Farmhouse experience at Camp Temgarh Mulshi near Lavasa

If you would like to visit a nature's place like Lavasa, Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani or Matheran but not as crowded, Camp Temgarh could be right destination near Mulshi. Prior to visit I did not have a high expectation from this place. Camp Temgarh is truly an experience amidst the nature with overwhelming hospitality which is as par with Taj Group of hotels (like my last Kumarakom Kerala trip). I had an awesome outing with Chanchal, Dilip, Sanjay, Satyajit and Sunil. We all friends enjoyed each other's company like we used to enjoy during our engineering days. It was a nice decision that we chose Camp Temgarh for one day stay. 

CAMP TEMGARH: Lavasa Road, Mulshi Taluka, Pune Maharashtra - 411032

Directions to Camp Temgarh - The best thing is that the place is not far from Pune. From Chandni Chowk on your way to Lavasa, cross Mutha Gaon and then Kharawade gaon. 1.5kms from Kharawade on the right is a blue bus stop with Ananda Ashram board. Turn left from the bus stop, go straight for 600 mtrs and turn right. Exactly 800mtrs from here on the right is Camp Temgarh.

We booked bungalow (Rajan's bungalow), for which Camp Temgarh is known among nearby villagers. Though there are cottages and Swiss tents for stay as well. This farmhouse is spread across huge resort campus. We reached there in the evening. Though high-tea time was over, but on request we get ginger tea (adarak vali chai). There is a gazebo which has unique experience during the day as well as night. Evenings are for old movies – hook up the projector in the gazebo. 

This farmhouse is perfect place for celebrating a relaxed bonfire, food, antakshari and dance. Guess what, we had all together under clear sky, and on a full moon night. Chanchal did great job bringing speaker. We had full house game and Teen Patti all night. At this moment, none win or lose as all 500 & 1000 notes were ban through out. In the morning, Beautiful views and surroundings overwhelmed us. We also had small trek to riverside, and loved the morning dew and soothing breeze. We observed many holes (could be of snakes, rats or any other animal) on our trek, so be in shoes and don't leave children alone. I captured the sunrise and many other pictures during my stay. 

We met many friendly people with high quality service, food and atmosphere at CT. All our requests were fulfilled within time. Mahavir and his team are just amazing, they make sure that our stay be comfortable and memorable. I would say - Rajan! keep them, these friendly people are your strength. Tasty fresh food is big big plus at CT. They also have mineral water all the time freely available. They also have refrigerator in the Gazebo to chill beverages. It was surprising to see over-friendly dogs, with whom we play for few time (specially Satya & Sanjay). CT also have facility for multiple options of games as soccer/basketball/volleyball/TT/snooker/badminton, and trampoline for children. We also played as per our choice as we had few in our own kit as well. Biking, Fishing and bird-watching can also be enjoyed here. Good to see dustbins around the farmhouse to dump all the waste. If you are visiting this place during monsoon, don't forget to carry raincoats, umbrellas, good quality shoes, and lights/torch for night. What I feel that rooms can be managed in a better way in bungalow. 

The place is very well maintained and truly fit for family and friends of all age and groups. Great place to celebrate small team events. Only note, this could feel like a haunted place, if visiting on weekday alone or as a couple, unless someone has craze to explore haunted place. But place is quite safe, clean, and surrounded by nature at its best. We will love to visit it again.

After checkout we spent few time at Temghar Dam and then back to Pune. 

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Biggest and Brightest SuperMoon Experiments

I was quite excited on children's day 14 November. The moon was at its biggest & brightest in the sky after 68 years (since 1948). The moon was closer to Earth than usual on its orbit and the side facing us was fully illuminated by the sun. For anyone who doesn’t get a chance to see it, here is a stunning photo of the supermoon. I have shot the Full SuperMoon with my NIKON D5100 (55-300 mm lens). These photographs are taken from Wagholi, Pune area. For more truly striking photo, you should drive a little out of the city so there’s less light pollution to contend with. (unless you are living in the middle of the desert in which case you'll have the best view) SHARE if you LIKE. You may have these as your desktop wallpaper. 

Supermoon Photography camera settings (How to Take a Non-Crappy Picture of the Moon):

Aperture: Set your aperture to f/11. 

Shutter Speed: Set your shutter speed to 1/125 on cameras with base ISO 100, and to 1/250 on Nikon DSLRs with base ISO 200. 

Lens Focus: Set your lens to manual focus (either through a switch on the lens or on the camera) and set your focus to infinity.

As per various sources, this (so bright & closest) won’t happen again for 18 years. But there’s another super moon on December 14, 2016 which coincides with the Geminid meteor shower.

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