Monday 29 April 2019

LAVASA


LAVASA:A TOUR JOURNAL

"Time is barely on our side
I don't wanna miss a part of the ride
From the nature laps to the highways
From the breaking dawn to the sun rays
And on and on we'll go
From the high above to the low...."

As I typed in my notepad,I found myself wandering off to the beauty of the morning bloom of petunias that hung in a cute manner from the balcony of our holiday suite in Lavasa.The blossom was glistening with dew drops and a distant low humming of a melodious bird soothed my ears.My four year old brother Teddy woke up with a small yawn and flashed me his baby grin.With a jovial mood ,I picked him up from his bed ,freshened up us both and met my parents in the adjacent room almost ready for the day's event.



Lavasa is a smartly planned city in the hills in Pune,India.A small youtube video had convinced my family to plan a luxurious holiday week in Lavasa. And with the jingling of golden bells we went to celebrate Merry Christmas mixed with the pleasant chill of winter in the heart of Lavasa. 





The sweet memories till date ring bells in my mind whenever it lingers or catches a glimpse of the photographs taken during that breathtaking tour.I still remember the very reaction when we arrived at the place ,exhausted ànd longing for refreshments.I was literally awestruck as I stepped foot on the avenue of the smart city.The beauty of the place overwhelmed me to such an extent that I had dropped my travel bag on my brother's feet who happened to be the first person to come out of the cab after me.The sudden impact caused him to cry out loud but sure enough the next moment there was no more noise from him.His loud cry broke me from my trance and I glanced back only to find him taking in the beauty of the city with a wide gaping mouth. 



Soon we were welcomed by the Lavasa International Hotel and one of the attendants showed us to a beautifully decorated cozy cottage and into our holiday suite.The evening was spent stargazing and relaxing while the night with a hearteous dinner accompanied by some circa chirrups and the moonlit night view of the city.The events of next morning were so extraordinary that it would surely make the tour even more intriguing to the readers.Nothing out of the skin but something that would make you stop in your tracks for a while and complete reading my adventures first.It was a pleasant morning as I’ve described in the initial stage of the story.We started strolling over to the breakfast buffet at a snail’s pace, with the breeze kissing my hair and recharged ourselves. We spent the next few hours by local sightseeing on the Lavasa Express.The watersports in the crystal clear lake,the golf court,the children's park,the exquisite marketplace and above all the facility of horseback riding amused us a lot. Next we opted for horseback riding which in a literal way proved to be an adventure for us.




The four of us were strapped onto four horses namely Furious,Gentleman,Josephine and Greynight ,and Furious happened to be the youngest and most excited of all.The line began with Teddy followed by me and my parents. The horses started galloping towards the observation decks as we felt ourselves entering into a new fantasy world.It was like a game of shadow and light where one side of the road was not only shaded by the alpine meadows and fallen leaves but also the opposite was enriched with the glorious view of the modern city.We soon reached the observation deck to get a clearer picture of replica of the Italian city of Portofino and enjoyed the next few minutes taking family photographs,selfies and lots more.Hopping onto our horses we then rode off to the rose garden and butterfly park.While riding past the floral gardens,an indigenous dragonfly flew out of nowhere and both Teddy as well as his horse seemed to be really attracted to it.Furious got excited and Hopped here and there in an in vain attempt to catch the tiny insect. We made joke of the scene and laughed out loud. But what happened next was totally unexpected. Furious started chasing
the dragonfly and rode off along with Teddy strapped on his back giggling away to an unknown land.My dad being a pro at horse riding immediately followed him but came back fifteen minutes later after a futile search, almost in tears.



We were new to the place and had no idea where that road led to.Unable to do anything else we rode back and informed the authorities about the misfortune.They immediately sent a search group and promised to contact us as soon as they spot him.I plumped upon a nearby bench as I helplessly looked at my parents trying to console each other.An hour of agony had passed yet there was no news of hope.My eyes darted off to nothingness in the distance when I caught sight of a bicycle.I may be a bit afraid of horses but I was an expert in riding bicycles.My parents too immersed in worrying about Teddy did not notice my motion as I hastily slipped off from the area,took one of the bicycles on rent and rode off.I made sure I had my phone in my pocket with the GPS on,just in case.Wearing my helmet I rode off,my vision darting to every nook and corner in the hope of seeing Teddy.Thirty minutes into the ride and I was panting and out of breath unable to cope up with the high slope as compared to the plains in my home city. I parked the bicycle and was gulping down the contents of my bottle,when a faint sound of crying entered my ears.I did not waste a second as I creeped silently towards the cry,away from the fine road and into the jungle like path.The cry becoming louder every minute,I reached a place full of thorns and climbers and way into the mess on the forest ground was lying Furious along with Teddy still strapped on his back,desperately crying for help and struggling to get release.



Immediately I shouted out his name and instructed to lie still til I came to his rescue.I carefully climbed over the vines and thorny bushes,his cries slowly turning into hiccups.I first unstrapped him from the horse back,called my parents to give them the good news and then the authorities to rescue their horse who had tumbled over a vine and was badly hurt by the thorns,unable to get up.By this time I found Teddy clinging to me,his arms wrapped tightly around my waist,telling that he had got frightened and had thought that he was lost forever in his babyish words.I hugged him back with all my love and affection and got out of the trees into the sunshine,made him drink whatever little was left in my bottle and began my journey back,exhaling a great sigh of relief.I made him sit on the rented bicycle and strolled downslope along with him.Halfway down the slope I found my parents standing there waiting for us,ready to engulf us again in their love and protection.To see the blissful pleasure on my mother's face after two hours of agony felt like an extraordinary achievement to me.All four of us engaged in a family hug and meanwhile in the emotional reunion of our family,the bicycle slowly started moving downslope and Teddy was fast enough to stop it again.This brought back the smile to our faces again.



The rest of the day was uneventful. We had lunch at the multi-cuisine restaurant and went for boating in the lake under the sun of the wintry afternoon,clicked pictures with the amazing landscape in background and enjoyed hot chocolate onshore.The evening was a unique splendour. With Santa,his huge red bag overflowing with gifts and chocolates was a sight to behold.The city lit up with Christmas trees,lights and shops selling small santas and trees as I snapped a cute pic of Santa handing Teddy an enormous present,the huge grin on his face an indicator of the happy ending of the Christmas eve.




*All characters fictional.
*This is not based upon a true story.







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LAVASA

LAVASA:A TOUR JOURNAL "Time is barely on our side I don't wanna miss a part of the ride From the nature laps to the highways...