Visiting Visapur

Made a trek to a fort near Lonavala called Visapur (one of the Maratha forts) with a group of trekkers from Mumbai (who call themselves the 'Fort Capturers'). Had an awesome time. The fort overlooks the Mumbai-Pune express-way and is really impressive.

Photos: Trek to Visapur

To get there: We caught the Indrayani Express at VT at 6am and got down at Lonavala (~3 hours journey). Then took a local to Malvali village (~10 mins journey). The fort overlooks the village. Takes atleast 2 hours to climb.

Blogging Politicos

Members of the US congress seem to be catching onto blogging: Congress catching on to the value of blogs. Wonder when the Indian politicos will follow suit. Maybe with IITians forming political parties, something can be expected.

Its not the camera that takes the picture

Your Camera Does Not Matter:

"Oh, if only I had a Nikon or a Leica, I could make great photographs. That's the dumbest thing I ever heard in my life. It's nothing but a matter of seeing, thinking, and interest. That's what makes a good photograph. And then rejecting anything that would be bad for the picture. The wrong light, the wrong background, time and so on. Just don't do it, not matter how beautiful the subject is."

(via Anand)

Meandering Malshej

The Malshej Ghats lie 150 kms North-east of Mumbai. The area is filled with erosion-carved peaks (breathtakingly similar to pictures I've seen of the Grand Canyon) and beautiful golden grass meadows. We started Picnic point 1 and walked up to the MTDC resort around 7 kilometers away. The MTDC canteen provides hot food to the hungry explorer and is situated at the top of a stunning cliff. A few kilometers down the cliff is a lake formed by a dam. The area is absolutely pristine with awesome scenery and provides a much needed succor on a weekend visit from Mumbai.

To get there: The Malshej Ghats fall on National Highway 220 from Mumbai to Aurangabad, 83 kilometers from Kalyan. Kalyan is an hour and a half's train ride from the Victoria Terminus. State transport buses regularly ply from the bus stand opposite the station to Malshej and the trip takes 3 hours one way (yeah ... slightly far). I would however advise anyone going there to go in a car or a bike - for one, the sights and the road is much better experienced that way and secondly, the ST buses are rickety old machines which rock you like a roller coaster and tire you out. Recommended time of visit is July-September, when the flamingos come visiting, but the area is beautiful even at this time of the year.