Girivan- The place where the Hills and Forest rule (Part2)

“Its at the time of dawn that we commune with the Gods”

                                                                                                      –  Apollonius

After an evening well spent at our abode of Laxmi Holiday Home, Girivan, Mulshi Talulka, Pune, Maharashtra, India, the first thing we did the next morning was to go to the rooftop of the guest home overlooking the valley. There we waited for the sun to rise beyond the Shayadris whilst inhaling the fresh air and listening to the chirping of birds & fluttering of  leaves in the light breeze.

The surreal sunrise from the rooftop

The beauty and calmness of the place at dawn demanded that we explore the area more thoroughly. Thus, we decided to go for a morning walk.

The Morning Walkers

Stillness adding to the allure of the walk

A dainty guest house

A uniquely built guest house

Lushness galore

Sunlight bursting through the foliage

The walk through the pebbled road from Laxmi Holiday Home to the main road that connects the length of Girivan was invigorating to say the least. The lushness of the dense undergrowth and the stillness added to the allure of the walk. We walked past many dainty guest houses and resorts built on the slopes of the hill. Sunlight soon burst through the creases of the foliage and started overpowering the chill in the air and it was then that we decided to turn back.

Munching merrily

Breakfast of Pohe and boiled eggs

Chatting merrily, we had our breakfast of home cooked pohe (fluffed rice preparation) garnished with coriander, chilly, ground nuts and onions topped with sevs (fried chickpea flour noodle shaped savory) and boiled eggs along with piping hot tea. The breakfast again was very basic but delicious, made more so by the fact that we were famished after our morning walk.

A round of Badminton

Soaking in the Sun

After breakfast, the kids played a round of badminton while the elders soaked in the sunlight swinging on the swing that was there on the grounds of the Holiday Home.

Booking Office@ Mountain View Sports Park

Inside the Sports Park

On the demand of the children, we decided to pay a visit to the Mountain View Sports Park, an adventure park that is maintained by the Girivan Projects division. For the kids we got consolidated tickets @250INR per head that gave them access to various activities such as Air Rifle shooting, Air Pistol shooting, Archery, Burma Bridge & Hanging Bridge and the elders got entry tickets for 50INR per head that gave then a 24 hour entry into the sports park.

Burma Bridge Ahoy!

The sharp shooter

The Deadly Duo

High along the Hanging Bridge

More fun

Time flies in a jiffy

The kids enjoyed their activities and the elders thoroughly enjoyed watching them indulge in the activities. Time at the Mountain View Sports Park flew in a jiffy and we headed back for our lunch.

A light Maharashtrian Village Lunch

We had ordered for a light lunch before we set off for the sports park and it was a light village lunch that awaited us when we came back to Laxmi Holiday Home. It consisted of home made ghee on top of hot boiled aromatic rice (from the caretaker’s own field), fried papadams, a bowl of lentils, potato fritters, salad and two types of dry Maharashtrian pickles. The food fully satiated our taste buds and we had it to our hearts’ content. The lunch over, it was now time to start our journey back home.

Memories for a lifetime

Girivan-the place where the hills and forest rule

We took back loads of memories to cherish for a lifetime from Girivan, the place where the hills and forest rule.

 

– Concluded.

 

Girivan- The place where the Hills and Forest rule (Part1)

Nestled in the lap of mother nature in the ranges of the Shayadri in Mulshi taluka of Pune, Maharashtra, lies Girivan.

Girivan- 500 feet above Lonavala

A one of its kind private hill station, which at an altitude of more than 2400 feet above the sea level is 500 feet even higher than the more renowned hill station of Lonavala, Girivan acts as a perfect getaway from the chaos of the city life of Mumbai and Pune.

Giri Van

My brother, who resides in Pune, zeroed in on Girivan as our destination to cool off and spend some quality family time, together. Thus, it was on a sunny winter morning just after Christmas that we set forth for Girivan, whose meaning in Sanskrit is a combination of two words Giri meaning Mountain and Van meaning forest.

Rural Heartland of Maharashtra

Located at a distance of around 45 kms from Pune, the road to Girivan criss crosses through the rural heartland of Maharashtra and is scenic but narrow, with stretches of it in a pretty bad shape. It was after 2 hours that we were at the gates of Girivan on a steep incline that takes you further into the private hill station.

 

Dense foliage

The serpentine road onto the Hill Station is dotted with replicas of wild life and the view of the valley beneath and the surrounding mountain ranges is breathtaking. As we climbed higher and deeper into Girivan, the roads gradually became non-existent and the foliage became greener and denser.

The road? to Laxmi Holiday Home

Our Abode

Recreational Facilities

Playtime @ Laxmi Holiday Home

It was here in the midst of greenery and away from the madding crowd we found Laxmi Holiday Home, our abode for the next two days. The quaint two storied cottage had a large compound in which hens, dogs and cats all roamed around nonchalantly. For recreation, there was a badminton court and also a mounted basket to play basketball besides a swing between two big trees.

Evening snacks

The caretaker of the holiday home also resided within the premises with his family in a separate cottage. His wife doubled up as our cook and it was she who brought us tea and fried vegetable crispies for our evening snacks.

The Sun sets over The Shayadris

After snacks, we strolled around to get a feel of the place and to view the sun set over the Sahyadris.

Getting ready to Kill the Chill!

Ammunition to overpower the Chill!

There was a nip in the air and as twilight gave way to the darkness, we thought of converting the verandah of the cottage into our bar area for the night so that we could soak in the beauty of the place, sipping our drinks and feasting on the hot dry chicken and egg bhurji prepared by the cook. The entire family transcended around the table, reminiscing about good old days, catching up with newer present developments and discussing future courses of action while the kiddos chatted and played around.

The family that Eats together-Stays together

Simple, tasty Dinner

With the drinking session over, it was now time to have our simple but very tasty dinner of hot rotis and chicken curry along with platefuls of farm fresh vegetable salad and home made traditional Maharashtrian pickle.

Ditching the beds ….

….For the Mattresses

Laxmi Holiday Home- The night just began…

We dutifully retired for the night after our dinner but the kiddos ditching their beds for mattresses on the floor started off their next round of fun and frolic. For them the night had just begun.

(End of Part 1)

(To be continued………)