Rony

A drizzle to invoke the wet smell of earth,
A downpour to drive away the blistering heat,
A bolt of lightning to awaken our senses,
It has one name but many ends does it meet.

The parched earth welcomes it after a long summer,
The sun seeks solace in its gathering clouds,
A thundering voice shatters the sultry calm,
The rains have broken through celestial shrouds.

We are back again to days of wading through muck,
Getting drenched, missed trains, a litany of woes,
But it is the king of seasons, the best of the worst
A celebration of life, as every Mumbaikar knows !

-- by Pamela


I couldn't find a better description of Mumbai Monsoon over the net. Despite the commuting troubles, I love Mumbai Monsoon for they serve as agent of change ... yes a change that is ubiquitous from children to elderly folks, from cityscape to surrounding landscapes, from birds, animals to human emotions. A change that is welcomed by all in their own way ... some gather on their building's terrace/ground to enjoy getting wet in rains, some hit Marine Drive/Worli Sea Face to enjoy the sea waves lashing over the boundary wall, some just stay home to sip a cup of hot tea/coffee and enjoy seeing the rains from their balcony.

But some nature lovers like me, who have been eagerly waiting for the dark clouds to open up and drench Mumbai, snatch the very first opportunity and set out for touring on our steeds to relish our souls with the cool breeze along with rain drops lashing our body. The lush green landscapes just on the outskirts of Mumbai are nothing less than a paradise for a Mumbaikar who is otherwise tormented by the harsh and humid Mumbai summer.

So this monsoon season, despite many other commitments, I managed 3 long rides over 3 different national highways heading out of Mumbai and visited 3 popular waterfall destinations. I would like to introduce them with some of my favorite pictures shared below.


Part I : Ride to Vihigaon Waterfall, Kasara (24th July, 2011)






Part II : Ride to Vardayini Waterfall, Nagothane (21st August, 2011)






Part III : Ride to Barvi Dam-Malshej Ghat-Ozhar-Narayangaon-Chakan-Lonavala (31st August, 2011)






Details along with route maps would be shared in subsequent posts ...

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Noor

Thread approved

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ttusharz

Well narrated with beautiful teasers. monsoon rides ki baat hi niraali hai. waiting for the rest of the log.

BTW, kahan ho rony bhaiya aaj kal.

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My Saddlesore Ride

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stay tuned for My Bun Burner Ride

Rony

Thanks for the approval Noor bhaijaan !

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sharath.chandra29

Beautiful pictures, bring on the log, and also, in part 1, picture two, SMILE, all of you :P

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Rony

Date - 24th July, 2011
Destination - Vihigaon Waterfall (Coordinates: 19.711746,73.474628 )
Total Distance Covered - 250km round trip
Route Taken - Bike Ride to Vihigaon Waterfall - Google Maps



The first ride this monsoon came much later in July as entire June I was busy with my office and personal work. I was already frustrated and desperately wanted to hit the highways so got in touch my Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar ride partner Ameya and planned for a not so long ride on one of the best highways originating from Mumbai ... yes you guessed it right ... the Mumbai-Nasik-Agra NH3. From my trekker friend, I came to know about this 100ft tall waterfall which is very popular among waterfall rappelling groups. Its situated near a small village called Vihigaon off the Mumbai-Nasik NH3 on the road towards Jawhar which starts from Kasara Ghat. When I checked out the pictures on net, I was thrilled and immediately decided to fix it as the destination for this ride. Ameya was equally excited as he had been off the highway for quiet some time and needed a long ride desperately. His friend Vidyanand also wanted to join us. To spice up the ride they even invited their gfz for this ride.

So the day finally arrived with few dark clouds in the sky and dim sunlight. As planned we met up at Andheri Bisleri junction at around 7am and then went to Kurla station to pickup their gfz. As expected they were late and we had to wait outside the station fully geared on our bikes attracting unwanted public attention. The Sun had also come out from the dark clouds and the heat increased exponentially. Finally the ladies arrived and we started the ride at around 8:30am from Kurla station. As soon as we reached NH3 at Sion, we stopped and asked girls to gear up too. We had carried extra knee and elbow guards along with helmets for them. Finally at 9:30am we officially started the ride from Sion towards Kasara. Being Sunday morning there wasnt much traffic hence we could maintain a healthy speed. I was leading the pack and asked Ameya to tail as Vidyanand was relatively new to long rides. I and Ameya are comfortable riding 80-90kmph but Vidyanand was not. He is basically a slow but safe rider. We both had to adjust our speeds to match his. As we approached Kalyan the sky had turned dark and it had started drizzling. I started feeling much better since I was sweating in morning. Barring a few diversions and a pothole studded bridge, the ride went smooth till Shahapur (Asangaon) where we took our first major halt for breakfast. It was already 10:30am by now. We quickly removed our gears and ordered light food along with Tea at my permanent breakfast halt on NH3, Hotel Parivar Garden. After having the breakfast and chit-chat, I took out my 550D and started clicking pictures. Soon, Ameya the poser and others joined the photo-session.






Our steeds posing proudly







Ameya the Poser


My Cross Helmet

Looking at the watch which showed 11:30am we decided not to further delay an already delayed ride. We started gearing up (which I feel is the most boring/tiring job in any long ride) and got on our respective bikes.









The sky was still overcast and we expected rains as the ghat was about to begin after few kilometers. The lush green landscape on both sides of NH3 started getting even better as we approached Kasara. The road started curving and gaining altitude slowly. Also the air turned cooler and we were anticipating heavy rains. NH3 splits up into separate up and down lanes just before Kasara Ghat starts. The road is butter smooth and one-way traffic makes it even better for cornering with little care. But to reach our destination we had to take a diversion soon after climbing 2-3 curves of the beautiful Kasara Ghat. Its where the highway turns right and just before it a road goes down under the railway line from the left as seen from opposite side in the pic below which was taken during my Trimbakeshwar ride.



I wanted to take some pictures here but as we were running out of time I decided to continue riding down the road. Soon the comfort of highway vanished as the road was bit bumpy with few potholes here and there. After about a km we came cross a T-junction where the right arrow pointed towards Igatpuri and the straight arrow pointed to Jawhar. I registered the right arrow for our return leg and went straight towards Jawhar. I knew the destination is nearby now hence I was riding bit cautiously so as not to miss the school ground on the left; the kutchha road from which leads to the waterfall. After some 3km from the T-junction we saw a big ground where 2 tourist buses were parked and a kutchha road leading towards small huts. Immediately we stopped and turned towards the ground where couples of kids were playing. They were bit excited to see us fully geared on our bikes and started asking "Dhab-Dhabyala Jayche Ahena?" ie "Going to the Waterfall?", I nodded my head and asked them where to park the bikes. They said we can ride few meters more on that kutchha road and park it near the village. So we followed the trail left by other bikes and reached this place where already a SUV and couple of bikes were parked. As we were parking our bike, we saw few people walking our way from the green fields. We asked them about the waterfall and they pointed towards a narrow trail leading towards the lush green fields.

We started walking in the said direction till we reached a hut where the trail ended. Here too some kids asked the same question "Dhab-Dhabyala Jayche Ahena?" We said yes and they asked us to follow them. But before that we wanted to dump our bags and gears somewhere. So I asked the hut owner whether we can keep it inside. He obliged and allowed us to unload our stuff there. We took our cellphones and wallets with us. I took my camera along with a plastic bag as it had started getting dark indicating rains are soon going to pour down. Now we started following the kids and within minutes we started hearing the waterfall and presence of people. The kids first took us to the upper part of the waterfall which is a Weir to hold water. We could see 2-3 groups of college students and trekkers along with a few family groups but it was not all over crowded. There was ample of space for everyone. I could see some water rappelling group members trying to tie a rope across the waterfall's upper part where we were standing. But the water was brownish and the flow was speedy as it had rained heavily in the area for past few days. Fortunately the day we visited it had stopped raining. I took out my camera and started clicking pictures.















As feared it started raining, so I was forced to stop clicking and wrap the camera inside the plastic bag. I was curious to see the actual fall which was hidden inside the trees but its noise was not. I asked the kids to guide us there. We walked back the same trail few meters and then headed into the woods where a rocky down trek awaited us. We could see few people walking up and down the trail, hence decided to give it a try despite the rains. So with camera bag in 1 hand, I started climbing down cautiously following the footsteps of those kids who were easily climbing down despite wearing torn chappals. Meanwhile both the couples were helping each other climb down. After around 5 minutes we reached the place where a breathtaking view awaited us. The Gigantic (around100ft tall) waterfall was in its full glory. Down there we could see people sitting on the rocks adjoining the fall and enjoying the droplets of water carried by the winds splashing on them. Despite little bit of rain, I decided to take out my camera to shot this awesome fall and the village kids helped me out in doing so by holding my spectacles and covering me under their umbrella. I was pleased to take the following pictures.

















I thanked the kids by taking their snap. As the rain started getting heavier, I decided to pack the camera back into the plastic bag. But I was surprised to see that it was not turning OFF. After repeated attempts I decided to remove the battery and pack it. Anyways now it was time to enjoy ! ... All of us climbed down to the rocks just next to the fall. There the air was misty full of water droplets which were hitting us from the direction of waterfall coupled with the rain drops. It was a loud fall hence we could barely hear each other.


After spending around half an hour down there, we decided to head back as it was already 2pm and we were hungry. The steep climb back to the village in wet clothes was tiring. We reached the hut where we had kept our belongings. The owner opened it and we quickly started gearing up. Ameya gave some money as token of good will to the owner and we started walking towards our bikes. The rains had stopped by now but they left back water puddles on our path to the main road. We slowly rode our way back to the main road where we waived good bye to those kids and the wonderful waterfall. We started riding towards the T-junction which I had registered on our way to the fall. From there we rode in direction of Igatpuri on the old ghat road. It was a good decision as we got to see some awesome views en-route which otherwise we miss while taking the conventional NH3 ghat road. The road quickly gained altitude after couple of curves and we were greeted by fog and high mountain peaks. Few kms ahead we came across the Ghatan Devi Temple just next to the road. We stopped there for a while to take blessings and enjoy the weather.

Post the brief stop we headed towards Manas Resort on NH3 which was couple of meters away from the temple. Then we rode in direction of Igatpuri in search of a good restaurant. We found one 1km ahead of Manas Resort. Again we took of the gears and ordered for lunch. Meanwhile there was heavy downpour outside. I took out my camera and kept it for drying. It was 3:30pm when we finished our lunch. I tried to switch OFF the camera again but all in vain. So I repacked it with battery removed, got fresh and we started our ride back to Mumbai. The rain was heavy hence our pace was slow. Few kms into riding and the ghat started with road curving downwards gradually losing altitude. Me and Ameya did some cornering while Vidyanand was cautiously riding behind as the road was wet. As usual I enjoyed the ghat and was excited about the non-stop ride back home. As soon as the ghat finished I zoomed ahead. The rain which had subsided a bit in the ghat again increased in intensity and was at peak when we were about to reach Shahapur. The water started entering my Helmet and blurring my view. I slowed down and checked my RVM for Ameya & Vidyanand. They were no where to be seen, so I decided to halt. After few minutes I saw Ameya's bike's headlight (its in such times that keeping the headlights ON even in daytime helps) and was relived to see Vidyanand's bike's headlight following him. I slowly started riding again keeping an eye on RVM.

The good thing about NH3 is that its butter smooth and safe to ride but the bad thing is post lunch it can put the rider/pillion to sleep as happened in case of their gfz As we crossed Shahpur the rains stopped, so we took a brief stop on the service road to clean our Helmet visors and give some rest to the bikes. The girls were looking tired and so was Vidyanand. His helmet was bugging him in the rains. Soon we resumed the ride and quickly crossed Kalyan to reach Thane by 6pm. There just before the Octroi toll plaza we stopped and I bid good bye to them as they had to drop the girls and I wanted to go home. Thus yet another monsoon ride came to a beautiful and safe end.

Thanks for reading.

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mitz

Good one Rony.. Well narrated coupled with superb pics..
Would definitely visit this place next monsoon..
Just 1 question though, did the girls wore safety gear throughout the ride ?? Asking because we've had our share of trips to alibaug/shirdi/malshej/mahuli gadh/lonavala etc with pillions who were girls & they could hardly keep up with their helmets throughout the ride..

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• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)

Rony

Thanks mitz. Yes the girls did wear the safety gears along with helmet throughout the ride and we appreciated it

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Naughty VaIsH

very nice photographs .. i remember the indecent that recently happened at Maharashtra ..by seeing that water fall ...

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mitz

Pleased to know that.. I'm gonna forwad the link to this thread to few of my friends (girls)

PS: bring on the rest of the log dude

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• Why do I ride ??

Because Cricket, football, basketball, Tennis etc require just ONE BALL ;)