Just Walking Around

Nature Trails

I still remember going to the Dadar beach with my parents and my brother , making sand castles with the wet sand not getting bothered about the sand sticking to ours hands and feet . Washing them afterward at the local pani puri wallah with a little bit of water . There were no hand sanitizers back then. But we managed to have fun the rough way . Ending the visit with a mouthful of Bhel or a sweet and spicy pani puri. It was a time to be one with your surroundings , be one with nature.

During primary school days the closest we came to nature was when there was a picnic to the Aarey gardens or the Sanjay Gandhi National Park or a visit to the Hanging Gardens. Or that of the year either during summer vacations or during wedding season , when we visited our relatives back at the village. The earthy smell of the wet mud or sweet waft cow dung from the freshly surfaced floor if the aangan . These houses were huge compared to our match box sized flats . they wada’s with stone walls and tile roofing , aagan (front yard) , back yard , many rooms , wooden stair cases leading to rooms on the top floor. Out houses , storage houses a well in the back yard provided both water and exercise to inhabitants. The aangan usually had a big potted Tulsi or the Tulsi Vrindavan which was watered by the ladies of the home after bathing and before starting the household chores.

It was fun to just run around the house playing blind mans buff (andhali koshimbir ) or pakdapakdi –hide and seek . Whole lot of choices to hide in the nooks and corners of these enormous houses. I remember my mama taking us on bullock cart rides around the town and going hiking across to the hill just opposite to our home. All kids following him in a disciplined line ,and he telling us about various trees in the forest . We would pluck some bright colored flowers , pick some fallen sticks or pluck those sweet berries (pitkal –red coloured and a little pungent in taste ) or small tangy fruits like bimbal (shaped like tiny cucumbers) or karmal (star fruit) which was sweet if ripe and yellow. The green ones were real tangy (ambat) , making your mouth really sour.

We would enjoy the trail walking leisurely stopping to admire a lady bug on one of the leaves or get mesmerized with the butterflies flying around . That was real fun.

Later in the day we would accompany our Mama to the Cow shed in the backyard to get first hand experience of milking the cows. There were couple of them tied to wooden poles. Everyday they would be washed , the cow dung cleared and then milked with hands. Though personally I have not tried it but it was a great experience watching the whole activity as a child. One of the other uncle had a dairy farm with big Jersey cows . Looking magnificent in their white and brown spotted coat. Giving milk which would be collected in buckets and transferred in drums. After the visit we would pile on to the bullock cart with our newly made whips out of the small sticks found in the forest and using a little bit of rope found in the cow shed feeling proud sitting next to the cart driver .Enjoying the ride making funny noises while gid-yapping the bullocks to make them run faster. “Hooorrr Aaaha”

Though we miss all this , there are places you can take your kids to show the village life. Just head to Bhajanlal Dairy Farm on the Mumbai Ahmedabad Highway , close to Vasai there is a place called Chincoti. It’s the most famous Dairy producing gallons and gallons of Milk and supplying to the Western Suburbs of Mumbai from Vasai-Virar to Borivali . The owner has created a nice tourist visiting place at his dairy farm which was earlier a  Buffalo tabela.

Bhajanlalson’s at Vasai east is now visited by many locals and people from distance too, thanks to the outlets in Mumbai and the taste that talks about itself. A huge premise, this dairy farm has about 500 Buffalo’s milked daily using the machine milking technology which can be seen by the visitors . You can see the buzz that goes about managing a dairy farm in live action. Helpers can be seen scurrying around with buckets of milk , transferring into aluminum drums and then to the refrigeration units. The messy dung being cleared and taken away in cane tokris to be used in the bio-gas unit in their backyard.

The best thing i liked about this place is the cleanliness and hygiene that is maintained. Being the milk giants of Mumbai, and having an eating section and buffalo shed at close vicinity is sure to attracted flies and mosquitoes. But both the milking farm area and the shop are kept very much neat and tidy, you will find a few bees smelling the glass of lassi you can consume here. The Lassi is thick and fresh and the masala milk also is great to taste. You can buy pure ghee , curd or the softest paneer from the adjoining shop. If you are a sweet aficionado try their peda , milk cake or the mawa barfi. For the chat lovers they have started serving paneer chat made with small soft pieces of paneer mixed with chopped onions , tomatoes and sprinkled with salt ,red chilly powder and chat masala. Sure to make you eat your fingers after tasting the same. Or try their paneer pakoda , crunchy on the outside and melting paneer on the inside.

Another place that should be on your list if you are a true nature lover is the Tropical Spice Garden near Ponda . If you visit Goa for the mesmerizing beaches , try the spice garden to get a feel of greenery and forest type environment. Not far from the city of Ponda this spice garden is well managed and visited by Indian and Foreign tourist alike. The entrance has a huge parking area , a short walk leads to hut where you buys entry tickets and head to the Spice Farm. You have walk across a wooden bridge over a lake with cool blue water filled with lotuses gently swaying to the blowing breeze and small but agile fishes swimming around. The bridge leads to the reception area where hostesses welcome you with lemon grass drink , garlands made of fresh flowers and a red tikka on your forehead.

Their guides will take you on a refreshing walk around the plantation, regaling you with information on various spices and there medicinal values. Black pepper Cardamom, Nutmeg, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Cloves, Chillies, Coriander, which  you can see them grow. They will also introduced you to the  famous All Spices plant, which has aroma and taste of five spices. In the Plantation you will see Goa's traditional Plantation, Tropical trees like Cashew, Areca nut (Betel nut) palm trees and Tropical Fruit like Star fruit, Jack Fruit, Custard Apple, Bananas, Papayas, Pineapple. You can also see at least four different Citrus Fruits, They also have a few Coffee Plants, a rare sight in Goa. At the Tropical Spice Plantation you are in the midst of nature . You can watch and experience the thrill of watching a Kingfisher dive for his catch or enjoy watching the monkeys as they frolic on the trees. The guided tour will refresh your senses and make you feel a part of nature.

After the guided tour you will be served an exquisite Goan lunch in their open air restaurant, where no walls separate's you from nature. Food is served in a traditional manner on a Banana leaf, spread in cane basket type plates. To keep your spirits high they serve Goa's world famous Kaju Feni or Urraq (A lighter version of Feni). As for food you have a choice of Rice / Pulav Traditional Fish Curry / Vegetable Curry, Fried Fish / Fried Potatoes, Chicken Xacuti, Veg Kurma, Papad and Lime Pickle. They also offer fresh fruits along with traditional Goan dessert. The lunch is a feast not only for your stomach but also for your senses.

There are nearly 25 species of birds which can be sighted within the Spice Plantation. You can expects to see Birds of Paradise, Cuckoos, Koel, Cousals, Owls, Maina, Hornbills, Pitters, Parakeets etc. and even some rare and endangered species. The experienced bird watcher and Novice will be delighted in watching these birds chirp away happily in their natural habitat. For once you feel one with nature.

Enjoy the visit and head back home with fond memories.