Monday, October 15, 2012

Amazingly awesome Amboli!

In the southern range of Sahyadri hills, there is a quaint hill station at an altitude of 690m., called Amboli. Being on record as the wettest place in Maharashtra, with an average of nearly 750 centimetres (269 inches) of rainfall a year, mainly falling between June and October, it is shrouded in thick fog most of the time.
When I saw Cinthol’s latest ad on TV ‘Alive is Awesome bathing experience’, I was transported to the most popular waterfall in Amboli, which is around 550kms from Mumbai. Had been there last year, just at the end of the monsoon and got a glimpse of heaven! The drive upto Sankeshwar on the Golden Quadrilateral was smooth but beyond that right upto Amboli it was a slightly bumpy ride on a two laned pockmarked road. The weather right through was beautiful, cloudy and cool. The last 5kms we drove through clouds – heavenly!
Spent the evening having hot chai and hot bhajjias! Then went for a walk in the evening to have a look at the much spoken about waterfall. It did not dissapoint! Was huge and roaring down and there were people at various levels. I decided that my next morning’s bath would be right here under this lovely waterfall!
In Amboli, due to fog and cloudy weather the sun is not sighted till about 11 in the morning! Suited me fine! Woke up leisurely and had a lazy morning lazing around at the MTDC resort and then around half past eleven, drove down for my bath to the heavenly waterfall!


It was a literal mela out there! Families with children in tow and young couples and elderly tourists all had gathered there for a dip in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Got into my swimming trunks and marched resolutely towards the chilly water. Adjacent to the waterfall there are steps that take you right to the top of the waterfall. These steps were covered with water flowing down and I sat there on the steps to get a hydro massage and also to get used to the water temperature. Was incredible! The water pounding down on my 


back and shoulders was so so relaxing!  
Next on the agenda was getting into the pool and standing under the water for the ultimate shower! I did. The feeling is indescribable! It was just awesome! As Cinthol rightly puts it – an ‘Alive is awesome bathing experience’! the roar of the water drowns out every other sound. All that I could hear was the roar of the water falling and then nothing else mattered! Nirvana!
This is something which I feel every human has to experience to get an idea of what an awesome experience can bathing be! Not just the staid standing under the shower in a bathroom or lying comatose in a bath tub. Get out there, commune with nature and get that amazing waterfall bath!
Here is a video of a waterfall bath made by Cinthol.

24 comments:

  1. Great place.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/

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  2. Amazing place, you seem to have loved this experience and we all can see why? :))

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  3. Great Pics as usual, enhanced further by engaging narration

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  4. Amboli Ghat, located in Western Ghats near Savantvadi, is rich in natural biodiversity... Your post renewed my memories again. Thanks for wonderful post!!

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  5. Beautiful post for a beautiful place. Thanks.

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  6. That's an adventurous activity! Kudos to you. Do women also venture out?

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    1. Yes Nisha, you have men, women and children of all ages out to have fun!

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  7. That reminds me it's been ages since I've been to a waterfall. :(
    Amboli does seem like an amazingly awesome place.

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  8. I share your sentiments on Amboli. The place left me mesmerised as I passed through it.Lovely refreshing post!

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  9. Pictures are awesome...good travelogue...

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  10. What a description :) must have been heavenly indeed !

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