pots over open fires at the streets. 

Kids were friendly. I never saw children begging, instead  what I could see were laughing children running through the lanes and playing. They surrounded us, curious to look at us and posing for our cameras to be clicked.

The micro industries were thriving within. There were numerous manufacturing units and activities.  Many people work for companies in a recycling industry. We passed through a  pile of plastics and stored to be reassembled for reuse.

I watched a wide range of business activities , recycling, leather tanming, barber shop, dress pressing, waste paper processing, welding and many more. And these hardworking people are contributors for the growing Indian econmy. 

I walked in the narrowest lanes where people lived in extremely close proximity to each other. Poverty, apalling sanitation and illiteracy was visible everywhere. But people do live here and they were friendly and smiled at us as we walked along.

Finally we reached a water body. The area was dirty and a fire on a big pile of waste created smoke around the area. The area was congested and polluted. 

I felt this place as just another neighbourhood, where you can find all activities just like any other small village.  Got much more understanding of life and work in Mumbai slums. Perhaps I started enjoying Aamchi Mumbai.

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Midnight cycling in coastal route of Mumbai

This  was my second midnight cycling in Mumbai and this time, I explored the coastal route of Mumbai.

For the last two months, I had been having a hectic schedule at work. Life had become monotonous which  prompted me to do something different.  After all what really matters in the end are the experiences and memories that last a lifetime.

The ride started from Nariman Point and ended at Bandra Bandstand. At 10.30 pm,  as communicated, I reached in front of Oberoi Hotel. There was a large group of cyclists ready to leave as they awaited few of their members. As all group members arrived, we left Nariman point after a set of instructions from co-ordinators. Unseasonal showers and drizzle brought down temperatures and the ride was really enjoyable.

As I cycled by the adorable Queen's Necklace, I could see the queen wearing the necklace of white LED lights. At night you can see the people of Mumbai admiring it’s beauty and chilling with hot Chai from sellers on bicycles.

The 35kms ride had halts at Mumbai's famous tourist hotspots like Girgaon Chaupati, Haji Ali Dargah, Worli Sea face and Siddhivinayak temple. The best part is the ride through city roads when most people would not imagine doing something like this. You can watch people enjoying Mumbai night life. Some people ride their bikes at full speed while others stand on the top of the car,  enjoying the weather.

Siddhivinayak temple

All my work  tension and  worries seemed non existent  for those 6 hours that I cycled through the coastal route of Mumbai. The feeling cannot be expressed in words. Of course, exploring this beautiful coastal route of Mumbai, is a unique experience .

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