Tag: Dudhsagar Falls

TTL: Dudhsagar – Wrap Up

On the way back, the train was quite empty. The train stopped at SNL for a minute and people all around were getting very excited that the Falls was coming up.
One advantage you may get, if you have a camera and can play the part, is that people would let you have a good spot if you request them just a bit.
So, I secured my spot by the door and waited.

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I wasnt too bothered about the falls this time round, for I already knew what I would get to see and that had already been shot in the best possible settings. So, I shot the other way.

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As the light faded, this rock feature came in to view. Probably, this is where Castle Rock derives its name from.

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Soon it was nightfall and we retired  to our respective berths.

We reached Pune quite on time early morning.

I would term this trip a success, right from the planning stage, to the getting down and walking to the falls, the shots at the falls, the train ride… everything fell right into place. It was good.

The next trip is being planned…will keep you informed.

Cheers!!

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TTL: Dudhsagar – The eventful day

The sun rose at about 0615h and so did we. We got busy clicking photos of the fall.

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Next we took a safe, albeit a tad scary route to the bottom of the falls where the water makes a pool, before gushing further down. Now, this is a spot where one DOES NOT get in the water. No mater how tempting it may look to be, or how amazing swimmer you may believe yourself to be, DO NOT go into the water.

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We lazed around and were nagged by the feeling of being watched constantly, and soon the watchers came into clear view with evil motives. They wanted our chocolates, and we would not part with them without a fight.

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So, we had a stand off, 4 of us versus 3 of them. Without incurring any casualty on either side, we climbed back to the top, to the railway tracks.

Here, we waited for at least one train to pass by, so that we could venture into the tunnel and walk on towards Sonalium (LIM) and ultimately towards QLM.

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Once the train passed by, we went into the tunnel, only to hear the whistle of the second one approaching from the other side.

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With the other one gone, we knew we had a lot of time to walk to the second view point. Its about a kilometer walk to the viewpoint, located directly opposite the falls.

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We waited on a cement bench for a train to pass by the falls. We waited for an hour, and then….

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Now, we had the following options: one, we walk to LIM, then find transport and go to QLM; two, we walk to QLM; three, we hail the train and take a lift to QLM. We took option three.

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Thus, we visited the Dudhsagar Falls and then hitched a ride on a goods train and made it to Kullem. The return trip was scheduled at 1635h from QLM and it was just 1045h yet. So, we went to the town, a tiny one that is and had breakfast. Then we lazed about and made our way to the station and waited for our ride back home.

On the way back, we saw something quite beautiful too…find out in the final part of the trip 🙂

Cheers!!

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TTL: Dudhsagar – The night and Dawn

So, with the planning done to the details, we were ready. The Friday arrived and we made our way to the Pune station. Goa express was 1h and 30 minutes late. So, we spent the time lazying around in the station. Then, finally, at about 1800h, the train ambled in. Since tickets were booked already, no hassles, we found and occupied our seats.

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We were scheduled to be at QLM at 0435h the next day, and that it would cross Castle Rock (CLR) at 0350h. Now, CLR+10 tunnels, gets us to DDS. That’s the calculation one must follow at pitch darkness.

I dont manage to sleep properly in the train, hence, I was up and about since 0300h. As we reached CLR, I woke up the rest of the team and we got ready. The train made an unscheduled stop at DDS station, and without further ado, we were off. We had arrived at the Dudhsagar station at 0400h in the morning. One must walk on the tracks to reach the falls from the DDS station, and at that time, one must not expect a lot of light. There is also a tunnel en route that one must cross.

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With the huge moon above our head, and the torches to light up our paths, we walked to the falls. By about 0430h, we were at the waterfall. We could hear the falls even before we first saw it. It was like a sheet of water tumbling down the slopes, at immense force with a growl.

Since there was not a lot of light around to shoot with, we waited there, enjoying the cool breeze coming from the direction of the fall, which would sometimes spray us with cold water too. A couple of goods trains roared past us.

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By this time, we were hungry. Out came the chocolates. We found some spots to sit and lay down, and we waited, for sunrise, which was still a couple of hours away. Honestly, we were desperate to shoot at and the falls, I was, I know for sure 🙂

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TTL: Dudhsagar – The Planning

Hi there all,

It has been quite sometime since the last post. In the time lapsed between, some significant changes have taken place in my life. The preparations had kept me too busy and I am happy to share that the results are in the positive.

Now, coming to the matter at hand, Dudhsagar Falls.
Located not far from the border of Goa is this waterfall where the Mandovi river takes  a 600ft dive . The river is a rainfed one, hence, during the rainy season, she is a roaring beast, while during the summer, shes way more timid. This is one of the few tourist spots which have not been spoilt yet my heavy commercialization. The falls came into limelight when a scene from the movie, Chennai Express, was shot here.

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I wanted to visit the falls since time immemorial and almost always, things would stay just till the planning phase. One fine day, a few months back, me and Ankita, we decided that enough of planning and wishing, this time, we shall make it through. And then, she had an operation done, so the plan was scrapped.

A few weeks ago, the plan was put to motion once more, and the conditions looked favourable. So, the train tickets were booked, from Pune to Kullem. We would board the 12780 H.Nizamuddin-Vasco-Da-Gama Goa Express from Pune (PUNE) station at 1635h on Friday, and reach Kullem (QLM). From Kullem, we would hike back to the Dudhsagar falls using any means available in our budget. The return train from Kullem to Pune was the 12779 Goa Express of Saturday, boarding at 1535h. The distance from Kullem to Dudhsagar (DDS) is about 12kms . So, as per plans, we had a 24 kms hike, and 11 hours time.

I had my own check list ready:

  • Camera (2) – Nikon D3100 (mine), D5200 (Tanaya’s)
  • Battery (3)
  • Lens (2) – 18-55mm on the D5200 primarily, 55-200mm on the D3100
  • Silica Gel packs
  • Power Bank
  • High Power Torch
  • Knife of a sort
  • Lighter
  • Tissue papers (Both dry and wet)
  • Hand Sanitizer and Face Wash
  • Dry Food ( Chocolates and Biscuits)
  • Salt (for the Leeches :p)
  • Bluetooth Speaker
  • Tripod
  • Water Bottles
  • Extra pair of socks

These fine details of the trip would not have been possible but for the input from the amazing and experienced traveller, Dipanwita.

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To an enthusiastic mind, the numbers seemed doable. So, with a plan in place, the tickets were booked and we were waiting for the Friday, 21st of October, 2016 to come.

There are differences in plans, and executions, we experienced it first hand. Coming up soon 🙂
Cheers!!

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