The Streets of Mahabaleshwar

The actual "town" of Mahabaleshwar consists of two streets. Literally. All the shops are on those streets, as well as hotels and religious buildings. The place is largely known for a vacation spot where people can go out and hike up trails in the mountains, as we were doing. It is also known, as I found out after arriving, as a site for Hindu religious pilgrimage.

In the commerce realm, the town of Mahabaleshwar is largely known for producing honey and jam, and half the shops seem to sell only these two things. This place is especially known for its strawberry and mullberry jams, since those two berries grow in the area. I bought some mullberries to try from the man pictured above, and they were good. They had a fairly generic berry taste, and were probably closest to blackberries in flavor.

The picture above is a collection of typical Mahabaleshwar jarred goods that we purchased to eat on slices of bread for breakfast before walking around on the mountainside. The jars are (from the left) raspberry jam, gulkand (sweetened rose petals), and mixed spicy pickled fruits with garlic.

We also visited a store where they sold these candies. The gum in the green jar is called "Chloro-mint" with the subtitle "functional gum." The orange-colored Mentos are mango-flavored.

We also walked passed "New India Boot House," most notable for its lack of boots.

There were also a few of the obligatory unowned cows wandering along the street.