Neja: Mini Kerala of Gujarat         

                                 

Hi, 

            Have you ever felt a cold winter morning breeze taking you to the mountains while you are sipping tea in your balcony, ocean waves passing under your feet while you are walking with your kids on rainy streets, feeling you are in a live concert with an audience of 50,000 while you are watching songs on youtube in your living room? Because wherever you go or wherever your mind wants you to go, your heart always finds a way back home.  A home is a place for someone or a person for some. It's always about the journey, rather than a destination. Journey with the people we love, journey with the people who understand us and to whom we belong. Because our destination will always be Home. And one such journey took us to Neja.

       It's not a spot, it's not a point, rather it's just a village you pass by, a road that takes you somewhere... Hundreds of tall tody palm trees reaching to the sky, whispering to each other, blue sky with white fluffy clouds, sun peeping from the clouds, sunrays kissing the yellow rice farms below, and you with your loved ones grasping all positive energy surrounding you...

                             

                              

                      

        This is what Neja is about. Some calls in Mini Kerala of Gujarat, some calls it Mini Goa. But to us, it is just a serene peaceful morning that we want to pack in our backpacks and take home. We came to know about this place when we were going to Khambhat. It is very near to Khambhat and once you reach near to the village you will feel the difference in atmosphere. You want to turn off that AC and pull down those windows, you want to get down from the car and start walking down the road. We did it... we did it all and we loved each and every moment. 

                            

           There is one lake ahead with Mahadev temple. That's it... Just a stretch of 2-3 km. But you will be amazed to see such beauty so near to you. 

                     

        So whenever you are going near Khambhat just spare a few minutes and get lost in this beauty. 

                             

THAT'S IT.

Love 

SaSha

location of Neja: https://goo.gl/maps/2eFUA3UbaPki7vYV8

Turkheda : Hill with view of Narmada

Turkheda : Hill with view of Narmada

                             

Hi,

          Slowly and gradually kids are understanding the importance of preserving nature and ways to protect her. We are trying our best to sow the seeds. Now the growth of the plant depends on many factors. For example, after understating the pros and cons of flying kites on Uttarayan last week, they were proud of themselves that they have saved at least a few birds. But their enthusiasm went downhill when their peers made fun of them for going out on festival days. And so Shaurya being Shaurya took a printout of news stating how many people and birds were injured during the festival to show it to his friends. We are proud of the way they have handled things.  Hope we are doing the right thing and not keeping them away...

         Anyways, as I have already stated,  on the day of Uttrayan, we went to two amazing places near Vadodara -  Turkheda hill and Hafeshwar. 

                    

        Turkheda is a hill near Kadipani, from which we can appreciate the beauty of Narmada. Our favorite river passing serpiginouly along the hills. The drive up to the hill is a little tricky with a few stretches of raw roads. But with little raw roads comes more beauty and the view is so scenic that you want to take pictures at every turn. 

                      

      To go up to Turkheda, you have to take a left turn from Mogra primary school. After that, the road is pretty much clear. We tried to trek down from the hill and to go up to the river bank but it is quite far.  This is the Mogra primary school. You can take a left turn from here. 

                    

      There is a small temple of Dev Mogra Mata or Moghi Mata at the top with unfinished construction of a big temple. the place seems very safe but better to go before it gets dark as you will not find many people on the way.

So that's it. Short visit to Turkheda.

Thank you.

Hafeshwar Mahadev : Surrender yourself to mother nature

Hafeshwar Mahadev: Surrender yourself to Mother Nature

                       

Hello all, 

           This was our visit on the day of Uttarayan. Until now Uttarayan was a major festival in our household. But with change in time and place, we are also changing. Staying close to nature has made us more nature conscious. May we continue to grow like this and may we continue to nurture our kids with it. 

          What can I write about this mesmerizing place? We were so amazed looking at the beauty in front of us! If you want to see the most beautiful form of the Narmada river in Gujarat, then you need to come to Hafeshwar. We are yet to see her playful form in Madhya-Pradesh. But by far this is the best place to see her calm and serene form. 

                          

                                       

               The road to Hafeshwar is not so good. You just have to follow google maps. The riverbank is slightly ahead of the temple. The old temple is completely submerged in the river after Sardar Sarovar Dam. But the new temple is also beautiful. They also have few rooms. If you are planning to stay, better to confirm first as their first preference is for parikramawasi. I have attached the contact number of the temple below. 

                               

                          

          As you go ahead from the temple, you will see the river in her true glory. The place is at the border of three states. Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya-Pradesh. The borders are within the river herself. From here the river flows in Gujarat and enriches our lives. 

                       

                       

                             

           The meaning of Narmada in Sanskrit is 'The giver of pleasure' and it is true in every essence. Just by sitting at the banks of Narmada and looking at her vastness in Hafeshwar, we truly feel blessed. 

                      

                              

                The local people also provide boating services to the nearby island and site of the original temple. Though the safety measures are doubtful, the boat ride is worth every risk. We also enjoyed little camping with Maggie here. 

                            

                                   

                              

                                                

           Sometimes we take things for granted...We get so busy in our routine that we fail to understand the importance of small things...and then comes slow and gradual fading of gratitude...So don't let this routine consume you so much that you stop becoming yourself first. Because we are not our routine, we are much much beyond that. We realize this every time we come to the lap of mother nature.      

Be grateful 

Those calls from Maa

Asking about your day 

What have you eaten? 

What have you made? 

Did kids finish their homework? 

Those worries of a father

You should take proper care 

Don’t shout at kids 

No, no ! this is not the right way 

Drive more carefully 

Those innocent smiles of kids 

Those abrupt hugs 

Those never-ending stories 

And some tantrums too 

Their fights and their silliness 

Those long talks with siblings 

Sometimes ego clashes

Sometimes agreeing on the weirdest things 

Shared online shopping 

Crying and laughing on the phone screen 

Those long drives with hubby 

Midnight coffee dates 

To romantic candlelight dinners 

Those cozy blanket snuggles 

To silent reading sessions 

Those tall green trees in forests

Susurration of flowing rivers 

Chirping of birds in mountain 

Water caressing your feet at the shore

And the gentle blow of winds 

Are you oblivious to all these? 

Have you taken anything for granted? 

Please don’t 

Admire little pleasure 

These are moments to treasure 

Understand hidden emotions 

Life is all about appreciation 

Be thankful...

Be grateful...

                       - Kaajal 

With lots of love...

SaSha

Kaash. 

Location of temple: https://goo.gl/maps/Tc13gfjHiEBCJGKq6

Contact number of temple person: 9978014051

 

Sura Sultanpura : Sometimes you just need to follow the roads

Sura Sultanpura : Sometimes you just need to follow the roads

                   

Hello, 

    

            Time...Since I was a kid, my father has followed one mantra - " Samay thi pahela and bhagya thi vadhu kadi maltu nathi"- means "We don't get anything before time and anything more than our luck". He still follows this. And as I am getting greys in my hair and wrinkles on my forehead, I have started to believe in the same. Time is one of the things we cant change...so why not start utilizing it whenever we can... Those little moments spent with loved ones...Those little arguments turned into bear hugs...These moments make us. We are nothing but the cumulation of our learnings of the past. In our case, we thrive on these little trips. This is the trip where the idea of this blog was generated... 

     

                     

  

                           

                       

                       

      We were captivated by the simplicity of this place. There is not much to do...just walk along the path from the main road to the village...but then also those roads, those trees, those hillocks had us captivated all through the trek...Or rather it was just four of us away from the hustle-bustle of city life...We never knew and we didn't care. We had surrendered ourselves to the roads...where they took us, we went...So today also if someone asks us about Sura Sultanpura, we grin and tell "Oh! we don't know what you will get there." 

                             

                             

                             

     

                       

                      And yes Vadatalav is our favorite place so if we are taking that route, we have to drop there.  What can we say about it? serene lake with a view of Pawagadh, standing tall, guarding all surroundings, giving us a sense of safety and a sense of positivity. The beauty of this lake is different in all seasons.

At a time

I saw a book named 

One page at a time 

One page at a time 

One day at a time 

One inhale at a time 

One exhale at a time 

One feeling at a time 

One emotion at a time 

One joke at a time 

One laugh at a time 

One sadness at a time 

One tear at a time 

One kiss at a time

One passion at a time

One story at a time 

One snuggle at a time 

One recipe at a time 

One taste at a time 

One craziness at a time 

One stupidity at a time 

Isn’t life full of these moments? 

One moment at a time 

And if maybe 

May be 

We live it at its best 

We can get 

One blessing at a time 

The universe loves to show us 

Her creations, her power 

Her love, her compassion 

Her kindness, her care 

If only we behave 

Genuinely at a time......

                              - Kaajal

So give your precious time to your loved ones.

See you next week...

SaSha. 

Google location: Just go straight from Vadatalav, you will find a small road to Sura Sultanpura. park the car on the main road and walk down the small road...for better idea you can use this link: https://goo.gl/maps/VXB88LxXWbTZxgLCA

Blackbuck National Park : Velavadar

Blackbuck National Park: Velavadar

Hello all,

                     

       This park was on our bucket list for a long. So rather than staying in the adjacent resort, we just took an easy and money-saving way. As the park is just 3 hours from Vadodara, why not go just for a day!

         So off we went to Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, where we were meeting a few friends from Ahmedabad also.  The plan was spontaneous and as spontaneity is the best kind of adventure, we just went ahead with it. Meeting old friends on the way, riding with them, cherishing old memories, laughing, chatting, sharing, and accepting who we are...no burden, no strings...just pure friendship...

       We had started around 6:30 from Vadodara and reached Velavadar at around 9:45. The atmosphere was cool. And according to the guides, the best season to visit the park is winter only. From October to March.  We can take our car to the park along with a guide. But trust us the best way to do any safari is in an open gypsy. Then only you will be able to feel the depth and vastness of the grassland. 

                     

                                

               The grassland is enormous and with the wind blowing our hair and cold air sending shivers down our spine, our eyes were only searching the black and white wonders of mother nature. But instead what we saw initially was hundreds of longhorns peeping out of the grass. We were dumbfounded by the view in front of us... and still, ye Dil mange more and we wanted to see herds of running, hopping blackbucks...

                         

                                                                   

                 If you have a proper guide and you are interested in birding then this park will not disappoint you. There are few rare species of birds in the park with lots of migratory birds. Apart from that nilgai and wildcats as well as wolves are also present. 

                        

                          

       And at last, we found a herd of male and female blackbucks. Though they were far away in the grassland we were able to see clearly with binoculars. Then they took us to the wetland, which is on the opposite side of the park. The lake is amazing with peace surrounding you like a cozy blanket. The chirping of birds and whistling of wind is your only companion. After our visit to the park, we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. 

                                

                      

                      

           As we were having enough time, we went ahead to Bhavnagar. We found a beautiful beach a few kilometers away from Bhavnagar, named Hathab. It is famous among the locals and yet less crowded and peaceful. The beach is relatively clean, there are few bungalows on the beach, which are maintained by the government and forest department. You have to pay nominal fees at the entry point of the beach. 

                     

         And then we went to the second most amazing part of our trip...Nishkalank Mahadev Temple at Koliyak village. The temple is very old with five shivlings and nandis. It is believed that the Pandavas did their pooja here, after the Mahabharat war. The shivlings are totally submerged in the water during high tide. You can go up to them during low tide only. So before going you have to check the tide schedules of Bhavnagar. I am attaching a few links for the same below. This pace is a little crowded but as we always say, you can find a small secluded corner for yourself and enjoy one of the amazing sunsets from here just like us...You have to walk around 200-300 meters along the serpentine water-filled trails to reach the temple and it's worth every step. 

                            

                      

                      

                                

               The image of the setting sun at this temple will stay with us forever.   Changing colors of the sky, flying birds, thumping sound of the drums, seawater slowly and gently coming near to you and submerging the steps of the temple one after another...We were stupefied by all these things... and as the sun disappeared from the sky, leaving behind all vibrant colors, my heart felt a sudden void, a state of deep loss...here I am viewing nature's spectacular event in front of me, my dear ones are just beside me laughing and chatting happily... what more can I ask for? Attaching the poem which was playing hide seek with my mind that evening...

                           

Loss

Loss 

We relate it to sadness 

Sorrow

Heartbreak 

Loss of our loved ones

Loss of endearment 

Loss of friends 

Loss of friendship 

Loss of belongings 

Loss of time 

Sometime, somewhere 

The voice whispers from the heart 

Diving deep into those memories 

We just witness them from afar 

Beholding the past us 

Cherishing the view 

It doesn’t matter 

Whether we shared laughs or tears 

Just the view...

Just those moments...

Like sipping adrakh tea 

On mountain summit...

And suddenly 

Mind awakens 

Flooding with a gush of emotions 

Gigantic waves of sorrow

With the tsunami of grief 

But 

All in a while 

Beyond all this anguish 

The loss teaches us 

To be strong and stronger 

Imbibing our every cell 

With elixir of pain 

As they say, 

You can dive and drown in it 

Or 

You can float and swim

It’s the best teacher one can ask 

Teaching to stand like a rocky cliff 

To fight like an angry tigress 

To fall like a shining meteor 

With teary eyes 

With placid smile

With pounding heart 

With jittery hands

With shivering spine 

We tell ourselves 

Here I am

Rising again... 

Again... 

And again...

            - Kajal 

So this is it...

Fun-filled weekend with family and friends. 

SaSha

Location :

 Blackbuck Park - https://goo.gl/maps/jWJA8e8zNLgTSpUJ6

Hathab beach - https://goo.gl/maps/hQYBEjAMeAsntbTt6

Nishkalank Mahadev temple -https://goo.gl/maps/KQFN3ekYtngKnMtj6

Site for tide timings near Bhavnagar - https://www.tide-forecast.com/locations/Bhavnagar-India/tides/latest

The contact number of the guide at the park - Jamaal Khan - 9925961305 - He was very helpful. you can contact him beforehand also.