St. Stanislaus Villa, Khandala - A camp of sorts!

Fr. Robin and I enjoyed a scenic ride along the Old Bombay Pune Highway in our Maxx Pickup truck. Reached Bandra Villa as St. Stanislaus Villa is better known in these parts and met 'Farmer' Gyles (who figured his son, at 28 was bigger than me!)our host and caretaker of the Villa & his overfriendly Guard Dog (part Hound) named Ginger before cooking up our Breakfast of eggs and other stuff.

We said Mass once we learned one of our members and her offspring were still to make their way out of Mumbai.The day was peppered with rain and after we picked up our trio from Lonavala station we settled down to Lunch from El Taj- Tandoori Chicken and 'Paneer' Sagwala as misinformed to our neo-vegetarian friend who was relishing the Spinach gravy until she realized the white chunks encased in green was Chicken and not Cottage Cheese!

The next to arrive were 2 lovely ladies I first met at a camp in 1996, they strolled in around tea time and then we all went in search of the Monsoon Lake... this lake so called because it springs to life only in the monsoons! along the way I spotted an absurd sign along a treacherous 'S' bend I presume posted by a Bawa. However, I also saw signs of creativity from the Traffic Police Department.

Further down I was a bit flabbergasted to see the new developments along what once was a lonely winding road (Please Note: I'd never been down this stretch of road and was to see the Lake for the first time in my life!)... There was a plush Mall like structure advertising family entertainment, fine dining and Levis Jeans, followed by a Cafe Coffee Day outlet and a Hooka Bar! HOLY SHIT!!!

The Monsoon lake was an enchanting sight as twilight set in and the buzz of people was overcome by the serenity of the lake. We stayed for about an hour before heading back to the Villa for Feast Mass (Corpus Christi) followed by a sumptuous spread of Cutlets, Potato Chops and assorted Roast Meats (Courtesy Arlene) and regular Dinner with a bunch of bananas, Jackfruit and some lovely Chicken curry (Courtesy a bunch of house guests not showing up at the last minute and the benevolence of Farmer Gyles!) We then took a long walk through the front gate of Snehasadan, past Romeo & Juliet Swimming Pool, the Dogs (luckily tied up) and then encircled camp coming in through the rear gate. The walk was beautiful, moonlight adequate except for when we crossed the jungle and checked for 'Slithers'.

Ed trudged in around midnight along with his fishing rod built for River Fishing intent on angling at the Monsoon Lake. The next morning after Breakfast we all drove along the rear of Monsoon lake to a point in nowhere to trek up to the Saddle. Today proved to be a Rainy Day all through making our Rain Walk more complete! Atop the Saddle we spotted some adventurous trekkers blundering along the Sausages in search of the Dukes Nose and tried pointing them in the right direction. On our way back we had a Bull almost Charge at us but luckily it slipped in the muck & then changed its mind, further down in the village we came across a Wild Boar, spiky mane and all. Ed & I split from the group and walked to Lonavala station to stock up and get some Rum for Punch. Back at camp Lunch was a heap of Fried Chicken, Pulao, Salad, Vegetable, Chicken Curry & French Fries that tried hard to overshadow the previous days feast.

After walking in the rain all morning I was in for a chill so i brewed a potent concoction of Rum, Hot Water and sugar that was liked by all who tasted it! We then lazed around, chatted, tried out Eds Fishing Line (Quite a fancy rig) basically knowing deep down that the trip was coming to an end and yet trying to prolong the moment. Arlene & Maggs had tickets for the 5:05 Train and were withing for their ride, I scouted the road outside to see bumper to bumper traffic in both directions and so I chose to foot it to the highway and chart my way home. I was keen to avoid a jam and also get home soon (have now been on the road for 4 days) so I angled into Khandala Station to board the Deccan Express. I've been yearning for a train ride to Khandala in the monsoon and I got it on the rebound at just Rs. 38!

This trip was CAMP! We had it all, a Ball game, The Saddle, A lot of walking , Camp People, Mass, Fr. Robin.