A drive through the Western Ghats

Geography used to be one of my favorite subjects back in school. The countries and their capitals, the mountain ranges, the grasslands etc used to fascinate me. Reading about them was always incomplete without actually me dreaming about ex-

-periencing the wonders in reality. One such amazing creation of nature are the Western Ghats.

India as we all know is bestowed with natural beauty in abundance and the Western Ghats epitomizes that. During the recently concluded monsoon season here in Pune, I went on two long trips to places on the other side of the ghats. As expected, the majority of the route was through the highlands cutting across one hill after another. Before we started our journey, we were hoping to see some of the most amazing greenery and innumerable falls along the way. We were not dissapointed.

It all started with a wake up call early in the morning. The sun was yet to rise, the birds were yet to come out, I found myself in a hurry to get ready and start by the break of dawn. A 450KM long journey via the smooth and silky Pune-Bangalore expressway and then the breathtaking hills awaited. After all the preparations we were on our way hitting the highway in about 30 minutes. Just on the outskirts of Pune, Katraj ghat awaited us. The approach to the hill was just a prelude to what we would be experiencing at numerous other places later. Fresh air,greenery all around, lush green plains looking as if mother nature has painted them green. Combined with the morning breeze, the experience was simply breathtaking. After crossing the ghat, we were on the highway. I stepped on the accelerator and in no time we were galloping our way towards our destination. The Western Ghats beckoned.

Any journey is incomplete without a midway halt for food and it becomes even more exciting if the food is home made. Since we had no problem with the availability of what we were going to eat, my idea was to stop at such a place where eating would be a new experience and we did find such a place. It was a picturesque site. The place was on the foothills of the first ghat we were suppose to cross. The road was surrounded with identical trees on both sides. On the left side, there was a small stream which was flowing. The sound of the water gushing down was exhilarating. This was the perfect place to stop. The beauty of the place was magnificent and it got better when a light drizzle started. The fog around added to the charm. We finished just in time to resume our journey.

As moved closer to the hills, the temperature began to drop, the breeze became cooler, a villager wrapped in a shawl walking on one side of the road with his cattle and the picturesque backdrop was soothing to our eyes tired of urban chaos. The zig zag of the mountains started and the sharp bends and slopes demanded careful attention while driving. Stretches covered with dense blanket of trees to sudden appearance of majestic waterfalls made the journey awe inspiring. I have been to hills stations before and enjoyed the hilly roads but this was something different. Driving through the roads, experiencing the beauty and at the same time watching out for the terrain in monsoon a midst frequent rain and foggy weather was a unreal. The climb up to some of the mountains were steep and owing to the monsoons, the road condition was tricky. Due to the fog, all vehicles travelling hadtheir headlights on. All these made the journey even more thrilling. There were numerous spots where the travelling tourists halted to get a glimpse of either a waterfall or the majestic view of unknown valleys. Monkeys,tea stalls and a chilling

weather were making things even better. One such amazing spot was a hill top from where group of hills could be seen. This was one of the defining moments of the entire journey. I had never seen trees swirling around in such a fashion. Their movement was identical to a group dance being performed by nature's creation. It was unique.

Some journeys are worth remembering. Some make you cherish the moments forever. To me, the trip through the mightly western ghats would surely fall into one such category. As we made our way back to Pune, the breeze, the serenity, the charm of the hills which we left back seemed to call us back. Another excursion to the mystic and divine ghats awaits!