Still Travelling

I always wanted to live in a small town, and if you call #panchgani a small town here I am. Sadly, although I have set up temporary home around the world, I always pack the wrong things. . So I landed here in Panchgani, on a humid, rainy, misty cold  day and commenced setting up 'home' . Before long, I realized how ill equipped I was. Clothes that would have sufficed in Mumbai are not much use out here. Its been four day and the washed clothes have not dried yet. I am roaming in wet socks and moist clothing. I quickly drew up a list of clothes, toiletries, groceries that I needed. Much like the city bloke I am, I sat down an entered my requirements on the various Apps that claim next day delivery at half the price. I came to Panchgani not only to enjoy the weather/water but also try and do something for the town that has given us so many memories. I then decided to walk down the one road town and purchase the items on the list locally rather than the online stuff. Surprisingly ...

 In the solitude of the #hillsofpanchgani, sipping my cup of steaming hot coffee, I wondered whether i should venture out for my evening walk. I had not done my customary 8km stroll for a couple of days and imagined the waistline inflating with each passing hour.  The weather reflected the mood of an #englishman after the last #testmatch, dull and gloomy.    However, jumping on the roof, bouncing and swinging through the trees, a troop of #rehsus #monkeys paid me a visit. The seemed so free, eating the leaves of the trees without a care about the elements.  As i tried to obtain a photograph of them, i wondered if they were #caged in, or was i or is the only good #cage an empty one.                                                                       ...

 Strange I talk about #mongoose today. With intermittent rain, and #panchgani blanketed in clouds, they cats and #dogsofpanchgani seem to be curled up in a dry space if they can find one. Here is a #mongoose freely roaming the gardens of #mountview looking for something to eat.  That leads me to the questions. What does a #mongoose eat between meals - sneks (snakes).   

The Past do bring regrets and the future is so uncertain, So rather than dwell on both these aspects, I enjoy the moment and share these beautiful #morning here in #panchgani. Crispy, quite and still morning with low clouds rolling like waves to the beach                                           #moutnview #panchganihotels

  It has been nearly 3 weeks since my last post. It should have been a free running blog with a post every few days, but a muscle spasm to my back laid be low for a week in Mid December. Due to this unfortunate turn of event, we had to cancel our sailing trip down the west coast of India, 24 hours prior to planned departure. A big disappointment? – Yes, but these are adversities of excess and sometimes an opportunity in disguise. The back spasm partly cured, and I hopped on to my car and drove to Pune to spend a most wonderful Xmas with Terence by brother. On the seat besides me on my trip to Pune, was a friend of ours, who is trying to build skyscrapers (and spoil) Bandra from the ruins of old ancestorial properties.   A week in Pune was followed by a trip back to Mumbai so that I could drive to Karjat to spend a New year with my dear childhood friends. In this every growing materialistic world of false secularism, messiahs, leaders   and social media that thinks for...