Andur - An Offbeat side of Kolhapur

The first trip of 2019. I visited Andur back in January this year along with five of my friends. It was just a break from the hectic 10 - 5 college schedule, and it was worth it. The main aim for the trip was relaxation but Andur surprised us with more.

Pre-planning... ?

Trips with best friends make your life worth living.

" Kiti laamb ahe re te? " asked my friend Shubham. (How far is it?)

It is just about 40 - 45 kms from the Kolhapur city and takes around an hour to reach.

Pre-planning?... Haha, No. We just,

randomly picked a place
made a list of things to carry
calculated the cost (obviously)
and that is all of it.... no wait what about the time? 6 am.

At the end of the day, we were all hyped. Ready to go.

Next day

" Ajun kuthe ahes re? " I yelled on the phone. (Where are you?)

It was 9 in the morning and i was waiting for my friends to come pick me up, in the cold outside, since 6 am. We were late, again. I sometimes wonder, are we the only ones that always are late for everything?

Nothing special here. Us waiting for google maps to load.

Anyways, we departed at 10, successfully.

Finally, we arrived at the reservoir. We were completely memorized looking at the beauty of the place. For a moment I forgot that it was Kolhapur. It felt like Utopia.

Life is better at the lake.

I've been in Kolhapur since birth and this place doesn't stop surprising me every now and then. From the kind-hearted, loving people, rich history to the natural beauty, I love everything about this place.

This part of Kolhapur is lesser known and has only a handful of visitors.

It was 11 till we reached the destination so we began making our lunch. Yes we made our lunch, by ourselves. Actually two of them made it, rest us, we just enjoyed the meal.

We cooked in them.

After lunch some of my friends laid down near the water and relaxed. I and two other we roamed around and took photos.

Muddy water is best cleaned by leaving it alone

As I stepped into the cold water, a current flowed within me. I stood there all by myself, alone, solitary, isolated, gazing at the water. Million thought gushing in my mind, a complete mess and all of a sudden everything vanished. Poof! There was not a single thought in my mind, all empty. It was PEACE. It felt too good. I just loved the moment.

It wasn't the first time this happened to me. I first experienced it on my Sindhudurg trip with the same guys. I'll talk about it sometime later.

I didn't want to leave the water but unwillingly I stepped out. We were running out of time. We had to leave.

We left the place but the place didn't leave me. It is still in my heart.

That's my friend.

If you are from Kolhapur or around or even visiting nearby, do check the place out. Do share you thoughts below and let me know did you like the it or no?