INDIA. Western Ghats, Maharashtra: The Western Ghats in Maharashtra are amongst the best hill stations of India. No destination in the entire world can beat the beauty of these locales during rains. Rains, as you must have experienced are the best time to be cozy with your beloved, and the Ghats gives you ample opportunities to indulge in some private moments with he/r.
At The Transcontinental Times, earlier we have discussed Karla and Khandala, two of the popular destinations here, and our rain and bhutta break.
Read Also: The Enchanting Western Ghats
After the break, as the rains stopped we moved on towards Lonavala via the Lions Point, near Sahara group’s Ambey Valley resorts. Rains followed us and it started becoming foggier because of low height clouds. It was white all over – and made driving all the more difficult. So we stopped and waited for some clear view of the road, but it was not to be. I had to be contained with a stop at a spot near the steps down the hill. And as I went down, I reached an out-of-the-way spot, near which the roadside nullah has now become a very beautiful waterfall. I saw a few young couples, romantic at heart taking bath under this waterfall, all engrossed in themselves and trying to steal a few moments alone.
At the next stop, Bhusi Dam, I saw few people moving up away from the dam, and as I usually do in the hills – I followed them. After a small climb – I started to get a feeling of what was there in the store. I had to walk in knee-deep flowing waters. I could sense a waterfall somewhere up in the hills, and I was so right. After a sharp turn, and after having crossed a number of nullahs and small falls, I could see the beautiful waterfall, and as it had been a common feature of all the waterfalls in the region, loads of tourists taking bath under the fall. Unfortunately like at all other waterfalls, I could not enjoy the bath like other tourists, because my cameras normally get repelled by water, and they had already tasted a lot of rainwater in the last few hours.
It was raining heavily again as I moved towards Lonavala Lake. The grey clouds were getting darker and with the rains showing no sign of a break, I decided to call it a day. As it has rained for the last two days now – I could see greenery all around and feel the beauty of getting into the clouds while I was going down the hilly roads. I felt like having reached the ultimate beauty spot – so different from my own normal world.
Besides getting wet and trying to steal some precious moments with your loved ones, tourists also love to indulge in shopping at Lonavala market and shop for the famous Chikkies, and Fudges. They come in all possible kinds of flavours and are a must-buy on a tourist list here.
Plans for the next day again depended on the rains and I left it to the rain gods to decide about my schedule for the coming day. And Murphy would have loved it because as per his theory, it rained heavily throughout the night.
In the morning it was the same story – rains, and more rains. Of course, I was here to enjoy the rains – but I certainly wanted some let off. Suddenly, a ray of hope in form of an opening in the clouds made me rush to the Rajmachi Point again to explore the Ghats and their beauty.
At the Rajmachi Point – it was a very pleasant view now, and I walked on the highway looking for undisturbed views of the Ghats. Surely the best way to enjoy nature is to walk around, and I was rewarded too with some majestic landscapes – but only for a few minutes. It started getting foggier again, and white clouds soon engulfed me. And gave me a message that it was time to pack up, say goodbye and end my trip to this beautiful place.
Well although it was one of the wettest trips I have ever made – it still was one of the best ones. The magic of the Ghats surely works on you – no matter whatever you do – and I guess my experience was nothing different. And all said about romance and torrential rains – the only thing one has to keep in mind – be prepared to get wet when you think of the Western Ghats, i.e. Khandala, Lonavala, and Karla.
