Strawberries and cream

01.21.09
10:00 am

Strawberries and cream

Fresh, locally grown strawberries and cream is one of the best breakfasts you'll find in Mahabaleshwar. It's a sleepy little hill station, sleepy right now because it is not really the season for tourists. It lies at about 1400m, weather is nice but still fairly warm in the afternoon unless you're walking the forest trails under a canopy of deciduous trees. Then the temperatures are just right with the slight breeze. A lot of jams, and honey is locally produced, hence the large berry production. Street vendors sell strawberries by the kilo and they're all so sweet. I'm generally not a fan of raw strawberries because they're sour, but here I can't get enough of them.

I came here on Monday, found a simple place to stay called Hotel Dwarka - it is undergoing some renovation and the rooms are simple. The main reason I decided to stay here is that they have a lovely garden overlooking the forest covered hillside. There are two swings outside, where I generally sit in the evening and enjoy the cool night air, the sky full of stars and write about random things while listening to music. There's an odd Canadian fellow staying here, I'll on occasion talk to him about the state of the world - though he drinks and smokes a fair bit and the level of conversation is not engaging for too long, plus I need my alone time.

The place is run by a Gujarati guy, Paresh, he's nice, though he was very keen on showing me the sights at first. I think he's just a little bored and looking for company. I generally keep to myself, especially since I'm here for a short time - I'm inclined to spend it exploring by myself. Though he's a totally nice guy, since he realised I'm content spending time by myself, he wishes me well when I see him but no longer tries to take me around. Pandav Yadav is another guy who works here and ensures the guests get their tea, food, hot water etc. I was taking a nap yesterday afternoon and he woke me up with a knock. When I opened the door, I saw this beautiful sunset, and my first comment was about the sunset. He promptly said, `Don't be offended, see that's why I woke you up. Would you like some tea?'. I did have some tea and we chatted, he said he was going to come talk to me yesterday but thought I might not like it so he didn't say hello but today he decided to come chat anyway. I said that was good since it was very nice to talk to him. His village is a ways away so he doesn't get back there often, but he lives here with is wife and two kids. He's very nice to me, brings me two buckets of warm water in the morning. People in general are very curious and friendly here, and we Indians are basically a social bunch and somewhat emotional. In general, I've found most people, the taxiwallas, the auto drivers, the bus drivers, the restaurant workers, villagers and so on to all be incredibly generous and open. If you are polite and treat them with respect, they will go the extra mile to be helpful. They are generous of spirit but you have to respect that spirit within in your social interactions.

There's a small street food place where I stopped by for idli (south Indian ricecakes) on Monday. The guy who runs it was also very hospitable and friendly, so I had upma for breakfast along with chai yesterday morning. He takes great pride in his place, and greets you with a big friendly smile. I noticed they advertised espresso, so I figured I'd try it. It's not really espresso, it is instant coffee which is what we have all over India. Though he uses the steamer of his espresso machine to froth it up and top it off with chocolate. It was good. Evidently the espresso machine is broken so he can't use it to filter fresh coffee.

I have been walking around here a lot. It's the perfect place to hang out for awhile and enjoy the natural landscape. Yesterday, I discovered the tiger trail which is a footpath for the locals that work in the area. It is a cool, shady path, that wanders through the jungle - the locals use it to get around. As I was wandering, I heard a loudspeaker but I couldn't understand what was going on since it was in Marathi so I followed the noise up a small path. It exited at a polo ground where they were having a cricket match. I came out of the forest close to a couple of guys standing by their car, and another guy who'd brought them tea. The guy who was serving tea had a slightly amused smile on his face when he saw me emerging out of the jungle. I asked him, in my perfect Hindi, what this place is, what was going on and some directions. I imagine I must've been a funny sight for him - his look put a smile on my face as well, as I wandered towards the main road onto the MTDC tourist office.