Le Monde - A Poetic Travail » Panchgani

Up, up in the sky

Nisha — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:08:20 +0000

Come monsoons and we have a lot of outdoor activities shutting down or limping to a slower pace. A very few which remain active for at least some days is parasailing.

Getting ready on table top, Panchgani.

Enjoying parasailing in Panchgani on a cloudy day. I dug out these photos from archives to show you the sky.

Here it goes….up, up in the sky…

And I fly….

For more pictures of skies around the world check at Skywatch Friday.

Note- For more details on parasailing read this post.

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Parasailing in Panchgani

Cuckoo — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:01:23 +0000

It was last weekend of July, rainy season in Maharashtra and we, a group of 11 people (extended family) went to three days trip to Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. You can read in details about that visit here, here and here. It was my second visit to these small hill stations amidst the heights of the Sahyadris mountains.

Only eighteen kms from Mahabaleshwar, the hill station of Panchgani is no lesser known to tourists. It is a frequented hill resort and is an ideal base for some good trekking, hiking, biking and parasailing (seasonal).
The parasailing takes place at a vast plateau, the second highest in Asia (and 4.5 km long) after the Tibetian plateau and locally known as “Tableland”. More on tableland in another post.

Parasailing consists of a parachute-like parasail, attached to a 300-meter long towrope, which is pulled along, by a speeding form of transport. When the speed rises to beyond stalling speed, the parachute rises, taking the pilot up in the air. Parasailing has two variations: a terrestrial and an aquatic one, with usually a jeep being used on ground and a motorboat being used in the water. As compared to gliding, parasailing is easier to learn and is also safer.

The length of the towrope restricts the height gained by a parasail. You achieve a height two-thirds the length of the rope. Other factors like wind speed, participant’s weight also have an important role to play. The time in the air depends on the amount of space available and the strength of the breeze. The stronger the breeze and the longer the run for the towing vehicle the longer and higher the flight will be. There are no weight restrictions in parasailing. The lighter you are, the higher you can go.

We too wanted to try our hands on parasailing. Having done so in France, I was initially wary of trying this in India where I thought the facilities may not be that good. Yes indeed, the facilities or infrastructure are far less but then we have to, at sometime, take risks to enjoy things. Also, looking at the people’s enthusiasm, all my inhibitions went off.

It was a very windy day with sky full of clouds. First, there was a long queue for parasailing and only one parachute ! And we all were praying that our turn comes before the winds become mischievous or rain gods start playing with us. The tickets vary (depends on the season and the organizer). We paid Rs 300/- per person.

I was tied to a parachute and a jeep and as the jeep picked up speed I went up in the air. It was a feeling of flying. Flying inside an airplane is a different experience. Here I felt like a kite with no control in my hands. It was really wonderful. I could view the whole green valley and the mountains from a higher plane !! And it was pretty cold !! Phew !

After sometime the jeep stopped and before my parachute came down, I could see 5-6 people running towards it. Well, they help us in landing process, nothing else. While landing many people fall down and get hurt.
Some of us wanted to go for a second round but before we could even stand in the queue, drizzles and strong winds forced the organizers to close the show for the day.

Nevertheless, we had already enjoyed our quota.

Tip to Indian ladies:- Dress yourselves properly preferably with jeans/trousers and proper shoes. Sarees, flaring skirts and dresses with dupatta are best avoided for obvious reasons and so are strapless chappals/sandals.

Technorati Tags:- Hills Weekend Trip Panchgani

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Panchgani

Cuckoo — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:28:00 +0000

Only eighteen kms from Mahabaleshwar, the hill station of Panchgani now is no lesser known to tourists. It is a frequented hill resort and is an ideal base for some good trekking. Situated at an altitude of 1334m in Satara district, it gets its name from the five plateaus around it.

panch = five
gani = plateaus

Though it is only 38 m below Mahabaleshwar, it takes eighteen kms of breathtaking spectacular view offering of the river Krishna that wanders through the farms and hamlets on one side & the coastal plains on the other. I found Panchgani a very romantic place and it has a special charming effect.

One of the first things you notice as you drive into Panchgani are the number of famous elite boarding Schools that are hiding inside the curves and turns of the hill station. In fact, the guide at Table top told us that Panchgani has 23 such schools. In Panchgani there are many old British buildings and Parsi houses though the most famous are these educational institutes.

One of the schools, clicked from the moving vehicle.

Once again like Mahabaleshwar, there are many points to be seen. Bhim Chula and Harrison’s valley, which is one of the most breath taking sights of all are the best. Sidney point is another favourite tourist haunt. The first & third photos of this post are taken from Parsi point overlooking the Krishna Valley and near blue waters of the Dhom dam.

The Table land or Table top is a hot spot which one can not and should not miss. It is one of the largest Table Lands in the continent and famous for Film shootings and said to be shaped by flattened volcanic rock. The guide gave us numerous examples of film shootings happened here. There is also one mythological story associated with it. There is one spot where one can see the footsteps of all the five brothers Pandavs.

We also tried our hands on parasailing. There is a long queue for this and if by the time your turn comes, the winds become mischievous, you are just plain unfortunate. In the evenings the Table Top turns into a makeshift fair with Ferris wheels, pony rides and a variety of food stalls. Panchgani is often referred to as the ‘Mecca of Maharashtra’.

This Table top is also often used as a helipad and a place for car driving/learning.

If you really want to explore the natural beauty of Panchgani and have some time on hand, horses (which are available at the numerous stables) are the best mode of traveling, which will gently race you through the thick lush green trees, to unmarked routes and will surely enchant you.

The air here is oxygen riched and the water is said to contain traces of hemoglobin boosting iron. The British had established numerous tuberculosis sanatoriums in Panchgani due to the presence of silver oak trees, which were considered therapeutic. Patients are known to get better faster at Panchgani owing to the pure environs offered at Panchgani.

Please browse through my last three posts to get more glimpse of the place.
All in all, it was a good rejuvenating trip. Yet to visit the Kamalgad fort though it was my second visit. Maybe next time. I am slowly learning from Mridula to have a genuine reason to go back to the place.

Technorati Tags: Hills Weekend Trip Mahabaleshwar

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Any Guesses ?

Cuckoo — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:28:00 +0000

Can you guess where I had been to recently ? No, the place in first photo is not as scary as to make a horror story. Till the time I am ready with the post, keep guessing.

Technorati Tags: Waterfalls Hills Weekend Trip