Matheran- an Unforgettable Trip

What a lovely, quaint little place it is! Matheran is a tiny hill resort, with an elevation of about 800metres, and situated some 120 kilometers away from Mumbai. And the most enchanting fact about this place is that vehicles have been banned from entering this beautiful place. It is extremely tiny, but amazingly beautiful. We took a train from Mumbai CST to .Once you reach Neral, there is an easy availability of taxis there and the charge is just fifty rupees per head.

From Neral a taxi was taken to Matheran.There were not too many hairpin bends and this place abounds in greenery. A visit on a rainy day is an experience by itself. The environment is absolutely fresh, and the whole glistening grass on the sides look as though some person has painstakingly vacuumed, shampooed and freshened the whole atmosphere.

Matheran is a very small hill resort and the taxi cannot go into Matheran.One has to walk up the road amidst dense trees on either side or take a pony ride. We opted to walk up the winding road and there was no tiredness whatsoever. I was lapping up the greenery all around and turning my head on to either side of the road and putting up my head with fond hopes of sighting some birds too and someone had to remind me to look at the road underneath my feet lest I get tripped by sparsely scattered bits of small pebbles. With a gentle breeze, and the lovely lush greenery on either side of the road, even the threatening grey clouds failed to darken our spirits. I loved getting wet in the rain and did not bother about how wobbly I was, trying to walk with six yards of wet sari clinging on to me .My umbrella seemed to have a will of its own and would occasionally fold clumsily, try to fly in the rain and the water would splash on to my face. .This rain was just for a very few minutes, just enough to make us wet but so enchanting was the freshness, the purity of the unpolluted atmosphere that that one did not mind these small inconveniences.

After walking for more than two kilometers we reached the tourist spot that is Matheran and strictly speaking it is just like a small village with one long street. From this spot, we had to walk up some 3 more kilometers to see Charlotte Lake and echo point. The view from Echo point was simply breathtaking .But, like a blushing bride covering her face with her veil, an invisible hand of thick fog suddenly hid the beautiful view. We waited for the curtain to lift and could finally take some wonderful pictures.

Charlotte Lake was full and it was a sight to behold.

On our return journey from these two points we could also see some small shops that sold tiny gift articles and souvenirs. The place is famous for special sweets There are shops where these are prepared fresh everyday and the name of the candy is Chikki.There are variations in this, with the ingredients being cashew, almonds, pistachios and coconut. Food is served hot in many restaurants.

Matheran is an ideal tourist spot especially for people living in Mumbai because it is very easily accessible by train and road and is a destination that ought not to be missed especially during monsoon.