[carzone]

Merely within 5 hours of going live, this thread is already top on the list of threads on the homepage.
Do we need to say anything else?

[Sheel]

How I wish I could shift my base to Maharashtra or KL/KA in monsoons.

Thanks for sharing SDP

[SDP]

Originally Posted by venkat_iyer

Lovely set of images, SDP! The photograph of the XUV against the backdrop of the huge rock, and the winding road, is perfect. ...

Originally Posted by carzone

The TL is up already.*claps*
....

Originally Posted by Raps

...Nice pics.
More photos please...

Originally Posted by Top-Gear

Great start to a monsoon photologue! Keep them coming! ...

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Way to go Sanjay, after a long time reading one of your travelgoues. The XUV looks good in the dirt, dont clean it

Originally Posted by Gotham_City

Wow SDP! It's unbelievable how a supposedly mundane drive along one of the most dangerous highways turns heavenly in monsoons
...

Originally Posted by Jignesh

...
It is just less than 2 months since monsoons have started & you already have undertaken 4 outings! great. ...

Thanks a lot guys! Your kind words keep me motivated.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

... I must admit your eye to the minute details is note worthy....

One question - Starting at 4.15? Isnt that too early? I mean from the rest point of view. BTW how was the road till Vadhkal naka? Last time I travelled about 4 months back the road was in royal mess.

Thanks Girish!
About 4:15am, unfortunately 3:30-4:30am, that's the only time-window I have if I need to take the NH17 out of Mumbai and still maintain sanity. Once the day breaks and the notorious tamtams (3 wheelers peculiar to this region) get on the road, they block the traffic by going superslow on the highway and don't even bother to give side for overtaking even if you dance on your car's horn. That menace exists all the way upto Mangaon. Starting at 4am ensures that I get to avoid all that madness before it starts.

Originally Posted by parsh

Beautiful road that NH17, looks even better wet in rains.

You did catch that waterfall. Nice. Was the road (rough way actually, not exactly road) to the waterfront on the opposite still there? Last year in my Mahabaleshwar trip, I had not gone even if the road was there going right upto the waterfront and was dry. Your ride could have easily drove upon it even in this wet season. Also there were quite a few rustic boats giving that different outlook to the place at that time.

Brings back the old memories. Thanks for sharing.

I have not really ventured outside the NH17 along this stretch. But that's definitely on the cards. Internal roads are especially bad in monsoon. So winter might be a better time to explore these routes.

Originally Posted by Sheel

How I wish I could shift my base to Maharashtra or KL/KA in monsoons.

Thanks for sharing SDP

Sir jee, we should seriously start a Team-BHPian exchange program across states.
Would love to be based out of WB/Bihar for a few months and have easy access to the North-East states!

[karan561]

Hey Sanjay,

Brilliant set of pictures there & also apt captions with it

PS- Gotta say that the XUV looks lean & mean when its dirty

[SDP]

Our parents were waiting. Lunch was ready. Had lunch with the final batch of mangoes. After wolfing down the lunch, I was munching on some cashews and didn't even realized when I dozed off.

Got up around 4:30pm. Completely empty mind. No stress, no tension. Intermittent light drizzle outside. No urban sounds assaulting the ears. With nothing better to do, I started just exploring the area.

That's our house. Yes, it has been recently painted and the painters took the 'fresh' theme a bit too seriously. I actually asked my Dad if they used mango pulp for painting the exterior.


Well, that's our well. (Pun intended )


The small patch behind the house where my father has planted trees.


It was all lush green with an occassional black being contributed by a few rocks.


The green and black theme was broken only by the neatly stacked leaves of the coconut trees.


Some 50 steps downwards and I reached the end of our area. I generally go to that edge to look at the soothing waterbody just beyond.






Walked back to the home. Just outside the home found this.




Got in and went to the terrace. The sun's rays were looking beautiful emerging from behind a white cloud.


A closer look.






Monsoon means new leaves and they come in brilliant shades of brick-red.


Heard a loud shrill sound and recognized it as that of the Malabar Pied Hornbill - a really large bird, fairly common in this region. Moved to the front of the house and spotted the large bird perched on a tree a 100 feet away.


A closer look.


Was not carrying a telephoto lens. Tried to approach the bird for a closer shot and it flew away.


Although one Hornbill flew away, I was able to hear more sounds from a bigger tree a few feet away from the first one. So I walked upto that tree to check if I can spot the remaining Hornbills.

Instead I found these ants.


Took a lot of snaps.


Only a couple of them turned out to be OKish.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by SDP

I have not really ventured outside the NH17 along this stretch. But that's definitely on the cards. Internal roads are especially bad in monsoon. So winter might be a better time to explore these routes.

Ah...not that. Let me explain. When you stopped for this waterfall, a little ahead is a kachcha rasta on the right side of the road, a small hotel at the side, that road goes upto waterfront where you can park right on the bank and enjoy. Here are 2 pics for next time





Also, even with so much rains this side, the waterfall seems to have similar flow as in mid-Sep 2012 below

[SDP]

After enjoying the ant-race for some time, I went down further and reached the waterfront.


The Hornbills were surely nearby, but became super-silent. I could not locate them in the thick foliage. But I am pretty sure, they were tracking my every move. Eventually they became uncomfortable with my presence and flew away.


While I was engrossed in the ants and the Hornbill, the dark clouds that invaded the sky did not register.


The rain started with a light drizzle and steadily picked up. I love to get drenched, but was worried about the camera. Stood under a tree for some 2-3 minutes and then walked towards the nearest shelter I could reach.

That's our neighbour's house...in fact we are related. I managed to reach there.


Firewood stacked neatly.


Locked main door.




In a few seconds, the sky opened up and came pouring down.






When the rain subsided a little, I decided to go to our house.


The field which was dry some 15 minutes back had turned into a mud-pit by then.


Another heavy shower caught me and I again took shelter by the side of the old house.


Finally made it to the house and wiped the camera quickly.


Pearls dropping from the sky!


A drenched Magpie Robin was chirping nearby.


My sister was taking in the freshness while sipping on tea.


No network! The BB was just acting as a jukebox and added soothing music to the background score.


While my mom gave me my cup of tea and something to munch on, another Robin landed.


The rain slowed down to a light drizzle. Caught an ant searching for food.


Even an irritating housefly looks interesting when you are in the right frame of mind.


A closer look.

[laluks]

Originally Posted by SDP

Monsoon means new leaves and they come in brilliant shades of brick-red.
Attachment 1119072

Wow. These leaves smell heavenly. We use to make some evening snacks with coconut and jaggery grated baked in rice flour covered by these leaves. Absolute delight it was. I was so attached to this snack that this tree has found its way into my orchard at Bangy too

Hornbills - man you are a lucky guy to have them on your backyard!

[Dodge_Viper]

Konkan is beautiful. And it is more beautiful in monsoons. And it is extremely beautiful just post monsoons .

Very well narrated SDP and as usual excellent pictures. I wish I could shift my native from Satara to Konkan.

[automachine]

Beautiful photos. Konkan really catches my imagination. The ghat section photos are really good.

[Sabareesh]

Originally Posted by SDP

9:00AM: We stopped again. This time in Khed ghat.

Hi SDP, Amazing pictures !

Just a small correction, what you'd mentioned as Parashuram ghat is actually Kashedi ghat. It starts just after Poladpur. In fact, you can see the Swami Samarth Math which is between Raigad and Ratnagiri district borders in your photographs. The one which you are calling Khed ghat is Parashuram ghat. It ends just before Chiplun.

I must admit, Konkan looks amazingly beautiful in monsoons. If you don't mind, I am adding a pic that I clicked at Kumbharli ghat. This is between Chiplun and Satara. Mesmerizing beauty all around.

[dZired]

Great pics and narration as always SDP. Some of the pics are wallpaper material. The Konkan region indeed looks mesmerizing in monsoons. As many have already suggested, don't clean the Duma when it is dirty like this the next time.

Hooked up to this thread.

[voyageur]

Hi SDP,

The one thing I like about reading travelogues are that they are really refreshing. Your travelogue was too good. It's very similar to my Village in Kerala. Sometimes I thought it really was Kerala. Plush Greenery and water bodies. Someday when I get back to my village I will post up a photologue.

I really loved the greenery of your place and hope it stays so forever. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers.

[majumon]

SDP fantastic photographs they speak for themselves, the wet roads and the greenery are so tempting. Your trip to your parents place itself is a super vacation, very tempting. I really liked your mango pulp joke. The last mile to your house is so rustic and feels so good.
The beautiful roads, water bodies and the ever green scenery is sure attracting me to that part of the country. I surely will do that route had earlier planned a Sawantwadi -Ratnagiri trip but kept it for the future. Thanks for the wonderful scenes, truly inspiring.

[Baddychat]

Great pictures and narration SDP. Especially loved the pictures of the XUV in post# 3.
The green reminded me so much of the green that you get to see in Bengal during the monsoons. Lovely.