Getaway To Tudor Retreat - Khapoli

Time to backpack again. During monsoon the entire Sahyadri ranges turns into an eclectic blend of fluorescent green mountains playing hide and seek with freely roaming clouds.Our destination was Tudor retreat farm, located by a lake near Khopoli off Mumbai-Pune Highway.The farm, spread on 10 acres of land, is surrounded on three sides by lush green forests and hills.

Getting out of mumbai is always tiring. We started off early evening & by the time we reached Tudor, it was 7 PM. Navigating to the place was again tough as there were no sign boards and despite of its huge spread,the place was poor lit. As if those were not sufficient - a real shock when I entered our bungalow. Arrangement within the rooms were clumsy and looked no better than any dharmasala.

I am a gourmet.If not the room decor, I had hoped that atleast the dinner would appease my discontentment.But all I had was again disappointment.

A moon walk along the banks of lake may seem enchanting - but strictly not advisable.The wall fencings were damaged and one of our colleague narrowly escaped getting drowned into the lake.

The saga continued till next morning when we found intermittent water supply in the bathroom.

The only area where Tudor could earn some good points was its breathtaking natural assets.The lake looked heavenly.And the surroundings appeared as if the mother nature has meticulously painted it with various shades of green.


The contact details of the resort :

Tudor Retreat
Lake Kalote, Khopoli
Off Mumbai Pune Highway
Contact person: Mrs Khan / Mr Saif
Contact # +91 98 210 26639

Mrs Khan claims she runs this resort not for money.However I would question - can you run a resort so unprofessionally ? I am sure the answer will be a big NO !

Cafe Basilico - Bandra

Another hot summer day in mumbai & it was special day to meet my friend Mathias on lunch. Mathias was on a business trip to India & could manage a trip to the pink city Jaipur before leaving for home. The venue selection was almost perfect 'Cafe Basilico' , bandra - much closer to his hotel & we were about the meet around 12:30. But..but..but as the clock struck 12 , I realized it was an unexpectedly jam packed day. Adding salt to the injury - Airtel network in the city failed due to fire break out.

Wading through all the road troubles when I reached venue at around 14:00 , my shirt was wet with sweat partially due to summer & mostly due the guilt of making him to wait for almost 1:30 Hours. However that quickly changed into surprise when I found rather pleased Mathias inside munching food & both of us soon got engaged in a lively conversation.

Few words on Basilico - place is open for breakfast & the cuisine here is mostly Mediterranean. And yes the menu changes frequently.

Silly me - I left my camera at home but I am sure the Indian candles would always remain as a souvenir of our meet. I am not a bad host afterall :D

Looking forward seeing you Mathias again !

Around Mumbai In 48 Hours: Mahalaksmi Temple

This was infact day 2 of our schedule - we thought of making a short visit to Mahalaksmi temple.By now Eli had already impressed me with his knowhow on Hinduism.The temple ,located at Breach Candy, was constructed way back in 1785 & remains one of the most visited temple.

Mahalakshmi-is the Goddess of wealth as per the Hindu mythology & the main doorway of the temple is richly ornamented.In its courtyard you can always notice hundreds of grey pigeons pecking at grain.However - one word of caution - keep your shoes safe. Thieves are highly active here.

TGIF: Happy Birthday Ravi

It's not a friday , then what are we doing at TGIF? Infact me & Ravi somehow pledged that we would make our meeting an annual event only. Hence TGIF !

And Happy birthday Ravi.Thanks for the wonderful treat.

Around Mumbai in 48 Hours: Cafe Mondegar

We were back in mumbai around 5 PM. No surprise - both of us were damn tired, although Eli had a quick nap. Add to it- we didn't have a proper lunch.For us day had just begun & we had few more places to cover during the day.

A nearby joint or 'perek' all I could think of for some food was Cafe Mondegar.That's few minutes walk again from Gateway of India & located next to Regal cinema.Treat your taste bud with hearty food menu of Indian,chinese & continental - anything you can think of infact - at a much affordable rate. The place is always crowded.You are lucky - if you get a table there. The interiors of the cafe are filled with murals of the famous cartoonist, Mario Miranda.



The place is always buzzing till midnight.Before you leave the place, don't forget to check out Mondy's collectible merchandise.

Around Mumbai In 48 Hours: Elephanta Caves

It was October & festivals of light "Deepawali" was about to hit Indian subcontinent in just few days.Eli's 48 hours time bound trip to Mumbai would have been incomplete without a visit to the Elephanta islands in the Arabian sea.In a way its a great escape from otherwise hot & humid mumbai in october. The cave complex covers an area of about 60,000 square feet & is a collection of shrines, courtyards, inner cells, grand halls & porticos arranged in the splendid symmetry of Indian rock-cut architecture.UNESCO listed it as the World Heritage Site in 1987.

From Gateway of India we took a ferry ride for 1.5 Hours to Elephanta.Pay the ferry guys on board a little bribe (as less as 10 Rs),you can actually go onto the top of ferry & experience cool sea breeze under clear blue sky.Water/food you must carry from Mumbai- else you may have to pay a hefty price for those niceties.

From the location where ferry docks,a serpentine road will lead you to the caves located uphill.You can also opt for toy train.We decided to walk - otherwise capturing the moments on camera was rather tough.10 minutes walk & we were at the gate of Eliphanta caves.

Gateway Of India - Mumbai

Hurrah - another saturday & I am now at Gateway of India . Little history of the place:
The Gateway of India is meant to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Darbar in Delhi in December 1911. The foundation stone was laid on March 31, 1911 and George Wittet's final design sanctioned in August 1914. Between 1915 and 1919 work proceeded on reclamations at Apollo Pier for the land on which the gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The foundations were completed in 1920. The Gateway is built from yellow Kharodi basalt and reinforced concrete. The central dome is 48 feet in diameter and 83 feet above ground at its highest point. The whole harbour front was realigned in order to come in line with a planned esplanade which would sweep down to the centre of the town.

The cost of the construction was Rs. 21 lakhs, borne mainly by the Government of India. For lack of funds, the approach road was never built, and the Gateway now stands at an angle to the road leading up to it.
The construction was completed in 1924, and the Gateway opened on December 4, 1924 by the Viceroy, Earl of Reading.

The last British troops to leave India, the First Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry, passed through the gate in a ceremony on February 28, 1948.

From the front the place is always crowded & you may not be able to take a proper picture of this historic monument. Hence if you walk along a little towards the Taj - you can have some nice snaps infact.