Driving PALI TO KHAPOLI route in Monsoon.

Monsoon is the best time to go around Konkan region of Maharashtra. ....The whole region looks like draping a green shawl around and the small streams and rainfed waterfalls add to the already mystic environment. ...
Both Pali and Khapoli is famous sites for 2 of the 8 Ashtavinayak darshan. ....
Though we stay in mumbai ,  visiting Pali -khapoli region  is not often possible due to our hectic schedule. ....it was one fine Sunday morning  , we thought  to take on the drive from navi mumbai to pali first via Container road  and then drive the ghats to khapoli and return . It was raining profusely  and that added the charm to our driving out plan ....we were very thrilled to take on the drive ....Taking the first right cut at Belapur via Palm beach road, towards  Ulve  , we drove towards Uran road and then took a short cut diversion onto the Container road , which is basically a shortcut route to hit patalganga  on old mumbai -Goa highway. .... Container road itself , is a lovely drive , if not it's full of heavy container trucks driving towards Mumbai Port  .......anyways,  after joining the Mumbai - Goa highway at patalganga,  we headed to Pen and ahead towards Alibaug  road  and then onto the diversion towards Nagothane. ......it's was mystic all around as we continued our drive .....after crossing Nagothane, little ahead there's  a short cut route to PALI Ashtavinayak temple .......once we took on the pali route , the road turned quite narrow but just so so beautiful  drive.....often welcomed by tiny gushing streams , green jungle covered our way all along upto the temple at Pali . After doing our darshan and puja at Ashtavinayak temple , pali , we thought to have our lunch there itself and small restaurants at pali as after this as we hit the ghats towards Mahad Ashtavinayak, there's hardly any place to have food......it was raining nonstop and temps did drop very low. ......we didn't wish to stay back long at Pali as we had to cross the ghat roads before the evening falls.....it was quite a long drive.....After we left Pali Town the surrounding turned out more and more beautiful. ....Eyes could see total greenary all around ...beautiful rice fields and above all the waterfalls , just mesmerising. ....we often stopped on our drive for some photoshots.....Roads are very well maintained even in severe monsoon (July month)......No words , we were so so thrilled  to drive across the ghats....I thinks it's called Tahini ghats. ...and By the time we crossed Novatel  hotel , onto Mahad Ashtavinayak,  it was almost 4.30pm. ....Rains looked to slow down a bit , making it possible to go for darshan at mahad Ganpati temple; After darshan , a tea break is a must ....and some hot bhajias  added charm to our drive ......Omg,  it again started pouring heavily and hardly could I see the vehicle ahead of me  but we had to get back home without any excuse.....taking a diversion  from Old Mum - Pune highway route towards EXPRESSWAY WAY  , to make our drive bit easy......once we drove into Navi Mumbai, it's home only .....what a drive out in the heavy rains. ....just loved it all ....