A Day in Dubai

It was the month of December and I was deep in the middle of work at office and work. The last vacation I had seemed to have been years back, (okay, I am exaggerating). Proposals to be submitted, events to be held, projects to be completed, I seemed to be drowning in a truck load of work. Fortunately there was the amazing holiday in the middle-east that I had to look forward to, light at the end of the tunnel and a glimmer of hope to come back rejuvenated.

I had made plans with the two SSs in my life (daughter and hubby) to visit the cities of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat for a lovely long trip during the Christmas and New Year break.

Dubai is a city of man-made wonders. I am not the biggest fan of man-made wonders, but when I saw this glittering city, I thought otherwise. A city that came up in the desert, a city with few resources, and a city that is one of the largest commercial hubs in the world is a force to reckon with. It showed the perseverance of mankind to conquer a hostile environment and transform it completely, that people now flock from far and wide to it. Tall buildings do remind me of Howard Roark of The Fountain Head and make me believe, they truly are testament of the human spirit in achieving such heights!

With its man-made palm islands, skyscrapers that adorn the skyline, endless shopping malls, one can only marvel at the rulers who achieved all of this in a short span of time. Besides these man-made wonders, the desert and the beaches are natural wonders that can be seen in Dubai.  The sheer scale and size of everything here are mind boggling. Be it the miles of shopping malls, or the ‘sky is the not the limit’ height of the tall buildings, they did make me feel very small. How I wish I had a house in one of those tall buildings with fantastic views from up there or atleast a similar building in Mumbai! Perhaps a housing website will help me find me a great deal in Mumbai in those coveted towers downtown (the day I can afford it!)

Apart from the artificial wonders, Dubai is also blessed with natural wonders of the beach and the sea that are of course humongous and you feel insignificant when faced with these natural wonders. Our day had us visit the sand dunes and the beach. It is incredible how sitting on a sand dune and watching the sunset, or sitting on the beach can make all your stress dissolve away as you realize how small you are as compared to the vastness of things around you. I am guessing that going up one of those sky scrapers (esp. the Burj Al Arab) would have the same effect. The tranquility along with little SSS troweling her way through the sand and picking out shells made for a blissful day!

We wrapped up the day with a lovely dinner with one of old school friends and her family and truly felt thankful for the people I was with for being such fun and being there.

Unspoiled Getaway - Matheran

U of the A to Z Challenge

The sweltering heat of Mumbai in late April, an anniversary gone by in the hectic work week that was, a required stress buster, all made us want to go away to somewhere cool, somewhere unpolluted, somewhere natural and somewhere near.

Not far from the bustle of Mumbai, we zeroed on a hillstation that we had never been to together.  The hill station of Matheran is a 2 hour drive from Mumbai and a delightful get away.  The government of India has made this cosy hill station into a protected sanctuary where vehicles are not allowed…which means air that is as fresh as it can get without the fumes that vehicles bring about. I was quite surprised to see such a lush green cover in this heat and it was quite pleasant even in the hot summer month of April.  I never realized how refreshing unpolluted air can be.  Even though it was hot when we reached, and we were tired with our baby SSS and the 40 minute walk uphill, we were instantly recharged after we dumped our luggage in the hotel and stepped out in a few minutes.

What to see- There are several picturesque points in Matheran that offer spectacular views of the valley and the hills. The popular ‘points’ are marked on the map below. Sunset Point, Porcupine point, Monkey point, Panaroma Point, and Heart point are some of the popular points to visit although I prefer to visit the quieter places that are along the way but less noisy and cleaner. The toy train was remarkable of course climbing that steep incline.  Waterfalls can also been seen near the Charlotte lake, but since it was summer when I visited, there were no waterfalls to be seen.  It is a nice place for adults looking for some greenery and a respite from the heat. It is a fun place for kids with monkeys, horses, sheep and various animals to be seen, a fun market to head out to. My baby girl was absolutely fascinated with all the monkeys monkeying around and laughed her heart out at their antics!

A common sight in Matheran is that of horses and monkeys.  With no vehicles allowed, the transport of the yore..the horses are used in this hill station.  One can see horses almost everywhere. I was told there are about 400 horses that are used in this scenic hillstation to ferry people, building material, food and almost everything!

There are two ways to get to Matheran.  By road and by train.  By road, which we took, there are two routes that lead there from Mumbai– one through Badlapur onwards to Matheran, and the other via Panvel that we took.  A two hour drive leads you to the foothills of Matheran where you are supposed to park your vehicle in the parking lot. A bevy of porters, horse owners and handcart rickshaw pullers will besiege you and tell you various options to go up.  You can trudge upwards on a 40 minute walk on foot or on horse or on a hand drawn cart.  You can also hire porters if you want your luggage carried. The second option is to take the train to Neral station (Central Railway local train) and then take the toy train that winds its way up through a scenic hill offering fantastic views of the hillside right upto the station of Matheran.

Notes: All prices for horse, porters, hand drawn carts and even hotels are negotiable.  They typically ask for Rs 450 per person for anything. But you can negotiate to bring this price down to 250-300 per person.

There are hotel options for all budgets offering varying facilities and locations.  You can even reach on the spot and find a suitable hotel.


All in all, I loved the place and I will be back there soon!

Some pictures from my trip -

Here comes the toy train

The Toy Train

Of hills and valleys

Of trees, hills and valleys