Having had my fill of the sights and sounds of Goa, it was time to head to the hotel and call it a day. The following day, another early morning saw us head out, I had switched up the plan and decided to take the old highway, NH 66, back to Mumbai. It started out all smooth and beautiful, but the roads deteriorated quite badly as soon as we were outside Goa limits. The Yaris’ suspension got quite the workout then but soaked up all the bad bits to keep us in relative comfort throughout the drive. The car’s brakes were given a good workout, too, as I had to rapidly shed speeds when said bad bits suddenly appeared out of nowhere. No worries though, as they proved themselves equal to the task.
One thing I’ll say about that old highway, though: the views on offer are absolutely astounding. The verdant greenery, the winding roads, and the sparse population mean you can really take in the surroundings when the opportunity presents itself. I pulled over numerous times at the insistence of our photographer. Grabbing frame after beautiful frame, we finally made it back to Mumbai and stopped off at Bandra Reclamation to take a breath before calling an end to our trip.
Goa was everything I expected it to be and more. And in the Yaris, I had a car that offered great luxury, the latest in technology, and a smooth, power-packed petrol engine to amplify the delight of the journey. Its cabin was a comfortable place to be and everything from the air-con to the cruise control made the entire drive an absolute pleasure. Even the incessant rainfall (both going and coming) and a plethora of potholes (on the way back) didn’t faze the Yaris or put a damper on my spirits.
