I spent the last weekend at Matheran. I had been there once before, in my second year of college, but this place is worth visiting a thousand times. The natural beauty has been preserved well, unlike overly commercialized Mahabaleshwar or Lonawala. Motorized vehicles are not allowed in Matheran proper, so the only transportation mechanism (excluding your legs) is horses. Matheran is full of beautiful, foggy valleys. Situated at a height of about 3000 feet above sea level, it's constantly raining there. Naturally the place is full of mud, but it only adds to the feel IMO.
Now something about our group. We were ten people in all (thanks to Musa and DJ for taking the initiative in organizing the trip, DJ however could not attend). Musa and Sunil returned on the first day and I was also thinking of it, but I now think I did better by staying (I would have missed the toy train (or troy ten as a friend put it)). Matheran is not a place to finish in hurry. You can spend hours at a single point, and the best part is when the fog thins out for a moment or two to reveal the landscape. I simply can't describe its beauty. I especially enjoyed Malang Point and Sunset Point. Another plus was that the place was not overcrowded, so it was like we had the whole thing for ourselves.
The biggest attraction of Matheran, for children and adults alike, is the toy train. We could not get the tickets on our way up so we hired a taxi, which was another kind of thrill. The road is not for the faint of the heart, the drivers make you miss a heartbeat or two. On our way down, we were determined to get the tickets. The number of tickets is very limited however and people come like 4-5 hours early to get them. But after more than two hours of toil, we somehow managed to get the tickets (it was sheer luck, but that's another story), and it was the high point of the trip, the joy on the guys faces when they heard the news was simply ineffable. And take my word for it, the toy train is well worth the toil. Hats off to the guys who envisioned and built this system. The whole journey is breathtaking. If you visit Matheran, don't miss it.
Overall the trip was a great refresher, I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope the next one will come soon.
Update: Photos of the trip by Jaggi
Now something about our group. We were ten people in all (thanks to Musa and DJ for taking the initiative in organizing the trip, DJ however could not attend). Musa and Sunil returned on the first day and I was also thinking of it, but I now think I did better by staying (I would have missed the toy train (or troy ten as a friend put it)). Matheran is not a place to finish in hurry. You can spend hours at a single point, and the best part is when the fog thins out for a moment or two to reveal the landscape. I simply can't describe its beauty. I especially enjoyed Malang Point and Sunset Point. Another plus was that the place was not overcrowded, so it was like we had the whole thing for ourselves.
The biggest attraction of Matheran, for children and adults alike, is the toy train. We could not get the tickets on our way up so we hired a taxi, which was another kind of thrill. The road is not for the faint of the heart, the drivers make you miss a heartbeat or two. On our way down, we were determined to get the tickets. The number of tickets is very limited however and people come like 4-5 hours early to get them. But after more than two hours of toil, we somehow managed to get the tickets (it was sheer luck, but that's another story), and it was the high point of the trip, the joy on the guys faces when they heard the news was simply ineffable. And take my word for it, the toy train is well worth the toil. Hats off to the guys who envisioned and built this system. The whole journey is breathtaking. If you visit Matheran, don't miss it.
Overall the trip was a great refresher, I enjoyed every moment of it. I hope the next one will come soon.
Update: Photos of the trip by Jaggi
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