Weak End @ A Hill Station!

Mumbai heat has got me boils over places where even sunlight does not reach. So I decided to cool my heels for a healing place (supposably inscribed by British) nearest hill station from Mumbai, Matheran! I spent a day, night and a morning. I stayed in a Hotel called Ashok Hotel and the experience was fantastic. The food & service were so hospitable that I did not want to leave the place even for a second. What was annoying was commute from my place to & fro. One hell of an experience! I have travelled abroad on business trips, not for leisure, but vacation outgoings in India, especially, have been so much of nightmares, for me, that I always fear to take the initiatve. Trips abroad are always a pleasure, perhaps our standards for an average middle class type of life style are so mediocre that below average abroad is better than our 5 star rating.

Coming to the point of Matheran, it all started from reaching Neral and searching for that famous Mini Train where in I was stunned to find that the frequency is limited. So now we have our usual conmen available at all Picnic Spots, Pilgrimage & many places where in foreigners(read, not being localites) are ripped at freewill. Strange the Government has no control on them till date. I was intercepted by some one called Sarfaraz, a street agent for Cabs. There is a huge Taxi Lobby and one can't escape them, since our Mini Train has 3-4 frequency and no other transport to the eager destination. Then there are bookings of the hotel at this place itself. Interaction with these people is not recommended for slow thinkers. Within 5-10 minutes you are minus the taxi money and hotel booking(depending on your choice, obviously). I wish there was a proper place for information rather than the cottage industry which is not organized. Internet did not help me so much before the kickoff. There are MTDC hotels, but their review was bad to worse and hence I did not dare to.

Next comes the cab drive. A small Maruti van! Supposable, Rs. 50/- per seat. The van was packed with 3 more people plus the driver. Everything happened so fast that I hardly could come to terms till I went to bed. The drive was supposed to be across the hill till a point called Dasturi naka, beyond which no vehicle is allowed and one has to get a Horse Ride to reach the actual spot/ your hotel. As the drive began, I thought this was the only hiccup so let us build a positive attitude and then it happened such that a Car crisscrossed my cab and some of the fellow travellers forced the driver to stop. I thought I am being kidnapped, LOL! With some scuffle, the car halted and the driver ran away. The fellow passengers asked me to get out and asked me to find my own path. Me with my so called "communication skills" tried to break the ice and what came out was that the cab was being confiscated by the bank due to non-payment of loan EMIs. Luckily for me another cab came across and the bank-recovery goons, forced me into it "if at all my vacation was so important to me!" Hush! The new cabie wanted more money than usual. I said, go ahead, rip me off. Then was the new cabbie's Formula 1 Style Driving on the road that is actually on the Hill. The lapses were not horizontal but on a 30 to 40 degree steep with no pitt-stop! For the first time speed did not excite me. The drive ended at Dasturi Naka, the point where we need to buy a ticket to enter in our Holiday Spot. Government toll obviously!

Now comes the surprise. You can neither run, nor hide and forget about escaping. You are in the middle of the jungle and you have second clan of bread winners. The Carriage Carriers or Horse Riders! When I said about my hotel, the guy was happy for the Hotel was farther than the destination. He swiftly asked for something un heard of. Rs. 700/- for the ride. My negotiations worked for 50% reduction and I was put on a Horse called 'Raghu'. Suddenly I thought of our bad guy from MTV, Raghu and prayed that my horse does not have a bad temper like him. I don't know its breed, but Raghu was a nice 5 feet tall brown color Steel. So the journey began to the Hotel. This jaywalking was a pleasure. Thank god, it did not gallop. Anyway these horses are not for races nor for battle, but still there is a fear when we are on such animals. Another 30 minutes on the Horse, I reached the Hotel. The Hotel pleasure was unbelievable and I fell in love with their hospitality. Food was absolutely fantastic.

Evening I was supposed to see many points, but decided to visit the sunset point only, due to the tiredness! Here are some snaps around that point.

I was lucky to have the ticket for that mini train but luck was not in favor and the train derailed. So all the passengers got down to push the bogies and put the humpty-dumpty train back on track, but all in vain. Finally our motorman asked us to walk down the hill and reach for the road. On road, I got am auto rickshaw. The journey ended with a memory that is unforgettable. But word of caution, plan your trip to Matheran from some one who has been there at least twice, and beware of bad-luck and unscrupulous rippers. Here are some few snaps about the humpty-dumpty scene and a week end that ended weakly but with few amazing experience too.

The Broken Train - Engine Separated!

All the Men putting the Engine back on track - in vain

People abandoning the train