Summer Vacation Trip Part 3

This is the final post in my Summer Vacation Trip series. Click on the collages for enlarged view.

10th June 2009 :- Checked out of hotel at Pune early morning as our Volvo bus to Mahabaleshwar was to depart at 7.00 am. Bus left at 8.00 am!! A closed ac bus and Ghat road didn’t do any good to me due to my motion sickness problem. I think hired cars are better for people like us. As soon as we reached and got off the bus, I was well.

Checked into pre-booked rooms of the MTDC holiday resort. I had inquired at 16 hotels including this one for their rates and MTDC resort was the cheapest one which had a restaurant too. After seeing the place I was satisfied with my choice. Awesome surroundings with a small playground, nice rooms and good room service with wonderful food. There are a lot of monkeys there and can create a lot of ruckus. And bookings are tough to get here especially during the tourist season. This is MTDC resort.

11th June 2009 :- After a lot of rest on the previous day, we went sightseeing. There are several “points”, temples and a lake (Venna lake) to see in Mahabaleshwar. Thankfully it didn’t rain and we were able to see lots of places. Venna lake is enjoyable more in the evening due to the crowd [good looking I must add and all the stalls including video games parlors!]but the boat rides are very costly! The place where Marjorie point, Arthur’s seat etc are there requires a fit body and a pair of good legs. I was amazed at so many old people climbing so many steps! And of course the place was full of honeymooning couples.

There were a lot of horses too but I didn’t have the courage to ride them. Dad and I paid Rs 10 each to just sit on a horse and take photos We ate strawberries too but didn’t like the taste. And there is a nice market place too! Overall, its a very romantic place..the woods, the clouds, the lake…a place where love stories happen.

12th June 2009 :- We left for Panchgani early morning . There are not many sights to see in Panchgani. To increase the business of the taangas (which charge 300 rs for a 10 min ride around the table land) vehicles don’t go into the tableland whereas its perfectly accessible. And if you can walk, you can traverse the whole area on foot. One can see many gliders para sailing in Panchgani. There is a picture of one in the collage. I have only 5x Optical zoom

There was a place where the Pandavas had lived while on exile. Seriously why on earth would anyone climb so high to live during exile? Then we went to Mala’s farm and bought a lot of jams of different flavors. I found a strange figurine etched on a tree trunk there. Then we had snacks and wonderful ice cream at Mapro farm. After lunch and rest at MTDC resort, we went to Venna lake in the evening. The weather with clouds and slight drizzle was awesome! It can get quite cold in Mahabaleshwar so its better to have warm clothes with oneself.

13th June 2009 :- Though our bus for Pune was to depart at 11.30 am, we had to checkout at 9.00 am from the resort as per their rule. We just waited at the hotel which was the pick up point for those going to Pune. The bus journey downhill was worse than uphill and especially when I had the first seat. It felt as if I am falling down. Many people got sick and I was glad to see I wasn’t alone After sometime someone shouted from the back of the bus “Stop the bus! Everyone get down soon. Something is burning!” We all got down hurriedly. The fan belt had burnt out. The driver took the bus to a nearby restaurant and called for a replacement bus. It took 3 hrs and those 3 hrs was full of heat and sweat. We all missed Mahabaleshwar and we were facing the harsh reality of weather in June in India. We reached Pune totally exhausted.

14th June 2009 :- Some more shopping in Laxmi road market in Pune and loads of rest and sleep.

15th June 2009 :- Headed back home.

Thus ended my wonderful summer vacation trip!! Looking forward to next vacation

Earlier Posts

Summer Vacation Trip Part 1

Summer Vacation Trip Part 2