Chinchoti Waterfall in Vasai, near Tungareshwar in Thane district of Maharashtra

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Chinchoti Waterfall is located in Vasai East on the Chinchoti Hill Range. The closest hill range being the Tungareshwar. I had a great time shooting lifeforms in Tungareshwar. Chinchoti Waterfall can reached both from Vasai and Naigaon Railway station on the Western line.

I had been to Chinchoti a couple of years ago, we lost the jungle trail and hence could not reach the waterfall so  we had to settle down in the moving waters and then head back home. I didn't want history to repeat itself once again.

Fathima who had joined me to my trips to Diu and Junagadh, joined me. Two's co. 

Fathima and Me

 
We metup at Naigaon Railway Station at 8:15 AM. Headed to the sharing rickshaw stand outside the station in the east. It cost us Rs. 20 each for a ride. Four people sit in the backseat and two next to the driver. No wonder it is so cheap. Congested ride, I should say. LOL.

The ride was a bumpy one till the highway. Finally in around 25 minutes we reached the Chinchoti Rickshaw Stand. Alighted there and asked for directions. The locals told us the follow the tar road till it meets the muddy path. We did just the same. Here comes the Rain. I was hoping the rain continues as it would be much cooler while we were climbing uphill. 

Chinchoti Waterfall

We walked on the narrow tar road, checking with locals at various intervals, just that we were on the right path. Finally we reached the muddy path. It took  us around 25 minutes to reach here.
We were surrounded by dogs on all sides, who wanted us to feed them biscuits. As they were fed biscuits by the people who come to visit the waterfalls. They refused to let us to, till they were fed biscuits. We fed them biscuits. Post that they accompanied us. 

We asked the locals for directions, as there were no signboards in the jungle. They asked us to follow the broad path as it would take us to the waterfall. No right and no left turn. We did just the same.

In the trail, we had to cross ankle length and calf length water at various intervals. It is advisable not to wear shoes, as they are bound to soak in the water. It is good to wear sandals / floaters, but again there is a high possibility that the strap might break. We saw shoe sole, sandal straps, wafer wrappers along the way. So we knew that we were not lost. We also saw arrow marks on the stones though not at regular intervals, it was a sign to follow the path to reach the waterfall. 

After a walk in the jungle for almost a hour we were finally at the waterfall. We couldn't take much photos as it was raining throughout the journey.

Chinchoti Waterfall

Apart from us, there were just three others there. The waterfall was amazing, different from the ones I have been so far.

The water was ice cold, so we decided not to get wet in it, but we were soaked in water due to the spray that comes along with the waterfall.  It was getting colder by the minute. The sound of the water was all that I could hear. The water falling from the hills, looked like God was pouring milk down the hills. 

We sat there and enjoyed the view of the hills and the greenery around. Had refreshments and then decided to  head back.The time was now 12 PM. We had to cross the waist length water to reach the trail. Due to the strong flow of the water, Fathima fell a couple of times in the water. I too was drenched in the ice cold water. Finally we reached the trail again. 

By this time there were many who had come to see the waterfall. Thank God since we came early, we could enjoy the waterfall without any disturbance. 

Chinchoti Waterfall

We then started our return journey back to the Chinchoti sharing rickshaw stand. It took us around 2 hours to reach the stand. 

Instead of heading back to Naigaon station, we decided to go to Vasai station. The sharing fare is Rs.30 a seat. Maximum 5 passengers. Finally we reached Vasai station and from there headed back home.

Finally I managed to explore Chinchoti, which I was not able to do earlier. I had loads of fun too. Looking forward to more waterfalls. 

Thanks for reading my blogs. The words highlighted in red are hyperlinks to other posts on my blogs. 

Tungareshwar in Vasai

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

We have been planning to visit Tungareshwar for quite some time now but none of our plans were working out. 

Ketaki outside Vasai Railway Station

Last minute plans work well with me. So on Thursday we decided to visit Tungareshwar on Saturday. Johnson, Michael, Vivian and Dominic decided to accompany me. Dates? I believe we visited Tungareshwar two weeks ago.

Misal Pav

As decided I met Michael and Johnson at Andheri Station at 6:45 AM. We boarded the 7:03 AM Virar Fast train to alight at Vasai Rd Station at 7:42 AM. For a change the train was empty and we managed to get ourselves a place to sit in the train. In Rush Hour it is madness travelling in trains. 

Tungareshwar hill range

Vivian couldn't make it. Dominic met us at Vasai Rd. Station at 7:50 AM. On time. Managing time is very important while travelling. 

We decided to break for breakfast at Hotel Ketaki as advised by Dominic. This hotel is located outside the station in the east and serves amazing Misal Pav. After having our stomach's full and then gulping down some hot tea we sat in Dominic's car zoomed off to Tungareshwar.

Gren Tungareshwar base

Tungareshwar is located on the Mumbai Ahmedabad Expressway. It is the highest point in Vasai. Tungareshwar is located around 2177 feet above sea level. Atop the hill is the temple dedicated to   Shiva.

One of the water crossings

It took us around 25 minutes to reach the base of Tungareshwar. As per Dominic this place is jam packed on Sunday. We were lucky that we decided to go on a Saturday. Three's Co. As Dominic couldn't make it to the top. As he had other priorities. A big thank you to him to make time to drop us to the base of Tungareshwar. 

Tungareshwar can also be reached by boarding a rickshaw from Vasai and Virar.  Cost approx Rs. 150 from Vasai, Not sure about the fare from Virar. Had Vivian come we would have known. Tungareshwar can also be reached by private mode of transport. 

Stoney Road to Tungareshwar

We picked up some bananas for a healthy snack and water to keep us hydrated till the top. 

Johnson was trekking up the hills for the first time so we kept a slow pace. a broad stoney road leads all the way till the top. Wth lush forest on either side of it. The uneven road is filled with stones of all shapes and sizes. Rickshaws ply till the top. Not sure how they manage to do it. People in it sure have a bumpy ride.  

Angry Birds Bike

On our way we had to cross a knee length nala (dirty water stream) and two more clear water bodies. It was fun crossing the ice cold water bodies. Leg Freeze.  the water bodies uphill we so clear that we could see the rocks below it. 

Merwyn, Micheal and Johnson - Group Selfie

As the trek starts, parallel to the stoney road runs the water body. The water comes down from the hills. So there are many waterfalls and mini waterfalls on the way. 

The weather was pleasant. Not rainy nor sunny. Thank God for the amazing weather. 

Road to Tungareshwar

On our way we noticed this bike, I guess the owner is a big fan of angry birds. The bike had angry birds stickers all over it. 

It took us 1 1/2 hours to reach the temple on top. The stoney road offers a amazing view of the surrounding hill ranges. As it had rained the hills were covered with thick forest. Michael expressed his wish to climb them. To this I replied, "Ya right"

Waterfall

Finally we reached the top. All were exhausted as our water supply had depleted and we had consumed the bananas also. 

Outside the temple premises are vendors selling Gola, Corn, Cold Drinks and light snacks. 

Stoney Road

We breaked here to refresh ourselves with some cucumber and Lemon Water and  Gola.  

We rested for a couple of minutes here and then decided to head back to start point. On our way we decided to take time out to do Insect Photography. Something I have never done in my travel expeditions. 

Selfie

We stopped at one of the mini waterfalls on the way to cool our feet in the flowing waters and to take some DP pics for Facebook and Whatsapp. There were tiny fish in it who gave us a Fish Massage. Fish Massage is free said Johnson. Else we will have to shell out 100 bucks or more just for one in the mall. 

After resting here for a while we decided to move downhill.  

Shiva Temple in Tungareshwar

Also I managed to take good selfies of us and myself on this trip. I could have tried this earlier. I never occurred to me.  

Michael, Johnson and I stopped by each and every insect we could lay our eyes on to take photos. Johnson managed in fooling us and we ended up taking pics of a dead frog. I was like how come the frog is not moving when we are so close to it. I was a feet away from it. Later I realised that it was dead.

Another view of Shiva Temple in Tungareshwar

Captured a couple of good pics of chameleons,  butterflies, moths crabs, grasshoppers, dragonflies and crickets. Maybe I should apply to Nat Geo for a photographer post. LOL. Please refer to the next post for photos on the same. 

Another Warter Crossing

Finally in an hours time we were at the base. Now we could see the crowd moving in.

Group Selfie

It was a nice and easy trek though the trip took it's tool on Johnson. But he will get over it soon and join me on another trip.

People packed Rickshaw crossing a waterfall 

From the base we boarded a rickshaw at a price of Rs.70 per head to Vasai Rd Station. In a matter of 30 minutes we were at Vasai.

Had Lassi and then headed home. 

Clear Waters

Damages were just Rs. 130 per head. Cheap and Economical Trip in the wild, I should say. 

To view Lifeforms Photography at Tungareshwar at Vasai

To read about my adventures at Chinchoti Waterfall at Vasai.  

Other waterfalls in have been too around Mumbai are Zenith , Kalote and Jawahar-Dhabosa. 

Vajreshwari Hot Water Springs

Monday, July 23, 2012

I had never been to the hot springs before. I checked with my net reference, Google, and learned that a hot spring is a component of the hydrosphere; it is a natural occurrence where water flows to the surface of the earth from below the surface.

So I decided to pay it a visit. Now I had been planning this trip for quite some time with Hithakshi. But somehow we could not make it. Finally one day out of the blue, Milind, a college friend, called me and we decided to head to Vajreshwari.

I immediately filled my rucksack with a 2.25-litre bottle of water, a must to cope with the heat, along with my camera and scarf and headed off to Andheri station.

Now there was a huge crowd for the tickets at the station but I was lucky enough to get tickets immediately and boarded a Virar local. I wasted no time and immediately messaged Milind to let him know when the train would reach Borivali and the compartment that I was in.

Vajreshwari Temple

In five minutes, the train was at Borivali and Milind got in the train. He had brought no bag along. I was happy that at least one of us was carrying a water bottle. I always advocate the carrying of a water bottle to meet any emergency. Food we were supposed to eat on the way wherever we saw an eatery.

At 12:20 noon, we were at Vasai Road railway station. We then headed to the ST bus station to board a bus to Vajreshwari. We refreshed ourselves with some sugarcane juice at the bus stand and then inquired at the inquiry desk about the timings of the bus. The buses, we were told, plied at a frequency of one every half hour; the next one was at 1 pm. We had to board a bus going to Vajreshwari or Akaloli.

We had ½ hour in hand and so instead of wasting time at the bus station, we decided the time would be better spent eating. We had Tomato Onion Uttappa at Hotel Haridwar. An Uttappa is a dosa-like dish in which other ingredients like tomato and/or onion, chilli are mixed with the batter. The uttappa took very long to arrive, so much so that we were afraid it would cost us our bus.

Finally everything happened in the nick of time. Our food arrived, we ate and immediately left. As we reached the bus depot, we learned that our bus had arrived and was waiting for us.

Within Vajreshwari Temple premises

We immediately boarded the bus and got ourselves seats on the last row in the bus. We both knew that the journey would be a rollercoaster ride all the way for the next one hour. Our tickets cost us Rs.57.

We had been on the road for nearly an hour when the passengers, some of them, began to disembark. So we hopped on to seats in the front. Finally at 2:20 pm, the bus reached. Vajreshwari Temple The roads were empty all the way but as soon as we neared the temple the traffic jams started. Fortunately, the bus wasn’t caught in the jam for too long.

The Vajreshwari temple is located on a hillock and a series of steps take us atop the temple. The roads near the temple are very narrow; there are shops on either side of the road. These shops sell food and articles of worship

View of the fort of Mahuli from Vajreshwari Temple

We headed off to the steps. There were yellow coloured circles, two of them in the middle of the stairs. They started from the ground and went on all the way to the top. There were small wax lanterns (diyas) kept on the stairs.  I also spotted a golden tortoise on the steps.

We finally reached the entrance of the temple. The walls of the temple looked as if they were the walls of a fort. Even the stone used to built the temple looked liked the stone used to build fort walls.

The temple was beautifully carved out of the rock; even the pillars of the temple were beautifully carved and coloured. There are many small temples in its premises.

There was a big crowd to see the temples. The temple premises are quite small and it would take less than 20 minutes to see the temple. Now I had a question in my head. Where are the hot springs?

Milind asked one of the caretakers, who informed us that the springs were located around 1 km away from the temple.

Milind and Me

From atop here we saw the entire village surrounding the temple. Even the Mahuli Fort, which I had failed to conquer, was easily visible but I couldn’t locate the springs.

We then started our walk to the hot springs. Rickshaws and horse carts (tongas) also take you to the hot springs. But considering the way they were stuffing people in them, we decided to walk it out.

There are many hotels on the way offering travelers lodging facilities, both AC and non AC rooms with TV.  They had advertised on walls and placards placed all over. I wondered what kind of seedy joints they would turn out to be. The sort of places where you would do well to keep your expectations low. If there is a toilet, then great! You know what I mean.

We saw a river like formation flowing parallel to the road that led us to the springs. Many people were bathing in it. I wondered if this was the famous hot springs. After making a few inquiries, we learned that the springs were ahead.

Hot water springs packed with people

After walking for 45 minutes, we finally reached our destination. This place was crowded with cars and sheds built by the locals to serve refreshments to the people. But where were the springs?

As we were walking to the sheds I saw a huge group of people in semi nude state bathing near the springs.

We had refreshments and then headed off to see the springs. These were small rock structures which were cut in the ground with square shaped basins of various sizes filled with water.

There are six such springs out of which four attract huge crowds. The water is hot and I dipped my feet in it. But the crowd was quite rowdy. Even though there were instructions put up advising people not to bathe in the water, people were merrily bathing. I wondered how clean the water was. Not very, considering the unwashed state of the bathers.

Our Chicken Thali

Hungry, we headed off to Vajreshwari temple. Just outside the temple there are many eateries. We patronised Hotel Kerala Kunn Bhuwan as it was highly praised by the people and other food eateries alike. We ate chicken thali and the food was truly amazing. Home cooked food. We couldn’t stop eating chicken and the rice chapattis.

The time was now 4:30 pm and we decided to walk to the bus stop after such a heavy lunch. We then boarded a bus to Vasai. Alternatively there are buses which ply from Virar to Vajreshwari, besides the private vehicles.

Vajreshwari temple and the hot springs are located on Akaloli- Vajreshwari Road, Vajreshwari in Bhiwandi taluka in Thane district, pin code being 401204.

Though the springs still have hot water in them, I guess the people should be educated on how to use the water in the springs, by just dipping their feet in it and not bathing in it.

It was a good outing. The only negative part involved the people at the springs.