The Bombay Balchão walk with author, Jane Borges and Swapbook in Mumbai

Walking around in Mumbai, especially in the older parts of the city, is like walking through a treasure trove of the city’s history. In some instances, these treasures are hidden, just waiting to be unearthed. But in many cases they are in plain sight and all you need to do is pay attention. I love exploring my own maximum city and whenever I am not traveling and have the time, I join a group or some friends to walk around some of Mumbai’s old neighbourhoods. On one such weekend I joined a group of friends from Swapbook and author, Jane Borges, as she took us on a quick tour of the various locations featured in her recently released book, Bombay Balchão – talking about the old Christian neighborhoods of South Mumbai, their history, culture and the people.

Dabul, an old Christian neighbourhood of South Mumbai, Maharashtra

My review of the Kundalika Rafting, a Nature Trails Resort in Kolad, Maharashtra

For our recent trip to Kolad, I was researching for accommodation options when I came across Kundalika Rafting – a Nature Trails Resort, an eco-tourism resort with a focus on nature and generating local employment. The online pics and reviews were good, so we booked a one-night stay in a superior deluxe tent. They had multiple options and packages (for meals and activities) available and I booked our stay to include dinner and breakfast (there didn’t seem to be any other options close to the resort). We didn’t book any adventure sports / activities in advance and chose to decide on them after arriving at the resort.

Our camp, Kolad, Maharashtra, India

A Quick Weekend Trip – River Rafting in the Kundalika River in Kolad, Maharashtra

Any mention of river rafting instantly conjures images of a raft on the waters of the mighty river Ganga in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. And for as long as I can remember I have wanted to go for this amazing adventure sport. But for one reason or another my rafting plans have never materialized.  I closely missed another rafting opportunity in May this year but then quite by chance, I figured that river rafting is done on the Kundalika river in Kolad, Maharashtra. There are quite a few other activities on offer too, but the most famous one is river rafting and A & I decided to go check this out.

Driving to Kolad, Maharashtra, India

An Evening with a Million Fireflies in Purushwadi, Maharashtra

“Imagine walking along a meandering path with very many twinkling fairy lights moving all around you in pitch darkness. Inspiring an innocent wonder, adding a bit of magic to the air and bringing out the child in you in trying chase these lights.” – To sum it up in a few words this was my experience at my first sight of thousands of fireflies at the recent Fireflies Festival in Purushwadi with Grassroutes.  

Festival of Million Fireflies at Purushwadi. Pic courtesy Sunny Lamba

Konkan Diaries 3: Malvan and my first sight of dolphins in the Arabian sea

Continuing the stories of my Konkan journey here is the next chapter – Konkan Diaries 2.

Our second day in Konkan is my favorite with some unusual activities and unexpected surprises. We had decided to visit Malvan and see Shivaji’s famous fort of Sindhudurg that we all had read so much about in our school history textbooks. In ancient times, Malvan was known as ‘Mahalavan’ meaning a region rich in salt (“Maha” means salt and “lavan” means plantation of salt). Per Wikipedia another possibility is that it’s a phonetic derivative of the word “Mad” meaning “coconut” and “Ban” meaning “gardens” for the large number of coconut trees in this area. And if I was to decide between the two based on the current scenario, I would go with the latter.

River Karli and its backwaters, Konkan Maharashtra

We started the day with a quick visit to the local village’s small weekly bazaar and post that left for Malvan.

Konkan Diaries 2: Parule and its pristine beaches

Continuing my experiences from Konkani Diaries 1.

After an adventurous overnight journey we finally reached Kudaal (the nearest bus station for Parule) early morning and got off at the bus stop on the highway. Here we met with Bapat Bhaiya – our host, guide and driver for the entire Konkan trip. Bapat Bhaiya loaded all our stuff in the car and gave us a quick introduction to the area during the car journey. We drove through the town of Kudaal that looked like any tier-two town in India with random concrete buildings everywhere and a big market. But once we were out of Kudaal the scenery changed dramatically. Sitting in the back of the car I had my ears tuned to Bapat Bhaiya’s stories but my eyes were trying to soak in all the elements of the world outside my window. This entire area was extremely scenic with a very Kerala and Goa like look and feel. It was green everywhere with small red brick houses and sloping roofs, long winding roads, mango, palm, coconut and cashew tress all around creating nice canopies, lush green fields (majorly paddy) and red soil, characteristic of this region, making a nice contrast with all the green. In many places the road was at a height and the village cozily nestled amongst palm and coconut trees below.

Pat Lake, Parule – Kudaal, Konkan

Konkan Diaries 1: Planning the trip and the journey

Konkan… A strip of land along the coastal stretch of Maharashtra and strategically located between the hills of the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. This unique geographical position has endowed this entire coastal belt with hills, beautiful golden sandy beaches, pristine backwaters, lush green fields, swaying coconut trees, coves and lagoons and so much more. I have lived in Mumbai all my life and heard many amazing reviews and stories from fellow bloggers and friends returning from a road / bike trip in this region. But somehow my trips never materialized.

My favorite beach, Bhogwe Beach, Konkan Maharashtra

5 reasons why Sindhudurg must be on your Travel Wish List for 2015

Sindhudurg, the southernmost district in the Konkan belt of Maharashtra and just above Goa, is a traveler’s paradise with stunning panoramas, beautiful golden sandy beaches, pristine backwaters, quaint villages, rare temples, awesome food, amazing people and so much more. Surprisingly (though I am not complaining and I hope it stays that way) it has also managed to remain a secret and avoid hordes of tourists who end up visiting Goa instead.

Sunset at the Kille Nevati Beach, Konkan, Maharashtra

Street art, murals and graffiti in Dharavi, Mumbai

Anyone who has ever heard of Dharavi knows that its famous for being one of the largest slums in the world and the place to go for slum tours (for tourists!). But since November this year it has added another feather to its cap – its very own street art and graffiti. For this project, 20 internationally renowned street artists from all over the world (with different art styles and techniques) came together along with the St+Art Foundation and brought street art to select areas in Mumbai – mainly Bandra and Dharavi.

One of my favorite murals by Gomez

Photographing my way through Chor Bazaar (Thieves Market) in Mumbai

Mumbai has some interesting and unique nooks & corners, one of them being our local Chor Bazaar. “Chor” in Hindi means “thieves” and “Bazaar” means a “market”, hence literally translated “Chor Bazaar” means “Thieves Market”. Per Wikipedia this market is one of the largest flea markets in India and has a fascinating history. Apparently this market was originally called Shor Bazaar, meaning “noisy market”, but with British mispronunciation “shor” became “chor” and the name stuck. Eventually stolen goods started finding their way here and hence this market started living upto its name. These days Chor Bazaar is famous for all kinds of antique / vintage products and other interesting things ranging from clocks, all kinds of instruments, furniture, glassware, brassware, lamps, ceramics, Bollywood posters, ceramics, coins, miniature cars, etc etc. Basically its possible to find anything here from cute to bizarre to the regular. 🙂

All kinds of knick knacks