The Hills, Trains and A Very Unusual Birthday: A Matheran Travelogue
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Tanvi got the pastry out and as she set it on the tin table and got the candles, the young shopkeeper on the opposite side shouted 'Monkey, right behind you!'
Tanvi got the pastry out and as she set it on the tin table and got the candles, the young shopkeeper on the opposite side shouted 'Monkey, right behind you!'
We saw it right in the nick of time less than a foot away
from us, its eyes fixed at its prey. I grabbed the pastry and ran out as
bystanders shooed it away. It ran away but not before grabbing hold of the
pastry box that we had just disposed. What was to follow was even more
surprising. All the drama unfolded with at least a couple of dozen people
around us, standing in the pleasant December afternoon, at one of the most
scenic spots in the small hill station of Matheran, 100 kilometres from Mumbai.
We were there to celebrate my birthday 'in
an unusual way'!
Unusual? Yes! How? Take a look at these pointers from our
pre-trip itinerary:
- Take the toy train to Matheran, click lots of photos, sing songs, tell spooky tales, walk along the train and feel the air.
- Buy the famous-in-Matheran chocolate chikkis and ‘save them from the monkeys’.
- At some point, cut a cake or pastry and invite fellow tourists to be part of the cake cutting and take random photos with them.
Believe it or not, we accomplished every single detail of
this and more.
As per the plan finalised two days ago, on the morning of
12th, three of us- the only ones from college who were in Mumbai-
had to catch the Karjat Fast Local from Dadar at 6.24 AM which
effectively meant waking up by 4 am, getting ready and reaching Dadar railway
station. This was clearly the most difficult part of the entire day's plan. The
success of this one thing alone- waking up at 4- would determine if actually it
was going to be an unusual birthday. For a fact, now you know that it happened.
A late night at work forced our third companion to drop out of the plan at the
absolute last minute. But since Tanvi and I had already packed and were ready to
leave, we were in no mood of a last minute cancellation.
We met at Andheri, took a train to Dadar and got window
seats in the Karjat Fast train. For the first time this winter I wondered why I
wasn't carrying any winter wear. The cold subsided soon enough and about two
hours later we got down at Neral station, the base station for Matheran. Amid
confusion regarding the toy train timings and after waiting for half an hour in
the endless queue at the ticket counter (no online booking available), we
decided to take a shared taxi for the 9 km uphill journey to be covered in less
than 30 minutes. I was disheartened on not being able to take the toy train even on this trip, but we took the
decision in favour of not wasting the limited time we had.
The 30 minute uphill ride was smooth and motion sickness
didn't find me. We bought the tourist entry tickets and entered the forests of
Matheran.
This was where we first spotted the toy train chugging
towards the town center from the Aman Lodge station close to the entry point
(Many more sightings were to follow through the day). The next train wasn't
scheduled for another hour and we decided to follow the tracks on foot for the
2 km walk to Matheran town. This was fun, fast and as planned, we felt the
morning air of Matheran.
Walking on the railway tracks between Aman Lodge station and Matheran station, the shortest 'walk' to reach the town. Matheran, December 2015 |
The 'train and everything that comes with it' craze lives on...Matheran, December 2015. Photo: Tanvi |
The customary photo with the sign board at Matheran Railway Station, Matheran, December 2015 |
My attempt at online booking of hotels had been futile, with
hardly any rooms available for the apparent 'busy weekend' and hotel prices at
a 400% escalation from normal rates, had been way out of our budget. So we had
decided for a 'day trip' but with an open mind of change in plans. We got rooms
in a decent budget hotel near the railway station, and it turned out to be a
great idea. Chances of getting tickets on the toy train early next day just
increased.
After a quick breakfast for our starved stomachs, Tanvi bought
a Mongini's pastry from a nearby bakery (probably the only one around) and we headed for our Matheran sightseeing.
Tanvi was for some reason obsessed with clicking random people's photos. Good for me and the blog! Matheran, December 2015. Photo: Tanvi |
And of course she captured some really nice and eccentric ones like this while I walked through the forests of Matheran, December 2015. Photo: Tanvi |
Panoramic View of the beautiful Charlotte Lake, Matheran, December 2015 |
The horses were randomly and weirdly named, less to be addressed and more to fascinate tourists. Matheran, December 2015. Photo: Tanvi |
Panoramic View of the Echo Point, Matheran, December 2015 |
We walked through the market and headed towards Charlotte
Lake, apparently the most popular tourist point. The artificial lake is scenic
and I assume, is the primary source of fresh water for the entire town. We
headed to Echo Point from here (which surprisingly didn't 'echo' thanks to the
huge number of tourists and the noise that came with it). I liked the spot and
thought it would be the ideal spot for the cake-cutting ceremony. We had the
pastry, a scenic spot and a lot of people around us to celebrate with. What we
didn't anticipate was the monkey episode which forced us inside an ice-gola
shop nearby for the ceremony. What was to follow was unexpected.
I requested the lady who owned the shop to make a video on
my phone. The cake cutting now went smoothly void of the 'random' tourists. The
cake went on to be distributed to the lady, her co-worker and the young
shopowner who had saved the pastry by shouting 'Monkey'. Tanvi and I were having an
ice-gola when a friend of the lady came by and we offered her cake as well.
When she asked if it was someone's birthday and I replied with affirmation, she
said 'Arey aaj didi ka bhi to birthday
hai. Humne raat ko 12 baje yahan cake kata', (Today it’s my sister’s
birthday as well. We cut the cake at midnight) pointing at the lady who had
made our video. Wow! Out of everything I had anticipated, finding out that she
shared her birthday with me was absolutely unexpected. It was too big a
co-incidence and led to a celebratory selfie with her!
The beautiful backdrop for the cake-cutting ceremony, Echo Point, Matheran, December 2015 |
The Monkey Who Tried To Steal The Cake. Screengrab from the video, Matheran, December 2015 |
And finally the cake cutting ceremony, Matheran, December 2015 |
The celebratory selfie with the lady in yellow when we realised it was her birthday too. Matheran, December 2015 |
After a lot of persuasion and 'Would you be coming back here again anytime soon?' arguments Tanvi agreed and we trekked to the far Louisa Point. The trek was easy thanks to the
shade from the tree cover in the entire route, but we couldn't stay for long at
Louisa due to the afternoon heat. We walked back to the market area and had a
late lunch before heading to the hotel.
The 'I-don't-want-to-be-in-the-southern-hemisphere by
staying in-Mumbai on my birthday' dream seemed to have failed. But as evening
approached, the temperature began to fall a bit, although even then I was
comfortable in the single full sleeve shirt I was wearing. We took a leisurely
walk through the market, spent some time with 'spooky tales' in the garden,
bought the famous-in-Matheran chikkis,
had a 'butter chicken' dinner void of any butter or chicken, and returned to the
hotel.
I had completely switched off internet throughout the day,
and so only people who had called on my phone when I was in the limited network
area, could reach me to wish for the birthday. So I took some time to go
through the birthday wishes on facebook and whatsapp, while standing in my
room’s balcony and staring at the clear night sky full of stars.
'There is going to be a lot of walking and trekking,' I had
warned Tanvi earlier. At the end of the day, we had walked close to 27,000 steps
and 24 kms on the red sand as per the fitness data recorded by my phone's
health app.
Early next morning we were able to book tickets on the toy
train for the short 2 km journey from Matheran to Aman Lodge, so we could take
the taxi down to Neral station. My joy knew no bounds as soon as I had those
tickets in my hand. We had a quick breakfast and got on the train. I spent the
short 15 minute journey standing at the door of the train, taking photos,
eyeing every little detail of the train- from the small engine and compartments
to the 'rattling' of the wheels on the narrow gauge tracks- breathing the hilly
air and gasping at the picturesque views of the valley below that came at every
turn the train took.
It was a childhood dream that had eluded me for too long. I
am sure Tanvi would have noticed the wide smile that refused to leave my face.
After all 'travelling in a toy train' had just been ticked off my bucket list
during the most unusual, different and special birthday celebration up in the
hills.
Travelling in a Toy Train had just been ticked off my bucket list. Matheran, December 2015 |
lucky you... it's a lovely place, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I revisited it...
Yeah, it's amazing. Visited it for the second time. May be you would want to make this part of your next India trip itinerary :)
DeleteCongratulations! Your blog post was selected for Tangy Tuesday Picks edition on Jan 12, 2016 at BlogAdda.
ReplyDeletePlease find it here:
http://blog.blogadda.com/2016/01/12/tangy-tuesday-picks-january-12-2016-indian-blog-posts
Thank you for the selection Team BlogAdda :)
Deletewaah kya birthday tha.. wish something like this happen on mine too :)
ReplyDeletenice post one agn !! :)
It's all about willing to do something different and then going ahead and doing it. I will look forward to your invitation Stuti :P
DeleteSuch a beautiful sight.. must be one of your best experiences ever.. celebration of any kind calls for this kind of a escapade...
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