Banbha Hill : Small adventurous hike and Kevdi Dam: Peaceful lake near Campsite.

Banbha Hill: Small adventurous hike 

Kevdi Dam: Peaceful lake near Campsite. 

                      

Hello all, 

                      

               This was our outing last Sunday and how we loved each and every moment of it.  Banbha is a small hill in Ognisa village near Mandavi. The place is developed by Gujarat Tourism in February 2019. on the hill, there is a small temple. Local people have lots of faith in the temple and Gujarat tourism has developed an eco-tourism site with a garden and canteen at the base. The place is beautiful. The canteen and toilets were all locked probably due to the Covid situation but there is a shop with snacks and cold drinks in the garden. You might not get fresh food so you may want to carry your own. 

                            

                      

                                     

                         

             There are two ways to climb the hill. Little ahead of the tourism site there are appx 500 steps which are very easy to climb and another one is from the garden which includes a proper mountain hike. That route is slippery at places so be cautious if you are taking kids with you. 

                      

                     

           We climbed the hill while getting down we took the other route and we enjoyed both of them. At the peak, the temple is small but clean and very quiet and peaceful. There are hills all around you with a breathtaking view. It is better to go in the monsoon and winter. 

                           

                                   

                   After that, we went to Kevdi Ecotourism Site but it was crowded so we skipped it and went to Kevdi Dam instead. That lake is also scenic with fewer people in the vicinity. So you can enjoy your solitude.  We built a tent and had our lunch here.          

              So this was our fun-filled family picnic on Sunday... The kids were awesome in climbing down the hill as none of them felt any fear. While getting down we asked them what are their fears. And the best part was they are trying hard to get rid of them and they are doing it consistently...

Fear 

Fear 

Fear of a mother 

Sending her child 

The first time at kindergarten

Fear of a father 

Will his child be able to 

Face the cruel world?

That fear 

Just a fraction before Bungee jumping 

Just a second before entering a meeting 

Fear of losing someone old 

Fear of welcoming someone new 

Husband’s fear

Will she cherish 

My new fusion recipe? 

Wife’s fear 

Will he appreciate 

My promotion pleasantly? 

Fear of dropping someone at the airport 

Of our time together so short 

Fear of hospital corridors 

Fear of never-ending internal wars 

Fear of a child 

Before going on stage 

Whenever notice something strange 

Before diving into the pool 

To fight against a bully in school 

All these fears are real 

But 

Do deers fear in vast savannah? 

Do fishes scare in the depth of the ocean? 

Immensity of the sky frightens birds of flying? 

Autumn leaves trembling before falling? 

Rivers thinking before entering the ocean?

Fear of moon just before no moon night 

Those are real too...

Deer jump gleefully 

Fish swim merrily 

Birds chirping constantly 

Leaves changing colors beautifully

Moon giving hope eternally 

Rivers flowing peacefully

They embrace their fear

Everyone is teaching something 

Be quiet. 

Be still. 

Hear. 

                       - Kaajal

with love,

SaSha

Location of Banbha Dungar - https://goo.gl/maps/RkDHaPwCakrqXEBu6

Location of Kevdi Dam - https://goo.gl/maps/599HbRKMJUzuU8QFA

Calm Chaotic mind : Panam Reservoir

Calm chaotic mind: Panam Reservoir    

                 

 Hi,

         What shall we do when our minds go blank? for some it's just exercising, walking on empty roads, running on the streets while for some watching Friends or Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai again and again. Some find peace in soulful music while freshly baked vanilla muffins will be quietude for some. When we think about peace, we want to calm our minds and want some 'sukoon' among all chaos and all negativity in our surroundings, we march towards the water. And so we decided to go to Panam Reservior one weekend. 

                      

                             

                                  

            What can I say about this place?  The beauty in front of us was ineffable.  It has the tranquility of water in the reservoir lake while turbulence of water in the downstream river and tall hills protecting them on either side soothing our shouting minds and placating our racing hearts.   

                     

                           

            To reach the Panam reservoir you need to take a small right turn just before the toll on Modasa-Godhra Highway. The road to the dam is serene and deserted. There is a sunset point at the dam for which you need to climb around 250-300 steps. The view from hill is amazing. 

                            

                              

                      

             The best part was a road along the small canal. There is a small canal (Panam left canal)  on one side and Panam river on another side with the narrow serpentine road in between best for offroading. So if you are an adventure enthusiast or biking lover this is the road for you. 

                        

                        

            We were planning to go to Satkunda waterfall after this but the person at the dam suggested visiting it in the monsoon so we skipped it and we hope to visit it in this monsoon. Do you have any travel destinations in mind for the near future? Do you hope to travel more and more in 2022? Let us know in the comments.

Hope 

HOPE

We all have hope 

Hope to live better 

Hope to be better 

Hope for India’s win

In the last nail-biting over 

Hope in Harry’s dream 

When he follows Voldemort

Hope in Dan’s eyes 

Every time he visits Shiuli in October 

Hope in Little Prince’s words

Whenever he talked about his rose

It is such a strong word

HOPE

Hope of spring sunshine 

After gloomy winter 

Hope of monsoon rain 

After torrid summer

Hope of autumn colors 

After grey monsoon clouds 

It is a positive emotion 

HOPE

Shining eyes filled with faith 

Radiant smiles with confidence 

Calm mind with reliance 

Ever trusting heart with credence 

Bear bunny hug of assurance 

I hope, he had his lunch 

I hope, she didn’t miss her bus

Hope of someone waiting at home

Of friendly face wherever you roam 

Small care, a small thought 

Hope in silly ideas

Faith in big dreams 

Both are strongly connected 

Because with hope comes the belief

With belief comes faith 

Faith enables us to trust 

When tightly knit them all

We get a cozy blanket of

LOVE 

Love for the universe...

Love for others...

Love for self...

           - Kaajal 

With love,

SaSha.

Location of Panam reservoir :  https://goo.gl/maps/3YZRGCLWfTTfmpM26