Honda Activa Expedition II
Destination – Mahabaleshwar
En route – Wai, Panchgani
Length: 120 km
Max Altitude: 4500 ft above MSL
Time: 3 hrs 15 (including stops for snacks)

The travellers…

Krishna River Valler seen from Parsi Point, Panchgani

Mapro Gardens, do not forget to try out the strawberry milkshake or strawberry icecream with fresh cream and strawberries, and the grilled sandwich here: First reason for visiting Panchgani!

You can sample tens of fruit juices, crushes and milkshakes here along with jelly chocolates, and then buy them at 10% discount

Fresh vegetables, straight off the farms…

Fresh strawberries… Second reason for visiting Panchgani!

Grrrr!

A typical strawberry farm  in Panchgani

Paragliding… soaring 1000 ft above ground, and 3000 ft above sea level. Third reason for visiting Panchgani!

This is the same temple where many scenes of Swades were shot. It’s an old village named Manavli, 3 km from Wai.

The travellers…

aditto: Finally at diveagar. Its night. After 160km on activa my ass is paining. Bt just had lovely homely dinner :) tomo morning hit the sea :) 8:57 PM Jan 23rd

The route: Pune to Diveagar
Length: 170 km
Altitude: 2200 ft – MSL
Time: 5 hrs 30 (including stops for tea and lunch)

Hills, valleys, forests, broken roads, flat roads, highways, rural roads…

The Champion – Honda Activa

aditto: Back from the beach after almost 2 hours of bathing and sun and sand :) now hungry. Really hungry. #diveagar 12:50 PM Jan 24th

aditto: In the morning we had awesome homely breakfast of omelet and poha with tea #diveagar 12:51 PM Jan 24th

At Diveagar – Coconut and Arecanut trees

Sunrise at Diveagar

aditto: For lunch @nimmo wants to try some local fish preparation. Will take bath and set out to hunt for it. Lovely weekend destination. Not yet commercialised. #diveagar 12:52 PM Jan 24th

aditto: Me and @nimmo are in #diveagar a lovely beach on the konkan coast 160km from pune. Lovely weekend destination. Not yet commercialised. Rural 12:54 PM Jan 24th

aditto: For lunch @nimmo wants to try some local fish preparation. Will take bath and set out to hunt for it. #diveagar 12:52 PM Jan 24th

An outstanding shot… now taken at so many beaches around the world :P

aditto: Me and @nimmo are in #diveagar a lovely beach on the konkan coast 160km from pune. Lovely weekend destination. Not yet commercialised. Rural 12:54 PM Jan 24th

aditto: #diveagar has a lovely rural feel to it. The houses and/or parchments are in mud. Bullock carts and mud houses. Awesome 12:56 PM Jan 24th

aditto: For dinner at #diveagar ordered fish 8:17 PM Jan 24th

aditto: Second and last night in #diveagar tomo morning will go the beach one last time for photos 8:58 PM Jan 24th

Lonely planet, eh? 

aditto: The rural beach experience at #diveagar is much like mandarmoni in bengal but much much superior. The village is excellent and so so clean 9:00 PM Jan 24th

aditto: At #diveagar @nimmo Had surmai {what is it in english? Anyone?} fish and solkadi for dinner and loved it. They use a lot of coconut 9:01 PM Jan 24th

aditto: People are so surprised to know that we came to #diveagar from pune on an Activa! They are like ‘really?’ and im like ‘ofcourse’ :) 9:10 PM Jan 24th

aditto: People here look at my Activa’s MH-12 number in disbelief! We covered 155km in 4:15 hours <excluding stops for lunch/tea> pune to #diveagar 9:12 PM Jan 24th

Three (hundred) years old temple… Diveagar, Shrivardhan and Harihareshwar, like most Konkan villages are religious towns, filled with temples.

aditto: #diveagar has the Suvarna Ganpati temple which has Ganesh idol in pure gold. Very small and simple temple. I like. 9:27 PM Jan 24th

aditto: Started back for pune from #diveagar currently stopped for tea at mangaon. Had fresh strawberries @ Rs 25/250gm 11:16 AM Jan 25th

aditto: Reached pune in 5.30 hours :) now having lunch at a restaurant at chandni chowk. Hungry! Enjoyed #diveagar! Pics tonight if im awake :) 3:10 PM Jan 25th

aditto: If you happen to travel to #Diveagar do stay at Roshan Adulkar’s homestay… they serve the best homemade food… and rooms/bath very clean 8:41 PM Jan 25th

Sunset at Diveagar…

While leaving the home we stayed in, the land lady came and gave us a small memorabilia of the Suvarna Ganpati (Golden Ganpati)… that was very sweet of her. To stay at her place, call Roshan Adulkar @ (+91) 92724-57475.

Stree: Bass bass, yahin pe rok de
RFB: Gatcha!
Stree: Do I need to sign the roster?!!??

Sometime before that:

Rickshaw: Raja, raja, raja… %#@%@ @^#%$%#@ @# #@%#2
Stree: Appu Raja!
RFB: Really? Man, you have awesome memory!
Stree: \m/
RFB: Does it sound like that? I think it is some marathi song
Stree: The words are not the same I think, but it is Appu Raja
RFB: The music sounds different too!
Stree: Yeh, but it is Appu Raja! It is just like that!

Sometime before that…

Mgupta4: Are you leaving?
RFB: Ye ye!
Stree: Ok guys, I am leaving too. Marathe, lets go!
RFB: I got my phatphati.
Stree: You mean, Ducati??
RFB: Yeh, a 100cc Ducati!! Do you want a lift?
A’jee-K’wale: It is called a ‘ride’, not a ‘lift’!
RFB: Like, ‘pillion’?
A’jee-K’wale: \m/
RFB: Gatcha!
RFB: Lets go Stree!

Sometime before that…

RFB: Stree, Stree… Hey Stree…
Stree smiles across the glass divider
RFB: How about this: “Stree, Stree, Nice Stree”
Stree: What?
RFB: Have you watched the movie ‘UP’? In that there is this little boy who goes around the old man’s house searching for a snipe, calling out – ‘Snipe Snipe, nice Snipe, Come out Snipe… Clap Clap Clap!’
Stree: Yeh!
RFB: So how about: “Stree Stree, Nice Stree, Clap Clap Clap!”
Stree: I will give your supari!

Question: Who had the last laugh?