Planning a vacation at the Kamaths is a stressful affair. It is a
democracy and chaos prevail. Everyone has a voice and they use it
liberally. I used to think that with all those travel blogs and
magazines that I read, I was great at being able to zero in on
vacation spots which appeal to the family. Turned out I was being
autocratic. Anyway, looking back at this years xmas vacation planning, I
am convinced autocracy works.
Had thought of a vacation at Bhuj, at the Great Rann of Kutchh. The white desert. the moonlit sky, the cold winter and one happy family looking at the stars..... The son sneered. Then I thought of Benares. Benares with its busy ghats, Benares with the Ganga. Sitting on the ghats, looking at life pass by, of floating little diyas and flowers on the Ganga, taking boat rides in the early winter mornings, the colours, the hustle bustle , the contrasts of spirituality and commercialization, a litttle bit of culture, of history, of photo opportunities, of being able to tick off one more destination from my wishlist..... This time , the husband, the daughter and the son, together, sneered. After that it was chaos.
Every location I zeroed on , was vetoed. I travelled from Ahemdabad - Modhera- Mount Abu - Little Rann of Kutch to Aurangabad – Ellora- Ajanta -Ghrushneshwar - Lonar to the Dunes of Jaisalmer, to Devbagh , Assam and Arunachal …..all on the tourist map of India. Couldn’t finalise any of these. Sometimes tickets were heavily priced, sometimes bookings at the resorts were unavailable and when all these were finally being sorted out the husband declared he couldn’t spare more than 3 days. I function best in a crisis. When pushed against the wall I resist the most. So I was back, crawling all over the map of Maharashtra this time, looking at vacation spots which we could drive to. The beaches beckoned but unfortunately the beaches of Maharahstra though beautiful , lack good accommodation facilities. The beach and the resort will usually have a busy road running between it. The beauties who step out of the sea, have to walk dripping wet to the resort.
The husband finally suggested Dandeli. We had been so tired staring at the computer screen, and punching numbers on the phone checking fr reservations, but did it one more time and wow, we were in luck. They had room for us. Finally we were to go on a vacation . a 2 night 3 day stay at Dandeli . The Bison Resort. From 27th to the 29th of December 2012.
We started at 6.30 in the morning . Had expected to bypass Pune by 8.30 am reach Belgaum by 12.30 and Dandeli by 4.00 pm. The traffic scene was bad and somehow the driver too seemed lethargic and we made it to the resort only by 6.00 pm. After Belgaum, our route was through Khanapur, passing by Londa, then Ramnagar and finally Ganeshgudi. A little short of Dandeli.
The drive upto Belgaum was uninteresting. The expressways have taken their toll, and not just literally. The drive is comfortable, but monotonous. The essential and unique characteristics of the places on the route are lost.
After Khanapur,the forests began and things looked up for me. Belgaum is a big town. A city. But there are no satellite settlements around it. So once you are out ot Belgaum, it is pretty much untouched territory. Khanapur, Ramnagar, Londa , Anmod are all small townships / settlements, separated by several kilometres. Rural life is rural in every sense of the word. The schools with their cluster of classrooms around a small playground, little students with the curious expression in their eyes, still intact, ready to soak in every new experience seemed so likeable as against the "i have seen it all and i am bored " atttitude portrayed by metro bred brats.
Was taking in the beauty of it all, nodding to the strains of the guitar and mandolin as Vishal Dadlani and Sonu Kakkar crooned 'Madaari, Madari, Madari...' . Here's the link to the song ,
Mood -e-Vacation had set in.
On Chirstmas day , I had been to a mall in Mumbai. There wasn’t an inch of place to walk on. One only jostled or got jostled. Flashy neon boards beckoned and people succumbed . There was the look of restlessness on each face , of want and craving...for the best deals, for satisfaction which seemed to evade.
Today after we crossed Belgaum and entered Khanapur and the forests, suddenly there was silence. Tree lined roads. Clear roads. There was peace, happiness, contentment. Within myself and on the faces of those I saw. There was this lone lady selling some roots on a lonely road, as against the 1000's peddling their wares aggressively at the malls, in the stores at the toll nakas. at the petrol pumps….Oh the contrast !
There was so much beauty and so much peace , just a 10 hr drive away and it had taken so much deliberation, planning and plotting to get away and be here. So close yet so far.
The Resort was just 10 minutes away, when we found ourselves on a bridge. Below was the Kali River. The river was calm. Lined with trees. A thick green cover reflected perfectly in the calm water. The water looked a dark grey in colour. No shades of blue here. The Kali justified its name.
There
are several resorts in this area , Ganeshgudi. Nearly all on the banks
of the river. Some friends of ours had stayed at the Hornbill Resort
. It also has a tree house.
The Bison Resort is beautiful . The sight of the river and the gurgling sound is a treat to the eyes and music to the ears. The evenings are chilly. The full moon was yesterday and yet there was an impressive looking full moon in the sky. It was fun to see it peeking frm between branches.
We went down to the river. To sit by the river staring at the moon in the face and see the reflection in the river. To throw a pebble and see the ripples break the reflection. To sit with the family having the silliest conversations because we have the time for each other . We have nothing else which distracts us. We have all the time fr each other, free of all other demands that home , work and time makes on us.
The 10 hr drive had taken up a day of our 2 nights 3 day vacation. So we decided to extend our trip by one more day. There were so many activities to undertake. A coracle ride, a jungle safari, a nature walk and a trip to a natural jacuzzi. The natural jacuzzi is a forceful waterfall, below which one can get drenched to the heart's content. Besides these which were already included in our package, the Kali River also offers the option of white water rafting. There are about 8 rapids along a 9 km stretch. The thrill costs Rs 1300 per person.
There is the Supa dam constructed on the Kali river. This one was built in 1984. Locals say that before the dam was built, the Kali was narrow. Almost like a stream they said. The waters released by the dam have widened the river . The rafting and Jacuzzi activities on the river too depend on the water released everyday.
We decided to go rafting the next day.
Rafting was scheduled for 10 am. This activity depends on whether the gates of the dam had been opened and how much water had been released. On some days, there is no rafting. We were lucky.
Arrived at the jetty for a briefing. And after being kitted with life jackets, helmets and paddles, we were helped on to the rafts. The rafts looked like small hover crafts. Had always thought that one sits in it. But here we were sitting on it. We were given our positions on the 'rim' of the raft. and were educated about basic movements of the paddle . More lessons from our guide and chief navigator , about the commands we would have to respond to. They seemed elaborate and I didn’t want to do the "vallhav re nakava" routine. But back out I couldn’t. The safety instruction were given, then some tutorials and we were off.
The river is beautiful. About 70 - 80 feet deep at some points.. Surrounded by dense woods. Tall trees . Old trees. The only ones I could idenitfy were the mango and the teak.
There were to be 7 to 8 rapid on the course. Other rafts were in the water too. The super enthusiastic ones were chanting jhinga laalaa hoo haa hhoo hoo haa, paddling too close and wetting us by paddling some water onto us. We were expected to reciprocate.
Then the rapids made their appearance. The first one. I was too nervous to look ahead . So I just shut my eyes. Felt our raft glide smoothly over it . But was too scared to savour it. This one was a gentle one. The thrills lay ahead.
White water rafting. It was totaly worth the time, money ad the effort. After the initial fear, we all simply let go and enjoyed ourselves. Riding head on into a rapid, gliding over it, a small drop here , a not so small drop there, gliding down one and rushing back into it , head on , for a 'surfing' experience....WOW! Thrilling is an understatment.
At some points we were encouraged to go for a swim in the river. Even if we were non swimmers. The guide on the raft assured us that he would pull us back in.
It was a 9km stretch we covered. 8 rapids. The blue water here, thickly wooded on both banks... we all fell in love with the Kali. After the rapids, we gently glided along the river to another jetty. After the thrills, we were now savouring the scenic beauty. We were gliding beneath the low boughs of trees, our heads bent. We were gliding through narrow alleyways, created by trees in the middle of the river. We were gliding from under the canopy of trees , trying to catch the sunrays as they played peek a boo frm amongst the tall trees. It was like a moment from the movies.
All good things come to an end, and we were back at the resort, soaked to the skin.
That afternoon , post lunch , we went for the jungle safari. The forests at Dandeli are known for bird watching opportunities, the Hornbill being the major attraction. After our Kanha trip, last year ,the Jungle Safari at Dandeli was most disappointing. The forest was not as dense as it had appeared. We could spot no animals beside the rhesus monkey. Got a few pictures of some beautiful old old trees, with peeling barks. But we did spot several hornbill and the Giant squirrel which is one more attraction here.
The next morning we went for the coracle ride. I had always thought that the coracle is always made out of buffalo hide stretched over a bamboo frame. The coracle here at Dandeli resembled a giant 'kadhai' with benches all around the inside. Spotted a cormorant, a kingfisher and more hornbill on this outing.
The gates of the dam had just opened and the water levels which had receded were just rising and we had to wait for the natural jacuzzzi. After the Rafting, no other activity could match up in its novelty or thrill and the children didn't want to wait. So we skipped that one and also the nature trek.
We opted for an early checkout so that we could reach Pune the same night and spend some time with my sister and also the husband's sister. It's a democracy as I mentioned earlier . :-)
Some random thoughts ...... selecting and finalizing a vacation destination has become a tiring exercise. We have one specification in common - no crowds and no rush - rush sightseeing. It has become a daunting task, trying to better the last vacation, trying to give the children a good memory and yet not knowing which one they will hold on to.
Dandeli is known for its paper mill , its forests , the Kali and the forest resorts. Somehow the river with its dam and 'manipulated' and regulated water levels made it seem faux. Even the Jungle Safari . It is just a drive through an otherwise restricted forest area. Except for the hornbill, one shouldn't expect to sight any real wildlife. The Bison, the tiger, the leopard are inhabitants of the forest. But the safari doesn't travel those roads and I am thankful for that. Surely do not want the wild jungle to end up like a drive-in zoo.
A trip to Dandeli is an ideal 2 day get away from Mumbai. Taking a train to Londha and then a small drive to the resort is an option as also driving to Dandeli from Goa. If one desires to drive from Mumbai, then another option would be starting a day earlier , checking in at Kolhapur or Belgaum for the night and leisurely reaching the Resorts by Lunch time.
For me, a perfect vacation is atleast a week long. But when we are hardpressed for time , a chhota trip like this is better than no vacation at all !
Leaving you with some pictures.
Had thought of a vacation at Bhuj, at the Great Rann of Kutchh. The white desert. the moonlit sky, the cold winter and one happy family looking at the stars..... The son sneered. Then I thought of Benares. Benares with its busy ghats, Benares with the Ganga. Sitting on the ghats, looking at life pass by, of floating little diyas and flowers on the Ganga, taking boat rides in the early winter mornings, the colours, the hustle bustle , the contrasts of spirituality and commercialization, a litttle bit of culture, of history, of photo opportunities, of being able to tick off one more destination from my wishlist..... This time , the husband, the daughter and the son, together, sneered. After that it was chaos.
Every location I zeroed on , was vetoed. I travelled from Ahemdabad - Modhera- Mount Abu - Little Rann of Kutch to Aurangabad – Ellora- Ajanta -Ghrushneshwar - Lonar to the Dunes of Jaisalmer, to Devbagh , Assam and Arunachal …..all on the tourist map of India. Couldn’t finalise any of these. Sometimes tickets were heavily priced, sometimes bookings at the resorts were unavailable and when all these were finally being sorted out the husband declared he couldn’t spare more than 3 days. I function best in a crisis. When pushed against the wall I resist the most. So I was back, crawling all over the map of Maharashtra this time, looking at vacation spots which we could drive to. The beaches beckoned but unfortunately the beaches of Maharahstra though beautiful , lack good accommodation facilities. The beach and the resort will usually have a busy road running between it. The beauties who step out of the sea, have to walk dripping wet to the resort.
The husband finally suggested Dandeli. We had been so tired staring at the computer screen, and punching numbers on the phone checking fr reservations, but did it one more time and wow, we were in luck. They had room for us. Finally we were to go on a vacation . a 2 night 3 day stay at Dandeli . The Bison Resort. From 27th to the 29th of December 2012.
We started at 6.30 in the morning . Had expected to bypass Pune by 8.30 am reach Belgaum by 12.30 and Dandeli by 4.00 pm. The traffic scene was bad and somehow the driver too seemed lethargic and we made it to the resort only by 6.00 pm. After Belgaum, our route was through Khanapur, passing by Londa, then Ramnagar and finally Ganeshgudi. A little short of Dandeli.
The drive upto Belgaum was uninteresting. The expressways have taken their toll, and not just literally. The drive is comfortable, but monotonous. The essential and unique characteristics of the places on the route are lost.
After Khanapur,the forests began and things looked up for me. Belgaum is a big town. A city. But there are no satellite settlements around it. So once you are out ot Belgaum, it is pretty much untouched territory. Khanapur, Ramnagar, Londa , Anmod are all small townships / settlements, separated by several kilometres. Rural life is rural in every sense of the word. The schools with their cluster of classrooms around a small playground, little students with the curious expression in their eyes, still intact, ready to soak in every new experience seemed so likeable as against the "i have seen it all and i am bored " atttitude portrayed by metro bred brats.
Was taking in the beauty of it all, nodding to the strains of the guitar and mandolin as Vishal Dadlani and Sonu Kakkar crooned 'Madaari, Madari, Madari...' . Here's the link to the song ,
Mood -e-Vacation had set in.
On Chirstmas day , I had been to a mall in Mumbai. There wasn’t an inch of place to walk on. One only jostled or got jostled. Flashy neon boards beckoned and people succumbed . There was the look of restlessness on each face , of want and craving...for the best deals, for satisfaction which seemed to evade.
Today after we crossed Belgaum and entered Khanapur and the forests, suddenly there was silence. Tree lined roads. Clear roads. There was peace, happiness, contentment. Within myself and on the faces of those I saw. There was this lone lady selling some roots on a lonely road, as against the 1000's peddling their wares aggressively at the malls, in the stores at the toll nakas. at the petrol pumps….Oh the contrast !
There was so much beauty and so much peace , just a 10 hr drive away and it had taken so much deliberation, planning and plotting to get away and be here. So close yet so far.
The Resort was just 10 minutes away, when we found ourselves on a bridge. Below was the Kali River. The river was calm. Lined with trees. A thick green cover reflected perfectly in the calm water. The water looked a dark grey in colour. No shades of blue here. The Kali justified its name.
The Bison Resort is beautiful . The sight of the river and the gurgling sound is a treat to the eyes and music to the ears. The evenings are chilly. The full moon was yesterday and yet there was an impressive looking full moon in the sky. It was fun to see it peeking frm between branches.
We went down to the river. To sit by the river staring at the moon in the face and see the reflection in the river. To throw a pebble and see the ripples break the reflection. To sit with the family having the silliest conversations because we have the time for each other . We have nothing else which distracts us. We have all the time fr each other, free of all other demands that home , work and time makes on us.
The 10 hr drive had taken up a day of our 2 nights 3 day vacation. So we decided to extend our trip by one more day. There were so many activities to undertake. A coracle ride, a jungle safari, a nature walk and a trip to a natural jacuzzi. The natural jacuzzi is a forceful waterfall, below which one can get drenched to the heart's content. Besides these which were already included in our package, the Kali River also offers the option of white water rafting. There are about 8 rapids along a 9 km stretch. The thrill costs Rs 1300 per person.
There is the Supa dam constructed on the Kali river. This one was built in 1984. Locals say that before the dam was built, the Kali was narrow. Almost like a stream they said. The waters released by the dam have widened the river . The rafting and Jacuzzi activities on the river too depend on the water released everyday.
We decided to go rafting the next day.
Rafting was scheduled for 10 am. This activity depends on whether the gates of the dam had been opened and how much water had been released. On some days, there is no rafting. We were lucky.
Arrived at the jetty for a briefing. And after being kitted with life jackets, helmets and paddles, we were helped on to the rafts. The rafts looked like small hover crafts. Had always thought that one sits in it. But here we were sitting on it. We were given our positions on the 'rim' of the raft. and were educated about basic movements of the paddle . More lessons from our guide and chief navigator , about the commands we would have to respond to. They seemed elaborate and I didn’t want to do the "vallhav re nakava" routine. But back out I couldn’t. The safety instruction were given, then some tutorials and we were off.
The river is beautiful. About 70 - 80 feet deep at some points.. Surrounded by dense woods. Tall trees . Old trees. The only ones I could idenitfy were the mango and the teak.
There were to be 7 to 8 rapid on the course. Other rafts were in the water too. The super enthusiastic ones were chanting jhinga laalaa hoo haa hhoo hoo haa, paddling too close and wetting us by paddling some water onto us. We were expected to reciprocate.
Then the rapids made their appearance. The first one. I was too nervous to look ahead . So I just shut my eyes. Felt our raft glide smoothly over it . But was too scared to savour it. This one was a gentle one. The thrills lay ahead.
White water rafting. It was totaly worth the time, money ad the effort. After the initial fear, we all simply let go and enjoyed ourselves. Riding head on into a rapid, gliding over it, a small drop here , a not so small drop there, gliding down one and rushing back into it , head on , for a 'surfing' experience....WOW! Thrilling is an understatment.
At some points we were encouraged to go for a swim in the river. Even if we were non swimmers. The guide on the raft assured us that he would pull us back in.
It was a 9km stretch we covered. 8 rapids. The blue water here, thickly wooded on both banks... we all fell in love with the Kali. After the rapids, we gently glided along the river to another jetty. After the thrills, we were now savouring the scenic beauty. We were gliding beneath the low boughs of trees, our heads bent. We were gliding through narrow alleyways, created by trees in the middle of the river. We were gliding from under the canopy of trees , trying to catch the sunrays as they played peek a boo frm amongst the tall trees. It was like a moment from the movies.
All good things come to an end, and we were back at the resort, soaked to the skin.
That afternoon , post lunch , we went for the jungle safari. The forests at Dandeli are known for bird watching opportunities, the Hornbill being the major attraction. After our Kanha trip, last year ,the Jungle Safari at Dandeli was most disappointing. The forest was not as dense as it had appeared. We could spot no animals beside the rhesus monkey. Got a few pictures of some beautiful old old trees, with peeling barks. But we did spot several hornbill and the Giant squirrel which is one more attraction here.
The next morning we went for the coracle ride. I had always thought that the coracle is always made out of buffalo hide stretched over a bamboo frame. The coracle here at Dandeli resembled a giant 'kadhai' with benches all around the inside. Spotted a cormorant, a kingfisher and more hornbill on this outing.
The gates of the dam had just opened and the water levels which had receded were just rising and we had to wait for the natural jacuzzzi. After the Rafting, no other activity could match up in its novelty or thrill and the children didn't want to wait. So we skipped that one and also the nature trek.
We opted for an early checkout so that we could reach Pune the same night and spend some time with my sister and also the husband's sister. It's a democracy as I mentioned earlier . :-)
Some random thoughts ...... selecting and finalizing a vacation destination has become a tiring exercise. We have one specification in common - no crowds and no rush - rush sightseeing. It has become a daunting task, trying to better the last vacation, trying to give the children a good memory and yet not knowing which one they will hold on to.
Dandeli is known for its paper mill , its forests , the Kali and the forest resorts. Somehow the river with its dam and 'manipulated' and regulated water levels made it seem faux. Even the Jungle Safari . It is just a drive through an otherwise restricted forest area. Except for the hornbill, one shouldn't expect to sight any real wildlife. The Bison, the tiger, the leopard are inhabitants of the forest. But the safari doesn't travel those roads and I am thankful for that. Surely do not want the wild jungle to end up like a drive-in zoo.
A trip to Dandeli is an ideal 2 day get away from Mumbai. Taking a train to Londha and then a small drive to the resort is an option as also driving to Dandeli from Goa. If one desires to drive from Mumbai, then another option would be starting a day earlier , checking in at Kolhapur or Belgaum for the night and leisurely reaching the Resorts by Lunch time.
For me, a perfect vacation is atleast a week long. But when we are hardpressed for time , a chhota trip like this is better than no vacation at all !
Leaving you with some pictures.
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