The miniature train, royal blue with shiny red trimmings, known fondly as the ‘toy train’, waited patiently on its narrow tracks at Neral Junction. We boarded, and began the slow, winding 800 metre ascent to Matheran, a small town set amidst mountains and forest – its name means ‘jungle topped’.
We chatted sporadically, gazing out of the window as the train chugged above a dry reddish landscape, where dark green grew in thick clumps. “Isn’t this just wonderful?” Only a few hours from Mumbai, the hill station is many a Mumbaiker’s weekend paradise.
The train halted at a small platform .
Mountains receded into the distance; we had begun moving again.
Mountains receded into the distance; we had begun moving again.
We reached Matheran, a hill top town with a population of 5000, where motor vehicles and even bicycles are banned; a shady haven to rest the ears and lungs after the chaos of Mumbai. A huge portion of the town’s residents are dogs who sleep the day away, bundles of mongrel pups, sacred cows with calves, goats and bleeting kids, hens hiding chicks under maternal wings, horses, ponies and cats; it is a kind of giant petting zoo. And high up in the trees, are hundreds of mischievous monkeys, picking through the fur behind their babies’ outsized pink ears, bounding through the town, or sauntering into an unguarded home, to steal food which they greedily stuff into their cheeks for later.
That evening, Main Bazaar, the town’s central red dirt road, was alit with fairy lights. Indian tourists wandered past stalls selling plastic toys that spun up into the sky, glasses of rainbow colored sugary cordial, and the most beautiful handmade leather sandals I had ever seen. It was a carnival-esque scene: people wandered by, wearing luminous rubber necklaces that glowed in the dark; groups of girls strolled arm in arm, enjoying their new found freedom from hooting cars and zipping auto-rickshaws. The road was clean and litter free, thanks to the eco-minded town council, who have imposed a complete ban on plastic bags. ‘This place is pretty much Mumbai’s antithesis…’ I wondered !!!
Red soil and red houses . Matheran is synonymous with red , horses and nature . Ecologically sensitive region is well kept with no motoring zone all through Matheran . Indeed haven on earth . Horses are a familiar sight . Infact they are so close to the human dwelling that they have practical human nick names . The market place , the public garden and major sights are all close to each other . Monkeys are another regular in Matheran . They have quite a presence as they snatch everything from the passerbys right from a quick snack to ice golas !!! . 
The market place is quite composed and offers typical hill station items viz hats , fancy shoes (slip-ons) , jackets and hunter sticks (to shoo away stary dogs and monkeys) .
Essentials to carry while on a trip in summers :
- Sport shoes
- Glares
- Walking cum hunter stick
- Water bottle
- Definitely no plastic bags (its banned in Matheran)
- Print out of the map above .
