About 17 years ago, Akash, Sameer and Sid set out on a little road trip to Goa. Little perhaps did they know that their sojourn would become the stuff of dreams for every young Indian. Time to play hero, then.
It was three in the morning on the 5th of April. The parents hadn't woken up, sleep wouldn't come, and one pretty face simply refused to leave my head. The plan was to leave home by 3 and reach Goa by about 1pm, or that's what Google aunty estimated. Unlike the swanky Merc SL300 that the Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) trio drove for their road trip, I was about to do the 600km run in my trusty little 47hp, Alto. Please don't tell my parents that I took the Alto. They'll faint. They'll also wonder how I made it back alive without a single scratch on the little hatchback.My dad had serious doubts about the Alto making it half-way to Goa. I, however, was confident that my little tin box, with its monumental fuel-efficiency figures and power output of a lawn-mower (power output of a fly with the AC turned on), would pass with flying colours. Aha! Let's go in THE Alto! Thank you Maruti.
So, yeah, I managed to sneak out. Just about. Because just as I tip-toed up to my door in all my hubris thinking "Yes, I'm about to get out undetected", I hear my mom. "Where do you think you're going, little fellow?". I froze and muttered I don't know... "To get some bananas for the trip? Okay, bye mom, see you on Sunday!" And I darted for the door, with my mom's "Drive carefully!" floating somewhere in my slip-stream.
This was going to be a solo run for the next 10 hours or so. I tanked up my lucky little machine and hit the road. Okay, for those planning a DCH trip of their own, it's pretty simple. Head out of Bombay on the Pune Expressway, and simply merge into NH48. It's a no-brainer. After the fourth toll on NH48, continue for about 25km and take a right. Soon, you'll hit Amboli Ghat, which is an absolute treat for anyone who loves a set of switchbacks. Because Amboli Ghat is left, after right, after left, after right, after a harder left, followed by a harder right, and WALLAH HABIBI! You're in Goa! This is if you have an older brother, a gang of friends and the most gorgeous woman on the planet waiting for you in Goa. That means you really want to get there as fast as possible.
If you have more time to spare, head down the Ratnagiri route. A close senior of mine says that's a lot more scenic, although NH48 is the easier one to drive. However, I didn't. And so the Bombay-Pune Expressway-NH48 route it was.
The stretch till Pune was familiar, of course, and by 6:30, it was done and dusted. I was only disheartened to know that the McDonalds en route wouldn't open early in the morning. My double dark hot chocolate *tears*. I had bananas on board, and so, I simply decided to chuck food stops after the disappointing halt at McD. Thankfully, the sprawling roads meant that I could make good time, and I only halted to prevent paralysis of my spine (don't try this at home). I maintained the speedo at 100, because if I went any faster, the universe would shiver and the steering would turn into cake. By some stroke of luck, I'd sorted my playlist, and the internet never failed, so the miles flew by without a fuss. Then came the Amboli Ghat.
The most humbling feeling in the world is to realise that you are average at something. Yes, we like to consider ourselves "above average", but think of this. If everyone's above average, who the fuck is AVERAGE? Now, my driving skill has been the butt of many jokes in the past. It kind of hurt initially, but I stayed at it. So, the universe has magically kept me from running over all the pedestrians and bikers on the road. But if you drive a Dzire, a WagonR or any of the Ola-Uber cars, I swear I'll run you over on purpose. Goodness, these blokes have ZERO, absolutely ZERO road sense. Okay, back to Amboli Ghat. Wow, what a section of road! It's a proper joy ride! The Alto skidded and slid around some of the harder turns, and if I were to have someone riding shotgun, motion sickness would have raised its ugly head. So yeah, drive solo on Amboli Ghat. And boy, the scenery!
It was three in the morning on the 5th of April. The parents hadn't woken up, sleep wouldn't come, and one pretty face simply refused to leave my head. The plan was to leave home by 3 and reach Goa by about 1pm, or that's what Google aunty estimated. Unlike the swanky Merc SL300 that the Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) trio drove for their road trip, I was about to do the 600km run in my trusty little 47hp, Alto. Please don't tell my parents that I took the Alto. They'll faint. They'll also wonder how I made it back alive without a single scratch on the little hatchback.My dad had serious doubts about the Alto making it half-way to Goa. I, however, was confident that my little tin box, with its monumental fuel-efficiency figures and power output of a lawn-mower (power output of a fly with the AC turned on), would pass with flying colours. Aha! Let's go in THE Alto! Thank you Maruti.
So, yeah, I managed to sneak out. Just about. Because just as I tip-toed up to my door in all my hubris thinking "Yes, I'm about to get out undetected", I hear my mom. "Where do you think you're going, little fellow?". I froze and muttered I don't know... "To get some bananas for the trip? Okay, bye mom, see you on Sunday!" And I darted for the door, with my mom's "Drive carefully!" floating somewhere in my slip-stream.
This was going to be a solo run for the next 10 hours or so. I tanked up my lucky little machine and hit the road. Okay, for those planning a DCH trip of their own, it's pretty simple. Head out of Bombay on the Pune Expressway, and simply merge into NH48. It's a no-brainer. After the fourth toll on NH48, continue for about 25km and take a right. Soon, you'll hit Amboli Ghat, which is an absolute treat for anyone who loves a set of switchbacks. Because Amboli Ghat is left, after right, after left, after right, after a harder left, followed by a harder right, and WALLAH HABIBI! You're in Goa! This is if you have an older brother, a gang of friends and the most gorgeous woman on the planet waiting for you in Goa. That means you really want to get there as fast as possible.
If you have more time to spare, head down the Ratnagiri route. A close senior of mine says that's a lot more scenic, although NH48 is the easier one to drive. However, I didn't. And so the Bombay-Pune Expressway-NH48 route it was.
The stretch till Pune was familiar, of course, and by 6:30, it was done and dusted. I was only disheartened to know that the McDonalds en route wouldn't open early in the morning. My double dark hot chocolate *tears*. I had bananas on board, and so, I simply decided to chuck food stops after the disappointing halt at McD. Thankfully, the sprawling roads meant that I could make good time, and I only halted to prevent paralysis of my spine (don't try this at home). I maintained the speedo at 100, because if I went any faster, the universe would shiver and the steering would turn into cake. By some stroke of luck, I'd sorted my playlist, and the internet never failed, so the miles flew by without a fuss. Then came the Amboli Ghat.
The most humbling feeling in the world is to realise that you are average at something. Yes, we like to consider ourselves "above average", but think of this. If everyone's above average, who the fuck is AVERAGE? Now, my driving skill has been the butt of many jokes in the past. It kind of hurt initially, but I stayed at it. So, the universe has magically kept me from running over all the pedestrians and bikers on the road. But if you drive a Dzire, a WagonR or any of the Ola-Uber cars, I swear I'll run you over on purpose. Goodness, these blokes have ZERO, absolutely ZERO road sense. Okay, back to Amboli Ghat. Wow, what a section of road! It's a proper joy ride! The Alto skidded and slid around some of the harder turns, and if I were to have someone riding shotgun, motion sickness would have raised its ugly head. So yeah, drive solo on Amboli Ghat. And boy, the scenery!
The roads, however, are narrow, and I was just lucky to get this shot. Yes, I had to turn around and park on the other side.
Goa is a stone's throw from here. That's because I remember taking this shot at about 1pm. By 2, I was at my resort in Morjim, raring to meet my buddy, Deepak. God, hugging the bugger felt good. As I previously mentioned, he's the ONE reason that made this trip possible. In fact, the background of this little drive to Goa lies in December of 2016, when I skipped town on a whim. Had Deepak not been there then, I'd probably have headed straight to a madhouse. So here's to friends who come to your rescue.
Goa is a stone's throw from here. That's because I remember taking this shot at about 1pm. By 2, I was at my resort in Morjim, raring to meet my buddy, Deepak. God, hugging the bugger felt good. As I previously mentioned, he's the ONE reason that made this trip possible. In fact, the background of this little drive to Goa lies in December of 2016, when I skipped town on a whim. Had Deepak not been there then, I'd probably have headed straight to a madhouse. So here's to friends who come to your rescue.
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| That's Deepak on the left. (PC: Geetus) |
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| That's Deepak getting rogered by his wife, Namita. That happens often. (PC: Geetus) |
As for the rest of the mad gang, I'd have to wait another agonising 14 hours. But with this scenery greeting me, there was little I could complain about.....
Here's Part 1 and Part 3
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