swapnesh dave – Akshay Surve

Amit was here over the weekend for some placement activity of his. He is an HR (Assistant Manager) in Wipro. The last time when he was here we had a blast. We (me, amit and sankool) went around on bike to explore Mumbai's night life.Had Pav bhaji at Bhagvati around 2:30 in the night. We spent rest of the night at Juhu Hotel near the sea side sipping coffee. The next day around afternoon Amit and me left for Borivali National Park. We checked out the Tiger and Lion safari where we saw a very cute white tiger. The Lions there were pretty boring. Later in the day Swapnesh joined us and we checked out Gorail Beach. We reached the beach just after sunset and caught a glimpse of the boats on the beach in an unforgettable silhouette. Later, we just passed our time on a ramp which extended in the sea. There was a continuous balmy breeze and the pitch dark sky along with bright stars rendered an unforgettable image in our hearts. For dinner we visited Punjabi Pind at Raghulela Mall. The place just rocks. If I had not been to this place I could say I had never been to Punjab, but can't say that now. It was FuN.

This time around I was a little busy with things (some deadlines at office) and my trip to NirmaLabs didnt make things easier. He stayed over at my place and had dinner too. Mom had prepared some nice pulav and salad to go with it. We had a marathon session of debate after dinner. I must confess I am not at all good at debates. The last debate I remember I ended up supporting the opponent's claim. If historical records are to be considered then Amit is a pro. Even then I managed to defeat Amit. Amit said he hadn't practised it for long (What an excuse). Anyways the next day I had lot of things lined up to complete before I left the city so we couldn't plan anything in advance. After a lot of confusion (from Amit's side) we decided to meet at Andheri around 10pm. I somehow managed to reach on time. We decided to have dinner at Alfa. When Amit's around I can depend on him choosing the menu. We started with Chicken Kutubshahi and Prawn Masala with Naan. Then went on to Chicken Afgani and Jeera rice. Finished with Rose Falooda and Phirni. Had a masala paan to top it all.

Invitation

We both are by instincts adventure enthusiasts. Amit has trekked more than 80 forts in Maharashtra. Some of which he has trekked multiple times. During dinner we were thinking of planning some adventure in the coming months. Amit wanted to trek the Himalayas in August - October. I thought of a cooL trekking cum desi trotting experience. The deal was to start with a set amount of money and set number of days and to try and cover as much of a particular location. Sounds interesting? Here is the formal invitation if you want to be part of this expedition. Pre-requisites include compatibility, excitement and zest to take things as they come by. Shoot me an email or push your comments here.

On October 8th, I had planned a trek to Peth (near Karjat) with friends (Sankool, Swapnesh, Hardik and Manav). Like all other treks it was awesome. Just the right weather to go for the trek! It was shady during the ascent and drizzled a little while on descent. Last year I had been to Peth-Bhimashankar overnight trek. We halted at night in the caves of Peth fort. This time it was only one day trek.

Some interesting tit-bits…

We started late (anyone cud have guessed that 😉 and Manav who is in Pune joined us from Karjat. From there we hired Vikram(10 seater) to reach base village of Ambivali. This journey was coOL and enjoyable. Lots of PJs + stories to tell eachother. On reaching Ambivali we quickly asked for directions and started out trek. None of them had an idea of Peth except for me. I just told them that they won’t believe me when I point out the fort to them. Primarily because it seems impossible at start but is pretty doable. You just need to have a trekers mindset. My favorite line is always “We trek only to a point from which we can return safely.” I say this just to make them feel comfortable. Also, I only choose treks which are comfortable to first timers. So, on the whole I make sure they reach the top (touch-wood).

The initial part of the trek is crossing a mountain and getting to the plateau from where you can get to the base village of the fort. It is only then that you get a clear view of the Peth fort. No first timer can believe we would make it to the top of that fort. There was Hardik who thought I was joking, Manav and Swapnesh knew I was serious but had no clue how and Sankool who knew I was serious and there would surely be a way to the top. Their perspectives tell you how seasoned trekers they are. We took a lot of snaps here. Next we reached the Peth base village and had nimbu pani in a house and also asked them to arrange lunch for us when we come back.

Now from the base village we started our ascent of the fort. We missed a right turn towards the top and ended up taking almost a half circle of the fort before we realized and to our luck we were guided by two females who were carrying firewood back to the village. Its fun getting lost and then finding your way back again. We were soon on the right track and were gaining altitude soon.

We reached the gate of the fort soon and did a customary ‘Jay Gunj’ which is a salute to Chattrapathi Shivaji Maharaj. Next we visited the caves. Now there was another interesting thing which is fairly unique to the Peth fort. There is a secret(everyone knows about it though..) tunnel to get to the top of the fort which is just superb. At the top of the fort it always feels amazing. You feel victorious and satisfied at the same time.

The descent from the fort was also exciting and we did it pretty quickly. This time we didn’t loose our way to the base village. Also, it drizzled just right and for the right time so it felt good. We had our lunch in the village and then just lazed away for a few minutes.

On our return journey we were quick and didn’t take a halt. We were back to the base village of Ambivali just before it got dark. We were damn tired by then. We lied there on the road for sometime just to let the feeling seep in. Then we tried to take some pictures of ourselves sleeping on the road in a formation. After a few pics we could hear Vikram ( the 10 seater ) making a vroommmm sound and approaching us. We boarded it and it took us back to Karjat station. The journey back was unforgettable as it was nice and coOL by then and the ambience was moonlight. I could not stop myself from singing “So gaya yeh zahan…. soo gaya asssmaaan …. ” ( I am sure others surely wanted me to stop.. for obvious reasons but I went on… .>!

Manav got a train back to Pune quickly and rest of us had to wait for another hour. Travelling in the train was also fuN and I started a story telling session which was quite interesting. Hardik (dukh bhari kahaniyaan) and Swapnesh also shared their own stories. By then we reached Dadar and then in sometime to our sweet homes.

Yup, every trek is truly unforgettable and unique 😀

Pics from the Trek: