Chikki-land!

Expecting a nice, long weekend for Holi, we planned ahead and book ourselves a weekend at Lonavala. Known for its many varieties of chikki, a hard candy, Lonavala was discovered n 1871 by Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor General of the Bombay Presidency.

 This time, since our destination is just a 3 hour drive from Mumbai we left home at 8 am. Driving was fairly smooth until we got off the highway and turned towards the Goa-Pune road. There’s quite a bit of construction going on along the entire stretch of the road on account of which the traffic is almost at a standstill, Inching our way forward, we finally got on to the Vashi bridge and from then on it was smooth sailing for us. One crosses 2 toll booths while heading towards Lonavala, Rs.30 and Rs.165 respectively.

Although it was a fairly pleasant drive, we found the heat unbearable when we stopped for breakfast at the Food Plaza. There’s quite a variety available here and to say it was crowded would be an understatement. The entire place was teeming with cars and people all out to enjoy the long weekend. For a total bill of Rs.170/- we had a dosa (the Indian version of a crepe), medu wada, coffee, some corn, and a dabeli, a snack made of bread stuffed with a sweet and sour filling. There’s also a KFC and Subway available across the road, but we decided to stop there on our way back from our trip.

Fare chart (as on March 2014)

Driving on, we soon passed through Khandala and arrived at Lonavala. Dotted with pretty villas and abundant greenery, one can easily recognize Lonavala by the numerous chikki shops that line the streets. Our final destination was another 5kms away, at Karla. There’s another toll booth to be passed here (Rs. 39 for a daily pass). Then, when you least expect it, you’ve got to take a sharp turn and along a 1/2km stretch of narrow, shaded lane to enter the MTDC Resort, Karla.

Tourist Information

MTDC Resort, Karla: The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) always seems to get the best locations, albeit a little away from the hub of all the activity, but this is perfect if one wishes to take a break from the rush of the city. This particular one is larger in area and offers more facilities than others. As it always is with MTDC resorts, there are plenty of trees and shaded pathways. Many types of rooms are available to suit the visitor’s needs. Each cottage/room has ample of parking space and the rooms, although quite minimalistic, are comfortable and clean. Apart from cottages, the resort also has its own restaurant, an ayurvedic massage parlor, boating facilities and a water park. There are also some well-equipped play areas for children.The slides and other equipment in these children's play-areas are clean and well maintained, thus ensuring that kids also have something to keep them occupied during their stay.

Our cottage looked out onto a field and the highway in the distance beyond that. I did initially find the room a little stark and would have preferred some happy pictures on the walls, but consisting of a bed, a dresser, television and two couches, the room was exactly what we needed since we planned to spend most of our time exploring what Lonavala had to offer.

Having settled in, we began our day with a relaxing body massage at the very picturesque ayurvedic

massage centre. Painted a bright green with yellow interiors, the parlor looks very inviting and the fragrance of various herbal oils enveloped us as soon as we entered. The massage treatments are done in a little room at the back of the reception area. The masseuse seemed to be quite experienced and the massage itself was very soothing. The experience would have been better if I wasn’t too aware of the curtain that kept flying open with every gust of breeze. Also, there was this constant buzzing sound that had me of hidden cameras.

Lunch at Rohit’s: For lunch, we stopped at a wayside restaurant that goes by the name of Rohit. According to its signboard, it also lets out rooms and has a swimming pool, but personally, I’d say the location isn’t all that good. I mean, would it be comfortable swimming in a pool that is bounded by a busy crossroad? Anyway, we just wanted lunch and ordered a chicken thali and some mutton masala and rotis. What was served to us was delicious and quite filling. The chicken thali itself consisted of three large rotis, rice, dry chicken, egg curry and gravy. Our total bill for lunch, inclusive of a soft drink, was just Rs. 425. Mention must be made of the quick and friendly service by the staff. Surely a place to try if you don’t mind oily food as long as it tastes good.

Next, after a much needed bath, we drove 5kms to Lonavala, a busy bustling town that now has all the latest restaurants and fast food joints that a city dweller is used. What it does lack is planning. There are absolutely no direction markers or signboards anywhere. Tourist maps are unavailable and even the locals seem absolutely unaware of directions or scenic spots. It’s quite surprising that a much visited tourist destination is so unorganized!

Spotting a poster advertising a Wax Museum, we decided to pay a visit and see how it sized up to the one we had seen at Hong Kong. Well, Mme. Tussaud’s it isn’t, but it really was worth paying Rs.100 to see the few exhibits that were displayed. Comprising of wonderfully sculpted models of famous Indian personalities, the artist, Mr. deserves applause. Of the three non-Indian personalities, only Mandela seems almost true to the original person. MJ and Angelina Jolie are not recognizable, save for their clothes. The parking attendant at the Wax Museum is an extremely cheerful chap who doubles up as a tourist guide. He greets everyone with a, “Hello, Sir. Hello, Madam. Welcome to Wax Museum” all said in one breath and in the same slightly nasal tone and a smile that actually touches his eyes. You just have to ask him where any random spot is (we asked him where Sunset Point was) and he begins this long litany giving you the highs and lows of every tourist spot in Lonavala and Khandala and also provides you with driving directions for each of them.

For dinner, that evening, we drove to the Kinara Village Dhaba, a rather crowded eatery along the highway itself. What makes it popular is the ambience. The entire place is modeled after the rural villages of India. All around ate thatched huts, wooden gazebos and rustic tents. The place is lit with lanterns, fairy lights and chandeliers casting pleasant shadows while people sit around tables on woven cots and benches. There is live Indian music being played as patrons dine, chat and enjoy camel rides. It’s like an Indian fairy land, but there’s usually a long wait for a free table. Our plan was to wake up early and catch the sunrise, so we had dinner at the neighboring Sheetal Dhaba where the fare is good, service is a tad bit slow, and the prices are slightly steep, especially for the flavored lassi in five shot glasses is Rs.250….that’s Rs.50 for three sips!!! You won’t be missing much if you skip that.

With that, we headed back to the resort and called it a day. I was glad to have had such sound sleep especially since I have an extremely active imagination and, when travelling, keep imagining all sorts of spirits and ghouls haunting the room. This usually keeps me up for most of the night, but this time I was spared the agony on account of a tiring day.

5.30am. We began driving towards Lion’s Point, which is said to be a good place to catch the sunrise. It’s a fairly long drive and almost missed the spot if it wasn’t for the many cars parked off the road. It was windy, pleasantly cool and a hind of pink had just began to appear in the sky, but what could have been a breath-taking experience was ruined by the loud, crass and obviously drunk crowd of people that had assembled there. The silence of the morning was murdered by blaring music and raucous laughter. The entire place is horribly littered with plastic wrappers and packets, paper plates, empty liquor bottles and all sorts of garbage. There are no dustbins and it is shocking to see that the tourism department allows such gross misbehavior. We tried trekking a little higher to get away from the disturbing environment, but in vain. 

Disgusted with the experience, we drove back down the mountain and decided, at the spur of the moment, to stop at Bushi Dam. The many stalls that lined the rocky path leading to the dam were still shut and we were the only living souls standing there in the early hours of the morning. A steady trail of garbage and empty bottles lay as silent witnesses to the many visitors who frequent the place during the day, ignoring that, we continued towards the dam and, crossed the huge stone wall and seated ourselves under the trees, watching the sun rise slowly above the distant hills. I’d say this is by far the best place to catch the most perfect, golden sunrise.

Sunrise at Bushi Dam

After drinking in the beauty of the morning sun as it danced on the lake, we spent the next half hour relaxing in a paddle boat. The Indrayani river is beautiful. Sitting there, idly drifting, I remembered the famous lines from the Ancient Mariner….

Day after day, day after day, we struck nor breath nor motion

As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean.

The river offers views that could easily be the subject of an artist’s painting…..clear waters, cottages with picket fences, bougainvillea in full bloom and graceful swans….an absolutely beautiful scenario!

Breakfast at MTDC’s Indrayani Restaurant is good and moderately priced, but like every government run establishment, here too, there was an element of chaos and lack of planning. The waiters seemed quite harried and orders took an awfully long time getting to the tables. From what I gathered by the snippets of conversation I could overhear the restaurant seemed to be understaffed and unable to cater to the huge crowd of visitors that weekend.

After a short nap to make up for the early morning tryst with nature, we drove 5kms towards the Karla Caves. These ancient Buddhist caves are one of the oldest rock-cut caves and are visited by hundreds of tourists daily. Many of these tourists are pilgrims who climb the 150odd steps to pay homage to the Goddess Ekvira, whose temple is just a few feet from the entrance of the ancient cave. In fact, it almost blocks the entrance. For those not wishing to climb all the way from the base, there is a steep, motorable road that takes you

halfway up the hill. There’s a 30Rs toll at the foot of the mountain and another 10Rs towards parking charges. From there on, visitors must continue on foot. The climb is rather tedious, but one can stop at the various stalls along the way and purchase religious articles, sweetmeats, toys and even click a picture with a stuffed tiger.

Having no wish to visit the temple, we headed straight for the caves and what we saw was truly amazing. Intricate carvings adorned the entrance and the entire inner hall was supported by huge stone pillars atop which sat shapely figures astride elephants.

Lunch was back at the hotel in the resort. We ordered a mutton biryani which I must say was really tasty. A nice siesta and we were back on the road towards Khandala, eager to catch the sun before it set. Sunset Point is located right on a busy road. People park their cars along the side of the road and stand staring out at the sun as it slowly makes its descent beyond the mountains in the distance. If you’re lucky you get to see the sky light up with wonderful shades of pink and purple. We weren’t so lucky and saw the sun disappear behind a smoggy horizon, but we did manage to get a few good pictures.

Dinner was at the newly opened Yoko’s and then it was time for bed. The next morning we sat a while at the jetty and bid a silent farewell to the peace and quiet of the countryside before driving back to Mumbai.  

 Being the festival of color, Holi, the streets were deserted and we made it home in just about an hour and a half. A smooth end to a wonderful, much-needed weekend!

Pics by Misha & Akshay.