Alibaug once more

Ever since our  last trip to SSS in Alibaug, the kids have been asking to go back there again. So this time during Ganpati vacation we decided to go back for three days and experience what the place feels like in the monsoons. 

On day 1 we walked to a waterfall close by and spent some time playing in it. Later in the evening we went for a long walk through the village to a Ganpati temple. A lot of time was spent relaxing and playing (cards, badminton, carrom, swings etc). Dinner was in a beautiful lantern-lit location that SSS arranged for us.

Early morning on our second day, we went up the Kankeshwar hill to the temple on top. A lovely surprise awaited us - the Brahma Kund - which was brimming with crystal blue water from the rains. The kund is apparently around 25-30 feet deep and diving into it was most enjoyable! We had no spare clothes, yet the water was too tempting to resist. That evening, we did another short hike up to the hill close to SSS, back to the beautiful secluded lake where we had enjoyed swimming back in January. This time of the year, the lake was much more full and the water was warm and inviting. All of us swam in it till past sunset with only cows and buffaloes to accompany us. 

We had half of day 3 which we spent at SSS playing badminton and practicing Tarzan-swings off the Banyan tree (before Kabir had a bad fall and hurt his knee and elbow...nothing serious fortunately!)

Cashew- Anurag's favourite dog at SSS was no longer around but we befriended Piku and Chiku and spent a lot of time playing with them. The kids have asked to go back to SSS next year for their birthdays and we have identified a few treks close by that we want to try, so hopefully next time won't be too far.

Family outing to Alibaug

January was a crazy month. Its always rough to get into the new year after a fabulous end-of-year vacation. Moreover, I have my annual PhD progress seminar at the end of January and no matter how well I try to plan, the last few weeks are always insane. This time it was even harder because Kabir fell sick. He suffered from a severe asthmatic attack - first time ever. It was very upsetting for us. We are unsure what allergen caused it and are hoping against hope that it was a one-off event. 

To celebrate the end of a difficult month, we all (along with dada-dadi and nana-nani) escaped to Alibaug for a two day vacation. It was the perfect holiday. Our stay at SSS was what made it extra-special. We enjoyed the property, explored its secret pathways, spent hours on the swings on the Banyan trees and played with Cashew, Blackie and the little puppies and cats. We played carrom and scrabble slam and spent hours chatting with one another around the lunch/dinner table. There was a good sprinkling of touristy stuff: an evening at Kihim beach and the next morning at Alibaug beach/fort. But the highlight though was our trek up the hill on Sunday evening to a quiet and beautiful lake where we swam till sunset and climbed down in darkness. 

I'm making up for the past few weeks' inactivity by posting a whole lot of photos.