Arriving at the homestay I’d pre-booked, the first thing I did after dumping my luggage in my room was throw the French windows open, stand out in the balcony, and simply breathe. Lonavla is a town and hill station in Pune that I’d visited before. But you only truly appreciate the fact that it’s a hill station once you actually arrive.

The first time I’d come here, I had felt the same sense of jaw-dropping awe I felt now. But that time had been due to a business trip and was woefully short, where the only thing I did was arrive here and depart from here without so much as a look-around. However, the sight, the calm, and the beauty of the place struck me enough that time that, when I finally had time for a proper vacation, three-quarters of my brain kept demanding that I come back here.

And so I did.

The main activity I was looking forward to do here was the hot air ballooning. But first I wanted to see the other sights at my own pace. So, the first exploration stop I made was the Bhaja Caves, which made me feel like an explorer who’d just discovered an antique structure with history oozing out of the stone. The next place on my list was the Tiger Point, which is a wonderful place to enjoy the sunset. And finally before I would be going on my much-anticipated balloon ride, I visited the Celebrity Wax Museum, which was a great experience in and of itself.

The hot air balloon rides are a pretty famous attraction here, and I remember grinning at the colorful balloons that were little figures floating far away in the air when I’d come the last time too. But now, I planned to be one of the people inside that little figure in the air while others down below stared up at it.

Each person that would be flying the hot air balloon was an experienced flyer. And when it was finally time to rise, we were all safely inside and told what to expect and what the safety measures were. Then, after what seemed like forever, the weights were released and the balloon was lifted into the air – with us in it. We all swayed and clutched at anything to steady, the jerk of the balloon as it left the ground and flew up startling us in spite of being ready for it. And some of the group even looked a little terrified and queasy once we were up and the ground started getting farther away. Luckily, our guide and pilot started talking again cheerfully and did a remarkable job of putting everyone at ease. My excitement too died down to give way to a remarkably peaceful sense of being as we floated high above the ground.

The sight and the overall experience, is one I will never forget in my entire life, and I’d surely recommend everyone to visit this gorgeous destination at least!