November 3, 2013

Matheran-For a quick energised getaway

Its been some 30 years I last visited Matheran, but at first glance i can safely say that it has stayed the same rustic, natural self. Branches fallen everywhere, red mud grounds, autumn leaves all dried up and the stable of horses plying at every corner of every cobbled sandy street in Matheran.
Matheran is an eco sensitive hill station approximately 2,600 feet above sea level. The British developed Matheran, the smallest hill station in India. Its hills continue to stay protected from private vehicles since no form of automobiles are allowed. Here comes in the use of Horses and Hand rickshaws ( shocking , sad to see but true!)


Whats not to like about Matheran. The weather is cooler and less humid than Mumbai , the grandiose of all animals everywhere, the lakes , void of mosquitoes and above all the absence of vehicles makes this its biggest draw!

MTDC Resort Matheran near Mumbai



We stayed at the MTDC resort quickly realising its address should ideally be Matheran car parking. But fortunately the climb to the Bazaar Road was optional and we actually faced mostly floating traffic and not the congregation of tourists that occurs all along the market road. The main market road was hectic, dusty , lined with small and large retail outlets that catered mostly to tourists looking for small insignificant souvenirs.
There are astoundingly 28 look out points in Matheran that offer panoramic views of the surrounding hillsides and valleys.Some of these points are Alexander Pt., Rambag Pt, Little Chowk Pt, Big Chowk Pt, One Tree Hill Pt, Belvedere Pt, Olympia Race Course, Lords Pt, Charlotte Lake, Pisharnath Mahadev Mandir, Celia Pt (a water fall mouth), Echo Pt., Porcupine Pt (Sun Set Pt), Panorama Point (Sun Rise Pt), Khandala Pt, Madhavji Garden & Point, Matheran Railway Station, Louisa Point, Mayra Point, Pisarnath Temple.(Source:Wikipedia)
Intersetingly enough at Echo point, we have a zipline for the adventurous souls. Quite the ride, the view and the plunge in my opinion. The views from any point are breathtaking. Its like time just stands still here with not a sound to disturb the natural beauty. Of course at Echo point, there are many groups of individuals attempting the actual echoing. Horses cant saunter down to Echo point but they do park themselves close by for a break from the barrage of tourists and some of the slippery rocky routes leading to the various touristy zones.
As one easily succumbs to the sightseeing points in Matheran ,its gives you a chance to see the untouched beauty that still exists dotted along the horse tracks to the eventual drop off points.
The horse trainers /owners were extremely accommodating and stuck to the business of droppping and picking. After much horse riding , we were left a bit achy. It stretches muscles and parts of your body that should ideally be rested on vacations but one rationalises that its very rarely one gets a chance to experience the animal and nature so close to city life. Good walking shoes are imperative for such nature trips and trails are quite the challenge. We had a close call of slipping and landing on our fours on the way down much after the sun had set and the trails are not well lit so we did tread with a bit of caution as we trekked our way down to MTDC.
There was one fantastic Indian restaurant located at Hotel Anand Ritz that served up some finger licking authentic Punjabi cuisine. We had to watch for the prying hungry and might i add mischievous eyes of the monkeys threatening to attack at every restaurant rooftop or hotel entrance or room window! After awhile you learn how.
Matheran railway station had the famous toy train that was highly recommended though didn't seem very exciting. However it helped to cut the journey to our hotel short by atleast 30 minutes so it was well the wait and the slow chugging that we had to endure to get around.
MTDC rooms were clearly lacking of anything 'deluxe' or 'superior' but they had the wooden rooftops and were quite spacious in size. The restaurant prepared food in the most unappetizing ways and provided the most basic dining experience but we were more than delighted to shift to our neighbouring room to quickly recuperate from a demanding horse ride.
There are many memories to the Matheran wilderness that will stay with us and will turn to this lovely hill station for that brisk breath of fresh air.





4 comments:

  1. Nice post. Matheran is energized hill station in Maharashtra. Sightseeing points, Resorts are the main attraction of tourist. Pollution free airs fresh our mind.
    Radha cottage matheran

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice Information about matheran sightseeing points and their environment . These points are the main attraction of tourist. Visit Matheran and get fresh from daily routine.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Amit...Pls do reccommend by other posts as well...

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