Panchgani

Trip: Mumbai > Mahabaleshwar > Panchgani > Bangalore

Leaving the city of Arthur Road Jail and Mahalaxmi Race Course, I went straight to Panchgani  Being alone as its advantages. I was at my whim as to where to turn the steering wheels. Panchgani as accessible and inviting.

Just stopped and clicked the orange on way@Panchgani

The only problem was that it was a weekend of peak season and finding a hotel room proved to be a mission impossible. Ultimately I checked into a hotel off the main road that led to Mahabaleshwar.

Hotel view@Panchgani

The main attraction at Panchgani is a bustling hill station and seclusion from Mumbai. Businesses have sprouted here in the form of high altitude go-carting, boating and forest treks. The moment I checked into the hotel, it started raining hard. The butler told me it was the first hard rain of the season and would last for a while. 

View from Parsi Point@Panchgani

The hotel room had a balcony large enough to sit and have dinner while rain poured incessantly. The winds would bring sprinkles of water to me and would leave me with goosebumps now and then. The next day I started early at 6 and stopped my car at Parsi Point. It boasts of a majestic view and a nice restaurant right at the edge.

Ridge view from Harrison's Folly@Panchgani

Moving further towards Mumbai-Bangalore Highway I stopped at a place called Harrisons Folly. It is a huge plateau of a land where one can drive to the edge. The sunbeams were trying to cut across the heavy clouds and the entire panorama was mesmerizing - all the more as I was standing there alone with my car.

Sunrise at Harrison's Folly@Panchgani

Satisfied with my morning excursions I decided to move ahead quickly as I had to reach Davangere by evening. By 8 AM I was already back on the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway. The next stop would be Highway McDonalds at Kolhapur.

Mumbai-Bangalore Road trip

The return trip from Mumbai proved to be more than an experience. I started early on 11th June. The deadline was 14th when I had to attend a class at 10. The first stop was yet not decided. It took so much time exiting Mumbai that I was in Pune at 1. It was a bad sign. 

I was planning to stop at Kolhapur although decided otherwise when I saw the Mahabaleshwar road sign. Deciding to digress, I reached Panchgani at 4 and checked in to a hotel.

Within an hour it started raining and I was hotel bound. It rained the entire night. I woke up early at 5 and started at 6. The first stop was Parsi Point. At 6, the view of the valley below was calming. 

The next point was a plateau large enough to take a hour to cover in entirety. I was alone with my car. As the sun rays broke through the cloud I felt like a proud eyewitness to the beautiful act of nature.

It took some effort to convince myself to leave the place and I reached Kolhapur at 10. The McD at highway was not to be missed. I intended to drive non-stop to Davangere hence rested for an extra half an hour at McD before beginning at 11. 

The journey to Davangere was uneventful except that I stopped at Ranebennur to buy the famous Dharwad Pedas for all my friends at college. The next day I started late for Bangalore and reached my hostel at night with a few rests in between.

Kalatop

• Private vehicles are not allowed. Park at the army barricade and walk the scenic mile to the pristine Kalatop.
• Kalatop is a halt on the way of the famous Dalhousie - Chamba trek in case you are a trekking enthusiast. The other halt on this trek is Khajjiar.
• There is no staying facility. Either go back to Dalhousie or drive ahead to Chamba town via Khajjiar. There is a canteen which serves delicious parathas.

We were staying in Dalhousie Club, courtesy Piyush, and decided to go for Kalatop as a one day excursion. It proved to be a helluva trip beyond what we were expecting. An egress on way from Dalhousie to Khajjiar goes to Kalatop. The name is because of barren black rock of hilltop which opens up a windy window to the Himalayas.

A view from Kalatop