tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-136603612009-07-03T16:28:52.608+05:30Travel Tales of a technogeek.BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-26826914255876321972008-07-05T21:20:00.004+05:302008-12-11T06:39:27.881+05:30

Early sight of Purandar from base - NarayanpurThe twin fort of Vajragad as seen from PurandarThe entrance to Balekilla of PurandarFortification PurandarLooking towards the barracks - West side of FortFrom the west end of Purandar - Balekilla and Vajragad in distanceLittle monsoon beautyNarayanpur - Base village from PurandarThe familiar RanhaladA hut - on the slopes of fortPaddy

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-40375452307994345882008-07-05T20:46:00.008+05:302008-07-05T21:42:23.629+05:30

My last weekend went uneventful. This weekend three of us set out for Purandar on our bikes. We had fairly got used to the road now due to the 2 week earlier visit to Sonori. Purandar is around 4550 ft from MSL per most of the sources on web and is quite deceiving in a way looking at it from the base. There is a twin fort called Vajragad that sits east of Purandar. Purandar is more known for

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-60236660342242692132008-06-22T17:19:00.006+05:302008-12-11T06:39:29.523+05:30

Kondhwa - From Baapdeo GhatSardar Panse Palace at SonoriWalls of Panse wada - SonoriSonori - Malhargad - FortShiva temple on the fortFortification - MalhargadOne of the multiple wells for waterFortification on the west side of the fortThe water tank on fortEast end of the fort

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-29420087424059471992008-06-22T16:40:00.009+05:302008-07-05T21:31:56.513+05:30

Not sure if I would be able to carry on like I did in the previous years. Though,the bug wouldn't let me sit idle so without much planning and hype a team of four set out to Sonori, A.K.A. Malhargad. Going by records this fort is the last one to be constructed by the Marathas. It was built by Sardar Panse, the Admiral of Maratha army to watch over Dive Ghat. The village Sonori is at the base of

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-66085105862613502552007-09-22T20:18:00.003+05:302008-12-11T06:39:30.909+05:30

A little yellow beauty outside SataraA typical Sahyadris landscape in late monsoonLooking back enroute. Look at the winding road.The scenic road. Right the edge of plateauKas lake watersPart of a big blue carpet on PlateauA purple one this time.Taken from a chai shop. Typical red soil. The plateau to right.My partner my Dhanno

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-48470139160575261312007-09-22T19:54:00.003+05:302008-07-24T16:41:06.696+05:30

I don't remember how I set out for this one, neither do I remember any of the details. Since I am writing it down after almost a year. Although, the idea was to capture the late monsoon beauty of the Sahyadris, esp. the wildflowers. Places like Raireshwar, Kaas/Kas have always been much cherished places on the list.I had almost completed the quote of 10+ this season plus an earlier outing to

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-50704870427149755052007-09-17T15:04:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:32.549+05:30

The Hone[y] CollectorUnknown to me - Flower of SahyadrisMy Dhanno - My partner in crimeKarvi flower - Blooms once every 7 yearsSwades - HE the peopleTorna framed - The way to top through KarviSept - Oct is the time for numerous of these flowersAnother view of Fort TornaAnother unknown to me flower of SahyadrisThe entrance

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-84914440492803204632007-09-17T14:37:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:10:46.542+05:30

I have couple of places left on my agenda for the end of this monsoon. I am not one of the winter trekkers, mostly due to my work schedules and more since I have always believed that Sahyadris are at their best in monsoons. If you are keeping abreast with news related to Sahyadris, you might have noticed that there has been a lot of talk about Karvi blooming. This plant is abundant in Sahyadris

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-53892582204068818472007-09-12T19:45:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:34.779+05:30

Breakfast time for a bug just outside SataraSajjangad - Numerous flowers like these bloom in Sahyadris in Late AugustThoseghar - F1Thoseghar - F2F2 - CloseupAnother Wildflower of SahyadrisOne of the many windmills - ChalkewadiIf it gives any idea about the sizeFloors of rice fields - ChalkewadiLeft - Sajjangad, Right at distance - Ajinkyatara

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-7576063001206563952007-09-12T19:24:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:11:08.793+05:30

By now, people had started giving up on an outing every weekend. I was tired. It turned out on judgment day that it was just me and B for tomorrow. We agreed to bike, though in the morning the whole laziness in me got us moving in my car towards a Thoseghar for a drive. Thoseghar is around 35 odd km from Satara and is home to two beatiful waterfalls that plunge down the Sahyadris. Around 5 kms

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-55004925439552827372007-09-03T22:40:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:36.287+05:30

Some smaller variety of Hibiscus I guess. Dishas Dhaba, MulshiA dryer cloudy humid day at TamhiniThe humble beginnings of Konkan Railway near Roha.The lush landscape Konkan Railway runs throughKundalika river - Revdanda creekThe sole canon on the fortThe western end of the fort. Our guide reflects.

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-70696348910359324272007-09-03T22:14:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:11:27.302+05:30

We were tired of biking this time around, so we decided to head somewhere far off with a Sumo. After some discussion we headed to Avchitgad. This entire week had been dry and we knew it was going to be tough. As headed towards Tamhini, the non-muddy blue waters of the dam shining in bright sunlight gave us some idea about the hardships ahead. Typically, a good sign is muddy tea waters and little

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-78247152466394192832007-08-18T13:08:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:37.940+05:30

Waterfall enroute Visapur just outside BhajeFortification - Fort VisapurPlenty of good stuff for stomach on the way.Disintegrating fortification.Lohagad from Visapur.The faint traingular pinnacle is Fort Tikona. Pawana dam to right.The faint pinnacle is Fort Tung with Lohagad to the right.Bhaje village and Karla-Malavali valley.Mumbai-Pune Expressway

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-84713541988282240042007-08-18T12:41:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:11:59.550+05:30

We had some time constraints this week. Keeping that in mind, we thought we went somewhere around and not spend much time traveling. This got M,B,GD and me travel towards Visapur 7.30ish.For people who are looking for directions - To get here :1] Start from Pune, travel on NH-4. Take the left towards Malavali - Bhaje past Kamshet as you are travelling towards Lonavala. Cross the guarded

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-49733473685048812672007-08-13T20:43:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:40.165+05:30

Waterfalls enroute Ghusalkhamb from Mulshi.View of the Mulshi Lake. The semi-circular wall is visible.The tall cloud covered mountains enroute.Numerous water sources like these empty in Mulshi Lake hereView of the Northern arm of Mulshi Lake.The steps to Korigad.One of the numerous wild flowers of Sahyadris.SaffronFortification - KorigadA mushroom - I caught it inside a hole in the fortification

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-55309785890385380552007-08-13T20:07:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:12:22.846+05:30

This weekend since kuch log were too tired of "Sumo Chalana" we decided we headed somewhere nearby on bikes. We thought about Rajmachi, but then considering that we are bunch of old men we thought of something nice, which got us moving to Korigad.This fort is past INS Shivaji near a village called Peth Shahapur enroute Ambavane where Sahara Amby Valley is located and belongs to Sahara India. Yes

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-54619607427067996522007-08-07T17:11:00.003+05:302008-12-11T06:39:41.744+05:30

Neera Devghar DamOne of the many bridges in backwaters of Neera DevgharLife on Roads - MonsoonsThe endless number of waterfalls you see on this roadView of the valley enroute KawlyaMain range of SahyadrisApproaching Kawlya - The mist covered mountainsPrimate shot by a primateView of the valley and waterfalls from Kavlya/Kawlya

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-19149499709758116192007-08-07T16:47:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:12:44.142+05:30

Ill cut the long story short this time around. We had multiple options. It was likely that we would have had to bike this weekend. Though, thanks to the elaborate efforts of Lord C...shwar. We found ourselves traveling in two Sumos to Kavlya/Kawlya fort with Lord C's apostles.Historically, this fort has been described as the stronghold of Chandrarao More of Jawali, who was Shivaji's archrival. We

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-3814179161703419182007-07-30T02:19:00.003+05:302008-12-11T06:39:43.481+05:30

No weekend breaks - A farmer slogging out early morning in Mulshi.Where the road goes round Plus valley - The Bhira Hydroelectric pipes in Tamhini.Main range of Sahyadris to the East of Mangad.A lush Paddy field near Borwadi.Waterfalls in Tamhini. These thundered the way back.Water tanks and the farms below - Mangad.The ruins of fortificationParsha - [ Parshuram ] the guide at Entrance. Parsha is

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-7509877105801607062007-07-30T00:17:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:13:02.248+05:30

It started raining heavily from Wednesday, which kind of made me a bit happier. Not that I wasnt going to venture out this weekend. But then a prospect of good outing is always pleasing. If not then there is a weird fun in pushing yourselves to limits. Either case, headcount wise there was addition in form of M and one new found fan on the Peth trek last weekend.To start with the proposal was to

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-71816949215761671952007-07-24T19:48:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:45.498+05:30

Pinnacle of Peth and the hutments at baseSame place - same treePeculiarly shaped Padar Killa and Siddhagad at DistanceLocals working in the Paddy fieldsKhandas-Bhimashankar range of Western ghatsThe base of the fort. Taken from the base of the caves.On the way up the pinnacleLush green mountain slopes with Padar Killa at distancePinnacle lost in clouds towards the evening.

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-61764598023232084502007-07-24T18:59:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:13:26.061+05:30

I got a call from Ajax on Wednesday. He said he had a bunch of guys with him from office which meant other than B and GD we had lot more heads and biking was ruled out. I was given the glorious job of deciding on the destination, so I took the liberty to dump the travel booking etc to Ajax. After lot of factors considering the two couples, prospects of rains, humidity blah blah. We headed towards

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-84196985038479326682007-07-15T15:44:00.003+05:302008-12-11T06:39:47.030+05:30

Foggy NH-4 in KhandalaEnroute Palasdari - Khopoli-Karjat RoadKarajat Khopoli train route - Background Palasdari FortLush Vegetation and Waterfalls enroute the FortAt the base of the FortLooking at the Valley below from the base of the FortThe only construction than the water tanks on the Fort.One of the two water tanks on the top of the Fort.

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-73007769740123972962007-07-15T15:22:00.001+05:302008-07-01T18:14:21.635+05:30

This week buddies and me decided to give Palasdari a shot. This place seems to be fairly popular with the Mumbai guys though not people from Pune. I had known about Palasdari for some time while traveling on the Khopoli Karjat road so getting there was no issue.We caught up at Chevrolet showroom on NH-4 near Soos road, had some omlet and chai at Tapri and headed towards our destination Palasdari.

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13660361.post-42067082656755896452007-07-14T01:43:00.002+05:302008-12-11T06:39:47.876+05:30

Climbing Up - Below, way round Tikona Peth.Looking up at the Peak. Not yet there.Taken from the caves at the base of the fortification.Taken from the village while getting back - The fort.Some bonding. Way back.Mumbai - Pune Expressway- While approaching Somatane Phata

BuDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17628099365794892546noreply@blogger.com0