Deepak Jain

Pune to Dapoli Trip: Distance: 209 km (Approx) Route: Pune (Ravet) - Hinjewadi – Paud Road Toll – Pirangut – Mulshi – Tamhini Ghat – Nijampur – Mangoan – Ambet – Mandangad – Dapoli - Palande Day1: We started at 9 am from Pune. We wanted to stay near Palande beach. With one lunch break we reached Palande @3:30pm. As it was a sudden trip we did not pre-book hotel. We searched hotel for stay and was surprised that on Thursday also most of the hotels were booked or asking more than they worth. It was very hot outside (mid May). Finally we stayed at "Shree Ganesh Sai" and got sea view room and was comparetively cool. We had our evening snacks (tea n Poha) and enjoyed sunset at Palane beach. Enjoyed Jeep parasuit ride (500rs for 2 person). We went to Nisarg Restaurant which was 1 km away and had amazing Punjabi food. Benefit of taking sea side room was that we were on the beach when we wanted and can enjoy seaside cool breeze very late. Day2: We woke

Gram Sanskruti Udyan Location: It is located in Pashan.  Entry Fee:  50 rs for adults and 30 rs for children above 3 years for tickets. Time Duration: 1 to 1.5 hr. Experience: Gram Sanskruti Udyan is a unique park. There are numerous statues placed within the park displaying the lifestyle of different communities of rural India.  Kids of this generation can experience the life of their villages.  Various scenes in villages are portrayed here by statues.  The beauty lies in the statues. The expressions are aptly captured on the faces of statues as if they look real.  Beautifully carved statues showing the culture and heritage of Marathi culture. The area is huge which includes Village houses, Farm area, village markets, village schools, marriage halls, Patil House (Gram Pradhan), etc. It also has a section of wild animals. One improvement is that the boards are in Marathi. It would be helpful to outsiders if authority put boards in  Hindi and English also. Salute to