Men's Day Out at Mulshi near Tamhini Ghat

Mulshi Lake is one of the most scenic areas around Pune during the monsoon. Just over 60 Kms from the city, nestled in the hilly terrains of the Western Ghats, the area transform into a beauty beyond imagination.

So when the five of us, a.k.a the famous five, planned for a day's outing at Mulshi in the winter, we were not expecting too much apart from a long drive and day full of friendly chitchats. We erred in our judgements. Not only the long drive and the fun filled day among the company of friends, but also Mulshi offered us with opportunities galore for photography - which was the main intention behind this tour - with its superb picturesque landscapes and rustic ambiance. We may have missed the lush greenery and the silver-jet waterfalls, but we did not fail to enjoy to the fullest. The primary reason was undoubtedly the company of the like minded friends but another big reason is the absence of the over enthusiastic noisy crowd, for the time being the non-peak season.

So on a Saturday January morning we started around 7. The road was empty, the GPS was on and the music was playing - perfect combination for a leisurely road trip. Not to mention, the fun had started by leg pulling and sharing jokes, far beyond the formal boundaries of the confined professionalism.

Driving through Kothrud, Chandni Chowk, Paud and Pirangut, we never realized that we have almost reached our destination. We stopped only once in Paud, just to have a cup of hot tea and a light breakfast of dhoklas and laddoos. Time really flew in the wink of an eye apparently, such was the effect.

Upon reaching Mulshi, we thought to go ahead a bit further to explore the area. 

The First View of Mulshi

The Road Ahead

There is a famous waterfall point just besides the lake. Normally on any holiday during the rainy season you would definitely find a lot of cars on this road, but on that day we were the only wandering souls. Even the temporary settlements of the tupris were completely abandoned by the shipowners because of no business in the off season. We parked the car, got down and started exploring-cum-hiking.The waterfall dried up completely but it left its mark over the boulders and the pebbles. We,being no avid takers, still managed to climb to the top of the steep rock facade. The view from the top was simply magnificent. Here are some of the snaps from this area.

Abandoned Settlements

The Gully towards the 'had-been' Waterfall

Team Work

Bokeh Effect

Rock climbing???..Damn Easy!

The Longer the Shadow, the Deeper the Friendship

The First One to Summit

Fallen and Drenched

We spent almost a couple of hours into the wilderness aimlessly, but it was our choice to be aimless. We may have been aimless but not pointless, which could be seen below:

Last but not the least

View from the Top

Say 'Cheese' Guys...

What Are We Doing?

The Star Effect

Yet another Star Effect

Preparing for the Descent

Relaxed (after Getting Down)

Time to Explore More...

Black & White

Not far behind...

The Dilapidated

A Water-facing Property

We have not yet made it to the lake so we decided to drive a bit more until we find out a place where we could get down and reach as close to the lake as possible. We didn't need to drive long, for we have found a place where we could reach the shore easily.

We parked the car at a distance and walked towards the lake. The sun was shining ferociously which was not at all an ideal condition for photography, but our spirits were really indomitable. Proofs can be seen below:

It Always Feels Good

Mixed Bag

Wave

Ready for a Pose, Any Time Any Place

And That Makes the Two of Us

Everyone went down the memory lane, back to their younger college days as the trip brought out the best of all humor and banter from all of us. It was really nice to see the colleagues evolving as friends.

Setting Up the Gears for a Groupfie

A Truly Inferior Copy from 'Dil Chahta Hai'

Time is the most perfect example which conforms to the theory of relativity. When you are having a good one, it seems to be flying and even the longest of hours are felt like the tiniest of the moments, while on the other hand, it stands still  when you are going through a real hardship. I am no philosopher, but as they say, all good things come to an end and it did pretty quickly.

So the farewell alarm rang and we had to part our ways with Mulshi. But, it was truly unexpected and a sweet surprise to find 'ourselves', even if it lasted for a few hours. I am sure each one of us will cherish the memories for long, at least until the next trip, if not longer.

Before signing off, a big thanks to everyone of the group. Without each one of you, this post would not have been written at all.

So long, Cheers!!

Below is the groupfie, taken with the help of the tripod.

Photo Courtesy: Tamal Chakraborty

Veranda Ghat - Where Waterfalls Galore

If a person is in love with the waterfalls, this is the place to be in the monsoons. Veranda Ghat - only around 120 Kms Pune towards Mahad via Bhor - is a place which is yet unspoiled by the crowd but still offers arguably the best of the sceneries of Sahyadri range in Monsoon. There is absolutely no dearth of waterfalls and greenery. On top of that, an out of the world view point consisting of rugged mountains covered with lush green, penetrated by the milky white waterfalls is always a bonus.

The following map provides the direction towards the same:

Starting from Pune, one has to take the Pune - Mumbai old highway near Katraj and drive towards Bangalore. Once you cross Kapurhol, you need to take the right exit and drive towards Mahad. If you are unsure, ask for direction towards Shivtharghal - a local temple of Swami Samarth Ramdas - from the local people. We also reached following this method only.

When we reached the hills, we took a break at almost every interval possible - such was the beauty of the heavenly place. Waterfalls - ranging from the tiniest ones to the big ones - were everywhere with magnificent vistas. Here are some of the snaps.

 

It was raining continuously but we had indomitable spirits, so nothing could stop us - we drove forward. We came to the main viewpoint - a cliff like area from where one can see all the gorges and the hills at every direction as far as eyes could see. the whole are was covered under the lush green, naturally with the monsoon effect. And through the green carpets zigzagging were the silver jets of water-streams. 

When we first disembarked the car at the main view point, we were spellbound and speechless at once by the spectacular vistas that surrounded us, as well as we were ecstatic that we made the wise decision to come this far. 

For sometime, nobody from the group spoke in awe of the nature. We were busy in sinking in the pure atmosphere and unpolluted greenery which was plenty and free of cost. This is so rare in our urban lives nowadays. 

The above are a few snaps of the place - I am sure they will not do full justice to the real marvel of the place, but I just hope that they would be able to give some idea to the more imaginative souls and make some more nature-cravers to be there.

The area was not that much commercialized, which is great in one sense - not everything should be polluted and corrupted by us. On the other hand, finding 'ok-ish' food will be a little difficult unless you are okay with the local foods - Vada Pav, Kandi Bhaji etc - as lunch. For us, this much adjustment was perfect on a trip. Moreover, the lack of a jazzy and luxurious meal were more than compensated by the mother nature with her offerings to this panoramic surroundings.

We spent almost the whole day in Veranda Ghat, but the trip finally ended as all good things unfortunately but surely come to an end. But without doubt, it filled our hearts with unparalleled joy and left us longing for more. Hence with a promise to go back to the lap of the nature, to embrace its pristine and unspoilt beauty, we concluded the trip (for this time).