Dudhsagar Falls

Last night we decided on another HBO night in but we have to go out for a short while after we have sprayed the room while the dust settles so we walked down to Williams bar where all the Brits usually meet but only one Russian was to be seen. We saw that there was a new place called Portofino so had a drink in there but Claire didn’t like the toilets or the look of the kitchen. Strange the place only opened 6 weeks ago. There must be somewhere where all the Brits meet as we have now lost the 3 that we knew, Williams, Lucky Star and Tate, and we haven’t seen a single Brit that we recognise yet anywhere.

We headed off at 7.45am with Julius for about 90 minutes due east to the falls and once we were past Ponda it was trucks all the way; I have never seen so many. There must have been a thousand in a line going the opposite way; well they weren’t really, they were stopped most of the time. Apparently there is a mine and they can’t get enough of whatever it is they are mining away; it was a complete nightmare. Every now and then one or two would try and overtake leaving no room on our side so we were in and out of the gutter to get past. Once we arrived they coupled us up with a Russian couple (joy) and we shared the price of the 4x4 which was Rs1800 a load. Everyone was trying to sell us stuff but we only bought a packet of crisps each and some bananas and nuts for the monkeys. Another chap got in with us saying that he was out guide but when we got to the gate he wanted Rs500 a couple so we kicked him out. They charge Rs20 entry each and Rs30 for each camera and Rs50 for a video. The journey commenced. It is only 10km to the falls but it took an hour; this must be the most extreme off-roading that is possible without getting stuck. We did get stuck several times but managed to push, reverse or drive through it somehow in the end. The going was incredibly heavy as the monsoon finished very late and it still rains most days so there is no chance of anything drying up through the jungle, especially with hundreds of 4x4 trips everyday churning it all up. We had to ford 4 rivers and 5 streams and countless giant puddles and the rest was quagmire. Strangely we seemed to have more trouble on the flat dryer slopes that were still wet; the driver had great trouble keeping it from sliding off the road. We nearly went over the edge at one point with the offside back tyre slipping over so I jumped out taking my most precious possession with me. Well I don’t want anything to happen to my new i-phone do I?

Once we got there, there was a short climb across rocks to the base of the falls which was quite tricky sometimes. We were warned to take climbing footwear but all the local guides and drivers were wearing flip flops. The falls weren’t that big but I suppose, by now, most of the water has drained down to the track that we came up on. We fed the monkeys with bananas and the fish with nuts, had a rest and headed back to beat the crowds. If anything going down was worse than coming up; we seemed to be constantly stopping to let jeeps come past the other way, another nightmare and you had to grip so tightly to stop your head from hitting the roof. It was exhausting but we suddenly came to a halt behind 3 other jeeps. We got out having a look to find a couple of jeeps had got bogged down in one of the rivers blocking the way. All the drivers and guides waded in to help push it out in vein so they decided to let the 4 jeeps going up try to get past them first, which they just managed and then we all drove past leaving the two stranded ones there. We must have been there half an hour and all the passengers were still in the jeeps and the water comes in when you go through a puddle so they must have been soaked. It’s quite a dangerous place to come; we spotted a sign near the falls listing all the names of people that had drowned whilst swimming in the water. Claire said that none of them were English, so it’s not that serious.

When we finally got back Julius was waiting with his doors open and we headed off while he was on his mobile phone. He said that we would go another way back because of all the trucks and we agreed. He said he was meeting a friend that had come because he had never come back this new way and we soon picked him up and he followed us back. It chucked it down with rain most of the way home but this road took us past the Kingfisher factory in Ponda. It took 2 hours to get back and we were starving, having no breakfast or lunch; in fact we didn’t even have dinner last night, just a few drinks. We did share one of the monkey’s bananas, much to his disappointment. We headed straight of to Mish Mar beach shack in Majorda but again, we were disappointed in the food. I guess that he must have a different chef this year as all the food we ate there for two trips was the best around. There is very little for us to go back to Majorda for again it’s all gone down hill. We could probably say the same for Colva, I think we enjoyed Cavelossim as much as anywhere this time and that used to be our lest favourite. One last trip to Tesco’s for some juice and water and its off home to clean up and rest ready for our next adventure.