Sulagna Ghosh and Anumita Ghosh, both 31 years old, are friends since their kindergarten days, dating back to more than a quarter-century. Apart from their last names, they share their passion for collecting new locations – Sulagna through her camera lens, Anumita through her words.
They make great travel buds; for they are united by the love of clean bathrooms, varied cuisines and great massages (yup, the two collect spa memories)!
The girls had traveled together multiple times, in the company of their families and friends. But, the idea of getting away from the humdrum of their busy lives, to celebrate the memories of a beautiful friendship had been brewing in their hearts for a while. So, when the husbands co-operated (Anumita’s had to sign up for solo baby care), there was no looking back.
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Travel bytes from the girls
Relationship: BFFs
Destination: Lonavla, Maharashtra
Trip Expenses: ₹₹₹
Hotel: The Machan
Transportation: Private Car booked through Savaari.com from and to Mumbai Airport
Recommended experiences: Trekking to the Tungi Fort, Ankle dipping at Pavana Lake, Sunset at Lion’s Point, Shopping at Maganlal’s Chikki Center, Staying at The Machan
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What preparations were completed before the trip?
The two decided on a property and booked a room. They booked their respective flights from Kolkata and Bangalore to Mumbai. They also pre-booked a car for the three days entirely through Savaari.com, a choice that they found to be extremely satisfactory. The trip proved to be moderately expensive, costing each of them close to ten grand a night.
Let’s talk about the destination: Lonavla
The Western Ghats was the perfect choice for the two – scenic, easily accessible and traversable in the three-day slot that they could manage.
Lonavala was chosen for the property in question, The Machan, a unique tree-house resort in the hills beyond Pune.
The girls had, mistakenly, assumed rain in the Ghats in May. The Ghats have an interesting bi-polar persona – they are lush and youthful in the rains and grave and somber in summers.
Also Read: Why you must be in Munnar in Monsoon 2018!
The earth brown visuals of the Western Ghats, though different from the lush green scenery of heavy monsoons, did not disappoint the girls in their majestic energy.
Sulagna opined that the play of depths and heights, shade and light reminded her of the celebrated Grand Canyons.
Haven of Disconnection
The heat of Mumbai made the girls dizzy as they boarded their cab from the airport towards the hills, in hopes of better weather. It took them a couple and a half hours of driving to reach Lonavala town, a small but chic town, filled to the brim with eateries and nightclubs. The town center stood out as the host of the original Maganlal Chikki Center – a place they earmarked mentally for a shopping stop. The Machan happened to be another twenty kilometers away from the town, deeper into the jungles of the ghats. The entrance and the reception area was minimalist, in a gorgeous way.
The resort was self-sustaining with renewable resources, a balm to the guilt-ridden, consumerist, urban souls.
The benevolent driver was weirded out by the over-simplicity and suggested that they reconsider their stay. Oh, and there was no connectivity to the outer world with the exception of a weak signal at the reception itself to make those perfunctory, well-being calls to the family. So, imagine an assortment of tree-house, speckled on the vales and slopes of the greenish-brown Ghats, covered with the ceiling of twinkling multitudes and cut off from the busy world, literally and metaphorically – slightly scary and absolutely divine. The girls spent the first evening exploring the resort, its beautiful tree-houses and the breathtaking sunset from their luxury room atop a tree.
Daunting Heights and Shallow Dips
The girls made a pit stop at the Tungi Fort, the following morning. The starting point of the trek was quaint and beautiful, with age-old, expansive banyan trees and a dilapidating temple. But, the girls didn’t have the right gear for the trek up to the top of the hill and the weather was not favorable. It was a disappointment really, although the view at the top looked absolutely enticing. Something for the next time!
The Pavana Lake was large and reaching the dam took some time, around sloping and twisting roads. When they finally reached the dam, the view was breathtaking and a strong, cool breeze made it all worthwhile. Sulagna photographed the landscape to heart’s content, even as the strong winds made the act of remaining still difficult. The girls were content when they decided to leave for lunch. But, right around the corner, they discovered a nook of the lake, where locals were enjoying a cool dip in the shades of trees. They had to stop.
The girls sat on the rocks by the lake, dipping their ankles in the cool, pristine water.
They watched the fish come biting at their ankles and local children build human pyramids in the middle of the lake – a memory that would be etched in their minds forever.
On Highland and Sunset
After a quick lunch at the local Dhaba, the girls made their way to the Lion’s Point for the sunset. The place was crowded, but it was so large, that the diffused crowd was not overbearing. The display put on by the Sun was colossal and calm, vibrant and timeless. The colors of the sky danced playfully on the slopes, the water bodies and the dust – making everything come alive in a magical avatar. The girls left the point refreshed and reconnected with life.
Sugar High
Anumita had researched that Lonavala was the place to be for sweet teeth, with an extra special affinity for nuts! So Maganlal Chikki Center had to be on the itinerary.
The girls spent a large part of the evening tasting varied homemade fudges and nut-brittles made from cashewnuts, almonds and groundnuts.
They were all delicious, to say the least. They packed themselves till the bags and tums were bursting at the seams. Then they made their way to the German Bakery across the street for dinner. The place was aesthetically decorated but the food proved to be average – with the exception of an incredible Keema Pav – a Maharashtrian delicacy. The girls misjudged the time they could spend in the town. The drive back proved mildly disconcerting, given the pitch dark, winding roads and the loneliness of the deep woods. That was, probably, the only half an hour when they felt any sense of vulnerability.
The Low Downs
While the husbands were supportive, parents had very tepid reactions to the idea of two girls on a trip.
The girls had clearly under-estimated the trails of the Western Ghats and fell short of making the steep climbs of the multiple forts in the area. Sulagna most definitely wants to redo the trip in the monsoon, to capture the greenery that she had envisaged.
Will they do it again?
“Absolutely”, said both the girls, in unison!