Courtesy http://myrides.multiply.com
Mahabaleshwar, India-Courtesy Maharashtra Tourism
I was with my grand child
Ronnie aged 8 years who had come from Delhi along with
Nitya, his little sister and his mother, my daughter Divya for holidays.
Mumbai always had been a fascinating place for children with Lion Safari at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, beaches; and gardens in Chembur-Ghatkopar area leaving aside downtown city area. So, they are always in
Mumbai during holidays
It was dusk. We were sitting on the balcony of my flat in
Mumbai overlooking the garden through the thick foliage of trees watching flock of birds flying back to their homes with some settling on the nearby trees.
I was reading an article from
Reader's Digest when a queer question from Ronnie startled me!
"How far is 'Grand Canyon' from Mumbai?"
"What?" I asked quizzically!
"Yes, Nana. H o w f a r I s G r a n d C an y o n?" It took me some time to understand his question.
I chuckled.
"Oh, you mean the place which looks like 'Grand Canyon', near Mumbai?
"Of course", it's understood we can't go to Colorado, USA tomorrow!"Ronnie interjected, probably puzzled with my slow response.
These young Indian kids today are truly a powerhouse of knowledge, I thought enviously. There are very few, even Indians, who would know there is a nature's miracle on Sahyadri Hills near
Mahabaleshwar, 200 km from Mumbai, where the rock stratification on the hills is similar to that of
Grand Canyons, Colorado, USA!! Unbelievable, isn't?
And so everything was decided after I moved fast on arranging journey next evening to
Grand Canyons India- MAHABALESHWAR! The Mercedes Benz bus from
Nita Travels picked us up at 11 in the night from a Chembur locality stop called "Yogi"at Mumbai suburb. We dozed off for about an hour till the first stop, a grand food plaza, near a Toll Station on the express highway to the city of
Pune. Well, had another midnight dinner looking at the hogging crowed.
Suddenly it was cold; so quietly we went back to the comforts of our seats. The second stop was at 4 in the morning at some place when few of the passengers, especially ladies complained. Availabilities of rest-rooms is always a problem on the Indian roads but if you are seeking thrill on a bus ride in this beautiful country, be prepared for this
no loo adventure also. So learn to hold!
We could see the beginning of a beautiful dawn, the sun rays passing through thick foliage of trees as we climbed up to a height of 4500 feet to the bus stop at Mahabaleshwar. As we got down a pleasant breeze greeted us. Surprisingly, though at the considerable height, Mahabaleshwar is not chilly even in the winter because of its close proximity to the Arabian Sea where the westerly winds are warm.
Our resort was about 8 km from the market, situated at one of the highest point and facing valley and at a distance on the east, The Kate's Point. My goodness! It was a beautiful sight from
"The Ramsukh Resort", old Mahabaleshwar.
Why did I select this relatively expensive resort when there are more than 50 hotels and resort?
The prime reason was children. Most of the kids want activates rather than quality of rooms, elegance, location and view or exotic cuisine. They want primarily ACTION! To keep them busy whole day or else they would make your holiday miserable! And from various reviews, "
The Ramsukh Resort" seemed to be perfect. Though it had a shortcoming of being
only a vegetarian resort. As we were relaxing at the reception at 7 in the morning (check in was at 10 AM), Ronnie, my grandson was thrilled to see horses moving in the compound and took one instantly for a ride around the nearby forest. Then with other kids he went for a jungle walk with the hotel guide. I thought that was great and I too joined! It was a thick forest adjacent to the resort at the back. The winding narrow road to us up on a hill, sun light barely trickling through trees. We heard the sweet sound of the singing bird "Bulbul" and then a sudden shrills from a kid's mother startled us as we saw a fox crossing our path.
We decided to visit "Sahyadri" mountains, its various visiting location points late in the afternoon to see the similarity to "The Great Canyon" of USA. The distance was only 10 km by a car which the resort had arranged. There were about 10 points all near by but we started with "Arthur’s Seat (point)" which gives you a great view.
And it was a staggering site! I could never imagine that my country has such beautiful mountains, the rock formation incredible, and the gorge deeper than the river Colorado. This was a west side and a breath taking panorama! I remembered my visit to Grand Canyons USA two years back.
However, Mahabaleshwar's so named "Grand Canyon" score a point over its big brother in USA. This hill station gets second largest rain fall in the world after
Cherapoonji which is in North East India. So the result is a total transformation of topography in June-September-its just green and greener offering an incredible vista!
There were other points like Wilson Point, Connaught peak, Marjorie Point, Castle Rock etc. each giving awesome views! A true trekking paradise too with lot's of local snack joints on the way and the funniest guides!
We returned after sunset to participate in various programs like housie, magic shows, dances arranged by the resort near the swimming pool.
The dinner was fabulous though a bit
Gujratified!