Blog: Retreat to Lonavala

I and a group of freaking out friends packed and left for Lonavala on Saturday morning, it now feels just like day before, yesterday. Well the current status is howling winds, swirling rains and crashing waves. It was howling and swirling rains and winds all weekend as all one and sundry kept going to much needed unwinding to one of the more famous tourist places out of the many place which are a few hours drive away from this chaotic, turbo charged mega-polis. The drive was smooth and there were and odd cheer of laughter and some banter as always as the road hit the Hills aka the Ghats the chill of the altitude, sight of distant water falls, hovering clouds and honking cars greeted us.

Lonavala being dotted with resorts and many company guest houses is an easy place to go and come back. But you would love to go on week days to avoid the dense maddening crowd. We reached there by lunch, unloaded. We went to this very small water fall of a rivulet which was close by to our lodging place. We played and jumped, the water was cold to touch and almost gave and tingling feeling. We were there for a while. No moment was spared of the flash light as the digi was kept busy all day. We then had lunch, and we ate like we were there for just that lunch, packed your self then hit the mountainous road again. We went to this place high up on the hills and it was getting colder by the minute meanwhile we continued to flash lights and click the snaps. Some of the snaps are breath taking; some of the views were once in life kind of an experience. It was were delightful and soothing to the eye. We were not chilling we were freezing after it rained and within counting one two three all of us were wet and drenched in the hilly rain, it was only the comfort of the worm corn that we found ourselves back to normal mode again, the drive back to the lodge was bit lazy, there were other cars trying to meander their way, the rest of the evening was spent of the terrace, and around the dinner table awaiting dinner.

The rain and howling winds were more intense then I would have liked to imagine, but my Sunday’s, good morning was a bit later then usual. I went to terrace and saw an odd sun ray breaking thru the clouds and the rains clouds taking a usual morning walk up the hills, the gentle breeze swayed all over. The good morning cheer; the whole day was then just spent lazing around sleeping and dozing all over the place, with little affinity for action or any other labour intensive activity.

The lunch followed repacking and leaving plans, a quick trip to the local temple, perhaps thanking god for good life and asking a few days more for extension of some good hours spent gazing at greens of the trees and greys of clouds, steep slopes and gushing waterfalls and rivulets. Then we stopped for one of the many crowded points and just went around with a sense of futility till I saw a cartoonist practicing caricatures, I wanted one done for me for eternity, got one done, and I was all laughers, all my friends followed suit. We had the most laughter since we started on Saturday morning. I was damn happy of the cartoon that was made of me and perhaps would find its way on the profile pic soon. It is hilarious to see but amazingly done. I have had highest regard for people practicing any form of art. It was done in minutes.

A quick coffee and we marched towards Mumbai, although the roads were jammed the traffic was thin and bit silent. I reached home, had dinner, edit some snaps, checked a few forwarded mails and went bed rather late and started my Monday morning a bit early.