Day 37: Goa to Panchgani

Leaving Goa

Had breakfast and checked out of the hotel.

The next destination was Panchgani: the same place I had stayed on the way down south. Returning to a familiar stop felt different this time. The direction had changed, and so had the journey.

Took the route via Malkapur, Narayanwadi, Karad, Satara, and Wai. A quieter road through the Maharashtra countryside, away from the expressway.

On the Road Again

The drive was steady.

Stopped a few times along the way for food and short breaks. Nothing rushed, nothing forced. Just the usual rhythm of covering distance.

The landscape gradually shifted from coastal greens to the more familiar terrain of Maharashtra’s interiors.

Arrival in Panchgani

Reached Panchgani around 5 PM.

Checked into the same hotel.

The same hotel, the same caretakers Niranjan  and Tyson at the gate, older by five weeks and no less enthusiastic about arrivals. The hills were the same too.

There was a quiet familiarity in returning to a place already seen. The room, the surroundings, the air - all known, yet carrying a different feeling now that the journey was on its way back.

Stayed in for the night.