Going to Goa??

Is there any other drive so looked forward to by Puneites as the one to Goa?

So le famille vacation..once a year. Preferably at Diwali time when the crazies are burning their money (literally) but beggars can't be choosers so May it was.

Left at 5 am and Pune is beautiful that early. No smog just fog, no traffic, no honking, no bloody asses walking in the middle of the road givin you dirty looks when your bumper grazes their bum(p).. er... Anyway en route was quite uneventful except for some strange buggers near Shirval running in their skivvies with something that looked like an olympic torch. They would run a km then hop onto a truck full of young lads who were beating drums feverishly at 6am. The truck would then drive a couple of kms away and then they would hop off like easter bunnies and start running again... hmm nayeisha's believe it or not.
Reached Satyavati palace at 9 ish and stopped for what my girls call a soo soo and snack break. The younger one decided that the soo soo place was too smelly for her liking so she decided to water the tree outside and in the bargain watered her sandals as well. Oh! the joys of motherhood.. Alors back in our demonic deisel driven machine kind courtesy of mon pere and toot tooted across Nipani. Green and lovely and the roads with nary a pothole in sight.. Ah this is part of Karnataka right? No wonder.
Must say lots of road signs visible this time so no chance of taking a wrong turn and finding yourself in a quaint village with no electricity or water and only cows for company. Hit the Amboli ghat about 12ish and it was a pleasure to motor-manouevre the winding roads up up and away.. Monkeys were visible few and far between much to the chagrin of my eldest who firmly believes that if there is any greenery around there must be animals. Who can blame her? She now lives in a concrete jungle called Pune and her father keeps telling her how in Pune in the days of yore ( read his childhood so very yore) there were trees and parks galore and animals roamed freely about unfetterd and untamed..
So back on Amboli we descended into Sawantwadi lunch time and got a bit lost. Could it be cos Eve dozed off and left Adam to find the way? Two circles around Sawantwadi, a few heated discussions, some 'fuel to the fire' comments by the smallies and we were chitty chitty bang banging our way to Mapusa on the NH17.

The Nh17 is a highway marvel. Just one lane in many places through Goa with Uncle Peter and Auty Mary on a scooter bravely darting in and out of traffic with Bosco on their lap and marketing bag flapping wildly in the wind - but mind you no mishaps. And to quote a good friend "thank you st Francis Xavier!"

6 round abouts after and a right turn at Margao circle - stopped at Ermeline's wine shop to buy some nectar and voila! - Royal Palms Benaulim.

Now tell me, Is there any other drive so looked forward to by Puneites as the one to Goa?