Monsoon Masti On 15th August.

ambivalent_98 · 17th August 2009, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Is this via. Verandah ghat by any chance? During the biking days we used to ride from Pune - Chandni chowk - Paud - Mulshi - Tamhini - Mangaon - NH17 - Mahad - Verandah - Bhor - Katraj - Pune. The terrain looks familiar but I haven't been on this road for a 3-4 years and just making a wild guess.

Hey that sounds like "Verandah" of a house.....I suppose the pronounciation is more "Wa-run-dhaa" ghat

udaydesai · 17th August 2009, 13:35

Ashish,
I was accepting this from you ( Travelogue), two day off will not keep you quite

. But hey why the suspence, please do not keep it pending till tomorrow.

The pic are fanstastic, I have never traveled to this location as what you have describe.
I want more pic and yes finish this travelogue at once as I want to enjoy the ending

uday

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th August 2009, 13:38

3:45pm
Started to move further to see the end of backwater.
I was almost sure that we will hit varandha ghat.
The road to varandha ghat from this dam is fully twisty running along backwater on the mountain.
The traffic is sparse, rather say nil.
There is no truck traffic as varandha ghat is too steep for trucks.
Buses also run ekka-dukka.
Whatever vehicles on road were some cars from pune, some bikers, thats all.
Enjoy the pics.

Improved road.

backwater

wet nature

bikers...

...enjoying waterfall

beautiful waterfall, my new finding on this road

some crazy guys at waterfall

my favorite waterfall in this area,
last time, my friend lost gold ring in this waterfall.

At last, we reached to the end of backwater and start of varandha ghat.

Beautiful valley looking from the top of varandha ghat.

distance from varandha ghat

We were looking at the valley.
Suddenly, my friend shouted," hey, whats that" pointing toward a pinnacle.

REF the square in following picture.

ME: it is wanarlingi[ penis of monkey].
friend: you cheater, last time at jivdhan fort trek, you named that pinnacle there as wanarlingi. now, you say it here.
me[laughing]: in maharashtra, all such pinnacles are termed as wanarlingi. there are too many monkeys in sahyadri, you know.

friend: lets go there.
me: we have to go shivtharghal to have close look of that pinnacle.
friends: then, go to shivtharghal.

It was almost 5:00pm standing at the top of varandha ghat and we finalized our destination " shivthar ghal".

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th August 2009, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by T_Girl

Though I have never heard of these places but must say they look nice and green!! But swine flu spoilt the long weekend :(

Not too many people travel on this road due to bad conditions, remote area, no traffic, no eateries, no villages.

Quote:

Originally Posted by moralfibre

Is this via. Verandah ghat by any chance? During the biking days we used to ride from Pune - Chandni chowk - Paud - Mulshi - Tamhini - Mangaon - NH17 - Mahad - Verandah - Bhor - Katraj - Pune. The terrain looks familiar but I haven't been on this road for a 3-4 years and just making a wild guess.

you, rkavathekar and abhijitparadh had correctly guessed the area.

Quote:

Originally Posted by udaydesai

Ashish,
But hey why the suspence, please do not keep it pending till tomorrow.
uday

hey uday,
there is no suspense at all. i am writing this travelogue the way it happened.
as earlier mentioned, at the start of trip, we had not fixed any destination.
from baramati to shivtharghal, it is @just 170km but we took 7 hours to cover it.
i will finish this today.

udaydesai · 17th August 2009, 13:53

lovely pic, simply awsome. Why I am in Mumbai, I should be staying close to Baramati

uday

Abhay · 17th August 2009, 15:14

Yes I thought that first teaser pics were those from Varandha ghat alhthough I haven't been in that ghat for ages!

Everytime I travel from Konkan back to Pune it is via Tamhini or Kumbharli ghat near Patan. May be I should try the Mahad route out soon. Good one Ashish!

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th August 2009, 15:40

5:00pm
We still had two hours in hand to explore the area.
Started toward shivtharghal via varandha.
We were hungry as we had not taken our lunch.
There were numerous waterfall along the road.

Reached to vaghjai temple in the ghat.
There are lot of roadside eateries .
Stopped there.
There were some 25 vehicles parked and some crowd.
Ordered pakodas.
Meantime, i took pics of beautiful valley and waterfall.

monkeys

vaghjai temple.

the crowd

roadside eatery

me with friends

biker cum drunker cum dancer

beautiful konkan from top.

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th August 2009, 16:27

5:30 PM
After having fresh pakodas and tea, continued further in the ghat.
There are three/four deadly hairpin turns otherwise ghat is ok.
Halfway in the ghat, there is right turn toward shivtharghal.
This is shortcut while coming from bhor.
Otherwise, main route to shivtharghal is from the village birwadi which come after climbing down entire ghat.
Though this is mere 6 km shortcut, this is highly dangerous road.
There is a ghat on this shortcut. Within span of 2-3km, one is down by almost 1000feet.
Road is also kachcha in the ghat.

varandha ghat

sheer cliff

beautiful temple on shortcut

paddy fields on shortcut

kachcha road of ghat on shortcut

beautiful area

pointed pinnacle

first glimpse of shivthar ghal

full view. look at three stage waterfall

finally, at shivtharghal. time 6 pm sharp.

pradkumar · 17th August 2009, 16:36

I see water, water everywhere and still Pune city has a 30% water cut w.e.f today

mobike008 · 17th August 2009, 16:42

Ashish, looks like you have learnt the lesson of travelogue telling. Letting the details out of the bag slowly and very slowly and make all the spectators crazy with anticipation. Keep it up

Coming back to your travelogue, your blessed to be living in that region, during May'09 after meeting you and crossing Baramati and Nira river the route turned into one of the most scenic that i ever saw in my life.

So much of greenry and water and look at us, we are living in extended summer till date ( trust me, i still use AC at nights

)

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th August 2009, 16:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by udaydesai

lovely pic, simply awsome. Why I am in Mumbai, I should be staying close to Baramati
uday

Thats the problem with all guys.
the places i visited are near to mumbai rather than baramati.
mumbai people are blessed with so many attractions within reach but they are unable to explore it. mumbai guys, forget expressway and lonavala, venture out to countryside and konkan, there are many surprises for you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abhay

Everytime I travel from Konkan back to Pune it is via Tamhini or Kumbharli ghat near Patan. May be I should try the Mahad route out soon. Good one Ashish!

kumbharli ghat is the best and quickest.
tamhini ghat is beautiful.
varandha ghat is lonely, tiresome but also beautiful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pradkumar

I see water, water everywhere and still Pune city has a 30% water cut w.e.f today

haha, the water in the veer, nira-deodhar and bhatghar dam is reserved for baramati area.
pune guys have water from khadkvasla, panshet, warasgaon and temghar dam and those dams are half filled in this season.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobike008

Ashish, looks like you have learnt the lesson of travelogue telling.
your blessed to be living in that region, during May'09 after meeting you and crossing Baramati and Nira river the route turned into one of the most scenic that i ever saw in my life.
So much of greenry and water and look at us, we are living in extended summer till date ( trust me, i still use AC at nights

)

haha,
i learnt the lesson of travelogue from you. your mahabaleshwar travelogue is simply

.
regarding water in hyderabad, you have husainsagar na.

pulsar56 · 17th August 2009, 17:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

regarding water in hyderabad, you have husainsagar na.

Please come to Hyderabad and we will be glad to let you swim in Hussain Sagar! (if something happens after that, mobike will be responsible!

)

The three stage waterfall looks inviting! Any close up pics?

deky · 17th August 2009, 20:24

The weather looks awsome, specially when we dont get this kind of weather here in Jaipur.

Ideal time for Chai, pakora and roasted bhutta's.

Great pics Ashish.

mobike008 · 17th August 2009, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by ASHISHPALLOD

haha,
i learnt the lesson of travelogue from you. your mahabaleshwar travelogue is simply

.
regarding water in hyderabad, you have husainsagar na.

You are expecting us to swim in that?

. There was a time i use to do canoening and rowing in those waters and fell in water once and till date that stink hasn't gone...LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by pulsar56

Please come to Hyderabad and we will be glad to let you swim in Hussain Sagar! (if something happens after that, mobike will be responsible!

)

Sure, i will be waiting at the banks with a K-2 ( a canoe which can seat two people) ready to rescue Ashish, Baywatch style

Indizen08 · 18th August 2009, 04:27

Those are beautiful places - all wet and verdant green. And unknown to people outside Maharashtra.
Thanks for sharing these images.

17th August 2009, 13:35	#17
udaydesai BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 296 Thanked: 26 Times	Ashish, I was accepting this from you ( Travelogue), two day off will not keep you quite. But hey why the suspence, please do not keep it pending till tomorrow. The pic are fanstastic, I have never traveled to this location as what you have describe. I want more pic and yes finish this travelogue at once as I want to enjoy the ending uday
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 13:38	#18
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	3:45pm Started to move further to see the end of backwater. I was almost sure that we will hit varandha ghat. The road to varandha ghat from this dam is fully twisty running along backwater on the mountain. The traffic is sparse, rather say nil. There is no truck traffic as varandha ghat is too steep for trucks. Buses also run ekka-dukka. Whatever vehicles on road were some cars from pune, some bikers, thats all. Enjoy the pics. Improved road. backwater wet nature bikers... ...enjoying waterfall beautiful waterfall, my new finding on this road some crazy guys at waterfall my favorite waterfall in this area, last time, my friend lost gold ring in this waterfall. At last, we reached to the end of backwater and start of varandha ghat. Beautiful valley looking from the top of varandha ghat. distance from varandha ghat We were looking at the valley. Suddenly, my friend shouted," hey, whats that" pointing toward a pinnacle. REF the square in following picture. ME: it is wanarlingi[ penis of monkey]. friend: you cheater, last time at jivdhan fort trek, you named that pinnacle there as wanarlingi. now, you say it here. me[laughing]: in maharashtra, all such pinnacles are termed as wanarlingi. there are too many monkeys in sahyadri, you know. friend: lets go there. me: we have to go shivtharghal to have close look of that pinnacle. friends: then, go to shivtharghal. It was almost 5:00pm standing at the top of varandha ghat and we finalized our destination " shivthar ghal".
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 13:53	#20
udaydesai BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 296 Thanked: 26 Times	lovely pic, simply awsome. Why I am in Mumbai, I should be staying close to Baramati uday
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 15:14	#21
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	Yes I thought that first teaser pics were those from Varandha ghat alhthough I haven't been in that ghat for ages! Everytime I travel from Konkan back to Pune it is via Tamhini or Kumbharli ghat near Patan. May be I should try the Mahad route out soon. Good one Ashish!
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 15:40	#22
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	5:00pm We still had two hours in hand to explore the area. Started toward shivtharghal via varandha. We were hungry as we had not taken our lunch. There were numerous waterfall along the road. Reached to vaghjai temple in the ghat. There are lot of roadside eateries . Stopped there. There were some 25 vehicles parked and some crowd. Ordered pakodas. Meantime, i took pics of beautiful valley and waterfall. monkeys vaghjai temple. the crowd roadside eatery me with friends biker cum drunker cum dancer beautiful konkan from top.
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 16:27	#23
ASHISHPALLOD Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: MH42 Posts: 2,006 Thanked: 334 Times	5:30 PM After having fresh pakodas and tea, continued further in the ghat. There are three/four deadly hairpin turns otherwise ghat is ok. Halfway in the ghat, there is right turn toward shivtharghal. This is shortcut while coming from bhor. Otherwise, main route to shivtharghal is from the village birwadi which come after climbing down entire ghat. Though this is mere 6 km shortcut, this is highly dangerous road. There is a ghat on this shortcut. Within span of 2-3km, one is down by almost 1000feet. Road is also kachcha in the ghat. varandha ghat sheer cliff beautiful temple on shortcut paddy fields on shortcut kachcha road of ghat on shortcut beautiful area pointed pinnacle first glimpse of shivthar ghal full view. look at three stage waterfall finally, at shivtharghal. time 6 pm sharp.
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 16:36	#24
pradkumar BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Pune Posts: 322 Thanked: 175 Times	I see water, water everywhere and still Pune city has a 30% water cut w.e.f today
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 16:42	#25
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,702 Thanked: 14,828 Times View My Garage	Ashish, looks like you have learnt the lesson of travelogue telling. Letting the details out of the bag slowly and very slowly and make all the spectators crazy with anticipation. Keep it up Coming back to your travelogue, your blessed to be living in that region, during May'09 after meeting you and crossing Baramati and Nira river the route turned into one of the most scenic that i ever saw in my life. So much of greenry and water and look at us, we are living in extended summer till date ( trust me, i still use AC at nights )
	() Thanks

17th August 2009, 20:24	#28
deky Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Jaipur Posts: 1,194 Thanked: 1,247 Times	The weather looks awsome, specially when we dont get this kind of weather here in Jaipur. Ideal time for Chai, pakora and roasted bhutta's. Great pics Ashish.
	() Thanks

18th August 2009, 04:27	#30
Indizen08 BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Jammu Posts: 83 Thanked: 0 Times	Those are beautiful places - all wet and verdant green. And unknown to people outside Maharashtra. Thanks for sharing these images.
	() Thanks