As I settled down on a chair by the river, I wonder how many people knew about this treasure in our backyard. After a short tractor ride through the fields I was all set for a farm fresh breakfast. Fresh fruits and juices, aloo parathas with dollops of butter, pickles, eggs as per one’s choice, masala chai, cheese sandwiches and some freshly baked muffins and cake with their appetizing aromas were waiting for us.
I am at a farm in a place called Phaltan in Maharashtra. A couple of weeks earlier if you had asked me about Phaltan, I would have said “Never heard of it”. In fact that’s what I said when someone did ask us that. Now of course, I am wiser.
The farmer, Vithal Krishnaji Nalawade, who owns this land, spoke about various vegetables and fruits that he cultivates there. Coriander, tomatoes, spinach, eggplants and of course sugarcane. Phaltan is the largest producer of Sugarcane in Maharashtra. After sumptuous breakfast with cool breeze giving us company, we took a round of the fields and tried to understand the nuisance of farming from him. At places we saw drip irrigation system watering the plants. This system was brought to India from Israel.
So many tomatoes !!
His young daughters and niece played around and giggled observing us from the corner of their eyes.
When we tried our hands (and teeth) on sugarcane, these two young girls taught the correct way to do it. Later we visited his house and had another round of tea. He is a law graduate and started farming in 1990 since there was no one to take care of the ancestral property.
How we wished the beautiful morning to stay forever! But alas, like everything good, it had to end and soon it was time to leave.
Phaltan is just 350 odd kilometres south of Mumbai beyond Pune. On the way, I was dreaming of things that hitherto unheard of place would have for me. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
Among all the things that impressed me most was when we went to see something in the evening. It was another type of farm … a windmill farm. 😀 I cannot yet forget the beautiful sunset on the hills, some distance from the town. Hills full of wind turbines, called by many as windmills. Have you ever sipped a wine, munching cheese sandwiches while watching sunset? I am sure you have, many times. How about doing while sitting under one of these giant fans, so to say?
The swishing sounds of the blades when it reaches its lowest makes you look up and the sight is awe-inspiring. It looked like if I stretched out my hand a bit more, I could catch hold of it for a free ride! The atmosphere was absolutely incredible. There was no way I could get my ride. 🙁
By the way, each blade is about 50 metres in length. Tower itself stands at around 80M or so. We were told that each of the turbines could generate 1.5MW electricity and there were hundreds of them! The electricity produced is supplied to neighbouring villages. It takes 4-5 days to fix the three blades on one such turbine aka windmill once the tower is erected.
Another incredible fact is that the engineers from Denmark are constantly monitoring the performance of these mega fans.
Time sneaked away steadily, the golden sun bade us bye and soon it was time to return to our hotel for an authentic Maharashtrian Thali that was waiting for us at dinner.
Hotel Jakson Inns is a three star property but services can hold up to any five star services and at a much lower cost.
We savoured a variety of cuisines during our two night stay. Green Bean, the multi-cuisine restaurant can be treated as a hangout point for many of us. The high speed wi-fi adds to the lure.
The variety of cuisines it offers is irresistible. This being mango season, once we were presented with mango cuisine. Whether vegetarian or non vegetarian, every dish from soup to dessert had a share of mango ! Raw or ripened. I would recommend the a la-carte menu so that you can pick and choose dishes as per your taste. And yes, don’t forget to have a glass of spiced water! 😀
The hotel & restaurant staff were courteous and always on their toes. The service went beyond just helping with our bags.
All in all, a ‘power’ packed sojourn to the interiors of Maharashtra.
Disclaimer: We were invited by Hotel Jakson Inns for a weekend stay. All opinions are based on our personal experience.
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It’s always such a joy to discover a place you never knew about before and learn more about it! Especially with such good food that you got to eat! I love mangoes especially >< and love how they are farming everything.
Yes, it’s an absolute joy to discover something new. It was a pleasant change from the regular touristy things. 🙂
Sounds like a lovely weekend – I’ve always said that there are fantastic adventures just waiting to be explored in our own backyard, usually we spend so much time playing tourist in other cities and countries that we don’t spend too much time exploring our own region, so I’m so glad you’ve found some wonderful experiences in yours!
I echo what you said here Meg!
Absolutely fun to explore our own backyard. 😀
I had not heard of Phaltan before this. Sounds like a cool place, especially in monsoon.
Thanks for telling us about this.
Even I had not heard !
When there’s nothing to do, you can do so much. 😛
Such a lovely, serene and scenic place. Would love to see the windmills in person.
I am sure you’ll love it.
I have seen them before as well. 🙂
I LOVE Windmills like this and would love the opportunity to get up close and personal. What a cool experience!
Thank you.
Come India & I’ll take you there. 😀
I love it when people depend on the land to sustain them. Great way to teach sustainability
Absolutely! These are the times when we should thank our stars for the opportunity. 🙂
I really enjoy seeing India, off the beaten path. I feel like it always gives me such an interesting perspective about non-city life, and this sounds like a lovely weekend. Cheers!
Julie,
Let me know when you are next time. Will take you to this place. 🙂
Looks like it is an awesome place to be in
Yes, it is Subha.
What a beautiful way to spend a weekend, it looks lovely. You can’t get much fresher than having breakfast right on the farm. Hotel Jakson sounds like a great place and good value as it certainly doesn’t look like a typical 3 start hotel.
You are absolutely right Rob. It didn’t feel like a 3 star hotel in the hinterland. 🙂
This looks really interesting Nisha…just the kind of things I like to do on weekends in Pune 🙂 On my radar now…
You won’t regret it Sid. 😀
It is true,we hardly explore the nearby places of interest to the fullest.That was a nice trip Nisha!
Thank you Indu.
I can’t wait to go there again. 🙂
Such laid back, relaxed places are what I like. And if you say, there are lots of tomatoes and sugar cane… well, it seems like a paradise.
Ha Ha 😀
I didn’t want to come back from there. Such a relief from chaotic world!
Phaltan sounds like a hidden gem! I love finding out places nearby that I didn’t even knew existed!
Same here. I was pleasantly surprised to know about it !
Those windmills, from up close, look gorgeous. Mango dish looks absolutely yum, fresh produce from the farm!
Thank you, it was a wonderful trip. 🙂
I’ve never heard of spiced water! You really got my attention with the mangoes. I’ve never been to Phaltan, but it definitely looks like a gem.
Thank you.
If you are in Mumbai, do make it a point to visit this quaint place.
Marking this for my next visit to Pune. Lovely discovery
Thank you. I am sure you’ll love it.
That must have been one lovely outing for you. I remember being awed by windmills on my trip to Rajasthan. It’s beautiful that our rural landscape is welcoming technology and making farming better and more productive while still retaining its rustic charm.
Now am wiser about Phaltan too.
Great place & pics, Nisha 🙂
I’m sure that was a very refreshing trip.
Talking of windmills, there are lots in my otherwise most-of-the-year-dry backyard. They make awesome foreground when there are dramatic clouds during twilight, don’t they?
Sounds fabulous Nisha – the farm, the windmills and the hotel! Always nice to find out about hidden gems close to you!
Thank you for sharing this!
Frankly didnt even know about this place before this post. Clicked on this post’s link because of ‘Windmills’ and discovered something so cool. Loved the post 🙂
Isn’t there something absolutely charming about our rural countryside? Simple joys of life, farm hopping and a slow paced life attract me most to it.
Lovely post Nisha! 🙂