Me and vivek started on a friday afternoon. We took the local to Kalyan got down at the local station for ST to Khube. The bus station(ST) is right across the local station so it was just hoppin across.
The bus we took was for NAGAR(the route is Ahmednagar Route) . Starts around 5ish. Met the conductor with an attitude . But overall reached Khubi at around 8. Searched for a guest house(look at us ..8 o clock in night and searching for a place to sleep in a unknown village). Found one. Owner was in underpants and a nice panch with a cap(you have to be well dressed in hotel industry). There was a hint of flesh at the place where his naada had slipped off the underwear to reveal around 10% of his bum..(but since we really are not into all this we will ignore the details). Anyway got a room for 200 bucks per night. Atleast the room had a western toilet cum bathroom so we had nuthing to complain.
Went out at night to search for dinner..Found a hotel at the thaap..had bajre ki rotis and dal. AWESOME ..more so when i had skipped the lunch.
Got up at 445 next day. walked to the theka for tea(i have to have tea in the morning ...kind of addicted)....rushed back to attack the loo. ;)
We started off from Khubi at around 6..towards Khireshwar..there is a kacchha track off the highway itself right down from khubi.
One hour walk(including ample time wastage at the temple and photo ops). Reach Khireswar at 715 ...and then the eternal wait for Pohe begins. We ordered the pohe at 715 and it comes at 750...anyway the quantity is large . We overeat.
Start climb at 8...and the overeaten poha gets me all upset. We climb climb climb..reach Tolar khind and rest..then climb climb ..(all around you have chalk marks guiding you...I will take this oppurtunity to thank those guys who did it..thanks a ton guys). Reach a rock patch..then climb..climb climb. Reach the temple in 2.5 hrs(not baaad). Congratulate ourselves .
Roam around the temple, take a dip at kedarling(I am pretty touchy about dirty water..so vivek had to take a dip and convince me..even after that i found a dead frog floating in the "holy waters") waters freezing..and I froze my b@$$ off . But refreshing ..very refreshing. All the tiredness just vanished and we were ready for Taramati Peak...
Climbed the peak in 45 minutes. (i need to do something about my stamina..its going down exponentially). Took pics..!Me and vivek have a heated argument on wat to do..he wants to do ballekilla ..I am stuck to Kankan Kada. I win(More so when no one knows the route to Ballekilla) . We get down after lunch at the peak.
Follow groups to Konkan Kada. Almost had a heart attack looking at this peice of work. It is PHEW!!. Guys reading this...please go and see this placeKONKAN KADA...you will never forget the first sight. Spent time moving back and forth on the ridge..Enjoy the view. Vivek takes "panoramic " pics..I regret not buying a better camera.
Return back to the caves. Beg all the camping groups for a place to sleep...shooed off by two groups accepted by the third who offer us khichdi at night for dinner. Vivek refuses ..I am seduced by the warm smell..I dig in, vivek also does reluctantly. The group offers us a smoke and a peg..We both refuse. I am no dharamatma but i am qweasy about drinking on a trek(that too near a temple..sorry ..not my thing) ..Smokin is a no no even without the trek. Anyway night passes with fleeting memories of hearing marathi film songs and fire crackiling outside.
Next morning 445 get up brush and freshen up. Vivek is stuck on Ballekilla..I am like "lets first get a confirmation about the route..only then. More so when the hill is covered with forest. Getting lost in western ghats is not my exact idea of fun"...We ask ask and ask,but no one knows the route.
So we decide to trek back . One half hours later we are back in khubi. Vivek has poha for breakfast at a hut (orders in an omelette and makes a fuss about drinkin an extra lemonade I ordered..wat the hell). My memories of the last Poha makes me refuse the same.
We trek back assuming we will be back in an hour in Khubi.
Then we got lost
That is the worse insult we could have suffered. Imagine doing a great trek to a unknown place and getting lost on the known route.
The sun is overhead and me and vivek are having fun going up and down running around in circles. Exchanging gyan about directions..And wondering why the faar faar hill looks like a bactrian camels hump. We are actually kind of crazy..just imagine...you are lost and then exchanging gyaan about the situation on the world climate change . We deserve to get lost.
But the best part is that we are not blamin each other. I have seen it happen in other groups but we are not one of them...we enjoy even getting lost lol!In fact we saw some ravines we missed out on the way to khireswar.
Anyway..we decide to keep the bactrian camel hump hill in our sight and trek straight..hit Khube after going through two kms of a patch where we were incessently irritated by flies buzzing around. Actually when i saw vivek flailin his arms around..i thought he was trying to do some coolin down exercises..later i realized he was shooing away flies.We finally get back after roaming for 3 hrs.
Reach Khubi and take a ST to Kalyan. No place to sit. Stand for 3 hrs more . Reach kalyan and get back to civilisation.
Was welcomed by the news of a freinds son's birth . Celebrated by eating my way thru Subway ...
Next day is work day.Back to school..err IIT
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