Chalo Arnalaaaa ...

As far as possible I try not to go to the same places for my treks and photo walks.It is my quest to see as many new places as I can. I had visited the Arnala sea fort two years ago when I went there with an all women's group as a celebration of International Womens Day.This time around when the Tattva Adventure's group planned to go there ,I decided to join them as some of my old pals were also joining in.Sai and Jaal were the leads and the small group made our way to the seaside from where we had to take a ferry ride to the fort.It was a long wait for the ride so we had time for photo ops and also to take videos on the lines of IIN. It was hilarious to see Jaal and Kshiteej try out different themes for the IIN videos. each time the ferry arrived,there were crowds of people waiting to rush in.Finally we made it inside a crowded ferry and reached the other side.A walk through the Koli village later we reached the fort.The ferry ride was an eventful one,both to and fro from the fort.I wondered why they took in so many passengers at one time .It was really dangerous as during the ride the ferry wobbled precariously.There were many a heart in the mouth moments.A foreign visitor who was also on the ferry made his fear very obvious and kept clutching on to his friend and had a look of discomfort all through the ride.Even before we could get down there were many locals trying to push their way inside the ferry.What a mad rush it was to get a place inside the ferry.The over-loaded  ferry rocked from side to side as we made our way to the other shore.I am sure there was a sigh of relief as we reached the other shore safely both times.We had the introduction round while we waited for the ferry.So when we reached the fort we started exploring it.before we went to the fort we visited a nearby temple. There were many fishermen's houses as we made our way to the fort.The men were busy weaving fishing nets and we saw dried fish all stacked up in toplis ready to be sold in the local market.
An enthusiastic Koli woman and her friend were very curious to see us there.She had many questions for us and she posed for pictures with us. She was happy to meet us and we taught her to say 'Yo!' with the right gesture.The fort was small and we walked along its periphery.There were dry fishes strewn around which we used as props to click pictures.The vast expanse of the sea was visible from the fort.The water of the sea looked very dirty.There were many boats and ferries on the sea.I did not expect it to be so crowded with boats and ferries.far away we could also see a couple of huge ships.It was a hot and humid day yet we enjoyed ourselves bonding,chatting and pulling each others leg.There was some restoration work in progress in some areas of the fort.We took short breaks to sit and chat and click pics.Bernies umbrella, Jaals videos,fish eating snaps,group pics......all kept us busy.As the heat was becoming unbearable ,we made our way to the small Shiva temple in the precincts of the fort.There was a well there which was full of small fish and a few turtles.We felt relaxed once inside the temple.We had a variety of delicacies for lunch and then there was the interview of the Tattva team by our radio interviewer Sagar Maladkar. We had a nice time sitting in the cool shade chatting away happily.The heat had got on everyone's nerves and so everyone decided to call it a day after visiting the nearby beach.There was nothing much to explore in the fort.There was a small Masjid seen in the fort precincts as we made our way out again.There was a wedding celebration going on near the settlement just behind the fort.It was a weekend of celebration for them.We spent some time at the beach and made our way back to the station. It had been a small but enjoyable trek though the heat had made it tough for us to stay longer. I made a few new trekker pals at this trek and they are in touch with me to this day.All in all,it was a day well spent in the company of good friends.

Some snapshots of the good time we had at the Arnala trek.Some of these clicks are courtesy my trekker pals.

Krazzy At Korlai!

A small group of ten, Dus ka Dum! and we made our way towards Korlai fort with the Tattva Adventures group. I am always for these small groups where we can actually bond and have crazzy fun  and that's exactly what we did.It was the scorchingly hot summer so we were thrilled to know that we were travelling in an AC Traveller,we had no idea what awaited us and how this AC gaadi would be the cause of many a discomfort and unexpected fun too.We had our first halt at the famous Dattawadapau stall at the highway.We tasted their yummy and hot snacks like misal-pau, wada-pau and had tea and coffee too.No ride is complete without songs and we sang to our hearts content on our way to the  Korlai fort.Saw small villages on our way there and also many holiday homes and bungalows.Coconut trees,betel nut palms and other trees welcomed us on our way there.The driver was driving quite rashly and we just hoped to reach the trek spot safe and sound.So there we were enjoying a round of ashleel gaanas and ad mad songs(Jingles) when we saw a cement factory and started discussing about it when our AC sawaari stopped without any warning.Try as he might,the driver could not get it going again.He was completely blank as to where the problem lay.We tried our best to do the jor lagaake haisha and push the vehicle but in vain.The heat won and we could not push any more.We were there for a few minutes when Sai decided to take the matter into his worthwhile hands and he and Jaal flagged two JCB's to take us to the trek spot as we were not too far from it. How thrilled we were to ride atop that huge monster of a vehicle!Something we may never ever experience in our lives later. So sometimes even misfortunes have their rewards. Finally ,we walked a few metres through a small fisherman village and also saw many boats docked at the shores and reached the Korlai fort area.Sai and Jaal tried to see whether some local food could be arranged for us for lunch but in vain.We decided to go to the nearest restaurant after the trek.

The scenic beauty of the place amazed us.As we neared the fort we came across the small koli houses and we got a strong whiff of the fishes.Also saw many boats anchored along the shores which made for a lovely photo op.We could see the cool waters of the sea and the nearby light house.I had never ever been to a light house before so was really excited to visit this one.Far on the top we could see the stone steps leading to the fort,but first we had to see the light house.It was my first ever visit to the light house.It was a small colourful structure and had some canons placed around for added glamour.There was a guide who told us all about the usefulness of the lighthouse and it was quite interesting to know how these lighthouses work. Just before that we had our introduction round for our small dus ka dum group.Met old and new trek pals like Amit, Joy, Shruti, Ayaan, Arjun, Mitalee and Krunal and of course the leaders,Sai and Jaal.After the lighthouse visit we started our way up the rocky steps.The fort was in dilaptated condition but the church area was looking newly reconstructed. It was a fort built by the Portuguese.The view from the top was amazing. We had a great time clicking pictures and chatting away like long lost friends.Small groups really provide us the time to bond together.All got lovely pics of the old ruins of the fort and after a short rest and complete exploration of the fort we made our way back to the vehicle.We fervently prayed that there should be no more mishaps with the vehicle and we should reach our destination safely.

Back in the vehicle ,we reached the Surabhi restaurant where we had yummy vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.The non-vegetarians had to shell out an extra Rs.100 for the fishy delights in their thalis.We were all really hungry and ate like real bhukkads and constantly pulled the legs of Arjun and the other vegetarians.After having our fill we rode back to the nearest beach where we clicked jumping Jane clicks and also played a round of Mafia.back to our sawaari and to our bad luck our vehicle suffered a major breakdown and the driver had no clue as to how to get it started again. Sai and Jaal tried their best to see what other arrangements could be made and this time there was no JCB for us but we took an auto ride to the nearest station. During the ride we listened to interesting tales form Sai and Jaal and also sang songs in dedication to each one in the group,that was really great fun!The train ride back to Mumbai was fun-filled too as we sang songs on the way and chatted along. We all had  a great time together and even today I miss that special bond we shared.Hope to meet this Dus ka Dum gang soon and have crazzy funn once again!!!

Here are some snapshots of our lovely trek and visit to the light house.Some of the pictures are courtesy my trek pals.