Mandovi Express - the best 5-Star Restaurant in the world

Part 4 :
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Part 1 : /blog/post/823009
Part 2 : /blog/post/823009/2
Part 3 : /blog/post/823009/21
Part...
more...

4 : /blog/post/823009/38
Part 5 : /blog/post/823009/46
Part 6 : /blog/post/823009/69
Part 7 : /blog/post/823009/78
Part 8 Concluding Part : /blog/post/823009/86
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Aug 3 2013 : 11:00 AM
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So here I am at DDS, minutes away from witnessing a grand spectacle from the 5th largest falls in India, but somehow did not feel like rushing towards the falls. Why hurry. I have all the time in the world. Let me a bit far from the madding crowd. Watching DDS is just a part of the agenda and not the whole exercise. I asked my colleagues to move on and spent some time just admiring the beauty surrounding me. Chai @ DDS station seemed like a great idea. Sat down, relaxed, had a steaming hot cup of chai which was much better than the one served in the train. Stretched my eyes as far as I can see and I could see our Vasco express gliding past Sonalium and a loaded BOXN rake awaiting clearance. So I decided to wait to capture the freight which obviously would be minimum of 2DG4's in front and 2DG4's at the rear.
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As if 4 is not enough, a penta came silently and waited beside me to have a glimpse of the oncoming beasts. What do I say, it was like Sachin waiting to enjoy Viru's game (When he was at his peak). Ten minutes gone, the twin beasts emerged and scrambled past the penta beasts smoothly. Penta gets an all clear and moves on. I am left now all alone and it was a good 25 mins since I got down. Decided it is about time or my colleagues will just dump me and move on.
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Just as I entered the tunnel, I realised that my flashlight was with another friend of mine. So much for an expensive flashlight :/. So well I walked the tunnel in the darkness. Slippery, wet and oily, it was a treacherous short walk in absolute darkness, but I had nothing to immediately worry about as there would be no trains atleast for the next 60 mins or so. After 5 mins of very careful walk with a few monkeys for company, I saw light at the end of the tunnel. I could also see a faint streak of milky white substance flowing in the distance. The sound of water was slowly getting amplified. I could feel a smile breaking and however hard I try to suppress and act in a "Matter of fact" attitude, that thing just could not be wiped out of my face.
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As I kept nearing the falls, the sound of water gushing increased, the misty sprays started falling on my face, bags and my lenses. Yes atlast I am here right in front of the majestic Dudhsagar waterfalls, spellbound, awestruck, mesmerised by the strength and beauty of this amazing natural spectacle. I have no words to describe what I saw. No pictures or videos can do any justice to what a person sees here. It is completely out of this world. I stood there right beside the tracks soaking in all the misty sprays and not caring a damn about either of my 2 cameras. This is a moment to enjoy and savor and cherish. Nothing can stop me now. So I just stood there and did nothing for almost 15 minutes. Just watching !!!
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As I got out of my hypnotic state of mind, the reality made a hard bite at me. The place was filthy and crowded. Nobody cared a damn. It was filled with plastic bottles, beer bottles, paper plates, plastic cups, styrofoam cups and what not. There was a guy selling liquor at almost thrice the market price. Why do we do this ? Such a beautiful place completely ransacked by a despicable species called human beings. We try so hard to keep our houses clean. Does it take really that hard to take care of our surroundings as well. It is this lack of ownership which pissed me off. But hey, I came here to enjoy and soak in the beauty and not to be philosophical. We did our bit for the surrounding. We had got garbage bags where we collected all our trash and took it all the way to the next station and dumped in the appropriate place. That is the least I could do. My team was great that way and hats off to them.
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Next came the photo session which lasted a good hour or so. You need to satisfy the needs of 27 folks. By now it was around 1 PM and now it is time for us to move on. The final segment of this trip is filled with lots of unplanned twists and turns. Do not miss out on that as I will take you to a couple of completely unknown treasures near Kulem.
Wait for them ...
End of Part 4.
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Part 1 : /blog/post/823009
Part 2 : /blog/post/823009/2
Part 3 : /blog/post/823009/21
Part 4 : /blog/post/823009/38
Part 5 : /blog/post/823009/46
Part 6 : /blog/post/823009/69
Part 7 : /blog/post/823009/78
Part 8 Concluding Part : /blog/post/823009/86