Life..

"Life should
NOT be a Journey to Grave with a Sole Intention Of Arriving In Safe And Well-Preserved Body, But Rather To Skid In Side-Ways, Body Thoroughly Used Up, Covered With Scars, and Screamin with Joy,
Wu...hhhuuuuuuuuu, What a Ride!"

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Saturday, September 24, 2011

Kaas Plateau A Floral Fantasy!

:namaste: everyone! This is a short report on Kaas plateau.
Kaas plateau or Kaas pathar, is also called as "Valley of Flowers" of Maharashtra.
It is famous for variety of blooming flowers, especially at the end of Spring season. :woohoo:


Located in the heart of Sahyadri's, at a striking distance from Mahabaleshwar, in the hustle bustle city of Satara, lies a jewel. :cool:
Jewel of yellows!
Jewel of Pinks!
Jewel of Whites!
Hail mother nature!!! :prayer:


Getting there:
Getting to Kaas is very easy now a days. Special thanks to Govt of Maharashtra for building Makkhan smooth "Mumbai-pune expressway" and bypassing pune, by katraj by-pass.
It takes 5 hours from Mumbai in pvt vehicle, 6 hours by public transport.


Alight at satara, and follow the not so wide roads, full of not so big potholes to Bamnoli.
20 kms away is the kaas plateau, and kaas lake.
Surrounded by mist, on a flat table top, dots of yellow and pinks arise out of the greens, that's jaw dropping stuff!. :yahoo:


Two flowers species are abundant there.
The yellow ones called as Smithia hirusta and the Pink ones, called as balsams.




Prologue:
It was March 2nd, 2011 when i lost my beloved uncle forever. [cry]
In sept, there is a ritual called as "Bharna" for first year, the second year onwards it is called as "Shraddh"


So i went to my village. The ritual was at Saturday. The next day being sunday, was free. So i decided to go to Kaas.
My village is on Panchwad-Panchgani route, so Kaas is some 60 Kms from my place. 20kms to Panchwad, 20 more to Satara, and rest 20 to Kaas.


The Sunday arrived with a brisk rain in the morning. There was Smithia hirusta in full bloom at my village premises. The green mountain plains had already turned yellow. This is a reliable indicator that Kaas would be in full bloom. And i was right!! :supz:
Here's the video of Smithia in foll bloom at my village.






Started at 8:30am solo on my bike, Hero honda CD Deluxe. Driving at 40kms per hour, reached satara at 10.30 and then to kaas.


Kaas has been in news for sometime now. So these days, the authorities have awakened. They are strict than they were ever. :axe:
First i was stopped at a "Naka" 10kms before kaas, showed up the license and there i go!
The point to note was, every vehicle was scrutinized irrespective of size and people inside.:minigun: So carrying legal papers and license in a must to avoid any trouble. It was a easy go for me coz my surname coincides with another persons surname, who was once a Shivsena district head, and he is from my village!
Enroute Kaas.
Continued ahead.and there comes the first plateau of yellows!
Smithia hirusta in full bloom! I posed my self and my bike on road to the yellow fever!
It was so refreshing! I felt my senses being tuned up, which were dismantled due to Mumbai pollution!


Smithia hirusta.


My bike and yellow stuff!
The bed of yellow!
Some more yellow! Those are not Smithia
10 mins later, some 5 kms before kaas, pvt vehicles were stopped, they were asked to abandon their vehicles at a parking lot and then carry onward to the flowerzone in a ST bus. :snipe:(Dont puke :vom: yet, there are pvt buses sponsored by NGO's too!). 
I was allowed although! This time it was not my surname, it was my bikes number plate, which read as MH-11! MH-11 is code for vehicles from satara district.
Only satara vehicles were allowed, rest had to abandon their vehicles. Later on, everybody was allowed. Infact this is a better option for those who are on 4 wheels. Why?? Keep reading and scrolling down! [-(


The first view of the plateau:
My imagination of kaas valley was a bit different. I was there, in summers 5 years ago, and it was just another table top like Panchgani. I was expecting something browny browny.
But it was Pinky!!! :-k


Frankly, i always thought that Kaas is a hype. It confirmed when i saw that yellow sheets before kaas! But i was stunned seeing the plateau in pink! Oh yeah it was balsam. Balsam are there at my village too, but not so concentrated. It was an amazing site!


First view of Kaas!

Violet Balsam
Violet ones!


A rare find!


"The edges of the road were muddy,
The narrow roads when two vehicles confronted, both have to go to the muds, crossing the tar line,
The red tape bearing the sign of "Caution", "Do not cross",
Those 60 guards, each at distance of 30 mtrs,
Childrens wearing red t-shirts sponsored by NGO, whistling all the way to manage traffic,
The Pinks, where the road cuts through,
The misty clouds at what it seems like the end of the plateau,
The mood spoiler, the sun, which was overpowered by the clouds later,
the Brisk rainfall,
The Marathi speaking guards, not allowing me to park my bike near the flowerzone"


So i was forced to park my bike where the plateau ends. :mad:
The moment i slowed my bike, the guard would whistle, OMFG! :mad:
No choice, i parked my bike, and came back walking one km back to the plateau.


The first observation was, the plateau was filled with Nature photographers, and the old guns! Most of those old guns were retired, and were in large groups.
Nature photographers, carrying tripods waist height, camera gear on whole body, sleeping on the grass, posing wierd was a common site.


Weird poses!
Do not cross!


If you stand on road facing kaas lake, the LHS of the road was not in full bloom, Although the signs of full bloom were already evident. The RHS was concentrated with flowers.
A close look, they are not! So it's good for landscapes.


The pink carpet RHS!


Most people would walk along the rusty and muddy mahabaleshwar road, for 500mtrs and then turn back. I was just curious to know, what lies the other side..:-k
So i went ahead. The was a horizontal dug out portion for laying cables from where most people generally turn back. I continued crossing the same, and VIOLA!!! 


You wont beleive, i came across a mind blowing landscape! :-({|= 
The flowers here were more concenrtrated, more evenly distributed. and the edge of the plateau were some weird shaped trees, a wonderful opportunity for composing landscapes!
Even i did!
The Landscape!
Close look!


2 hrs is what it takes to explore the plateau. It was 1.30 already. so i decided to head back to home. With brief stopovers for biscuit and chai session, i hit the NH-4 and took the left to panchgani, which leads to my village!


Before i wind up, i would like to add some tips and rules you MUST know.


1) DO NOT LITTER. [noway]
2) DOn't carry plastic. Drink less water, coz there are no toilets on the flowerzone . :toimonster: Women should take this advice seriously. Plus there is a constant sun and cloud game, so clouds attract bladders, to promote fluid loss!
3) Beware of snakes. There are many! :shock:
4) Dont walk on flowers. Stick to the basics, stick to the trails. =;
5) Parking in NOT allowed on flowerzone. It is better to park your vehicles 5kms before the plateau and take ST bus, coz they are the only ones allowed to alight on flowerzone.
6) Don't drink and drive. :drinkers: [-X
6) Leave only your foot prints, remember we have to preserve mother nature for our grand childrens.:heart:


Thank you! :)
"You live only once, so go out there and explore!"

Friday, September 9, 2011

Borivali National Park



BNP... alias Borivali National Park, alias Sanjay Gandhi National Park, is a national park located in heart of India's Financial Capital.
Although it is in the Heart, it serves the function of LUNGS! And thus it is also fondly called as "Lungs of Mumbai"

Those lungs regulate the pollution the Mega City... 


PROLOGUE:
As it was raining, stimulating the sense of love for mother nature, we decided to head to the Jewel of Mumbai.
Full credits of Amit Bhilare, it was his suggestion at the first place.
Being jobless and in Relax India Mode, everyone was ready.
The last time i went there was in SCHOOL PICNIC some 17Yrs ago when i was in 1st Std. So it was a relatively new place for me.
We were in Group of 4, Me Amit Sachin and Kiran..


Know your BNP:
Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), encompasses an area of 104 km2 (40 sq mi) and is surrounded on three sides by India's most populous city.
It is notable as one of the few national parks existing within a metropolis limit in Asia and is one of the most visited parks in the world.
It also enjoys the distinction of being the largest urban park in the world.
As it is a National Park, it is imp for me to post the Details about Flora and Fauna..

Flora: Kadamba, teak, karanj, shisam, and species of acacia, ziziphus, euphorbia, flame of the forest, red silk cotton and a number of other varieties of flowers. Karvi or Karvy, a flowering plant that flowers once in seven years, can be found in the Park.

Fauna:

Chital (or spotted deer),
Rhesus Macaque and Bonnet Macaque
Black Naped or Indian Hare,
Muntjac (Barking Deer),
Porcupine,
Asian Palm Civet,
Chevrotain (Mouse Deer),
Sambar Deer and Leopard.
Sambhar, deers and Leopard are very common,
Leopards have been in constant News due to their attacks on Humans in villages inside the Park..
Butterflies: More than 150 Species of Butterflies have been Known in the Park and it is a SPECIALTY of this Park..
Home to WORLDS BIGGEST BUTTERFLY, the ATLAS MOTH (SHILONDA in marathi), has a SIZE of Human PALM, is indigenous to BNP.



Getting there:
Nearest railway station is Borivali.
We reached there around 10:30am. Had some breakfast, payed the toll/fare of 20 Rs and viola we are in!


Some pics:
Just at the entrance, there was a que to school kids to get inside!
What a start! I was looking for myself standing in that same row 17yrs ago..


School kids!
The entrance
Public notices and fares.


Sanjay gandhi national park, carved out of grass.
Carved out of greens.
Snap of Poster of these two kids!
Cleaning the ears of the king :p


Then we reached "Krushnagiri"
Krishnagiri
The Mini Train is Major attraction for children..
Named as VAN-RANI (Jungle Queen)
PS: It has the MODIFIED Truck Engine..



Spotted: A Barking deer!
Barking Deer
Spotted: Serpent Eagle
Serpent Eagle
Those deers come so close to humans!
Barking deer again
There are some tree houses on the way :)
Tree house
That's it for the Park.
We then move to Kanheri caves.
One has to catch a bus (which runs once every 45 mins, carrying not more than 20people).
This bus is run by the SGNP authorities.


KANHERI CAVES:
After a 15 minutes drive through thick jungle, we reach Kanheri caves.
Enroute, spotted some deers, roaming along with their cubs which were very cute!
Compared to the ones "jailed", these are very shy animals, and run away when they feel your presence. :)


Know Kanheri caves:
No special permission is required for visit, and is the only NO RESTRICTED area in the whole park. All others needs permit.
These caves date from 1st century BCE to 9th century CE. In total, there have been 109 carved caves!!!
A congregation hall with huge stone pillars contains the stupa, a Buddhist shrine, is a real delight to watch!!
In the late 10th century, the Buddhist teacher Atisha (980-1054) came to the Krishnagiri Vihara to study Buddhist meditation under Rahulagupta.
Kanheri served as a epicentre of Buddhism in western India, now extinct.



Pics:
Getting down, there are some unexpected guests for your welcome!
Here they are, guarding the entrance.


Few steps uphill, you reach cave no.1
Cave no.1
Cave no 2 at a distance!
First view, cave no 2
Cave no 2
Inside the cave are 2 or 3 stupas and wonderful carvings.


Some wonderful carvings
Various postures of Buddha.


Lies ahead is CAVE NO 3!
It's a mammoth structure! And has a big stupa inside.
The outside of Cave no. 3
Cave no 3 from outside
To the left, is this huge carving of Buddha.
The standing buddha
The Stupa Inside.


It was echo like hell!
This cave has been carved of a single stone, from up to down.
What an art it is!! Marvelous.
I've shot a video of it. Here it is.

Then there are other caves, which is just a matter of Uphill trek.
And there are some funny stuff on the way!
The DENGAR? sign!
The uphill trek is really slippery.
Slippery trek
This is the "DENGAR" bridge!


This is the cave up there. It's difficult to get in there and also is not so attractive.


Flora and Fauna pics:
Balsams in bloom
A kid snail
Snail Poop!
Another snail
View of concrete jungle from the summit


Valley of flowers!
Yellow yellow dirty fellow
Making love are the monkeys. :)


Those are really big!


That's pretty much it of Kanheri caves and surroundings.
Next we go on lion safari.
We return back by the same bus at 5:30pm.
The last safari is on 6pm, and to add to our woes, we were only 6 people who wanted to take lion safari. We waiting for another 25 minutes, and at the end we were 10.
So we decided to buy tickets for the rest five, that added 15rs more to everybody's share.
The bus passes through series of fenced jails, and the windows of bus are fenced too!
The cost of Lion & Tiger safari is 30 Rs per person.
It is 20 Minute ride to the Tiger/Lion reserve.



The road to Lion safari!


The gates open, making huge sounds. These sounds raise our heart beats!
We were excited coz it was our first ever sight of the king, Lot seen on discovery and Nat geo, but never live!!


Story:
The bus travels for 5 Minutes,
Then suddenly stops, the driver says; SEE THAT WHITE TIGER!!
She was BIG, and what a sight that was.. Un-explainable!
Every one was asking "White kaisa, White kaisa?"
Every one was dumb about nomenclature, so we fooled them calling it as SIBERIAN TIGER!!!! Everybody followed us then 
Sorry No snap of that Beauty...
Next comes,the Royal Bengal tiger..
There was a  Jeep TYRE inside, Two tigress and their Cubs, where playing with that Tyre, another marvelous sight to watch..



After tiger sighting, the bus rolls on for Lion sighting!
The door opens..
A Huge Roar gets Audible! It was a the JUNGLE KING behind the visible bushes!!!
Then suddenly, people esp(Idiot ladies) Start screaming "Aai ga, Aai ga" etc etc, as we see what are the afraid of. We were on left aisle, we hopped right and were stunned!

Amit screamed, there's a LIONESS there, Right next to the Vehicle!!! 
She was very close, and in wilds she can get so close when you will be her prey!




She came Very near to the Vehicle, made eye to eye contact, and we get frustrated!
Then she behaves that She is Ignoring us!!!





What next???
That was a Paisa wasool Moment!!!!!
The Bus goes a bit ahead to turn back, the driver had earlier INSTRUCTED that "Haath Baher Kadhu Naka" (Dont put ur hand outside the Window).
As the Bus starts moving, my idiotic friend Amit, puts his hand Outside for her Snap..
She sees us, and starts running behind the Vehicle!!!!! 
We screamed at the driver 'Abe Bhaga bhaga jaldi' LoLz, he calmly says 'Kuch nahi karega wo'
We almost thought that she is chasing us as if in the wilds 

Lolz we relieved, but she was still chasing..
Here comes the exciting moment:
A bit lost in switching on the Video mode.





Now the bus turns back, she runs away in her respective cage and finally we leave taking a last glance at her. :)
That's it!!




Before ending, i would like to share some tips, advice and notices.


Few Myths that were Resolved after by SGNP Visit:
1) Got knowledge about the Poisonous and Non-Poisonous snakes in Maharashtra, Infact, We had killed a few Non-poisonous snakes in our village.. 
2 copies of that hoarding are retrieved by me and are pasted in my village's Gram panchayat office and Temple..

2) Leopards only Hunt at Night, They never attack ADULTS,
Only Children are susceptible, coz their low height represents Prey-ness..
This also applies to Adults in SITTING Position..

3) If you do encounter them, especially when they are in Groups,
Dont Run, coz their INSTINCT is to CHASE and if you RUN, you will be 100% Chased down (That applies to TYSON GAY and BOLT also )

Make Noise, Keep your Shoulders UP, Clap, Scream to BLUFF them, make them realise that you are NOT the PREY and Much stronger then them...
(This was said by Driver, who was very friendly coz he was a Konkani..  )



TIPS and Notices:
4) Dont litter, Say no to plastics
5) Dont use flash photography while capturing insects or bigger animals.
6) Only leave your footprints, and not plastics. Make sure that we keep this place preserved for our grand childrens, or they'll curse us!
7) Kanheri caves in monsoon get slippery. No matter what you wear, every step is a potential fall. Be alert and careful. Walk slowly. Keep your camera's inside while walking.


"You live only once, 
So go out there and EXPLORE"
Cya next time!