My Dream Road Trip

My Dream Road Trip. A thought that would excite me more than a jackpot win. Having been lucky enough because of my parents who bought a car just after I turned 18, I enjoy driving like anything. So much so that a good long drive can cure me of anything; just about anything.


To think of my 'Dream Road Trip' with that level of interest in driving, travel, and going places, is so difficult. Simply because I get a hundred ideas when I think of it; and all are equally exciting. But that's the beauty of it. It is different from reading the brochure of a Travel Company and planning where to go. It’s the brochure of your own little mind. It just gives you a world of compelling options.

Likewise, I have a hundred dream road trips in mind. But with a lot of effort, I could prioritize them. Now I have this trip at the number one position. A trip to Leh-Ladakh. The place has always fascinated me of its beauty, its peaceful water bodies, tall towering mountains, chilled fresh air, and winding roads.

Mumbai, the place where I live is exactly opposite to that. A dense concrete jungle, dirt and garbage on every corner of the roads, extremely noisy places, tall towering buildings, polluted air, and a lot of things to complain about. Still, it is the brain of India. My dream road trip starts from here. Traveling through the states of Majestic Maharashtra, Grand Gujarat, Royal Rajasthan, Pure Punjab, and Hilly Himachal, I wish to reach the place where the heart of India is; The Himalayas; Leh-Ladakh.

It is unlikely that a person who loves driving is not crazy about cars. I am no exception. I love cars. My dad's Maruti 800, which is not with us anymore, will always be my first love. That car taught me driving, and made me love it. I miss her. A Dream Road Trip has to be done in the Dream Car. I have a hundred names qualifying for the title of my 'Dream Car' but I have one that shines over them all. Surprising for some it might be, but the car that I would want to do my Dream Road Trip in, is Tata Sierra. No other car has been such a head turner for me. Tata Sierra stole my heart at first sight. Tough, elegant, powerful, luxurious and more importantly, my favorite.

I do not have many friends. I have a few who are good friends; and fewer 'very good' ones. My wife tops them all. She is, my companion wherever I go. Although; I love to travel alone and be with myself; for my Dream Road Trip, in the Dream Car, I would want the person of my Dreams to be with me, my wife.

This road trip will take me through many villages, many cities, where I will stop to just close my eyes and feel the air. Smell the soil. I will talk with many people that I will meet on the road, while drinking hot tea at a roadside tea-stall, at dhaabas, or anywhere during the journey. I will exchange thoughts, ideas, and emotions. And after many hundreds of kilometers of the journey, I shall reach my destination. After a lot of driving, talking, listening and feeling; shall I reach the point in time when I will do what I would have come there to do. I will turn the engine off. I will lie down on the lake shore, spread my hands wide, stare at the blue skies before slowly closing my eyes, to feel myself. That will be the paramount point of my trip. I will feel myself; I will rejuvenate, re-gather, rediscover, and recharge myself. The transition from the city life to village life to hills and then to this heavenly place shall feel like; a life.

I would wish then, if time could halt there itself, at that very point. Knowing that it will not; I will still embrace the moments to treasure them forever, as that will be a Dream which would have Come True.

My First Trek

I remember having looked at trekking as an alien thing; and trekkers as aliens. I was in my early college days back then, when we used to see those guys with backpacks double in size of out college sack, and a rolled up mattress like thing popping out of those backpacks. They'd typically be wearing trackpants with militari print, or capris, and some old, worn out t-shirt. Their hair would be undone, they would be wearing a watch bigger than their wrist, and their shoes would seem like they are cut out of rock.

They seemed strange. While our faces displayed irritation because of the crowded trains and stressful journeys, their faces meant all excitement. We never understood; I, never understood why someone would go and sweat the hell out of his body, tire himself wandering in some hills, instead of watching a movie, playing cricket, or just eating out with friends. I mean, there are so many easy and rewarding ways to spend a holiday. I never understood; only until I stepped in those rock-cut shoes.

It was a hot and sunny summer day when a friend of mine called me up asking if I was interested in going to Karnala Fort. Karnala is around 80 kms from Thane and he said we can go and come back in half a day. Since it is a bird sanctuary as well, we thought we could do some bird watching and climb the fort as well if we wish to. As I said, 'trekking' seemed alien then, and I was not SO willing initially. But then out of curiosity, if I may say, I said yes, we will go tomorrow. I love to travel and see new places, so I could build up the excitement pretty soon for myself.

At 5:30 am the next day, we were off to Karnala. Just the 2 of us in my darling M800 which sadly isn't with me anymore. We reached Karnala in just over an hour. We parked the car, paid the entry fee, and went inside. It is a fairly dense forest. Some caged birds are kept at the start of the trail. Then one way is marked as the way to the fort. But there is another way to the fort as well, which is the 'Mor Taka Trail'. Out of pure 'kida' we ventured to that trail, thinking that we will see some rare birds and discover something which not many must be aware of. 'Ideal time for bird-watching is actually 1 hour prior to and after sunrise', I was told by the friend who was with me. So, we were late. It was 7:30 then. It was quite bright already. We walked for more than 2 hours, stopping at every little chirp that we heard, only to find a sparrow or a cuckoo.

I realized at one point, that we had come to the same spot which we passed by, some time ago. Then my friend said that the same spot is where we took a turn from, even before that. We sensed a problem. In Marathi, this happening is termed as 'Chakwaa'; where a person loses his/her way somehow, like he/she was mesmorised, and keeps wandering around the same area and coming back to it. We were not mesmorised or hypnotized; we were just... lost. Lost while we went on taking photographs, trying to climb trees, or just doing balancing acts on the rocks. We decided to break the loop and so we turned in the direction of the pinnacle and started walking. We climbed a steep slope somehow which brought us to the main trail. Relieved; were we, finally. In next 30 minutes, we were on the top of the fort. At the base of the thumb shaped pinnacle. The view from the top was worthwhile. Absolutely amazing.

Coming back was relatively easier, and smooth. We came down drenched with sweat and tired as hell. I struggled to drive my car as my calfs and knees pained badly. We came home late in the afternoon and slept for hours. My first trek was a terrific one. Really a terrific one. A not-so-difficult trek seemed a so-difficult trek to me. 'If this is what those guys with huge backpacks do in the mountains; then this is not for me certainly', I thought to myself, 'I mean it was fun; it was tiring as well, but I don't feel like doing this every alternate weekend'. These thoughts were like the early vapors of barbeque, which disappeared very soon, leaving the heavenly taste behind; the heavenly taste of pleasure, heavenly taste of peace, and of purity. I couldn't wait for my next treks thereafter. Sharing pictures, telling stories went on. But somehow I had missed writing about my first trek experience.

My first trek had stunned me. But it had stunned me for good.

Chadhwayye Trek IV - Chavand

Back in the monsoon of 2012, we had planned a 2 day trek to Chavand, Naneghat and Jivdhan; and ended up covering just Naneghat. So Chavand and Jivdhan were on the 'to-go destinations' list again. Chavand aka Prasanna Gad was skipped at that time mainly because PK who had suggested this fort, was not gonna be able to make it to the trek.

1st Jan was a holiday for me, PK, PP, and SS. None of us had any major plan for 31st December evening and so we planned for this New Year Day Trek to Chavand. Since others from the group were not available on that day, it was just 4 of us for the trek.

Special appreciation for PP who joined us right after finishing his night shift in the office. THAT is passion, really.

We were off to Junnar by approximately 7 am. It took us 3 hours to reach Junnar. Another half an hour to reach the base of chavand. From Junnar onward till Chavand Wadi, which is the base village of the fort, the road is just terrible. It was a bad surprise for my new little car. The road is in super-bad shape.

 The road to the fort goes from behind the AshramShala, which; does not exist anymore. We had referred to many blogs which give the Ashram Shala reference, but now the said building has been demolished. So the new landmark is a big tree on the left side of the road when you approach, opposite to which is a bore-well (hand-pump) from where the trek route begins.

Chavand/ Prasanna Gad is a relatively smaller fort. The climb isnt too big. It is very simple until you reach the rock patch which poses a decent challenge to you. It is steep. Though there are ladders fixed in the rocks, you cannot simply rely on them. There is also a metal wire fixed in the rocks throughout the rock patch, which proves to be really helpful. PP and myself were taking pictures while we stood on the rocks in some awkward positions, which irritated the hell out of SS who was really finding himself in awkward positions and was super-uncomfortable on the rock patch. The view from the top was really great. Though we felt that since it was too bright and sunny, we could have got some better photos had we been there either in the early morning or around sunset.

After covering the 20-30 feet high rock patch, there are roughly 50 steps until you reach the main door of the fort. The main door is in good condition. So are the steps. We met some forest department people on the way, who had come there to clear the grass that had grown on the steps and on the fort top. Their work was highly appreciable. The steps which were about 2.5 feet wide while we went up, were over 6 ft wide when we came down. It seemed like we re climbing down the steps of the Asiatic library or some monastery in Tibet  Those big steps feel really grand to be standing on; especially when you are looking down at the valley from a height of over 3000 feet.

The fort top is not that interesting. There are ruins of a temple on the left side after you reach the fort top. We did not really roam around on the fort top and decided to climb down after having a look at the surroundings and shooting some pictures.

The descent was relatively quicker, as it always is. We came down, got fresh with the cool water of the bore-well and had some fruits, and biscuits at the base to re-energize ourselves. It was 2 pm in the afternoon and yet, there was cool breeze because of which we never really felt drained and exhausted.

We headed then towards Naneghat via GhaTghar. Since two of us had missed the monsoon trek to Naneghat, we thought we can cover that on this trip. But the road ! the road was so bad again that we were taking way too much time to cover each kilometer; And that affected the mileage of the car. It alarmed us when the fuel gauge stood over empty. 'U turn' and we headed back. A local guy informed us about a person named Mr. Gholap, who sells petrol/diesel in a nearby village. We found his shop and bought us 2 ltrs of fuel. Then we re-filled the tank later at Junnar where we had one of the typical trek foods; Misal, coupled with hot ginger tea.

It turned out to be another very nice and memorable trek. Really a good start of 2013 for us all. We hoped that like the beginning, the year ahead is filled with such nice adventures and travels. 

You are a REAL Indian if

You are a real Indian if;
You do not believe in Rules, Regulations or Laws
You think that garbage can be thrown anywhere
You have in some point of time dreamt about 'Foreign'
You start honking if the car in front of you does not move for even a second
You start honking even if the car in front of you is moving fine
You swear if a pedestrian crosses the road in front of you
You think that when you own a car, you own the roads too
You are a real Indian if;
You believe that there is WORLD under the table
You can work like a slave for your employer to be in his good books
You think that you have all the knowledge and the person talking to you is dumb
You cannot help peeping into a roadside fight and motivate the fighters
You can say `अपनेको क्या है!’ even if a fire breaks out at your neighbor's house
You are not affected by news of someone being robbed, killed, or raped
You feel that regular blasts and disasters are good for a city's integrity and morale
You don't respect your country
You consider mobiles to be status symbols
You don't Protect; You Protest
You can party no matter what happens around you or in your country
You are a real Indian if;
You realize Nothing after reading this
You think this post is crap and you continue to be yourself.

Parallel Parking

Out of the millions of people who drive cars, only a few thousands know how to 'park' a car correctly. A few people in my locality don't even know there is something called as 'parking'. They just drive in and stop wherever they feel, leave the car like that and that's all.

Parallel Parking. An essential skill that the car owners/drivers should have. It is very rare to find though. More so because many of the people perceive it as a very hard thing to do. But it is really simple to be frank. It just needs a little judgement, and a little calculation.

I am not an expert driver, but I thought I should share my understanding and knowledge about this Parallel Parking act, so that those who are unnecessarily scared of it, become confident about it.

I hope this helps the readers to park their cars perfectly, and effortlessly.

Drive Safe!

Lohagad - Korigad Trek

Me and my friends, we didn't go trekking anywhere during the entire monsoon which is actually when you can experience natural beauty at its best. We were all busy and didn't have time to spare, really. Then came this month when a plan finally took shape and the destinations chosen were two very easy forts - Lohagad and Korigad. We were going after a long break so we thought that 'let us not strain ourselves too much to start with'.

Lohagad was on the agenda for quite a long time, unlike Korigad which was a new addition that was taken up. As always; SMSs were fired to 'probable' team members. There were some 'on-off' like responses and at the end 3 people were sure to come.

  

Having started at 6:30 from Mumbai, we reached Lohagad Base Village (Lohagadwadi) at around 9:15 after a break for tea and lunch in Lonavala. When you enter Lonavla from Mumbai end, you need to turn right at Kumar Resorts and then go straight from the next circle. The stretch of 30 odd kilometers passes underneath the Express Way twice and reaches the village Bhajeghar. The ghaat that you encounter while on the way to Lohagadwadi is tricky. The road is in extremely bad condition, filled with big stones and sand which weakens the grip of your car's (or even worse, your bike's) footwear. Hence, it is advised to use the best of your driving skills here. It is thrilling though; and I enjoyed driving on the 'otherwise' bad road. We parked our vehicles at Lohagadwadi. There were a few shops out there selling snacks and cold drinks.

The way up lohagad is so simple from there onwards. Just a small walk in the woods and you are welcomed by the neatly laid steps that take you right atop Lohagad. A very nicely maintained fort, where major part of the fortification is intact and is beautiful to see. You pass through multiple doors (Ganesh Darwaja, Narayan Darwaja, Hanuman Darwaja and Maha Darwaja).

There are two 'Mosques' on the top. There is a huge cave named Laxmi Kothi where the treasure which was looted by Shivaji Maharaj was stored. The highlight of the Fort, 'Vinchu Kata' is on your right hand side when you enter the top of the fort. To reach Vinchu kata, one way goes from besides Laxmi Kothi while the other goes from besides the second mosque/Dargaah on the fort. One portion of the way to get to Vinchu Kata is extremely tricky and if you are not very confident you shouldn't venture. There is one footway which is easier as we were told by a local person; but sadly, only after we returned from there without being able to tackle that difficult part. However, to get good shots of the Vinchu Kata from the lens, reaching upto this spot where the difficult section is situated, is enough. That is all that you can see on the fort. Getting down shouldnt take more than 40 minutes.

Lohagad can also be reached by Train from Malavli Station. This route passes through Bhaaje Caves which are very beautiful, and this route involves a 1 hour long walk before the steps begin. Lohagad is a fort which everyone can enjoy; no matter if he/she is used to trekking or not.

We got down at 12 from Lohagad. Had limbu sarbat, some fruits and we proceeded to our next destination, Korigad. The other two members except me did not know this fort and were curious yet not keen. We reached 'Peth Shahapur' which is the base village for Korigad. Peth Shahpur is situated on the way to Amby Valley. From Lohagad, we had to reach back to Lonavla and follow the road directions to Amby Valley. Korigad appears like a huge vertical rock from it's base, Peth Shahapur. The trail starts with a nicely marked and clearly visible path. It reaches a tower where you have to take the road that is on the right hand side. Further, after covering another 200 Meters, a small path climbs up on your right hand side, leaving the broad path. You have to take that small path and walk through the dense forest for about 10 minutes when you reach the 'concrete' steps. From there onwards its just so simple. You will pass a Ganpati Mandir on your right hand and a cave. The steps lead you all the way up to the fort's huge table land. One should definitely take a walk over the fortification. You get nice views of the Amby Valley and Pavna Dam. The surrounding mountains are awesome.

Getting down is a 30 minutes job. But one should make sure that he/she takes the same route which was taken while climbing up. Or else he/she will end up getting to the other side of the fort and then, will have to walk for around 5 kilometers to reach the original starting point.

We started our return journey at around 5:30 and after a good couple of warm-up treks we were back to mumbai. Definitely recommended forts for anyone and everyone interested. Nothing much to be worried about. They are just that simple and just as brilliant as it gets !

Comparative Study of Modes of Transport (Road)

With fares getting unfair day by day; I thought we should evaluate the available options. No opinion expressed here; but I hope after having a look at this comparison, you will be able to form your own opinion.

Link to the Larger Sized Image: HERE

Addressing the troublers

This is for all the people who stay in the housing society where I reside, the kids who play there, scratch the cars, damage them in many other ways, their fathers who, instead of teaching them a lesson, protect them, their mothers, who keep mum altogether, their grandparents, who have not taught the right lessons about good and bad, true and false to their children when they were young and to every single person there.

To whomsoever it may ‘pinch’

I hereby wish to take this opportunity to thank you for providing me with another great example which has contributed to my belief that a person with ridiculous mentality is forever a person with ridiculous mentality. I appreciate your consistency in intentionally causing damage to the vehicles owned by my family. The damages have in fact polished my negative opinion about you.

I wish you all the very best for implementation of your further notorious plans. I pray to the God if it may so exist, that you shall get what you deserve in return of each of your acts. I also believe that this settlement shall happen in this very life of yours.

Thank You.

My Dream Rides:- # 2

Continuing with my earlier post about this topic.

4. Lexus RX 440 -

A close friend of mine came to me one day before school and we were discussing about a bollywood hero who, as he said, owned a Lexus. I never knew what a 'Lexus' was until then. My friend said its a car brand. They have such ultimate, luxurious cars. Googled for it - Saw some photographs - Liked them. The car really clicked me. All the lexus cars are good but the one that makes it here is the RX 350. Compact Sports Utility Vehicle. Stunning design, solid stance, and superb luxury. I'd like it in Metallic Brown.

5. There is a Tie for this place. Between, not 1 not 2 but 6 vehicles.
Jeep Wrangler, Land Rover's Discovery, Cadillac Escalade, Dodge Ram Pickup, GMC Envoy Denali, Infinity FX45. All in the same range of Class, Capacity, and Style.

  

 

 

 

6. 'The' HM Ambassador - Well, one may wonder or find this choice crazy altogether. But I tell you, 'king-like style' never came better with any other car. The technical specifications, sophistication is certainly a BIG minus of this vehicle but the unique feel and character of this car overrides every other flaw that it may have.
'Shaan' as it is called in some of the local languages in India. Oh yes and this 'Shaan' comes best in white, but I like it in metallic black. Or I also have another color in my mind for this car, which is metallic dark purple with some custom touches.

My Dream Rides:- # 1

Question: Which is your DREAM car !
My answer: MANY.

Many; I mean, all of them hold a special and equally great place in my heart. I can visualize a different 'me' with each one of these. In fact, it will take time for me to really sum this list up. So I'll just go on posting the pictures of my dream rides as I go on dreaming about them.

1. TATA SIERRA 

This will forever be the number 1 on this list. This is my all time favorite vehicle. The strong aggressive stance, amazing road presence, and that huge rear window, sofa like back seat, sheer power, so on and so on. THE real all terrain king for me. I like it in Carbon Black/ Pure White.

I particularly loved its commercial in which a man comes from the office and parks his Tata Sierra in his porch and gets into the house. Then the vehicle goes by itself out on a muddy terrain and comes back in the porch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ogh44v6BeQ

2. Second of my choices will be a FORD MONDEO.

When I first read their slogan, when the car was launched in India, it caught hold of my heart. 'Hello Beauty; Hello Beast' was the tagline. I loved it. The car does full justice to this slogan. Its a powerhouse. A super sexy sedan which has got all the punch in the world. It was modestly priced but I don't know why it didn't do that well in India. I liked the older version but, the 2012 Mondeo is equally good. It is no more sold in India though.

I'd again like it in jet black color.

3. My third dream car is again a Ford. A cabriolet/Convertible Ford Mustang GT. I fancy driving a Sparkling Red / Sparkling Blue Mustang on a beach road tasting some fresh air. Power, Style, Appeal, I need not even talk about it when it is a Mustang.

I will continue with the rest of the list soon.

Happy Driving!

Why bother?

I was watching 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' the other day on AXN. I do not know which unbelievable person they were talking about really. But as I switched to the channel they were interviewing people walking on the road at random, asking them about this person. And then there was this very old lady whom they asked what she thought about this person. And here is what she said that caught my mind. 
'.... I mean that is what life really is. If you're not going to do or create something unusual; why bother?'

I was so held by this statement. This old lady just impressed me with this thought. She just put in words, what I keep thinking all the time. For me she is one great mind. Cheers YOUNG lady ! I appreciate.

7 Cures for Monday Sickness

Monday Blues, or Monday Sickness, or whatever it may be called; I guess, every working person suffers from it. I do as well. Sunday afternoon; and I begin getting depressed. I can't sleep as quickly on Sunday nights. I can't get up as easily on Monday mornings. I keep telling myself; 'don't be sad, there will be a Friday again after 4 days'. However, I have discovered some things which, If I do, I can cure this Monday Sickness to a great extent.

1. Wear your favorite dress on Monday. In formals, wear the shirt which has grabbed the highest number of compliments; or wear a new shirt/trouser/top altogether.

2. Take your favorite dish/vegetable in the lunch box. If you do not carry lunch boxes to office and have a canteen; plan to eat outside.

3. Take your selected favorite songs on a USB/CD to play in the Car stereo or have them copied on iPod/Mp3 player.

4. Have a plan to go out for shopping or dinner or both in the evening.

5. Wear your favorite perfume. One which you wear only on special occasions.

6. During the day, think about a destination for your next holiday.

7. Or the easiest one - Bunk. ;) and go out roaming, have lunch, spend time on a lake or a beach and return home at usual time..

If you too, may have invented your own cures for Monday Sickness, please share with me. I will appreciate your responses.

Merry Monday ! ;)

Peace is what I feel

After writing a few posts about journeys with music, I think I should just post here a poem which I had written during one of many such journeys.

Again; the mode of transport was a bus; I had earphones playing music in my ears. And here's how it went.

The world is on mute
The silence is so cute
There's a glass wall so strong
Made up of so many songs
This side if it; so tranquil
Peace is what I feel.

The sound waves know the code
to put my mind on standby mode
All I can see is Me
All I can be is Me
All my pain is healed
Peace is what I feel

The beat drives my mind
The words is what I mind
It doesn't matter what kind
Music is what I mind
It will Serve me till the next time I need
It will Save me till the next time I need
This drug is the deal
Peace is what I feel.

(C) Apurva J Oka.
      29-3-2012

The Thump is HERE !

Since last 3 days, I’ve been enjoying sitting in the driver seat of my car more than I have ever done. With the new amplifier fitted in, and the new set of component speakers, I now have in my car, the sound that I have ever dreamt of. In fact, I got the new stuff installed almost a couple of weeks ago, and it sounded definitely better than it did earlier. But, there was something missing in it. It was the local guy’s fault. The equipments were fine but like a horse not groomed well; or like a bullet without the gun. I went to a relatively more popular and more sophisticated car accessories store 3 days back and got the amplifier tuned. A 10 minute job, and the it sounded a 100 times better. 

I.. AM... LOVING IT ! Loving it so much. The beats now create a stunning thump...the mid's and the high's are clearer and sharper than ever. When I listen to Indian Classical, I feel as if the artiste is sitting right in front of me. When I listen to pop or Rn B or Reggae, or the like, I feel like I am in the middle of an earthquake. The car actually shakes! I am an audiophile. And so if it sounds great, I feel great. Everything else is not as important then.

Now I step in the car more frequently. In fact, I search for a reason now, to just get in the car, turn ON the stereo, turn UP the volume, and turn DOWN every single thought which spoiles my mind. 

Fire it up baby!