Weekend Road Trip
I am a huge fan of road trips. Something about jumping in the car, heading off down the endless expanse of the road just appeal to me and are sort of my mental "relaxant" to get out of it all.
My mom's family used to take legendary road trips when they were little as my Nanaji (maternal grandfather) loved to travel. In those times it meant longer trips (given the conditions of the roads, lack of expressways/freeways), being prepared for the uncertain (no Google maps or fancy apps to tell you the route, nearby gas stations, restaurants at so and so exit) and thus involved travelling with cooking utensils, enough food and the whole shebang packed into a few cars and off on a long adventure...real adventure!
Today, it is almost impossible or a struggle at least to take a week off and go travelling, however the occasional weekend/extended weekend road-trip is still a lot of fun.
A dear school friend of mine stays in Mumbai, and given I was in the city over a weekend in December, we both planned to head out of the city for a couple of days rather than hang out in one of the many malls within the city.
Destinations were much debated over Whatsapp, with proximity to Mumbai as well as the urge to get out into nature being the two key considerations. My friend, a Mumbai local, suggested heading out into the Western Ghats, which makes for a nice scenic drive and staying at one of the not too touristy smaller towns. This worked out perfect for us given we had only two days for the road trip and did not want to end up with hordes of people doing the same thing.
The location of choice was Bhandardhara, which is a village located about 185 KMs (115 miles) outside of Mumbai. It was a close enough drive from the city - about 4 hours (check), located near a river and a dam (check), and not as touristy as say Lonavala (one of the most popular destinations out of Mumbai).
My friend was insistent that we leave Mumbai before the morning rush-hour hit, which could stretch a four hour drive to almost a seven hour one. Not thrilled by the idea of getting stuck in traffic (given I had landed only the day before) we made sure to leave in time. Leaving Goregaon before eight in the morning led us to a speedy exit from Mumbai. After a few hours on a busy but smooth highway we soon hit the local bypass (exit) for the road to Bhandardhara.
Trucks are usually very colorful and have fun philosophical phrases painted on the body. If you have one riding right in front of you, I assure you will definitely have a good laugh.
This is when it got to what I LOVE about road trips in India, the food pit-stop. Unlike much of the western world (and now sadly, parts of India), road trip stops in rural hinterland reflect local delicacies and are a great way to interact with the local folks in the little tea-shops and chat about the happenings in that part of the country.
Seeing me pull out my camera rig, my friend warned me, this was a QUICK stop, some tea and a quick snack and NO dilly-dallying with the local shop-keepers/other people. Point taken, we had a quick snack of this very tasty Bhajia (fritters soaked in chickpea batter), with some amazing green chillies, two small cups of sugary tea and I even managed to get a quick word in with this shopkeeper who sat next door to this food vendor. The neatly lined bags of chips and snacks behind him made for such good bokeh, I could not resist! I am not sure if he got why I was taking his picture but he was a good sport and agreed anyway.
Piping hot tea, or 'Chai' is usually served in a small glass and therefore is commonly known as 'Cutting Chai'.
Spicy Bhajiyas and Chai are quintessential snack across India. The sweet taste from the tea perfectly compliments the spicy kick from the fritters that are covered in chickpea batter and fried...who doesn't like fried stuff?!
Dhabas (food vendors on the highways) usually have a dry snacks vendor to help passengers refuel for rest of the journey. The colors and arrangement of biscuits/crackers provided an interesting background he happily agreed to get his photo taken (P.S. I have always found that people in the rural areas are simple and always almost agree with no qualms!)
Another hour or two of the winding road southwards on the western Ghats had us taking a steep road up as we approached Bhandardhara. It's almost tough to imagine that that a few hours ago we were in the busiest city in the country . Cars gave way to two-wheelers which eventually gave way to people on bicycles or just walking along the road. Jeans and formal wear gave way to the iconic Maharashtrian white dhoti and kurta with the Gandhi topi on almost all the villagers we saw walking along the road.
We made it to the scenic and peaceful Anandvan resort just in time for a late lunch. After a brief nap we took off to explore the local river, the nearby surroundings and the dam along the river. After some short hikes and given our early start, we called it a day and hung out in the resort's game room shooting some hoops. The next day we checked out and headed out to another part of the village which included getting up close to the dam and taking a local boat ride across the river.
The smaller of the two dams in Bhandardhara. The walkway was open for us to take a walk across and enjoy the scenic views.
Farmlands on the way...
By afternoon, we were back on the road and headed back to Mumbai...if you are ever travelling to any part of India and have a few days to spare, I would highly encourage you to look around and do a local road trip! Mine was made all the more fun because I had a really close friend and more than the trip it was the catching up we did that mattered. Road trips like these expose one to the "real" India unlike the ones we encounter every day in our routine lives or our regular visits to friends and families.