Aksa Beach at Sunrise

I know you don't get to see the sun rise over the horizon in the West coast but you do see it rise somewhere, which was why we wanted to reach the beach in time to watch this daily miracle. That, and to avoid the Sunday morning crowds.

We had been looking for a place to take Rummy for a good run off-leash and Aksa Beach seemed like a great place, it being so near to where we live. We were at first apprehensive about letting him off since there are quite a number of stray dogs around, but we didn't see any aggression on either side so we took off the leash. And boy, did Rummy run - and make the rest of the dogs run too. He wasn't too keen on going in the water, even though the other dogs were. We were so thrilled that he came back running to us every
time he was called.

 

As for us, the breeze was nice and cool in late February without the humidity. The sun rose from the other end of the beach and lit up the sky spectacularly. The beach was relatively clean - another advantage of reaching early I guess...the crowds had not had a chance to litter it yet. Other early risers here included morning walkers, dog walkers, and guests of one of the resorts on the beach.

We were there from about 6:30 am to 8am. As were leaving, the crowd were slowly starting to trickle in. The only downside to getting here so early was that none of the food/tea stalls were open. It was also getting too hot to be eating outside, and with Rummy in the car we couldn't stop at a restaurant. We then drove to Sai Veg near the Goregaon Station (east side) and packed some good Indian fast food that we had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Daman - the Poor man's Goa

We had been planning a trip to Daman for a while now, but it kept getting pushed. For one thing, there isn't much info on the Internet about it except that it has cheap alcohol (no taxes). I gathered what information I could, booked a room in one of the hotels, and we set off on a Saturday afternoon from Bombay.
It is just about 170kms from where we are and the roads are good - National Highway all the way. There are no signboards till just when you are reaching Daman, so don't worry - you are on the right track.

We reached Daman in just under 3 hours. It wasn't tiring and we were able to find our hotel on Devka beach without a hitch. The advantage of a small town is everyone knows everything about the place and you don't need to go far even if you've lost your way.



We had booked a room in Cidade de Daman (had to pay a 50% advance through electronic transfer before we came here). We got the Sea View Deluxe room - fancy name, but don't fall for it. First of all, the beach is nothing to look at - it is rocky, has black sand and is littered with garbage all over. The room seemed clean but looked old and not properly maintained. Don't be fooled by the pictures on their website...heavily photoshopped I would think, or taken when it was brand new. [I had wanted to book another hotel (Mirasol Lake Resort) but they had no rooms available - there was a Harley Davidson biker group in town and they had occupied it.] And even though the check out was for 12 noon the next day, they started calling us 30 minutes before to pack up and leave - it wasn't as if there was a rush to occupy the room after us either. Just bad hospitality.

It's sea-view restaurant is a bit better than the rest of the hotel. Of course, the beach itself is quite a disaster so don't expect much to begin with. But the breeze was cool, not humid and sticky, and food was decent. The main attraction here is obviously the alcohol. We could only see Indian brands on offer though. Most people just come here from Bombay or Gujarat (which is a dry state), get sloshed, pick up a box of booze bottles (which is illegal, but not everyone gets checked at the borders), and leave. We thought we'd take in some sights as well.

We drove around the town for a while to get a feel of the place and bumped into the gang of bikers a few times. First on our agenda was the fort at Nani Daman, or the Fort of St. Jerome. It's not much of a fort as it is an enclosure by the sea. There is a church inside, but it was closed in the afternoon. It opens in the morning at 8 (mass in Portuguese) and then at 6 in the evening (mass in English). Nearby is a Jain temple which was also closed. So we went back to the hotel for a quick nap and returned in the evening.

The inside of the church wasn't as extravagant as even the smallest one in Goa, but the place has its own charm. Since people don't come here for tourism, we were about the only tourists around. Parking was easy, roads were practically empty, no loud chatter anywhere, and no queues. We walked up further to the jetty for the sunset, but the smog covered sky swallowed the sun without any fanfare. The Jain temple was our next stop. There was only a guard at the entrance chatting on his phone so we were left to our own devices. The inside was lit by lamps, which gave the place an ethereal feel but we couldn't make out the beautiful frescoes and other details in the dark. The exterior walls are lined with beautiful carvings of dancing women and Lord Mahavira (in a glass enclosure). The moonlight just added to the drama. It was worth coming back for this.

Dinner was at Mirasol's veg restaurant - a much classier affair (still cheap according to Bombay standards though). Here we saw the Harleys lined up - about 50 of them. The empty streets and the dark, quiet roads seemed unnatural after having been in Bombay for so long.

The next day we ventured out on the 'beach'. First you need to navigate through the garbage, then the rocks, then the clay to get to the muddy waters. It was quite a dampener and we didn't feel like going to Moti Daman and its fort after that. Instead, we went to Veera da Dhaba which was highly recommended for lunch.

It is a kind-of roadside eatery, done up a little bit with traditional cots you can recline on. The food was great - we just stuck to starters of tandoori and kebabs of various kinds - paneer was the only disappointment. The Port wine we ordered wasn't chilled so the server suggested some ice. Somehow, it seemed like the obvious thing to do over there. So, for the first (and probably the last) time ever, we had wine on the rocks. We spent a leisurely 2 to 3 hours here. Even though it was hot outside, the breeze was cool and in the shade, you really didn't miss having an air conditioner.

That was probably the most fun we had in Daman - so I guess the town lived up to its reputation of good (sea)food and alcohol. I doubt if there will be a next time - maybe to Diu which is much further ahead.

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival - 2012

The Galloping Horse - Sukant Panigrahi

The good thing about living in Bombay is that it is always abuzz with activity of the good kind - more than any other Indian city. Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is held every year at Fort, South Bombay. The Kala Ghoda lane is cordoned off to vehicles, and for a week, it comes alive with art installations, art/craft/theatre workshops, street performances, music, and handicrafts stores. The stores are getting more commercial every year, but the ambiance is electric.

Living in the suburbs, it becomes quite difficult for me to commute to the venue and attend the many workshops and performances, but making at least one trip usually suffices. Last year I had attended a papier mache workshop but haven't put the knowledge to any use. This year, I just couldn't find the time to go for any workshop unfortunately. Also, the potter who is always there on the street is the busiest one of all, and I haven't had the patience to push and shove to make something on the potter's wheel. Maybe next year!

I reached the venue in the evening. I walked from Churchgate station (people will happily give you directions) which took me less than 10 minutes in pleasant weather. The Kala Ghoda lane crowded as is usual during this week. I was just in time for a stilt and tightrope walk act, although I had to jostle to find space to stand. It was worth the effort to look at the life's work of these men - the patience and confidence it takes to do those stunts!

Then I went around the stalls for some shopping - most of them had the exact same products as last year. I didn't pick up anything significant. Most of the art installations were inspiring (some of them incomprehensible), but you didn't get to admire any of them because people just lined up to take their pictures with them - some blocking the view for the rest of us for 2 to 3 minutes trying to get a great picture...from their 2 mp cameras in the fading light without flash.

There is really no getting away from crowds in Bombay - we knew that when we moved - so I guess I can't complain. It just makes me super grateful to have found an apartment complex that is far from the madding crowd.

Peace - Saini Johray

Silent Noise -1 - Saini Johray  

Let there be Light - Manishek Gupta

The Big Catch - Parag Tande

Endeavour - Nikunj Choradiya

Radiance - Badal Suchak

Think Blue - Haribaabu Natesaan

Cutting Chai - Krsna Mehta

 

Crow as Common Man - Sumeet Patil

Kathaputali - Vandana Kori

Borivali National Park, Bombay

We've been in Bombay for just over 2 years now, and live almost next door to the Borivali (a.k.a. Sanjay Gandhi) National Park. Like everyone else, we had taken for granted what was closest to us. So finally one Saturday we decided to pay a visit to the city's green lung. We went on a Saturday afternoon in January. There wasn't much we were expecting to see or do and assumed we would be back home for lunch.

As soon as you take the turn into the Park from the main road, you feel a sense of calm. Weekends are usually crowded, but that just means that these people are not glued to their TVs or in crowded shopping malls. It is sad to see that unscrupulous builders have encroached upon this forest land. High rises can be seen on the fringes of the Park - the same places that have complained of being terrorized by the Park's wild leopards.

As we drove further inside the Park, we spotted a herd of Spotted deer. It was an unexpected sight so close to the main gate. We stopped and got off from the car, careful to not get too close and invade their privacy. They happily chewed on, mildly amused at the small crowd slowly gathering around them. Not far from here, we ran into a bunch of langurs. We stopped again but dared not step out of the car. Instead, we rolled up our windows. We've been in such situations. No food was given out, but expecting some, a few younger ones clamored up the car, trying to peek in - just to make sure they weren't being cheated. The older ones just watched from the sidelines.

The road led to the Kanheri Caves. I had grossly underestimated this place. I hadn't even bothered to look it up before the visit. Expecting just a small cave, I was now confronted with 109 caves! We would have to return the next morning for this. So it was that I woke up at 7am on a Sunday. The caves were worth it. They have been maintained well by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and there are some restoration works currently underway. The higher you climb, the better the view gets. The rocks might get slippery during the rains  making it difficult to climb, so December and January are the best time to visit here. Most of the caves are devoid of any ornamentation and are basic living quarters, as one would expect in a Buddhist monastery. However, some of them have beautiful carvings and murals. We didn't see all 109 caves but we did make it to the top and had an out-of-Bombay experience. Just a few minutes away was the chaos of Bombay but standing  here, we felt it may as well have been a few hours away.

The famed lion/tiger safari on the other hand was a big let down. The ticket counters didn't open on time, the buses were small and noisy, filled with even louder passengers. The ticket for the 15 minute tour is Rs50 for adults and Rs25 for children. The tour takes you to 2 enclosures - one that has a solitary white tiger, and the other a pair of Royal Bengals. They looked depressed as any confined animal would be. The tour continued to the area which is the domain of an old lion. He was asleep and only managed to only open his eye to acknowledge the loud chatter coming from the bus. Been there, done that - now move on. End of tour. The tour could have been so  much better if only the bureaucrats would take away the red tape surrounding the Park. People would pay more to see healthier and happier animals. Have provisions for serious wildlifers to go on a separate tour with a naturalist or forest guide. Provide the enclosed animals with adequate stimulation. Educate people on how to behave in a National Park. So much potential going to waste.
Nevertheless, it is a great place to spend a weekend at. Take your camera, picnic baskets, bicycles, or just go in for a long walk. BNHS and others organize small group tours - from butterfly and bird watching to rappelling and trekking. A weekend well spent.