Lavasa Monsoon Weekend Picnic

Another day, another weekend, perfect weather, monsoons and another impromptu plan. This time
Lavasa it was with the entire family.

Family time is the best time only made better with a late Sunday lunch comprising of mom made sabudana wada.
The spicy piping hot balls of sago deep fried and enjoyed with crunchy sweet groundnut chutney - Bliss - especially when its raining and you are just lazing around on a Sunday.

The Mayhem

We Left at around 3pm.

Our plan was simple we wanted to enjoy the beauty of Lavasa and the monsoon magic with tasty rustic country style food. We are very earthy and that's what we wanted to do. So drive to Lavasa with lots of home made rural food was on agenda.

One can also stay at the varied resorts there and have food at the restaurants located there, however I think they are overhyped and over priced and the food is strictly ok. Ekaant is a good choice with an awesome view. (do let me know in comments below if you would like me to do another post on good places to stay in Lavasa and the food available there.)

Lavasa is just 1.5 hours from Pune. The road is very scenic. Do take the road going to pirangut which is better (quality wise).
We took the detour which was very scenic running parallel through the fields, the road however is not in good shape.
Stop for a quick snack at Shreepad at Pirangut. Amazing place for missal, thalipeeth, taak, vada pav and all puneri snacks.

You can also have lunch or grab a quick thali at the kiosks on the ghat towards lavasa, they serve really good country veg fare (Maharashtrian) comprising of Pithla, Bhakri, thecha - yum.
The villagers from the villages below run these kiosks and they are completely rustic in taste and vfm.
Atharva is a good choice - small restaurant kinds.

After a heavy brunch we decided to gorge on yummy sweet corn roasted on chulha and flavoured with lime and masala. Yum again and so healthy. Great snack even at home however it wont taste the same not unless you have a chulha and nature, lovely weather and rains accompanying it.

slurped on tea .

There are many hotels, resorts and activities to do in Lavasa but that is for next time, this time we just enjoyed the rain with the beauty of this small town nestled between the hills.

The weather made us ravenous and we were soon on a look out for a nice place to satiate our tastebuds and our screaming tummies.
muttonawal to our rescue.

Sipping on bowls of rustic country chicken rassa is magic to my soul.
The thalis were really tasty and the food was piping hot especially the chicken thali.
A small place with good clean setting and tasty vfm food,  what else does one need.
After devouring the entire meal we hardly could move.
Yet the heart wanted more a wee bit more. So just for the sake of our heart we decided to do a pitstop at Rajmandir on our way back home.

Ice cream in rain melody to our heart and soul and a perfect ending to our awesome day out.
We had an awesome time, check the snippets here.

As you can see the dam is hardly full, its scary, it really should rain..

lost admiring the nature

under my umbrella

cant keep my hands of this cutey

I feel like a super woman amidst nature. So much beauty all for me (for us )

They say Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground- I got both of them right here, right now and I am holding on to them.

Outfit Details

I kept it simple warm and hassle free.

Leggings - Forever 21

Top - D C Comics

Bangles - Here and there

Flip flops - Bata (anti skid )

A light cardigan - Thailand

Hope you enjoyed...

Let me know some lovely monsoon getaways to visit if you know some nice ones.

until we meet again.

Stay happy and cheerful!!

Lots of love

xoxo

Bhakti

Bike ride to Mahabaleshwar

I love to travel is a known fact. I am a wanderer I feel. The best way to make me happy is to take me out for a trip, however small or big. That's exactly what hubby dear did, he told me to get ready early morning last Sunday, packed few things and announced that we are going for a small trip and that too on the bike.

How I was happy and excited, extremely curious though. I am one of those type of people who can't take in curiosity for a long time. Curiosity kills the cat symptoms and I started randomly guessing names for our destination which were close enough for a bike ride. 

To my extreme surprise I realized that we weren't going to any of those destinations but embarked our journey which was headed towards Mahabaleshwar. Mahabaleshwar is our favorite neighboring hill station. We have to have at least a couple of trips to Mahabaleshwar within a year. 

This was our first bike trip to Mahabaleshwar and I was really excited. 

We had a fabulous time and this was an awesome surprise, which I totally loved.
Days like this and moments they get along just make life so beautiful and spontaneous. 

Check out our trip in the snaps below with what we exactly did and how are trip turned out to be -

All prepared

First Pit stop

Breakfast

Misal and vada pav = best breakfast

Highway

Next stop

I love to be on the road

Reached Panchgani

1st stop

Chilled ice creams on a hot summer day is bliss.

Finally - Mahabaleshwar

Strolling in the market, buying Mahabaleshwar goodies.

Roaming around

Nothing can beat the local Nimbu soda at scenic points.

Posing for you all comfortable in my casual attire.

If this is where I relaxed everyday -- dreams

I just love Nature

Foodies Heaven - lunch

Dessert is not far behind

good bye snack

Returning back after a wonderful day. 

Some tips and facts by Hubby Dear :

Pune to Mahabaleshwar is 120 kms.

One can go there for a day trip and return comfortably by evening.

Plenty of accommodations for an over night stay available.

for your bike trip

Make sure your bike is in perfect condition, before embarking on the journey.

Travel Light.

Do carry your sun gear, cap, scarf, a jacket for the windy evening.

Do carry a bottle of water, candy, a napkin.

Make regular stops and keep yourself hydrated as well as stretch your legs and back a bit.

Stop at places which are frequented and crowded.

Do try and leave early morning from Pune and leave from Mahabaleshwar before dark.

Cross the Pasarni ghat in sunlight.

Do not travel on the bike after sunset.

One can enjoy Mahabaleshwar for its climate, nature, beauty, different points, markets, food (a complete post on the same here)

An awesome trip and some more memories to treasure.

xoxo

Bhakti

Adlabs Imagica - Magical or Miragical

Today Adlabs Imagica doesn't need an introduction due to its fame and name (good or bad). Still, I would like to introduce Adlabs Imagica an international standard Theme park located amidst the Mubai - Pune express way at Khopoli. Owned and operated by Adlabs Entertainment Limited - AEL.

Its a beautifully designed Theme park on the module of international ones, divided in different zones, each zone having its star attraction ride. The castles, the surrounding, restaurants serving you different cuisines according to the zones, beautiful landscaping.

The star attractions being (not to be missed, in the same order)
Rajasaurus ride
Nitro roller coaster
scream machine
deep space
Gold rush express
Bump it Boats
Dare Drop
Alibaba aur challis chor
Salimgarh
Wrath of the Gods.
 You can avail more information about these rides over here

The food though slightly on the higher side is yummy, I especially look forward to visiting Red Bonnet Diner
True diner experience, the food is awesome and the portions huge, the smileys, the chicken burger,, oh to die for.. they complete the whole theme park experience.

Its a perfect picnic one can have for an entire day, at the price of Rs 1500 pp, (weekday)for entrance only(all rides included). One takes an entire day to finish all rides and explore this place.

Do visit their attractive Website to know more.

They claim and pride themselves with being -India's First and Only International Standard Theme Park, Where Stories Come Alive! Come Experience it! (that's what their tagline is)

Have they proved it?
Is it real magic or is it a mirage a trick ?
Does beautiful architecture, really good rides and well designed theme park suffice the criteria of being on International standards ? Do these things really complete the experience?
My answer is a big NO.
According to me service, relationship with your guests and giving them a beautiful experience, is what makes it magical. I think Imagica fails miserably on service. It is so not consistent. After being a regular visitor, thinking of things to be one off, I have come up with this review, and refuse to visit Imagica again.
Mistake happens once not every time , a mistake repeated becomes a habit. I guess Imagica is habituated with bad service and customer relationship.
After visiting Imagica thrice, I still have not been successful in trying the Rajasaurus ride which is the main attraction. The last two times we had called specifically to ask whether it was working that day, with an assurance of it being in perfect condition but to our disappointment on all 3 occasions it was shut. A big disappointment. Every time at least one or the other main rides I have mentioned was not in working condition. This last time, (yesterday) us group of friends hired the Imagica chauffer driven ac car, so that we could lazily bask in the entire day without any worries. Again to our big disappointment, this was our biggest mistake. Two Taveras arrive, the cars were far from being ac. They dint have window handles, the door couldn't be opened from inside, the driver was really rash, there was no diesel in the car. The driver didn't have any money and we had to pay for the toll. The car broke down and we had to push it. All this with females in the car. When we escalated the matter and got this to the notice of the concerned people at Imagica, we did not receive the assistance required. We had called the cabs at 10 am and entered Imagica at 2 pm from Pune. The officer in charge refused bluntly to escalate the matter to his superiors. To top it all, the vendor called us way past night and started arguing with us that why had we complained to Imagica and Imagica had notified him that we had lodged a complaint against him. We were promised that a so and so senior official will be calling us, indeed, you guessed it right, the promise was never fulfilled. The wait is still not over and we haven't received any call. I doubt whether this officer was really informed also.Adlabs being such a big brand, such a big name, is this the service one should expect. I don't think they need to be taught in customer relationship, then why this lapse, isn't this sheer negligence ?
My questions remain or should I say they are answered already..
International standards... are these now ?
Magic, is it really ?

Am I going there again.... That I think requires real magic now.. huh

A sad management of a property that can be really very huge and magical.

A mis management of valuable resources, I hope the higher authorities are listening.

A failure of a Potential Indian Universal or Disney world.

Adlabs- a brand, a name with fame, does it match the service being offered ?

xoxo
Bhakti


 

Adrenaline Unlimited @ Della Adventure

Again I am back in my lazy mood, thanks to which I have this huge backlog of pending posts. I apologize to all you guys for my laziness (sheepish grin ). Well you see its the holiday time of the year. For most of the people in India The holiday season starts at the beginning of Diwali and goes on till the new year. Well its more or less in breaks ;p
So I thought why not start by sharing my first short trip of this holiday season.
By now all you guys know, how I love the outdoors and adventure, the countryside and not to forget the adrenaline. So my first trip was a mix of everything.
Our weekend at Della adventure with friends was all that was required to kick start our holiday.
Della Adventure is India's largest adventure park. Situated in the cool hill station of Lonavla amidst mountains and valleys. Its an instant rejuvenation. Having extreme sports, cozy resort, relaxing spa, beautiful surroundings, walks with loving dogs, milking jersey cows, or just curling up with a book, its an one stop destination. For my complete review of Della click here. It satiated my craving to do something over the edge and different than my everyday routine as well as rejuvenated me all together. What a start this was.... And this is what I wore ..

 

 

 

My style

 

Shirt Tunic- Splash

Denims- Levis

Shoes - Converse

Bag - Westside

pendant- Lifestyle

 

 

xoxo

Bhakti