DIU Road trip, Bus journey to Diu (Union Territory in India)

Monday, February 27, 2017

Diu is a Union territory located not very close to Mumbai. Total travel time is around 18 hours away, no matter which mode of transport you take. 

Bus to Diu

When people say Daman and Diu it gives one the understanding that they are close to each other but in reality they are around 9 hours away from each other. One of the reasons why people use the two of them together is because the official govt offices are in Daman. 

There are three ways of reaching Diu. Either travel by road, which is tagged on google maps. Or travel by train to Verangal and from there travel by bus. Or the last is by a flight to Diu airport. The air travel is the shortest, the other two modes of transport take more or less the same amount of time. 

After researching all our options we decided to travel by bus. That too a sleeper bus to Diu. 

Remember Fathima, she had accompained me to Chinchoti waterfall near Tungareshwar, joined me on my trip to Diu. We booked bus tickets to Diu, just a week in advance. We booked bus tickets from OP Travels, which is located on the Western Express Highway near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SNGP). Buses to major towns in and around Maharashtra are available here. We got the tickets at a cost of Rs. 700 each for a non ac sleeper bus. Please note, that ac buses don't ply on this route. 

I boarded the bus at 1:30 PM at Andheri near the intersection of the metro line and the western express highway. Thanks to the traffic jam, we reached Vasai around 4 PM. The bus was full and travelled by the Mumbai Ahmedabad highway. 

As the journey is long, you can do two things, either sleep all the way to Diu or play around on your phones. If you choose the later then do carry a power bank along for charge. One more thing, one can read a book too.

Day turned to Night and the weather changed, it started growing cooler in the bus too. Had to close the windows so that we don't feel the cool breeze. But the very next morning it became hot again.
The bus will take sufficient breaks at hotels for eating and refreshment purposes.

We stopped for breakfast the next morning and all I got to eat was this Fafda Jalebi. Jalebi I enjoyed as it is one of my favorite sweets but not Fafda. Hot tea to gulp it all down. 

Fafda and Jalebi

The road passes through fields. The color brown was all over the place. The roads were in good condition, which made the journey a pleasant one. 

The roads are tagged on google maps. 

Our bus broke down somewhere near the outskirts of Diu, hence we travelled by a auto rickshaw to reach Diu. This is the first time I have travelled by this mode of transport and it was fun. 

Though it is slow it will still get you to your destination.
First glimpse of Diu and it is a beautiful. Beautifully constructed roads which are totally deserted. The view of the sea in a distance was also amazing. 

We were dropped near the Diu Bus stand, from here buses ply to many towns in Gujarat. Buses ply to Mumbai too from here.
We got our self a place to stay near the bus stand premises. We got ourselves rooms at Hotel Galaxy. It cost us around 1200 bucks plus taxes each for non ac rooms. The ac ones cost around 1500 bucks plus taxes.  Which is pretty expensive. I guess it is the location that commands the money. It has a eatery in its premises, where food and liquor is available. Remember Diu is a Union Territory.
We freshened up in the room, had lunch and off course beer and then headed out to see Diu. 

As you go away from the Diu Bus Stand, the hotel prices drop. But then commuting to the Bus Stand, again will be a task. 

Diu has a lot of historical sites one can visit. I had made a note of the places I wanted to visit on the trip. I had St Paul's Church, Diu fort, Fortress of Panikota, Gangeshwar  Temple, Maida Caves, Diu Museum, Shell Museum, Church of St Francis d Assisi, INS Khukhri.

I didn't have the beaches on my list, as they don't amuse me much. It is just the names and the color of the sand of the beach that changes.

Our mode of transport to Diu from where the bus brokedown

Auto Rickshaw are available outside the Diu Bus stand on hire. One has to negotiate the rates with them depending upon the places one wants to cover. The rates differ from place to place 

We negotiated and got a rickshaw at a cost of Rs. 500 to see the places mentioned above.

The time was now 3 PM on my watch. We had to hurry if we wanted to cover all the places. 

The rickshaw driver first took us to Diu Fort.

Kohoj fort in Palghar

Thursday, January 29, 2015

This was my third attempt at conquering Kohoj   I was unsuccessful in the past as we had got lost on the hills, due to no proper directions.  

Kohoj Fort

On the day I was visiting Durgadi Fort, I decided to ask Manohar, Dominic and Nayan if they were free to accompany me to Kohoj fort. 

Nayan had plans so it was just the three of us here. 

Reflection of Kohoj Fort in the waters

Now I had not informed Manohar and Dominic that I had tried climbing this fort, twice earlier but had failed.

Arrow signs on the rocks

We decided to meet on the Western Express Highway. At the intersection of the Metro line, Jog Flyover and the Highway. The same place we met while we traveled to Jawahar. We were traveling in the car.

Manohar, Dominic and Me

We met at 7:45 AM and headed off on the highway to see Kohoj Fort. As it was early in the morning there was not much traffic on the road. P.S. after Virar there is a bottle neck due to road maintenance.

Sheep

The  Western Express Highway aka NH8.  We braked for breakfast at Hotel Kamat's. As said by Manohar many a times on treks, a good breakfast is always necessary while on treks and we did just that.

Shoe soles

There are three toll naka's on the way.

We then headed off the Manor Wada Road to reach village Vaghote. The base village to Kohoj Fort. Please refer to google maps for navigation. It is accurate. We were at the base at 10:05 AM.

Dominic with snake skin

Picked up our bagpacks and we headed off to conquer Kohoj.

Now there are signs in the form of arrows on the rocks, so that you don't get lost. This time we decided to follow the signs, unlike last time when we got lost up the hills.

Ants mating

If you follow the signs, you will first cross, a water body cut in the rock, fields and later the heart shaped dam. 

If unsure then ask the villagers around, they too will guide you. Near the dam we were not able to locate the signs so we asked a Shepard and she guided us. Her dialect was a bit difficult to understand but we still managed to be on the right track.

Temple

Once you cross the dam section, the trek starts, now there are proper signs placed on rocks, that one does not get lost. A big Thank You to the trekking group who has done this.

We followed the signs and in a matter of 2 1/2 hours we were atop the fort. Now remember the climb is a bit difficult. The path is full of loose soil, and stones and rocks. It is a rollercoaster ride up and down the hill. Now we were not climbing Kohoj, but the hills before it to reach Kohoj. The topmost stretch is very steep and to top it, has loose soil. So be careful.

Graffiti on the walls of a tank cutout from rock

Nothing much to see atop the fort. It has a couple of temples here. Now the fortification was missing. How can it be called a fort with no fortification. I asked myself.

Ideal spot for camping atop Kohoj Fort

We had lunch in the form of sandwiches, cakes, thepla and then proceeded to climb the highest point of the fort. 

On our way to the topmost point of the fort

Not much is known about the history of this fort.

Now we were not alone on the fort, there were villagers too who were there to celebrate. They had bought along with them live chicken, rice and masalas and utensils to prepare lunch. Plus they got beer too. How can they drink hot beer? I asked myself. Strange 

That's Me

Finally on the topmost point of the fort we saw the fortification. The walls, but just a small part of it. I believe the rest of it might have collapsed over the years. This is all that remains of it. 

Fortification

Took a couple of videos along with photos atop the fort. Now this as the tallest point amongst the hill ranges around. I was happy about the fact that I as on the tallest point and that like the previous two attempts I didn't get lost on the hills.

Another Temple

Took a couple of lessons in regards to ascending and descending hills from Manohar, which would benefit me in the long run. 

There are a couple of water bodies, cut in the rock which are used to store water. As we stopped to fuel our water bottles we noticed the villagers taking beer bottles out of the water. It then occured to us that the beer bottles were getting chilled in the cold water. Aha now it makes sense to drink beer on the hilltop.

Highest point on the fort

We also saw them cooking up the hill.

There were a couple of them who had come there to hunt for rabbits. They had laid nets all over the place for them. I couldn't locate any rabbits up the hill.

Manohar and me with our sticks

We then decided to descend the hill. The time was around 03:45 PM on my watch. As we are still in the winter season nightfall happens around 05:30 PM. So we had to be down before that and to top it we could not afford to get lost.

Another reflection of Kohoj fort in the waters

As I mentioned the initial stretch is difficult as it is a 75 degree climb over loose soil, so it took time to descend, then as I mentioned it was a roller coaster ride downhill. 

Manohar, Dominic and Me at the topmost point of the fort

Finally at 05:10 PM we were near the heart shaped lake. Refreshed ourselves in the waters and then headed off to the car to head back home. We kickstarted our journey at 06:40 PM to reach our start point at Andheri at 09:10 PM. It took us time due to the bottlenecks and traffic around. 

Heart Shaped Lake

The good thing about this trek, is that after two failed attempts, I was finally able to conquer it. Sadly nothing much remains atop the fort, a few temples, water tanks and fortification. The second good thing is , it is the highest point in that hill range and so offers a very good view of the hills, valleys, farms, houses and roads below. Maybe was not a fort but a watchtower to watch over the land below. 

Jawahar - Journey to Hanuman Point at Jawahar

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

I have been planning Jawahar for quite some days now. But the plans used to never finalize into a successful trip.

Finally I decided that I will go come what may, I asked  Manohar and he agreed to join me. Two's company as for now.

Jawahar doesn't have a very good connectivity when it comes to public transport so we decided to travel by Manohar's car.

I asked a couple of my friends and Neha agreed to join in. Three's co.


Jawahar is located around 168 km away from Mumbai by road. Now there were two ways of reaching it. The Bhiwandi Wada Road or the Dahanu Jawahar Road. We decided to take the Dahanu Jawahar Road as it was a better road compared to the other.

Looked up the place on google maps and it showed a estimated time of three hours. We had planned to do Jai Vilas Palace, Hanuman Point, Sunset Point, Dhabosa Waterfall and Bhupatgad Fort. 


Manohar started at 6:45 am, picked up Neha followed by me on the Western Express Highway at around 8:15 PM. 

It took time as the car tire was punctured.


Now it was a gloomy rainy day. It has already started pouring heavily when I was picked up and I was hoping it stays this way till the end of our trip.

Not much rush on the road and in no time we were out of city limits on the Mumbai Ahmedabad Highway (NH8)


Apologies, as it was raining outside the car windows were rolled up and so you will see the window reflection in some of my photos. 

Our car raced the trucks on the big fat and wet tar road cutting through the hills. The sky dull and dark, the grass and trees swaying in the winds was a wonderful sight to see. So many shades of green. BTW the color green is very soothing for our eyes. The hills tops covered with clouds. Gave me a fantastic feeling. 


Now there are no proper sign boards on the road, indicating which turn to take to go to Jawahar. As I mentioned as per google maps there are two ways to reach, one is via the the Dahanu Jawahar Road and the other is via the Bhiwandi Wada Road.

We decided to break for breakfast at 9:30 AM at Kamat's. Self service, I like that. We had breakfast in the form of Masala Dosa, Upma and Idli Sambar. Not sure when and where lunch would be served. Have to say the quality of the food is good, a little expensive price wise but its okay, after all it is located in the middle of nowhere. 


I had my stomach full, not sure about Manohar and Neha and we headed off on the highway. We decided to ask around, hoping that we don't miss the road. One of the guy's at a beer shop informed us to take a right at Charoti Naka. But where is Charoti Naka as we were not able to locate it on our maps.  

Finally we reached a junction, it was Charoti Naka. We took a right turn here, asked a couple of locals and they informed that this road led to Jawahar. The Dahanu Jawahar Road intersects the NH8 at Charoti Naka. Now we were on State Highway 78. It didn't look like one as it was a narrow road which could let only two cars overtake each other.  


The road was in good condition, but was deserted, I don't recollect any one overtaking us, but met just four vehicles on the opposite way. 

It has stopped raining now, but the weather was pleasant. The skies were still dark. Lush greenery on  either side of the road. The road took a left turn then a right, then went uphill and then downhill.  As I said so many shades of green.


We saw many small waterbodies and waterfalls on the way. Strong winds blowing made the green grass slay making beautiful patterns all around.

Clusters of square shaped houses made off mud with manglorean tiles on the roof were covered on all sides with farms and trees. 

I wouldn't mind staying here nor do I mind staying in the hills all alone by myself. 


A couple of farmers were ploughing their fields. Farming is not an easy activity. I guess it was a family affair as I saw family in the muddy waters, putting the rice sapling. Now this is painful task. It is due to their efforts that we get rice to eat. 

From State Highway 78 we moved to State Highway 35. Ther eis no signboard in regards to the State Highway. Google Maps provides with this info.  

Finally at 11:30 AM we reached Jawahar. We reached the heart of the city. As the roads were deserted it was fun travelling on them. So it is necessary to travel by private transport here. 


Now there are proper signboards here. We decided to head to Hanuman Point. In a couple of minutes we were at Hanuman Point.

No rains, but it was a windy day. The Hanuman Temple (Maruti Temple) was painted Orange and White. The color contrast was too bright. The temple was renovated recently, atleast by the look of it. The Maruti Temple is also called as Katya Maruti Mandir. The present location is surrounded by valley on all three sides. 

Hanuman Point aka Devkobacha Kada aka Sunrise Point.


Behind it was the valley. AMG. What a view of the hill ranges around. Due to heavy rainfall, it could see green all around.Again hill tops capped with clouds. Water flowing downstream, tiny ziz zag roads cutting through the greenery. The color was so soothing to my eyes.  

In a distance on our right hand side I could locate the Jai Vilas Palace. We then headed there.  Jawahar - Jai Vilas Palace.

Kanheri Caves

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

My ex- colleague, Nimish, and I set out to see Kanheri Caves which are located in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, popularly known as the Borivali National Park.

Kanheri Caves

The caves are located around 6 km from the entrance of the Borivali National Park and around 7 km from Borivali station.

Road leading to Kanheri Caves in the National Park

We bought an entry ticket to the National Park. It was a two-hour trek to reach our destination, Kanheri Caves. It was fun walking in the Park. We hoped to see some wild animals along the way. But sadly all that we got to see were a few monkeys.

Monkey spotted on the way

We bought some fruits from a tribal woman who lived in the forest. Even as she sold us the fruits, which kept us going along the two-hour hike, she regaled us with stories of what it is like to live in the forest. She talked about the difficulties they face on a daily basis, considering that they live in such close proximity to wild animals. I was amazed to hear some of the stories that she told us. She and the people of her tribe are indeed brave to be living so dangerously.

Road leading to Kanheri Caves

We had refreshments at the entrance of Kanheri Caves and then proceeded to see the caves. There were quite a few people up there to see the caves. Surprising! There are around 109 caves in there but they are not positioned in numerical order.


Photos of Caves Below




Carvings behind the Stupa in a Cave

These caves, built between the 1st and the 9th centuries, were carved by Buddhist monks out of basalt rock formation. They were used for the purpose of meditation, study and for habitation. Some of the caves were beautifully carved. These caves are very well planned as they had a very good canal system and cisterns that collected all the rain water.

Photos of Carvings on the Cave Walls



The caves had well-cut stairs in the rocks leading to the top of the mount. There is a prayer hall within, known as Vihara in Sanskrit. All the caves consisted of Spartan beds used for meditation purposes.

Steps cut out in the Rocks

I felt very sad on seeing the way the caves were maintained, but nevertheless the good thing is that they have lasted this long and that people return to see them. It took us around 3 hours to see all the caves. Tired and exhausted we returned to the entrance of Kanheri Caves to have our dose of refreshments and then decided to get back home.

A view of the City from Kanheri Caves

Kanheri Caves is a haven for picnickers, especially in the rainy season when a number of waterfalls make their appearance.

Me sitting at the banks of the stream

We had to walk down 2 hours to reach the entrance of Borivali National Park. We did a detour on the way and decided to spend some time at one of the streams running through the park. It was fun sitting at the banks of the stream with our feet in the water with the little fish playing around our feet. That was like a good natural massage for our feet.

Didn’t want to move out of the water. But had to go as it was getting dark, so we headed   back home.