Battered by heavy rain (Puneites, you have no idea what rain is unless you have seen this), we left Harihareshwar for Mahad. Missed a turn, and with no GPS, added a few extra KM to the route - to Mhasla, Goregaon and Mahad, enroute to Varandha. The road is bad, narrow and rough - although we were treated to some really pretty rainbows along the way. The road along the Savitri river might have been a better bet.
Once on NH17, we had tea, and refuelled at a highway pump a few KM before taking the left to Varandha. Looking at the state of the pump, every neuron in my head screamed at me to find another one, but it was another of those moments you wish you could live again. A few Kms on, Samara started having serious trouble accelerating, especially on the ghat. Murphy's law struck again - a fuse blew off, robbing me of the horn, and the in-dash lights. Heavy rain and fog brought down visibility to within 5 meters.
The beauty of the ghat was lost on us, as we tried to beat the odds and hit NH4 before any further trouble. Thankfully, the powerful Xenons and the rough and tough tires ensured we ploughed on without further trouble, and passing by a deadly road accident outside Katraj tunnel, hit the city lights around 730 pm.
It had been an amazing adventure, but we were all ready to get into a hot shower and a bed, and no one needed the rest more than Samara did. Tomorrow, she gets a well-deserved session at her favourite spa!
1 comment:
With so much chlorophyll filling it, that valley looks heavenly..
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