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Another one with a night out in thickly forested jungle infested with wild carnivores! Another night out in a jungle after an encounter with the deadly venomous Bamboo Pit Viper! Another night out in a jungle after some tired bodies with scared souls insisted on walking no further! Another night out in a jungle besides a gushing stream and a bliss..

Well, mid September is surely not an advisable time for the Arthur’s Seat – Chandragad trek, but then not paying heed to deterrent advice is what distinguishes this bunch… ready to rough it out kuch bhi..kaise bhi.. kabhi bhi…

Then what was the worrisome factor? That we were 14 of us and all of them weren’t prepared for kuch bhi and  kaise bhi..!!!

So the much awaited Friday night came as we boarded the Mahabaleshwar bound Asiad and after a bit of quiesence dozed off..! Came dawn and we alighted the bus at 6.00 AM and surprisingly Mahabaleshwar was neither chilly nor were there any traces of rainfall! Quite unusual..

We found a small ‘tapri’ to satiate our requirements of breakfast and tea and then came followed two hours of frustration. Waste of time. Arthur’s Seat point if 13 kms from the bus depot and we wanted to hire a ride till the point, so that we could save time and be fresh for the remaining par of the day. And 13 kms of tarred road is one of the leasut enthusing thing to do! But, the local cab wallahs were a bit adamant on the rates and their accommodation. The taxi unions vs the pvt. operators and all the nuisance delayed our proceeding by a good 2 hours. It was 8.30 AM by now and we were still reeling at the Mahabaleshwar bus depot! So after a bit of bargain and stuff, we managed to hire three taxis for an agreed sun of Rs 800. Barely 13 kms you see!

If you hire a single cab you have to shell out 355 Rs per cab. So for three cabs we would have shelled out 1065 Rs. A bargain of Rs 800 (saved 265 Rs at the cost of 2 hours..????) Not worthy in my opinion when you are pressed for time.. but the circumstances dictated otherwise..!

At 9.00 AM we arrived at Arthur’s seat point and after the gup-shup and gazing at the mesmerising panaroma and stretched out ranges inviting us, we began on our trek at 9.15 AM. Supposedly a 6 hours trek to reach Dhavale village at the foot hills of Chandragad.

Soon we realised that quite a lot of the pack were not really prepared t handly the slushy wet grounds and slippery treads. A descent slightly more than 75 degrees and a few of them slowed down considerably. The first slippery patch just below the Arthur Seat railing negotiated. Minus 45 minutes in our accounts

Another 5 minutes descent and a 10 feet rock patch, which was luckily dry due to the mercy of rain Goads. Another 45 minutes deducted from our accounts. one hour and 30 minutes and we were barely 200 feet below the starting point!!! Another 3500 odd feet remaining and we were gawking at the stretched out ravines and desnse vegetation in front of us!

The crux of the scene was that the area generally recieves very ehavy rainfall and the forest, infested with wild animals is very thick and a part of reserve forest. It is very easy to lose way and especially after monsoons when the route is not clear due to thick vegetation the chances of losing the way increases. We were hitting the arrows in the dark and luckily it hit the target until a point where thick karvi and bushes blocked the path. A little bit of here and there and a realisation that we are getting lost and Jayawant. Jayawant, a local guide at Mahableshwar came in and showed us the way till Bhairichi Khumti. An hours walk approximately from where we lost our way.

Bhairichi Khumti is a small landmark on the way. An small clearing with idols of Bhairoba with no shelter or any shade whatsoever. Just 5 minutes before this landmark is a small water tank and this is the only source of potable water enroute if you are not heading there just after the monsoons, wherein the streams would be dry.

So Jaywant bid us farewell at this point and explained the further route to us, which we semed to have understood . But when the person giving you directions says that he himself isn’t too sure about the route, especially in thick forests.. the situation becomes a bit dicy

After a round of Puran polis and lot of water we began marching, descending further in the thick forests along one of the ridges that we suppossed was the correct route!

So the trail was more or less well marked and without much difficulties we traversed along the mountain mass along the edge of the steep slopes. The slopes were sometimes a bit too precariously exposed threatening to throw us deep into the valley wih a minor slip. We negotiated the route carefully and slowly but surely. The traverse took a lot of time. The route however was clear.

The traverse completed and we entered a gully inbetween the casacading ridges of the hills. The forest became denser. The gradient of the descent however remained the same – very steep. Slippery. Amod was troubled by cramps in between. Some vital time lost. Ajay had started to show signs of extreme fatigue and with his bums already grazing the route with lot of slips, the going was becoming increasingly difficult one for him. Vishmita already has drooping shoulders, but hight spirits to combat that. Ravi had slipped once or twice and twisted some muscle, fine all the same. Myself, Devendra, Shailendra had for lng now carried two sacks – one on the back and one in the front to help out the troubled souls. Whoa.. a very wonderful picture cpainted on the canvas

The motivation, the cribs, the march.. all continued till the time when we were 100 percent sure that the route is the correct one, but the unsure of the distance that it had in stores to be covered. The sun lowered rapidly. Darkness engulfed the surroundings. Darting around in darkness, isolated, wild forest were 14 souls. Ajay was about to collapse. Finally after a close encounter with the Bamboo Pit Viper it was decided that we camp in the jungle.. whoaaa

An opening in the stream, gushing water nearby, tired souls, uneven teraaint o sleep on, humid ambiance and maggi and snacks to go along with the main course 14 souls rested, till 6.30 AM the next day.

Everything went back to normal. All refreshed, some niggles here and there, but overall ready to go. Not before a session of chai-biscuit and Sheera made in pure ghee. A delight. Photo sessions. Elated spirits. Energised. We moved further. Only to realise that 30 minutes more yesterday would have brought us to Dhavale village – our destination

We reached Dhavale. Freshened ourselves. Had a sauna bath is the streams Replesnished empty tummies. And 1.00 PM bus back to Poladpur. Dhavale is connected to Poladpur – only two buses in a day. One in the morning at 6.00 AM. This bus arrives at Dhavale the previous night at around 6.30 PM. And other one at 1.00 PM – the last one.

We reached Poladpur in an hour/ Lucky we immediately got a bus to Mumbai. 3 hours and came Panvel. Buid adieu to all the friends. A wonderful – easy for some and extremely difficult for some – came to an end. Truly a diverse group and a not-so-disappoining trek.. aah.,. sorry.. a wonderful trek!

Please note: The photographs used in this write-up are contributed by Vinita  C & Aniket M.

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“Rohan, mala parat jaychay, mala var nahi yaycha! Var jaychi kaay garaj aahe???” It means in Marathi, “Rohan, I want to go back. I don’t want to complete the trek. Whats the need? Why take the risk?”

Well, I don’t usually here these words on Naneghat trek, but this time I did and there was a reason behind it.

Naneghat, done ‘n’ number of times earlier, but really haven’t seen such a scenario there, before this one. Well, as they rightly say, each experience is an unique experience!

The group – 25 in number, 19 participants and 6 of us to manage them; an apt ratio of 1:4. Whoa! good figure And I dare say that ratio was not required. It was very much, considering the heavy down pour, chilly winds, ever increasing levels of water gushing down against us threatening to throw us off balance and the reduced visibility due to very thick fog!

Well, these adjectives (descriptive terms) are not what one usually associate with Naneghat, but this time it was a totally different scene and really kudos to all of the newbiew who did it! So much so, that one other group decided not to descend down and stay back at Ghatghar village come what may. That was the scene atop, if you can gauge. Words are insufficient to describe.

Let’s trace back to the humble beginnings now -

Embarking bytes:
Most of the participants assembled on the scheduled time at 6.00 AM at Dadar. The bus departed on it’s way without much delays and zipped along the Eastern-Express highway before reaching Kalyan. The food and breakfast preparations took some time and hence a delay of around 40 minutes at Kalyan. It was 8.00 AM and everything done and set. All of us in the bus, headcounts and go!

Soon we zipped past Murbad and soon we reached Tokavade. A brief tea-break and we reached the base of the ghat, from where our bi-ped sojourn began.

All things wrapped in the plastic. Water-tight! The lush green ambiance along with the occasional chirping of birds, cool gust of winds, overcast conditions and such a blissful environ.. Following a brief introductory session to break the ice, few basic instructions were delivered and then beagn the trudge, it was 10.15 AM by then. Ignorant of what the next 3 hours had in store for us, we proceeded with zeal and enthusiasm.

About Naneghat:
Standing 2800 feet above the mean sea level, the thumb shaped pinnacle of Naneghat is a very popular landmark, and now a well thronged trekking destination too among Mumbaikars and Punekars.

The historical significance attatched to it dates back to the B.C. era when Satvahana dynasty reigned over. Also the easy accessibility and good connectivity makes this a very popular destination. Couple these factors with easy trek, good caves and panaromic view and the entire package becomes very very attractive.

The trek begins:
The initial minutes were chilled out and cool. The thumb shaped pinnacle of Naneghat seemed a bit too far fetched for most newbiews and the time 2.5 hours seemed improbable. But the enthusiasm was contagious.

Enroute, we crossed two small streams slightly ahead and continued further. The bushes on the lower slopes were thick and those typical striped jungle mosquitoes played havoc for the ones with half sleeves and shorts. Itching and scratching the group continued ahead

The intermittent drizzling pacified the gradually increasing gradient. About and hour and half on the inclined gradient and we reached the upper plateau.

The rains and the flowing water:
The ‘kaccha paaywaat’ gave way to boulder riddled water way and the heavy rains transformed a seemingly simple route into a tricky and slippery one. The rains gradually increased in intensity and so did the gushing waters on our route. The stones became slippery and finding a firm footing on them to continue ahead became more and more difficult for the group. Still it was great fun for them to be wading through the gushing water and take a dip below the numerous waterfalls enroute, quenching their parched souls!

Around and hour of wading against the heavy flow and we reached the final slopes of the ghat. We could feel the impending heavy rain threatening to lash out at any point in time. The fog thickened and visibility reduced. However, before the rains lashed at us we made it to the caves and aah.. relaxed. Around 3 hours of trek, and most of it wading over the slippery rocks through the flowing gush!

Lunch time:
Completely drenched, water dripping off our clothes, feelling the chills down the spine whenever the gust of wind passed by and hungry stomachs waiting to explode on any edibles that come across. The entire frame was just dynamic! And then were unwrapped the food packets, plates distributed… rotis, sabji, pulav and gulab jamuns! Aahaa… savoured to the core.

The ‘Ranjan‘
The rain did increase a bit by then, but did not look too bothering. The narrow rock cut gorge looks amazing to look at and the blurring fog further added the mysterious charm to it. We carefully negotiated the slippery incline of the gorge and as it expanded to a vast plateau – lush green and chilly with strong winds!

There lay the stone vessel, ‘Ranjan‘ used to collect the toll in the yesteryears when traders used this route to serve their transportation purposes. A small temple hewn in the scarp of the pinnacled massif on the right.

Nanacha Angtha:
The top of the pinnacle was our destination and we marched towards it. The fog thickened gradually and visibility further reduced, so much so that we could hardly guage the terrain beyond a few metres. It took us approximately 15 minutes to reach the top of the pinnacle ‘Nanacha Angtha’. The view, aaha.. not more than 3 metres beyond and then it was just a white-out! Cold winds, myopic visions and drenched souls. The aura was overwhelming.

It had started to rain heavily by now and just 10 minutes on the top and we decided to start our descent.

The turbulent gorge:
We got to the base of the thumb and approached the gorge… and then came one of the most amazing sights that I have never seen on my previous 18 visits to this magnificent place. The gorge, which barely 30 minutes back was a boulder ridden alley, had been transformed into a gushing stream filled with turbulence. The sound of the water, the rapid flow, the effervescence and frothing of the stream and thick fog all seemed scary to most of the souls as they stood there stunned and wondering what next? How to get down? How to get back? Should we attempt it?

NO was loud and clear albeit it was muffled within their minds and not audible to anyone else. Yes was loud and clear and it emanated from us and clearly audible and comprehensible to one and all. We had to move and it was safe was our assurance and all of them had to follow.

The assurance:
It was a difficult task to help and assure all the members to actually wade through a turbulent stream and helping them through that was even more difficult a task. We did it and once into the safe environs of the cave, all the members were like … aahh.. we are safe!

The rain hadn’t receded by then, and the water gush was constantly threatening, atleast it seemed to be doing so. But after a brief while, we egged them to continue and pulled a few of them out of their virtual shells. And we moved on further …

The descent:
The rains gradually reduced and so did the flow of the water and the descent suddenly started to appear much easier. The steps paced up faster and the dampened spirits livened up. We quickly descended to about halfway and realized that the rain had stopped completely. The fog had cleared and the thumb shaped Nanacha Angtha was look at his majestic best – tall, imposing and inviting! We continued further, ofcourse with look of mud mud ke peeche dekhna (looking back and casting a glance) at the majestic pinnacle.

It took us approximately 3 hours to reach the base. Hunger had created a vacant space in most of the tummies out there and some vada-pav’s at Tokavade were inevitable. A cup of hot tea to top it was just as good as it gets.

Having said and done most of the things, the adieu time came and we bid farwell to each other. It was a wonderful trek and etched in memories for reasons varied. I personally wish to have all of the group members again to accompany me on all of my treks!

Cheers to the team and Cheers to Naneghat!

More pictures here

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Surely the biggest and one of the most colourful festivities of Kerala, Onam, is just three days away. The entire state don’s an attire soaked in joyous spirits, floral fragrance and an aura unmatched by any other festival in the state.

Homes, shops, businesses and each and every living soul exuberantly let their spirits and the contagious aura free.

The Onam day is on September 2, 2009, but  major Onam celebrations will get underway on September 1st and will continue for an entire week. The best places to catch the action are Trivandrum, Thrissur, and Kottayam.

Why is Onam celebrated?
Onam celebrates the golden rule of King Mahabali, a mythical king, who ruled Kerala aeons ago. The selfless and altruist nature of Mahabali, his sanctity and devotion to the almighty and his human pride and other virtues are equally reflected in the spirit of Onam.

Onam: A secular canvas
Onam is celebrated in Kerala irrespective of its origin or the legend. People from all the religions and races come together to enhance the grandeur of this festivity with equal fervor.

The Festivities
A flower carpet called ‘Pookalam’ is  one of the major attractions of the festival. Decorating the yards of every house  the colourful carpet welcomes the return of Mahabali. A lavish feast ‘Sadhya’ follows the cultural rituals and adds that zing to all those souls who harbour gigantic appetites. Onam also means new clothes for the whole family, sumptuous home-cooked delicacies on plantain leaf and the lingering aroma of the sweet Payasam.

The Spectacle
Spectacular parades of caparisoned elephants, fireworks and the famous Kathakali dance are traditionally associated with Onam. It’s also the season of many cultural and sport events and carnivals. All this makes Onam-time a perfect period to visit this coastal state, touted as “Gods Own Country”.

No wonder the Government of Kerala has declared this time every year as Tourism Week.

The Grand Boat Race
One of the main attractions of Onam, is the ‘Vallamkali’ or boat races of Karuvatta, Payippad, Aranmula and Kottayam. Hundreds of oarsmen row traditional boats to the rhythm of drums and cymbals. These long graceful Snake Boats called ‘Chundans’ are named after their exceedingly long hulls and high sterns that resemble the raised hood of a cobra.

This year, the famous Aranmula Boat Race boat race carnival will be held along the Pampa River, at Aranmula, on September 6.

Then there are ‘Odis’, the small and swift raiding crafts adorned with gold tasseled silk umbrellas, the ‘Churulans’ with their elaborately curled prows and sterns, and the ‘Veppus’, a kind of cook-boat. This traditional village rivalry on watercrafts reminds one of ancient naval warfare.

Thousands throng the banks to cheer and watch the breathtaking show of muscle power, rowing skills and rapid rhythm. These boats – all pitted against their own kind – rip through the backwaters of Kerala in a tussle of speed.

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The ride…
250 km for some and 300 km for some… either ways it doesn’t get any easier on roads more curvaceous than a spiral and as narrow as it can get. Well, the rains just added that extra bit of zing for the slippery sheen on the smooth tar that MSRDC has commendably laid to the remotest possible corners in Maharashtra and couple that with the crater-i-form texture that the torrential rains usually leaves on the surface! Whoa.. it was some biking trail visiting the remote and hilly talukas of Jawahar, Wada and Mokhada in Thane district.

The speedo hovered around 50-60-70 kmph for some on the dry stretches of sharp curves, and 40-50 on wet and descending curves with constant pedal on the rear brakes..well the discs where hardly put into action and only when the rear where a bit insufficient to prevent the slide off track! Well that wasn’t the top speed by any means since on the roads that were straight and smooth speedo did not shy away from the three figure mark!

Starting out…
We had a relatively early start and all were present at the scheduled meeting point- Bhiwandi Bypass at 8.00 AM. We were 7 riders in all with 3 pillions and 4 riders on the tourney. A 150 cc Pulsar from Panvel, a 125 cc Shine, another 125 cc Discover and the best of them all the 2-stroke power house 100 cc RX 100! Hot cuppa of tea sips at 8.00 AM and embarked on our journey we!

The circuit as decided to be completed in the day was Bhiwandi-Wada-Suryamal-Khodala-Mokhada-Jawahar-Wada-Bhiwandi – and so did we! The odometer for the day on completetion of the circuit gathered up around 275 kms plus, where as for the Panvel guy it matched exact 300 for the day!

Reaching Wada…
The road from Bhiwandi to Wada is pretty much straight forward and nothing much to excite about when a rider has to negotiate with the smokes and fumes that the trucks and buses emanate and we dodge and zoom past as overtaking opportunity crops up! The ~35 Kms ride is nothing more to write about. Double that with Bhiwandi’s diabolic traffic and pathetic road sense we the ride till Wada is a mediocre experience for any rider..we weren’t spared either. But as always riding in itself offers so much for the seekers that everything else is just a pit lane where there are no pit stops!

Wada junction and another cuppa of tea for us, mere 35 kms on the saddle… oh such a leisure..well that’s what we out on Sundays! A 5 minutes break and we headed towards Khodala, enroute Suryamal. Bifurcating from the junction on the right takes one to Khodala via Parli! Well and that is exactly the route which magnetised us towards this trail. The total distance from Wada to Khodala via Suryamal is ~ 50 Kms and it is a treat! The traffic deviates on the left from the junction and the right trail which we followed is just a ride that any rider would yearn for!

Khodala trail…
The cooing of the birds, gushing of the streams- numerous streams that you pass over the narrow bridges, the lush green and thick forests in between that fight hard and successfully prevents the penetrating suns rays to hit the ground, the drizzling rains that just leaves a sheen on the black road the intermittent pits, rumbles and villages, the sun and the shade and just about everything that makes this route a treat. The road tries hard, but fails against the terrain and struggles to keep straight even for 100 metres. The intervening curves and gradients are what that makes the route even more interesting!

The magic of nature…
12 km enroute is Mandwa village which we bypassed and further ahead 5km was our next halt.. 17kms from Wada is a tranquil village setting: Parali. We stopped our roaring phat-phatis and let the silence creep in the tranquil ambience and the content filling our hearts and souls. The green offered some perfect landscapes to shoot. A quick gaze around and we headed for Suryamal. On the way a couple of stops were just inevitable as the Garjai river criss-crossed our paths and kept inviting us for a dip in the thickets surrounding it! It definitely tried to compete with the Amazon, but alas you know this might be a hyperbole! Well.. it isn’t anyless and a visual treat in its own right: Garjai river bed was amazing and the view overhead was just wonderful as we spread out our arms from the edges and embraced the flowing breeze!

Suryamal retreat…
Not long ago before we reached Suryamal – The highest point in the region. Suryamal is a now a quite well developed village place. There is a large enough school (Up to 10^th grade) being managed by a Ashram Sanstha that provided education and boarding facilities to more than 500 students from the nearby tribal areas. It is indeed heartening to see these developments in remote areas and that the slate-n pencil is penetrating in these areas too! We had a brief chat with the superintendent of the Ashram school before leaving for a biped trail on the vast expanse of the lush green plateau. We came across numerous Nachani (Red Millet/Ragi) fields on the plateau. There were number of wells dotting the landscape too! All in all the plateau is well favoured by the rain Gods and abundant irrigation facilities makes it quite a suitable place for Nachani cultivation.

We traced our foot steps right up to the edge of the plateau of looking the Garjai River bed and the route which we gradually scaled from Wada to Suryamal. The enchanting landscape filled our visions before we decided to head our way back to our motorbikes.

Khodala batata wadas…
Suryamal-Khodala is quick route and not long before we reached there, mostly a descent! Khodala is well to do township and you can help yourself with some snacks and lunch here. We savoured cuppa of tea n khari and hot batata wadas as usual. There is no petrol pump in the vicinity, but one can actually get it in black (Rs 60 p/l) in the nearby areas! We moved ahead filling our tummies!

If one wishes one can cut short the journey and head for Kasara from Khodala and get back to Mumbai via NH3. We were however not satiated with the offering so far! We continued ahead towards Jawahar. On the way just 3 kms from Khodala is a beautiful Ganesh temple at Deobandh. There is a beautiful serene river flowing right behind the temple barely 10 metres away. A wonderful ambience and perfect setting for a days outing if one doesn’t wish to roar their engines further! We paid our obeisance at the temple and moved ahead on our tourney. 

Bumpy ride…
The worst part of the road was yet to greet us and we soon realised it just as we moved past Deobandh. The road is riddled with just so many pits and craters that the bikes just rollicked up and down over the rough terrains and bumpy tars! My pillion had a rocking time I must say as I refused to get my hands of the throttle. Oh did he have some goose bumps? Well..he did!

Jawahar palace…
Not long before we reached Jawahar junction. A left turn from here and a wonderful silken smooth road ahead say us covering the following 222 kms in a whisker of the time frame. The road is absolute beauty from here..wonderful curves, but butter smooth surface..and especially after the just passed bumpy terrain! Reached Jawahar!

We made our way to the Jai Vilas palace, the huge palace of the then King of the Warli tribe. The Palace was built and furnished dating back to 1940. Its still very well maintained and has actually attracted many prosperous bidders to take its possession..but to no avail as the owner is not lured in by the bids amounting to even by the tune of 100 crores! A quick visit to the palace and not time for the lunch break awaited us.

We had a good meal in one of the restaurants at Jawahar. It was raining hard and heavy as we were under the cozy shelter of the Dhaba. Another 45 minutes in there and it was time to head back to Mumbai. We made our way over the smooth roads towards Wada again. As always I say and really feel the return journey is a pain..pain because we just don’t want to get back to the urbanized lifestyles..still a next weekends reconciliation is good enough to raise the throttle and move back!

Returning back…
~6kms from the Palce is Dhanu phata. A right turn from here leads towards Dahanu and the straight one leads to Wada. We kept straight and moved further. The road is pretty much a nice drive amongst thick forests surrounding, but well tread! On the way we came across a junction. The route from the right (30 km) to Wada via Vikramgad and is around 10 kms more than the one on the left that directly leads to Wada (20 km). We took the shorter one as we wanted to get back to Mumbai before it before it became too late. A 20 kms of smooth ride got us back to Wada.

Another cuppa of tea, probably the last one for the day together before we headed towards Bhiwani bypass. As in the morning, the Wada-Bhiwani ride was nothing much to write about and through the traffic again we reached Bhiwandi bypass: from where we were to bid adieu. Two bikes headed right towards Mumbai from the bypass where as two headed for Kalyan. It was 9.00 Pm by the time we reached Kalyan.

Adieu time..
Well.. a wonderful trail for the day and as always I would like to say thanks for the wonderful company that I cherished with my friends.. precisely Amod, Pravin, Akshay, Vishwa, Vinita and Shalini… A wonderful day we had together!

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The tiny state of Sikkim, cradled by the lofty ranges of the north-eastern Himalayan range has always been a source of ceaseless charm and boundless hospitality for the tourists. It serves as a major revenue source for the tourism sector in north east.

Exhibiting cognizance of this fact the union tourism ministry is progressively encouraging the state as a major tourist hub in the region.

A Singapore based consultancy firm, Subarna International, foresees the bright potential of Sikkim and has projected a footfall of 8 lakh annually by 2015, 34 thousand of them being foregin tourists. Out of this East Sikkim (Gangtok) alone is expected to attract 5 lakh tourists.

Whoa, that will leave Gangtok congested!

Not at all, because the tourism component has been prepared not only for Gangtok (East Sikkim), but also Namchi (South Sikkim), Mangan (North Sikkim) and Geyzing (West Sikkim). The Singapore based firm has also presented a ‘Developmental guide plans of Gangtok, Namchi, Geyzing and Mangan’, the district headquarters of the four districts of Sikkim.

The firm has also been engaged to separately prepare a master plan for developing Sikkim as a international tourism destination.

Well, along with development of tourism as an activity and increasing footfalls, the need for infrastructure developmets attains the paramount. If we go by the projected growth for tourism in the state. there is a requirement of an additional 8,753 rooms to cater to the tourists.

Also urgently needed are larger and better managed hotels to curb the proliferation of unlicensed hotels. And yes, definitely some quality eateries and cafeteria for the tourist to taste the local flavour!

A well planned flowchart is in the pipeline for developing religious, eco-tourism and natural attractions across the state. This will also help in reviving the handicrafts and handlooms products and more importantly decentralisation of permit system to decongest Gangtok.

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Ganga river (Ganges, pronounced as ‘ganjes’ in the western counterparts) has always been a sacred river for the Hindus and is associated with the pure and sacrosanct. And now we will associate adrenaline, rush, adventure, thrill and the X-factor with it. Strange, isn’t it? But equally exciting as well.

Read on to know more about the Ganga adventure!

It is not for the first time, but after a prolonged gap of seven years though that the department of tourism is going to organise the much popular ‘Ganga Water Rally’ coming November. The last Ganga Water rally was organised in the year 2002. Now besides holiness associated with Prayag and Sangam, even adventure would be a major factor pulling tourists to the state.

When will the rally happen?

• The rally would be a three day long affair down the Ganga from Allahabad to Varanasi through Mirzapur and Chunar.
• Starts on November 28 and concludes on November 30

Why the rally?

• Tourists can explore scenic beauty and the historical ghats along river Ganga
• Develop adventure tourism which will attract foreign tourists

About the rally –

• The rally would be completely an adventure event with about seven teams participating (3 from U.P. and the rest from other states).
• The participants use kayaks, canoes or row boats.
• The first major water sporting event of its kind in the state.
• India Kayak and Canoeing Association will coordinate and monitor the teams.

The state would also be promoting the ‘Water Sports Festival’ at the Boat Club at Saraswati Ghat in the city. The Yamuna from the Saraswati Ghat to the Yamuna bridge offers an ideal river front for various water sports activities.

The entire affair is truly a perfect blend of eco-spiritual-cultural-adventure harmony at the Boat Club through various water packed events.

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Yun hi chala chal rahi …  Yun hi chala chal rahi…
Kitni haseen hain yeh duniya …

This song from the movie Swades hit the top of the charts for long and also gave glimpses of the cozy treats of a Caravan journey. Well, post Swades I always felt like owning, or atleast being able to hire a caravan and vein through the hinterlands of our country, soaking in every bit and being able to be one amongst them and not confined to the luxuries of a star graded hotel.

And now, all this would soon be a reality with the Union tourism ministry announcing initiatives for promotion of innovative programmes like ‘Caravan tourism’ in its 100-day agenda. The tourists would be able to enjoy the countryside on a caravan — a home on wheels complete with bed and attached bathroom.

Caravan tourism is a very niche segment and targeted at a very specific band of tourists. The ministry is still working out the policies for promotion and infrastructure development for the project.

The prerequisites for the success of this initiative are

• Good and well maintained road conditions
• Good Restaurants
• Lodging and boarding facilities

Where is it proposed to happen?
Assuming that these requisites would be fulfilled, at present, the ministry is zeroing in on following regions to promote the concept

• Rajasthan
• Madhya Pradesh
• Orissa
• Western Ghats and hilly areas

Rajasthan bias?
Factors like better connectivity with the national capital, good road network and being on the list of must-visit destinations for majority of foreigners touring the country makes Rajasthan a preferred locale for the adventure on wheels.

The routes?
The attempt is to explore Jaipur-Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur-Mount Abu, Delhi-Sariska-Ranthambore, Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Pushkar as the popular routes for the caravan journeys.

The cost of the caravan?
Well, good news that it is very well within the reach and not sky soaring! The Government is preparing a policy to license the caravans, which can be rented at Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000.

Who benefits?

• The tourists and the the travellers
• The hospitality fraternity
• The camps and safari service providers

What is required?

• Infrastructure
• Roads
• Accommodation
• One point information
• Parking space for security of caravans

This initiative is surely an exciting one and the commencement dates are very eagerly awaited. One thing is for sure that for the Caravan tourism to make its mark there had to be a synchronised approach by the centre and private sector.

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Hampi in the Karnataka state of India is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and it really is a jewel in the crown for tourism in southern India, especially Karnataka. One can read details of the Hampi tourism on my personal blog

“If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi”

However, leaving the details of Hampi aside, we will focus on the new initiative, The Hampi Night Trail, conceived jointly by the Department of Tourism and the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority, to promote heritage tourism.

Honestly, when I visited Hampi, I was completely blown over by the beauty, the sculptural wonder and the grandeur of the entire arena, albeit for the harsh sun blazing overhead (minuscule trouble to go through though).  Even, then I fantasized of roaming around the stone carved boulevards in the cool environs of the night.

Glad to convey that all those fantasies have been realised and one can relish the Hampi-esque maginificence at night as well, from 5.30 Pm to 11.00 PM to be precise. The entire script is a fairy tale affair with a rich blend of leisurely stroll and battery-operated buggies, concluding with a sumptuous dinner of the local cuisine at the illuminated Gejjala mantap and to spice it up add the performance of the local folk artistes.

Rationale?

• Display the grandeur of Hampi at sunset and the cool ambience of nightime by taking the visitors through a four-km trail  along the eastern bank of the Tungabhadra
• Fill in the gap of no-activity period in the evening for the tourists.
• Provide a unique experience of a journey back in time over a five-hour period where the tourists get to relish the tangible and intangible heritage
• Encouraging them to stay overnight, thereby contributing to the local economy

Route?

Hampi by night starts from ‘Sasivekal Ganesh’ at the southern entry to Hemakuta hill. The tour group will proceed towards the two-storied mantap atop the hill to have a vantage view of the ruins of southern Hampi and the landscape on the western side. In the fading light, they will go downhill, passing the cluster of temples on the northern slope towards the Virupaksha temple. From there, battery-operated buggies will take them through the Hampi bazaar and Yeduru Basava mantap, while listening to an audio track explaining the glorious past of the Vijayanagar empire.

After that they will set off on foot to the sacred Kodandarama temple complex and then on to witness the illuminated Ranganatha temple and other mantaps. The group will touch the courtesan’s street and on to Achuta Raya temple.

After taking a look at the panaromic vista , the tour group will arrive at the illuminated Vijaya Vittala temple, which houses the world-famous stone chariot and musical pillars.

When?

Though the firm deadline is not out, the preliminary processes are expected to be completed by October this year and start implementing the project at the earliest.

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A very good news for all the travellers! The very beautiful state of Orissa will get a facelift for integrated development of tourism in the state including pilgrimage tourism.

Union Ministry for Tourism in India had granted Rs 64.42 crore to boost Orissa tourism sector

The development and promotion of tourism is primarily a state government concern, however union ministry extend its support to the states after identifying the infrastructure projects in consultation with the state government.

Also the global meltdown has had no negative impact in the foot prints of the tourist visiting the state. Few figures to support the above mentioned statement -

• Recorded tourist traffic – 64.02 Lakh
• Domestic – 63,58,445 (18.3 % West Bengal and 3.6 % Andhra Pradesh)
• Foreign – 43,966 (55 % Western European countries)

Tourism industry revenue – 3195.14 Crore (07-08). A 15 % increase than the previous year.

Domestic tourist stats

• Duration per tourist – 3.9 Days
• Expenses per tourist per day – 1275 Rs

Foreign tourist stats

• Duration – 12.7 Days
• Expenses per tourist per day – 1944 Rs

About Orissa
On the east, 300 miles (482 km) of gentle coastline are open to the Bay of Bengal, while the high hills and mountains of the Eastern Ghats seal the western borders.

In between, lie 96,000 square miles (156,000 sq kms) of peaceful, rural beauty. Orissa is home to three mighty rivers and to the largest salt water lake in Asia, to dozens of the most sacred places of pilgrimage in India, and to hundreds of thousands of small, traditional villages, in which almost all of her 26 million people live.

Few famous tourist destinations in Orissa

• Chilka – The largest salt water lake in India
• The Sun Temple at Konark – One of the most stunning monolithic architectural grandeur in India
• The Sanctified ambiance of Jagannath Puri with its marvellous Temple and the very famous ‘Rath Yatra’
• The golden sands of Puri, Gopalpur and Chandipur beach
• Wildlife at Nandankanan park and Bhitarkanika

Hope you visit Orissa soon!

Cheers ~

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