Woke up early (for a Saturday) and re-arranged my bags so that I had all of the stuff needed for the trip to the mountains southwest of Pune in my backpack. Proceeded down to Seasonal Tastes for my (now) traditional breakfast buffet but went a little light as I knew that Ravindra and Anshul intended to get breakfast on the way to our destination. Anshul showed up shortly after 8a and we set off through Pune, first stopping at a Starbucks for some coffee then continuing on to pick up Ravindra farther west in Pune. We had some difficulty locating where we were to pick him up so Anshul just pulled the car over and asked directions of someone on the side of the street. It amazed me this first time I saw him do it, and subsequent times, as the people he asks are always very helpful and do not seem the least bit bothered — a bit different than the reception I’m used to in the US. On the other hand, there is a decided lack of people out and about on the streets (that aren’t in cars) so it’s not like it is very feasible to begin with…
We picked up Ravindra and proceeded out of town. Along the way there was a bridge under construction. The scaffolding system seemed different than what we have in the US, more like small (a couple of feet) iron rod boxes stacked and welded together. The traffic lightened up a bit and we were able to increase speed a bit more as we hit NH4 (National Highway 4) heading towards Satara. Even in this early going there were hilly sections and the mountains could be clearly seen in the distance. The National Highways, at least this one, were a bit below US Interstate highway classification as roads joined it rather than having ramps to get on and off. Anshul informed me that the Mumbai – Pune Expressway was closer to our interstates and, additionally, do not allow two-wheelers (of which there were a good number on the highway, even far out of Pune).
Interesting bridge scaffolding
Rural road with nifty trees
After a short interval in the hills (including seeing a couple of monkeys perched on a sign — blink and you’d miss them!) we stopped at a roadside restaurant called Vithal Kamats. Solid travelling food, think something like a Bob Evans or something. I had a large plain (sadha) dosa, a rice-based crepe, that was perfectly crisp, I tore it up and dipped it with some accompanying sauces that were slightly sweet. One was coconut-based chutney so I favored the other one. The billboards for Kamats are awesome, a drawing of the founder Vithal Kamat holding up his hands in an “ok” sign — and they are everywhere.
Impossible to resist stopping to eat with signs like this
Rice “pancake” at Kamats
After another flat stretch (with the Western Ghats looming ever larger) and a couple of toll booths and a missed turn we passed through a few villages (again our travels helped along by directions given by friendly locals). I saw corn and sugar cane, lots of pretty rural lanes shaded by banyan trees, women perched with amazing balance side-saddle on the back of motorcycles, and lots of domesticated animals — bulls with painted horns, goats, the ubiquitous wild dogs, etc. Very pretty countryside.
Truck overflowing with produce on the way to Mahabaleshwar
What amazing balance!
We finally reached the steep ascent into the mountains, a twisting one lane road (thankfully one-way). As with my prior experience with Indian roads, however, the one lane road was merely a suggestion, Anshul very skillfully would give a honk and go around (on the right — everything is reversed) slower trucks and cars. Motorcycles had the best mobility in this regard, but Anshul’s Renault Duster did just fine. Ravindra pointed out that as the standard of living has risen for many Indians car ownership, and the ability to pay for short excursions, has risen as well — leading to increasingly busy roads to local getaway spots.
Speaking of horns, they aren’t used in anger like in the US. Well, sometimes they are, sure, but most of the time it is a “hey, I’m passing” or “hey, I’m coming down the road so don’t dart in front of me” (useful in residential areas with children) or “hey, I’m here” (used around trucks that may have blind spots). Anshul said that his horn was broken for two days once and it was miserable. I can believe that, he (and everyone else) uses it more in fifteen minutes than I have over the entire time I’ve been driving — I’m not kidding! Another difference is flashing lights doesn’t mean “hey, go ahead and pull out in front of me.” It means “I’m here, I intend to keep going past so don’t pull out in front of me.” Yikes, that’d have been bad if I were trying to drive here.
While I referred to the area we visited as mountains that’s not entirely true. It is more like an eroded plateau, like the badlands of South Dakota — the tops are all flat and the slopes are due to erosion, not uplifting. If that makes sense. Anyhow, after a short interval we turned off the pavement and on to a dusty road that had quite a few cars and people and even a camel for tourists to ride and a few stalls selling stuff. According to Google Maps this point is known as Harrison’s Folly. What a view! We were careful to stay away from the edge as it was a bit loose and crumbly.
View from Harrison’s Folly
Camel at Harrison’s Folly, photo by Anshul
Returning to the car we drove further along the ridge tops and into a more forested area. We stopped at a place called Brightland Resort & Spa for lunch. We ate at a table in an outdoor courtyard overlooking a pool and a bar and beautiful flowered courtyard below. Beyond that the heavily forested hillsides descended into the valleys below. Several large birds were circling — many feet of wingspan. We had some delicious appetizers and meal including garlic chapati (flat bread) and some amazing chicken. I learned that morgh is the word for roosters and morghi for hens.
Ravindra and Anshul at Brightland
View from the courtyard where we ate at Brightland
Amazing flowers in a courtyard at Brightland
We turned left out of Brightland and quickly took another left into a forested lane. A short distance later we emerged at an area with several points — Kates, Echo, and Needle. The view, once again, was spectacular, famous for its view of two reservoirs. But that’s not the best part! There… were… MONKEYS! The fleeting glimpse earlier in the day didn’t really count, it was such a fleeting encounter. But this, this was a troop of legitimate wild (well, relatively) monkeys! Ravindra urged me to keep a firm hold on my camera — sound advice. One monkey got behind an elderly woman and was trying to take something out of her hand behind her back, startling her.
Monkeys! MONKEYS!
The lake was down a bit, revealing beautiful green eroded bed underneath
Beautiful view from Echo Point
A troop of monkeys. MONKEYS!
Anshul disappeared to buy some fresh carrots. They were tasty, we gnawed on them as we strolled to Needle Point from which we could see that the point we had previously visited was a cleft rock that looked like a needle. Or an elephant, if you squinted hard enough. Really beautiful and I enjoyed seeing so many exotic plants I’d never seen in the wild (though I couldn’t tell a thing about them, that’s my brother’s area).
It really does look like an Elephant’s trunk!
View from Needle Point
Carrot seller at Echo Point
After heading back to the car we drove down past a small lake named Venna Lake. It had a boating club, many boats, and a large apparatus spraying cooling mist onto the boaters. We found ourselves in Mahabaleshwar shortly, a charming town with a busy market row that Ravindra and I (later joined by Anshul after he parked) strolled down. I (assisted greatly by Anshul’s bargaining skills) ended up buying a gift for my family (product and intended withheld so as to not spoil the surprise).
Mahabaleshwar market street
Next up after Mahabaleshwar was Mapro Garden on Panchgani Road, a place known originally for its delicious strawberries but later for its chocolate, sandwiches, and brick-oven pizzas. It and Mapro Factory are a popular stopover for tourists. I enjoyed a fresh strawberry with cream — well, a bit more than that — strawberries, some strawberry syrup, whip cream, and ice cream. It was fantastic! Ravindra had a strawberry milkshake and Anshul opted for a coffee one. Afterwards Anshul and I waited for Ravindra to finish up some shopping and stood near the many strawberry stands that were in front of, but not affiliated with, Mapro. One interesting thing about the area was most street signs (like stop signs, speed limit, etc.) were sponsored by Mapro or its competitor Mala’s.
Mahabaleshwar is famous for its strawberries (and other berries like mulberries, raspberries, and blueberries) and we visited at the perfect time as it was the height of the season for them. In addition to berries Mahabaleshwar exports lots of honey as well to other areas. Mahabaleshwar’s climate is ideal for berries and its climate a bit cooler — the area has one of India’s few evergreen forests. This climate also led the British to use Mahabaleshwar as the summer capital of Bombay province during the British Raj. It is hard to imagine the difficulty faced moving the apparatus of government through such thick forest and so far up the mountains. Such mountain retreats offering cool respite from the summer heat below are known as hill stations.
Great strawberry treat at Mapro’s
Strawberry sellers in front of Mapro’s
On the way back to Pune Anshul played some excellent Hindi music and music by a famous Indian film composer (he did the music for Slumdog Millionaire, even). The drive back was fairly uneventful, though we did see a large truck that had overturned in a ditch. Anshul informed me that truck drivers often cheat sleep in order to maximize their hauls. I also started playing a variety of the license plate game — we found eight of India’s 29 states. I learned that trucks are licensed to particular states or could have a national permit that would let them cross state boundaries. Anshul also told me about Shivaji, a hero (think George Washington… but more so!) in Maharashtra that drove out the Mughals in the late 1600s. Though not particularly strong he was a very cunning general, a brilliant tactician. Decals of him in white and orange decorate many of the cars in Pune.
View while descending out of the mountains
Dry hillside, during monsoon it is lush green
Pretty countryside
I love the banyan trees
We missed the turn into Pune and ended up skirting the western side of town, passing a small deep blue lake surrounded by high-rise housing. Once in Pune proper the traffic picked up substantially. After dropping Ravindra off Anshul and I headed to Bounty Sizzler, a restaurant just across the river from the Westin. The food was very good, basically some vegetables (green beans, peas, mushrooms, onions, etc.) along with chicken and fries and some dark brown gravy brought on a searing hot iron skillet. Delicious! Interestingly beef was on the menu but Anshul pointed out that it was an old menu as Maharashtra had banned the serving of beef. During our meal two cats started loudly meowing, reminding me a bit of that time in Egypt — thankfully no cat hair drifting onto our food this time around!
Incredible painted temple seen as we zoomed into Pune after our long day
Cafe Good Luck where one of the founders of Infosys used to visit before he made it big
After dinner Anshul had a minty leaf with some sweet paste and other goodies wrapped within. He just popped it in his mouth in one go. I was tempted to try it but as my stomach had been a little iffy I opted to pass. Got in the car and was dropped off at the hotel. Headed to bed exhausted shortly thereafter. What a fantastic day, it was great seeing a very different part of India!
Route for Saturday, January 16, 2016