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

Gopipura : Small hill behind Pawagadh

 Gopipura : Small hill behind Pawagadh  

Helical Stepwell and Ek Minar ki Masjid                   

               

Hi there,

             After not posting for a few weeks in a stretch to back to regular updates. I love writing here. I miss sharing our little trips and our feelings behind them... This time let us take you to a small hill just behind our mighty Pawagadh...

                           

                            

                                           

            This trip was done a few months back. We wanted kids to be prepared properly for the Pawagadh hike. So we selected hills around Pawagadh. This is a small hill near village Gopipura. Lots of mining work goes on there with many trucks. But if you go early on Sunday morning there won't be an issue. 

                      

                       

        It is quite a short and easy climb.  Kids were thrilled to do it and as it was super easy for them. You can do also do camping at the top.  And the beauty is, we were able to see sun peeping behind the Pawagadh.  

                      

                             

         From there we went to Ek Minar masjid and Helical stepwell, both of which were closed due to COVID. So will visit them soon.

                  

Hills

A small hill

Asked mighty mountains

I am not big as you

I haven’t been

Named as you

People are not

Achieving

Coming on top of me

Still, I am there

Seeing all

Guarding all

Noticing all

They come

They go.

They climb

They forget

Sometimes

They break me

destroy me

Why it’s like that?

The mountain answered

Every raindrop is an ocean

Every speck of dust is shore

Every note is a song

Every tear is an emotion

Every seed is a forest

Every idea is a discovery

Why look for magnitude?

It’s the infinitesimal 

It’s the minuscule

That makes the difference

That small fraction

That small smile

That one word

That one hug

That little help

That little grit

That matters

The most...

So

Don’t you worry Hill

We see you

We feel you

We love you

We care for you

The givings trees

The guarding forests

The bouncing streams

The smiling lakes 

The flowing rivers

The accepting oceans 

The peeping clouds 

The shining stars

The soothing moon

The burning sun

The forgiving Earth

We are in this together

People are foolish

About them

You don’t bother!!!

Location of Gopipura. https://goo.gl/maps/XFnQDpD4vmepG9mc9

Ek minar Masjid - https://goo.gl/maps/m7z6sUQHPNYbf4zx6

Helical stepwell - https://goo.gl/maps/1GqmYXttQNr6uka58

Thank you...

see you soon....

SaSha..

Jungle adventure: Bhat Ecocampsite

 Hello!!

      So this was our trip last Sunday. Jambughoda is a famous wildlife sanctuary near Vadodara. There are few campsites and resorts within and near this sanctuary.  But this one is less explored or maybe our timing was off. 

       The distance between Vadodara to Bhat Eco campsite is 60 km and appx time is 1 hour 10 min.  But we started our journey early as sheel wanted to see the sunrise from Vadatalav lake on the way.  I have read somewhere that most of your problems will be solved if you see the rising sun daily. So true!!! Nowadays we read and see so many books and sites to wake up before 5 am. But our culture, our elders, and our ancestors are telling this for ages... Isn't it our Brahmamuhurtha? 

                           

     And as we expected the sunrise was as mesmerizing. There is something about golden linings along with the clouds and the sun like mother's bindi. It feels warmness in the ignorant cold corners of the heart. 

                                      

      So after we left the lake, we went to Bhat directly. It’s just a 25-30 min drive from there.  We reached there by 7:45 am. Initially, our plan was to walk on the entire trail to Ghagalmata temple, which is there on the hill. But as the guide and person at the office suggested that the trail is of appx 6-7 km. So it will be difficult once it starts getting hot. We decided to go by car and then for the last 2 km we can go on foot. We suggest that if you are with family, take a guide with you because it’s a really difficult path in between and the villagers’ homes are not directly on the way.  

                                                 

                    

        It’s a deep jungle. Though according to the guide the beauty is in the monsoon, we love shades of brown in the summertime. How can we appreciate the beautiful meshwork of tree branches with their leaves?  Trees are in their purest form. As they are standing tall with all pride and determination. Determination to never get tired. Determination to come back strong next season. I love this harmony of trees and leaves. Leaves that were an integral part of the trees are now hugging the ground and still, the trees let them go and nurture them again. This is the Harmony of a circle. Haven't we been taught about this circle since we are young but we can't understand its full meaning, rather we ignore this amazing concept? But nature never forgets to teach us this again and again...

     Along the way, there were plantation sites for dragon fruit, all provided by the government. Many people were picking up flowers from the jungle and those were Mahua flowers, for desi daru.... as it is one of the main forms of earning for the villagers. 

       We parked our car when appx 2 km were left and started our journey on foot.  The exciting thing was we can see the footprints of hyena on half of the trail. There are appx 70-80 leopards, 60-70 hyenas, and 10-15 bears in this sanctuary.  If you want to come by trekking the entire way then the trail is totally different and it is a shortcut.  

                                 

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        When we reached the point, the view was captivating. There were hills all around us with a view of Dev reservoir in between. It was a windy and pleasant atmosphere, but yes, the scenery must be totally different and enthralling in the monsoon. We would definitely add this to our bucket list of monsoon travel.  They also have made a watch tower at this point. 

       

      

          On the top, you won't get anything so please take water with you. As per reviews, the food in the campsite is good and they make it in their kitchen fresh only. But we didn't have it so can't opine on that. 

          Now comes the really thrilling part of our day. The guide took us to the cave. It's almost 1/2-1 km walk along the trail, once you park the car. You need to have a guide with you or you will not be able to find a way. It's a cave from the time of the Britishers. They used it for mining purposes. It is a pitch-black cave. You must have a torch with you. The other end of the cave is blocked partially by the rocks due to landslides. There are two other passages from the cave on either side, which are appx 1/2 km long. We didn't dare to go in them. The bats were flying freely above our heads. We literally had to bend and walk. It was really scary yet hair-raising!!! 

         There are other two caves like this. But we decided to end at this one only. We wanted to make our first experience of a cave a special one. Because we never forget our firsts. We love our first though they are terrifying. Be it the first hike or be it the first bike ride. Be it the first day of the job or the first play on stage. And this first will be special because it was the first for all four of us!!! These small little experiences are the bases and foundations of our kids' lives and maybe down the lane after few years they will be telling this story while enjoying their firsts...See this is the beauty!!! 

     So to cut short we have to come again for such a riveting experience and to see this amazing forest in its lush green form. 

       Sharing few details of the Bhat Ecocampsite. If you want to stay, you need to do a booking online only. 

Location:   https://goo.gl/maps/jYXzsKzWooG2 - campsite 

Main office: Chief Conservator of Forest

                     Kothi, Raopura.

Contact no: 0265-  2425136  

Local guide no: Maheshbhai - 7096571951

Narmada Canal on Halol highway

 Hello all!

     Here we are. We are going to take you to the very nearby place from Vadodara. From here we have started our Sunday routine of wilderness. Actually, this place is nothing like wild, but still, it’s close to nature.  And as they say, nature is there in eyes of the spectator.

     It’s the main Narmada canal on the Halol Highway,  just 35 km from Baroda and 35 minutes easy drive.  We just went along the canal by car, parked car on the side. And took off walking. Walking along the roads and then walking into the roadside fields...Talking, laughing, dancing, and discussing...

     We went there again with friends and family... and every time canal has different colors and different emotions for us...Be it pleasant mornings or calm evenings...It’s a happy and comfortable place for us...We had fed fishes in the canal there and dogs on the street. We had read our books there, we had enjoyed our morning tea there. We had small delicious suppers there and we had our first trail walks there. And one of those days was our favorite poet Shel Silverstein’s birthday. 

                I am sure, you all must have passed through this highway number of times. Now next time let's spare an hour or a half.  See this beautiful canal and think about the benefit it is giving to the people on the way... Who would have thought that the Narmada, which is hopping and passing happily among the hills of Vindhya and Satpura, will extend its tributaries to Rajasthan? It's true that while making the Sardar Sarovar dam there must be loss of many villages. But their libation is not lost. They must be getting the blessing of many from Kutch to Saurashtra to Rajasthan and that's what I feel when I come here.  I feel these emotions of sacrifice and these emotions of boons, of thousands and lakhs of people.  

      

     Are you planning to go there for just some quiet family time? Jump in the car and have fun!!!