I was visiting my partner in Mumbai for the weekend and we decided to spend the Friday evening at a café in Powai. Just as we were navigating through the bustling Mumbai traffic, the heavens opened up out of the blue leaving us rushing for cover but to no avail. Drenched, we waited for it to slow down on the sidewalk.
Rains have always had a special place in my heart, reminiscent of the childhood I spent amidst the rain drenched months in the greens of my hometown Chhindwara ( Madhya Pradesh). I associate the feeling of being free as a child with them.
Sipping my extra cream latte inside the cafe, I wandered to those joyful rains and suddenly, I realized that watching rains from the glass windows of a café is no way to truly enjoy them and with that thought, I started searching for a quaint weekend getaway where I could enjoy the ‘freedom’ of rains. And so Igatpuri, a place I hadn’t heard much about before became our get away place from the city madness that weekend.
I value local affordable stays away from a place’s central attractions. A cottage stay around 20 kms from Igatpuri town was zeroed in with the expectation of a chilled out place for enjoying a day in nature's lap, little did we know that the journey to our hotel will unlock a whole bunch of surprises for us and a passing place will become our destination.
I am a sucker for scenic drive routes and oh boy, it was scenic and beyond! My eyes were beaming in the awe of lush green Western Ghats swaying on either side of the meandering road. The moisture laden cool breeze filled my heart with glee. Closer we were to the cottages, more scenic were the fields travelling beside us. We reached our stay by noon and even though I was quite intrigued to explore the place, hunger pangs got the better of me. A sumptuous local Maharashtrian meal satiated our taste buds.
It wasn’t even evening but the picturesque cloudy skies drove us to dive straight into exploring the place post lunch. We headed towards a small reservoir nearby nestled between the hills. Walking a little further along its sides awaited us a breathtaking view. Sunsets mesmerize me but that evening watching the sun go down between the hills radiating hues of orange held me captive in a moment of rapture. The ever beautiful colors of the golden hour contrasting the steely grey clouds approaching from the other end was a sight to behold. It started drizzling and we decided to head back when just a turn ahead we had a surprise. The confluence of the fading lights from the setting sun and the drizzling showers resulted in a wide clear rainbow. It forced us to stop and we sat there on the roadside field watching it slowly disappear beside the settling sun on the other side. My camera couldn't do justice to what I witnessed. For an unplanned evening, it ended up filling my heart with content.
The drizzle was followed by a heavy downpour reminiscent of the one last evening. While sipping my freshly brewed coffee, sitting on the porch, I realized how similar yet entirely different this moment was from the last evening. The unsettling irritation had given way to calm and bliss. As it halted raining briefly, we went on a walk around the cottages and I captured the moon trapped between two clouds jostling to emerge from their shadows. That image stuck in my head and I wondered if I am any different from that moon wishing to be free from my created clutches of hard pressed city life, jostling between my desire and need. I guess not. But in that moment I was free, just like the child running down the lanes of rainy Chhindwara. And maybe, it’s only a moment that matters!
Day-2
The enchanting beauty of rains lies in the contrasting skies that precede and succeed it. The bright azure sky made it difficult to believe the overcast cloudy conditions followed by a heavy downpour last night. It’s as if the rains wash away the gloomy vibes letting cheerful hues of clear skies take over.
Today, we were to move along our way to Nashik for a day of wine tasting at the Sula Vineyards but we were still in hangover of the mesmerizing views we witnessed the day before and so with a few hours to spare, we decided to explore the place a bit more. The manager at our stay recommended a short breakfast picnic at a nearby dam, Vaitarna. Though it was around 2okms from the stay but it lied on our way so we decided to pack our breakfast and cherish it with some breathtaking views.
The road to the dam passes through a number of small villages and soon we could see the huge reservoir approaching the dam. I have been awestruck with the engineering marvel of the bigger dams I have visited before but this was much more appeasing to the eyes and heart. Surrounded by ghats’ hills and a canopy of green forests laid a quaint, placid lake as far as my sight could reach. The area is void of human intervention with not even a small tea stall. We decided to go on stroll along a trail we saw in the woods. The scenic views compelled me to not stop clicking but then there isn’t a camera as amazing as the eyes. So, we decided to just soak in all the greenery and bird sounds, sitting on a log and gorging on the sumptuous aloo parathas. We had been there for around three hours and they passed like a breeze.
On our way ahead to Vineyards we passed through Trimbak where the Trimbakeshewar Shiva temple is located. One can take a small detour and pay her respects, however we were a bit pressed for time especially after a three-hour long breakfast stroll! The road to Trimbak is a highly satisfying journey in itself. With the road running parallel to lakes on both the sides, one could make out small green patches alongside, which would have made perfect camping sites. Further towards Trimbak, we encountered small streams flowing from the hills and merging into the lakes, enriching the life around them. Had we not be pressed for time, I could have spent hours just sitting by the fall, listening to the myriad of sounds there, soaking in each second and thanking god for a beautiful day.
The road to Sula Vineyards in interspersed with Grapevines and colorful fields. We decided to have lunch at a roadside restaurant or dhaba (alternatively, one can also get lunch at the vineyard though it is a bit heavier on the pocket). Upon arrival, we booked a wine tour which was to include a visit to the grapevines and wine tasting.
A grapevine visit is surreal to experience. Thousands and thousands of these climbers are meticulously planted in a vineyard. From there, we move on to the factory where in huge containers the freshly picked grapes are fermented. Later on, we entered a chilled storage room filled with fruity aroma of wines which were stored in big wooden barrels for years.
The next part was the real USP of the tour- wine tasting. Here, we met our sommelier for the evening who told us how to go about tasting a wine, beginning with the correct way to hold a wine glass, the swirl before smelling the aroma and finally a short sip to identify all the flavours and undertones. We tasted six different kinds of wines of which two were red, three white and one a sparkling wine. Every other glass was a feeling of a heightened experience. My personal favourite was red wine with fruity flavor (sadly I wasn’t as good at identifying the undertones as I would have wanted!)
Finally, with a tipsy feeling we headed back to Mumbai bidding adieu to two days replete with memories of a lifetime. That night, while sipping my hot latte in the balcony I had different yet familiar feeling watching the rain (Yes! It rained for many days at a stretch). I realized, I could now feel the same carefree happiness I felt as a child. Who would have thought an unplanned weekend trip would end up reconnecting me with few of the best experiences of my childhood!
