Travelogue
Last weekend along with a couple of friends Ananth & Mihir, we had driven down to a quaint place 150 Kms from Pune. Mahabaleswar and Panchgani are probably nice places to go to during summer, but mid November wasn't a bad time either. Aside from two road hogs, the onward journey was uneventful. But then we left at 7:00 AM and there was hardly any traffic. We even took a tea break at a wayside stall. We arrived by 9:00 AM in Panchgani to be greeted by a chilly morning wind.
After a delicious breakfast of Poha and another round of tea, we set about exploring the place on foot. There wasn't a whole lot to do given the early hour and it being the off-season, but all the same it was liberating to be away from the maddening city crowds. By the time we drove on to Mahabaleswar, sun was up and it was a relief. There is this market street which at first seemed to be made of only Strawberry and souvenir vendors. We spent an enjoyable hour walking up and down the place.
Mihir had only two things on his mind ever since we chalked out the plan for this getaway - Strawberry shake with fresh cream in Mahabaleswar and Sandwiches at Mapro. We set about fulfilling his first wish at a place called Bagicha. It was so scrumptious and filling that we decided to skip lunch and head straight to Mapro. It was a bustling place with lot of weekenders like us, but we were grateful for the lack of large crowds. We soon settled in a cozy corner with our Sandwiches and Pizza.
Having spent the good part of two hours lounging there playing scrabble (where Ananth & Mihir suffered a drubbing :) at our hands), we decided to head back before sundown. The drive back was equally blasé, a heavier traffic notwithstanding. All in all, it was one of those pleasant ways to wind down after a hectic week. Must do it some time again. Some pics here of the trip.
Last weekend along with a couple of friends Ananth & Mihir, we had driven down to a quaint place 150 Kms from Pune. Mahabaleswar and Panchgani are probably nice places to go to during summer, but mid November wasn't a bad time either. Aside from two road hogs, the onward journey was uneventful. But then we left at 7:00 AM and there was hardly any traffic. We even took a tea break at a wayside stall. We arrived by 9:00 AM in Panchgani to be greeted by a chilly morning wind.
After a delicious breakfast of Poha and another round of tea, we set about exploring the place on foot. There wasn't a whole lot to do given the early hour and it being the off-season, but all the same it was liberating to be away from the maddening city crowds. By the time we drove on to Mahabaleswar, sun was up and it was a relief. There is this market street which at first seemed to be made of only Strawberry and souvenir vendors. We spent an enjoyable hour walking up and down the place.
Mihir had only two things on his mind ever since we chalked out the plan for this getaway - Strawberry shake with fresh cream in Mahabaleswar and Sandwiches at Mapro. We set about fulfilling his first wish at a place called Bagicha. It was so scrumptious and filling that we decided to skip lunch and head straight to Mapro. It was a bustling place with lot of weekenders like us, but we were grateful for the lack of large crowds. We soon settled in a cozy corner with our Sandwiches and Pizza.
Having spent the good part of two hours lounging there playing scrabble (where Ananth & Mihir suffered a drubbing :) at our hands), we decided to head back before sundown. The drive back was equally blasé, a heavier traffic notwithstanding. All in all, it was one of those pleasant ways to wind down after a hectic week. Must do it some time again. Some pics here of the trip.
2 comments:
You forgot the delicious kanda-bhaji that we had for breakfast! And yeah, courtesy me, you guys were exposed to the blissful world of strawberry+cream at the right place and the crispy sandwiches and pizzas laden with cheese which you always thought to be a myth ... :)
nice pics!! as always i enjoyed the commnets on them :)
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