Planning the Goa- Mumbai trip

It is exciting to think of a trip, but planning it is quite a mundane job. All such labour intensive tasks are handled by Aari and she is pretty good at it. We have a new car- Zeita and with her we will be doing a drive, we have done many times before; the fabled Goa- Mumbai drive.  In summers we have driven from Goa to Mumbai in about 12 hours straight. But monsoons in India is a different tale altogether. The roads compete with the lunar landscape and drivers drive as if they have a death wish. Being the safety conscious travellers that we are, we have decided to complete the trip in 3 days. We will have 2 pit stops, which should cover all eventualities, contingencies and exigencies.

Aari is a meticulous planner and has a checklist manifesto. She has an exhaustive checklist, refined over a period of many years and drives. The checklist has become so comprehensive that there is an item called checklist in the checklist- so as not to forget to carry the checklist. Now that is what I call the epitome of comprehensiveness.

Above: Aari, preparing the fabled checklist...

Bookings are done- First pit stop at Hotel Maratha Regency at Kholapur- A distance of 200 Kms from our home. The next stop is Hotel Ginger at Pune, about 250 Kms from Kholapur and then finally to Vasai , 173 kms from Pune. We intend to do a relaxed drive, enjoying the monsoons and savouring the green-scapes on the way.   

An interesting development; Maratha regency says they can’t accept my reservation!! When I asked why, I was told that they accept only Indian customers and not foreign national’s!! Duh. When did I become a foreigner in India?? When I patiently explained that my nationality is and will be Indian, he seemed satisfied but still sceptical. I have been asked to prove my nationality when I check in, with Pan card, driver’s license and passport- later with an afterthought they wanted my voter’s ID too!!

We are excited about the trip!! Hope our reviews will help fellow travellers plan their trip too.