Trek to Shiv Gange

The Bangalore weather being a delight for the last couple of weeks, it was time the long standing plan of going for a trek was executed. Saturday night, we were left enthralled by Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, a beautiful take on Milkha Singh. The whole experience of knowing about the great athlete left us inspired and raring to go. But not enough to get up early next morning for a trek to Shiv Gange!! We almost called it off and rolled over to catch up on our sleep, but our son decided otherwise. He woke us with “Amma – Appa – get up, we are supposed to be climbing the mountain today to watch butterflies!”

Oh yeah?! J Not wanting to disappoint him, we mechanically went through our morning rituals, had breakfast, and pushed ourselves out of our home by around 10:30 am. Once on the road, there was no looking back. After a small detour to Malleswaram, we proceeded towards Tumkur road. Taking a left at Dobbaspet, we were welcomed by wonderful views of the ShivGange hill from afar. It looked absolutely enchanting with a halo of cloud hanging so low that it engulfed the top most tip of the hill!

We drove on till we reached the foot of the hill, parked our car and made sure we had our stomach’s fill of ragi rotis, jackfruits and biscuits to keep us going for the next 2 hours (or so we thought). With a picture book idea of what a trek consists of, I started loading a backpack with a water bottle, left over biscuits, chocolates …. but wait, before I could complete, my husband told me to drop the entire bag back into the car and climb up bare handed. Disappointment writ all across my face, I didn’t argue, because I knew he was right as soon soon as he mentioned MONKEYS. We at least needed a water bottle, said my MIL, and carried one in a plastic bag and we started on the trek.

After hardly a 20 step climb, where the paths forked, with one leading towards the temple and the other going on to the top of the hill, we had our first (and last) close encounter with a primate. The little fellow stopped us on our tracks and jumped at the plastic bag that my MIL carried. She tried to explain to the little fella that it was nothing but a water bottle. He growled, and we concluded (thank god for that!) that he didn’t quite get us. We threw the cover away, to show him that we were speaking the truth, and tried to move on. He wouldn’t let us get away so easily. He pulled at my MIL’s saree and growled again. Oh well, we lost the battle and gracefully handed him the water bottle. Off he went with it and started opening it. We didn’t stay on to see what he did, but were glad that we could now get on with our trek.

We took the route to the trek and started our walk. I told my son (a little chatterbox), to save up his energy, and take deep breaths on the way up. He followed my instructions to the T. As long as we didn’t grab their attention, the monkeys pretty much kept to themselves. However, we did note one naughty fellow grab a fellow tourist’s back pack and run away with it. When he found that there was nothing interesting in it, he just left it there for the tourist to pick it up again.

We kept continuing on the trek, with a few stops to catch our breath and of course the view all around! There was a pleasant breeze blowing all through the climb, making our climb enjoyable. Every time we looked down below, the sights never ceased to amaze us. After around an hour of climbing, we reached the huge white colored statues of Shiva and Parvathi, and heaved a sigh of relief, assuming we had finally made it to the top. We stopped to buy a bottle of water, and the kind lady selling it explained that we were just half way to the top. My jaws literally dropped open, and I took a few swigs of water to regain my composure. A few pictures later, we resumed the trek, with only my son still being at the same enthusiasm level as the start about climbing further. He refused to hold any of our hands and went on climbing. With him to inspire us, we moved on.

This section was the more difficult of the two parts. The climb was steep, with little narrow steps etched out of the rocks itself. Railings at most places helped us with the climb. Fellow trekkers ranged from as young as 4 year olds, to a 70 year old lady! There was even a lady who had lost one of her hands, and climbed with ease with just one hand to guide her through. While most of them were encouraging, some told us it was impossible to make it to the top.

We concentrated on the climb, enjoyed the breeze and finally reached the famous Nandi, which stood with all its might atop a precarious looking rock. Looking at it from down below, I didn’t think twice about climbing. Quickly reaching the top, I started to go around the Nandi when my heart skipped a beat. I had to walk past a grill which extended out beyond the rock to nothing-ness! Though it was just one step through nothingness to safety it was enough to give a scare. The next difficult part was the descent from the Nandi. While climbing up did not seem such a great deal, the descent seemed impossible. The surface seemed like a plain fall down, and it seemed almost close to impossible to get the foot into a crevice. After relaxing for a couple of minutes and watching the others do it, I finally managed to get down safely. The next few steps to reach the top of Shive Gange were almost a cake-walk, and we finally reached the top. The view all around us was more than worth all the efforts we put into the climb. We finally realized what it meant to feel on top of the world! The looming clouds made the view simple breathtaking. It was just enough to sit there, enjoy the peace and quiet, and relish the fact of accomplishing the climb!

Some tips to make your travel enjoyable and ensure it has minimum effect on the environment:

Travel light, preferably empty handed.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Eat sufficient to keep you energetic for 4 hours, before starting the travel.

Wear trousers with multiple pockets, and carry only absolute necessities in those.

Start the climb early in the morning, so that you can finish before the sun is out.

Do not litter. There are dustbins available at all the little foodie joints. Dispose waste there. Else carry it back with you.

Do not provoke the monkeys. Remember, it’s their habitat that we are invading and not vice versa. Leave them alone, and they will leave you alone.

Summer fun 2013

Summer spread its wide enticing wings in front of us. We cousins had decided that the meeting point would be Pune this time. This was so that the ladies (read girls) could catch up and freak out while the kids were being looked after by the grand mom (who loved to do just that!).  So that’s what we did, and what a blast we had. Of course we made it up to the kids by taking them to parks everyday to run around, fun zones in malls, EPIC 3D, tons of ice creams, and last but not the least – an outing to Pavana Huts – an agro tourism destination.  Pavana Huts was a petite farm house with acres of land around it, and lots of space for kids to run around, play, soak in the atmosphere of the fields and subject their taste bugs to awesome home-cooked delicacies. The website indicated that the place does not claim to be anything out of the ordinary. It was a break from the routine, in the lap of nature.

Run by Mr. Prasadh G Yelakar, Pavana Huts is the outcome of a simple idea of setting up a little farm, and opening it to people who would like to get an idea of farm life, see what it is like to grow their own crops, vegetables and fruits, laze around in the pond and just relax. Situated near Pune, in a place called Kamshet, it is easily accessible if you have your own vehicle. It takes around an hour and a half’s drive from Pune city to reach the place, and Mr. Prasadh is very accurate with his directions. As we entered through the narrow drive-way and parked our vehicle, we were welcomed by Mr. Prasadh’s eager parents. They had setup a small table with a heavenly breakfast of Poha and Upma, made in the authentic Maharashtrian style. After double helpings of the same, came some strong and super sweet chai. Though we would have preferred it a little less sugary, the chai masala that came fresh from their farm made up for it.

After that Mr. Kelkar, ever so enthusiastic about his current retired life, and ready to share his experiences, took us around the house. He had a bedroom which visitors could use to rest, at a nominal price. Beyond the hall was a kitchen where they cooked for themselves as well as the visitors. The cooking was done on chulhas which were used in olden days, to retain the taste of the rotis. They had bags of rice, jowar, bajra stored in the wide kitchen which doubled up as a store room. The 70something Mr. Kelkar explained to us that this was the best decision he had taken in his entire life - to give up working, and self sustain himself and his wife on their own farm. He seemed to enjoy walking around the fields, dealing with the couple of farmers he had, give out instructions to the boys who helped him with the electricity, plumbing, building etc.

He then took us around the farm, showing us the various crops of jowar, bajra, rice, and the various veggies and fruits that were growing around. Since it’s been just a few years from inception, they are still figuring out the seasons and how / which crops grow better when.  There was a guinea pig and rabbit coop, where the kids stepped in and they were thrilled to hold the little animals in their hand.

We did a session of boating in their man made pond just for the fun of it. Kayaking was also an option, though we didn’t give it a shot. Rest of the morning we literally slept in water. Another man made pond which was had around one and a half feet depth of water, called out to us! And none of us could resist. We lazed around for 2 hours and didn’t feel a wee bit of the heat. The kids freaked out in the water slides and the water showers, and refused to step out of it. We finally dragged them out to change for lunch.

Lunch preparation was simple Maharashtrian thali, which had their trademark Bhakri Zunka, Zunka bhakri - Maharashtrian dish is a traditional chickpea or besan based wet mix which is then tempered with mustard seeds, garlic paste and curry leaves. This zunka is then stirred with fried onion mix and enjoyed hot with jowar or bajra bhakris or rotis. Along with this was dal chawal, which we had just to taste the heavenly smelling farm grown rice. There was salad and papad to go along with, sheera and last but not the least, masala buttermilk. Buttermilk was the best part of the whole meal, and the couple served us as many helpings of the same as we wanted. There was a small bell – pizza hut ishtyle – which we could ring if we liked the food. This was to let the cooks know that their efforts were more than appreciated.

Stuffed, we contemplated as to whether we sleep, or do a trip to the near-by Pavana dam. Unanimous decision was SLEEP! J After a short refreshing nap, what next? Tea and garma garam pakodes!! Phew. Was there any space left in our tummies? Oh no, but the onion pakodes were too tempting to resist. We chatted around, and Mr. Kelkar picked an eighty year old tortoise out of its container and let it walk around. The kids got a touch and feel of the animal.

Finally, some pictures later, we said our byes to this lovely homely couple, and went back to Pune after a relaxed day! For more details visit - http://www.pavnahuts.com/

Soup time folks...

I saw this interesting soup preparation on the "Food Food" channel a few days back, and was really eager to try it out.

This recipe is a part of 'A Slice of Summer', the theme of the month all May in The Alternative, an online publication on sustainable living

Yellow Pumpkin and Sweet Corn soup. Hmm. An interesting combination. Got a chance to try it out yesterday. Here's the recipe -

My measurements here served five. The veggies - a small packet of shelled sweet corn, a 200 gm piece of yellow pumpkin and one medium sized onion. Dice up the onions and the yellow pumpkin. Heat a pan, add a teaspoon of butter into it, and saute onions till they turn golden brown. Add the diced pumpkins and sweet corn, some salt to taste, and fry for 2 minutes. Transfer this mixture into a pressure cooker, add three cups of water and cook the vegetables well. Drain the water and keep the water aside as vegetable stock. Puree the cooked vegetables well in a mixer. Add the vegetable stock and boil the soup for 5 minutes. Serve hot with some freshly ground pepper to suit individual taste. You could also add cream to the soup before serving.

I prefer the fibre of the veggies and corn in my soup. If you like your soup smooth, strain the pureed vegetables and then add the stock and bring to a boil. The soup had a nice sweetish flavor to it from the yellow pumpkin, and also a streak of peppery hotness to it. Freshly ground pepper gives a distinct flavor, the emphasis here on "freshly" ground :)... helps to keep that in mind. Didn't take pictures this time to give you a visual idea, but the outcome was simply awesome.