Our camping journey began in 2016, when we researched the internet and found a spot at Pawana lake, a location near Lonavla. Anxious about how my four-year-old son and a year-old daughter would take this trip, my husband and I decided to load our car with camping gear, mosquito repellents and hit the road. Pawana is a beautiful lake surrounded by greenery on all sides. On reaching the site, we found that our hosts had pitched our tents, marinated our snacks and the barbeque fire was ready with a dinner platter, finely arranged. We had nothing to do, but soak in the ambience. As the weather was pleasant, we enjoyed every bit of our evening. Our children were well rooted and comfortable with everything around them. We resolved to undertake many more camping trips with this wonderful experience. On our return to Mumbai, we rushed to the nearest sports store and bought a spacious tent for our family. Having thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors, we were hungry for more. Now, that we had some idea of how to go about camping, it was time for us to make memories. We decided not to go to campsites that were commercialized. Mario, my husband, would recce different areas during the week and find camping spots in sanctuaries or hilly regions close to Mumbai. On our first trip by ourselves, we decided to camp at a wildlife sanctuary an hour and half away from Mumbai.

We prepared a checklist to pack our camping necessities that included tents, sleeping bags, wood, coal, barbeque stand, lighting and the like. We took off after lunch and reached the site by early evening. Once our tents were pitched, we began to light firewood and coal to start the barbeque with marinated starters, non- vegetarian and vegetarian. All this while, we enjoyed a lovely sing song session, lying on mats and stargazing. Our children seemed to revel in this without any tantrums. They were actively involved in roasting marshmallows and helping wherever necessary. Our evening was filled with laughter, music and dancing. At night, before heading to bed, we accompanied the villagers who came to catch crabs by the river and went spear fishing. We were in awe of their skills.

Our night was filled with the symphony of insects, crackling wood and our voices.

At a campsite, nature wakes you up early. The warmth of the sun, the chirping of the birds, the mist over the lake was all too appealing to squander time lying tucked in. Our children got up early and took a dip in the lake. The morning was spent in the water, while we went about putting together the breakfast. By early afternoon, having snacked lightly, we packed our tents and were ready to leave. For us, as a family that loves camping, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t dim our spirits. We continued to explore mountains and sanctuaries while being socially distanced from the rest of our friends. The lockdown helped us escape into the wilderness and experience a calm while the whole world was in chaos. Lack of any outdoor activity was very stressful for many families. Camping saved us and kept us sane.

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