Matheran in a nutshell
A green Hill Station – 30 to 40 kms away from Bombay as the crow flies. At an elevation of around 800 metres (2650 feet), is a walker’s paradise. It is undulating, covered with a canopy of tall trees, many of them more that 100 years old. Very many are Anjan and Jamun. Before 1850 there was no Matheran, it would have looked just like how Prabal looks today. Prabal is to the west of Matheran and can be seen from many points which face the west, i.e. all the points stretching from One Tree Hill to Panorama point. The English were responsible for creating this paradise. We in the last 20-30 years have been ruining, we have not been bale to handle the tourist over-load. The charm of walking on mud roads with no vehicular traffic will soon be a thing of the past. The main roads have been paver blocked and is now jarring to walk on. E-rickshaws are plying today.
Uncontrollable tourists
Temperature at any point of day or nigh are, 4 to 6 degrees lower than Bombay. And so it is literally getting choked by tourists. Plastic bottles and wrappers everywhere. We have to stop the sale of plastic bottles.
There are still quiet places left
I am happy to say that even though tourists throng this little hill station and horses and horse dung is seen in most places, there are a few quite places where you will not see a single tourist nor horse. I have started visiting Matheran practically every month and stay at Woodlands Hotel, which is situated in the forest. The temperature at Woodlands is always a degree or two less than the temperature at the market area, where most of the hotels are located. I do long walks everyday, anyone wishing to join me, call me (Leon Lobo) on 9820992458. I study the flora and fauna and immerse myself in the beauty of the place.
Nature at it’s best
I have been visiting Matheran for more than 45 years, I must have made more than 100 visits. What makes my heart sing, each time I visit, is the feel of the soft red earth by my BEING. I have concluded that our feet were never made to walk on such hard surfaces like tar and concrete, which are meant only for our man made vehicles. This is one of the many compromises we make to live in our so called ‘secure and comfortable’ cities.
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