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.   

Wilson Point (Sunrise Point) at Mahableshwar in Maharashtra

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Manohar and I had decided that we would be making a trip to Panchgani, as we couldn't complete it, the last time we visited Mahableshwar. We had visited most of the Points in Mahableshwar and Pratapgad Fort. But as we traveled by public transport we missed out on Wilson Point (Sunrise Point) and Lake Venna.

 So this time we decided to travel by the car instead of public transport, at such a short notice Dominic volunteered to join us.  Three's Co. We decided to kick start the trip with Wilson Point (Sunrise Point) followed by Lake Venna, Points of Panchgani and later the historic temples of Wai.

As decided we met at Ghatkopar Station at 10:15 PM. Manohar was to drive us all to Mahableshwar in his Maruti Swift. 

Dom stunned me with the size of his bag, The size of the bag was that of the one I carry for a 10 to 14 day trip. I was curious to know as to what he was carrying in the bag. Keep reading to find out more, as to what was in his bag.

We stopped at the Food Court on the Expressway, now the temperatures had started dropping we were feeling the cold. We decided to have some Vada pav. As we inquired, the vendor informed us that   the outlet will remain open till the Vada pav is in stock, post that the outlet wil close down. We had our share of Vada pav and in a minutes time, the lights went off. The Vada pav's were over and so they shut shutters. 

We were to travel to Pune by the Express Way, to refuel CNG at Kothrud in Pune. As travelling on a car which runs on Petrol and CNG is much more cheaper than a car that runs on petrol alone.

We relied on GPS to show us the way throughtout the journey. Missed out on a couple of correct turns and so spent the next one hour lost on the roads of Pune. Not a soul on the road at 3 AM, who could help us with directions. Finally we met a couple of rickshaw drivers who then  guided us with directions, and finally we were at the Kothrud CNG station for refuelling. 

We then kickstarted the journey, exited the Express Way and onto NH 4. Now the roads keep getting broader and narrower so if you travelling at night, be careful and to top it you have  slow moving trucks and racing cars  for company.

Manohar drove for a hours time, we braked for a quick nap. Manohar was the only person driving, as I can drive only automatic cars and Dom doesn't know how to drive. It is advisable that on a long journey, you have a backup driver who can take turns at driving so that you save on time and you don't overexert yourself. Meaning I need to start driving geared cars.

Time was 5 AM I guess, when Manohar was up and we started our journey to Mahableshwar. I was sleeping like always, finally due to hickups on the road, I was wide awake. A small power nap comes in handy when you feel sleepy. 

Now it was a race to Wilson Point (Sunrise Point) in Mahableshwar. As per Google , Sunrise was to happen at 6:55 AM.  Now we had to race if we had to reach on time to view the sunrise. 

We relied totally on GPS and Google Maps for directions. We exited NH 4, onto the Wai Surur Road, crossed Wai, then onto the Wai-Panchgani-Mahableshwar Road crossed Panchgani to reach Mahableshwar. Manohar drove as fast as he could on the hairpin bends on the roads so that we reach on time. Roads are full of people who are there for morning walks. Do drive carefully.

We won the race against time and were there at Wilson Point, in a nick of time. It was already dawn. The sun was not out yet but the clouds in the sky were beautiful, the patterns they had formed was just amazing. If you plan to visit Wilson Point, please be early else you will not be able to see the cloud patterns.

Finally the sun rose and it shone on the clouds, like a golden lining. The sky was golden in color and the view from Wilson Point was amazing. But it was so cold, that even after wearing a jumper I was still shivering.  Manohar and Dom, were shivering too. I believe the temperature would be less that 10 degrees. With the sun shining on us, we were still feeling cold. Enjoyed the sunrise and then headed off in the car to ST Bus stand, with glass rolled up due to the cold.

The road to Wilson point is narrow and a bumpy road with rocks on either side of the road, so drive carefully else you might damage the lower end  of the car. 

You must be wondering why ST Bus stand.