Friday, October 22, 2010

Bike Trek Part 2:-



Bhojan ke baad sabka pet to bhar gaya tha lekin dil nahi bhara….To Humne Pan khane ka plan kiya.Mai(Sheetal) & Parikshit went to get paan for all of us…we ate the masala paan & started off towards Kashid Beach. The Road ahead was simply ausomn…Beach on one side & Green Mountains on the other side…..I wished the Road never ended……..Bt aisa to hota nahi hai…..Raasta apni manzil tak pahuch hi gaya…..Kashid beach ke 1 kone me jaa kar Pragati ne apni bike park kar di…& like the Herd mentality Ravi & I followed.Then came the rest of the herd members & started to show their dislike for the decision made by the 1st Member to reach.By this time the 1st herd member (Pragati had already rested herself on the Hammock tied near the stalls of Kashid Beach as if she had toiled for the whole day in the hot sun & has got to rest after longggggggggggg time…..She didn’t even bother to react to the displeasure shown by other members & continued to rest her tired body on the not so very strong strings of hammock.



The rest of the group searched for a suitable spot to rest their bums & backs & started swinging on their respective hammocks….By this time it had started to get hotter…the sun was over our head & everyone was feeling the heat….Nilesh then asked everyone for Nariyal paani & everyone started with their vivid orders..I had seen so many different orders for a nariyal paani for the 1st time eg:- Nariyal Paani with Meetha Paani, Nariyal Paani with thin Malai, Nariyal Paani with Thick Malai, Nariyal Paani with no malai….I am glad no one asked for“Nariyal Paani without paani..” .

After all these nawabi farmayish & finishing off with the nariyal paani we had a challenge of getting the malai taken out of the coconut. We went to the nariyal paani vendor…but he was busy entertaining new customers….& there we were standing with an empty coconut in hand waiting for our turn to get the malai

out of the coconut….I pity those who had to return empty handed as their coconuts had no malai….sad…Bt no one was disappointed as we believe in “ Kaddu Katega Sab me Batega” all those who were fortunate to get the bumper price of malai shared it with the less fortunate ones……Then we decided to shift our bases from the netted hammock to the seats of our respective bikes….there on we drove towards Fansad Sanctuary. On the way we came across a beautiful Ganpati Temple. It was so pleasant & relaxing. A divine Experience……..The Idol was dressed in Saffron placed royally in the temple…..After praying for a safe & sound journey ahead we stepped out on the lawns in the temple premises. There we relaxed on the lawn, Posed with local dogs for a few pics, Girls as usual were busy on the water tap washing their tanned faces…& applying some herbal products……(Which was of no use as we still had a ride of abt 15 more kms.). Then we set off towards Fansad & finally reached the gate at around 17.30 hrs just to find it locked. Now was the turn of Shri. Shashikant (Shashi) to get inside ,show his ID card & get the entry approved for all of us (With reference to previous incidence). This time things did not work out as before they turned out to be much simpler than before,Nilesh succeeded in getting the keys of the main gate from the forest officials.

He also managed to get the keys of the officer’s quarters which he liked so much that he carried those keys to his place while coming J ..Nilesh…u should have not done so….any ways he had no even locked the room while leaving so it wont cause any inconvenience to anyone…….There we dumped our luggage in the room allotted & set off on our bikes for the jungle exploration…..Now Ravi started crying..” Mi chalatach yenar..Meri bike nayi hai aur rasta purana hai..Kharab hai…Bla bla……..but this was not accepted by others so we forced him to get his bike along so that the speed of others would not be hampered.

There was the start of our 1st off road experience & a very new experience for my Darling.All the 7 bikes ascended & descended all the possible slopes of Fansad sanctuary.. After a ride of around 3 kms into the forest we reached the 2nd Observatory tower (machan) adjoining a vast grassland…..There we all parked our Bikes in a row for a photography session. Our professional Photographer Ravi wasted no time in executing the job..He clicked 3 to 4 pics but had to hand over the can to Meenakshi (Rangoo- Not so skilled photographer) as he had to pose with his bike. As soon as the can was handed to Meenakshi she shouted “ Atta mi kai karu?..Kuthla button dabu? Are ithe screen war kahi disat nahi…has na..zoom kasa karaicha?” & many more innocent questions….. to our surprise she clicked 2 clear pics & 4 shaky pics……bt that was an achievement in itself cheers Rangoo. While our photography nautanky was in progress Dilesh had crossed the grassland in search of a bird’s nest.I was also eager to see if he had found anything so I headed to the place on my bike where he was standing. The experience of driving through the grasslands was great & wished that the grasslands never ended…bt against my wish the grassland came to an end & I reached a waterhole on the edge of the grassland. There we searched for pugmarks & other traces of any animal,but we managed to get only the footprints of some bulls. Then I turned towards my bike & saw a astonishing sight of my bike standing in the grasses…What an stunning view…I spent 5 mins just admiring the beauty of my bike & was totally lost into it admiring its beauty….in a few moments I was out of the admiration world & started to capture its mesmerizing beauty in my lenses after capturing it in my mind……Then the group decided to return to the spot where we had kept our luggage…Again we rode our bikes through the rugged roads of the jungle….I love my Bike So much…Muuuuuaaaaahhhhhh…… It did not disappoint me at any point …Cleared every obstacle with ease & grace

……..Love you…. J…..

We then decided to take a break at the 1st machan (observation tower) for some time. There we relaxed for some time & also started to pull legs of our colleagues……..We called up several of our friends who were not present just to make them jealous…& we were successful in doing that.

Then we started with a dandiya session as it was Navratri & everyone was in full mood …3-4 over enthusiastic members picked up some twigs & sticks lying around & started with ranti dandiya…..to add to this pitiful sight Ms. Pragati joined the enthu members with 2 strong sticks in her hands…Now the real fun began….Ravi Had a tough time teaching Pragati to dance to the tunes & to the set steps….Even after teaching several times Ms. Pragati would end up going wrong at the last step & then the patented dialogue “ She Bai…timhala tar dhad dandiya pan khelta yet nahi…Amchya Koliwadyat as ach kheltat.” J & then everybody would laugh….in their patented style, which would irritate Pragati even more & she would start hitting some of the targets with those two strong sticks…..

By then it had started to get dark & we decided to do a Jam session…The sidelights of all the bikes were put on & music was started on a Cellphone…..All the party animals danced to the tunes of the vibrant music & flashing disco lights (Sidelichts of our bikes & Some of the headlights.) Closely followed by the JAM session we organized a Rampwalk session…wherein boys had to do the CATwalk & girls had to do the DOG walk. Everyone participated in this event without much hesitation…Shashi was mind-blowing in this…….

Then we had a Rider & pillion Couple Rampwalk…Nilesh & Shashi rocked in this event by performing a scene of Wardrobe malfunctioning… (Videos will be uploaded soon)…then we heard a few centi songs & some bakwas Bhoot stories….It was around 20:30 hrs by now & everyone was feeling hungry…we decided to go to the forest quarters & wait for the Dinner buffet. On reaching the quarters we washed ourselves & were ready for a heavy Veg meal made by the local villagers… In a short while the villagers arrived with the food & we all were delighted with just the smell of it….Will Se you back after a Short dinner break…Please don’t go away…..Enjoy your meals….

Monday, October 18, 2010

Fansad Trek Part 1

I have no words to explain the Bike trek…..It was just ausomn…My 1st Date with my “Royal Enfield Bullet Classic 350” was a Grand success……I was supported by my Darling throughout the Tour……On the NH17,Kaccha rasta to Alibaug….On the Beach of Naigaon..In the Dense forest of Fansad…& all the way back home at night….I simply love you my Dear…Muuuuaaaa. …

The Bike trek started as decided at 05:00hrs on 16/10/10 (Saturday).Dilesh & Nilesh (On Pulsar 150) came to my place with fullon winter accessories assuming that it would be cold…..Which was soon proved wrong.I was also on of them Wearing woolen jacket on my full sleeves TMI T-shirt..I tied My sleeping Bag to my Red Stallion (My Bullet Classic 350) & started off with Dilesh as my pillion. Nilesh vroomed to Kalwa naka where Pragati(On Aviator) & Meenakshi ( Rangusky/Rangoo) were surprisingly waiting before time…..Without wasting much time we started off to Kalamboli Mac Donald’s, on the way Pragati lost track near CBD but soon used her wits to call us & got back on track.In another 5 mins we reached Kalamboli MacD’s where again Pragati blindly went ahead of the turn only to come back in reverse.(Same incident happened with Nilesh a few mins Earlier & the excuse was-“yaar wo Mac D’s ka Board Glow nahi ho raha tha”).
Any ways..this was the first meeting point where Pritam & Shashi on their Passion + were already waiting for us…..After hugging & squeezing each other as if we had met after ages(when actually we had met last just 7 hrs ago for the Times Bandra Festival “Euphoria Show”) we stared to discuss the further tour plan. In the short time we were blessed with the company of Abhishek & Sachin with their CBZ Extreme. Again the Same Hugging & Squeezing but in their case it was almost after 2 months. By the time this was done we got the company of Parikshit & Sheetal (Mai) with their Pulsar 150.Here we had a Bike appreciation session & finally an Introduction round with a few inputs on Road safety & Tour plan from Nilesh when he himself locked his Helmate behind his Bike & relied on his cotton Bandhana to protect his Empty head. Pamphlets with every member’s name & number were distributed so as to get in touch in case of emergency. As soon as this was done Dilesh wasted no time in striking off Pragati’s Name & number from the list . Then we headed to Wadkhal naka. By this time we were already 11 of us (Nilesh, Dilesh, Parikshit, Sheetal, Meenakshi, Pragati, Pritam, Shashi, Abhishek, Sachin & Me (Apurva)). We reached Wadkhal naka by 07:45 hrs & were surprised to see our faces all black…..The pollution,Smoke,Dust had deposited badly on our face. After a quick fresh up session we sat in a nearby restaurant for the Breakfast. Now Shashi took the charge to order for dishes on our table. We were 3 on our table & he started the order…3 Wada plate, 3 Pohe,3 god shira, 3 Misal Pav, 1 kothimbir wadi plate…….unfortunately the waiter listened to just the 1st order & left….thus giving Shashi a chance to irritate him…There on Shashi ordered all the above things in much more quantities but 1 by one…Once an order for 1 misal pav was placed he would sau “ Are ajin 1 aan na…By the time this was done he would say..” are shira nahi aanla….” In that half an hour the waiter had almost ran ½ marathon. Then we rang up our remaining companions who were yet to join us, Ravi & Sachin with their new CBZ Extreme.
Sachin was a bit late & it was mandatory for Ravi to stay back until his pillion arrives. In the mean time we had finished our Breakfast & decided to visit Alibaug 7 adjoining beaches…..We also had a few suggestions that we should now change the plan ..It would be exciting…& bla bla…..Bt some of us had an opinion to stick to the previous plan & add some more points to the same if time permits.
All Tummies loaded & Tanks of the bikes full…we headed to Alibaug. On the way we encountered a lot of bad roads..(Actually Raste me khadda nahi tha ..Khadde me rasta tha). Dodging all those potholes we reached Nagaon beach. There I discovered a way out to the beach & then gave my Bike a Stroll of the beautiful beach I was followed by Pragati…..By this time we were all feeling very hot & had drenched in sweat. The plan of taking a dip in the sea was in progress when a local Water Sports agent asked for Banana Boat Ride. We all stared at each other….I,Sheetal,Abhishek & Sachin were ready & we needed 3 more members..Parikshit , Pritam & Shashi also agreed ..thus Hum 7 went on the Banana ride mission with a Lot of protective gear on us & after a nautanki photo session. Banana Ride was mindblowing……Tumbling the banana Boat in the middle of the sea….wow what an experience…this tumbling down was repeated thrice from which I toppled the Boat twice…..The Driver was irritated the 3rd time & left us in between waves much away from the shore…To my surprise, no one panicked..everyone was confident that I would save them….yaar nanhisi jaan 6 logonko kaise bachaunga???Itna bharosa mat rakho mujhpar…After that I took a Swimming training session for Parikshit & Ravi ,mai also took some tips Free of cost….Then finally at around 11:00hrs Ravi & Sandeep joined us…..Again we did some masti in the waves & returned to our bikes. From there we headed to the Shiv temple Of Chaul..It was a very peaceful place before we reached but soon we controlled our vocal cods & rested for some time after the darshan….From there we left for Kashid Beach But decided to have Lunch on the way.
Via Revdanda which has remains of the Revdanda fort we reached the venue for lunch…As usual we ordered for Chicken & Fish with a Few exceptions of vegetarians……
Now Its Lunch break…&... will continue the rest part after Lunch……You too may go & have your meals.