A much needed break was in the offing when we decided to make the weekend an adventurous one. The plan was to encompass as many people as possible, but.......
We zeroed in on Rajmachi, due to its proximity from Mumbai so that we can make it to and fro the same day.
Rajmachi:
Rajmachi is a village on the hills around 13 kms from Karjat. There are two forts around 1/2hr uphill from Rajmachi, Shrivardhan and Manoranjan.
The Group: Varun, Bhupendra, Ninad and me
Getting to Rajmachi was pretty easy. Day as usual started early, as it was not a normal working day, but a holiday :P. We took the 0613 hrs local to Karjat from Thane station. From Karjat its around a 1/2 hr ride till Kondivde or 5 mins more to Kondavne. The rick to Kondane cost us around Rs.120.
Rajmachi can also be reached from Lonavla. Its approximately 20kms from there. And the trek from Lonavala is supposedly more easier than the trek from Karjat.
The rickshaw fella left us at Kondane with the task at hand to reach Rajmachi. After an half hour walk, we reached a village at the base of mountain. Enquiring a bit, gave us the right directions to climb the mountain... and we started the trek.
Well, March isnt exactly the time one should go for a trek, but its not as bad as april or later. But there was something that you could see only in
March. With the autumn in its twilight, the ground was the perfect canvas for the nature to show its colors. Shades of brown, red, yellow, pink, green and what not covered covered the earth. The crackle of the leaves falling, the songs of the birds, the whistling winds made us aware of our proximity to the natural world. We couldnt believe that just two and a half hrs away was a world so different, so man made.The climb started. The slopes became steeper, mud gave way to rocks, climbing with only legs mutated into climbing with all fours and the vegetation started growing dense. Our pitstops started getting more frequent :P. Well all a part of a good trek.
All the way we were guided by arrows made by previous trekkers up the hill. We had lots of good locations to click pictures - landscapes, animals, insects, self shots and what not.
After a lot of climbing, we reached Rajmachi village. Its a small village, with around 20 houses. There are hotels up there if you need to eat or drink, and we were surprised to find lodging up there too. We were looking around when we saw motorbikes there. How did they get there???? Well.... Rajmachi is connected to Lonavala via a kuccha road.Hmmm...
After a quick break we started our journey to the apex. The final stint of the climb is completely on a rocky terrain, remnants of the old fort. On on side is the wall of the fort and on the other is a free drop, straight down. It was one of the most magnificent and breath taking part of the entire trek. Being at that height gives you a self of achievement and the opportunity to breath in as many moments of life you want.
We moved around the fort a bit and discovered a water cistern, inhabited by algae and small fishes. The water was crystal clear and chilling. We filled up our water bottles and freshened up. Then we had lunch at one of the best locales possible. On the steps of the watch tower around 3000ft above sea level, 2 feet away from a free fall, BRILLIANT....
After the long climb and satiating meal, our bodies deserved a bit of rest, and rest we did in mother nature's arms.
Half an hour later, we were ready to get back down. Climbing down seemed to be more of a task than we thought. Not because its tough, because you keep looking down to search for footing and what you notice is the height at which you are :P
We took a short break at Rajmachi village and climbed down. By the time we reached Kondavne it was 1855 hrs. We asked some villagers the nearest Rickshaw stand and they said it was 3 kms ahead and also added that rickshaws are available only till 1900hrs :P
Adding to our woes was the fact that 3kms walking isnt much fun after all the treking :( By a stroke of luck we managed to hitch a ride from a nearby village in a Omni till Dahivali village which is just a km away from Karjat station. God bless those two gentlemen :)
Dahivali to Karjat was a short rickshaw ride, and soon enough we found ourselves on a fast local back to Mumbai.
