Andharban Trip – Part 1
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| Leaving home @ 5 am |
Sunday morning is that time when people are holed up into their beds; the only day of the week when no alarm is strong enough to pull them out of it and infact some of us start our fay only after half of it has passed. But for some of us, this Sunday was unlike the usual. Infact if I were to go on and make some assumptions, I would make this most absurd assumption of other Sundays being envious of this one because this one had more adventure in real life while the rest are busy fantasizing in a sleepy haze.
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| Stop for Breakfast |
My friend (Prateek) came to pick me up at my home, we reached Chandani chowk on time at 5:30 am, where we were supposed to meet Santosh and his friends.“We are reaching in 5 minutes” said Santosh on the call.
He did reach there but in 5 multiplied by 10 minutes; the pain of which can be felt by someone who has woken up early on a Sunday morning and that too without snoozing of the alarm. Oh! that comfortable magnetic bed!
We started moving from CC at 6:30 am, drove swiftly till we stopped for breakfast.
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| Idli |
This is where we were introduced to the fellow mates on the trip to Andharban. Almost all of us were of the same age and fortunately none of us had been there anytime before so we were obviously excited! The anticipation of catching a wild animal, in that lavish forest, from behind our lenses simply added to our childlike glee.
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| Enjoying the ride |
We filled our tummies with enough Idlis, Pohas, Misal pavs to supply us with enough energy to survive the trip and refueled our bikes for uninterrupted pleasure. And speaking of pleasure, the toilets @ the fuel station were clean and there was a Swach Bharat notification which mentioned a number to call if by chance the hygiene was not upto the mark. The city was still sleeping but we were back on our track.
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| A long curvy drive on a foggy day with steep cliff on one side and lake on the other that stretches out to base of the mist covered hills is an unforgettable experience. |
The weather was cloudy but with no signs of any rain and the smooth roads by at Mulshi lake wore lush greenery all around them.
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| How we behave when cameras faces us V/S how we behave normally |
Every turn on the road offered a new treat to eyes. It was difficult to not stop and so we halted many times in this patch of 20 km and reveled in the beauty of nature, clicked numerous pictures and shared shedload of light moments.
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| When you travel, there will be significant challenges, not every path will be known, not every known path will be visible, and not every visible path will lead to destination. |
After several stops, we resolved to not break till we reach our target!! And like it always happens, we broke the commitment soon, after all, we are not Salman Khan. The place was so good to look at that we were not able to see anything; yes, there was fog all around.
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| Notice the visibility |
We were at the top of some hill and if the fog were to disperse, we would have been able to see the deep valley. No picture would do justice to describe the feeling of a sudden time travel from city to a hillstation.
I thought we had to start the trek here however I was told the starting point was just 5 mins away. As we were so close to the goal, we spent some more time there to witness how the fog faded away.
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| The same place after few mins! |
This is the same place! Do you feel the difference? When the wind sweeps away the blanket of fog, one can witness the beauty of hills.
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| Tea break |
After enjoying tea, we started again and reached the starting point. We found out the entry fee was Rs 50, all of us found this strange because all such places are government property so why would someone be charged by some other authority. Santosh(grey) found the entry fee concept ludicrous so he declared, we must go ahead to find real starting point. Even though some of us found his thought inane but then we had to follow him. It was like Rahul Gandhi leading Congress party. After moving about 2 km on finding no vehicle on the road, we finally asked a local about the trek, he told us that we had come ahead. We thanked the local for guiding us and Santosh for wasting our time.
Again, we moved back to the starting point. There were several groups which had come for trek and almost all of them had come in buses, tempo travellers. At the entry gate, after enquiring from the guard the reason for entry fee being charged, he informed us that a part of the trek goes via the private property.
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| Ticket |
Again, we moved back to the starting point. There were several groups which had come for trek and almost all of them had come in buses, tempo travellers. At the entry gate, after enquiring from the guard the reason for entry fee being charged, he informed us that a part of the trek goes via the private property.
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| Lake was barely visible |
About the trail, he said it was around 14km long. I thought “Did he say 13km”. Maybe i didn’t hear it right, so I asked him again. The figure remained the same but my state of mind had changed. As I was hesitant, I enquired if we could just come halfway, he told that people who usually come on bikes go to a village called “Hirdi” and come back to this point.
This was the only viable option for us so we set out on the journey along with others. Just a few steps away we saw water flowing over the rocks. With so much fog around we could hardly see the source of the stream.
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| The first fall |
Looking at the picturesqueue view, the photographers experimented with their skills and the posers kept saying “Ek Kheechega kya” (Can you click one please). After the initial excitement got over, we wanted to walk ahead but there seemed no alternative route as the lake had covered the entire area. Soon, a group of about 30 people came with a guide. He addressed them from high rock and directed them that to cross this stream by walking over it and close to the edge of the cemented structure. And then one after the another, we walked on the narrow erection over the flowing water, it was as if we were walking on a rope.
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| Slippery path |
A narrow path with trees on both the sides and a beautiful lake covered by fog was a remarkable sight and could perhaps prove to be a great site for a Bollywood movie too. It was a well made path which deceived us into concluding that the trail will be cake walk. Just a few steps and we entered the forest. As we moved through the forest, we understood the meaning of Andhaban(Dark forest). The trees were quite close that even sun light couldn’t pierce it.
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| Andharban in true sense |
To add to the excitement, there was a thick fog which reduced our visibility so when were walking, we could hear the sound of water gushing from one side of the forest. In the midst of the woods, the way lead us to an area where the water was pounding on the rocks and it was a breathtaking waterfall.
There are many interesting incidents yet to tell.Read about how we completed the trek in Part 2 of the Andharban Trip.
October 2, 2017 @ 10:20 am
Didn't know there is such beautiful place near Pune itself. Beautiful pictures.
October 2, 2017 @ 10:51 am
It was a great experience..Gaurav you make it alive in your words..well done dude..
October 2, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
Thanks man. Lets plan next one soon.
October 2, 2017 @ 2:05 pm
Thank u Priyanka 🙂 Hope u reaq part 2 as well.