There is plenty more to see, but I have been lucky to have driven (or taken the bus) through these amazing roads.
Spread across five continents, all are fantastic for different reasons. You'll be surprised at what you find at No.1 and 2.
10. The Fall Colors - Merritt Parkway, Connecticut, US
A road so pretty it is included in the National Register of Historic Places. Built before World War II, none of the original overpasses are the same over its 60 km stretch, as it undulates and curves through the densely forested areas of Connecticut. I drove through it back in 2004 with my parents and sister on a perfect October Saturday, as the leaves put on a unforgettable show of golden, yellow, orange and red
9. The Scottish Highlands - From Glasgow to Inverness alongside Loch Ness
LOTR may have been shot in New Zealand, but surely the story belongs in these Highlands. The scenery didn't blow my mind on an aesthetic scale, but the associatons made the drive memorable: it was about whisky, kilts, golf, bagpipes, lakes ("Loch" in Scottish Gaelic) and of course, spotting the elusive Loch Ness monster. The weather was gloomy - what else do you expect in Britain - and I half expected William Wallace to emerge through the clouds on horseback yelling "They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom". When I spotted a railway bridge, I imagined the Hogwarts Express to roll through any moment. 
It would have been a pity had we opted for GPS navigation and foregone the pleasure of asking directions from genial Old Scotsmen sporting traditional caps, and then trying to figure out their esoteric but nonetheless endearing accent. Scotland may be a part of Britain, but it was worlds apart from England.
8. A Glorious Desert Sunrise - From Aswan to Abu Simbel, Egypt
Jyoti and I were in Egypt for our honeymoon. It was Christmas, and we had to wake up at 3 am. Our destination was Abu Simbel, where sits the imposing temple of Ramses and Nefertari on the banks of the lake Nasser, with nothing but hundreds of kilometers of desert in all directions. Due to border disputes between Egypt and Sudan, the 400km, 3.5 hr non-stop drive from Aswan had to be made in a police convoy, leaving at 4 am in the morning and consisting of dozens of buses and vans. For about an hour, it was pitch dark outside, except for a stream of headlights. Then the sun came out and the quiet desert became aglow in all its orange and red glory, with a myriad of rock formations all around basking in its warmth and creating a spooky panorama.
You won't find many pictures of this drive online. One, there is no stopping. Two, 95% of the tourists are fast asleep. I didn't take a picture myself, so am just adding one of Abu Simbel with the claim that the journey is as awe inspiring as the destination.
7. Wine Country - Tuscany, Italy
It was 2010 and I was on a roadtrip across Italy and Switzerland, with wife, sis-in-law and her hubby. It was a perfect morning as we drove out of Florence, out into the rolling hills, the enticing vineyards of the surrounding countryside, with the yellow ochres, terracotas and burnt siennas of the rural homes glowing in the Tuscan sun. Wandering through the villages in search of a tasting room open at 9 am in the morning, we stopped for coffee on a quaint street of a quaint town, where I struck a conversation with a Londoner-turned-local who provided us a good suggestion of a nearby winery. With some difficulty, we found the requisite gravel track leading to a community of maybe 10 stone houses which seemed to belong to the 16th century.
If only we were driving around in a Fiat 500 instead of a Ford!
6. South American Highlands - From Cuzco to Puno
Anything you see or do after visiting Machu Picchu would tend to be anti-climactic. Nevertheless, the 400 km "tourist" bus ride ride I took back in 2008, from the ancient capital of the Incans to the gateway to Lake Titicaca was breathtaking. The smooth two-lane road ran across the barren landscape of the Peruvian Altiplanos (high plateau) parallel to the distant, majestic snowcapped Andes. 
En route were ancient churches, more Incan ruins, flea markets run by friendly locals, and flocks of llamas, alpacas and vicunas grazing peacefully in the sparse vegetation.
You could take a flight from Cuzco to Puno, and never know what you missed.
5. Gorgeous mountainscapes - San Bernardino Pass, Switzerland
Its the Swiss-Italy road trip again. Leaving Interlaken early in the morning, we had quite a distance to cover to get to Pisa by mid-afternoon. I lengthened the distance even further by taking a detour, so that we could drive through the famous San Bernardino pass, running north-south between Chur and Bellinzona. There were two options here: the new, fast, flat, four lane road, where you would spend a lot of time in tunnels, and the old, two-lane, winding one, assuming the curves of the Swiss countryside like a leotard does of the gymnast. Of course we took the second one.
This was as perfect a mountainscape as I have ever seen: snowcapped peaks reaching out to the clear blue sky, cows grazing in lush meadows around blue lakes,church steeples towering over little hamlets with flower-covered wooden chalets.
Pardon me for being cheesy, but SRKs lines from DDLJ came to mind: "Are Zurich mein kya rakha hai Senorita, asli Europe to yeh hain. Itna sundar itna khubsurat. Dar lagta hain kahin maila na ho jaye".
4. Pacific Coast Highway 1: From Los Angeles to San Francisco
Dad drove along this little beauty when we visited the US way back in 1995. I was 15 then, but the drive has left such a strong imprint in my mind that let me assure you the description that follows is as accurate as if I'd been there earlier today. Rightly voted as the best drive in the United States.
This is not like one of those fake "coast" roads - there are too many to name - which run broadly parallel to the shore and you can catch glimpses of the sea from some vantage points, or take minor detours to nice beaches. This road is indeed the dividing line between land and water. We were driving north, and on our right was the magnificent Los Padres Coniferous forest, and on the left, a steep drop into the gorgeous Pacific Ocean.
I could see four distinct colors: the reddish brown tinge near the rocky shore, a soothing blue-green a few metres beyond, turning into a medium blue some distance away and finally the deep blue of the unknown ocean depths, stretching as far as Japan on the other side of the globe. The Pacific is the most enchanting - I have chosen this adjective after a lot of deliberation - water body I've seen. When I think about it, the words from Shawshank Redemption come to mind -
"You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific? That it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life. A warm place with no memory"
3. The Amalfi Coast, Italy
During thw Swiss-Italian road trip I mentioned earlier, I drove through what is widely considered the best road in Europe - that is, if you survive to talk about it. Designed probably by some half-crazy half-genius Italian engineer, the narrow 50 km stretch of the Amalfi Coast road runs along the Mediterranean, and is certainly not suitable for drivers from the developed world, with the suitable exception of Italians, of course. 
These were certainly two of the most exhilarating hours of my life, as my thoughts shifted more frequently than I changed the car's gears. I was trying to admire the quaint villas and hotels clinging to the nearly vertical terrain while ensuring I didnt mow down one of the pedestrians, enjoying the twinkle of the Mediterranean while concentrating hard so that it didn't become our graveyard and zooming through some sharp bends while avoiding crashing into oncoming buses.
I felt lifted into seventh heaven as I took the uphill detour to Ravello, whose small cathedral maintained guard over the blue sea and the fairytale towns below. After an exciting descent, we joined the main road and reached Positano, where I made the fondest memory in all of Italy: enjoying, by a cliffside restaurant, a delicious cheese pizza with fresh basil and sundried tomatoes, with the backdrop of a hillside town by the sea glowing in the warmth of the Mediterranean sunset.
2. JFK Airport to Manhattan
I promised you'd be surprised what you find at Nos.2 and 1. I may have traversed the 30 km distance from JFK to Manhattan a couple of dozen times, but it gives me goosebumps every time I do it. I feel my spirit soar when the yellow Ford Crown Victoria cab zooms out of the airport onto the Van Wyck Expressway. The heart skips a beat as the skyline, now sans the Twin Towers and dominated by the Empire State, emerges into view. I can see Flushing Meadows on my right as the cab then turns onto the Long Island Expressway, and I remember all my visits to the US Open. The exposed brick buildings of Queens whiz by, followed by the Mt Zion cemetery as the cab takes the convoluted exit onto the Brooklyn-Queens expressway. I feel humbled when I realize that hundreds of distinct cultures have their own little communities in Brooklyn and Queens, and how little I know about them.
As the cab rolls onto Manhattan bridge, I feel the whir of the subway passing below. On the right is the Williamsburg bridge, carrying more cabs and cars, and another subway line into Manhattan. On the left is the iconic Brooklyn bridge, choc-a-bloc with Manhattan bound traffic. The ferries from Staten Island and the NY Water Taxis are full as well. And away from sight are four tunnels and half a dozen other bridges - all leading to the most fun, most dynamic, most inclusive city the world has ever seen.
1. Juhu to Colaba, Mumbai
There are objectively great roads, and then there are favorite roads - roads your father took you out for late night drives, roads you raced your first car on, roads you serenaded your college sweetheart on, roads decaying faster than a chocophile kid's teeth but refusing to wither away from your memories.
Driving in Mumbai used to be fun, then it became a necessity, now its an ordeal. Nevertheless, in my book, the best Mumbai experience even today is a Sunday morning drive. The tree-lined grid of Juhu dotted with filmstars' bungalows. A rarely empty Western Express Highway. The smell of fresh fish - if you bother to roll down your windows - at Mahim Causeway. The sound of willow on leather - keep those windows rolled down - at Shivaji Park. The multiple high rises in Worli obscuring the erstwhile dominant TV Tower at Doordarshan. Devotees avoiding waves on the narrow walkway to Haji Ali. Riders in boots returning from the Mahalaxmi racecourse. Parsee homes from a different century at Babulnath Junction. Wilson College overlooking a quiet Chowpatty. Joggers on marine drive against the backdrop of the Arabian Sea. Art Deco buildings at Churchgate. The finest of Victorian architecture in India around the Oval Grounds. The peerless Taj Mahal hotel and the Gateway of India standing in majestic grace overlooking the best harbor in the country!
wow. i loved the jfk airport to manhattan description. now on my wish list. wish u would share more pics though.
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