Monsoon Mania with Boiled Peanuts and a mini trek to Kanheri Caves.

Kanheri Caves

A spontaneous decision to visit the very famous Kanheri caves made me sulk. Impromptu adventures are not my cup of tea. I am a planner. I like order-organization – an uncomplicated and straight forward way of living life, in my opinion. But husband is made from a different material. He is quick, extemporaneous and highly adventurous.

walk to the caves

A surprise late night call from a cousin of ours – Lets take the kids there… the monsoons have created mini waterfalls, freshly ruptured meandering streams and lots of goofy monkeys!’. My guy was all in.

Water down mossy slopes

Sound asleep, without a clue, I am awoken with full force in the wee hours of a day which is supposed to be a holiday! Crib. Crib. More crib. Warm bed, snug blanket and foodie dreams(mostly 😉 ) made me just yell back at my aggravator.

Scenic View

But he is my husband for a reason. He has all the neat tricks up his sleeve. He knows how to get me out without him turning servile. Milee is cajoled, woken and allured with high spirit exciting adventures that the mother would die thinking of. The deceiver knows I would literally melt sitting at home alone, thinking what all could go wrong on a moss-covered slippery wet basalt. And of course I would be a big party pooper, the ‘bad’ one if I were to object to the kid’s thrill. Oh! how I hate his cunning ways.

another one

By now, you know where this is leading to. Yea..I go out all scowling but return transformed. I am stunned to silence with the picturesque view that the place had to offer. The myriad vistas left me wanting for more…. and an early morning little trek up a wet slippery rock was all that my sluggish physical self required.

Brief about Kanheri Caves:
The Kanheri Caves constitute a group of rock-cut monuments that are located on the western outskirts of Mumbai, India. The Kanheri Caves demonstrate the Buddhist influence on the art and culture of India. Kanheri comes from the Sanskrit Krishnagiri, which means black mountain. The caves were chiseled out of a massive basaltic rock outcropping.

meandering monsoon stream

We actually did not go to see the caves. We went to play in seasonal small waterfalls and natural showers and springs. No, there was no water scarcity back at our place 🙂 We were just lookin for some simple fun.

All the kids jumped with joy at the sight of mini falls and meandering streams. Sans breakfast or milk, they still were so energetic and playful… always amazes me. Wasting no time, they were the first ones to get their feet dirty and play rough in cold chilling waters.

trying to get to the mini fall

The fervor caught on and soon the others joined in. I was one of the last few to cave in to the irresistible temptation of playing colorless holi. But before that I did manage to capture a few shots and return my precious camera to safety.

All wet

A surprise every few steps made our picnic eventful and adventurous. A little further, we found a natural shower thundering with such enormous intensity that it felt like a strong massage unbearable for more than 2-3 minutes.

a natural shower, beats all the man made ones in intensity!

Monkeys rule the roost there. Highly vigilant and bold, they snarl and leap at any food you carry. My sandwich was literally snatched from my hand, the camera almost fell.. its then that I swore never to open food in front of them ever, again. The scariest moment of my life.

Quenching the thirst

It was funny to click the ape slurping away from a puddle when there was water literally everywhere! They did stay away from the falls and the streams, but were ready to drink from puddles, ditches and our very fine Bisleris. Ha!

Making a Statement

Well. I see why he was so coercive. So supremely confident that I wouldn’t regret ditching my warm bed.

The trek gratifying. The cold water liberating. The early morning view breathtaking. The laughter of kids – exploding.
And then my heart with pleasure fills.

While returning from our short excursion, we bought loads of dirty freshly dug groundnuts. Husband plonked them on my wet lap and pronounced loud and clear.. how he wants them eaten – boiled and salted. Thats it. No antics with your over the top experiments.. not in salads, not as toppings, not in poha, not in milkshakes (now, why would I do that?!!) Sigh! And the man thinks I am nuts.

Boiled in salted water. Thats it.

After rigorous washing of the supremely muddy nuts, I steamed them in a whole pot of boiling salted water for almost 20 minutes.

Boiled peanuts have 4 times the antioxidants as that of raw peanuts.

Boiled Peanuts are highly nutritious. They provide as an amazing substitute to your mindless munches and cravings. They are leaner than their raw or toasted counterparts. And whatever little bit fat they have, is ‘good’ ‘essential’ fat. Yay!

Benefits galore

Life’s pleasures do not lie in complication or high-end expenditure, but in the very simple, the very basic and the very ordinary. A day well spent.

Poor man’s almond

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