Mahabaleshwar
Last weekend was well spent at Mahbaleshwar. Monday was Ram Navmi, and my company, to our pleasant surprise, magnanimously granted a holiday. A long weekend, therefore had enough time ward off the-journey-induced-tiredness.
On the trip, I made a few observations which I found worth sharing with. The town, during the rains, must be lush with green, though not quite during our visit. There are more hotel-cum-resorts than houses(probably, people choose to live in Panchgani), and even more 'guides'.
Believe me, they get down on your nerves. Every square, every corner, and every where else, you will find them in hordes. During the day time, they would yell "Guide", while at the nights it would be "Hotel". Every grown up, any kid would turn into a guide, the moment you ask for the directions. You are a dead duck without a map.
But even maps could be misleading. There are twenty nine 'points'(as they call it) in all, of which about ten or eleven are worth visiting while rest of them are better off left alone. My favourites are Arthur's Seat, Elephant's Head, Elphinstine Point, Kate's Point, and Bear-Sheeba Ride. Rest would be your take.
At any cost, don't give a miss to the market place at the center of the town. It's buzzing, alive and beautifully lit at night. A lot of traditional stuff at bargainable price is available. The food is best at the restraunt of Hotel Panorama. Yummy.
Now the most important stuff I wanted to share. All these points have iron railings, which have given away at many places. No effort has been made to reinforce them. During the season, thousands and off-season, hundreds of people come daily and just launch into them. With such level of poundings, take my word, they can give away any day.
Also, there are many trails where ground is very rough and dilapidated, and walking is very jittery. At Echo Point, a young man, right in front of my eyes slipped while walking and landed full on his face on the rocks. Badly hurt, he blacked out for a few minutes. There was blood all around. The place did not even have a first-aid box or proper transport, and the town was 12 km away.
He was still lucky, but had this happened to those dare-devils who crossed the railings to have closer peek, this world would have lost a few more idiots. Still, we would never have less of them.
Overall, the visit was worth every dime. The drive down till village Wai(Swadesh was shot over there) is also lovely. Do visit the place during rains. You would love it.
On the trip, I made a few observations which I found worth sharing with. The town, during the rains, must be lush with green, though not quite during our visit. There are more hotel-cum-resorts than houses(probably, people choose to live in Panchgani), and even more 'guides'.
Believe me, they get down on your nerves. Every square, every corner, and every where else, you will find them in hordes. During the day time, they would yell "Guide", while at the nights it would be "Hotel". Every grown up, any kid would turn into a guide, the moment you ask for the directions. You are a dead duck without a map.
But even maps could be misleading. There are twenty nine 'points'(as they call it) in all, of which about ten or eleven are worth visiting while rest of them are better off left alone. My favourites are Arthur's Seat, Elephant's Head, Elphinstine Point, Kate's Point, and Bear-Sheeba Ride. Rest would be your take.
At any cost, don't give a miss to the market place at the center of the town. It's buzzing, alive and beautifully lit at night. A lot of traditional stuff at bargainable price is available. The food is best at the restraunt of Hotel Panorama. Yummy.
Now the most important stuff I wanted to share. All these points have iron railings, which have given away at many places. No effort has been made to reinforce them. During the season, thousands and off-season, hundreds of people come daily and just launch into them. With such level of poundings, take my word, they can give away any day.
Also, there are many trails where ground is very rough and dilapidated, and walking is very jittery. At Echo Point, a young man, right in front of my eyes slipped while walking and landed full on his face on the rocks. Badly hurt, he blacked out for a few minutes. There was blood all around. The place did not even have a first-aid box or proper transport, and the town was 12 km away.
He was still lucky, but had this happened to those dare-devils who crossed the railings to have closer peek, this world would have lost a few more idiots. Still, we would never have less of them.
Overall, the visit was worth every dime. The drive down till village Wai(Swadesh was shot over there) is also lovely. Do visit the place during rains. You would love it.
posted by Unknown at 9:50 AM
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