The Mahabhaleshwar Experience
Seven a.m. on a Thursday morning saw us all, for once together, seated comfortably in a Qualis, the baby shifting arms, all of us in quiet happiness. Togetherness is a wonderful feeling, isn’t it, all NRIs would agree. We raced on the NH4, Pune- Bangalore highway, one of the best maintained ones, I must admit, as we passed through winding ghats and mystic tunnels. It was fun, especially the tunnels, we all waited, we knew the baby would cry at the sudden darkness, we waited thinking about different techniques to console him, we would pass the entire stretch of the tunnel, and naughty little Varun would just wait along with us, in silent amazement, as though he was one enlightened fellow, who knew that there was light at the end of every tunnel! Some more driving, a stop at the usual Hotel Nataraj for breakfast, then taking the diversion for Panchgani, we soon were driving past boarding schools and the near by Vayi village.
Enter Mahabhaleshwar. Mapro was our first halt. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to be at Mahabhaleshwar before, this place is a hill station situated at some 1372m above sea level, and is famous for its strawberry agro farms. Mapro is one such brand name that sells different fresh fruit products, needless to mention of course, they specialize in strawberries. This place where we halted was the Mapro factory, they have a beautiful garden here, and they take you inside their factory, to show you how the product of the day is manufactured. They have an ice cream parlor here, and an outlet where all the products are sold at rates lower than the M.R.P.
Two scoops of fresh and rich strawberry ice cream, on a chocolate dipped waffle cone, topped with thick strawberry syrup, when eaten along with the mountain air, can intoxicate even a strawberry-loathing taste bud! I have become a fan of the flavor ever since! After this absolutely chilling experience, we headed towards the Ramsukh Resorts, where we had planned our stay. A 3 star luxury resort, organized as small apartments, placed atop the hills, it offers a brilliant view of the valley on one side, and the rain forests on the other. The approach road was beautiful, forests on either side sprung up erratically, lonely and empty, yet so full with vigor. We checked in and entered our apartment; our room was to be on the first floor. The very sight of the place had us mesmerized; it was a nicely laid out flat, a huge living and dining room that poured out itself into another space, for more casual stuff. The living had an adjoining balcony that let out into the landscaped gardens of the resort, the hills of the valley, and a lake at the base. Two spacious bedrooms, at both sides, each adorned with a liberal window, one showing you the calm of the sky and hills, the other taking you through the wilderness. All of us were so excited to be here, and even more excited about the food, we had heard lots about it! Coming from the Brahmin community (perhaps the only thing that makes me the slightest of Brahmin!), our family knows exactly how to enjoy a meal, especially me, my sis and Jiju. So, it was time for lunch, and we walked up to the restaurant, to be greeted by a delicious Gujarathi thali. Food can be so interesting, the luxury of having people serve you, unlimitedly and amicably, when you sit with people who have no care in the world whatsoever about their figures, you eat with such enjoyment, relishing every spice of the meal, shamelessly and gratefully.
We ate and ate and ate; it wasn’t the stomachs that we wanted to fill, but the hearts! Topped with lots of desserts finally, we decided to give ourselves a break, and return back to the room. Up in the room, we spent time chatting, and living every moment, we knew would soon pass. Evening came, and we went down for a stroll, inside the resort. It was time for pictures, and I clicked some nice ones. The baby got a wonderful ride on a horse cart, with my dad. The sun set and the lights came on. The resort bore the look of a calm bungalow, atop the hill, made it look like it was built on the heavens, and didn’t we feel like the gods! The air grew colder, and we set out a table of pool. The only sound that existed at that moment was the sound of the striped and solid balls hitting against each other and falling into different holes, and the sighs we let out. It was as though even Nature was busy watching our game. After the game, we went towards the swimming pool, where there was going to be a Magic show for the kids! The swimming pool area was wonderfully lit, the waters danced and sparkled. Magic shows were things we were excited about when we were kids, so I went there not expecting a lot, just to take in more of the ambience. The show happened to engross me so much, that I had eventually forgotten all about the ambience, and at the end of the show, my logical mind was at loss. We paid our regards to the magician, and moved towards the restaurant, yes, it was once again time for Food!!!!
I won’t describe at length about all the food that I ate, and how much I enjoyed it, coz then I would possibly never complete this article.
In the night, when I lay at the bed, alone in the room that no one chose to sleep in coz it faced the forest; I listened to the whooshing noise that sounded outside, of the wind. And I thought, perhaps this is the silence that I seek, the sound of one hand clapping….. I went to sleep.
The next day when I rose, the sun was just coming up, and once again, I was mused at the irony, somehow, during vacations I could so easily manage to be up early! With good mornings exchanged, I chose to sit down at the window side, with a hot cup of coffee in my hands, looking at the sky that stretched in front of me. I took a warm shower, and dressed myself up for the day, we proceeded for breakfast. Two glasses of fresh orange juice early morning, is what I call ultimate luxury. We finally decided to look around Mahabhaleshwar a bit, at least to tell something to people, when they ask! The car drove us to one of the finest points in Mahabhaleshwar, called the Arthur’s seat. We descended the steps, and came across a fresh water spring, an old man offered us some water to drink, it was sweet and cold. With that refreshing beverage, we descended a little more, and landed at the view point. From this place, one could see only rocks, and the slightest of observations will tell you how different the hills out here were. For one, there were all covered erratically by rain forests, and secondly, the hills here had so many folds, like that of an Indian sari, I deduced perhaps because of the strong winds that’s characteristic of such places. Clicked some snaps and we decided to retreat, but this time not the usual route, we decided to walk through the jungle. And there we were, walking across the jungle, losing our way once in a while, but finally there. Oh, how I love the wild!
Next, we stopped at another point, this time only me and my Jiju got down, the two of us trekked till the point, and what a view it was! The same valley, the same hills, the same lake, the same trees, but how different they looked from different angles. Clicked some more pictures, and off we were. On our way back, me, my mom and Jiju decided to stop at that one temple, very famous, situated at old Mahabhaleshwar, just near our resort. This one temple boasts of being built upon the origination of 5 rivers, Krishna, Koyna, Savithri, Venna and another one such river. The 5 rivers are made into a sangam, inside this temple. The temple, as most north Indian temples are, was not well maintained, and we went in to look at the little streak of water that came out of the 5 openings. People bowed and paid respects. I looked around. Walking our way towards the resort, we saw this strawberry farm, and I barged in. The farmers (I don’t know if they are called that!) narrated their stories about how the heavy rains had washed away their crops, and these plants that we saw in front of us, were the third of the season. I walked around the field, I felt the mud that gave in below my feet, and spotted a crab in the water well. I left happy.
Offending the general quiet ambience of this place, the afternoon brought some noise. No, it wasn’t a bomb blast like in Delhi, it was the baby! All of a sudden, it had started crying, and it had all of us guessing, maybe its feeling hot, perhaps hungry, maybe something pricked, and the likes. We managed to console it down after a while, but the whole experience had us kind of shaken up. It was almost 4 in the evening, when my Jiju suggested a visit to the Venna lake to pep up the lost spirit. My sis declined and my dad chose to stay with her and the baby. So me, mom and Jiju pushed off.
The best thing about lakes is that they are always so much at ease. We rented a boat for 30 minutes, and had a nice long float. We invented stories to tell my dad when we return (he’s damn scared of water!). Our next halt was the Mahabhaleshwar market. It’s a small little street, with shops on either sides, strawberry vendors, corn stalls and the likes on the roads. It had been a long time since I had shopped at such a place (in Bangalore, all I know of is the Forum and the Garuda Mall!!! Damn them!), so for a change it was fun to get nick knacks, without having to spend too much. After the nice shopping spree, I was satisfied for all that I was taking home. Back home, I was telling my sis what she had just missed!
A quiet dinner by the pool side, the twinkling lights at the distance, strawberry ice cream in the cold for dessert, just completed the day. Me and Jiju spent time talking about the younger generation, of how they were so very different from what we were. Later in the night, I got inside the warm blanket, and fell asleep before I even knew it.
The next morning was beautiful, but it brought with it a weird sense of reluctance. We were leaving that day morning; we made sure we had a hearty breakfast, gobbled as much as we could, at our last chance. Waving a goodbye to this sweet place, we set out back.
We visited two other places on our way back, one called the Parsi point, from where you get a beautiful view of the hills of Mahabhaleshwar and Panchgani, the second one called the Table top at Panchgani. Table top is basically a place of flat land atop a mountain, supposed to be some second largest of its kind in the world.
The afternoon in the car on our way back was dull, mixed feelings in our hearts, it was all over. Back home, sweet home, we all didn’t wait a sec to steal that one nap that was absolutely indispensable.
Today, as I flip through the pictures we had clicked; only one thought comes to my mind. Life is so much fun! So long!
Enter Mahabhaleshwar. Mapro was our first halt. For those who haven’t had the opportunity to be at Mahabhaleshwar before, this place is a hill station situated at some 1372m above sea level, and is famous for its strawberry agro farms. Mapro is one such brand name that sells different fresh fruit products, needless to mention of course, they specialize in strawberries. This place where we halted was the Mapro factory, they have a beautiful garden here, and they take you inside their factory, to show you how the product of the day is manufactured. They have an ice cream parlor here, and an outlet where all the products are sold at rates lower than the M.R.P.
Two scoops of fresh and rich strawberry ice cream, on a chocolate dipped waffle cone, topped with thick strawberry syrup, when eaten along with the mountain air, can intoxicate even a strawberry-loathing taste bud! I have become a fan of the flavor ever since! After this absolutely chilling experience, we headed towards the Ramsukh Resorts, where we had planned our stay. A 3 star luxury resort, organized as small apartments, placed atop the hills, it offers a brilliant view of the valley on one side, and the rain forests on the other. The approach road was beautiful, forests on either side sprung up erratically, lonely and empty, yet so full with vigor. We checked in and entered our apartment; our room was to be on the first floor. The very sight of the place had us mesmerized; it was a nicely laid out flat, a huge living and dining room that poured out itself into another space, for more casual stuff. The living had an adjoining balcony that let out into the landscaped gardens of the resort, the hills of the valley, and a lake at the base. Two spacious bedrooms, at both sides, each adorned with a liberal window, one showing you the calm of the sky and hills, the other taking you through the wilderness. All of us were so excited to be here, and even more excited about the food, we had heard lots about it! Coming from the Brahmin community (perhaps the only thing that makes me the slightest of Brahmin!), our family knows exactly how to enjoy a meal, especially me, my sis and Jiju. So, it was time for lunch, and we walked up to the restaurant, to be greeted by a delicious Gujarathi thali. Food can be so interesting, the luxury of having people serve you, unlimitedly and amicably, when you sit with people who have no care in the world whatsoever about their figures, you eat with such enjoyment, relishing every spice of the meal, shamelessly and gratefully.
We ate and ate and ate; it wasn’t the stomachs that we wanted to fill, but the hearts! Topped with lots of desserts finally, we decided to give ourselves a break, and return back to the room. Up in the room, we spent time chatting, and living every moment, we knew would soon pass. Evening came, and we went down for a stroll, inside the resort. It was time for pictures, and I clicked some nice ones. The baby got a wonderful ride on a horse cart, with my dad. The sun set and the lights came on. The resort bore the look of a calm bungalow, atop the hill, made it look like it was built on the heavens, and didn’t we feel like the gods! The air grew colder, and we set out a table of pool. The only sound that existed at that moment was the sound of the striped and solid balls hitting against each other and falling into different holes, and the sighs we let out. It was as though even Nature was busy watching our game. After the game, we went towards the swimming pool, where there was going to be a Magic show for the kids! The swimming pool area was wonderfully lit, the waters danced and sparkled. Magic shows were things we were excited about when we were kids, so I went there not expecting a lot, just to take in more of the ambience. The show happened to engross me so much, that I had eventually forgotten all about the ambience, and at the end of the show, my logical mind was at loss. We paid our regards to the magician, and moved towards the restaurant, yes, it was once again time for Food!!!!
I won’t describe at length about all the food that I ate, and how much I enjoyed it, coz then I would possibly never complete this article.
In the night, when I lay at the bed, alone in the room that no one chose to sleep in coz it faced the forest; I listened to the whooshing noise that sounded outside, of the wind. And I thought, perhaps this is the silence that I seek, the sound of one hand clapping….. I went to sleep.
The next day when I rose, the sun was just coming up, and once again, I was mused at the irony, somehow, during vacations I could so easily manage to be up early! With good mornings exchanged, I chose to sit down at the window side, with a hot cup of coffee in my hands, looking at the sky that stretched in front of me. I took a warm shower, and dressed myself up for the day, we proceeded for breakfast. Two glasses of fresh orange juice early morning, is what I call ultimate luxury. We finally decided to look around Mahabhaleshwar a bit, at least to tell something to people, when they ask! The car drove us to one of the finest points in Mahabhaleshwar, called the Arthur’s seat. We descended the steps, and came across a fresh water spring, an old man offered us some water to drink, it was sweet and cold. With that refreshing beverage, we descended a little more, and landed at the view point. From this place, one could see only rocks, and the slightest of observations will tell you how different the hills out here were. For one, there were all covered erratically by rain forests, and secondly, the hills here had so many folds, like that of an Indian sari, I deduced perhaps because of the strong winds that’s characteristic of such places. Clicked some snaps and we decided to retreat, but this time not the usual route, we decided to walk through the jungle. And there we were, walking across the jungle, losing our way once in a while, but finally there. Oh, how I love the wild!
Next, we stopped at another point, this time only me and my Jiju got down, the two of us trekked till the point, and what a view it was! The same valley, the same hills, the same lake, the same trees, but how different they looked from different angles. Clicked some more pictures, and off we were. On our way back, me, my mom and Jiju decided to stop at that one temple, very famous, situated at old Mahabhaleshwar, just near our resort. This one temple boasts of being built upon the origination of 5 rivers, Krishna, Koyna, Savithri, Venna and another one such river. The 5 rivers are made into a sangam, inside this temple. The temple, as most north Indian temples are, was not well maintained, and we went in to look at the little streak of water that came out of the 5 openings. People bowed and paid respects. I looked around. Walking our way towards the resort, we saw this strawberry farm, and I barged in. The farmers (I don’t know if they are called that!) narrated their stories about how the heavy rains had washed away their crops, and these plants that we saw in front of us, were the third of the season. I walked around the field, I felt the mud that gave in below my feet, and spotted a crab in the water well. I left happy.
Offending the general quiet ambience of this place, the afternoon brought some noise. No, it wasn’t a bomb blast like in Delhi, it was the baby! All of a sudden, it had started crying, and it had all of us guessing, maybe its feeling hot, perhaps hungry, maybe something pricked, and the likes. We managed to console it down after a while, but the whole experience had us kind of shaken up. It was almost 4 in the evening, when my Jiju suggested a visit to the Venna lake to pep up the lost spirit. My sis declined and my dad chose to stay with her and the baby. So me, mom and Jiju pushed off.
The best thing about lakes is that they are always so much at ease. We rented a boat for 30 minutes, and had a nice long float. We invented stories to tell my dad when we return (he’s damn scared of water!). Our next halt was the Mahabhaleshwar market. It’s a small little street, with shops on either sides, strawberry vendors, corn stalls and the likes on the roads. It had been a long time since I had shopped at such a place (in Bangalore, all I know of is the Forum and the Garuda Mall!!! Damn them!), so for a change it was fun to get nick knacks, without having to spend too much. After the nice shopping spree, I was satisfied for all that I was taking home. Back home, I was telling my sis what she had just missed!
A quiet dinner by the pool side, the twinkling lights at the distance, strawberry ice cream in the cold for dessert, just completed the day. Me and Jiju spent time talking about the younger generation, of how they were so very different from what we were. Later in the night, I got inside the warm blanket, and fell asleep before I even knew it.
The next morning was beautiful, but it brought with it a weird sense of reluctance. We were leaving that day morning; we made sure we had a hearty breakfast, gobbled as much as we could, at our last chance. Waving a goodbye to this sweet place, we set out back.
We visited two other places on our way back, one called the Parsi point, from where you get a beautiful view of the hills of Mahabhaleshwar and Panchgani, the second one called the Table top at Panchgani. Table top is basically a place of flat land atop a mountain, supposed to be some second largest of its kind in the world.
The afternoon in the car on our way back was dull, mixed feelings in our hearts, it was all over. Back home, sweet home, we all didn’t wait a sec to steal that one nap that was absolutely indispensable.
Today, as I flip through the pictures we had clicked; only one thought comes to my mind. Life is so much fun! So long!
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