Trek to Prabalgad Fort

So one a random Sunday, five of us decided that we have had enough of the corporate life and we should break away from the daily 9 to 5 routine. We thought trekking was a great way to escape the concrete jungle.

One good thing about Mumbai is that it is on the Konkan coastline and has got some of the most breadth-taking treks. The Mumbai-Goa highway is as famous as any other for its scenic route, waterfalls, bridges, rivers and vegetations along the way. It is infact on my 100-places-to-visit-before-you die list. I still haven't had an opportunity to drive down that highway. Anyways, there are quite a few places to go for trek around Mumbai. For reasons unknown, we zeroed in on Prabalgad.

We had everything in place. We had men. We had enthusiasm. I even had my toothbrush and a pair of jeans (just in case). Only thing we forgot in the entire excitement was a guide or a map to the place.

We were told that Shiavji built a fort in Prabalgad some 400 years ago and was a huge pain in British Colonial Rule's bum!

Reaching there
You take the Mumbai suburban local train to Panvel station. From there you take the auto to Thakurwadi. Some 19 KMs away, Thakurwadi is a small town in the foothills of Prabalad Plateu. Apart from playing host to the fort, the town also boasts of an awesome waterfall. In fact a trip to the town is worth the effort just because of that waterfall.

The trek is easy to begin with. Its as easy as walking. However as you gain height, the trek can be difficult at times. There was this time when we were on the edge of the cliff and we could see a 1000 feet drop (disclaimer: 1000 is an estimation). You just needed to slip once to fall off the cliff and get lost in obscurity forever.

From this point, I could see few low-lying mountains (the ones I still haven't explored), distant outline of the city (that we had left behind), a small river (I hope it was a river) and of course the village and farmers and mysterious things that are not really visible from up there. Isn’t life like that only? You cant really see things even though they are right there in front of your eyes?

Travel Advisory

1. Every single gram and milligram matters on a trek. Dont carry un-necessary things.
2. You cannot carry a lot of water (remember gravity?). Since Prabalgad is in green mountains, there are loads of streams and waterfalls along the way. Carry a water bottle, a thin cloth (filter) and chlorine pills (purify).
3. Do not forget a Glucose packet.
4. Mosquitoes can be a huge menace. Mosquito-repellant is recommended if you prefer the trek in shorts.
5. It rains all the time. Trek tends to get slippery. Make sure shoes are weather-proof.
6. Locals don't understand Hindi. They speak some random mix of Marathi and Konkani. Conversations could be a problem if you decide to go without a guide. If you go without a guide, you might not reach the top but you can always come down to the village. Try going without a guide if you want to seek the real adventure.
7. Surprisingly, cell phones work. You can carry your cell phones along.

Yes, the travel advisory came abruptly. I have a very good reason for that. We had to abandon the trek mid way. It was bit too difficult for few of us.

Anyways this is a trip that I will make again. I could not conquer the peak once and I will do it sometime soon. And till then this post shall be left open.

Other places on the web about Prabalgad
http://trekthesahyadris.blogspot.com/2005/07/prabalgad-trek.html
http://amitkulkarni.info/pics/prabalgad/

Why do people walk fast in Mumbai

In Mumbai, people walk faster than the national average. You observe people in Mumbai and you observe people in Delhi or any other part of the country, you will realize the difference in matter of seconds. They are fast.

British Council conducted this study where they wanted to find out the fastest walkers in the world. Obviously none of the Indian cities are in the list.

I did the experiment myself and as expected Mumbai is at number 1. It takes a Mumbaikar 9.3 seconds to walk 60 feets. A Singaporean takes 10.55 seconds to do the same task. Another thing we Indians can be proud of.

So why do people walk fast in Mumbai? Lets put some hypotheses and try talking to people and finding out the reasons.

Hypothesis 1
Transportation is limited to trains, buses and taxis/autos and hence they need to walk fast to catch them on time.

Unlike other parts of the country where they don’t have a timetable, Buses and Trains are very punctual in Mumbai. You can tally your watch with the train timings. And every time a train is late, they announce that the train would be late by 10 minutes or 5 minutes or whatever. And on top of everything else, they apologize for the delay. Something unheard of in Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore or Chennai.

Hypothesis 2
People in Mumbai are health conscious.

People are innovative. People like alternative ways to exercise. Gymming is old fashioned. They decided that railway stations would have numerous overhead bridges (with at least 100 steps to reach the top and another 100 to get down) and these bridges would give them opportunity to exercise while going to work. Yet again would save time and money.

Hypothesis 3
They all are (rather blissfully ignorant) part of the classic rat race where no one can ever emerge as a winner.

So here is that rat race everyone talks about and everyone knows they are a part. People still fall for it. People still participate and people still run and you still don’t win. Everyone can see everyone else walking fast and no one wants to be left behind (Mr. Darwin would get angry). What do you do? Walk faster and others walk even faster. And the vicious circle goes on forever.

Hypothesis 4
Just like that. There is nothing better to do. Lets walk fast. Sweet and simple.
Hypothesis 5
Research says that people who walk fast have a purpose in life. They have a different vision of life and they are task oriented. They are achievers. With about a couple of crore achievers, no wonder Mumbai is economical and commercial capital of the country.

Voting lines are open. People can vote and help me decide why Mumbai is FAST !

Links: BBC, BBC

Mumbai to Alibaug

Its 5:30 PM on a Saturday evening. Two guys are sitting in a battered, old and somewhat rickety Maruti Suzuki Wagon R and thinking what to do next. The Sholay fan says "Let's toss. Heads we go to Alibaug and tails we go to Lonavala". The Agnepath fan agrees. The coin is flipped and heads it is.

This was some five hours ago when me and Vivek were trying to decide on the monthly outing. We have this unsigned agreement that we shall go out at least once every month (if not twice) to places outside Mumbai.

So as destiny would have it, Alibaug is the destination for the week. Alibaug is about 100 kms from Mumbai. Only way to go there is by road and thanks to Vivek's car we dint have to use the state transport. Anyone who is driving to Alibaug must make sure that there are few spare tyres and the toolkit. The road is very very (yes, very very) bad. Another option is taking the ferry but again ferry is no fun. Driving is the idea and there are things on the way that should not be missed.

Talking about baggage, anyone travelling to Alibaug must make sure that there are cameras, extra rolls (memory sticks in case of a digital one) and loads of batteries. The drive is very scenic and there are few of the most splendid sceneries along the way. There are hills studded with numerous waterfalls (wonder where all that water comes from even when the peak is all green), grey roads with a white dotted divider in between (the ones that are very common in all those beautiful wallpapers), lamp posts along this very road, mysterious houses (the ones where you always wanted to know who lives but there is no way to), huge banyan trees (obviously very old with more roots than leaves), a hanuman temple in middle of nowhere, numerous kids in school uniform (are they going to school? Or are they coming back?), women carrying water (I thought it was only in movies or in deserts), men trying to sell assorted fruits and vegetables and last but not the least, the wiper on the windscreen. The drive is an ideal setting for a photographer looking out for some practise. The sad part is that we did not have a camera. I am still wondering which one to buy.

On the way you will cross the Ispat Industries Factory. Don't miss the fire flames as high as 15-20 feet that god knows what they are using for. I have never seen something like that in my life so far.

Then there are regular Dhabas on the road for people looking out for food. The quality of food is nowhere close to the ones on Punjab or Haryana highways but I had a good meal after quite a few days. A rice roti with dal is very highly recommended. Advisory: All these dhabas are authorized to sell booze. Crowds can really get rowdy. Try to be careful. We were.

At Alibaug
After all the action and adventure on the road, we finally reached Alibaug in about a couple of hours. It was 9:30 when we got the first entry ticket to Alibaug. The "Alibaug City Council" charges an "Alibaug Pollution Control and Cleanliness Tax" of 10 bucks per day from any outside vehicle entering Alibaug. I am not sure if they use this money for actual pollution control or cleanliness of the place. From what I saw, they need to clean a lot of things. I could see more cows and stray dogs using the roads than humans. Last time I saw so many cows was in my hometown way back in 1991. Got me nostalgic.

Once you are in the town, rooms are available easy and plenty. You can find a room for as low as 300 bucks (double occupancy) and as high as 2750. A comfortable, AC room would be something like 800 bucks. The best three places in terms of comfort and service would be Hotel Ravi Kiran, Big Splash and Sahyadri in descending order. As everywhere else in India, the rates are negotiable and depending on the negotiating skills discounts can go as high as 40%. We got a 2750 room for 1600 at Ravi Kiran. Not bad considering that I suck as negotiating and Vivek can hardly talk to someone without trying to act smart. Everyone but him realizes that he is being smart pants.

So once we were settled in for the night, we slept peacefully till the next morning. Sunday we started exploring the place. Alibaug is basically a nice place to chill out and move away from the rushes and speed of a city life. Alibaug has got its share of "tourist" spots. It has got few beaches, a fort, a Shivaji statue, a post office, even a Reebok Factory Priced Showroom. Don’t expect a lot of things from the "mini Goa of Maharashtra".

People are very helpful. Helpful to the extent that Mumbaikars call anyone who helps as "Alibaug sey aayela".

There are few nice places around Alibaug. We went to this beach called Kihim – nothing to write about. There is another one called Kashif. Kashif is must see. The way to Kashif is best described as "mountains on one side and sea on the other". If some has been to ECR in Chennai between Chennai and Mahabalipuram, they can relate. Only difference is that at ECR, shore is about 300 meters from the highway and here shore is 30 meters.

Until I get more inputs from Vivek, I shall call it quits. There are loads and loads of things to be added here.

Stay At
Hotel Ravi Kiran – 222459, 222460
Big Splash – 226800
Hotel Sahyadri – 226404

P.S.: The poster for the movie Alibaug is just a tribute to a great pic.