Exploring the unknown in the very Known!

by Hema Panjabi (India)

I didn't expect to find India

"WHEN I WAS SURROUNDED BY UNKNOWN IN THE KNOWN" We all are looking to get surronded by unknown, surronded by extreme beauty of nature, surronded by something that could rapid up our heart beats, surronded by eternal peace. My one such recent exploration made my mind, senses and soul surrounded by unknown in a very Known place- "Mahabaleshwar". It was Month of December 2019, the month of Cold winds and Early sun-sets. I explored a very known place that is full of richness in beauty, called "Mahabaleshwar". A Hill-Station thats located in the western Ghats, satara district of Maharashtra State, India. Mahabaleshwar is one such place, where Your souls gets silent and hears what was not told to You before. You could actually feel the thunder in your senses with the beauty of breath taking hills, scenic rivers and never ending ghats. I allowed to loose my senses and dip into the eternal beauty of Mahabaleshwar during my 3 nights and 4 day stay there. The Road journey from Mumbai to reach the dream location takes just about 5-6 hours. Though the best time to visit this place is December to February, but one local shop owner gave me the true insight about this- He revealed that, Whoever visits Mahabaleshwar once is bound to visit again and because of such love for this place, the Hill station sees endless visitors whole year. DAY ONE : I reached the Riverside Resort hotel and relaxed and had a cup of Ginger mint Tea and went to explore local market to buy some of the best handcrafted items and rich strawberries and did some amazing conversations with local people who work even during the extreme cold climates. Then after having dinner, I sat in the balcony and lived moments looking at the dark sky and twinkling stars. DAY TWO: I wokeup and Got ready in My attractive red pants and white t-shirt and after a good breakfast, I starting climbing the historical Pratapgarh fort thats located 21kms from Mahabaleshwar. The fort is at 3543 feet from sea level and was built in 1656 by Great Maharata king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. After reaching the top of the fort, You are sure to go crazy with absolute maddening beauty of Hills and valleys. The atmosphere at the top will make You forget even Your own existence. After coming back in the evening, the beautiful sun-set on the way to hotel made me feel like I was in real Heaven! DAY THREE: I was on my way to more explorations and was already in the state of bliss. After a very tasty local brunch, I began moving towards the Beautiful Lingmala Waterfalls. But let me tell know, the way to reach this beauty will make you walk and climb hundreds of stairs, but the pain in the end is worth it and is guaranteed to give You a view and an thrilling experience that You always wanted in this life. I started coming back, and had a lemony corn toast and hot cup of tea and started my small walk towards near by Venna River. I explored more beauty in local boat and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the sight of sun-set that day. while sitting in the boat, I waited till the sky became dark and meanwhile I was only surrounded by peaceful soft winds and purity of the immeasurable divine calmess. DAY FOUR: My heart was very heavy and was not ready to leave this heaven, but somehow I convinced my mind and whispered inside these few words------- "Darling Lets Start Journey Back To Home, So That You CAN EXPLORE ANOTHER UNKNOWN !!!" THANKS FOR READING.