Day 1
The
Indian rains of 2013 were like never seen before in about the lifetimes of
those still alive. In the city of Mumbai the downpour began as early as the
first week of June and along with it also the pains of Mumbaiates surfaced
almost instantly. The southern part of country was soaked by then and the
flooding of water had already began to cause severe damage; to life and
property, equally. The Uttarakhand tragedy brought tremors across entire nation
and the citizens who desperately awaited the pleasing rains post painstaking
summers were feeling the wrath of nature prowess.
Since
a year earlier our two families i.e. me, my wife, daughter and my wife’s
sister, her husband and their son, had decided to visit a rainy season
destination every year, for 2013 we had decided to embrace the hot-shot tourist
destination Bhandardara located in the central district of Maharashtra. A year
before, our two families has witnessed an experience of once in a lifetime
while we had been to Lonavala. The gorgeous scenic beauty of Mumbai-Pune
Express highway, the clouds that were floating over hill top and the rain left
a mesmerising impact on all of us. The thrill of driving in clouds is more to
be experienced than to be narrated. Hence for this year’s Bhandardara trip we
all were very excited for sheer reason being its location in the highest
mountain ranges of the Sahayadris. Only our families back home were feeling anxious
as the rains had amassed havoc by then.
The
booking of MTDC resort for August trip was done way ahead of time in the month
of April itself as the occupancy facilities are limited while the tourist’s
gather in huge numbers there. A week before our journey dates we packed our
luggage and made sure we carry lots of plastic covers for clothes and food
items to protect them against rains. The first-aid box, warm clothes and torch
were packed in a handy bag. Also, the road map one which displayed each and
every turn was printed just in case the Google map fails in absence of mobile
network. And thus in the early hours of 3rd August 2013 we began our
journey towards Bhandardara from Bhandup in a Maruti-Suzuki Swift owned by
brother-in-law.
In
about half an hour’s time we were driving on the Mumbai-Nasik highway that too
alike Mumbai-Pune Expressway has gained high reputation of being the world
class driving escapade. Barring few trenches near human settlements the road is
beautiful and the clouds that were gliding over it made the entire path appear
to be a scenic wonder. The dividers have plantations that would make the road
safe during night hours. We took a journey halt for breakfast near Kamat’s
restaurant. Here I found few of my office colleagues engaged in food who had
planned a bike journey to Bhandardara that day. I also happen to meet Karan
Sood, the young sardar from Vasai, who was my colleague riding on his favourite
Bullet. We exchanged memories and proceeded further towards the destination.
As
we drove towards high altitude of Sahayadri’s the cloud cover began to thicken.
Soon we were driving into the beautiful road of Kasara Ghat that has been newly
designed and has separate routes for to and fro traffic making it safer. The
natural view in and around this beautiful road will make a mesmerising impact
on a proficient driver. The curves are well walled; the road signs are crystal
clear besides the entire path being guarded with surveillance systems and emergency
help.
Soon
taking right from Ghoti the road submerged into the dense forest surrounded by
huge mountains all around. The waterfalls were aplenty and the picturesque locations,
vast & exciting. As we drove in our Swift through the green belt, we
avoided the lure to halt on several occasions as the childrens inside were
getting a bit annoyed as we were climbing the higher altitude and were by then
very hungry as well. So by the lunchtime we made it to the MTDC resort which is
situated on the lake-bank atop a beautiful hill.
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| View from MTDC lake side room, Bhandardara |
Soon
we all landed into dining hall, where the food was served surprisingly hot and
fresh. We all ate a lot more than we normally would and once the bellies were
full we came back to our room and began to make further plans. By now a local guide
had joined us and helped by suggesting few nearby locations that we might be
interested to visit. With no extra place in our car we rejected his plea to
accompany us and set out ourselves to visit the various points of interest
Bhandardara is famous for during rains. By now the clouds had disappeared and
the bright sun shine provided an opportunity to all of us to climb down near
the dam water.
We
began our journey towards the Dam wall at about 4:00 pm. The road that took us
to the other side was partly washed away driving down the mountain we were
staying. As we were climbing down this patchy road, on one curve we witnessed
the famous Umbrella falls on the opposite side of the valley. Rain hampered our
chances of dropping out for a photograph or two as we continued to climb up the
opposite mountain that would reach us to the Dam wall. Driving through this
narrow, yet wonderful road with the mountain valley on one side was a one-off experience.
As soon as we reached the Dam wall, we were astonished to seen the water full
inside the dam up to the brink of the doors and with eyes perpendicular to the water
current, the feeling of goose bumps took us all over. Water sliding through the
little opening below the gate and passing below the bridge we were standing and
further disappearing into the valley sprinkling few droplets over us made the
atmosphere romantic.
By
now the light began to fade and we sat in the car for our return journey. On
getting back to our rooms and post getting freshen up we relaxed for sometime before
assembling for dinner. A wonderful home-like food was served which all of us merrily
consumed and later fall fast asleep.
Day 2
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| Umbrella Waterfall, Bhandardara |
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| Radha Waterfall, Bhandardara |
On
our road back to MTDC resort, we were struck in a heavy traffic jam over the Dam
Bridge, as few over-excited champs parked their vehicles adjacent to the narrow
road and dived straight in the dam water. With the help of few locals, the helpless
policemen cleared the traffic somehow but killing our precious time that we had
set aside to visit the forest road on our way back. On reaching back we took our
lunch and relaxed for a while. That evening we spent our time near the banks of
Lake Arthur till light permitted and shared our memories that had made an impression
of a lifetime.
Day 3
In
the early hours of day 3, we started our journey back home. The road was clear this
time, unlike the one covered with clouds when we were coming to Bhandardara, providing
the fabulous visibility as we climbed down the mountain ranges. The highest peak
of Maharashtra, Kalsubai, falls in the vicinity and we changed our plan a bit and
visited its entry gate. The clear sky provided an opportunity to snap the wonderful
surroundings as we halted frequently, only to later hear a grudge from the ladies
party that we came straight to home.
Bhandardara
was a sheer delight and we were blessed to visit the place with the best of climatic
conditions. We were able to witness the terrific rains, freezing cold, to go along
with the breathtaking scenic spots that shone bright in the sunshine. Truly a dream
destination in rains!
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