Monsoon 2017 – Part II: Mumbai – Malshej Ghat – Mumbai

People rely on chemicals in the form of drugs, alcohol and what all to go high to overlook the troubles and pains to have a pleasant experience. I am sure you all are pleasure seekers, then why not get high on life with Life itself without any help from those kindergarten stuff. I plan a road trip on my ride to get intoxicated just by inhaling the fresh air 😎😆. I get drunk with the experience of life itself. These kinds of road trips are just divine. Between less pleasure and more pleasure... What will you choose? Of-course more pleasure...and this one is more intoxicating than alcohol... let's grow beyonddd....

Instead of wine, let’s shift to divine 😎😍

Planning: Planned for another road trip this monsoon, and the destination this time was Malshej Ghat, full of waterfalls and has amazing scenic beauty. Malshej Ghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghat range in the Thane-Pune District of Maharashtra, India. This is exactly 99 kms from Teen Hath Naka (Thane) and about 90 kms from Kalyan. One can board the buses that run from Kalyan to Ahmednagar and get down at Malshej (which takes about 100 mins approx.).

Some of my office friends planned this trip, however, I being an independent soul decided to join them directly at Malshej and took altogether a long and a different route.

That's my RIDE 😍😍😍

Towards Malshej Ghat: I left Thane at 6:40 am when the meter read 7839 kms, went from Mumbai – Nashik highway and then towards Asangaon.. and then a right from Shahapur, take this route (via NH160 and MH SH79) if you have enough time, petrol 😉 (plus 40kms) and if you are looking for super awesome views. I had been to Murbad via kalyan earlier (take NH61 shortest route from Thane to Murbad), so I choose this route. The road from Shahapur to Murbad has a view to remember and you will be mystified by the beauty of the road, they are at their very best during monsoons. One can try off-roading on these curvy roads only if you are confident enough and with riding gears (These curves are much better than any other curves). You will only see 3 colours throughout till Malshej, Black (roads), Green (Trees/grass) and Blue/black (Sky). One will be delighted to drive on these roads, with minimal potholes and less speed breakers. Drive at 50-70 kmph to enjoy the magnificence of the nature here. There’s no better manner of paying your respects to this charming highway! I would have reached Malshej an hour early only if I wouldn't have stopped 1000 times to capture those Landscapes and Bridges.

Roads to fall in love with 😍😍😍

Frequency of transport being low and people waiting for buses, I thought of giving a lift to an old man and in return I got some incredible tips and he acted as my free tour guide 😜. He took a quick walk through history, explaining me the story of each waterfall, road and the mountains. Harishchandragad is another beautiful mountain peak and the various caves probably have been carved out in the 11th century. In these caves are idols of Lord Vishnu and Shivling. It’s nearly a 2 hr 30 min trek from the base village. (Next on my list) 😉

I bet you will enjoy the journey only if you are not in a hurry to reach your destination or home. Road trips are all about enjoying every essence of the journey... the fresh air and the beautiful roads… serene climate. Don’t RUSH… Leave well before time so that you have ample time to enjoy every bit of it. Make all your calls way before you reach Malshej Ghat, network will trouble you a lot.

Finally, met my office mates in Malshej and had to bid adieu to this friend and a guide who had been with me for atleast 20 kms, and thereon continued to enjoy waterfalls with my gang. I would suggest you to have a good lunch way before you reach Malshej as you will spend a lot of time waiting for your turn. Else there are small eateries on road side too which are good enough for light food. Thereon one can keep the fun going and try to enjoy most of the waterfalls on the way. Ghat view is mind-boggling with natural shower falling on the road. As soon as you enter the Ghat, you will start seeing mini waterfalls all around, and major ones following. Most of the waterfalls are fully crowded during weekends. Keep searching for waterfall in every corner and you will find one for sure (less crowded). People get tents barbeque's too. You can enjoy hot tea and savour coal roasted corn and the fun to have those gets doubled when you are totally drenched in rain. Get your car/bike and yourself washed in the waterfall directly falling on the road and then you can finally sum up your trip with the bath.

Towards Mumbai: It finally started to rain and friends planned to reach home or atleast halfway before sun sets. (I don’t have time constraints when I travel). So we decided to leave and driving back again to home in those roads and this time in rain.. this feeling can't be matched with anything, and the view of sun playing hide and seek between the clouds and giving us this sunset view… amazing it is… We left together and then took our own time to return. So it was a solo ride again…. Malshej to Thane 100 Kms in 140 mins is not bad with the traffic you get in Kalyan. Reached home at 8 pm after a 272 Km journey and the meter then read 8111 kms.

So this is again a SOLO Trip where I met my friends just at Malshej and solo back home.

And once again…

This part of my life… this part right here… this is called “happiness”

Disclaimer: The information provided in this document is intended for information purposes only and is subject to change without notice.

Mumbai - Lonavala - Mumbai: Activa Ride (SOLO)

The Planning: Lonavala and Khandala had always been one of the most sought after destinations since childhood..and I asked myself 'Chalta kya Khandala' 😋. Seeking some me time, I planned for a SOLO road trip and after running through a lot of destinations in Mumbai, I came across a post about Lonavala and told myself let's go... Being Monsoon and Lonavala was one of the most typical places to visit.

Planned it on a Friday, charged the camera battery (the only thing I need 😜), something to eat on the way, bottle with Glucose water as I wasn't really thinking to halt anywhere on the way. Without any driving gears (isn't safe). 

I decided to leave on Saturday morning at 6am but finally left at 7 from Thane. 
There are two routes to reach Lonavala; one is via the Mumbai Pune expressway (two wheelers not allowed) and the other via old Mumbai Pune highway. Google maps is always there for rescue for all the new riders exploring locations.

The 'to' Journey: Journey began from Teen Hath Naka (Thane) and the view became amazing every second.. I couldn't help getting off and clicking some pics from my DSLR... Met a lot of amazing people on the way and that is the beauty of Solo trips that you get to meet people... The casual chats you have with them... A cycling group (about 15 to 30 odd guys n girls) from Ghatkopar to Lonavala kept me motivated. Stick to NH48 and the view becomes more and more mesmerizing after Karjat, you can get a view of an old Airplane parked in one of the resorts on the way, its visible from the road on the left side. The roads are so smooth you feel like loosing yourself with the ride instead of reaching your destination.

Reaching Lonavala by 10-10:30 with no specific plan for any visits... After a quick chat with the local guys, I planned to move to Lohagad Fort which is roughly 13-15kms from Lonavala Market road, however the condition of the road from Lonavala to Lohagad fort is horrible and that 15 km takes well above 30mins to reach. Steep Roads and that is amazingly amazing.. 😝

Lohagad Fort: Here I reach, parking the bike (Rs. 20 for parking) at the base, the Climb begins. This is one of the most simplest climb one can imagine. This can nowhere be called a trek; it’s like running up the stairs of a 95 Storey building, this can be a little tiring as the stairs are a little uneven, and you get the mesmerizing view of the Pawna lake to compensate it. Taking a 2 min halt every 5-10 min for pics wont make it tiring. view of fort. It roughly takes 35-45 mins for one to reach the top of the fort. You wont get tired capturing the top view, the full view of Lonavala can be seen from the top and the breezeeeeee... and the birds eye view of pawna lake..Too many monkeys to trouble you if at all you carry food items. If it isn’t raining, better to carry a scarf. This is a very Biiigggg fort, and will take around 2-2:30 hrs to cover the whole area. After spending about 2 hours at the top, and more than 80 clicks I got down and it is equally wonderful and lots of monkeys around to keep you occupied 😂. There are some hotels near the parking lot where you can have food and then proceed further. Save your energy for the later part. (Karla caves)

Again after some chatting, I headed towards Karla Caves which is another 10-12 kms from Lohagad. Lonavala - Lohagad - Karla, these form a triangle. The descend will give you an amazing view and you can keep the engine off and cross around 3kms coz of the slope (hold your breaks tight). Roads are fair enough, localities are helpful in guiding with the roads if you don’t trust the Google Lady😝

Karla Caves: Limited parking space available for cars, for two wheelers it isn't a issue anyways (Rs. 10 for parking). Get ready to climb again. Steps again! But this one is a little tiring than Lohagad as the steps are little more uneven, and that’s a steep climb, you will find many shops on the way (the route resembles Elephanta caves, Mumbai), This is again a 20 -30 mins walk from the parking lot to the Caves. Get a Rs. 15 ticket to visit, it is well maintained, you can find personal guides to assist you (your choice). Photo of Cave. I wont take more than 15 mins to visit the whole caves, however you can sit inside for some time; it’s a stone structure and very cool to spend some time with yourself. Goddess Ekvira temple is just beside the cave. Scenic beauty of the place awaits once you are out of the temple. 

The 'from' Journey: Leave well before 5.30-6 if planning to return on the same day, to get the view of Sunset from the Sunset points and Amrutanjan Bridge; the view will just blow your mind, the fog and those mini raindrops… One can savour on coal roasted corn with masala in the rains and that’s a fantastic feeling to be there enjoying the view from Bridge and Sunset on the other end and corn in your hand. I can surely say that the people there are just the best...giving them a lift in exchange of golden words.

Once it was all dark, I left from Khandala completely packed to cheat rains, and the drive from those roads will seduce you to the xxxtentt.. 😍 It took around 2.5 to 3 hrs for me to reach home from Khandala with a 15 min halt on the way. This marked an end to the First SOLO trip with 215 KMS ride.…This was my second long distance trip, first one being Nashik.. This trip will always keep me motivated to go ahead with more solo trips in future across cities and then states…

This part of my life... this part right here... this is called "happiness" 😍😍😍

Travel Safe… All the Best… 😎😎😎

Disclaimer: The information provided in this document is intended for information purposes only and is subject to change without notice.

HOW TO READ A BARCODE TO TELL WHICH COUNTRY DID THE PRODUCT COME FROM.

The Universal Product Code, more commonly known as the UPC, is your best bet at getting products from the countries you want. Lately, China has been criticized for the safety of their products and with good reason. Knowing where many of these common products are coming from can help cut down on anxiety about what you’re putting in your body.

The first three digits on the UPC barcode are the numbers to look for to identify the product’s manufacturers and country of origin. For example, if the the first three digits on the UPC barcode is between 690 and 695, it means the origin of the product is from China.

But in some cases, it can be a lot tougher to determine where it’s coming from. For example, say an Indian company imported fruit from China, then prepared it for shipping to another country, the country code would technically state the origin as China rather than India. If that’s the case, it becomes a bit tougher to figure out where it’s coming from. At this point, it’s up to the consumer to go the extra mile and do more research on the company if needed.

Being educated about where products come from is important when you’re trying to avoid potentially dangerous substances, or even when you’re just trying to be a little bit healthier.