Posts
----------------------14/06/08---------------------
I left home at 9pm grumbling that i was bout to miss two days of euro extravaganza.But the trip ahead had more thrills to give..So caught up vishal en route to the station.Vishal known for changing his hair style every now and then :P,now sported a takla look..a la Mike myers..lol
Reached VT station around 11.30..waitin for the last train to kalyan..caught up with Prash and Chandan,who btw still maintain that they are just friends:P.The latter being the guide to the trek..has a impeccable track of climbing..Well tats all for today
***********15/06/08*************
Reached kalyan in the wee hours.Saurabh,pravesh and rajiv were waiting for us ova there..saurabh,vishal,pravesh were the nube's..Chandan explained the task ahead..regarding the climb etc..saurabh sprang up..and we all joined..to nibble away some snacks..reason being..to lighten our bags..talk bout not carrying excess baggage..[ok i have to stop being funny..i can read ur mind:P]
We roamed all around the filthy station for a brief rest as the bus we had to board had a good 5 hours..we roamed and roamed..gettin kicked out everywhere..it was 3 am btw!!Then saurabh gave the idea of checking out to a local lodge outside the stn..The lodge reminded me of the Jab We Met..thingy..:D..The attendant quoted an big sum..which we declined..bargains were futile..i guess..ppl comin here rarely do bargain..And not to mention we were 7 guys..so by the wildest stretch of their imagination the "odds" were against us:P
Then we slogged around in the filthier bus stn..called up seiok..went over his place at 4am!!His mom got the shock of her life im sure..when she saw us lazing around on the couch clearly making ourselves at home,only uninvited!!
After the bumpy ride..read a 3hr ride to junnar..which i kept saying as juinagar...1 piece of advice..if ur heading there..do take some along who can speak marathi..very fluently..or else ull be taken for a ride.
Now the fun part..we reached the foothills of the village..called ghatghar..boy what a sight it was far from the cacophony of the city,here in lies a place untouched by technology..k..no more poetry..:P
We contacted the head of the village called pansare..[easy 2 rem with monty panesar]our ratto marofying skills were very much in touch..we started our trek uphill with a lad guiding us named dinesh!we went on n on..as the elevation got higher the gorge was gettin deeper and deeper..saurabh needed cheering,and we were more than willing to help..When we were at quite a distance up..we saw a group stranded on a peak!!They screamed for help..dinesh..waved them and showed the way..so far so good..well not!!
Rains started u could actually see how the clouds hit the mountain and break into showers..it was a sight to behold..we came across a 40feet wall which we had to ascend..With an aid of a rope..pravesh and me did in a jifyy..mean while others waited..it could be done one at a time only!!then showers garnered pace and wind..blowing us to the edge ..the lost group had reached our place finally...braving the unchartered route..when saurabh attempted to climb,his jeans not to mention his weight were a huge problem..ev1 was trying to get him across..coz there is no way back!!sight was getting dimmer..me n prav completely amazed at the position were in were shouting our lungs off!!screaming cussing..mocking the one's beneath us..we had no idea bout their status..which we then knew after chan started shouting to shut the F up!:P...
When he climbed up..it was an easier task..the hitch in climbing the wall was that..one had to hold the minute holes in it which were infested with crabs!!one bite then u had to kiss ur life a bitter goodbye..
The climb was on jeevdhan...
We were about to go into the fort..a shed of sorts up the peak..when we entered..it the stench was unbearable,dust filled with faeces strewn around..it was nt the place we expected to be in..A stark contrast was the view outside..breathtaking would be a humble description..A reality check of man Vs nature..[doh no poetry sry again..:P]
Then the descent started and i have never seen..death so close..the descent was mind numbingly long..and add to it the rocks slippery..
every person had to shout his ass off to say which rock not to rest on..our guide was trembling in cold..we gave our wind cheaters and gloves..only pravesh was in his actual clothes..some guts that guy has got..The winds got heavier by the second..we were actually climbing down a strong rivulet!!hitch more and more crabs..!!we had to hurry coz dinesh was breaking down..mean while the other group where clicking away happily..i was the chosen one to wait for them!!i shouted my lungs off..to make them hurry..Other wise i kept quite..loving each and every second of this mayhem..dinesh told never has he seen such strong rains in 6 years..my quest for the adventure was turnin in2 a reality!!
We ascended down..drinking the water from the rivulets..purest form of water tasted heaven..see teh pics..Finally we were down..something we talked our way down.how prav refused to talk in hindi and gave sound bytes like "Whatever man","Guy's do something whacky for the pics",inspite of chan n prash's presence :P..saurabh sentimentally refusing to eat anythin up there as a contribution to others help in bringing him up n down safely..!!rajiv was exasperated,for a guy who never had any athletic activity..he did good..but chan thot other way..the bantering increased as the whine's got louder...meanwhile i got bored..and did what im good at..munch and munch..i got accolades from saurabh from whom i was fast taking up the place of hogger..!!Then retire for the nite..food at the village heads place..fresh potato's smashed and chappati's..tasted heavenly...we retired for the nite at a temple..the route from the home to temple was glittered by fire-flies..no streetlights also was the roof of the hut cum temple..dj'ing us sans the music to sleep..nature was at its best:)...
16/06
i had a tough time sleeping..my back begged for mercy..in the middle of the night i felt a small noise..of a dog nearing the door..grumping..i tried to shoo it away..and woke up every1 screaming to the hilt!!jeez such scared fellas....and i was christened[i have 2 stop words associated with this for once:P]another nick..following dhani,chheesez and now shoo-shoo..then we left around 8.30 in the morning..reached junnor..junction after paying off 500+200[for the 7 of us] to villager n dinesh..paltry sum compared to what we blow off..everyday..The route from junnor to kalyan was breathtaking..3 hrs..the driver is an hero negotiating the turns with reckless speed..it was a must that every1 had to be seated..but me n rajiv came standing as there was no place..to sit..then we came back to kalyan..the filthy old reality of concrete jungle had replaced the tranquility and serenity of nature!![doh i keep repeating my self not to be poetic or funny..i fail:P]hope every1 does a trek in their vacation it is tiring as hell but the experience is worth it..tc..
