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Popular Places to visit in Navi Mumbai

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Popular Places to visit in Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai as the name says New Mumbai is situated approx 30kms from the centre of Mumbai separated by a creek.It’s a planned satellite city of Mumbai. It is well connected with the main city by rail and roads. Surrounded by hills and sea, the city is much more peaceful than Mumbai. The environment here is full of lush greenery and trees.

There are plenty of places to see near Navi Mumbai, like Lonavala, Matheran, Alibaug and many others. But here we talk about the places within the main city.

Popular places you can visit in Navi Mumbai

1. Pandavkada Waterfall

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Pandavkada waterfall is located in Kharghar in Navi Mumbai. According to legends, the Pandavas came here and took a bath during their exile and hence the name Pandavkada. This waterfall is about 350 feet high and one can experience lot of greenaries during monsoon season.

The place is about 5km from Kharghar Railway Station on Harbour line. It is best to visit this place during Monsoon. The place is situated near central park. One can get a local bus from Kharghar Station or can hire an auto.

2. Central Park

Central Park Kharghar

The Central Park of Kharghar is an urban park in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. The Park is located quite away from the busy city hence its quite calm, soothing and relaxing. It has good water body, nice greenery to relax. Its a huge park surround by Kharghar hill on one side. It has morning walk-trails, jogging tracks and amphitheatres along with active and passive recreation areas. There are also some food stalls inside the Park.

The park opens in morning hours from 5 am to 9 am for joggers and it reopens at 5 pm and closes at 9 pm.

3. Sagar Vihar and Mini Seashore

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Sagar Vihar is situated in Sector 8, Vashi, Navi Mumbai. It is about 3km away from Vashi Station on Harbour line. Sagar Vihar Sagar Vihar is a popular destination for the locals in Navi Mumbai.

Its is a perfect place for relaxation and one can enjoy a great view of the Sunset.

One can take the Joggers park to reach the mini seashore which is like a pond and is an extension of Vashi/Thane Creek.

4. Rock Garden

Rock-Garden-Nerul

The Hilly garden is located near Nerul Railway station on Harbour Line and has an entry fee of Rs 5. The garden is on the East side, Its about 10 mins walk from Nerul Station. The garden is clean and well maintained having adequate walking tracks, rides, benches, lawns, toy trains, small amphitheatre People often visit this place with their kids.

5. Wonder Park

The major attraction of the Park is the mini seven wonders and hence the name.Wonder Park is located in Nerul on the eastern side and is about 2kms away from Nerul Station. It has an entry fee of Rs 35 for adult and has additional charges for rides.

6. Hanging garden

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Despite the name Hanging Garden, It’s not a hanging garden but its a garden on top of the Hill and is a great place to hang out.  It can be called as Malabar Hill of Navi Mumbai.The spot gives you a wonderful view of Belapur and its surroundings. You can hire an auto from Belapur Station which is about 2km away from the spot but its better to reserve the auto as while returning you may not get one.

You can hang out in this garden with family or friends, and enjoy the beautiful and peaceful view from the hilltop.

Navi Mumbai is a well planned, clean city which is still blooming. Beside this, there is DY Patil Stadium which recently hosted FIFA U17 World cup matches and there are several beautiful Parks, religious places in the city.  There are many malls, restaurants and multiplexes, in short, the city will never let you get bored.

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A Weekend Visit to Vasai Fort-The Ruined Beauty

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A Weekend Visit to Vasai Fort-The Ruined Beauty

Fort Bassein/Vasai Fort/ Bacaim is a fort in Vasai in the state of Maharashtra which is about 50km from Mumbai. One can take a Virar local from western line to reach Vasai station and can take an auto to reach the fort. Local buses are also available to reach Vasai(ST buses, VVMT).The fort has been a popular location for many Bollywood movies including the recent Heropanti. The complete form of the Portuguese name is “Fortaleza de São Sebastião de Baçaim” or the Fort of St. Sebastian of Vasai.

The Vasai fort is a monument of national importance and is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.The fort which was perhaps a majestic architecture then, now only the ruins of the fort can be seen. The walls of the fort are still in a very good condition.

I remember my first visit to the fort back in 2016. I and my friend took the ST Bus from Thane instead of taking the train. By the time we reach there we were not sure of what to do, so without wasting much time we hired an auto who asked for Rs 100 for the trip which we agreed. As we were passing through the roads and entering the village side we were understanding why it is also referred as Mini Goa sometimes. The auto rickshaw driver gave us some valuable information about the fort, only then we realize that its a huge complex but it was very sad to see that only ruins of this architectural beauty are what is left now.

He dropped us at the main location. Despite being a weekend it was not that crowded. We spotted the Vasai Creek which was near the fort. Then we entered the fort, unfortunately, what remaining is the wall.

It was sad to see that most of the fort was covered with trees. Capturing few picture and images we decided to head to the nearest beach. So we grabbed an auto and went to Suruchi Beach.

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This beach has lots of pine trees near it there are some places to sit. It was very difficult to walk due to drizzling rain and heavy wind. We had to cross a small strip of seawater to reach to the better portion of the beach. The small strip was almost knee deep. Of course, the beach was converted into a cricket pitch and part of it was made football ground as one can find in Indian beaches.However, we managed to find a sit a near the beach and enjoyed the cool soothing view.

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Time really flies fast, especially when you feel relaxed. As there was no Sun visible we decided to head back as it was getting darker. We took an auto back to the station and ST bus back to Thane

Though Vasai fort was not what I expected, still it was a beautiful site to visit. I hope the fort gets renovated soon so that it can attract more tourists.

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A Trek that Never Completed

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A Trek that Never Completed

When Friday comes it is quite eminent that friends and colleagues start making a plan for a weekend program or trip which most often gets failed but works sometimes. One of the few time it worked for me. As for me and my friend planned to go for a trek; an easier one.

So, we started researching a lot on websites and in the end, we decided to go for  Garbett Point(Near Matheran) which is quite nearer to the city(Mumbai) and the trek was considerably easy.

Garbett point is on the South-west side of Matheran that gives a grand view of the plateau. So accordingly, we planned to start early from home.

But the weather outside was too pleasant which made me inseparable from my bed. But still motivating myself I called my friend in a hope to delay the start and I was successful as he wanted to delay it too.

So instead of 7am, we started our journey from Thane at 11am. Unfortunately, there was no train for Karjat; a railway station on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. so we board Badlapur local which is a station on way to Bhivpuri which is on the Karjat route.

On reaching there we came to know that the next train for Karjat is approx after 1 hr. So instead of waiting, we decided to take some alternative. The first choice was auto. So one of my friends inquired about the price and all we heard was 80 rs which were an offer we can’t reject. But 80 was too less so was it 80 per person. This really kept on confusing us. Further asking the auto driver he said 500 and we were socked but we can’t get down now as it would be embarrassing and also we were quite far away from the station.

As we were passing through the lush green road we were laughing at ourselves and to add more laughter to it we saw the Karjat local overtaking us. We reached Bhivpuri at around 2pm. So we got confused whether to start the trek at 2 pm, as many trekkers were returning back

But still seeing some other guys moving towards the trekking point made us motivated and we started moving.

Following the reliable Google Map and taking occasional help from the local guide we continued our walk. After walking some distance we came across a huge lake which is Dhoom lake. On the side of which many are clicking photos.

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The rain’s intensity was varying sometimes drizzling sometimes heavy and with a raincoat and holding an umbrella it was becoming quite difficult to counter both rain and wind.

The road was less muddy and more slippery. On staring at the top we could see the dark cloud moving from the mountain which was giving us some scare. By the time we reach the base a local told was it would take 3hrs 30mins to get to Garbett Point.

So we started discussing whether to continue the trek. But in the end, we decided to enjoy the lovely view of the Dhoom Lake and reach home early to enjoy Premier League.

That might have impacted the rain god and he smiled upon us with sunshine. I guess it was a peaceful place and the beauty was scenic.

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After sometimes, we started heading back to the railway station and on our way, we went into a local restaurant where we eat some light snacks and then returned to Bhivpuri Station to return back to Mumbai.

A Trek to Garbett Point or better to say a trek towards Garbett Point that Never Completed. We returned back to our home with a promise to complete the trek next time.

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A Memorable Wet Weekend

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A Memorable Wet Weekend

It was a rainy Saturday, heavy downpour since morning; I was convinced that our plan has to be cancelled, but a glimpse of hope was seen as the shower stopped at noon just before our planned schedule.

We(me and my brother) had planned for a weekend trip into some of the popular places in the city with the aim of finding new cover and profile photos.

We along with our equipment which includes mobile phone and a camera(bit faulty but has a brilliant lens) marched from our home and as it was decided we took a ferry. We reached Bagbazaar ferry ghat, it seems someone was waiting for us to reach there that someone is the rain which had stopped earlier; no shed and windy due to river Hooghly and it was certainly difficult to protect yourself from such “windy rain” plus giving shed to 4 people under your umbrellas.

The rain’s intensity substantially reduced when we came under the shed of the ferry(boat) and settled for a good place almost at the tip of the ferry.Nice place to captured some photos. But wind directed the rain towards us and we got unsurprisingly wet. Despite opening umbrella under the shed of the ferry we were wet.

howrah-bridge

We reached the Howrah ghat and planned to walk to Mallick ghat flower market. Don’t know whether it was a nice idea to go. As soon as we entered the market our feet got soaked in the mud which did divert our mind from the flower market. I don’t intend to describe much about mud.

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As the mud was really soft; one can easily understand what would have happened to our feet.
Walking few meters we reached the Mallick ghat and got the beautiful view of Howrah bridge and Howrah station. At last some new profile photos and cover photos on Facebook.

With two minds whether to go to Princep Ghat or Victoria memorial, we walked out from the market to reach MG Road.

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We went out to MG road and planned to go to Victoria Memorial. It was nice weather then; cloudy but no rain. Spending some time we decided to have some dinner.

 


This time we were completely trapped, yes completely trapped by the rain and wind. No umbrella can defeat this duo and of course, they did win this time. We were completely drenched.

We managed to arrive at the restaurant whose name I won’t mention, but I can say it makes pizza. We were hungry and we ordered a meal for two. And we were told that the order would take 15 minutes; at least that’s what I heard.

We generally give less importance to places and people nearer to us, unfortunately, I think it was proved this time. We were sitting nearest to the kitchen however we had to wait 55 minutes to get our main course and other courses.

It was almost 8 and we were tired and wet; more than our umbrella.So we headed back to our home after spending a wet and memorable weekend.

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Kumartuli the Godmakers Place

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Kumartuli the Godmakers Place

Every time I walked pass through Kumartuli Sarbojonin Durga Puja and take the narrow lane to reach Kumartuli Park. I come across the workshop of the local artist and seeing the preparation of Lakshmi idol. It had always created an interest in my mind to visit the Kumartuli workshop and see the making of the Durga idols but was not able to do it until then.

On My Way To Kumartuli

I got down from the metro at Shobhabazaar railway station. I took  out my phone and opened the reliable google map. Without asking anyone, I kept following its instruction & continued my walk to reach  Kumartuli artisans workshop. It was evening and I can see lots of other people are clicking pictures of those beautiful semi-finished idols, So without wasting much time I took out my camera and started taking pictures.

Artist-Workshop

But then I was called by a man and was asked whether I have the ticket to take photos. I was unaware of this fact. So they ask me to buy the ticket and I bought the ticket for Rs 10 Although they insisted me on buying the season pass for Rs 50. After clicking few pictures I came to know that there are two groups. Each group has a certain number of workshops. After paying this I continued my clicking. The lanes are narrow and the workshops are quite darker perhaps that gives Photographers a much better effect.

As my visit was quite early that is before Ganesh Chaturthi there were also lots of Ganesha idol getting the finishing touch.

Making-Ganesha

I became sure then that I was too early to see a painted Durga. So, I waited for a month before my next visit and this time it was just before Puja. I was successful in seeing some painted idols and was also lucky enough to see some idol’s eyes getting their finishing touch, which was the major attraction for the photographers.

An Awesome Experience

You can see artists mixing mud, giving it a shape using straws and ropes and finally the colour to create a lively image of the warrior mother Goddess. The idol is then taken away through this narrow lane into the Puja pandals. So any photography lover visiting Kolkata should visit it.

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Small trip to the Outskirt of Kolkata

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Small trip to the Outskirt of Kolkata

On one normal day, I thought of visiting Bandel to see the famous Basilica of the Holy Rosary or known as Bandel Church. Without wasting much time I started research on how to get there. The route I selected was the Suburban rail route since I stay near Belgharia Station(Sealdah Main line route).

Bandel Junction is an important railway station of Eastern Railway on Howrah line and its also a junction. It is well connected to Howrah, Sealdah and Naihati on the main line.

On surfing the web I found another great spot which is Hooghly Imambara. So I planned my trip to two spots Bandel Church and Hoogly Imambara.

Though few direct train was available from Belgharia(Sealdah), being a lazy person I choose to do a break journey. I took Naihati local and I was lucky enough to get a connecting train from Naihati to Bandel.

The train pass through Jublee Bridge( the old one, not operational now) which was around 127 years old then. The train slowly crossed the bridge and I reached my first destination “Hooghly Ghat Station”. I got down off the train and walked towards Imambara taking help from reliable google map.

It took me 10 minutes to reach there.The Imambara is a beautiful piece of architecture however it remains less crowdy as it has not been promoted well enough.
There is an entry fee for the Imambara, the interior is well decorated with marbles, lanterns, there is also a garden inside the premises near the Hooghly river.
To be honest I didn’t expect such a wonderful piece of history and architecture at that place cause I never get to hear about it.
It did make me sad to see such a beautiful place is not well maintained. Thanks to the Internet I found this place and gave it a visit.

I then started my walk to next destination to Bandel Church, which took me approx 25mins to reach. It is one of the oldest church in the state, situated in Bandel which is around 60 km from Kolkata but is well connected by train from Howrah and also train service is available from Sealdah and Naihati. The church is 2km(approx) from Bandel station one can easily get an auto rickshaw or cycle rickshaw from the station.

The Church was crowded as you can expect from a tourist spot.  The church has been renovated and is in good shape. But I found the old traditional architecture missing after the renovation.

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The church has a very long history so maybe a local guide can guide’s knowledge can make the church more interesting. Many astonishing has occurred related to the church. These stories have been written on the church’s wall.

The places are well connected by roads and railways and also ferry service is available from Naihati. One can get around the city in a cycle rickshaw or auto rickshaw.

It was then my time to return, I choose to walk to Bandel Station to catch a direct train. I left Bandel with wonderful memories and promise to return back to take quality pictures next time.

 

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