‘Traveling-it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”- Ibn Battuta
Last-minute plans always mean fun, chaos, adjustments, and adventures. So last year around this time we had one such impromptu trip to Mahabaleshwar.
We took the late-night bus to our destination and somehow managed to get a booking at a hotel called Treetop. Little did we know that our hotel was in the middle of nowhere, I mean somewhat in between Wai and Mahabaleshwar city with barely any means of travel unless you have your vehicle or like travelling by the local transport.
Luckily our hotel was beautiful with hills on one side and surrounded by plants that you would rarely see in Mumbai on the other. It even had a huge playground and a basketball court.
First-day experience:
Our first day went exploring the hotel and lazing around. The hotel food and service were amazing. Plus the super cool chef even let me in the kitchen and taught me a few of his classic recipes. The day passed in the blink of an eye and the night was super peaceful. Being away from the chaos and noise of the city is always heavenly.
In the early morning hours, I could hear birds chirping, the sunlight that managed to pass through the curtains creating a beautiful effect. It was a perfect morning, right out of one of those fiction novels and something I had stopped noticing with the hectic city schedules.
As I pulled the curtains apart I was surprised, for we had guests at our window. A bunch of monkeys was jumping here and there. But that was not it, a little further away on a large tree on the hilltop was the whole monkey clan. The family was huge, ranging from tiny cute little monkeys creating chaos to the aged ones sitting there and pondering on god knows which grim issues of life.
Exploring Mahableshwar city:
Later that day we took the local transport to Mahabaleshwar city. The travel was a 1-1 ½ long journey and all we did in Mahabaleshwar is explore the markets. (Since we’ve been to Mahabaleshwar multiple times sightseeing wasn’t on the cards.) The main market of Mahabaleshwar has some of my favorite shops like Falooda shop, Mapro (though my first choice is always visiting the Mapro farms), Mama Chanawala, Wilson Chikki.
You get an amazing variety of shoes, wooden articles, chunk jewellery, and bags. But what I love most is getting fresh veggies directly from the farmers. I ended up purchasing huge broccoli, baby tomatoes, strawberries, gooseberries, and mulberries and even got some interesting farming tips and recipes from the farmers. We tried the Royal Rajbhog Falooda, Kala khatta gola, Makai pattice, and wrap and had a late Maharashtrian lunch.
Fresh Produce
As we were on the way out of the market my eyes fell on a lovely bakery Elsis. They serve amazing muffins, cupcakes, cheese Sticks, and all Christmas sweets. It’s a rustic place that gives a very homely feeling and is a definite must-visit. We returned back with content hearts and tummies.
Waterfalls:
The next day, when the chef mentioned a waterfall close by, we decided to go check it out. We followed the track he mentioned and halfway through we were lost. Luckily, we saw a group of students and they guided us toward one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in Mahableshwar. Lingmala falls is absolutely stunning. It’s like a nature trail, you get to see different birds, trees, and flowers, and the silence is so very peaceful. Walk up to the peak and you get to witness the breathtaking view. But first, you come across a mini waterfall called Dohe. It has green waters, silver fishes, colorful butterflies, water currents that have taken the lives of many, and a view that you will never forget.
Summary:
Early the next day we left Mahabaleshwar but the memories are still fresh as new.
