Matheran, its Horses and some Family Time.

We hadn’t been on a family vacation for ages and it was high time. What better time to go on a vacation than during Diwali break, I mean all we do during Diwali is eat sweets. When my brother and I were younger, we used to burst crackers, but then we somehow developed this tradition of going out during Diwali. And one/two times when we're home, I'd become older and wouldn't let Jithu burst any crackers. And a little later as I got into 10th grade, we grew out of this tradition because I was busy with boards and later college.

But this Diwali, we were going to go somewhere no matter what. I was just back from Udaipur but then there’s nothing called too many trips. And obviously, family trips are different. Achachan put me in charge of planning. The plan was to go to Mahabaleshwar. It is embarrassing to admit that despite living in Mumbai for all these years, we had never been to Mahabaleshwar. Honestly, we hadn’t done much planning. We didn’t even book a hotel, I think my dad was in a mood to ‘go with the flow.’

We left home at 7 am for Mahabaleshwar. We stopped for breakfast at Hotel Fountain, Ghodbunder. I love the Keema Paav there. I don’t usually eat mutton, but this place is an exception to my ‘no mutton’ rule. I even petted a dog outside the hotel. (I have a weird relationship with dogs. I mean I like petting them. But I don’t know how to make them go away after they start following me) After breakfast, somewhere along the way, while checking the distance to Mahabaleshwar, we decided to go to Matheran because it was closer. 

Entrance of the 
magical land.

We reached Matheran around 11:30 am and we were in for a surprise. None of us knew that vehicles weren’t allowed in Matheran (Honestly, none of us knew anything). Fun fact: Matheran is the only automobile free hill station in India. How cool is that! Now after parking our car at the entrance of Matheran, we had to choose. Either walk throughout Matheran for 2 days or travel on horseback or on hand-pulled carts. I honestly wouldn't have minded walking, but my mom can't. Sitting on a horse was scary, I've never really sat on a horse for more than 10 minutes max and that was some 10 years ago in Ooty. The horses cost Rs.3000 per person, for two days, but if you can bargain, then good for you.

I like this picture.

Sitting on horseback was scary. I think I told my dad at least 10 times that we should have walked instead. But I think a little later I got the hang of it. My mom said that I looked like a pro. But I was still scared. The plan was to find a hotel, have lunch and then go sightseeing. I’d seen a couple of hotels online, but when we asked the horse keepers they said those hotels were very far away from the market, which was their way of telling us that they won’t take us there. After around 20 minutes, they took us to a hotel. The place looked decent and was run by a Malayali guy. But, they only had vegetarian food. And the food is not something I was willing to compromise on. (Oh, by the way, I go to college in Ahmedabad, and I absolutely loathe the vegetarian food there) My dad was casually talking to the Malayali manager and he said that I’d just come back from Gujarat and was sick of vegetarian food. To which the manager replied that the reason they serve only vegetarian food is that Gujaratis refuse to stay in a place where non-vegetarian food is served and they’re the major chunk of people who come to Matheran. 

Now, I don’t have anything against Gujaratis, but this statement just pissed me off. I mean, the entire point of going to a new place is to partake in their culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I personally feel Gujaratis as a community are very rigid and unwilling to adapt. I mean almost all the hotels in Matheran are vegetarian because people from a different state can’t tolerate Maharashtrian cuisine or culture. How ridiculous is that? 

SpringWood Heritage in all its glory.

We finally found a place that serves non-vegetarian food: SpringWood Heritage, one of the few places that serve non-vegetarian food. SpringWood Heritage was pretty. Surprisingly, the rooms in the heritage building were cheaper than the ones in the newer building. The food was decent, and there were 2 hammocks and oh, a pool! My brother and I were both happy, he wanted a pool and I wanted a hammock. We had lunch at their restaurant and then went sightseeing. I did not find horse rides very comfortable. But I got used to it, I guess. Also, the horse keeper who came with me and my mom, Sonu, was a sweetheart. He kept us entertained with his anecdotes and also made me appreciate the privileged life that I live. He was 19 and has been working with horses in Matheran for 7 years, wakes up at 4 am every morning, comes to work, and leaves only at 12 am.

Charlotte Lake.

We went to a few viewpoints and to Charlotte Lake. By the time we got to Charlotte lake, we were all tired. We just wanted to go back to the hotel and chill. And oh, we had sugarcane juice. I love sugarcane juice, it has kind of become my thing now. Almost all the reels I make have a video of sugarcane juice. On our way back we stopped at the Matheran market. Honestly, I didn’t find anything new that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. I felt it was just a normal market for the locals that have kind of been romanticized and have now become a tourist spot. 

Lord's View Point.

When we were almost about to reach our hotel, my mom fell from her horse. I thought she broke some bones. Luckily, she didn’t break any bones or injure herself gravely. She was fine but in pain. The people nearby rushed to help her. They were nice people. Sonu and the other horse keeper were both very upset. Both of them who hadn’t shut their mouths the entire day didn’t speak a word. I don’t know if they felt bad for the horse or felt guilty. I mean it wasn’t their fault, but still. We walked back to the hotel.

I was done for the day.

After coming back to the hotel, we just chilled there, my brother in the pool, me on the hammock, and my parents on the swing. SpringWood Heritage is a peaceful place. We had an early dinner. By the time we finished dinner, I could hear crackers. I felt it was really irresponsible and ignorant of people to come to a forest and burst crackers. Matheran is a sensitive ecosystem. Throwing trash is a different thing, but bursting is another level of idiocracy. I don't know idiocracy is the right word, I feel it's people just exploiting whatever they can exploit. All we have left are tiny villages like Matheran and they come here and ruin it too.

The beauty or is it the beast?

I loved the toy train ride.

We woke up late the next morning. We were to leave today by the toy train, obviously, none of us wanted to sit on horseback after yesterday’s mishap. I was excited. Before the pandemic, toy trains used to run from Neral to Matheran. Now the trains only run from Matheran, there was a stop near our hotel to the Aman Lodge which is near the car parking. We had breakfast, got ready, and left for the railway station to catch the 10:45 train. We reached the railway station around 10:00 but all the second-class tickets were sold out. Second-class tickets cost Rs.40 and first-class tickets cost Rs.345. We didn't want to wait till 12pm for the next train so we got first-class tickets. The train ride was fun. The trains are narrow gauge and extremely slow, but they're fun. We reached the parking lot after almost 40 minutes. And then, we left for home.

There's construction work
happening everywhere.

Matheran is a pretty and unique place. It is known for the colonial architecture left behind by the British. The British developed Matheran as a hill station to escape the heat of Bombay during the summers. Being in Matheran pretty much feels like hiking through a forest. The only difference being the trails are wider and there is a lot of trash around. The only thought that was in my mind while leaving was, I hope this place always remains like this. Untouched and uncorrupted by vehicles. I understand that it’s very easy for me to say this. I don't live there. I was in Matheran for a day. The villagers in Matheran face a lot of difficulties, the only mode of transport is by foot/ horses. Fire engines and ambulances are the only vehicles allowed inside Matheran. In case of an emergency, ambulances have to come all the way from Neral, Matheran has no hospitals.

At the end of the day, I just hope Matheran remains Matheran even years later, and not just a land that once existed.

Told you the place is 
stunning.

Mandatory family picture.