Read Part 1 here!

After our whirlwind sightseeing of the Karla Caves, Lonavla, and Mahabaleshwar, we ended the day in Panchgani. Panchgani is an absolutely charming little mountain town very close to Mahabaleshwar, filled with lovely homes and shops, lush greenery, and beautiful sights around every corner.

In Panchgani, we had a lovely lunch and polished off the meal with the most famous dessert of the area - fresh strawberries and cream. This entire region of Maharasthra is known for its strawberries, and for good reason! The strawberries here were big and juicy, and absolutely bursting with flavor, the perfect balance of sweet and tart. After dessert, we spent some time driving around the town, and serendipitously came across from beautiful gems - views of a misty lake and paragliders, a quaint little path lined with hundreds and hundreds of bougainvillieas, and a roadside nursery with every kind of flowering plant you can imagine! Being the plant fanatic that I am, I wanted to buy everything I saw, but of course that would be a very silly thing to do since I was thousands of miles from home!

Panchgani was a true gem. Wandering along that winding, bougainvilliea-laden path gave me a sense of peace that I hadn't felt in a long time. I want to go back and explore Panchgani some more - because at every turn there seemed to be something lovely to feast your eyes on. Hopefully, next time :)