Trains, Stars and more at Amreena Farmhouse Avalas village Karjat

There are some very unique things to do when staying at Amreena Farmhouse, Karjat. No, there is no farm where you can walk around. And no, there’s no swimming pool to dive into. Yes, those who constantly want something to do may get bored easily. Yet, you don’t need to say, "There’s nothing to do here!" This is the place to be for a number of reasons, other than for enjoying delicious food…

Have you seen dew drops?

Have you scurried to take photos of trains before they disappeared from sight?

Have you heard the laughter of little children?

Have you fallen asleep in the light of a crescent moon, counting stars?

The above are rare in a city. You’ll find them during your stay at Amreena Farmhouse, Karjat. Then there is the excitement of chasing a butterfly, trying to capture it in your photo frame, and trying to be very, very quiet while you get a video of that bird with a splash of red on its belly, and be quick enough to catch some unusual patterns made by shadows…

Let’s begin with the trains

Throughout your stay and no matter where you are on the premises, you just cannot miss the sound of the train’s whistle. This is because Amreena farmhouse is within approximately 25 minutes of walking distance from the train tracks of the Palasdhari railway station. It can be a bit disturbing at night, but one can get used to it. I was as excited as a little child, trying to spot the train from over the boundary wall before it rushed past out of view. In fact, you can see the colour of the train’s coaches as well. Here’s a tip- the best spot to catch a clear view of the entire train is between the two lounge chairs in the garden, and if you are not tall, stand on the round base of the umbrella that provides shade to the chairs. You can zoom in through your camera and click photos as well as videos, like this one taken from that strategic point-

Another way to get a train in the camera frame is to head out, turn left from the gate, and keep walking straight right up to where the tracks are. Here's a video taken from there-

Speaking of walking, it is quite pleasant to walk down the road, with plenty of trees, including a few flowering ones. You may also get excited like me to spot a bird.

There’s a narrow, bubbling rivulet of water beneath a small bridge along the way-

You can get a better photo of the mountain range on your walk, as from the house it is hazy. On the return walk back, you may encounter a few talkative feathered friends-

Back to the house…in the morning at around 8 a.m. it was still a little chilly, but it felt good to be enveloped with the warm sunshine a little later and as we stepped out, feel the dew beneath bare feet and see the patterns of dew drops on the blue background of the lounge chairs-

There are quite a few bird-spotting occasions and no matter that you are not an ornithologist and cannot identify them, just enjoy their sights and sounds. I missed catching a white and grey one on my phone when it perched on the porch edge but got two others, including one industriously pulling at twigs for building its home.

During our stay, we also often heard little children running around, playing joyful games, and heard their giggles, something that city kids you will rarely see doing, immersed, instead, in gadgets. Say "Hello!" to the kids, and you’ll get sunny smiles with a return hello!

Talking of games, it felt good to have long rallies of badminton (an extra pair of racquets please when we come next so that a doubles game can be enjoyed too), and we played a few games of carrom after decades!

There is the opportunity to perfect the art of precise throws at a Dartboard, frisbee, and board games like chess and ludo, too, to get those brains and muscles used for non-tech activities.

Watch other winged wonders-

Observe the fascinating play of light & shadows-

Triangles of light create beautiful shadows

Catch slivers of sunbeams-

Diagonal sunbeams below the trees

And if you’re still bored after all that, play a little treasure hunt game. Find these-

The pink flamingo (not sure if that is the correct species)

The Lord Ganesha idol

The unusual location of the name of the Farmhouse 

As I said, while Amreena Farmhouse can be seen as a no-activity place for some, for me there are ways to discover what you can and will enjoy. It’s all about perspectives!

Which patterns do you see here- it's your perspective!

As for the stars and the crescent moon mentioned at the beginning - discover that magical moment for yourself at night! Here's a useful route guide through photos to Amreena Farmhouse, Karjat.