The long awaited family picnic with friends finally happened this year on the fifth day of the second month
5 families - Sudesh+Arundhati+Varun,Amar+Runnu+Ashray,Neeraj+Neeru+Anushka+Ayush,Sugandha+Neil and ofcourse me+Sridevi) totalling 14 enthusiastic family members - left with only one common thought in our minds - Have Fun with Family..
We left from Navi Mumbai at around 3pm towards our destination - Kolad, a tiny village in the Mahad region,at a distance of about 105kms from Nerul.The total distance was covered in 3hours.
One incident during the drive had us worried - We came across a railway crossing which was closed as a train was supposed to pass by.Sudesh,ever a photo enthusiast didn't want to miss the opportunity of catching a fast train zipping by us.He was positioned very close to the tracks wanting to take the picture.The train hurtled towards us and as it passed us,there was this stone as big as a cricket ball that flew off the tracks and hit Sudesh on his thigh...Lucky escape!!!We all heaved a big sigh of relief and learnt our lesson too..
Reached our destination - Empower camp at Kolad at 6.30pm -
a small detail on why we chose Kolad
Kolad has a rugged topography and Rocky Mountains. The trekking trails in Kolad offer fair challenge to amateur trekkers like us .Kolad offers tranquility apart from excellent adventurous activities that enable one self to replenish one’s body and soul.
The greatest attraction of this charming village is the ‘Kundalika River’, a free spirited river that flows all through the year thanks to the water released from the nearby dams(forgot the names of the dams,getting older)
Once settled in our new place,we were welcomed with snacks and tea by the Empower staff.
The night was still young and then we planned an impromptu night trek.The stars were shining brightly ,could clearly see the constellation and the half-crescent moon.Neeraj's cry of "Jaagte Raho" stills echoes in my ears..
We took some of the most brilliant photographs in the night.We had to watch our step in our trek as the whole track was laden with cow dung and strangely it smelled of Bishop's weed(Ajwain).Some of us were wondering if the cows had eaten the weeds!!
WE came back completely rejuvenated forgetting the tiring road journey we had.Then,it was entertainment session at the Campfire area.The night was getting colder and the Empower staff lit the campfire and arranged the chairs around it.The 14 members made themselves comfortable around it.The men were busy at the bar section ,the ladies and kids along with the lone ranger(yours truly- a tee-totaler) were happy having fruit juices and snacking on some of the best "Alu tikkas" we ever had.Chicken Tangdi was delicious - that was the feedback from the non-veggies...
We then started our Dumb Charades - Men vs Ladies- this broke the ice (whatever was left).Men won hands down and Ladies graciously acknowledged the result(I know the ladies wont agree but still risking to write it)
We had a Housie game,the maximum rewards were garnered by the Nigam family closley followed by Pendyala family.
It was dinner time!!!
Had our fill and then said our "Good Nights" at around midnight.
Our heavenly abode was a tent(cloth) that was fastened from the four corners.It had a toilet which was not sound-proof..I was worried about the morning chores as these made the maximum sound..Big source of embarrassment.I was worried,told my good night to my wife and the other couple - Sudesh and Arundhati with their son- Varun.All of them were warmly tucked in their blankets.
My last thoughts before sleep engulfed me - Want to get up early in the morning to clear up my body
The next morning - 5am- 6/2/2011
Woke up to my wife's nudgings..She was already awake and itching to get ready for the morning trek...
Got the right of first use to the toilet - thanks to Arundhati!!
Got ready and then had our morning tea with biscuits.All the kids+ladies and men were ready to rock in the morning trek..
Trekking - Took our trekking gears which had water+ biscuits loaded in it.
We had guides with us who were quite impatient in getting done with this morning activity.
We were split into two groups - that was not planned -my wife was in the first group - I was worried that she might need help from me while climbing the steep hill,found out to my pleasant surprise - she could do the ascent without my support - learnt that she was strong to fend for herself.
In our descent,we had to be very watchful as there were tiny pebbles that were not allowing for firm grip and all the 14 members along with the guide had one fall each.This was experience gained the hard way.
In our trek,there were many photo-ops that our photography enthusiasts - Amar and Sudesh didnt miss.I am learning the tricks of the trade too..so there were some photos which I took and am proud of too...
The most vibrant memeber of our team was Master Neil,he had boundless energy and was the live wire who made the whole trek a fun thing!!!
We reached back our camp two hours later and were famished,we had a hearty breakfast and then had a game of cricket.I bowled some deadly deliveries in the Malinga sling style...
Cricket - Varun,Ashray,Ayush and Neil were the other cricket team members who had their share of glory with the bat and ball.Sudesh was unleashing his offspinners on us and we had a tough time negotiating the turn.
Shooting - We then went to the shooting range where every one was given three pellets for shooting the target.Ashray won this hands down with all the three hitting the bulls eye.
Rafting - This was the most interesting part that I wanted to experience.
The group was split into two teams.The teams were given the task of building the raft using the bamboos and inflated tubes.We made the makeshift rafts.We were now ready with our oars and the strategy was to do the rowing in synchro.
We had to go to the other side of Kundalika river,collect the flag from the banks and come back to the start point.
Our team comprised of - Varun,Anushka,Neeru,Sridevi,Amar(our captain) along with me
We were slow off the blocks and then gained momentum thanks to our team's strong rowing(nobody can dispute that) .The other team had a member who was rowing in the opposite direction that decreased their speed,who else it was Neeraj!!!!
We swam in Kundalika river which was such a tranquiliser to the soul.
We then had our lunch that was arranged at the river banks itself.
Finally, we moved back to our camp.We washed and changed to fresh clothes.We took some pics to take back as part of our memories..
at 6pm, we finally began our journey back home...
The two days were spent in nature with family and friends..came back stronger,made new friends,learnt of some new aspects of family and friends and life in general.
Looking forward to the next opportunity to unwind!!!
Krish
5 families - Sudesh+Arundhati+Varun,Amar+Runnu+Ashray,Neeraj+Neeru+Anushka+Ayush,Sugandha+Neil and ofcourse me+Sridevi) totalling 14 enthusiastic family members - left with only one common thought in our minds - Have Fun with Family..
We left from Navi Mumbai at around 3pm towards our destination - Kolad, a tiny village in the Mahad region,at a distance of about 105kms from Nerul.The total distance was covered in 3hours.
One incident during the drive had us worried - We came across a railway crossing which was closed as a train was supposed to pass by.Sudesh,ever a photo enthusiast didn't want to miss the opportunity of catching a fast train zipping by us.He was positioned very close to the tracks wanting to take the picture.The train hurtled towards us and as it passed us,there was this stone as big as a cricket ball that flew off the tracks and hit Sudesh on his thigh...Lucky escape!!!We all heaved a big sigh of relief and learnt our lesson too..
Reached our destination - Empower camp at Kolad at 6.30pm -
a small detail on why we chose Kolad
Kolad has a rugged topography and Rocky Mountains. The trekking trails in Kolad offer fair challenge to amateur trekkers like us .Kolad offers tranquility apart from excellent adventurous activities that enable one self to replenish one’s body and soul.
The greatest attraction of this charming village is the ‘Kundalika River’, a free spirited river that flows all through the year thanks to the water released from the nearby dams(forgot the names of the dams,getting older)
Once settled in our new place,we were welcomed with snacks and tea by the Empower staff.
The night was still young and then we planned an impromptu night trek.The stars were shining brightly ,could clearly see the constellation and the half-crescent moon.Neeraj's cry of "Jaagte Raho" stills echoes in my ears..
We took some of the most brilliant photographs in the night.We had to watch our step in our trek as the whole track was laden with cow dung and strangely it smelled of Bishop's weed(Ajwain).Some of us were wondering if the cows had eaten the weeds!!
WE came back completely rejuvenated forgetting the tiring road journey we had.Then,it was entertainment session at the Campfire area.The night was getting colder and the Empower staff lit the campfire and arranged the chairs around it.The 14 members made themselves comfortable around it.The men were busy at the bar section ,the ladies and kids along with the lone ranger(yours truly- a tee-totaler) were happy having fruit juices and snacking on some of the best "Alu tikkas" we ever had.Chicken Tangdi was delicious - that was the feedback from the non-veggies...
We then started our Dumb Charades - Men vs Ladies- this broke the ice (whatever was left).Men won hands down and Ladies graciously acknowledged the result(I know the ladies wont agree but still risking to write it)
We had a Housie game,the maximum rewards were garnered by the Nigam family closley followed by Pendyala family.
It was dinner time!!!
Had our fill and then said our "Good Nights" at around midnight.
Our heavenly abode was a tent(cloth) that was fastened from the four corners.It had a toilet which was not sound-proof..I was worried about the morning chores as these made the maximum sound..Big source of embarrassment.I was worried,told my good night to my wife and the other couple - Sudesh and Arundhati with their son- Varun.All of them were warmly tucked in their blankets.
My last thoughts before sleep engulfed me - Want to get up early in the morning to clear up my body
The next morning - 5am- 6/2/2011
Woke up to my wife's nudgings..She was already awake and itching to get ready for the morning trek...
Got the right of first use to the toilet - thanks to Arundhati!!
Got ready and then had our morning tea with biscuits.All the kids+ladies and men were ready to rock in the morning trek..
Trekking - Took our trekking gears which had water+ biscuits loaded in it.
We had guides with us who were quite impatient in getting done with this morning activity.
We were split into two groups - that was not planned -my wife was in the first group - I was worried that she might need help from me while climbing the steep hill,found out to my pleasant surprise - she could do the ascent without my support - learnt that she was strong to fend for herself.
In our descent,we had to be very watchful as there were tiny pebbles that were not allowing for firm grip and all the 14 members along with the guide had one fall each.This was experience gained the hard way.
In our trek,there were many photo-ops that our photography enthusiasts - Amar and Sudesh didnt miss.I am learning the tricks of the trade too..so there were some photos which I took and am proud of too...
The most vibrant memeber of our team was Master Neil,he had boundless energy and was the live wire who made the whole trek a fun thing!!!
We reached back our camp two hours later and were famished,we had a hearty breakfast and then had a game of cricket.I bowled some deadly deliveries in the Malinga sling style...
Cricket - Varun,Ashray,Ayush and Neil were the other cricket team members who had their share of glory with the bat and ball.Sudesh was unleashing his offspinners on us and we had a tough time negotiating the turn.
Shooting - We then went to the shooting range where every one was given three pellets for shooting the target.Ashray won this hands down with all the three hitting the bulls eye.
Rafting - This was the most interesting part that I wanted to experience.
The group was split into two teams.The teams were given the task of building the raft using the bamboos and inflated tubes.We made the makeshift rafts.We were now ready with our oars and the strategy was to do the rowing in synchro.
We had to go to the other side of Kundalika river,collect the flag from the banks and come back to the start point.
Our team comprised of - Varun,Anushka,Neeru,Sridevi,Amar(our captain) along with me
We were slow off the blocks and then gained momentum thanks to our team's strong rowing(nobody can dispute that) .The other team had a member who was rowing in the opposite direction that decreased their speed,who else it was Neeraj!!!!
We swam in Kundalika river which was such a tranquiliser to the soul.
We then had our lunch that was arranged at the river banks itself.
Finally, we moved back to our camp.We washed and changed to fresh clothes.We took some pics to take back as part of our memories..
at 6pm, we finally began our journey back home...
The two days were spent in nature with family and friends..came back stronger,made new friends,learnt of some new aspects of family and friends and life in general.
Looking forward to the next opportunity to unwind!!!
Krish
This was indeed the best trip ,which we were longing to have..thank u for not making us feel lonely(neil & sugandha)...Neil has throughly enjoyed this trip and he has made a freind whom he can never forget i.e Krish uncle...I missed Amit in this trip but there is always a next time...Sugandha Jha
ReplyDeleteThanks,Sugandha.I am sure Amit must have realised what he had missed post reading the blog:).Take care and love to my "Baagdu" - Neil
ReplyDeleteKrish , liked your blog . Some hidden skills n talents are coming out ...
ReplyDeleteSome suggestions from my end . Why don't you include your poems in this blog ..
Kolad trekking experience was really gr8 with such nice enthu. gang , it was Gr8 fun and is quite memorable indeed ..
Looking forward for more such picnics n more such trekk ..
Arundhati Salian
Thanks,Arundhati - will post my poems too...
ReplyDelete