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.