Magical Matheran

Surrounding the areas around Pune and on the way to Bombay are beautiful hills and mountain valleys that stretch as far as the eye can see. A dusty, steep and winding car ride took us high up into the mountains today to reach the base of a hill station where tourists from all over India come to escape the noise, traffic and crowds of the city. Matheran is a small village accessible only by foot, horse or if you’re there on time, a small “toy” train that slowly crawls up the mountain in a long and laborious journey to the heart of the village. A few of us chose to make the journey by foot while Tom and Jessica enjoyed the trip by horse. Dusty and rocky terrain led us through leafy forests and we had to hold our bags and cameras tight to avoid the mischievous grasps of wild monkeys who eyed us curiously as we passed. A few hundred people still make their home here and are referred to as tribal people. Many work in the modest hotels and guests houses in town, while others sit on the floors of small shops making leather sandals and shoes selling for the equivalent of 4 Canadian dollars. The peaceful crackling of fires outside homes and the clanging of pots as women prepare meals is interrupted only by the grunting unison of up to 6 or 7 men who heave huge wooden carts of food, drink and construction materials up into the village. As we walked, guests of the village accommodations whisked by, pulled along in handcarts by one or two men while we kept pace with those men who were left to carry their suitcases balanced squarely atop their heads – often 4 bags high!