Saturday, August 29, 2009

Country Roads.. Take Me Home...



A collage of beautiful roads on the way from Pune to Goa... the 4 laned superbly maintained NH4 from Pune gives way to the tree-lined road to Ajra and Amboli, where the mist-laden ghats lead you down into Konkan. A short cut to Banda gets really narrow and exciting, cutting out 15-20 kms and the town of Sawantwadi, getting you to Goa half an hour before schedule!

4 comments:

Harsha Kumar said...

Beautiful pictures.. And you were driving, right? That has to be the best feeling. I would love to drive on such roads, windows rolled down, cool wind in my hair, soft music in my ears.. and just be at peace :)
And if I'm not driving, I would like to be left alone! With a camera and some music :)
You know when I see such serene pictures, it reminds me of the time when our team went on a trip to Goa and we visited your place. It was pouring like hell that evening. But the feeling of sitting on that big chair in that dimly lit varanda, trees swaying with the wind and the sound of rain drops.. Amazing! Wish I had a book to read, a blanket to wrap around a hot mug of coffee :)

Ray said...

Aah nothing like the pleasures of travel in India. I love it. Your description almost made me book a ticket and fly down to India. The first part is done, wonder if I can make it to these beautiful surroundings now.

@Harsha : Nice. We have a romantic author in our midst.

Siddhesh said...

Konkan really is an amazing place for a road trip. The roads are fantastic for the most part, something we need to thank Narayan Rane for. They meander through undulating hills, providing such a fantastic experience.

Some of our expressways also are top class now. Driving on NH4, for example - with a complete separation of the two directions, it's become hugely safe now, and the beautiful tree-lined, shrubbed dividers are so pleasant to the eye!

Ray said...

Haven't been on the NH4. The only highway I have traveled in the Konkan region is the NH 17(Mum-Goa), and although it was free of potholes, it was very narrow. And since the journey was at night, we could not even appreciate the beauty. But as we know, highways in India have come a long way, with my last visit to Gujarat being a revelation. The Delhi-Gurgaon expressway also blew me away. I could not believe I was in India. 4 lanes on each side for most part, 32 lane toll plaza!! Awesome :)