(This is the last part of the Maharashtra tour series. You’ll find the links to all the other parts at the end of this post.)
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14
We reached Thane, the last leg of the tour, from Sainagar (Shirdi) around 4 am, pretty much on time.
We figured our way to the exit. As is the norm in most Indian railway stations, we were immediately approached by autorickshaw drivers offering us a ride to our destination.
At that hour, we didn't have many options. So, I told one of the drivers the hotel name and the location, and to be sure, showed him the Google Maps location as well. It was about 7 km away.
As I feared, the hotel gate was locked from the inside. So, I called the manager on my phone and got someone to open the gate.
After we checked in and freshened up, we took a nap and woke up quite hungry around 9 am.
Tea and biscuits
Assuming there would be restaurants nearby, I did not opt for a complimentary breakfast option while booking. Now, when I checked Google Maps, there weren’t any restaurants very close by. A couple of them that were not too far off would open only by 11 am.
We were left with asking the hotel reception staff to have tea and biscuits delivered to our room. That was all that was available!
Mysterious museum
Our Thane sojourn was just for a day. The only two engagements were meeting my teacher, Tekale Sir, who taught us General Knowledge and Sanskrit in school and also visiting the mysterious “Canon Museum”.
Sir’s family invited us for lunch, so we made use of the pre-lunch session to visit the museum, which had triggered a lot of curiosity in me while I was planning this entire Maharashtra trip a couple of months ago.
I have explained it all in the post Canon, Cannons, and AI
Here is a summary. While planning the trip, I was checking websites as well as AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, etc. Since I am interested in museums, I thought I would check if Thane had any museums.
A “Canon Museum” showed up. AI-triggered information was that it's a museum of cameras made by the camera manufacturer Canon.
There was also a link to the Google Maps location of that place. But when I checked on the Maps, it turned out that it was about cannons, as in artillery, and not cameras. There were photos put up by reviewers. Obviously, AI was misled by the wrong spelling. Even humans would have been.
So, I had decided that when I am in Thane, I will definitely visit this place to figure out what it was all about.
Finally at the museum
When we reached the place, about 5 km from the hotel, it didn’t look like the photos on Google Maps. There was a big gate that led to a vast paved ground. There were no signs of cannons nor Canon’s cameras.
We approached a watchman who was standing nearby and asked him about the museum. At first, he didn’t understand what we were referring to.
No sooner had I opened Google Maps and showed him the photos the reviewers had posted than he said we were indeed at the right place. He led us in through the gate, and we walked to the left of the ground, where the so-called museum was located.
We could see the artillery there. So it’s not about Canon cameras but cannons.
Place name change in Google Maps
I have made an edit to the name of the place in Google Maps, changing “Canon museum” to “Cannon museum”. But Google has yet to approve the change I suggested. It’s still under review. A small difference in spelling. But it makes a huge difference in meaning.
Not really a museum
It is a well-maintained place, full of different types of trees and plants. It is not exactly a museum. It is just a place where 12 historical cannons are mounted on two raised platforms.
A caretaker of the place told us that the entire area was once under water and that these weapons were discovered during land reclamation. However, no other information was available regarding the artillery.
There is a children's playground on the premises with equipment like climbers, slides, and a horizontal bar. The caretaker mentioned that from 5 PM until late evening, the place is filled with children playing.
Additionally, there is a small Hanuman temple. A board outside states that the temple is over 100 years old.
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| The Hanuman temple |
The entire area is by the side of a river, but the gate leading to it was closed.
It’s a place where one can spend time to relax and unwind. Since it was morning, we found just a few people there.
Back to school days
After spending around an hour there, we headed to my teacher’s house, where he stayed with his daughter and family. We were treated to a delicious Maharashtrian meal. We were meeting after about 30 years, at least.
We spent the afternoon reminiscing about our school days. We also reconnected with a couple of common friends. After tea and snacks, we went back to the hotel.
THURSDAY, MAY 15
Around 6 am, we took an Uber from the hotel to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, or CSMT (what was once called Victoria Terminus or VT). It took about an hour and we were at the station by 6.45 am well in time for the Udyan Express which would would leave at 8 am and reach Bengaluru at 6 am the next day.
Perfect start to retired life
It was a great trip, very fulfilling and enjoyable -- four places in10 days. I had fears of a heat wave ruining our outings. But mercifully, it wasn’t as hot as I expected.
We also had worries if the border conflict would escalate further. During the trip, we learned that it was indeed a valid fear because several tourist destinations were planning to shut down if there was an escalation.
Thankfully, everything went off well. It was the perfect start to the new phase of my life, when I would be free from the hectic office-bound routine, giving myself the luxury of a slow-paced life.
(Concluded)
Maharashtra tour 2025 series
