5th Jan 2008
Destination: **Malshej Ghats / Shivneri Fort**
Trippers: Diago(Me) & Savio(My Best Buddie).
Gear: Helmet, Gloves & a Jacket(**Damn! I forgot my glares!**)
Route: Dockard rd - Dadar - Thane - Kalyan - Murbad - Malshej - Shivneri
Distance: 150 kms to Malshej & 190 kms to Shivneri(from Bombay).
Expenses: 1200 bucks including food, stay, bike servicing & oil change.
Another week closing to an end & the blood rush was unmistakable as the weekend beckoned a *relaxing time* that lay ahead.
I had just finished a night shift & caught a few winks in a BEST bus on my way to Savio’s place in Dadar. We reached my place by 11:30 a.m. & a couple of fried eggs, a **hot** cuppa tea & a quick shower later we were on our way on the **open inviting highway**! Mom enquired where we were off to & after telling her we were going to spend the weekend at a friends place at Borivali we hit the road. We set off on my Pulsar towards the Nashik highway & 50 minutes later we were out of the crazy Bombay traffic.
Our first stop was just on the outskirts of Thane at one of the many "nimbo-soda" stalls along the way. It’s 5 bucks for a glass of refreshing lime-soda which is quite a thirst quencher.& they use the old fashined "**marble-soda**" bottles.The ones where the cap is instead a marble.Haven’t seen one of those in a LONG time.
It’s a 20 minute ride on the Nashik highway & then **look out** for a major crossroad from where you have to take a **right towards Kalyan**. Since our stomach’s were rumbling, we stopped for some grub at a local dabha which had a garage nearby. We also got the brakes & bike checked out as it wasn’t riding too well.Turns out the oil was all **black** & had to be changed **ASAP **or else we would’ve been in BIG trouble with the engine seizing! A little servicing of the bike, some spicy chicken masala(gravy) with Chicken fried rice & 3-4 thumbs-ups & we were on our way. We stopped at Murbad as we needed to find an ATM & a petrol pump **SOON**! We were pleasantly surprised to find Citibank & UTI ATM’s in Murbad as it’s quite a small village. A quick cash withdrawal & 300 bucks of fuel later we continued on our journey.
The road from Kalyan to Murbad is ok but the ride from Murbad to Malshej is a **dream**! The roads are quite smooth & the scenes along the way quite therupatic as it’s nature at it’s best with green trees, brown hills & open spaces all along the way. The climate was quite cool by now as it was evening & the sun had set sometime back. 28+ hours of being awake was getting to me & I needed to crash somewhere soon(**not literally!**) as It was getting dangerous to ride in that condition. Another couple of cups of tea & some biscuits & we started the climb on the Malshej Ghats.It’s a beautiful ride & provided one doesn’t ride like a maniac, it can be a *very pleasant experience*. The Ghats are a little dangerous as proved by a couple of accidents we saw along the way. We passed a couple of trucks were completely on their sides at very sharp turns & hopefully no one was hurt in either accident.
We reached the top of the Ghats & after crossing the Ganpati temple & a small tunnel finally reached Malshej & checked at the MTDC hotel if there were rooms available. Apparently there were none & neither was tea as it was dinner time! **Go figure**.Me thinks ***MTDC sucks*** & are grossly over-priced for the kind of service & food they offer. Anyways, we rode for a couple of minutes & just down the road from MTDC, we got a decent room at a new lodging place for just **200 bucks**! Too tired to even think about anything, I crashed & slipped into dreamland. Woke up at about 8 a.m. & after freshening up, we rode towards Shivneri the birthplace of the Maratha King Shivaji. There’s a very nice place to stop for Bhajiya’s & breakfast that’s about 15-20 minutes from MTDC. It’s to the left of the road after the Ganpati(yeah, another one) temple that **overlooks a huge lake**.
Ready to take on the world, we started on our way to Shivneri. It’s approx 30 kms from Malshej & there’s a Ghat to cross to get to the town of Shivaji’s birthplace. The road after the Ghats to the Shivneri fort is a biker’s *dream come true*! Awesome roads & hardly any traffic or cattle to spoil the scenery.
We parked the bike at the entrance of the fort & continued on foot. It’s a 30 minute from the entrance to the actual birthplace of King Shivaji & there are a few locals vending their wares along the way. Try the nimbu-pani at any of these vendors.Dunno if it’s the water of the place.or the extra ginger in the mix, whatever it is.It’s **amazing**.& very **refreshing**. The views from the top of the hill were really *breathtaking*. We took a few pics of the historic fort & then began our climb down.
Stopping every hour or so to stretch & give the bike some rest is a good idea & will only make the trip more enjoyable so we stopped again at the Ganpati temple on the Malshej Ghats & had some cool kakdi(Cucumber) from some local vendors. You can’t miss this temple as there are "***warnings of falling rocks***" around this place.
Beware of the extra HOT spices that the locals use in almost all their foods! We stopped at a bar to have some grub & the Chicken Biryani was **EXTRA-HOT **with chillies added to it like there was no tomorrow! Yeah! Another recommendation.**PLEASE DONT DRINK & RIDE / DRIVE!** We have enough maniac truck/bus drivers to contend with on the roads already.
Dropped Savio at Dadar & arrived back home, eyes all red from the highway breeze & mind filled with all the beautiful images of the past 24 hours. Have been to Malshej a few times before with friends & the place just keeps getting more beautiful everytime I go there. If you are looking to have a *nice peaceful de-stressing* time with your friends / girlfriend, it’s the place to be as it is very serene & time seems to freeze at Malshej.What better place to be with your loved ones.
**Oh Yeah!** & one of the best parts.Not many tourists.:) Although during the monsoon season lots of local tourists make this place a not-so safe place to be as these groups mainly include drunken youth on bikes or cars.
** Truly recommended for a biking trip in a group.
**Check out my pics at:
https://travelblog.org/Asia/India/Maharashtra/Mumbai/blog-233603.html
Contact me by mail for more details on the place.