About a week back, I had shared a snap on my Instagram stating how I missed riding with my friend Anurag. We have been on a plethora of journeys together, and if you type his name in the search bar of this blog, you would find a number of entries. Since our holidays don't match (my being weekends and his being weekdays), we could not wander. Luckily, on the Christmas day, he had taken a week off for family purpose. He was released sooner than I'd thought, so we immediately made a plan of a one-day bike ride nearby. 

I had saved screen grabs of some nature spots I discovered while I was digging through the Google Maps. I found Bhavali Dam from that treasure chest and we decided to discover it. 

Honestly, I had imagined the area to be a little undersized, but after reaching, I must admit, was thoroughly stunned. We left at around 3:00 pm from Mumbai. After having misal pav at one of the roadside diners, we resumed our journey further. Since the dam lies near Igatpuri, we had to go via the Mumbai Nasik Highway. Marvelled by a beautiful panorama on our right, we reached the waters around 5:00 pm. The shots turned out to be brilliant – thanks to the gorgeous sun and a serene landscape. We shot some breathtaking pictures – some of which were sans any human. We also trekked for a short distance that offered a good view in which the road had tagged itself along. 

We discovered a place that looked like a promising milieu for a waterfall and we only wished the water could pour down, but alas! It is wintertime. I was completely smitten by the emerald green of the waters, especially the lagoon. There's something about this hue that cheers me up. I think I have become obsessed with the way this shaded water can make me feel, credits to the incredible Cola Lagoon of Goa. 

While sitting on the railing, we pledged to return in the monsoon with our squad. We imagined how happy they would be and how we would dive from up top. The discussion ended with contributing to an action camera to capture moments underwater. 

We started for home, and when on the Mumbai Nasik Highway, we stopped for Maggi and some refreshment. Anurag suggested setting up a campfire at an off-road, opposite to the Manas Lifestyle Resort, Igatpuri. We crawled with the bike to the place, with three wada pavs, one Maaza, two bottles of water, and four packs of bhel. The place we halted for campfire had a lovely view of a steep valley. Though it was dark, I could slightly see what was in front and had already imagined how it would be during the daylight. From around 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm, we thought of sitting by.

We lit up a campfire and while gazing at the stars, snacked on wada pav, bhel, and Maaza. We started back for Mumbai at 7:30 pm and after a lot of traffic at the Kalyan Junction, finally touched our homes by 10:00 pm. What an incredible day it was and such a beautiful way to celebrate Christmastime!

Watch my vlog: