Swinging time at Annapoorna Farm Karjat

It is advisable to take some board games and books to read in the evenings. Unlike at Saguna Baug, Neral and at Save Farm, Gholvad where there are farm tours and adventure activities, there is no such exciting stuff at Annapoorna Farm, Karjat. There are, though, non-adventurous fun things to do – swimming, boating, indoor games & swinging!

Swimming

The swimming pool is a really nice one, safe for both adults and kids alike. When you stand at the deeper end, you will realize that it is not deep at all as the water comes up only to about your chest level and in the shallow end of the pool it is at waist level. Nevertheless, do not allow kids into the pool alone as they can go underwater. You are allowed to get into the pool in your clothes, but it is advisable to take along a swimming costume for those who do know how to swim since clothes tend to prevent proper buoyancy. 

As per expert advice, you should keep about one hour gap between eating and swimming. Hence what we did was go in the morning at around 8a.m., spend an hour in the pool, then head to our room for a hot bath and have breakfast later, which is available between just after 9a.m. up to 10-10.30a.m. They do offer breakfast also in case you arrive a bit later too, after 11a.m. 

Another good time to get into the pool is in the evening, at around 4.30p.m. By this time, the sun will have heated up the water nicely and it feels really good, like a natural sauna! We liked it so much that we spent less time doing actual swimming and simply liked holding on to the wall with our back to it, and just standing or splashing with our feet in bicycle movements. My niece is an expert swimmer, having learned all the strokes so I told her that if at all I drowned, she could rescue me. She found it hilarious, since the pool is not deep at all as mentioned earlier. My swimming skills are not much to boast about at all. I did simply breast-stroke swimming, with her tutoring me how to complete the stroke properly. Once you get out of the pool, you tend to start shivering so make a quick dash to your room to have a bath. 

Tips and General Notes

1. The pool is located near the dining area, some distance from the cottage rooms. So if you are conscious of walking down to the pool in your swimming costume, take along a wrapper/bathrobe. Also, since you are likely to feel cold once you get out, if you do not have a bathrobe or wrapper, you could take along a large sized Turkish towel to wrap your self in.

2. There is no changing room/shower facility near the pool and the pool is an uncovered one.

3. The staff make it a point to keep the pool clean and use a net to fish out the dry leaves that get blown in. If there are too many leaves when you want to get in, you can request them to remove them.

4. Fresh water was put into the pool after 2 days use and thus you can be certain that the water is clean.

5. Please follow the rule of not eating or drinking near the pool. It is also best not to keep your personal possessions nearby (wallet, watch, smartphones) as when you splash around, the water goes over the edge onto the ground and your things will get wet. 

6. Please do not throw paper and plastic in the pool or spit or bathe with soap in it!

Boating
A round in a swan-shaped boat on the river Pej bordering the property will cost Rs.100/-. Life jackets are given for safety - please wear them as the river waters can be deep. If the river water is at a low level, boating will not be possible. 

Games

A large ordinary looking hall houses the indoor games: Table Tennis and carom. Outdoors you can  play badminton and cricket. The hall is large and airy with lots of fans with natural sunlight filtering in through the large windows. Lights are also there in case you want to play after sunset.

We were really delighted to see the hall and spent hours and hours playing TT with our nieces. We taught them how to play rounders, where we go round the table, each player hitting the ball once and then running to hit the next ball. It was hilarious, as quite often, in the quick dash, 3 of us would be at one side, the fourth still running to reach the other side and the ball bouncing off the table into space. At one point of time, we literally collapsed on the floor in spontaneous laughter and it was as though we had not laughed like that in months. So many thanks to the owners for providing this free facility and creating many fun-filled moments for us.

I had meant to take along the Frisbee we had at home but unfortunately forgot to do so. There is plenty of open space on the property to have enjoyed the game so do take a Frisbee along with you.

Swings

There is an area just off the gazebo-dining area where there is a circle of 6 swings. This is an excellent idea for family bonding. We each sat on one swing and had good long chats.

Just behind is also a swing attached to a branch of a large tree. However, this swing some might find difficult to use as it tends to tilt rather than remain flat. 

The best discovery was when I found a lengthy shoot hanging from the banyan tree. It

instantly brought back fond childhood memories of annual road trips to Goa, during which, on the way to Belgaum, my Dad would tell the driver to stop the car at a particular spot and give us a chance to swing from a cluster of banyan trees. I did the same here, at Annapoorna Farm, thrilled that I could swing back and forth like a normal child once again. 

So another thanks to the owners for, literally, a swinging time!

More useful resources:
1. Travelling to Annapoorna Farm

2. Arriving at Annapoorna Farm 

3. Review


4. Meals 

5. General Tips

6. Accommodation


7. Tariff & Contact details