Konkan in the rains

I was in Khopoli for work and had planned a little wandering for myself, off the Pali-Khopoli road towards Mrugagad near Jambhulpada. It’s the peak of monsoon, the Konkan hills are shrouded in clouds and it is lustrous green all-around. Driving alone on a winding road, past wet and sleepy villages, a narrow pock marked asphalt strip cutting through the overgrown bushes and the iridescent green paddy fields. Rains splintered off my windscreen and the wipers struggled to keep a clear arc to see ahead. The sickly river I have been ignoring for an year, is now full– gurgling, playful, fast – keeping me company, speeding down the smoky hill slopes. To my right below, a girl fished in the river at the turn with her father under an umbrella; I swept past the village women wearing triangular overalls made from plastic bags; listening to the muted and rhythmic dhup-dhup of the wiper blades; watching the trees shaking in the wind; the blurred green magnified through the water droplets on my car window. I drove up to the Big Red Tent SH 92 camping ground and parked. The 10 acre place is owned by the Inamdaars, I met the lady herself who showed me around and chatted with her on her verandah over a cup of tea. They have built a beautiful multi-level red tiled house, with an open air atrium. The atrium opens into a courtyard which is a patch of lawn with a mango tree, bordered by stone slabs and a wrap-around verandah looking inside. Dr Inamdaar, a civil engineer, and her husband own an Engineering college in Khalapur and this is their country home. Soon rooms will be rented out for stays. The camping is managed by her son (who was out for white water rafting in Kolad) in the large, extended grounds. Mrugagad with the tiger back ridge jutted out covered in velvet green straight ahead of the front outer balcony. On my way back, I parked and got out on a shaky bridge and watched the river flowing between the bushes on the bed. The grey, white and green canvas in front of me was alive with the wind gusts, and the sound of the water leaping over the rocks. The rain sprayed my face, and I watched the hill ranges grew indistinct in the fading light.

   

Uttaranchal in March 2009

We were holidaying in Uttaranchal, beginning of March 2009. We travelled through Delhi to Haridwar; river rafted at Rishikesh and moved on to Rudraprayag. Then took the Badrinath road, following river Mandakini, drove past Ukhimath, Chopta, Gopeswar. On the way we spent a night each at the beautiful GMVN bungalows at Sialsaur and Virahi. Finally arrived at Joshimath, took the cable car to Auli and spent three nights there. On our way back we drove straight down to Haridwar. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE POST IN PICASAWEB

Lakshadweep in 2010

In May 2010, we holidayed in Lakshadweep. We flew to Cochin (I prefer to call it by the old name) and took a 4 day cruise on M.V. Kavaratti covering Kalpeni, Kavaratti and Minicoy islands, in that order. Accommodation is neat but not exactly your luxury liner class and the food is pretty dissappointing. But the sea, the water and the coral islands make up for any shortcomings. They are uniformly, unequivocally, delightfully super-class. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE POST IN PICASAWEB