They say the way Lonavala is for Mumbai, Yelagiri is for Chennai. Since I have not been to both the destinations, I didn't have a given mindset nor did I have expectations. All I knew was that Lonavala is now commercialised and isn't the way it was before.
A photo shoot took me to Lonavala in July (2 months back). I was put up at my aunt's place in Mumbai as I decided to join the crew from Mumbai and drive up to Lonavala. I wanted good company as I prefer not to travel alone and the crew members were fun so why not.
I was welcomed in Mumbai with heavy rains and you know how annoying rains can get. I was stuck in traffic and somehow managed to reach my aunt's place.
Started next day morning at 5 for Lonavala. Trust me, Mumbai is a blessing in the wee hours of the morning, no traffic, clear roads, a smooth drive, a dream for any Mumbaiite. So, Aarti (food stylist) joined me on the way. Oh man! It was a pleasure being with her. She was like this big sister, who keeps you entertained and also ensures she gives you valuable tips (I won't tell you what advise she gave me though :-P) on the way. Aarti was talking about how she used to visit Lonavala frequently as her father used to own a hotel there. And she was telling me how beautiful Lonavala is during the rains.
In her words "It is lush green, like a green carpet, mist all around. Bliss."
The other car with the rest of the crew was ahead of us. We stopped on the way at a dhaba kind off place to have kandha poha. Loved it, not more than idli-vada breakfast though :) Met Kunal here, as our cars got together. Kunal was the photographer for the shoot. One of the most humble and suljhahuva person I have met. It was a pleasure working with him.
We started from the place, and as we shifted to a higher altitude I could see the lush green carpet come live out of my imagination and say "Hi! I am going to be with you for a week now." It was such a pretty sight. Mist all around, it either hides in the hills or moves around and spreads its chillness to people. And the mist has a best friend, you know her name, RAINS :) Yes, it was pouring all the time in Lonavala.
Mist + rains = Perfect!
Lonavala was a magical sight and soon we reached our resort. A nice cosy room was given to me from where I could see the lush greenery around and of course, the incessant rainfall.
I hate it when it keeps raining all day long as when in a city you get annoyed as you cannot go out. One is always scared of getting drenched or falling sick. But in Lonavala it was a different case, I loved the rains, the moment the rains halted, even for some time, I would pray that it should start raining again. That was the love I developed for this beautiful little town and the rains.
The crew (Kunal, Nikhil and Fayaz) was so encouraging and spontaneous. They would just crackle up on a plain moment and leave me bewildered. They used to crack these funny jokes which would leave me laughing all day. Our day would start with breakfast, discussion on requirements for the shoot, a little prep, going to the market to purchase requirements and then standing all day to get a perfect shot. In fact there was a day when we were a little relaxed so we decided to go for sight-seeing.
Kunal was like, "Sight-seeing in Lonavala? During the rains? No ways. You will just see mist all around, you can't even take pictures." And I was like, "Kunal let's go I want to see Lonavala, it'll be fun". So all of us started from the resort and the first stop was a viewing point which was filled with thick mist as soon as we stepped out of the car. It was this place from where we could see waterfalls trickling on the opposite mountain. It was cold and pleasant. Felt like standing there the whole day and looking at Nature's beauty that surrounded me, however, we had to leave as the mist was getting thicker.
We then went ahead to Bushi Dam. In fact we thought of going to Tiger Point first. But, oh man! The mist was thicker as we reached a higher altitude, that after a point I couldn't even see Kunal who was standing next to me. And hola! It started pouring madly. Thank goodness that we were carrying umbrellas, which in the breeze and the rain that accompanied, was almost flying. So suddenly we see a lady, clad in a saree, appear from in between the road and the side path, in the mist. She yelled and drew Kunal's attention and said in a rather loud tone, "Sir aapko bhutta chahiye?", Kunal said no. She persisted and said "Sir yahaan Hookah bhi milta hain, chahiye kya?" Rofl, Nikhil and I couldn't control and burst out laughing. You wouldn't believe, the lady kept calling Kunal and finally we had to oblige and buy bhuttas from her as Kunal couldn't stand her yelling, plus it was still raining hard and we needed shelter.
As the rains stopped, we moved and came down to Bushi Dam. The driver suggested us to go for a walk up to Bushi Dam as he said there wasn't any parking around. We started walking towards Bushi Dam. I don't know how Bushi Dam was, but now it is certainly a mess. Dirty! That's all I can say. I could only see a groups of young boys playing the fool and some horny couples. I was reluctant to go any further so we got back.
After getting back to the resort, we started off on our shoot the next day. I loved what I was doing. The shoot was going on well. This was the first time ever that I visited a resort's kitchen so frequently. I was not a guest at the resort. I was a part of the staff so I was treated that way. I made friends with the staff. I would often go to the Holiday Activities area in the resort as this was a lovely place to sip chai. You can just sit at this place (which was on the terrace) and face the flyover, from where one could see a picture-book-like Lonavala. Rain droplets dripping from the roof, hot chai steam in the air and misty mountains around. I wished I could stay there forever.
On the whole, the trip was filled with WOW! moments and a few tension moments. The wow ones beating the tension ones. It was my very first photo shoot experience and I thank my seniors for giving me this opportunity. It was a learning curve for me. I came back home with a lot of learnings and pleasant memories of Lonavala and my time well spent here.
General tip: Always carry an umbrella when here during winters.
Souvenir tip: On route to Bushi Dam there is a small makeshift place which sells amazing vases and crockery items. A must-buy with awesomely low prices.
Foodie tip: Don't forget to visit the chikki factory from where chikkis across all Maganlal outlets are supplied in Lonavala. Not-to-miss Ms. Cooper's fudge... hmmm... yummmmm.... just don't miss this, the almond fudge is the best.
The views expressed in the blog are my own and not those of the company I work for.
A photo shoot took me to Lonavala in July (2 months back). I was put up at my aunt's place in Mumbai as I decided to join the crew from Mumbai and drive up to Lonavala. I wanted good company as I prefer not to travel alone and the crew members were fun so why not.
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| Ainvayi photography. Out of boredom |
I was welcomed in Mumbai with heavy rains and you know how annoying rains can get. I was stuck in traffic and somehow managed to reach my aunt's place.
Started next day morning at 5 for Lonavala. Trust me, Mumbai is a blessing in the wee hours of the morning, no traffic, clear roads, a smooth drive, a dream for any Mumbaiite. So, Aarti (food stylist) joined me on the way. Oh man! It was a pleasure being with her. She was like this big sister, who keeps you entertained and also ensures she gives you valuable tips (I won't tell you what advise she gave me though :-P) on the way. Aarti was talking about how she used to visit Lonavala frequently as her father used to own a hotel there. And she was telling me how beautiful Lonavala is during the rains.
In her words "It is lush green, like a green carpet, mist all around. Bliss."
The other car with the rest of the crew was ahead of us. We stopped on the way at a dhaba kind off place to have kandha poha. Loved it, not more than idli-vada breakfast though :) Met Kunal here, as our cars got together. Kunal was the photographer for the shoot. One of the most humble and suljhahuva person I have met. It was a pleasure working with him.
We started from the place, and as we shifted to a higher altitude I could see the lush green carpet come live out of my imagination and say "Hi! I am going to be with you for a week now." It was such a pretty sight. Mist all around, it either hides in the hills or moves around and spreads its chillness to people. And the mist has a best friend, you know her name, RAINS :) Yes, it was pouring all the time in Lonavala.
Mist + rains = Perfect!
 |
| Lonavala, at Nature's best during the monsoons |
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| Lonavala - Under The Over, A Sterling Holidays Resort |
The crew (Kunal, Nikhil and Fayaz) was so encouraging and spontaneous. They would just crackle up on a plain moment and leave me bewildered. They used to crack these funny jokes which would leave me laughing all day. Our day would start with breakfast, discussion on requirements for the shoot, a little prep, going to the market to purchase requirements and then standing all day to get a perfect shot. In fact there was a day when we were a little relaxed so we decided to go for sight-seeing.
Kunal was like, "Sight-seeing in Lonavala? During the rains? No ways. You will just see mist all around, you can't even take pictures." And I was like, "Kunal let's go I want to see Lonavala, it'll be fun". So all of us started from the resort and the first stop was a viewing point which was filled with thick mist as soon as we stepped out of the car. It was this place from where we could see waterfalls trickling on the opposite mountain. It was cold and pleasant. Felt like standing there the whole day and looking at Nature's beauty that surrounded me, however, we had to leave as the mist was getting thicker.
 |
| Can you see the waterfall trickling down the mountain? And all the mist around. It was magical! |
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| On the way to Tiger Point. Nothing but mist! |
After getting back to the resort, we started off on our shoot the next day. I loved what I was doing. The shoot was going on well. This was the first time ever that I visited a resort's kitchen so frequently. I was not a guest at the resort. I was a part of the staff so I was treated that way. I made friends with the staff. I would often go to the Holiday Activities area in the resort as this was a lovely place to sip chai. You can just sit at this place (which was on the terrace) and face the flyover, from where one could see a picture-book-like Lonavala. Rain droplets dripping from the roof, hot chai steam in the air and misty mountains around. I wished I could stay there forever.
 |
| View from the top of the resort |
General tip: Always carry an umbrella when here during winters.
Souvenir tip: On route to Bushi Dam there is a small makeshift place which sells amazing vases and crockery items. A must-buy with awesomely low prices.
Foodie tip: Don't forget to visit the chikki factory from where chikkis across all Maganlal outlets are supplied in Lonavala. Not-to-miss Ms. Cooper's fudge... hmmm... yummmmm.... just don't miss this, the almond fudge is the best.
The views expressed in the blog are my own and not those of the company I work for.
