One Day trip Destination : Matheran Hill Station

               

             
 One day trips are the most satisfying, compact, effective and awesome trips to do but they come with two challenges especially when your trip includes a long walk and trek and they are called time management and fatigue . The most important tool or the obstacle to be covered during the trip is called planning which actually includes not only to one day but every successful trip to yield an optimal result for your hard hard earned vacation time. the trip has obviously to be planned in such a manner that you can cushion in rude shocks and surprises, which is very much obvious to happen when you travel into unknown territories like we did, when we traveled into the beautiful hill station and the most sought after vacation spot of The State of Maharashtra which has a beautiful backdrop of the fairly forested beautiful nature endowed hill station which is Matheran.

                      

                        For the folks who do not know what, how and where Matheran is... This is the best description i can give- a scenic and beyond-the-words place which comes under the government body of 'Matheran Hill Station Municipal Council' with an area of around 7 km square.  The 7 km square of pure nature and beauty mixed with right amounts of serenity and calmness  of nature sure does overpower and compels you to be keen and to explore and absorb this place, it basically seems to have an aura and style of its own.It is a hill station in raigad district's Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is located around 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. Matheran's proximity to many metropolitan cities makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. Matheran, which means "forest on the forehead" (of the mountains) is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India. It is Asia's only automobile-free hill station.There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorama Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is dramatic.

The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Heart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambagh Point, and more.It has an average elevation of 800 metres (2,625 feet).Matheran lies in an elevated region, enjoys a cooler and less humid climate which makes it popular during the summer months, but i personally would love to travel here during the winter. Matheran has a narrow gauge railway station in the town center. The old Matheran Hill Railway offers several daily trains to Neral. The toy train connected to the mainline rail route at Neral Junction. Neral Junction is well connected by local trains from CST along the CST-Karjat route. The train covers a distance of 12 miles in an hour thereby allowing the passengers ample time to soak in the beauty of the surroundings. Any Pune bound train from CST(Mumbai) reaches Neral in approximately two hours.to get there you have to take train from Mumbai to Neral junction;from Neral to Matheran by narrow gauge trains.

the entry fee to Matheran is 50 rupees for adults and 25 rupees for children.

                        

 The Matheran hill station, which I now personally call my 'point of escape'  (from daily clamor, chaos and tension) has earned its special place and reputation in my heart and mind. Though i usually tend to love beaches and forts, this place has earned its position into my list as an exception, because it makes you realize how much of a toxic and repulsive world that you live in when nature has endowed you with such beautiful gifts.

    Now, coming back to my topic for the blog : 

        The trip was planned just a day before, since, my new semester was starting and the vacations nearing their end i wanted to something that would refresh me, move and clear my cluttered my mind and when i reached here I understood that, I made the right decision.

My friend and i chose to Matheran as our place of travel just on a random basis, since we both never had been there and we wanted to explore it from a long time and so, on the night of 13th December, Friday we decided Matheran as our spot for the next day's journey.

 The next day, i reached at 7.45 pm where i picked her up for a journey of  around 70 kilometers from thane's Teen Hath Naka to matheran hill station via, the eastern expressway NH48 which traveled through the eastern areas of Kalyan, Shilphata, Ambernath, Karjat and many more, The journey to the destination itself was calm, comfortable, refreshing and very exciting, but what we observed was that the highway that lead us to Matheran after the Ambernath portion seemed to be very sparsely populated and the speed breakers were not colored hence, easily camouflaged into the road and so, it is my personal suggestion to not ride back home after evening hours. The real deal of the bike ride, the tempting portion!!!!

It comes when u reach the Ghats that lead to Matheran. Riding on the hairpin turns is an enjoyment more than a task when you climb the altitudes through the twists and turns of the beautiful ghats, it has its own beauty which makes you thrilled and sets a total different thrill when you climb through it, especially for a city commuter like me. After riding the ghats we entered the Dasturi Point which actually is the last point of entry for your beloved vehicle. we kept our bike at the bike parking aisle provided by the municipal authorities ( I suppose) for a parking rent  of 45 rupees, which i felt was a bit exorbitant in comparison to what we usually pay for the bike parks.
                Hereon, the journey starts, ahead its only two options its a walk or horse ride. we both got the shock of our lives once when we were approached by horse- cum- travel guide who had government approved exorbitant rates, the moment we saw it, we were happy to be endowed with two strong legs each.  


                 The Mini- train had been non- functional for the past 8 months and so from the point to the market place was via walk over the railway tracks, it had its own kind of fun and experience, i would call it a long walk the roads weren't paved and the red laterite soil stuck to our pants and shoes . we were somewhat exhausted after the walk till the marketplace but were excited for the trek ahead and so prepared ourselves by having a pit stop at a marketplace's restaurant where we had our breakfast, the cost of food is a bit higher that the cost of the same product at your city limits (no brainer, still informing 😐).
Thereon, we started our journey with just one more stop at lunch which was just after visiting the lord's point, after which we again covered many more awesome spots like Big and Littile Chowk Points, Alexander point etc. the trek was truly satisfying and awesome but tiring too, we couldn't obviously cover all the points of Matheran but, we did manage to cover a lot of them,19 spots or more.

After we covered the One tree hill point and the big chowk point we had reached little chowk point which was damn good place to stand and look at we also witnessed a theft by a mischevious monkey the whole scene was damn hilarious. Actually when we reached there we we saw two guys and
a girl resting beneath a tree near the edge of the mountain.... they eventually got up and went a bit far leaving their bags behind beneath the tree, My friend and I were far away in our own conversation and a monkey came towards the tree, i sensed some motion on the tree branches which alerted me and when i looked towards the point of motion i saw a monkey climbing down the tree and i alrted them and walked slowly toward the tree so that, i wouldn't directly make the monkey feel threatened, now in this situation the bag the monkey had aimed was as good as gone because all of us was far away, one of the group of 3 was a stupid idiot and ran screaming to the monkey that pigeon brain didn't realise the monkey the monkey can easily jump through branches attached to the cliff's edge and that's what happened, it was hilarious to see... i was wondering what that guy had smoked because, after the monkey disappeared into the cliff in he ran behind the monkey!!! towards the cliff!!! and so, i screamed because i already witnessed theft and a hefty loss , i didn't want to watch suicide. after which he stopped and searching the place with his eyes as if he is some bloody eagle and calling out monkey as if it was a bloody dog!!!! Are you serious!! it was the girl's bag which was stolen/ snatched by the monkey. After watching all the stupidity and feeling pity for the girl i told him to stop calling out the monkey, i asked him,"anyways the monkey fled because it heard human voices, do u think it will come back when you keep calling out the monkey" ( i knew the monkey's not going to come anyways, i just wanted him to stop) and the brainy guy thought for a while and then stopped.😯😥😓 And , then we left.

Back into the trek we were exhausted with legs paining after continuous hours of fast paced walk and trekking eventually we reached back to Dasturi point at 6.54pm , departed with my bike at 7 pm for our journey back home. the roads till Ambernath was pitch black , the ghats descend was thrilling and awesome at night i wouldn't call the the ghats tough at night too(with lights on). The standard lights provided by my Avenger 220 2015 model proved to be very in sufficient on the pitch dark ghats and roads, as i stated above i would't suggest anyone to ride or drive towards Mumbai or Thane via the highway after the evening hours, it does feel thrilling though( for a nutcase like me😁).

      Ultimately, we reached back to thane with a satisfied mind but the stay at Matheran had somehow overpowered us , I hated the traffic, pollution and noise as soon as I entered the city limits, and so, we reached our respective homes with dusty shoes and clothes, weary face, tired eyes, bruised and sore legs but a satisfied mind with a loads of calmness and an impressive trekking experience which had its own story.



     Some advises that I can provide are:
1. carry enough water at least a liter and also some snacks , but  be be cautious when you consume your food because there is a high chance that you would get attacked my a monkey or langur who are abundant and mischievous at Matheran.
2. Keep at least a digital map of Matheran in your phone since signbords are rusted and many donot have any indication too, they are ancient and rusted you'll easily get a map via wikipedia itself. The map will come at a great use and will keep you from getting lost in the woods.

 3. wear good trekking shoes or sports shoes for better manuverability.

4. Do not over-pack, just carry essential stuff there is a lot of walking.

5. Enjoy the points not just for the view it caters but the place itself.

6. Head back home before or max during evening hours , i.e, 4.30 pm.