MOUNT ABU

We took a flight to ahmedabad and then a train from ahmedabad to abu road.

We had done the same for our trip to ambaji( Mumbai to ahmedabad and from there to abu road).

From abu road we took a cab ride to mount abu ( it's a roughly 45 minutes ride).

We stayed one night at hotel hilltone ( cozy and comfortable).

In the evening we went to nakki lake and Tibetan market.

We did boating while in the backdrop the sun was setting. There are fountains in the lake. There is also a natural shiv ling in it.

Sunset At Nakki Lake

Us boating at Nakki Lake

It does get really cold in abu once the sun sets, but even if you are not carrying your winter gear you can buy from there. Especially since we are traveling in January. 

We bought beanies from the market. 

Dinner was at arbuda. Everyone we met recommended it for vegetarians. 

We had a dal batti churma and masala khichya.

I did not find it extraordinary. 

Next day we booked a shared car for local sightseeing. 

We started with guru shikhar which is the temple dedicated to dattatray bhagwan. It is at the highest peak in abu so the views are breathtaking. 

On the way to Guru Shikhar

Shooting point - some movies have been shot here. But its great for photography. There are children there who want to show off their shayari skills in return for payment.  

Its just below guru shikhar so you can see the temple from there.

Shooting Point At Abu

Government- arbuda art gallery. We bought everything they were selling, from ashtdhatu in the form of god to loose weight, bedsheets for body pain, bottles of liquid for treating cold and diabetes. 

Dilwara derasar- this is literally one of the most ancient and wonderful temples I have seen. It was built centuries back and at that time crores were spent on the temple.  When I read this at the entrance I really wondered what kind of architecture can cost crores a 1000 years ago. 

But the temple is every bit an amazement and the money spent on making it made sense. 

It is a marble architectural wonder . It is a derasar which has five major ones within its complex.  The detailing of the architecture, the intactness still( considering the mughals destroyed everything), the complexity and the beauty of the marble derasar left me in awe. 

My husband and I just talked about how the taj Mahal which we had seen years back felt nothing in comparison. 

Since no pictures are allowed,I am adding below link just for people reading this to see what a marvel the dilwara derasar is. And the funny thing is the below video popped up first on my feed.

 Diwara Temple

Arbuda temple- the temple has a mild walk with approximately 100 steps. 

The unique thing about this temple is on entering the temple you have to crawl in to see the deity and also crawl out. Gods way to bring humility ( making you bow down to get the blessings).

There is also a small temple built in a cave further up.

Third day

We hired an activa for half a day at rs.200.

Trevor's tank- on reaching there we decided to walk up and not take the bike  though, bikes and cars are allowed. The walk through the forest is 2.5 km filled with bamboo shoots and local shrubs. 

On reaching the top there is a small lake there which has crocodiles. The lake can also be viewed from a height by walking further up to a height.

Hanuman & ram mandir- it's was very peaceful since we dropped by in the afternoon when it was shut. It is on the way from the nakki lake to trevor's tank.

Honeymoon point- it is a 2km walk from nakki lake. It is not a tough trek. On reaching there you can sit and watch the sun setting in the horizon. 

On finding the honeymoon point too crowded we decided to watch the sunset from Ganesh temple. Ganesh temple is right there at the honeymoon point but even higher. 

We watched the sunset below us far away in the horizon. 

Last day in mount abu:

We did a lazy leisure day with just the toad rock climb. 

The toad rock trek starts right from nakki lake. 

The climb is medium steep. On reaching the top there is a view of the entire nakki lake. You can sunbathe on the huge rock there with a view of the nakki lake. 

On toad rock,Abu with the nakki lake in backdrop

After that we had peaceful stroll around the nakki lake . There is a road running around the circumference of the lake. 

It was lohri day and the market was booming with music and people dancing to it.

Fun fact: swami vivekanand meditated in a cave on the way to toad rock for some time.

When we headed back, we had a kadi pakora breakfast at abu road. It is famous here along with the rabdi.

That brings an end to the orange sunsets, and the coolness of the mountains and a 4 day trip packed with memories. 

KANHERI CAVES- SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK BORIVALI

KANHERI CAVES- SANJAY GANDHI NATIONAL PARK BORIVALI MUMBAI 

Sanjay Gandhi national park is on the western Express highway in borivali, Mumbai. 

There is a parking lot where you can park your car or bike. 

The park starts at 8 A.M for visitors ( not daily pass holders). 

We had reached by 7.30 and had to wait half an hour.  

The park had various trails and attractions ( tiger safari and butterfly garden etc).

We only did the Kanheri Caves trail. It's a 6 km trail. We decided to walk it up while going there & taking a bus while returning. 

As wikipedia explains: 

"Kanheri comes from the sanskrit krishnagiri, which means black mountain. "

The early morning sun & early January weather made the walk pleasant for the most part. The trail ( it's easy , not like a trek) is a complete concrete road where regular ac buses also ply. The road is shaded by trees and greenery all the way.

With the January morning sun.

On the way we spotted deers and monkeys ( both the silver monkeys and the Indian ones).

You will find local tribal people sitting under huge umbrellas with tables selling fruits and chickpeas etc.  We had guava, ice apples ( tadgola) , cucumber and Lemonade.

Joggers running going up & coming down were plenty , especially since it was a Sunday. 

We reached around 10. It took us 2 hours to reach by foot.

The Buddhist caves system is bigger than I imagined. The main cave has a stupa in a sanctum.  Also the entrance to the main cave has 2 huge buddhas on either side.

There are lots of smaller caves presumably for the monks to stay. 

Buddha at the entrance 

View of the sanjay Gandhi national park from the kanheri caves.

Kanheri caves are much more spread out in terms of area and number of caves than elephanta( yes, I have been to both).

While returning back we took an ac bus (did  not see a non ac bus on this road).

Adventure of the day: we ran out of money & had no money for the bus. A kind man helped us with 10 rs which we returned back by Google pay. 

For us it was a 4 hour adventure ( going to Kanheri caves and coming back), but the national park can be made a full one day trip.

We are coming back soon to  explore the other trails. 

MAHABLESHWAR

Mahableshwar in monsoon is magical. We drove to mahableshwar from Mumbai. The drive was for 5 hours. On the way, lonavala greeted us with clouds, descended on the ghats.

We are staying at saj club mahindra.

Our evening started with prayers at the panchganga temple. There are two small kunds inside the temple, with refreshing cold water running into them ( believed to be from 5 water bodies of mahableshwar). After taking the deities blessings, we went to the nearby shiv temple. With the nandi at the entrance, it is equally calm and serene.
Both the temples made of black stone, look ancient. There are no maddeningly long ques.


Me at Panchganga Temple



We decided to go to Arthur seat point. Once you reach there, it is 1km walk from the car park. It offers various view points on the way. But unfortunately or fortunately ( how you look at it), there was a thick fog covering our view. Again the clouds had descended to greet us.


Walk upto Arthur Seat Point




The second day we did a trek to lingmala waterfall point. We had a guide from club mahindra.
The trek is pretty comfortable with cobbled steps of red stone. The views of the waterfalls( there are many since it is monsoon) are totally worth the trek. We were the first ones to reach so we had it pretty much to ourselves. Also since the weather was clear but pleasant, an absolute delight to go for trekking.




Trek to view Lingmala Waterfall






Trek to view Lingmala waterfall


We even went up on a path in the jungle, just to live up to the idea of trekking. We just walked a little bit till we reached a stream and then back to the cobblestone path.
Had a tea as we walked back. A hot piping elaichi tea in the cool morning.
We also went to this lake where a bunch of waterfalls empty . It was really tempting to swim in it but it's not allowed . But the scenic beauty makes you feel like its picture postcard perfect.







We had a sunbathing by the poolside in the afternoon. Next day drive back to Mumbai heat from mahableshwar refreshing coolness.

GIR,DIU, CHORWAD & SOMNATH

 You can fly down , take a train to junagadh , drive down or take a roro ferry from surat hazira to gogha ( with your car) and drive the rest of the way.

We chose to drive down . We stopped at valsad & ahmedabad before reaching Gir.
We stayed at club mahindra. It's a small property located in a mango orchard.
The rooms are spacious and cozy.

We went to explore diu the next day by car. We had lunch at 'o coqueiro' of a Portuguese coconut curry with vegetables and rice & headed to the diu fort.
The fort was built in 1545 AD . Its mostly intact. As you enter there is a jetty . You can walk on the entire outer periphery of the fort. The base of the lighthouse inside the fort has a view of the ocean and diu. It was soothing sitting there in the afternoon heat , with the lighthouse casting a shade and a cool breeze blowing. The iron cannons are kept on the bastion .

    

Cannons at the Diu Fort

Spotted a bird at the fort.

                                        

Before we left diu we went to Ghogla beach ( not so crowded, probably due to the afternoon heat) and had a fresh lime soda at a restaurant facing the beach.


Next day is the most awaited because it is safari day. We woke up @5, & reached the sassan starting point for safari around 6.15. It was still dark and cold when we started the safari. They took us around the area in a open gypsy with a guide and driver. The safari went beyond expectations. Within 5 minutes we saw 2 lions feeding on a carcass, least bothered by the audience. We saw spotted deers fighting . Peacocks posing for the camera & deers in groups were a frequent sight.

A spotted deer looking at us curiously

Very soon we saw a lion sunbathing and another one near it roaring & stretching. We spotted a lion in a morning nap and missed one by seconds. In all we saw 5 of them. The silver monkeys were playing and jumping around trees. A variety of birds and animals made their Jungle calls. Our route took us to a man made beauty amongst nature, of kamleshwar dam. 

Kamleshwar Dam inside sassan gir

We also spotted a wild boar, black nilgai and a baby eagle. This safari brought sheer excitement of spotting wildlife in the wild.

 

We did a second evening safari where we got to see 8 lions amongst them a lioness with 2 Cubs.

Lion with Cubs.

The Cub at the back was so cutely hiding & peeping at us from the back.

The third day of sightseeing was reserved for girnar and somnath and we added chorwad beach since it was en route.
It took us a couple of hours to reach girnar ropeway. The ropeway management have sanitizers every where & they did a compulsory rtpcr. Girnar is steep and i felt that ways even though we took the ropeway. On reaching the top we decided to go to the derasar first, which is climbing down 1k steps. The main derasar was crowded and there was a celebration because the dhwaja was being taken up( not sure how often that happens). The small derasars surrounding, match up to the peace , cleanliness and calmness all derasar give. Climbing back was a bit tough & hot.

Girnar Derasar

We took the blessings on Ambaji Mata before coming down the hill.

Driving through the coconut farms of chorwad reminded us of goa.
Chorwad beach was our next stop. It was the cleanest and most deserted beach I have ever seen ( must mention it was afternoon time) and we had the beach completely to ourselves. The water was a turquoise blue . It's hard to believe such a untouched beach lies in India.

Me at the chorwad beach.

As i said, we had the chorwad beach to ourselves.

 Also must mention though the water & the heat make it tempting to take a dip but there is an absolute warning against it because the waters can get rough on the chorwad beach.

Fun Fact - for those who don't know, chorwad is dhirubhai ambani's hometown.

Somnath is an hour away from chorwad. No electronics or for that matter nothing is allowed inside. The temple has been invaded 17 times in the past and damaged too but it still retains its glory. The carvings are reinstated. The deity looks so kind that it gives you conviction you will get everything you have asked for. Also it is located next to the ocean. You can sit & watch the sea all day.

Speaking to the locals and our experience here has shown us that life here is simple, basic and hospitable. There is no luxury of clothes, fancy food etc available( we ate simple gujarati food for every meal). They go out of their way to help ( we got back a phone we almost lost).

On our way back we made a stop at willingdon dam and took blessings of jalaram napa at virpur. Willingdon dam has huge fishes which you can feed and birds coming to drink water . I had a kada there which was delicious made of mint, lemon , ginger and green coffee.
The temple at virpur was simple and they serve a simple meal as a prasad at a place 15 minutes away. They don't accept donations.

Had a pomegranate soda outside the temple. A variety of sodas are available everywhere in saurashtra and they are so tempting in the afternoon heat.

A proud gujarati is more proud after visiting the Garvi Gujarat!!

SONDAI TREK

We started at 7 in the morning.  The start of Sondai trek is 2 hours by car from santacruz.

We traveled by car.

Karjat railway station is nearby in case you plan on coming by train and then take an auto ( rickshaw) to sondai. 

As you are entering the area, you are greeted by a huge lake. 

On the way up to the sondai peak

The trek is only an hour walk from the base. There are shelters/shops at regular gaps where you can have nimbu paani , cucumbers or biscuits. 

Trekking here was easy and fun. 

On the Sondai Peak . Opposite side in the background.

We are travelling in the  end of monsoon.  While going up it was sunny , but it did drizzle while we were returning. 

The peak has spectacular views of the surrounding  greenery and the lake. 

 

The trek to the adjoining peak is more difficult . You have to reach the base of the ladders and from there go to the adjoining peak. 

Trek to the adjoining peak.

Also once you come down, you might be interested in going to the waterfall which is 1 km from the car park.

It did not have much to offer to us though. 

We return back with the gratification of a Sunday done well.

MUSSORIE

We reached mussorie in the evening.  

At the club Mahindra.

View from our room.

So let's start by me showing you the food we ate.

First night we had dinner at restaurant kalsang. We relished Tibetan cuisine. We had thukpa,  devils momo & for main course a tingan (steamed bun) with kewadatse.

Thukpa

Kewadatse with steamed bun.

The next day we started with a vegetable cheese omelet. 

We headed to camel back road . We walked through the entire mall road up to the point from where you can see the camel shaped rock from a telescope. 

Had lunch at llama cafe with a view of the valley making the pesto pizza, brown rice tea and walnut brownie tastier.

At the Little Llama cafe.

We went to Gunhill in the  evening. It is a small walk from  club mahindra and especially from where our room was. 

We went little before sunset. The view from the temple just before the Gunhill area is better with no obstruction and no pestering hawkers. I did get to see the view from there, with the sun shining upon mussorie, but we couldn't get to see the sunset due to the fog which suddenly came upon mussorie. 

Day 3 in mussorie 

We hired a Scooty for 500 rs from the chowk ( petrol on us). I think it's fun exploring places on a scooter. 

Bhatta falls- the water here is crystal clear. The waterfall falls in layers.  There are tables and chairs placed on the water (so basically you eat & drink with the the feet dipped in cool water) . Its relatively less crowded and thus more pleasant to be at.

Batta falls

Kempty falls- once we parked our scooter outside,  we had the option of walking down to the foot of the waterfall or taking a rope way to the foot. We walked down. Frankly the water is clear but it's very commercialized with the small pool forming at the foot of the waterfall teaming with people in and out of it. There are shops selling clothes meant for the water and getting wet( can't call it swimwear). There is  no place to stand and I wouldn't recommend getting into the water. 

Kempty Falls.

George Everest- the climb is long but the path is made well. Walking on it was pleasant, but just as we reached the top it started raining heavily causing us to come down without pictures and without a look at the view.

Day 4-  A day in the  middle of the trip for relaxation , eating and roaming on mall road.  We had aloo bhalla and rabdi jalebi. Also we bought brahmi and rhododendron syrups. 

Day 5- Last day  we most importantly did an rtpcr test ( we had taken only first vaccine) at community hospital landour. We rented a Scooty for the day. 

We had breakfast at rokeby manor and drove to lal tibba. It's the highest point in mussorie. 

The last of our sight seeing was at community garden, which has beautiful flowers , a mini waterfall and a mini lake. 

Garhwali Thali at club mahindra.

Before saying a goodbye to the mountains and the delicious food, we were fortunate to experience one last garhwali meal at Dindyali Homestay. Its about 7 km before the airport and you have to take a detour of 1.5 km but its really worth it.

Swala (Gehat Dal filling) with Bhaang Chutney & ghee.

Rhododendron Juice.

Udad Dal Pakora.

Goodbye Mountains !!! But just for now.

KANATAL, SURKANDA DEVI TEMPLE

We landed at dehradun airport. Amidst this covid scenario ,things we should know:

Middle seat person wears full ppe kit

Everyone has to wear mask & shield provided by airlines 

You have to be vaccinated (2 shots) or you have to do an rtpcr before any flight.

Rishikesh is half an hour from  dehradun airport by car. We hired a car and our first drop was ram jhulla at rishikesh. It's a suspension bridge on the mighty ganga . Its super crowded with pedestrians and two wheelers .

Ram Jhulla

On crossing it we had chole bhature and lassi at chotiwala. 

We walked from there till laxman jhulla. Its equally crowded.

 

Laxman Jhulla

Then we made a little  detour to tehri lake before  reaching kanatal .

Tehri lake is 3 hours from rishikesh ( considering the mountainous drive throughout). 

Tehri lake is created due to the dam on bhagirathi. Its water is a greenish blue beautiful, compared to the muddy waters we saw at rishikesh. Its approximately 900m deep. It has boating and jet ski services available. You can jet ski yourself or sit behind a trained guard. We did boating for half an hour in an open motor boat.( it cost us rs.300 per person). The one and half hour boating takes you to the dobra suspension bridge . I recommend the one and half hour boating. 

Tehri Lake.

We are staying at club mahindra. 

View from Our Room.

Club Mahindra, Kanatal Garden.

Next day we did a safari.  It's an open SUV (7 seater). As we started on our journey  it started pouring( we are visiting in the  monsoon so of course). The safari drive is for an hour in the  jungle ( officially called kaudia forest or kodia forest), amongst lush foliage and really tall deodar trees. On reaching the viewing spot, as luck would have it , the rain stopped and we could see a clear view of the mountains and the Jungle.

In the safari.

At the viewpoint -kanatal safari

While Driving throught the Jundle.

The drive back was sheer joy. 

We had lunch at club mahindra. I'm mentioning because we had regional  cuisine. We had jeera rice and dal Gatwani .

Jeera Rice & Dal Gatwani,

For dessert we had Jhangore ki kheer.

What we had for dinner ?

Palak paneer jhakhya with mandua ki roti .

Palak paneer jhakhya with mandua ki roti .

At milan restaurant just next to club mahindra. 

The next day we did a trek in the kaudia forest.  Walking through the tall deodar trees and wild flowers was fun. Also its not a difficult trek. 

In the Kodia Forest.

Dinner  under a canopy of stars with steaming hot momos, dal , mix vegetable sabji and mandua ki roti. 

Our next destination is mussorie but on the way we sought blessings at Surkanda Devi temple. 

Surkanda Devi temple is just half an hour by car from club mahindra kanatal. It is a shakti Peeth. When sati burned herself due to the insult of her husband, god shiv , he carried her to kailash, and wherever her body part fell a temple (shakti Peeth) was formed. Here at Surkanda devi temple her head had fallen. 

It is a steep climb but the temple is totally worth it. It has pahadi architecture. The view from the temple is beautiful but due to the fog we did not get to see much.

At Surkanda Devi Temple waiting for it to open.

 With or without the view the temple should not be given a miss .

Onto our Next destination Mussorie.