Lavasa City, India

A private, planned city being built near Pune..
I had been there in 2010. A lot has been developed later. But the visuals shown here will also motivate you to visit the place!
With varied options in entertainment, sports and events, it attracts residents from neighboring cities of Pune and Mumbai. They have a peaceful time here, escaping from their regular noisy and busy schedule.

Entrance of Lavasa city

View of Lavasa city from distance

Houses in the lap of Western Ghats!

Feels like Italy, right? ;)

View of sunset along the way back home

Mandwa to Mumbai!!

Famous for ferry services from Mandawa jetty to Gateway of India..
It took almost an hour for the boat journey across the sea. The scenery was quite beautiful and serene, as seen from the boat. There was water surrounding us from all sides. We could see cruises and also other ships extracting oil and sand.
As we approached the Gateway of India, it looked too real to be true. I and my sister felt as if we were in a dreamland ("sapno ki nagari" in Hindi)!! The sight of the Gateway of India along with Taj Mahal Palace hotel and Oberoi hotel, was surreal for us!
It was awesome journey we had across the waters! Felt like sailing on Titanic! :D

Mandawa jetty

Carrying the passengers

Across the Arabian Sea:

“The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.”

― Kate Chopin, The Awakening

Birds taking sip of the sea..quenching their thirst!

The view of Mumbai from the Sea..

The real and the reflection..

Kihim beach, India

Famous for dense cover of coconut trees..

Where size doesn't matter..

The typical "Konkani" houses..

Awesome shades of sunset!

Tranquility of the coastal life..

Kashid beach, India

A beautiful and clean place to hangout..
Here, the sand is almost "white"! Unlike other beaches, there's hardly any litter or dirt.
Also, especially for all the gourmets, the fish cooked in the restaurants on the beach is awesome in taste! Don't miss it..

Where the sky meets the sea..

Cool way to enjoy vacations!

Even the glaring sun won't stop us from having fun!

Time and tide waits for no man!

Never can hold sand in place..

Hadshi temple, India

Beauty of monsoon in Hadshi..
The temple is made for the deities Lord Vitthal, Rukmini and Shree Ganesha.
Very beautiful landscaping is done there.

Mumbai, India..

The city of Mumbai.. Life never stops here..

Besides being Capital city of Maharashtra, Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India. Being the "Land of Opportunities", it is very populous, stifling and stimulating.

I had been to Bandra - Kurla complex for VISA interview. In those two days, we explored the area. 

We had never seen the the famous Bandra-Worli Sea Link before. It was mesmerizing! Officially called Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link, is a cable-stayed bridge with pre-stressed concrete-steel viaducts on either side that links Bandra in the Western Suburbs of Mumbai with Worli in South Mumbai. It reduces the travel time from Bandra to Worli from 60-90 minutes to 20-30 minutes. It was designed as the first cable-stayed bridge to be constructed in open seas in India, It is the first infrastructure structure in Mumbai to use seismic arresters, i.e. it will enable the structure to withstand the earthquakes up to 7.0 Richter scale.

Bandra–Worli Sea Link

View from Bandra–Worli Sea Link

We also visited the Shree Siddhi-Vinayak temple. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesha. Not only the common people, but also the politicians and Bollywood film stars visit the temple frequently to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha. Siddhivinayak is well known as "Navasacha Ganapati" or "Navasala Pavanara Ganapati" ('Ganapati bestows whenever humbly genuinely prayed a wish' in Marathi) among devotees.

Sun..ready to set..in the Arabian Sea!!

If you were to visit a beach, then Juhu Beach is a spectacular coastline bustling with merry-makers that invite people of all ages. This is just regular crowd on a ordinary sunny day! Late August or early September, there is a magnificent celebration of Lord Ganesha's birthday. Maximum 10 days past the birthday, lakhs of people come to immerse the Ganesha idols on Juhu beach. The beach is overcrowded on those days. People from different parts of the world visit Mumbai, specially during the festivals like Kala Ghoda.

Shor in the city!