Today was the third and final day of this trip. All of us got up early to get ready and complete our visit to Pedka Fort before it got too hot. We walked through the farms towards the fort.
It looked simple when we started, but it took longer to reach the top than I had initially anticipated.
We visited the temples on top and spent some time there enjoying the view and taking some fun group photos.
We visited the small lake on our way down, and the hike back was much quicker.
Our group leader had stayed behind and prepared breakfast for us, which was the portion of the khichadi we had set aside yesterday. Everyone was hungry after the morning hike and enjoyed the breakfast. The vehicle that was supposed to pick us up was due to arrive soon, so everyone quickly packed and got ready to leave. We planned on visiting the backwaters of a dam for a quick swim, so we set aside a change of clothes for afterwards. We thanked our host family and were soon on our way.
Initially everyone was eager to visit the dam backwaters, but seeing the harsh sun and heat outside, the initial enthusiasm dropped and we eventually decided to skip that and head back home. Our vehicle dropped us off, and as we unloaded the bags, another driver approached us and asked where we wanted to go. He said he would only drop us near the main bus stand and not at the stand itself, so negotiations fell through. Just then, someone from our group spotted an E-Shivai bus heading to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. All of us quickly boarded. The bus didn’t have many passengers, so we were able to spread out comfortably. We ate the bananas we had bought earlier and relaxed in the air conditioning. The bus had USB charging ports at each seat, making the rest of the ride smooth and uneventful. We caught a glimpse of Devgiri (Daulatabad) Fort and Bhangshi Mata Gad along the way.
Once we reached the main bus stand, our group leader and a few others stood in line to buy tickets to Pune. We managed to get 14 of the last 15 seats on a bus that was already there and waiting to depart. We quickly got in and were on our way to Pune. We stopped before Ahilyanagar for lunch and then continued onwards.
As we approached Pune, we started discussing the best way for each of us to get home—whether to get off along the route or stay until the final stop. Eventually, 10 of the 14 of us decided to get down at Ramwadi and take the metro from there. A few of us got off at Civil Court station to change lines, and I got off at the next stop, Pune Municipal Corporation, while the others continued on. As I walked down the stairs from the metro station, I saw that the bus heading towards my home was waiting right there, so I hopped on and reached home without any hassle.
I thoroughly enjoyed the three days spent exploring the forts in the khandesh and marathwada regions of Maharashtra with a wonderful group of people, thanks to Trinity Adventure!