THE LAST ROADTRIP

As a child my best memories are of the family vacations we took every year. My brothers and I would eagerly wait for these annual trips, the fun filled,no books,no pressure days filled with joy when we got to see the carefree avatar of our parents. As we grew up and moved to different cities, these trips stood for our reunion. The family trips now have become rare, however it did make each of us siblings explorers at heart.
My last adventure trip was a road trip from Mumbai to Hyderabad. It was the last week of august and luckily the weather was great so the 14 hour drive seemed like a cakewalk(well I didn't care about the distance anyway because of the great company). We started the trip pretty early in the morning, the receding monsoons had blessed the day with light rain showers. The route between Mumbai and Pune was simply heavenly, Mumbai-Pune expressway is a treat to drive through, specially during monsoons. The cool breeze kept us in good spirits as we drove through the clouds on the expressway. One of my favorite element of the expressway drive is the tunnels, though its not as many as you see on the railway route, still every time I cross one its quite exciting for me.
The drizzle and cold called for a cup of tea and of course wada pav, so we stopped to treat ourselves at one of the many food plazas we find on this route, and I must say they serve great food. We found the expressway bundled with travelers stopping and taking pictures of the great view of the lonavala and Khandala valley. The clouds seemed to have completely encompassed the hills, we were mesmerized. Of course, we took pictures, but none of them could match up to the image I have saved in my memory. As we traveled through Pune, I got nostalgic, remembering all the good memories I have of the years spent in the town. We stopped at the German bakery for a coffee :) great huh!!
As we resumed the trip on NH9, we stopped at several spots, clicking photos of picturesque forts, cascading waterfalls and rivers, lush green farms, funnily named dhabas, pretty houses (some sites so beautiful that we were forced to take a detour). What I enjoyed the most was the food on small dhabas on our way, the authentic maharastrian lunch, the mangalorean snack and the typical andhra dinner, simbly awesome!!!
I think everyone should take a road trip, it makes us realize the delectable beauty hidden in our countryside. When we cross small towns and villages, traveling by rail, we get to see the beauty but we miss on the opportunity to experience them...
So, good luck for your next or maybe first road trip...