Mahabaleshwar in the Winters – A Different Experience - Part 3

Previous - Day 2

Day 3

We wanted to cover a few more places this day but the day brought some bad news for us – my car broke down completely. I had called the garage in and the car was towed away. We had nothing to do so we engaged ourselves in complete relax. 

MTDC Resort

At 4 pm the car was handed over to me again and literally we were all bored to death by watching tv and taking naps. So we planned to quickly watch the sunset, but not from the sunset point.  There was an adjacent point – called Falkland Point – which is not known to many. Before you reach the Sunset Point, one dirt road will lead you through the jungle to this point. The view was far better than the Sunset Point – we all agreed in unison.

We came back to the Sunset Point, when it was fully dark to have some snacks and moved to back to our pigeonhole in MTDC, shivering with cold.

Day 4

Time has come for us to leave. We had a great breakfast in the canteen and checked out.  We made a stop at Mapro Garden where some fruit juices, crushes were to be brought.

Flowers at Mapro Garden

Wasting not much time, we also covered a few places on our way in Panchgani.

Parsi Point – a great view of the valley where the Krishna river zigzagged its way through the hills.

Sydney Point – another view of the same valley, from a different angle.

Harrison’s Folly – We enjoyed this mini-table land more than the more famous one. It was windy and paragliding exercises were ON.  

Panchagni sightseeing took us not more than an hour. Since my parents were with me we planned to make a stop at the Ganpati Temple of Wai on the way.

Bidding Adieu to the temples once the rituals are fulfilled, we were again on the roads. We had lunch on the way and were again back at Pune before it is dark.

All in all, a great appeasing trip apart from the incident with the car on the 3^rd day, but it happens in life.

********************THE END********************* 

Mesmerizing Mahabaleshwar - Day 3 - Wai

Aug 15 Monday 2011 - this was the last day of our trip so we were feeling a bit sad. But since the whole day is left we wanted to utilize it to the fullest. So after having beakfast we left the hotel and started driving towards Wai.

Enroute there is a view point called 'Harrison's Folly'. Not sure what Folly was committed by which Harrison here but the place was superb and I liked it the most in Panchgani. It is also a kind of mini-table land without that din and bustle of the bigger one. Offers spectacular view, this place. And since the weather was sunny, the golden sunlight reflecting on the Krishna river gave the place an out of the world feeling. This place is deservedly used for para-gliding in the non-monsoon season.

View from Harrison's Folly



Another view - the diversion to Harrison's Folly




A small part of the endless valley



View

View 2

View 3

We again proceeded towards Wai. We had a plan to spend more time at the Dhom Dam. First we visited the famous Maha Ganpati Temple - here we could identify that many films were shot like Swadesh, Gangaajal etc. There are two adjascent temples - the Ganpati Temple and the Shiva temple. The Ganpati temple was a newer one while the Shiva Temple looked older. It was very crowded since it was Monday.




The Maha Ganpati Temple



Shooting place for Gangaajal

The Shiva Temple

Remember the first scene from the film 'Dabaang'?

After spending a good 45 minutes here we proceeded towards Dhom Dam which is further 9 Km down from Wai through interiors. The road was narrow but the simple look and feel of the rustic villages was simply a great sight to behold. We finally reached a point where we could park our car and got down. We went very close to the water. The place was glorious. The lake was calm, the weather cool and the green hills kissing the sky - you will find yourself standing in midst of the mother nature. You may feel isolated but it gives you a chance of soul searching. Just sit and soak in the nature - which we did for more than a couple of hours. It was really a great experience. What else could you ask for?

Feels like a sea, doesn't it?

Curious and strange rock formation

Amazing greenery

Nothing much is left of this trip now. We then proceeded towards Pune through NH4 - in between stopped at one Dhaba to have a late lunch (or early snacks) and back to Pune by 6.30 pm.

All in all it was a great trip which gave me a lot of memories to cherish in my heart. And nevertheless, a promise to myself that I will come back again in the lap of nature.

Adios!!

Update: Road Directions -

Panchgani to Wai:

Wai to Pune: