Lake Venna at Mahableshwar in Maharashtra

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Now you will be curious to know why we were headed to the Mahableshwar ST Bus Stand in the Bazaar area.  As it was cold, we decided to have bath at the restrooms behind the ST bus stand instead of renting a room, as we were to travel to Panchgani and from there to Wai. 

 The last time we had visited Mahableshwar,  Manohar had bath here and was urging me to do the same,  but I was too lazy and decided to stick with my jumper.  The bath was a blessing in disguise due to which he had stopped feeling cold. 

This trip the three of us decided to have bath here. This place ain't all luxury.  Basic bathrooms for both men and women travelers, which serve a bucket of cold water at a price of Rs.5 and hot water at a price of Rs. 20. What should I say,  I was feeling difficult to part with my jumper before my bath with hot water. Once done again I started feeling the cold, but this time the cold was short lived and I felt really good.  I should have taken the bath the last time I visited this place. 

Kick starting our journey with Wilson Point, in the cold, warm water bath at the ST bus stand we headed off for some South Indian breakfast at one of the local eateries in the bazaar area located just outside the ST Bus Stand.  

After having our full we decided to head to Panchgani.  As Lake Venna was on the way, we decided to do it.

Like always we relied on GPS and Google Maps for directions and again we took the wrong road and kept going in circles in the market area.  Finally we started asking locals around and relying to signboards to head to Lake Venna. 

A couple of wrong roads and finally we reached Lake Venna,  but we reached the otherside of the Lake,  not a soul was there.  But the view was just amazing.  

We were greeted with broken beer bottles, so I understood that this place is used for a beer party.

The view of the lake from here is amazing,  The light blue skies with white clouds forming wonderful patterns in it was just amazing.  The water was quiet and silent.  A couple of dry wooden branches stood in it. Among-st all the greenery around we located a beautiful temple here. 

This European styled House is beautifully perched on the hilltop with greenery all around

After taking a couple of selfies with my new travel companion we then headed off to see Parsi Point in Panchgani.   

Parsi Point and Tableland atop Panchgani in Maharashtra

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Panchgani is located around 20 KM away from Mahableshwar. It is located on the Wai-Panchgani-Mahableshwar Road. Panchgani is a smaller hill station in comparison to Mahableshwar. It is located in Satara district of Maharashtra. Parsi Point, TableLand and Sydney Point apart from Devil's Kitchen (located near to TableLand) and Mapro Farm (located on the Wai Surur Road) are the main attractions here.

After enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Venna we headed off to Panchgani.

View from Parsi Point

Me at Parsi Point

Dom and Me at Parsi Point

Parsi Point is located on the Wai-Panchgani-Mahableshwar Road.  So we did this point first.  The point offers a beautiful view of the countryside.  The hills and valleys and River Krishna flowing within it was just beautiful. The blue sky was filled with white clouds,  some of which were so huge and dense it shadowed the hill below.  A few houses were located in the valleys surrounded by trees all around. Could't stop myself from taking selfies here. 

As Manohar was taking a short nap,  it was Dom and Me who did the honor of taking selfies. 

Tableland

 Now there was a beautifully decorated heart here,  Charge is Rs.10 per person to take a snap here.  What a waste of money.

We then headed off to the bazaar area where the Panchgani ST bus stand is as it has signboards to the other points in Panchgani. Remember GPS and Google Maps are unreliable here, so asking people around will surely help. 

Group Pic near one of the caves near Tableland

We then followed the signboards and instructions provided by the locals to reach Tableland. Now Tableland is a flat top atop the hill. The car went right atop Tableland.  There is car parking available here.  But be prepared to be harassed by the horsemen for horse rides here.  Sadly there were no takers for horse rides here. We didn't opt for it either. 

Group Pic

Tableland is a flat piece of land that stretches over two hills with a divide between them.  There is not a single tree atop it.  Barren land.  The soil is red and loose too. So do wear a cap in the summers and rain wear in monsoon. In the rains it would be madness here? The strong wind and the rain,  it will hit you hard on your body. 

Another view of Tableland

There are two caves located below the Tableland.  But they are converted into theme parks.  There is a fee of Rs. 10 to take snaps here.  But the caves didn't excite us much and so we exited them.  The theme parks are restaurants and serve food and drink.  But have to admit the caves are nice and warm. Nothing much to explore in the caves. 

The view from the tableland is very similar to that offered by Parsi Point. Only change was that the sky was just amazing.  Now it was a bit windy here and when mud mixes with wind.  It's dust all around and over you.  

The only camel we saw on our trip

The Tableland is huge, it also has a football ground atop it, I won't be surprised if horse races are held here

The entrance has a couple of food stalls that offer refreshments but for a premium price. 

After getting ourselves covered in dust we headed off to see Rajpuri Caves,  which is located around 10KM away from Panchgani.