• Hotels - Nature's Wonders - Places

    MTDC – Budget Traveller’s Delight

    In the past three years or so, we have visited a few places in Maharashtra. One thing that has been common in many of these visits was MTDC ( Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation) resorts that offer reasonable boarding and lodging. We have now become a fan of MTDC resorts albeit it’s difficult to get accommodation without advance booking. (Mahabaleshwar) MTDC is present in most of the important tourist places in Maharashtra. Simple and basic accommodation. Clean toilets. No fancy stuff. Will fit any backpackers / travel lovers’ budget. Some of these resorts are leased out to private contractors, who have…

  • Arts & Culture

    Of Faith & Creativity (the Divine Tree)

    With countless number of Gods & Goddesses (83 million by someone’s estimates or 830 million?), roadside stones and trees turning to temples is not new in India. There is no rural-urban divide in these phenomena. All that matters is faith. This interesting tree apparently has a mild resemblance to Lord Ganesha’s trunk. It is clear that the clever and creative painting is what brings it live. Nevertheless, the Ganesha tree has already started attracting attention of travellers and is listed in the ‘must-see’ places in and around Bordi. We saw this in the Bordi-Asavali road, about 2 km from the…

  • Places

    In Chikoo County

    If you can’t travel or drive too much and all you need is a quite weekend getaway from Mumbai, then you can try option no #85, Bordi. That’s what precisely we did.  When a family friend wanted a weekend break to introduce their one-year old son to outdoors, we scoured our maps, books and internet to pick a place. Bordi has a 17-km long beach. Chikoo and vegetable farms dot the quiet village. Hills towards the east and a small dam. More importantly, we haven’t been there. And, MTDC has a resort in Bordi. A perfect combination. At about 180…