Ride to lakes around Mumbai - 2. Usgaon

Just after the first wave of Covid19, when the lockdown curbs were eased and everything seemed going back to normal, we (my nephew on his Kawasaki Z650 and me on my Royal Enfield 500) rode to Usgaon lake. An amazingly serene place to visit on a misty wintry morning.

You can reach it by a couple of routes, one is via the Western Express Highway or the other is via the Eastern Express Highway. There is not a significant difference in the distance, either way it is within eighty kilometres from Mumbai. Take your pick. We took the Western Express Highway.

Carry your breakfast with you, have it at the lake in beautiful surroundings and carry back your trash.

Here are a few pictures followed by a short video of the ride. Enjoy.

 

Do check out the video and if you like it do click on like, share and subscribe! Thank you.

Part 9 - Lumbini to Pokhara

The ride of 180kms from Lumbini to Pokhara was a very pleasant ride that we completed in a leisurely 8 hours revelling in the atmosphere.

Pokhara is a honeymooners’ paradise apart from being a base for quite a few treks in the Himalayan

region.  It is most famous for Mount Annapurna which is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres. If you are the real adventurous type, you can go for a trek to the Mount Annapurna Base Camp from Pokhara too.

Boating in the Pokhara lake is one of the most serene activities. You can row the boat to the centre 

and meditate sitting amidst the mountains. It is an amazing feeling.

Or take that flight by microlight aircraft to hover around Mount Annapurna and return!

The cuisine in Pokhara is to suit every possible palate and wallet. You have the Continental, Indian,

Italian (with pizzas baked in wood fried ovens) or the native Nepali food. If you wish to taste Nepali 

food visit the restaurants sporting ‘Thakali kitchen’ boards. There is free wifi available in all the restaurants that line the main street so a great place to hang out and chill.

We spent 2 rejuvenating nights there before heading out to Kathmandu.

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-2-wheeler-odyssey.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2014/12/vapi-to-kapurthala-in-my-2wheeler_16.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/kapurthala-to-keylong-part-3-of-my.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/01/keylong-to-leh-part-4-of-my-2-wheeler.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/02/part-5-our-time-in-leh-ladakh.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/03/part-6-leh-to-tanakpur.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/04/part-7-entering-nepal.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/06/part-8-bardia-to-lumbini.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-9-lumbini-to-pokhara.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/07/part-10-pokhara-to-gangtok.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/10/part-11-gangtok-to-paro.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-12-paro-to-ranchi.html

http://magictravels.blogspot.in/2015/11/part-13-ranchi-to-mumbai-via.html

Kolad - Adventure and rejuvenation

If you live in Mumbai and any time you feel like going river rafting, or maybe just for some time to have a tete a tete with nature, just hop on to your bike/car and head for Kolad which is around 140kms away!

Yes, the river Kundalika out there is fed by various dams at specific times when the dams let out excess water into the river and then the fun begins. One fine Saturday morning, we did just that, though we did not have river rafting in our agenda.

We just wanted to chill on the banks of Sutarwadi lake where this wonderful resort ‘Pooja Farms’ is. The drive took us about three hours and once there, checked into a lovely airconditioned cottage. Spent the afternoon checking out the place and soaking in the atmosphere to unwind all the urban stress. Soon it was time to watch the sky set on fire by the setting sun.It was wonderful watching the sun go down.

Had an early dinner and feeling totally relaxed retired early for the day. We were told that the river rafting begins around ten in the morning and if we wished to catch the action we would have to head over to the neighbouring village and take the assistance of the local boys to guide us to the vantage point from where we could watch the adventurers river rafting. Woke up early in the morning to catch the sunrise and the early birds. Was not disappointed.

After a hearty breakfast we set out for the trek to the vantage point from where we could capture the

sights of the Kundalika river before and after the water is released from the dam and also capture the excitement of the river rafters as they raft by.

We met some enthusiastic youngsters in the village who willingly, for a small monetary consideration, guided us to the spot. The river was more like a stream when we saw it first. The boys told us how high it would rise once the water from the dam was released and showed us where we could rest till then and set up our shooting positions.

We had to wait for a couple of hours and then we saw the birds flying past in panic which told us of the

oncoming rush of water. The gurgling of the stream soon turned into a roar of flowing water. And then we

saw the rafters screaming with pleasure as they raised their oars in acknowledgement. The beauty of this river is that you can go rafting all year round as every morning the dams release water and the river swells just enough for some exciting river rafting. Back to the resort for some lunch after which we rested for a while and returned back to Mumbai feeling rejuvenated and ready to face the urban chaos!

Click here for more details on the various activities one can indulge in Kolad and also how to reach there.