[SDP]

Chasing the fog and the waterfalls - A weekend trip to Mahabaleshwar and Tapola

Everybody in my little family love monsoon trips. We try to do at least 2 per season. This time, the monsoon has been weak and Mumbai is yet to hear any news about the lakes overflowing. So waited patiently through June. The delivery of our XUV in end-June also distracted us from any thoughts about the monsoon trips. Through July, the XUV5OO was in the midst of the run-in and I was busy tracking the niggles thread as well a keeping a close watch on my own cheetah for any abnormal behaviour.

After getting comfortable with the vehicle during July, finally decided to venture out in first week of Aug'12.

Days : 4th and 5th Of Aug 2012 (Sat & Sun)
Place : Mahabaleshwar and Tapola
Distance : Around 200km from Mumbai
Vehicle : Mahindra XUV 5OO W8

Odometer reading at the start : 598kms
Odometer reading at the end : 1210kms

Panchgani-Mahaby is a very common getaway for folks in Mumbai and Pune. So in order not to make the log boring, I am going to write less. Consider this as more of a photolog than a travelogue. Also, since I am in love with the XUV5OO (our Duma), there are going to be a lot of pics of the Cheetah as well. So, on second thoughts consider this thread as a photolog cum a Duma-photoshoot!

Hope you enjoy it.

[SDP]

Day 1 - The journey in the morning

Started around 7 in the morning from Mumbai.


Filled up at Khalapur fuel bunk on the expressway around 8:15am.


The kids and my mother-in-law were comfortable in the back seat.


The inviting expressway. The car is still in its run-in period. So didn't push it too hard.


The green mesmerizing surroundings.


It was cloudy and an occasional drizzle gave us company.


Breakfast around 10AM.


That's the restaurant - Gargi Garden. Good food. Recommended stop-over for breakfast.


Not sure what a beauty 'parler' is doing at a restaurant.


We parked as far as possible from the front of the restaurant. Didn't want dents from the doors of other cars.


Three hours into the journey and only an occasional drizzle. The sides and back of the XUV was plastered with mud-splatter from the road.


The front of the vehicle was relatively clean.

[SDP]

A quick stop at Wai

After a south-Indian breakfast and coffee, we started back on NH4 towards Satara. The high level plan was to reach Panchgani for lunch around 12 noon. After an effortless drive, we reached Wai around 11:30AM. Stopping at Wai was not in the plan. As Wai approached, we thought - we wanted to take our XUV5OO to a Ganesh temple. After taking delivery, somehow that did not happen. And now a very famous Ganesh temple was just a 2 minute detour away.

This is the famous Ganesh Mandir at Wai.


The Ganesh idol is almost 6 feet tall and is really plump. No wonder its affectionately called as the 'Dholya' Ganapati.


The Dholya Ganapati. (Dholya means fat in Marathi )
BTW NOT my photo. Picked up from the internet. Copyright with original photographer.


A pic of the nearby Krishna river


A customary group photo.


There is another famous temple - Kashi Vishweshwar just opposite the Ganesh Temple. I love the Nandi in front of it. Its beautiful and HUGE.


My son telling a secret wish to the Nandi.


My Daughter's wish would be difficult to get granted. Who would grant wishes if you poke him in the eye? ;-)




That's the Kashi Vishweshwar Mandir.


The XUV taking a 20 minute break in the parking lot.


We start back. Panchgani should be less than an hour from Wai. Saw a few small streams along the route.


The stretch through the Pasarani ghat was beautiful with the valley on the right hand side. We reach the destination at 12:30PM. Duma stayed out.

[SDP]

Exploring the place

I had called up during the breakfast and had requested that the lunch be kept ready. When we reached, the lunch was not ready and we were told that it would take another 45 minutes.

So we stepped out on the lawn and met this birdie.


And another who was in the mood of dancing.


The garden was quite big.




My daughter showed me a new bird in the tree. Can you spot it?


It came down and we got a closer look.


Love the pattern on the underbody.


Then we spotted a Maina of a different variety. We were on a roll, 4 different varieties of birds in 10 minutes flat!






The kidos discovered the swings.


That's where we stayed.

[SDP]

Duma Photoshoot

Always wanted to take some neat shots of our XUV5OO with some good backdrops. Was not happy with the urban landscapes in Mumbai as the backdrops. The lush green garden and the beautiful trees provided the perfect background. While waiting for the lunch, grabbed the opportunity and clicked quite a few snaps.





An attempt at a b&w.








My son imitating his favorite - CrocRoaz

[SDP]

Finally ..finally ..finally!


As usual, I wolf down the food and move on to better things (like photography).
The terrace was open and I sneak up there.




The sun makes an appearance.


From the terrace, you get to see a glimpse of a waterfall nearby.




The rest of the gang finished their lunch and got ready for sightseeing. It was almost 2:30pm.

[SDP]

The Bhilar and the Lingamala Waterfalls

After lunch we finally drive out. We stop in less than 5 minutes at the Bhilar waterfalls.


Its beautiful and is visible from the main road itself.


Next stop.. Lingamala waterfalls. It was possibly a 10-15 minute drive from the Bhilar waterfall.


After 5 minutes through a muddy route, we reached the point from where you get to see this magnificent waterfall. We reached there and it was shrouded in fog.


In the next 30 odd seconds, the fog got dense and eventually the waterfall disappeared.


We didn't lose hope. We know this area. The fog plays hide-and-seek with you.


We focused on the other streams visible from there.


And then the Lingamala waterfall made a grand re-appearance!


Its gorgeous.


Huge, mighty, roaring, a little bit scary, but still beautiful.




Time for a group photo, but the wind was just too strong. They stood 6-8 feet to the left and were literally pushed by the gusty wind to this position!


There is an interesting side-story about our XUV5OO when we parked at the Lingamala waterfalls. Don't want to break the flow here. Would include towards the end of the log.

[SDP]

Kate's point and a drive through Mahabaleshwar

We started from the Lingamala waterfall and headed towards Kate's Point in Mahabaleshwar by a short-cut.


Thick foliage on either side of the narrow road. And a light drizzle.


We reached the Kate's point and were welcome by a brief but heavy shower.


A waterfall seen from the Kate's Point






That's the Balkewadi Dam.








The sun peaked through the clouds and created some interesting patterns on the water.




A wave of fog engulfed the Kate's Point. Within seconds, the waterfall and the entire valley disappeared in thick fog!




Some quick shopping at a nearby shop.


We head towards Kshetra Mahabaleshwar next.

[SDP]

Old Mahabaleshwar and enjoying the thick fog

While I drove to the old Mahabaleshwar, the kids dozed off in the car, so I stayed with the kids in the car while wifey and her Mom went to the Kshetra Mahabaleshwar temple.

It was raining heavily and some dense fog engulfed the entire area.




A few snaps in the fog.






The fog.




Visibility dropped fast. See that oncoming car?






We passed by the Venna Lake and I announced it. Everybody looked around and could not see a thing - "What lake? Its all fog".


We moved forward.

[SDP]

Refuelling at the Mapro Garden and end of day-1

We head back. Around 5:15pm, we stopped at the Mapro Garden. It was raining and the temperature had dropped below 20 degrees. A few jackets and sweaters came out.


We soaked in the beautiful climate with hot mugs of coffee and a Pizza. In that cold, both the things taste heavenly.


After a bit of shopping, we head back to the room.
We reached the room around 6:45pm and settled down.


The kids discovered a carom board.


Its been a long day. I take a hot shower. We opt for an early dinner. The floor was very cold. The tap water could easily be confused for chilled water coming from a fridge bottle. We decided to hit the bed early. The wind roared through the windows all through the night. Thick blankets provided in the room came in handy.

Tomorrow morning - Tapola!

[Rudra Sen]

Mods note: Thread moved to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing.

[skandyhere]

Absolutely loved the Kate's Point falls and several other pictures. Thank you for showing how beautiful that part of the Western Ghats really is! The fog adds that touch of mystery to the landscape during the monsoons, and some of your pics bring that out beautifully.

[parsh]

Nice one SDP. Reminds of old monsoon travels to these places and beckons for more. I think I see your Duma on Powai Rd (Adi Shankaracharya Marg) sometimes. Looking damn good in Red especially in this weather and locales.

[Siddy]

Nice share SDP and your DUMA looks simply fantastic!

I visit mahabaleshwar almost every monsoon, sometimes even twice. The drive is the best part. Khambatki & pasarni ghats one after the other. What else does a petrolhead like me want?! and that too in such great weather. Wishing you lots of happy miles with your DUMA!

Cheers and drive safe

[aniket.tiwari27]

Excellent clicks SDP. The place you stayed at is a resort or an independent bunglaw home stay? It will be great if you could share some details on the same. It will be of great help for my next trip to Mahab.

Regards,
Aniket