Goa- Vasai via Pune

Goa to Vasai, can be reached via 2 highways, the undulating scenic NH 17 or the much faster,safer but less scenic NH 4- we preferred the latter. The distance can be safely completed in a day, however, we decided to halt at Pune, so that, we could arrive fresh at our destination for various reasons.

We started at 6 AM, and the drive from Mapusa to Banda, on the newly paved and widened NH-17 is a pleasure. 

Just after Banda, we took a turn towards Sawantwadi, although, a similar turn can be taken much later at Kumbharli, that one for another day.

The Drive from Banda until Sawantwadi was on SH 121 which was quite good- narrow roads, but hardly any potholes. 

The roads are flanked by trees for most of the section on SH 121 creating quite a pleasing canopy of greenery. After Sawantwadi, starts the Amboli ghat, whose bends, turns and loops are a pleasure to drive on- especially, with one side overlooking a scenic landscape. This time we had no luck with the monkeys,  didn't spot any, else, we always do stop for a while to spend time with some adorable Macaques.

On the Amboli Ghats, approximately, a ten kilometer section at the peak is quite bad, filled with potholes. This was the only bad section of our drive. 

At Ajara, we stopped for breakfast at Hotel Minerva. There are many boards on the road indicating the variable distances to Minerva. Our breakfast which comprised of masala dosa was truly lip-smacking. Below, the lovely ambiance of Minerva.

Once we reached Nipani, it was NH4 all the way until Pune. Work is in progress at some sections of Satara. Black smoke spewing, buses and trucks litter this other wise awesome road.

At Pune, we stayed at Hotel VITS which is located off the highway. The hotel is nice with a tasty spread of food that is reasonably priced.

Above a view of the VITS. Below, Aari enjoying lip smacking dinner and dessert. For Aari, the desserts were a let down, specially, the chum chum (the food connoisseur that she is), for me, though, they all tasted the same- Sweet!

At about 9am, we set off from VITS to Vasai. The drive was uneventful, except for a new development at the Vasai creek. There are two bridges that connects Mumbai to Vasai, carrying traffic in opposite directions. One of these bridges is under repairs, hence, traffic being allowed only in one direction at a time on the other bridge. The waiting period is roughly about 20 minutes, for either sides.  

Below, the final leg of our uneventful journey.

That's all folks, thank you!

Day 2- Kolhapur to Pune via waterfall country.

We started our day from Maratha Regency at about 9AM. The security personnel at the hotel offered Aari a flower just before departure.  The next pit stop of Pune was only 250 kms away or about 4 hours’ drive. We decided impromptu to take a detour and explore a place called Warandh Ghat. After checking out from our hotel, we quickly joined the NH4 and headed towards Pune. 

About 185 Kms from Kolhapur, we took a detour on the road that leads to Mahad. The road until this detour is very good, a couple of toll booths were the only time the brakes were used (figuratively speaking).  We planned to drive about 66 Kms on this road, that heads towards Mahad. The road itself is filled with many small craters but the hills around are simply breath-taking.

We drove, enjoying the waterfalls that were littered all along the drive. We stopped at some of them to wet our feet and for some photo shoots. 

Once we reached the ghat, we stopped there for a breath-taking  scene. It then started to rain, and it rained very heavily- the rain was so heavy, that Aari categorised it as raining cats dogs and monkeys. As we retuned back, the heavy downpour continued and we spotted many new waterfalls too. It was a truly romantic drive in all sense. 

We returned back to NH 4 after a 4 hours scenic drive . NH4 from Satara all the way until Pune is filled with diversions. Flyover construction work is in progress and these diversions are in pretty bad shape. We counted about 6 diversions until Pune, but thankfully we did not lose much time here. 

We reached Hotel Ginger at Pimpri at about 7 PM, and had a relaxing sleep after a truly wonderful buffet dinner. 

A small glimpse of the drive in the ghats, with impromptu commentary by Aari.

Map of day 2 drive.

Day 1 - Goa to Kolhapur

We started our drive at 7 in the morning; luggage was loaded the previous day itself. Three minutes into the drive, we got a call from home that one bag was left back! Despite all the checklists we somehow manage to goof up. The roads of Goa, though narrow are smoother than most Indian roads and at 7 in the morning they are ruled by the cattle.

It was a lovely drive on NH 17, all the way until Sawantwadi. Once we reached this sleepy town, we halted for breakfast at a restaurant called ‘Mango 2’. I remembered that this restaurant was once called Vithal Kamath, even as early as five months ago. On asking the waiter, he said that the management was changed three months ago. The food was good, but the restrooms were dirty as ever. Vithal Kamath’s maintain clean restrooms, a service provided by very few Indian restaurant’s. 

From Sawantwadi until Nipani, is all state highway. The roads all the way until Nipani were good, a few potholes here and there do exist, but nothing that Zeita could not handle.  The high point of this section is a small ghat at Sindhurg. We stopped there for about 45 minutes, ate a hot roasted corn cob. Though it was not the freshest, like anything hot that tastes awesome on a cold day, this corn too tasted top notch!

The place has a lot of monkeys, and it was fun watching and learning a few monkey tricks and teaching the monkey’s a few of our own.  There is a waterfall here, with steps leading up in it and if you are the one who loves to take risks and don’t mind breaking a few bones, then a walk up the stairs is not a bad idea. The water will not only drench you, but can even throw you off your feet.

 

This monkey had a few tricks up his simian sleeve- eating bread and relieving himself was one among them.

Highway patrol.

A part of this state highway is in Karnataka, while the majority section lies within Maharashtra. The last time we were here, in March of this year, the Karnataka section was cobble stones and rubble; it was as bad as it could get. Now however the road is as smooth as a road should be, better than most of the highways in fact. It was a pleasure to glide along the road, with lush green enveloping you from all sides.

 Aari keeping a close watch on me- lest that I wander and get lost!

After Nipani, it is NH 4, also called the Pune-Bangalore highway. The road until Kolhapur is in great shape, and on a weekday sparsely populated by traffic. We reached Kolhapur by 0130 PM, and my GPS navigator, showed the way right up to the hotel. But I could not find it, and went about randomly driving in the crowded Kolhapur market, to be led right back to the same location after about 1 hour of hectic manoeuvring. This time I was wise enough to make enquiries with the locals, who kindly directed me there.  

A few reluctant goats, who felt they had the same right of way as Zeita! 

NH4 - Until Kolhapur is somewhat like this- despite the monsoons.

Road signage, taken over by moss.  

Some of the many waterfalls that dotted the route 

Hmmm...looks like me !

The hotel reception greeted me warmly, and I managed to prove my Indian citizenship (see yesterday’s post for the full story) beyond doubt, now they wanted to prove that Aari and I were married!! Amazingly, Aari carries a copy of our marriage certificate and producing it palliated any doubts, that I had randomly picked Aari from somewhere off the road.  We went to our rooms, freshened up and headed to the restaurant for lunch. The lady at the reception questioned if we were heading for breakfast. I looked at her and wondered if people of Kolhapur eat their breakfast at 3PM. I politely replied that we were heading for lunch.  We had a lovely lunch, and spent the rest of the day in our room, planning our future endeavours. 

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.