Families,friends,loved one's altogether make up an inseparable part of our lives. The time spent with these is the best of all. Our most fond memories are related to these people only. Last year, I got a chance to be with my maternal family. That is the time I'll cherish most of all. Its remarkable how just a little time with these people seems to be like a year or so,that makes you forget every worry,tension or stress.
My mother's cousins arranged for an get together in Khandala. Khandala is a hill station in the state of Maharashtra which is a preferred tourist destination for its scenic beauty and cool climate. Our arrival was most timely as we were greeted by rains. The Khandala railway station wasn't like other railway stations. For one that it was quite small and not crowded at all!! There was just one office of the rail administration and a few trees and benches..!!
The rains had made the tracks wet and slippery but it all added to the holiday mood! The place we were going to stay was a bank rest house or rather a holiday home. The location of it was extremely beautiful. We had to walk down a little path of stones and mud covered on both sides by small green bushes and the sky was grey and dark and it was continually drizzling... We started walking down the narrow path that seemed like an exit of the forest nearby. After the way continued to give a way to the steep climb and a gravel filled path. It took us all a little effort to try to keep our balance and prevent from falling. Such paths, I feel are made to help gravity have some fun. You know, just to show us its still more powerful than we are, even when we weigh like in kilos..!
So after successfully navigating through this track, on the left a steep slope awaited us,continuing to haunt the imbalanced and clumsy people such as me, of loosing the balance. Never the less,none of us fell or anything. We made it on our 2 legs just fine! The resort was an extremely well kept place. A perfect place ideally suited for a family get together.
As it was almost lunch time, we freshened up and joined everyone at the table for some hot lunch. As the lunch progressed so did the talks and laughter..! Slowly we headed towards the evening, witnessing the rains by sitting inside and having a cup of tea and the warmth of family. Everyone had got busy re-visiting their childhood and frankly it was just fun to hear all re-live those moments again.. Needless to say that the photo sessions had become like the highlight and a common thing of this vacation.
As the evening dawned upon us ,it was time for b'day celebrations. So it was almost like a red-carpet photo shoot,with everyone showing off their own fashion ideas. The traditional cake cutting ceremonies was followed by a sumptuous feast that just lulled everyone into a mushy mood..!! After the feast came a new addition that was games, specially designed by our hosts for the over grown adults..!!
Even after the games and getting a change of clothes, everyone just settled on the stairs for a refreshed session of chatting and laughing..! Finally we went off to bed after with a smile from a day full of enjoyment.
It was one of the best, quietest & fresh morning that anyone can rise to..!! The chirping of birds, smell of the mud from the rains, the chilled and pleasant atmosphere and a hot cup of tea..! What could a city bred girl like me ask for more in the morning..?? what a start to the day...! That day was the departure day as everyone's trains were scheduled to get back to routines. So after a healthy lunch and some more family time later, it was the time to bid adieu.
While walking back to the station and waiting for the train to take me back to where I belonged, I realized that the sense of belonging i felt here was more than anywhere in the world. When I had arrived it was a holiday for me but when I left I had to admit it wasn't just another holiday. It was much more. It was tracing back to the roots that gave me an existence. It was understanding the worth of relations and being thankful for having a family. No matter how crazy and embarrassing and out of hand they get, they are still the people that make you feel home.
It was more than a vacation! It was a revelation and celebration of belonging to the most craziest,funkiest, absurd,weird DNA's in the world. It was about a family coming together....!
My mother's cousins arranged for an get together in Khandala. Khandala is a hill station in the state of Maharashtra which is a preferred tourist destination for its scenic beauty and cool climate. Our arrival was most timely as we were greeted by rains. The Khandala railway station wasn't like other railway stations. For one that it was quite small and not crowded at all!! There was just one office of the rail administration and a few trees and benches..!!
The rains had made the tracks wet and slippery but it all added to the holiday mood! The place we were going to stay was a bank rest house or rather a holiday home. The location of it was extremely beautiful. We had to walk down a little path of stones and mud covered on both sides by small green bushes and the sky was grey and dark and it was continually drizzling... We started walking down the narrow path that seemed like an exit of the forest nearby. After the way continued to give a way to the steep climb and a gravel filled path. It took us all a little effort to try to keep our balance and prevent from falling. Such paths, I feel are made to help gravity have some fun. You know, just to show us its still more powerful than we are, even when we weigh like in kilos..!
So after successfully navigating through this track, on the left a steep slope awaited us,continuing to haunt the imbalanced and clumsy people such as me, of loosing the balance. Never the less,none of us fell or anything. We made it on our 2 legs just fine! The resort was an extremely well kept place. A perfect place ideally suited for a family get together.
As it was almost lunch time, we freshened up and joined everyone at the table for some hot lunch. As the lunch progressed so did the talks and laughter..! Slowly we headed towards the evening, witnessing the rains by sitting inside and having a cup of tea and the warmth of family. Everyone had got busy re-visiting their childhood and frankly it was just fun to hear all re-live those moments again.. Needless to say that the photo sessions had become like the highlight and a common thing of this vacation.
As the evening dawned upon us ,it was time for b'day celebrations. So it was almost like a red-carpet photo shoot,with everyone showing off their own fashion ideas. The traditional cake cutting ceremonies was followed by a sumptuous feast that just lulled everyone into a mushy mood..!! After the feast came a new addition that was games, specially designed by our hosts for the over grown adults..!!
Even after the games and getting a change of clothes, everyone just settled on the stairs for a refreshed session of chatting and laughing..! Finally we went off to bed after with a smile from a day full of enjoyment.
It was one of the best, quietest & fresh morning that anyone can rise to..!! The chirping of birds, smell of the mud from the rains, the chilled and pleasant atmosphere and a hot cup of tea..! What could a city bred girl like me ask for more in the morning..?? what a start to the day...! That day was the departure day as everyone's trains were scheduled to get back to routines. So after a healthy lunch and some more family time later, it was the time to bid adieu.
While walking back to the station and waiting for the train to take me back to where I belonged, I realized that the sense of belonging i felt here was more than anywhere in the world. When I had arrived it was a holiday for me but when I left I had to admit it wasn't just another holiday. It was much more. It was tracing back to the roots that gave me an existence. It was understanding the worth of relations and being thankful for having a family. No matter how crazy and embarrassing and out of hand they get, they are still the people that make you feel home.
It was more than a vacation! It was a revelation and celebration of belonging to the most craziest,funkiest, absurd,weird DNA's in the world. It was about a family coming together....!
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| The surroundings of the station |
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| The wet railway tracks from the drizzles..! |
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| The station |
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| Around the station a view of the mountains..! |
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| The grey skies with the lush greens..! |
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| The steep slope |
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| The view of the station from the resort |
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| The graveled path..! |
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| A small walk to the resort |
