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Nature trail in Uttan Mangroves - Jamdar pada lake and Dam

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Mumbai is mainly associated with population, pollution and if this wasn't enough we have some unique haphazard ways of developing our city for the next few decades by clogging the already clogged roads with development projects which adds to our woes. We seek green spaces in the concrete jungles of Mumbai but when we have one like Aarey forest or Sanjay Gandhi national park, we make it a litter zone by throwing our empty food packets and empty plastic bottles. One would sometimes think there are no places left in Mumbai where we don't have pollution or littering, all place natural. But then an ardent nature lover would always find some pockets of green, someplace of solace and peace. And believe it or not, there exist such places in the deepest corners of our city where we can still find chirping birds, nature, greenery, and some uninterrupted shades of peace.  One such place that I had recently read about - Jamdar Dam and a small lake, a place with abundant shade a

Uttarakhand Sojourn : Walking in wilderness from Deoriatal to Chopta

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It was day 3 of our trip and today we were walking from Deoriatal to Chopta, from one mountain to another passing through meadow of "Rohini Bugyal", passing through the dense forest laden with red and pink coloured Rhododendron trees.Our host family was up early in morning by 4am to ready our breakfast and making our packed lunch of Paratha. By 7am we were all set and ready for our 14 kms trek to Chopta, our guide from Sari village had reached previous night and was staying with our host family. It is advisable to start early at first sunlight as we later found that it is a long trail with lots of ascend and descend, also the rains with icy cold droplets can slow you down substantially. Bidding goodbye to our host we started our trek at 7.30am passing next to Deoria tal and the watch tower. The trail starts from behind the forest lodge passing through Rhododendron flowerbed and forest cover. The peaks of Chaukhamba and Kedar dome were peeping out of the clouds a