Off beaten track

Kalsubai �Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.�  ?  Barry Finlay ,  Kalsubai is the highest peak in Maharashtra, but that is not saying much; as at 1646 metres it is hardly the "Everest of Maharashtra" it is made out to be. Nevertheless it is an invigorating climb and though not a technical ascent it is steep and tests ones stamina. The panorama from the top make the arduous climb worth it. Vishnu, the guide   There are many "how to" blogs on the net so I will refrain from a travelogue style, rather giving a potpourri of my experiences. Kalsubai is about an hour from Igatpuri and there are many ways of getting to Bari, the village at the base.  I drove from Igatpuri and taking a wrong turn finally ended up at Jahagirdarwadi, a few hundred metres short of Bari. It is possible to start climbing from here as well, so good luck for my guide Vishnu whom I found here, he was waiting and hoping for a stray tourist like me. I reco...

The cemetery is an open space among the ruins, covered in winter with violets and daisies. It might make one in love with death, to think that one should be buried in so sweet a place.� ? Percy Bysshe Shelley The poet could well be describing this Cemetery in Igatpuri which is indeed a quiet place, shaded by the trees in an old Churchyard. Here, lie at peace, railwaymen, soldiers,other British officials and their families.  Each had a life, long or sometimes short; a life, young or old; each with a story to tell; each shaping the "Empire" in a way big or small.  Complete lives reduced to a few passionate words on a tombstone. T he cracked stones only hinting  of exciting or mundane lives. The oldest Stone  I could find, dated 1868 for an unknown Ann who was just 31 years of age when she died.  She was the "deeply regretted wife of...". This is just three years after the Thal ghat section was opened, in 1865.  The church where this cemetery is located was es...

And, too, the heavy trudge of boots which used to stamp upon it in pursuit of sheep or cattle. Or else stumbling back homewards just before the black of night consumed the borders of a bog stretching wide before soles, the perils of a loch, perhaps, where a neighbour drowned. Sphagnum moss, above all, stores the footsteps of those who are now lost, those residents and denizens of moor for whom moss feels an absence, their drum of feet no longer pounding desolation like a heartbeat any more. ----From a poem by Donald S Murray The West Highland Way is an iconic walk in Scotland steeped in history with constantly changing beautiful scenery; it is also the longest in Scotland, starting in Milngavie, a suburb of Glasgow and ending at 96  miles   (154 km) muscle aching, feet hurting, but proud, in Fort William . The trail meanders along some of the most breath taking terrain in the Highlands, taking in varied landscapes of lochs, highlands, forests, bubbling burns and waterfalls. A ...

"life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, It's learning to dance in the rain."  Amboli is a deluge in June, (it rains an average of seven metres per year) and coupled with lush forests, it is the ideal environment for a host of insects, amphibians and snakes. All celebrating the monsoon in their own way, quite literally singing, dancing, mating and eating in the rain. About an hour from Sawantwadi station on the Goa/Maharashtra border, probably the resort is protected by its inaccessibility as one can only get up by road.  Room with a view We stayed at Mrugaya, a small but very comfortable homestay run by Parag Rangnekar.  It has three rooms, very neat and clean, with a large verandah and sit out. The Parag is also a very talented nature guide with prodigious knowledge of the local flora, fauna and trails.  His patience and pleasant demeanour add to the experience. Eat at the many restaurants in the town, if you are non-veg the fish thali is particularly delec...

The Parvati Valley Is one of the lesser known valleys near Kullu, however at the beginning there are prominent places like the hot water springs at Manikaran and Kasol, a smoky destination for the Great Indian Tourist.  The areas served by a road are perpetually full of tourists seeking easy reach and harder stuff.  On the other hand the places where one has to walk to are beautifully calm and isolated.  A sketch of the Valley A schematic sketch shows the Burshaini bowl, the road goes upto Tosh whereas the other villages are on foot tracks. If one wants solitude, then walk...  There is a large dam being constructed across the Parvati river at Burshaini, I wonder how this will affect the ecology when this is completed.  Khalga under snow I found just the village - Khalga which was off the beaten track. Early March offers a very different experience, it had snowed a day prior to my arrival and a carpet of white covered everything. It was cold, most often bitt...