Kadia Dungar: Adventure in Buddhist Caves 

                             

“ I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - Air, mountains, trees, people. I thought,” this is what it is to be happy.” - Sylvia Path 

            This was our trip in February when the scary second peak was not engulfing us in its flames. Though we were sacred of COVID the urge to meet families was surpassing all our fears... we were a little bit relaxed...and with all due precautions, we had selected this place. Quiet isolated and natural and beautiful all the same.  

                                    

          With one sister dropping directly from Surat and the other sister joining us from Baroda it was much-needed family reunion at a place as near to Baroda as far from surat went from here.. This was our family meeting place...and just like that this NEW experience became lifetime memory...

                                           

          The Kadia Dungar is a small hill near Zagadia, Bharuch. It also has ancient Buddhist caves. You can climb the hill in two ways- one is stairs and another is to climb the hill from the trail just before the main entrance. We preferred the second one. It was an easy trek. Just be a little extra cautious with kids. 

                                   

       

                                                                                        

                                

     The caves are really good but need more maintenance. While going down also we didn’t go through stairs, instead, just get down from the hill. Behind the hill, there is a huge banyan tree spreading its roots and branches like a giant protecting everyone in its vicinity and also who is far away... It is amazing!!  

                                         

                                           

                                           

         In the vicinity of the hill, there is one serene lake also. Walk from the hill to the lake is via main road only. 

                         

      So this was our small picnic with family and trying something new. Because we crave for NEW...But what is new? 

New 

Be grateful 

Be grateful to the NEW

A new day 

A new week 

A new month

A new year

Those new drops of the dew on grass 

That new bud tingling to blossom 

Those new leaves after winter 

And also those old leaves with 

New autumn colors 

A new friend 

A new song

A new home 

A new task, you prolong

A new book’s smell 

The new YOU that others repel

Be thankful 

For all the new

New perfume fragrance 

To the new food you taste 

New summer icecream flavors 

To the New dairy milk silk you break 

New phone app

New lengthy but powerful rap 

A new place you visit 

A new quirky habit 

New smiling eyes behind the mask 

New helping hand before you ask

We crave for new 

They give us hope 

Like shining light in the dark night 

Like cozy blanket in frosty wintertide

If not anything 

They make us 

Value, treasure, cherish 

Our OLD.... 

With love..

KAASH 

SASHA

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/K8puRZ1dtLKkpRZH8

Distance from Vadodara - 114 km

Time- 2 hours 7 min via main national highway 

Point to consider: 

- Please take food if you are planning to stay for more time because you won’t be getting anything nearby 

- Beware of monkeys. They will disturb you while climbing the hill also. 

- It is a better place for monsoon and winter. 

Kotna beach- amazing beach so near to your home in Vadodara

 Hi...

            Want some quiet time. But don’t want to go far. 

            Want some solemn yet not complete isolation.

           We will take you to the right place. Just outside our Vadodara, near Sindhrot yet far from its hustle-bustle, we have a wonderful river bank - Kotna. 

                                   

           It is actually an excavation site. So there will be people there, always. Just workers with their JCB and dump truck coming at regular intervals, shattering our peace like a glass..making us feel that we are in the city in fact. So near yet so far...   

          When Sheel found it, I was totally surprised to see such an amazing place in such a vicinity. We parked our car quite far and walked to the beach. But the car can go all the way up to the beach. And from there we can go to the middle of the river. Kids got mad with all the pebbles they could play with... who need gems and diamonds when we found some some amazing collection of our pebbles there.. heart-shaped and star-shaped... 

             The soft glow of the morning Sun was creating tiny little sparkles like diamonds all over and the water so still that we can see our reflection!!! Isn’t the same happens with our emotions also... when we are still, we are calm, our natural radiance ooze positivity to all around us...

                                      

        We went there again, in the evening and oh my!!!! The beauty of this river never ceases to amaze us... gentle ripples of water, inclement sky, serene atmosphere with the smell of impending rain, setting sun creating beautiful rangoli, chirping birds with wonderful melodies, the soothing wind tickling our face, clouds with silver linings, and finally few drops of rain... if was the perfect evening...

                                              

        We were lost in those moments... there were few people around us but we were in our own little world in this mystical weather... 

       As we always say, the river is there to calm us and at the same time to energize us...this weekly dose of wilderness capsule is doing wonders to our family in this difficult time. What about you? don’t wait... either go in the morning or in the evening.... u will be pleased like anything...

Location:   https://goo.gl/maps/uoxDvLwKrPGP6LKf8

Distance from Vadodara - 17 km. 30-35 minutes drive. 

Be safe

Lots of love

Kaash...

SaSha...

Kavi Kamboi - Sunset filled with hopes and dreams

Kavi Kamboi - Sunset filled with hopes and dreams 

     

       What can we say about this place? It is mesmerizing and serene that no words will do justice to its beauty...

  

                             

          Again we wanted a quiet place and we wanted to watch a sunset, rather we wanted to feel it...what better place than the Gulf of Khambhat... Kavi Kamboi is the place where the Mahi river opens into the Gulf of Khambhat. We can’t appreciate where the rivers end and where the sea starts... the gentle waves give you a feeling of the sea but the patience of water suggests the presence of river within...Isn’t it true in our quotidian life? We always search for waves of happiness and euphoria, but that subtle peace, small enjoyment, and contentment are so near to us...we run quite far yet it’s within us... just as the river aims to reach the ocean, she passes her entire journey, but the ocean is herself only...

  

                                        

                                        

           The beach in the vicinity of the temple is so clean, quiet, and peaceful. There is another small Meldi Maa temple near the main Stambeshwar Mahadev temple. We parked our car there and went up to the main temple walking. We didn’t go into the main temple and see the submerging of the Shivling as we wanted to avoid the crowd and we are surely going to visit again for that...

     

                                          

                                          

           So if you are planning to avoid the main temple then this is the perfect secluded and tranquil shore for you. You can easily build your small cocoon and enjoy your evening like us...

     

                                                   

                                                    

        

               And then it happened...the sun was slowly descending towards the horizon, changing the shades of the sky just like shades of fire...Giving us new hopes like colors in the sky... Hopes for the new day... Hopes for a better tomorrow...Hopes for the new beginning after hypnotizing end... Giving us hope that all ends are beautiful, we just need eyes to find our favorite color among them...It’s not the sad end or doom feeling but the beauty in front of us that matters... Making us realize that we are nothing in this vast universe, just a mere speck...And as the setting sun can give us new aspiration and a new promise of another day, we ourselves can certainly do that for us!! As Kafka said, “Everything that you love, you will eventually lose, but in the end, love will return in a different form."

                                      

                                      

                                      

              So please do visit whenever you can and visit around the time of sunset. Just sit with your friends or family, take a breath and relax and just thank the universe for giving us such beauty which we ignore on daily basis... thank Mother Nature for creating such miracles without fail...You will feel blessed. Blessed to just be alive!!!

Location - Shree Stambheshwar Mahadev Temple -       https://goo.gl/maps/HVoPLM7Ztz15aPzq7

Distance from Vadodara:2 hours 7 minutes

Points to consider : 

- You can definitely avoid it in summer and during day time as there is no place with shade in the vicinity. 

- The main temple is an important religious point of view so you will not be quite isolated there. 

- Please check the tide timings as you might not enjoy much during low tide. 

to check tide status please check: https://www.tideschart.com/India/Gujarat/Anand/Khambhat/

http://www.stambheshwarmahadev.com/cs_ministry/tide-timings/

- The beach in between the main Stambeshwar Mahadev temple and Meldi Maa temple is quite clean so please keep it that way. 

- While going you can take Canal Road, it’s beautiful, but it’s lonely and can be dangerous also so please avoid it at night or if you are going alone. You can take the state highway from Jambusar. 

On the beach, small flying insects are there may be due to saltwater, so please take mosquito repellent spray for kids. 

          That's all from our side. will meet you all again next week with a new place...

A morning at Sindhrot check dam

 Hello!!!!

        We love our rivers...I have a fascination with rivers. My parent's house is at the river bank. I can sit there indefinitely and just look at the serenity of the Tapi river. She is so calm and blissful. 

      All of our rivers are like that. The positivity we get from the river is immense. Kiddos also loved Tapi. But during our trip to Dooars, which requires another few posts, we were amazed to see their love for rivers. I grinned from ear to ear the way they dive in the Jaldhaka and Murti rivers and cherished the view of the Teesta river.

      So we started planning our excursions more along the river banks. And when you are staying in Vadodara, which is better than our dearest Mahi...

        Up till now, we have seen the Mahi river from ten different places. She is never the same, just like us. After feeling her tranquility, we were different persons every time after our visits. She gives us the motivation to be like her, tranquil yet agile. I can feel why we have a temple at every river bank. We Indians are spiritual. It is in our blood. So these temples at river banks or at mountain peaks are the reason to take us to visit serene places from our mundane worlds. 

                                   

        Our younger one has the desire to see and feel the beauty of river Mahi from all the possible places, in all three states and after hearing this we were doing a happy dance...

       Here I am sharing our picnic at Sindhrot check Dam. Instead of going to the bridge, we need to take a turn at Sindhrot village where there is Mahisagar Mata temple. It is crowded, as people and kids from the nearby village go there for swimming regularly and it has religious purpose also. But we can’t complain about the crowd in our country. We are part of it. We are equally responsible for this crowd. 

                             

       But still thanks to Shaurya, we were able to find one secluded small mound and that was enough for us. We just sat there enjoying the calmness of the river just before she hopped over the dam merrily.  

                                                                                                                                                          

           So, go and check it out...SINDHROT CHECK DAM

        You might find peace of mind...You might find the purpose of life...and if nothing else u will always get some quiet time...

          

Location:  https://goo.gl/maps/m9VmeEDAjiUUHttv6

            Thank you. See you next week...

Vyasbet- Island experience in Narmada...

Vyasbet- Island experience in Narmada...

Hello all, 

                      So this post is about an amazing island journey in the middle of our Reva...I don't have enough words to describe the beauty of this amazing river... The peace we get from her is immense. She makes us more compassionate and more considerate.  

              We went to Barkal, Narmada kutir and from there walked up to the Vyasbet along the river. Vyasbet is a beautiful island with a serene Narmada river on either side.   

                                               

                 The way to the Vyasbet along the river shore is rocky and full of rocks, pebbles, and sand. It was a tough walk and a little difficult for kids. but they were excited as it was a different trail experience and as it was a little windy and the air was extremely fresh. 

                                      

                                                                                             

                                    

            There is a big Shivling in the middle of the river, giving the river a sublime view. Even if you are an atheist, places like this make you will start thinking. Who is the creator? There must be someone who has created this wonderful scenery in front of us. It is impossible to create such beauty with such perfection. 

                                    

               The peaceful pastel rising sun from the opposing bank gave its glory to the river and made us a promise of a new day, a new hope, and a new aspiration...It is a sunrise, an everyday event, so ordinary yet we felt it to be miraculous...

                                             

                                                      

                                              

                                    

             There is a quiet and peaceful temple with numerous trees with Many banyan trees among them. The experience was so divine!!! You will not be able to get anything on the island as it’s in the lap of Mother Nature and it is better to keep it that way... 

                                         

       So please do visit and share your experience with us...

       This place is very quiet and clean so please let's keep it that way...

Location: Vyasbet - https://goo.gl/maps/tFmzw8dgvqWu3msE6

               Barkal Narmada Kutir -  https://goo.gl/maps/tf7FZk5R2X2qubm8A

Distance from Vadodara: 60 km. 1 hour 30 min drive