Matheran - or - Monkey--RUN
Matheran - 7th April 2006 till 10th April 2006 as written to my elder brother in response to 'How was matheran' mail... FYI, he was/is in US at that time...
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hmmm....
Matheran was fun and relaxing... monkey everywhere - its been sometime that i'd been to matheran. we stayed in Riviera, but i know Richie Rich would have been better. but at the end of it, we enjoyed!!
well, we left from office on friday evening. from seepz to Kanjur and then to thane and from thane we caught the karjat train (thinking not to miss any fast locals) fortunately, we got to sit early - ofcourse, different compartments. reached Neral around 9:30 and from there caught taxi till 'Dasturi point' - point beyond which vehicles are not allowed. it was pretty late and dark and had no means to go ahead with - there were people offering horses... initially i said 'no' but then someone booked all the horses and we were left with no choice... then it was walking alll the way till market/hotel. then someone started offering his service to carry luggage and take us to hotel... again a 'no' from me... so, we started walking and walking - thinking that its just around the corner - 15 mins walk or so. it was already too dark - around 10pm and we are all alone - except for another couple which was in taxi with us... wow!!! it was scary for sure. we - both couples - were initially waling separately. they were a little elderly - in their 40s and kerala south indians but based in bombay! so, after a total dark patch we intiated and asked them - lets travel together. they were surprised initially that we were walking separately and were happy to get along.... and then a nice round of talk followed and all of us enjoyed the walk till market after which they went to their hotel and we to ours... it was around 10:30 when we reached and the dinner time was already over. after my persuasion and they messing giving the right room - they obliged and offered us dinner. it was too spicy and we had to have supplements - sugar for Rohini and milk for me! - to cool off - ofcourse, with lotsa water... :) and we slept off like log...
saturday morning we woke up a lil late - now, there were rules we had to follow - one, hot water would be till ONLY (thats a STRICTLY ONLY) 10am and breakfast too... we lazy people cursed them for having a limit to necessities (outside food was not allowed too!) and woke up just in time to get a hot water (how i wish to write a hot shower - but the shower was not working and the cold tap wouldn't budge!!!) thankfully, they breakfast came to our room - against the rules of us going to the dinning hall - to get it - some parathas and something like appam. tea was good too!!! i don't remember doing anything on saturday - simply because we didn't do any!!! :) we just lazed around watching TV (something we did big time there was watching TV) and sleeping as the current was playing hide-n-seek! anyways, atlast we decided to get out of our comfort and venture out!!! we had horse-cabbies (what should we call those 'ghode waalas' in english) approaching us - the most non-responsive couple!!! anyways, had a good look at different kinda sandals - ladies ofcourse - before we actually went to the market. but before that - we had our favorite food - sweet corn!!! well, while Rohini started eating and teasing me how she won't give me - eventually she couldn't - as we had to succumb to the pressure of nature - in this case, the wild looks of monkeys around us - with a dog. well, we surrendered to the hungry eyes and stomachs of the monkey and gave-up the corn. Rohini felt really bad for the taste was really good... then some snacks at a hotel and visit to the garden... Nauroji garden. we expected the giant wheel to give us some scare - and it disappointed a lot... though we - ok, ok, I - started shouting 'boss, take care' to the guys who were spinning the wheel as ours was lighter one (ofcourse!!! and even though they had a couple of cement sack to balance and increase the load!!!). anyways, it was fun... then we had the 'goLa' (ice-ball??? again, what should we call it??) and back to hotel - dinner and sleep time. while Rohini slept, i watched 'Maine Gandhi ko nahi maara'... intense movie...
sunday morning - the same thing with bathing and breakfast - just that this time we were ready for it... and then we went out to see matheran. Rohini had missed her horse ride in Kerala so it was a make-up-for-the-lost-times for her... and she had so much that end of the day we were like 'no more horses please!!!'... anyways, we went point-watching on horse backs and a little of riding really helped... i was riding 'tendulkar' and she was riding 'baburao'.... for a change - tendulkar was the performing one!!! :) how i wish i could ride a ganguly - as i could get a chance to hit him!!! 'bad man'!!! anyways, i never hit tendulkar - he was good!!! after point-seeing (well, one basic question - whats so great in those points - normal creek/mountain/echo points - thats it?) anyways, what we enjoyed was the nature and the ride in the nature... it was worth it!!! and thankfully, we could visit a temple after missing saturday routine pooja - so we were good in that!!! (ain't it, GOD?) just in time back to hotel for lunch... a nice buffet followed and then some much needed afternoon-nap!!! evening time check-out time and there they were - the horse-cabbies whom i'd promised that we would take a ride back to Dasturi point. well, not caring that our backside was a lil soar with all the noon riding, we gave them a chance to serve us one more time - this time Rohini rode tendulkar (and he was more performing with less 'load'... and me baburao - i still hate to say i was riding baburao!!! :) ) at the end of the ride both - we and they - were thankful that the ride ended... and that was it... we had left matheran... only to see the railways and city crowd and vehicles and pollution till the next time we surrender ourselves to nature... :)
with a break in Dadar, we reached home just in time to receive ur call - infact i stepped down from auto and the phone was ringing - ofcourse, Aai and Baba were waiting for us outside house... and after a good chat with them we got ready to face the everyday routine music - the same good old office...
wake up vinu - its time for another meeting!!! :)
(and while i was writing the last line, my firang manager comes and comments - 'thats a big mail'... and i start telling him about matheran and he is thinking 'lonavala'... what the heck!)
- FYI, i've countered all fears of you both considering us a LAZY couple...
------------------
hmmm....
Matheran was fun and relaxing... monkey everywhere - its been sometime that i'd been to matheran. we stayed in Riviera, but i know Richie Rich would have been better. but at the end of it, we enjoyed!!
well, we left from office on friday evening. from seepz to Kanjur and then to thane and from thane we caught the karjat train (thinking not to miss any fast locals) fortunately, we got to sit early - ofcourse, different compartments. reached Neral around 9:30 and from there caught taxi till 'Dasturi point' - point beyond which vehicles are not allowed. it was pretty late and dark and had no means to go ahead with - there were people offering horses... initially i said 'no' but then someone booked all the horses and we were left with no choice... then it was walking alll the way till market/hotel. then someone started offering his service to carry luggage and take us to hotel... again a 'no' from me... so, we started walking and walking - thinking that its just around the corner - 15 mins walk or so. it was already too dark - around 10pm and we are all alone - except for another couple which was in taxi with us... wow!!! it was scary for sure. we - both couples - were initially waling separately. they were a little elderly - in their 40s and kerala south indians but based in bombay! so, after a total dark patch we intiated and asked them - lets travel together. they were surprised initially that we were walking separately and were happy to get along.... and then a nice round of talk followed and all of us enjoyed the walk till market after which they went to their hotel and we to ours... it was around 10:30 when we reached and the dinner time was already over. after my persuasion and they messing giving the right room - they obliged and offered us dinner. it was too spicy and we had to have supplements - sugar for Rohini and milk for me! - to cool off - ofcourse, with lotsa water... :) and we slept off like log...
saturday morning we woke up a lil late - now, there were rules we had to follow - one, hot water would be till ONLY (thats a STRICTLY ONLY) 10am and breakfast too... we lazy people cursed them for having a limit to necessities (outside food was not allowed too!) and woke up just in time to get a hot water (how i wish to write a hot shower - but the shower was not working and the cold tap wouldn't budge!!!) thankfully, they breakfast came to our room - against the rules of us going to the dinning hall - to get it - some parathas and something like appam. tea was good too!!! i don't remember doing anything on saturday - simply because we didn't do any!!! :) we just lazed around watching TV (something we did big time there was watching TV) and sleeping as the current was playing hide-n-seek! anyways, atlast we decided to get out of our comfort and venture out!!! we had horse-cabbies (what should we call those 'ghode waalas' in english) approaching us - the most non-responsive couple!!! anyways, had a good look at different kinda sandals - ladies ofcourse - before we actually went to the market. but before that - we had our favorite food - sweet corn!!! well, while Rohini started eating and teasing me how she won't give me - eventually she couldn't - as we had to succumb to the pressure of nature - in this case, the wild looks of monkeys around us - with a dog. well, we surrendered to the hungry eyes and stomachs of the monkey and gave-up the corn. Rohini felt really bad for the taste was really good... then some snacks at a hotel and visit to the garden... Nauroji garden. we expected the giant wheel to give us some scare - and it disappointed a lot... though we - ok, ok, I - started shouting 'boss, take care' to the guys who were spinning the wheel as ours was lighter one (ofcourse!!! and even though they had a couple of cement sack to balance and increase the load!!!). anyways, it was fun... then we had the 'goLa' (ice-ball??? again, what should we call it??) and back to hotel - dinner and sleep time. while Rohini slept, i watched 'Maine Gandhi ko nahi maara'... intense movie...
sunday morning - the same thing with bathing and breakfast - just that this time we were ready for it... and then we went out to see matheran. Rohini had missed her horse ride in Kerala so it was a make-up-for-the-lost-times for her... and she had so much that end of the day we were like 'no more horses please!!!'... anyways, we went point-watching on horse backs and a little of riding really helped... i was riding 'tendulkar' and she was riding 'baburao'.... for a change - tendulkar was the performing one!!! :) how i wish i could ride a ganguly - as i could get a chance to hit him!!! 'bad man'!!! anyways, i never hit tendulkar - he was good!!! after point-seeing (well, one basic question - whats so great in those points - normal creek/mountain/echo points - thats it?) anyways, what we enjoyed was the nature and the ride in the nature... it was worth it!!! and thankfully, we could visit a temple after missing saturday routine pooja - so we were good in that!!! (ain't it, GOD?) just in time back to hotel for lunch... a nice buffet followed and then some much needed afternoon-nap!!! evening time check-out time and there they were - the horse-cabbies whom i'd promised that we would take a ride back to Dasturi point. well, not caring that our backside was a lil soar with all the noon riding, we gave them a chance to serve us one more time - this time Rohini rode tendulkar (and he was more performing with less 'load'... and me baburao - i still hate to say i was riding baburao!!! :) ) at the end of the ride both - we and they - were thankful that the ride ended... and that was it... we had left matheran... only to see the railways and city crowd and vehicles and pollution till the next time we surrender ourselves to nature... :)
with a break in Dadar, we reached home just in time to receive ur call - infact i stepped down from auto and the phone was ringing - ofcourse, Aai and Baba were waiting for us outside house... and after a good chat with them we got ready to face the everyday routine music - the same good old office...
wake up vinu - its time for another meeting!!! :)
(and while i was writing the last line, my firang manager comes and comments - 'thats a big mail'... and i start telling him about matheran and he is thinking 'lonavala'... what the heck!)
- FYI, i've countered all fears of you both considering us a LAZY couple...
posted by Vinod Kaulgud at 10:33 PM
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