My first sojourn in Lonavala in Feb 2023

This was my first sojourn. I chose Lonavala as it was just a 2 hour drive and is known to be a beautiful and safe place for traveling alone. I was both thrilled and anxious about the decision to drive by myself. Thrilled because I had never done it before and anxious because of the uncertainties related to road trips. Driving alone is a great experience though. It teaches you to plan your travel, be attentive to the routes, be aware about the condition of your vehicle, the stops you should be taking, places where you should and should not be stopping and many many other things. Road trips are fun and this was going to be my first solo road trip.

I started at about 9:30 in the morning and reached Lonavala in about two hours. Before checking in at the hotel, I decided to have lunch at one of my favorite places in Lonavala, the Anglo Indian cafe. The meal was amazing as always. I had a booking at Meritas Countryside resort for two nights and three days. I reached by noon and didn’t wander much. Stayed indoors and did a lot of drawing and reading. On the second day, I decided to roam around a bit. Google map promptly gave me the places I could visit nearby. Archeological sites interest me and so I decided to go to Bhaje caves which was at a distance of about 21 kms from the resort. Bhaje caves is a group of 22 rock cut caves dating back to the 2nd century BC. It’s a beautiful and serene place. Sitting inside the caves and watching Lonavala cityscape is a meditative experience. It was a short and easy trek. After spending some time at the caves and talking to the natives, I realized that Lohagad, a hill fort of Maharashtra, was not very far from there. The localities said that it was just 3 kms drive from there. I had time and decided to explore, little knowing that the next hour was going to be an adventure. I will never forget this drive from Bhaje caves to Lohagad fort. It was the first time that I ever motored on a ghat. The ghat road was full of sharp and steep turns. On one occasion while maneuvering the vehicle and changing gears my vehicle just stopped in the middle of the ghat road. I was new to uphill driving and made a mistake of putting a higher gear. The vehicle started moving downhill. It was a real test of my driving skills. Honestly I was really scared. Mustering all the courage, I released the clutch and pushed the accelerator hard. Making a roaring noise, my car finally lunged forward. I had managed the situation somehow. Heaving a sigh of relief, and promising myself of not making the mistake again I managed to reach the fort foothill. The Lohagad trek was about half an hour. There are about 300 stone steps. The climb was fun and the view from the fort was mesmerizing. After spending some time atop, I returned to the foothill once again. I was a little worried about driving down the ghat. But it turned out to be easier than I had expected. Also I too was a little more experienced driver now… I stayed at Lonavala for one more day before I drove back home.

All in all, this brief hiatus was an amazing experience. I spent a lot of time reading, writing and drawing. I enjoyed my company immensely. This has been a great beginning for my solo trips.