“You should write about what we did and not what others should do.” Said, my Angel, when I casually discussed my approach to this post with her. After all, she was the other half of this trip and deserved a say in how I put it out to the world. That’s admittedly the sensible thing to do. At a time when search engines and social media bombard us with endless information about must-visit travel destinations and ideal itineraries, honest experiences are scarce. Fresh back from our simple yet super fun first-ever girl trip to Mahabaleshwar, there’s so much bubbling inside me that needs to be poured down here. For starters, get yourself a kid. Just kidding! (pun unintended)
My amazing solo trip to Varanasi had sowed the idea of vacationing sans family and had me consult my long bucket list of places I wanted to see. 2024 was a good year and I wanted to end it on a high. Thrilled as I was, though, there was a small catch. As much as travelling solo again sounded great, I couldn’t bear to leave Angel behind. Especially with A and A Jr making plans of their own, she was visibly upset about being left out. She’s a Daddy’s girl alright, but a girl nevertheless. We stick together, don’t we? A few tweaks here and there, and my ambitious solo trip turned into our first mother-daughter girl trip to Mahabaleshwar together. Sounds exciting, yes?
I had visited Mahabaleshwar many times, first with my parents and then with A. Angel was a toddler on our last trip and didn’t remember much. Since everything from the hotel to the tourist attractions was familiar and the weather promised to be pleasant, we chose to quit searching around and settled for it. Travel and hotel bookings were done in advance prompting some serious shopping needs during the approaching weeks. (Girl trip, remember?) Long story short, thanks to Angel, our outfits and accessories for the trip were stylishly sorted. We even managed to carry books to read and my travel journal to enter every event as it happened.
It had been a while since Angel stepped into a sleeper bus and taking off to Mahabaleshwar itself was delightful for her. She dozed off almost immediately after our bus selfie for the boys and woke up to a beautiful sunrise in Panchgani. The rest of the way passed quickly and we reached our hotel. Famished, we had a relaxed and leisurely breakfast. I gave Angel a small tour of the property, we rode on swings and made some fun reels (Do check my Instagram!). Freshly showered and dressed up pretty, I negotiated a day tour with a local cab driver, and off we went to explore the mountains!
Must-know things about Mahabaleshwar
Located on the mountainous Sahyadri range of Western Ghats, Mahabaleshwar was developed as a hill station by the British and served as their summer capital. To date, several points (Malcolm, Kate, Arthur, etc) are named after them. It is also home to some beautiful temples, notable amongst them being the Panchganga and Mahabaleshwar Shiv temples. The Krishna River originates here, making it a revered site. One can observe its tributaries, Koyna, Venna, Gayatri, and Savitri, from elevated mountain levels. Historically crucial Pratapgad Fort and Tableland in Panchgani are other must-visit places nearby. Also, of course, Mahabaleshwar is famous for its lush juicy strawberries!
Places we visited in and around Mahabaleshwar
While most hotels are located in the new city, all the tourist attractions are in and around Old Mahabaleshwar, which is a long ride away. After our mandatory temple visits, we embarked on our journey. By the time we reached, the midday sun was shining brightly over our heads. Some points were a short walk from the parking area, while others were lots more. Maggi, boiled corn, and boiled chana stalls were spread around the area. The morning excitement soon started dissipating as Angel cribbed about being made to walk a zillion steps, and I grumbled about not slathering myself with enough sunscreen. Nevertheless, we braved it all.
How could we leave out anything when we had to create lots of picture memories, after all? We posed alone and together, took selfies and welfies, and captured the beautiful mountains in all their glory. Nostalgia took over at times and I bored Angel fondly with anecdotes from my past visits. Walking alone everywhere as my disgruntled brother followed far behind on Dad’s orders, the cafe where I had strawberry ice cream and vomited nonstop the day after, the place where my lep slipped but A saved me from falling, etc. Reliving old memories while making new ones is fun, isn’t it?
We saved Pratapgad Fort for some other time and headed to Panchgani to see the famous Tableland. Panchgani has many convent boarding schools some of which, like Kimmins High School, are on the main road. Angel was ecstatic to see how huge and well-maintained they were compared to Mumbai schools. The kids looked classy in blazers and seemed to enjoy their weekend out. We made a pit stop at a strawberry garden on the way where she relished a huge glass of Strawberry cream (irony!).
Tableland is huge to explore on foot so we hired horses to get around. This was Angel’s favourite part of the day. She maneuvered her Nawab like a pro while I prayed to all my Gods and requested Ronaldo to be nice! The guide proudly showed us locations where Raja Hindustani, Bol Bachchan, Bajirao Mastani, and many other movies were shot. He proudly bragged that he was one of the soldiers in the enemy’s army. Paragliding would’ve been quite an experience, but we missed it. Mapro Gardens was another fun stop and we shopped for lots of candies there.
After a taxing first day, we decided to spend the next day doing typical touristy things and going for a stroll. A visit to Hanumanji temple, some shopping at the local market, and a heavy lunch later, we spent the afternoon watching television in our room. Venna Lake boating was on the cards, but the crowd there deflated our mood and we went to a nearby park instead. Surprise, surprise though, a dear friend of mine was in Panchgani for a reunion with his childhood buddies and invited us both over. I was worried that we might impose, but he persisted, and it was the best decision.
What was supposed to be a quiet evening turned out to be a memorable one reminiscing our college days. It being the 26th of January, we did some sky gazing for the much-awaited rare planetary alignment. One of his scientist friends showed us the planets visible to the naked eye and pointed out some important constellations to Angel. She egged me on to sing a song and confessed later that we guys are all a cool bunch. Happy happy!
Angel is extremely organised and that proved to be a boon during our Mahabaleshwar trip. Matching all accessories and lip balms with her outfits, A Jr sure calls her fashionista for a reason. While I took care of folding and arranging our clothing she ensured that everything else was promptly put away. She lovingly treated me to teabag wali chai using the electric kettle and snuggled with me at night for warmth. The million dollar smile pasted on her face mattered the most to me. Her cuddles were like a sleeping draught after a long day and instantly sent me to dreamland.
All this fun doesn’t mean that we didn’t miss the boys back home. We were on video calls at least twice a day and kept them updated about our whereabouts. A told us to let our hair down and live every moment, and we did just that. Strange as it may seem, I had no girl gang in college and missed these experiences. With Angel though, I’m getting a chance to correct that. She is ten now and, as I love to say, is blooming into a perfected version of me. If this trip is any indication, we are meant to be BFFs.
Souvenirs, an obligatory box of strawberries, and priceless memories filled our bags and hearts on our way back. Here’s to many more such girl trips in the future!
This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla
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