Trip to Karla

It was hot throughout the day as the sun was relentlessly breathing fire. To beat the heat we decided to visit Lonavala a small sleepy hill station along the Mumbai-Pune Express Highway. We packed our bags the night before, I had brought some things for the road. Me and Sid, my younger brother, were so eager for the trip that we couldn’t sleep the entire night out of sheer excitement. I had set the alarm a half early. We woke up with the morning sun and got ready in no time. Mom had prepared poha for breakfast. We gorged on to the poha and left the house at seven and started our journey.

The roads were sans the usual bustle of a Monday morning as it was a holiday. Dad revved up the speed and we zoomed into the express highway. Sid played the DJ for the day, playing songs on the music player of the car. We hummed, swayed along the music. Our car glided swiftly over the

roads. We took the new Mumbai-Pune Express Highway. It is one of the amazing roads in Maharashtra. As we entered Lonavala temperatures dropped a few degrees, a cool breeze entered the car as I lowered my window pane. We had decided to stay in MTDC Karla, a government-owned resort. Maharashtra tourism does a great job of providing great facilities at affordable prices. The resort is spread across many acres and is well crafted. It has a water park and a spa for the tourists.

After a quick snack for breakfast, we headed towards the Water Park. It was filled with people beating the heat and enjoying the splash of water. The slides with their rapidity, sharp turns and drops created all the excitement the water park is famous for. The yellow, the green and the red; a troika of three slides were quick but the quickest of them was floor higher the wavy dark yellow slide. It was the quickest and fiercest of the lot. I climbed the stairs and stepped on to the slide. I sat on the slide, spreading myself supine. The water pushed me forward and in no time I was controlled by the slide going up and down along its wavy curves. I pierced through the water like a bullet thanks to the momentum created while coming down.

We chilled along the sidelines of the wave pool, feeling the breeze coupled with the blazing heat of the sun. It was two when we got out of the water park and I was starving. We quickly entered the restaurant and had our lunch. It was one of the most delicious lunches I ever had. The food ensured that we had an amazing afternoon siesta. In the evening we strolled across the resort and went near the jetty built on the banks of Indrayani river. The setting sun filled the sky with a golden orange hue, its reflection gave the water a fiery orange tinge. There was a peaceful silence around the resort with rare coo of the flying bird. The evening was pleasant a much-needed relief from the scorching sun.

The following day was packed with sightseeing. We visited the Temple of Goddess Ekvira. It is situated near the Karla caves. Many a step leads to the temple. Walking with their heads covered, dripping wet with sweat and tired by the long walk. Yet the devotees kept pushing forward undeterred. The main sanctum of the temple had a peaceful vibe. We bowed down and offered our prayer to the almighty. After seeking the blessings we visited the Stupa near the temple. It has a humongous entrance carved out of the stone. The pillars have been supporting the ancient structure since ages. We had been walking barefoot all this while and the path down the hill had become as fiery as the burning cinders. We quickly paced ourselves down the stairs to wear our sandals.

We got down quickly and without wasting a single minute headed towards for the lunch. The food at Kumar Resort was sumptuous though the service was a bit confused and slow paced. The glass of chaas summed up the lunch with its everlasting coolness. The sun felt more bearable as we started our journey back home. A couple of day’s in the hills helped us connect with nature. We came home with a promise to travel to such hamlets more often and with a bagful of memories.