What it used to be

It all starts with someone from my team saying, 'We had a hectic month and we need a team picnic to rejuvenate'. We got to know about Rangnekar village in Khopoli through a friend and that was the start to our picnic plan.

I don't know about the others, but the thought of leaving the ever so busy Mumbai for a road trip got me all charged up. We spoke with the owners to check the availability of the place. I was all in for an overnight picnic to Khopoli. Question was, how would I convince the other 20 in my team for a Lego trip to Khopoli. I was done with picnics in Bhayandar and Virar and wanted to travel a little farther from Mumbai.

So why would anyone want to travel 100km away from Mumbai, just to be back in 24 hours? I was finding ways to tell my team Khopoli it is. Well, I was glad I didn't have to do a lot of talking as everyone had just one thing on their mind, “We had to travel out of Mumbai”. So we rolled out the plan, booked the place for the coming weekend.

The Road Trip

This was mid-June, 2018. It was one hot day but the roads from Mumbai to Khopoli are really good, especially if you are someone who loves bike rides. They had to just be sure to go through the old Mumbai-Pune highway. The Expressway is only for 4 wheelers. The greenery, the views as you drive away from Mumbai is mesmerizing.

On the way, we stopped at small joints to eat misal pav, a cutting chai and a smoke. Although the monsoons start from June in Maharashtra, it was particularly hot that June and all we could think of was the pool.

Rangnekar's Village before YoloCafe

As we entered Rangenekar village, the excitement kept building. There was enough parking for three cars and two bikes. We walked through the property and although it looked like a simple farm house with an open stretch of land, there was a lot to explore there.

At that time, there was just one big dormitory. We had no complaints, as long as we all were put together. Bathrooms were built outside the room and hot water was provided to have a bath.

The day went well, playing football in the open space, swimming in the pool and playing those silly pool games. It was all fun. They had mango trees planted all over the property with instructions “Do not pluck”.

As evening drew near, the climate started to become cooler. The simple looking farmhouse looked extraordinary as the lights went up. We set the BBQ and heated the charcoal, grilled some marinated chicken to some good wine that we carried that night. We danced straight into mid-night and till dawn. What a wonderful night we had. Was I 27 or 16? Is there any age when one stops having fun? Well I don't know how some find that seriousness in life, I am yet to master that skill.

We slept at 6 am that day and woke up at 10 am to pack our bags and leave. As much as we didn't want to leave Rangnekar's Village, the busy Bombay life was calling us back to reality. Back to the work desk, back to the polluted locality.

Rangnekar to Yolo Khopoli

Well to conclude, we knew we would be visiting Rangnekar's Village again. A 100 km drive with good company seemed like a half an hour walk on the beach. Who knew till this day that I would work on a plan to get my experience to everyone in a much better way.

I shall see you guys soon, this time at YoloCafe Khopoli.