Heading up to the Hill Station

 

During the rainy monsoon season, a lot of the locals head up to the hill stations. On Sunday (7/10) I had the opportunity to get out of Mumbai with Martin and his guys and visit the hill station known as Lonavala Khandala. It is located to the East between Mumbai and Pune.

I was really surprised on the drive as it reminded me of driving up to Tahoe. Lots of greenery, mountains, waterfalls, etc. I can't believe there was anything like this in India, especially after seeing all the trash, crowds, rubble, etc. of the cities. There were tons of waterfalls everywhere. What a refreshing sight!

 

 

I didn't know really what to expect, except that we were going to do a little hiking and to bring a swimsuit. I opted for my Mountain Hardware zip-off pants, quick-dry shirt, Gore-tex hiking shoes, and some flip flips in my daypack. I was very happy that I brought my flip-flops cause it turned out we would be wading through tons of water!!

  

With my pant legs zipped off and now wearing my flip-flops, I was able to manuever through... 

 

...the people-infested...

 

...and cow-infested water... 

...just in time to see a zillion people frolicking in the water! Crazy!

There were tons of people just sitting on the steps, letting the overflow water from the Bushi Dam fall over them. Is this really how people spend the the monsoon season? I have never seen such a sight before. Check it out!

  

Here's a shot from the top of the dam, overlooking all the people below.

We hiked around a little bit, looking at the many waterfalls off in the distance. The guys kept checking on me...wondering if I was okay...then realized that I was in front of them! They didn't expect me to have any 'trekking' experience. lol  It was funny to see cows hanging out amongst all the people.

 

 

I heard that there were not this many people here in the past...that the area has become more crowded over the years. Now there are people selling corn everywhere and make-shift shelters for the monsoon rain. It was strange to see families decked out in full sari and clothing, letting the rain drench them from head to toe. Everyone would cheer when the rain would come down hard. Pretty funny.

Here we are huddled underneath a shelter, waiting for the rain to subside. 

I didn't play in the water like everyone else, but I did still have a good time people-watching. It reminded me of how much enjoyment you can have just jumping in a puddle or splashing around. Such innocent fun. :-)