Bungee Jumping at Rishikesh, 
18th April 2011

Since long time we wanted to do some adventure activity like Bungee jumping & I came across Bungee Jumping at Rishikesh offered by Jumpin Heights at a travel fair in Mumbai. That day we decided that whenever we plan a trip to nearby area we will definitely include this place. So in April 2011 we decided to add Rishikesh (for Rafting & Bungee jumping) along with our Corbett trip. We had contacted Jumpin Heights by E-mail & came to know that only two activities were offered i.e. Bungee Jumping & Flying fox. The third activity Giant swing was not open, but it seems they have started offering this activity also from November onwards.

jumpinheights.com 

After visiting Corbett & two days at the rafting camp (Yet to write a travelogue on both the places) we landed up in Rishikesh on 17^th April. A call was enough to book our Bungee Jump for the next day. The adventure zone is located at Mohan Chatti some 15 kms from Laxman Jhula & they have kept buses named as Bungee Coach (Return fare Rs. 200 per person) so that the adventure lovers can reach the place with out any problems. We reached the place (near Laxman Jhula – the side where all Ashrams are located) sharp at 9.30 am the time when bus was suppose to start. The bus started to fill but most of them were staff & manager at Jumpin Heights. The bus started half an hour later & we were the only guests in the bus. Other staff members were also picked up on the way. There is one good thing that almost all the staff is local except the jump masters who are from New Zealand. The bus took around 30 – 45mins to reach our destination. To enter the zone there is entry fee of Rs. 100 per person which needs to be paid irrespective of you are going to jump or not. After reaching we were made to fill up a form (as is the case with most adventure activities) & were weighed so that a cord can be selected according to our weight. After completing the formalities we were ready to jump but first we decided to go for Flying fox since it would have been a much easier & a less scary activity.

Flying Fox

One needs to climb up hill for around 10 - 15mins to reach the starting point of flying fox which is approx 120mtrs high. Once you reach the spot you are harnessed to the wire usually three people at a time (but in our case two of us) & after double checking the safety measures we were ready to go flying fox & were suspended in a flying position. Before all this a trial run (without any person) was conducted to check if no damage has been done to the mechanism during the night & it has not been tampered with. A digital camera was put in front of us to record our dare. This is done in all cases irrespective of whether you want to buy the video DVD or not. It is supposed to be the longest flying fox in Asia (as claimed by Jumpin Heights) at 1km length. As soon as we were released we speeded down at super speed (max being 160kmph – as claimed by Jumpin Heights) with winds gushing past through & in no time we were settled at the lowest point. Retrieval mechanism is very slow & a little boring but you can enjoy the views from up there. You are retrieved back to the same platform from where you started. We went back to the main area discussing how easy (non scary) it was. Watch our flying fox video here. 

Bungee Jump

Now it was turn for the biggest adventure of our life (till now) ‘The Bungee Jump’. A staff member accompanied us to the platform which is around 5mins walk from the main area. There we were asked who was going to jump first & I said I am ready to jump first. So I was going to be the first jumper of the day. We were made to wear harness with double & triple locks. Since I was first I was taken in the main area & made to sit on a stool. Jump master’s  asst. took over & he explained me the safety measures taken & finally he tied bungee cord (according to my weight) to my ankles & then it was the jump master’s turn to check the safety locks & he asked me if I was ready to jump. His advice was that as soon as he shouts 1,2,3 & bungee I should immediately jump, the more time I spend on the platform watching the depth & all, the more I would be scarred, so slowly I started walking to the edge of the platform with baby steps since I was tied at the ankle. There I stood at the edge of the platform with 83 mtrs. of deep gorge beneath me. The Jump master asked me again if I was ready for action & advised me not to look down but to look in front. I did what I was told & the Jump master shouted 1,2,3 bungee & I think before he screamt bungee I screamed bungee myself & dived in front making loud noise as if to let everyone know that I am jumping. Those 30 seconds were the most memorable and will be always treasured for my entire life. Once I jumped & reached till my cord permitted I was pulled back again with a big jerk & then kept swinging till I was quite still mid-air. I saw two men at the ground level signaling the Jump master (may be the height level where I was hanging) & then they started lowering me. The ground level person offered me a stick which I got hold of so that I could be made to sleep on a bed while they got me rid of the bungee cord & harness. The person asked me how I felt & I said I am feeling perfectly alright & they gave me a bottle of water & also tied a badge on my T-shirt which said ‘I have the guts’ written on it. Now it was Jetal’s turn to go for the jump. Initially she hesitated to jump on the first attempt but after a bit of boost talk from the Jump master she managed to jump. Bungee jump needs to be experienced personally because my words can not describe the experience I had in those 30 seconds. Watch my jump here. 

Once you are relived from the bungee cord & the harness you need to climb up the hill for around 10 mins to reach the cafeteria where you can watch your jump. You can then decide if you want to buy the DVD of your jump or not. Everyone wants to have a memory of this big adventure & we also decided to buy this DVD although it was too expensive. Since you are not allowed to take photos or record videos, you have no other option but to buy the DVD. After collecting the DVD & certificates we took their bus back to Rishikesh from where we proceeded to Rajaji National Park for wildlife safari. 

    Do you have the guts !!! 

Peth Fort (Kotaligad) Trekking – 9 th July 2006.

It was a long wait for a trek but worth it. Last we went on trek was during Monsoon season in 2005 to Naneghat. In 2006 due to 26/7 (heavy rains in Mumbai) we decided to stay away from trekking. A few cousins were supposed to join us but they backed out at the last moment. Nevertheless we were determined to do the trek all alone. I had read about trekking at Peth fort in Trekking holidays in India (A guide by Outlook traveler – book is def. Worth the money Rs. 225. – in fact all the Outlook traveler guides are worth their money) & also done a bit of research on the net.
We set off for the trek on Saturday evening, as we did not want to wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning to catch the first Karjat local. We went to V.T. station to catch a local to Panvel & from there took a rickshaw to Jai hill resort (at Chowk Phata – on the Panvel – Khopoli road). Our experience at Jai hill was very bad as we were offered a very ordinary room (a dingy room) with very dirty toilets. It definitely spoiled our mood. Still we managed to pass the night in the company of mosquitoes & other insects & early morning we left the resort.
We took a rickshaw to Karjat station & then the same rickshaw dropped us at a bridge from where we could get another rickshaw to Ambivali village (base of the trek). There we met a group of 5; boys & girls who were also heading towards the Peth fort. They were waiting for a ST bus, which would drop them to Ambivali village. We somehow managed to convince them to share the rickshaw with us. The driver agreed to take all of us at a fare of Rs. 250. So we started our journey at around 8.30 am. In around 45 minutes time we were there at the base of the fort.
A small eatery named hotel kotaligad run by Ganesh Sawant is located at the start of the trek. This is the last point where you will find packaged bottled water. It was around 9.30 am, we started our trek towards Peth fort. There is marked road till the Peth village, which is almost at the half way mark.
The weather was just right with clouds gathered all over. In fact throughout our trek we experienced showers, which lasted not more than 1 – 2 minutes. The climb up to Peth village was very easy & we enjoyed every moment of the same, clicking beautiful sceneries of plains & other mountain ranges at regular intervals.

There were one or two waterfalls also on the way. We took rest for few minutes at a plateau top enjoying the landscape around. As soon as we started again we saw a caterpillar & we immediately clicked its snap & also took a short movie of this creature (The same can be viewed by clicking on this link). http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2770908358896086272
This path is used by the villager to come and go, so we often came across villagers including little school going children. For us it was fun trekking on this route but for villagers it’s a daily ritual of climbing up & down. The other group with whom we had shared rickshaw were also following us & sometimes also taking the lead. After a smooth walk / climb of around 1.1/2 hrs we reached Peth village.
As we reached its outskirts, a small boy showed us the way towards the branch of Hotel Kotligad, which was at the base. In fact they run the same from their house. A small cannon of Brass lies just outside this hotel.
We ate some Poha there and also stocked up our water supply (no bottled water available) from this hotel cum house. The village does not have electricity or telephone connections. After taking rest for some 15 – 20 minutes we started off our final journey, the pinnacle was clearly seen from the village. The route now was a little bit tough with no marked roads leading us to the fort. We even went on the wrong way for about 10 minutes but realized the same when one of the girls from the other group pointed out (The girl had trekked the same route last year). The climb was a little difficult as compared to the climb up to the village.
We again took the wrong route and reached the backside of the fort. There were a few small ponds on the fort where we spotted a small snake & a frog. We them moved towards the front side where there is a small temple & a cave.
It took us 45 – 60 minutes to reach the fort from the Village. There are only some walls remaining at the fort. Trekkers who want to stay overnight use the cave. In this cave there are two rooms where we see lots of fruit bats.

After relaxing for some time we decided to go to the pinnacle, which is a hard climb from the cave. Although there are steps leading up the pinnacle but they are very high and some of them are 1.1/2 feet high. But the climb to the pinnacle was worth as one can enjoy fabulous views of the mountain ranges & the plains from there.
Also there is a small pond on the pinnacle. All this while we were with this other group & now all of us had become like one group. We were very excited reaching the top. We had some snacks there, which we had carried from home & spent around 45 minutes enjoying the cool breeze & occasional rain showers. This was the best time we had on this trek.
There was full mobile coverage on the pinnacle & after calling home we came to know about the disruption in train services by the Shiv Sainiks because of the damage caused to Minatai Thackeray’s statue. So we decided to climb down (all of us would have liked to spend more time at the top but couldn’t). Climbing down wasn’t that easy as thought as it was very slippery and one could even trip down hence we had to be more careful. It took around 30 – 45 minutes to reach Peth village where we again took a break. After Peth village going down was faster but since we were tired we were moving slowly. Also the rains had disappeared & we were feeling hot.
After reaching the base we immediately took the rickshaw to Karjat. This time the charge was Rs 300. We had generous talk with the rickshaw driver about their lifestyles & found that he had never visited Mumbai, which is just 2.1/2 hrs. from Karjat. The rickshaw, which is meant to be a six seater, manages to seat more than dozen passengers at a time. After reaching Karjat station we found that the first train to V.T. (after the disruption) was about to leave in 5 minutes. Hence considering ourselves lucky enough we rushed towards the train to go back to the concrete jungle called Mumbai.
View our entire Peth Fort Photo Album on http://in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/shahronakm1978/album?.dir=5cacscd&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//in.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph//my_photos

Some useful information.
Ideal Season – June to March (Best during monsoons)
Time – 1 Day (2 days if you want to stay overnight in the cave)
Level – Moderate
Nearest railway station – Karjat.
Reaching base – Ambivli village from Karjat by rickshaw (28 Kms / 1 Hr)
Height – 472 Mtrs.
Where to eat – Hotel Kotaligad (Tel. 02148 224944 – Gopal Savant)

Hi friends,

This is my first post on my blog but it is not about travel. It is about a topic that we all should pay more attention to i.e. keeping all public places clean like we keep our houses.

3 days back i was returning back from one of my regular business trips to Goa. Had got my tickets confirmed in sleeper class (II nd) of Matsyagandha express which runs from Mangalore to Kurla Terminus (I was boarding from Madgaon). From the time I was waiting on the platfrom for the train to come till the end of train journey i noted some incidents which did not please me & might not please you as well. Here is a brief account of the incidents.

• One Middle aged man (on the platfrom) threw empty tea cup on the tracks. The dustbin was just few meters away & so were the tracks where he threw the cup.
• Middle aged Marwari Man (Was with his wife) after consuming food in his thermocole plate threw the same on the tracks & also spitted out of the window.
• A young college going boy who was supposed to get down at Chiplun (& yes was reading a 1000 + page novel) threw his empty fruit dish out of the door on the tracks. I was very much dissapointed with this action of his consdering he is the future generation of India.
• A young girl (Was Gujarati - by the way I am also Gujarati) may be 16 - 18 yrs of age after visiting the toilet did not bother to close the door.
• The Catering guy (Pantry Car Waiter - they are employees of the contractor) in the train lighted a bidi & then went in the toilet to smoke. He was also dragging another of his colleague but he refused & I presume he must have gone in another toilet. Is Lalu listening ?

This are just some of the incidents I remember of our fellow countrymen dirtying public property & not treating the public property as their own. Do they throw dirt in their own house or office in the same manner. I am sure not. Then why liiter only public places.

Well I also consumed some food stuffs but I did not throw the litter In fact I carried the same all the way to my home & then threw it in the dustbin.

Those who litter in public places are you listening ?