Last week I took a road trip to Kolhapur for WordCamp Kolhapur 2.0 – here’s how it went down
Day 1: The Road Trip
Sharvin, Yash, and I picked up Anand and Gajendra straight from the airport and hit the road to Kolhapur. Six hours of driving lay ahead, and I was bracing myself for Pune’s notorious traffic. But luck was on our side – we sailed through without any major slowdowns.
The entire drive turned into one long conversation about WordCamp Asia – swapping stories from previous years and getting hyped about what’s coming. Can’t spill all those details here, but I will say this: I’m already counting down to WordCamp Rajasthan in September 2026.
We stopped for tea once, then again in Karad for dinner. That’s where we recorded our answers to Sharvin’s question: “What should first-timers expect at WordCamp?” You can catch those videos on the WPoets TV channel.
Sharvin dropped us at the hotel around 11:30 PM. Before heading to our rooms, we made plans to meet at 6:30 AM the next morning for darshan at the Shree Ambabai temple. Yeah, I know – ambitious.
Day 2: Temple Runs and WordPress Talks
Me and Yash were downstairs at 6:30 AM, ready to go. Anand… took his time. We finally left at 6:45. A quick auto ride got us to Ambabai temple, and here’s where our luck kicked in again – the morning queue was surprisingly short. We finished darshan by 7:40 AM.
Someone warned us that the famous Misal runs out by 10 AM on weekends, so we went straight for breakfast. The Misal was worth the rush, and we followed it up with a glass of Solkadhi – perfectly refreshing after that spicy kick.
Back at the hotel, we waited for Lokesh to join us before heading to DYPSEM, the WordCamp venue where the student workshops were happening. We spent a solid hour with Prof (Dr)Ajit Patil discussing the WordPress Credits program and Student Club initiative. During the break, we grabbed vadapav and sandwiches, squeezed in a photo op, then headed out for lunch.
Lunch was at Dehati – a proper thali with the famous tambda and pandhra rassa. It was massive. Properly stuffed, we dragged ourselves to the New Palace Museum for what turned out to be a fascinating history walk. Learned about the Satara Gadi and Karveer Gadi – definitely worth the food coma.
Post-museum, we went shopping for Kolhapuri chappals (when in Rome…), then wrapped up the day with the pre-event networking dinner.
Day 3: WordCamp Day
Conference day! I was the 152nd person to pick up my badge. They guided us to breakfast where I had poha and halwa – weird combo, honestly, but I went with it.
Makrand kicked things off with opening remarks in the networking area, welcomed everyone, and walked us through the day’s schedule. Then people scattered to the talks, and I… went rogue. Started my own hallway track, chatting with organizers, volunteers, and sponsors.
I meant to catch 2-3 sessions. I really did. But I completely lost track of time talking to people, and before I knew it, it was lunch. After eating, I prepped for the “WordPress in the AI Era” panel I was moderating. The panel went well, followed by closing remarks where we invited everyone to WordCamp Pune and WordCamp Asia.
The after-party was a blast. We finally called it a night, but with interesting plans brewing for the next day.
Day 4: Birds, Temples, and Barfi
6:20 AM. Downstairs. Again. (I’m sensing a pattern here.)
Suhas and Markand picked me, Lokesh and Yash up for a trip to Tabak Udyan in Panhala Fort for some early morning birdwatching. While everyone else was spotting birds, I went full photographer mode on the flowers and clicked a bunch of photos. Around 9, we decided to visit Jyotiba temple. Post-darshan, we stopped on the way back to grab some incredible barfi.
Hotel checkout, one final Misal lunch (because you can never have too much Misal), and we hit the road back to Pune. This time the conversation topic was games. We made quick stops for kandi peda and later for chai and vada pav – the essential road trip fuel.
P.S. WordCamp Pune 2026 is happening on 8th February, join us.