Tour de Konkan

Prologue

It usually so happens that I tend to plan out my long rides well in advance. Konkan was my destination for last December 2012 itself but it somehow got cancelled and we (me along with my friends) had an exciting bike trip to Himachal and Uttarkhand. Initial few months of 2013 was more of daily routine to office with few weekend visit to home town. Later on, I got myself completely occupied with cycle since I had to do Bangalore-Udupi on cycle. Cycling was kind of fun at one side of the coin but on other side, was pretty desperate for the 3 weeks long vacation in December to zoom in. Plan was already finalized and it was to accomplish the unaccomplished! Konkan it was.

KP called me up sometime in November and expressed his desire to join in from somewhere middle. I told him he can join me from Pune. But at the last moment, he had to re-plan his trip since he wanted some time for his personal commitment. We finally decided that he would join me from Ratnagiri and would join me till Gokarna. Next came my cousins wedding in Bangalore for which my entire family would come in. I had decided to start the ride on 7^th December and my cousins wedding was on 6^th December. Parents came a week earlier later on joined by my brothers. Now I don’t have to say much about how things goes in wedding and it all ended up in my getting back to home with my family at around 12 midnight on wedding day. I realized that my plan to start the ride on next day morning at 4:00 AM is surely impossible and since my parents would depart to Udupi on 7^th December night, thought I will start the ride on 8^th December once my parents leave.

Woke up at 3:30 AM, got fresh and I was all set for the ride. Looked at mirror only to find my left eye had swollen due to big heat ball and it looked double the size L. Damn shit! What’s actually happening I thought cancelling my ride for yet another day. Deciding not to neglect it, went to eye hospital accompanied by my brother and doctor said it’s majorly due to heat. With a smile he handed me list of tablets and an ointment. Very much frustrated me, decided that I would just start the ride tomorrow no matter what the case is. Because due to these last moment postponing, I had already cancelled few places that I had planned to visit. Finally, it was on 9^th December, I loaded my bike and was on towards…….. JJJJ

Day-1 | 09-December-2013 | Bangalore-Peth Vadgaon (Kolhapur) | 634 Kms | 634 Kms

Alarm rang at 3:15 and I was out of bed in no time. After brushing teeth, first thing that I did was to stand in front of mirror and have a close look on my left eye. Thankfully swelling was less but heat ball had grown in size L. At any cost, I didn't want to postpone the ride for at another day since I was already fed up of postponing it from last 2 days.

Had green tea, loaded the bag, rechecked important things that had to be switched off like gas regulator, TV plugs etc and locked the door. It was 4:25 AM when I was out of my street towards my 21 days freedom. It was freezing cold in spite of my wearing 3 layers of clothes. After exiting the city, I was literally shivering but I realized that there is hardly any way out. Maintained a decent speed for till I crossed Sira after which I stopped to capture sunrise in my lens. The reason I captured it was that I knew I may not get to see such a sunrise for 3 weeks now as my ride was completely on west coast J. Soon after photo break, took a tea break and was back on cruise mode with songs engaging my mind and ears.

 Gorgeous Sunrise near Sira

All set to vrrroooommmm.... 

Huge wind mills on either side of the road made me realize that I was close to Chitradurga and it was around 8:15 AM by then. From here on, I was little doubtful about the 4-lane road since, last time when I had rode here, still the road work was in progress. But thankfully, there was no road work and it was all smooth 4-lane to cruise. Crossed Davanagere and the hunt began for restaurant to fill my appetite. Crossed Davanagere and Harihara but no sign of any good restaurant. Finally gave up and stopped for tender coconut because I had to keep body cool too due to the fear of heat ball L.

"Olle hotel idiya breakfast ge? (Is there an good hotel for breakfast?)" I asked an old tender coconut seller.

"Ondu mooru kilometer hodre, olle hotel aithe. Estandard hotel aithe adu (If you go ahead for about 3 Kms, there is a good hotel. Standard hotel it is)" Was his response.

"Hege yelneeru? (How much does a tender coconut cost?)"

"Hadnaidu rupaai (15 Rs)"

Grabbed one with no second thought and rode ahead in search of my dear friend’s estandard hotel. I rode more than 10kms but no signs of any hotel at all. Came across a toll and I ask another person.

"Sir, illi olle hotel idiya breakfast madoke? (Sir, is there any good hotel for breakfast?)" I asked curiously.

"Ille ondu km hodre, Kamath sigutte nodi (If you go ahead for a Km, you will get Kamath)" He replied with a smile.

Thanked him and I stopped in Kamath. Had Set Dosa, tea and took tablets proscribed by the doctor.

By 10:45 AM, I was back on road and next break came after about 80 Kms since it was too sunny and I didn't want to over stress myself.

Cotton plantations beside NH-4 

Continued ahead after pouring in water and clicking few photos, crossed Dharwad and stopped for lunch in Ghar Dhaba which was right beside BP filling station.

"Bhayya, do Roti aur Daal lake aana"

After having them, ordered another Roti followed by sweet Lassi. Paid the bill with my leather jacket on my shoulder and that’s when,

“Yeh jacket leather ki hain?” Cashier asked curiously.

“Haan! Kyon?”

“Kaha se kareeda aapne?”

“Bangalore se! Leather ke dukaan main order deke banvaya hain.”

“Ek kaam karo! Yeh jacket aap muje dedo. Aap doosra banvao. Mujhe aise hi ek leather jacket chahiye tha.” Expressing his to buy a leather jacket.

Got back on bike denying his offer with a smile and was on smooth concrete road which was a pleasure to ride on but they were emitting too much of heat too L.

He signed me to take his photo and gave this pose :)

Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belgaum 

Smooth concrete roads! 

Barren Ghataprabha river 

Crossed Sankeshwar and stopped for tea and local crowd gathered around my bike and me in no time. Sipped sweet tea answering their curious questions, meanwhile called my cousin in Kolhapur. He forced me to stay in his house which declined and road ahead and it was only when I saw everything written in Marathi, I realized that I was out of my state.

Welcome Maharastra :) 

Crossed Kolhapur bypass and called my cousin again. But this time, his mom took the phone and

"We all are waiting for you. What’s your problem? I don’t know anything. You are coming now that’s it!"

‘Oh boy! Did I have to hear it?’ Eventually I had to bend down after couple of negotiations. Reached Peth Vadgaon where my cousin stays, unloaded the bike and had yummy Misal Pav. Got fresh, and had few general talks about the life in Bangalore, my home town and the ride. My cousin fully excited seeing me on road, told he would like to join me in his Honda Shine till Satara if I had no objections.  I agreed only after he assured me that he would ride completely safe and slow. With my tummy completely packed by yummy food prepared by sis, crashed in hardly any time.

Day-2 | 10-December-2013 | Peth Vadgaon (Kolhapur)-Umbraj-Chafal-Patan-Mandure-Jalu-Tarale-Satara | 204 Kms | 838 Kms

Woke up at 6:15 AM pulling cousins blanket making sure he is ready on time. Got fresh and went to Mahalakshmi Talav with camera which was prime source of water to Peth Vadgaon some time back. Lake was very calm and peaceful with hardly any crowd and partially covered by fog. Talav exhibited its own beauty with few chirping birds around. Had a small walk on the lake bed capturing wonderful lake from all angles while my cousin was explaining me about the usage of this Talav and at the same time expressing his excitement for the days ride J.

Wonderful Mahalakshmi Talav! 

Taking a sun bath early morning? 

Came back and stuffed in unlimited Dosa. Being a very rare visitor to sister’s place, I had to stuff in additional Dosa due to her force. Due to place constraint, I had parked my bike on previous day at my cousin’s aunt’s place nearby. Got bike from there sipping tea and briefing them about my ride.

Finally loading my bike and bidding bye to sister, we were out of Peth Vadgaon by 9:50 AM and rode nonstop till Umbraj filling our bikes on the way. Quit NH-4 in Umbraj and rode few miles inside and only then confusions regarding the route to Chalkewadi started to kick our mind L. But thankfully, my cousin was a localite and took the initiative of asking locals about the route in Marathi. But the strange part being my cousin would take a long time to get simple information about the route. With a little attention to what he was speaking with locals, I could hear he saying ‘Kolhapur’ to locals and that’s when I got to know locals were asking where did he come from? Damn! Why would they want to know the details of us when we are already short of time L? After a couple of enquiries, crossed Chafal and rode ahead enjoying the beauty of Sahyadri’s. View around was simply mind-blowing with wind mills all around on hill top. Reached Patan and we were off towards Chalkewadi after getting the route details from localities.

Mighty one standing alone. 

 Breath taking Sahyadri :)

The route to Chalkewadi was pretty narrow but it offered scenic landscape. After about 15 Kms dealing couple of hair-pin bends, we came across a turn after which I could see hardly any route. What the hell! I started to think completely confused. But to our luck there were few daily wage workers with whom my cousin started to get the information probably for the N^th time since morning J. They suggested us to go ahead but road is very bad for next 25 Kms. Time was ticking pretty fast and it was already around 3:00 PM. Deciding not to risk ahead, we rode back to Patan and this time, we decided to rely on the maps in my cousins Android set. Maps showed that we should take Mandure route to reach Chalkewadi. Hoping that this time, we are on right track, we rode dealing with bad patches that came on the way. After negotiating with couple of hair-pin bends crossed Mandure and reached a hill top with plain lands.

“Bhayya! Uper ja sakte hain na?” I asked a wind mill worker who was passing by while my cousin was trying his luck to get the information from other workers.

Climbed few steps and all that I could see was breathtaking views and few hundreds of wind mills. The place was so calm that we could even hear the sound of wind mill wings. That’s the moment when I realized its worth to get lost at times J.

Windmills all over :) 

Suzlon standing firm on edge of a hill 

Got down from the hilltop and enquired the route to Chalkewadi only to find that route is full of mud road with loose gravels and has to pass through uphill L. Gosh! After all this effort, did I have to hear this? I really cannot deal with my heavy bull on such a track I thought and we decided to head back to Satara without second thought. Finding the route to Satara wasn’t any easy job since there were no sign boards at all. I was wondering what would have happened if my cousin wasn’t with me on this track. With few photo breaks, crossed Jalu, Tarale and finally touched NH-4 in Nagtane passing few tiny villages.

Mind blowing Tarali Dam backwater

It was around 10 Kms to Satara and took a break to fill our hungry stomach which had skipped the day’s lunch L. Done with a quick bite, we entered Satara city and hunt for the lodge began. After few look around, got one in our budget range and checked in unloading the bike. Got fresh, took rest for some time thinking about the day’s adventure and headed out for dinner but this walking. Amarapalli restaurant looked great for our hungry appetite and ordered Naan, Veg Kadai and Butter milk. While chatting with cousin, I could hear restaurant guys speaking Kannada and in no time I got to know that they belong to Kundapur which is close to my native Udupi. Reached back to lodge after a yummy dinner and closed eye shutter thinking what’s in the box for tomorrow J.

Day-3 | 11-December-2013 | Satara-Kaas Lake-Satara-Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani-Wai-Satara | 224 Kms | 1062 Kms

Wake up call came at 6:00 AM from my mobile. Got fresh and were out towards Kaas Lake in no time. I had fair idea about the route since I had done the same track earlier as part of Incredible India trip. Initial few Kms were more of riding on hills with mist. Stopped for a photo break and I could see that Satara was still sleeping under a layer of mist J.  

Satara town just waking up :) 

Continued ahead and reached Kaas with couple of photo breaks of Kanher Dam and Urmodi Dam. Kaas plateau was completely barren and dry but the area was very huge. It was completely fenced and I realized it might be due to the tourist crowd in the season and spoiling the nature. We decided to stop while coming back and rode ahead towards Kaas Lake. Parked the bike and walked few meters towards Lake. Lake was very calm and peaceful with hardly any crowd around. I was mesmerized with the dark Blue color of the lake and cleanliness of surroundings.  Had our share of photos, relaxed for a while and walked back to parking.

Peaceful Kaas lake 

I told my cousin to enquire to eat something in a shop at parking. After enquiring, he came back saying only tea is available.

“Teek hain! Do chai dena….” I said the shopkeeper thinking tea is better than nothing.

“Kitna hua?” I asked taking out my wallet to pay the money. Shopkeeper said something in Marathi which went over my head and I looked towards my cousin to translate it to me.

“It’s free! On the occasion of Datta Jayanti and the procession had gone just few Mins back!”

It was 8:30 AM by now and started our backward journey and stopped in Kaas plateau. Crossed over fencing which was open at one place and walked till end of the hill to get glimpse of beauty around.

Dried up Kaas pleatue

Since we had lot to cover for the day, rode back to Satara with no breaks and without wasting any time in hunt for restaurant, we hit Mahabaleshwar road with a few route queries with locals. Stopped on the way for breakfast and had Vada Pav followed by Misal Pav and Tea. Continued riding beside Kanher Dam and soon we were on climb towards Mahabaleshwar dealing with twisties. Road was smooth with beautiful vista around forcing us to stop every now and then but we couldn’t take much photo breaks due to time constraint.

Getting on twisties enroute Mahabaleshwar :) 

It was around 8 Kms to Mahabaleshwar when I read a board pointing to Bagdad Point to left.

“Shall we check this out?” I asked my cousin for which he nodded his head.

Bagdad point offered great vista of adjacent hills but had to compromise a lot with respect to road condition L.

 Magnificent Bagdad point

Came back to main road and entered Mahabaleshwar paying an entry fee of 20 Rs per bike.

“Bhayya, yeh Kate’s point aur Arthur Seat kaise jaana hain?” I asked ticket collector while he handing over our entry tickets.

Since Kate’s point comes in Panchgani route, we decided to finish off Arthur Seat first and got into narrow thick green track. Few Kms before the spot, traffic cops stopped us at a junction and it was about document verification. He checked my cousins documents and I asked him,

“Mera documents bhi dikana hain kya?” As I was little lazy to pull them out from my tool box.

“Ha! Aapka gaadi bahut purana hain na! Iss liye dekna hain….” He replied looking at my odo meter which had crossed 91k.

While I was taking out my documents, cop asked pointing to my panniers,

"Yeh kya food like Jane ke liye?"

Answering his question with a smile, he verified my bike documents. While I was keeping my documents back in place, cop was talking to my cousin and later my cousin told me that cop was interested to ride my bike J. Reached Arthur Seat and it was packed with tourist crowd. It was so crowded that we had tough time finding a place for bike parking L. With quick photos of the marvelous hills standing firm in front of us, we got back and stopped at Savitri Point from where one can get gorgeous views of Arthur Seat. Thankfully this point was absolutely isolated with tourist crowd and we got our share of photos with hills on the back J.

Deadly valley! 

What to say about this? (Arthur Seat point) 

Had lemon juice to beat the thirst and next in the list was Lodwick Point which was around 8 Kms from Savitri Point. Parked our bike in parking of Lodwick Point and walked a while to reach the point. The vista it offered was nothing great when compared to Arthur Seat and we decided to visit Kate's Point without wasting much of a time since it was already close to 4:00 PM. Had lunch on the way and then rode to Kate's Point to click its breath taking views. Walked beside Kate's point to see Needles Hole and we over heard a guide saying many bollywood movies like Dabaang, Gangajal, and Chennai Express were shot at a place on other side of the valley beside Balakwadi Dam.

Balakwadi Dam from Kates view point

With Kate’s Point, we were done with Mahabaleshwar and next in the list was Panchgani Table Land. Rode nonstop to Panchgani and took our bike to Table Land paying the entry fee and parked our machines at parking place.

“Saab! Gode pe jaana hain?” A local horse rider came with his gigantic horse.

“Nahin bhayya! Nahin chahiye…. Hum paidal jayenge” I said while taking the camera out.

“Hum aapko saare point dikayenge! Ganpati Visarjan, Raja Hindustani shooting Point, Parsi Point vagera! Yeh table land 6.5 Kms lamba hain! Aapko paidal jaane main time lage ga….” Were his convincing words to get his business.

“Nahin chahiye! Hum paanch minute main nikal jayenge” I said as final statement to get rid of him.

 Table land was crowded with tourists engaged with various activities. I could see a lot of happy couples holding each other’s hand and walking in their own world. We walked for a while till one end of the hill and got back on our machines towards Satara since sun was closing his account for the day quickly and we had lot to ride.

Panchgani Table Lands 

Reached Wai and my cousin had a quick visit to temple after which we started our final leg of ride for the day. Riding in NH-4 in dark without helmet was very painful to the eyes and adding to the pain was horrible traffic. At last, by around 8:00 PM, we reached our nest with complete dust on our clothes. Got fresh and went out in search of some chats since I was eager to taste one. Chats was followed by quick dinner in previous days Amarapalli restaurant. Got back to lodge, crashed into bed with my brother little disappointed since he would be heading back home tomorrow and I was pretty excited since I would hit Konkan tomorrow.

Day-4 | 12-December-2013 | Satara-Lonavala-Khopoli-Pen-Alibaug-Murud | 324 Kms | 1386 Kms

Woke up at 6:45 AM and was on road with the loaded bike by 8:40 AM. Bid bye to cousin who headed to Kolhapur and I continued towards Pune. Road was butter smooth since it was part of golden quadrilateral J. Stopped at Vittal Kamath around 40 Kms before Pune and had Misal Pav and Tea as part of morning breakfast. Continued tanking up fuel and entered Pune crossing new Katraj tunnel.

New Katraj Tunnel welcoming me towards Pune! 

Exit from Pune was easy since this metro city doesn't fall in NH-4.

Bid bye to Pune saying ‘I would see you again tomorrow’ and reached crowded Lonavala.

"Bhaiyya, Tiger Point kaise jana hain?" I enquired the route with traffic cop on duty.

"Yaha se left aur aage se right marna" Was his short & sweet reply.

Enroute Lonavala Lion Point 

Reached Tiger Point crossing INS and riding through small Ghat section. Tiger Point offered breath taking views of the valley ahead but unlike my previous visit, this time, entire view point was fully fenced. As I got busy with my camera, I also observed that few nasty tourists were crossing over the fence in a desire to take photos posing in the edge of the cliff. After taking my share of clicks, got back to Lonavala and stuffed in 2 Dosa's in Hotel Rama Krishna.

Breathtaking views of Lion Point....

Is this Lion of Lion Point?

With enough breaks for lunch and drinking in lot of water to hydrate myself, geared up and continued my journey towards Konkan riding through express ay for small stretch and later on taking left turn in Khopoli. This connecting road to Konkan from NH-4 had more speed breakers than anything else. I was already behind schedule and applying break on every speed breaker was more irritating than anything else. Finally it was around 4:10 AM when I touched the famous NH-17. As soon as I got into sea level, I was virtually boiling inside with 2 layers of shirt & a leather jacket to top it. ‘Damn! When will I get rid of this setup?’ I was thinking while on the way to Alibaug.

"Bhaiyya, Alibaug?" I asked a passerby in bike.

"Tees minute lagega. Yaha seeda jao" He responded with his preoccupied mind.

Reached Alibaug dealing with the traffic of JSW production plant trucks and enquired the route to beach. On reaching the beach, first thing I did was to remove the layer of shirt I was wearing. ‘OMG! What a relief’ I said to myself tying other belongings like Helmet, Knee Pads etc to bike. Beach was very calm with few Tanga guys waiting for customers and few oldies busy in their talks. Had my share of clicks with good break and am off towards Murud to close my days account.

Silent Alibaug beach!

It was already past 5:00 PM by the time I headed to Murud and initial 20 Kms was just horrible with full of potholes. But best part being riding adjacent to beach with awesome greenish seascape on other side. With sunset click near Kashid, I rode pretty fast to make sure I don’t ride in dark.

Wonderful sunset on the way....

Hurray! Am on Konkan :D

Mind blowing isn't it?

Reached Murud and hunt began for a day’s shelter. Saw a board ‘Hotel Janjira’ on ride side of the road just before Murud town and enquired about the room. After checking out the room & a little of negotiation, closed the deal for 400 Rs.

Got fresh, informed loved ones about my safe arrival and went out for dinner. Since my stay was a little prior to Murud town, I had to ride in pitch dark in search of restaurant to grab my dinner. Finally got a restaurant which served vegetarian food and ordered one without second thought. Meanwhile restaurant guy started casual conversation with me and gave details about visiting Janjira Fort, timing of the boat to Janjira Fort, how much time it takes, Padmadurg Fort, taking bike in ferry to Dighi etc.

“Yaha season main bahut log Mumbai aur kahi alag jagah se aate hain! Fishing karne. Fishing ek hobby hain yaha ke logo ke liye….” he said proudly.

“Aap kaha se aaye hain?” I was expecting this in short time from him J.

“Bangalore….” I replied concentrating more on food.

“Kitna din laga aapko yaha aane main?” he fired it again looking at my bike.

I explained him in short about my journey so far and what lies ahead in plan.

“Bangalore bahut achhi jagah hain! Maine suna hain. Hamara pados ka ladka vaha rehta hain. Who bata raha tha….” And I ended up burping hard. I was wondering is it because of his thoughts about Bangalore or cause of his delicious food J.

Continuing the casual talk, he also said biggest port in India is being built in Dighi now. After dinner handed him exact change and went to Murud beach as suggested by restaurant guy in search of Vada Pav only to find that it was closed. With little disappointment, came back, took some rest and crashed planning things for tomorrow.

Day-5 | 13-December-2013 | Murud-Dighi-Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar-Mangaon-Tahmini Ghat-Mulshi dam-Pune | 294 Kms | 1680 Kms

From my previous days talk with restaurant guy, I knew that boat to Janjira Fort would start by 7:30 AM and in an effort to make sure I am not late, woke up at 6:00 AM sharp and got ready in no time. Since had some extra time, clicked the Arabian Sea from my room balcony.

Padmadurg Fort as seen from my room Balcony

King's palace with HDR processing....

By 7:15 AM came down to parking place only to see that lodge shutter was still closed. Woke up the owner with a phone call to open the shutter, and rode to Rajapuri Jetty from where I had to take boat to Janjira Fort but found that boat won't go till it has 30 odd people on it and guess what? I was the first customer for the day L. With no other option left, got into a casual talk with ticket counter guy who was in his 70’s I guess. He was a very nice chap with good spoken English and looked disciplined. He spoke about the boat service, hiring personal boat to the Fort, ferry to Dighi and its timing etc.

“Aap kaha se aaye ho?”

“Bangalore….”

“Main bhi Bangalore gaya hoon! Bahut achhi jagah hain! Log bahut ache hain….”

Since I was very sure that this will take a lot of time, I had tea while waiting and bunch of 8 guys came in 4 bikes. After they stuffed in a little of smoke from cigarette, one of them asked me if I would like to join them to Fort as they would hire personal boat to the fort. That’s a great option I thought and agreed in no time and finally we all were on boat towards great and gigantic Janjira Fort.

Gigantic Murud-Janjira Fort

Guide in the boat explained a lot while walking us through the Fort like, 3 sweet water tanks, big cannon which has firing range of 12 Kms and how it doesn’t get heated up in-spite of constant sun rays falling over it, a secret exit of the fort, a hidden underground channel which connects Fort to the main land, Marathi and Urdu schools inside the Fort, Kings Palace, locals living in the Fort till 1970, design of Fort entrance which is very difficult to figure out for enemies, Padmadurg Fort and difficulty to go there since it is banned for public visit etc. I had tough time in listening to his explanations and also to capture the Fort in my lens.

The young group that took me along....

Huge complex's inside Janjira Fort

Mighty walls protecting the Fort from massive ocean

Lake inside the Fort. How clean it is :P

“Woh is kile ka top point hain! Agar kisi ko jaana hain to jaa sakta hain! Dus minute hain aap ke paas” He said after explaining everything inside the Fort.

I and another few guys started to climb the steps with no second thought but other followed us soon. Tip of the Fort gave bird’s eye view of the surrounding around with magnificent Ocean on one side.

View from watch tower of the Fort.

Came down with few photos and we were on boat back to main land in no time. Boat hardly took about 15 Mins to sail back to main land and it was just close to 10:00 AM. Ticket counter person had told me that first ferry to Dighi leaves at 10:30 AM and next is at 12:30 PM. As I had very less time to be back to Rajapuri Jetty checking out from lodge, I rushed back to lodge paying my share of expense for the boat and guide. Packed my luggage in hurry and reached back to Rajapuri Jetty at 10:25 AM but ferry was already full by then L. Disappointed me decided to go by road instead of wasting time for the next ferry and reached Agardanda Jetty by 10:50 AM to find there is a ferry to Dighi at 12:30 PM which would take both of us to Dighi in 15 Mins. Instead of going by road as usual, decided to go in ferry.

Here I move on....

Waiting in Agardanda Jetty

As I had plenty of time in hand, went to a nearby local shop and spoke to shopkeeper about the ferry, Dighi Port etc.

“Kaane ke liye kuch milega kya? Subah se kuch nahin kaya hain maine.” I asked him as I was damn hungry L.

“Sirf Vada Pav milega. Du kya?”

“Ek leke aana bhai” I said picking up water bottle to wash my face.

While I was busy stuffing in Vada Pav, he got excited about my trip and started firing questions one by one.

“Main bhi Bangalore main paanch saal tha! Main Bangalore ko Jaanta  hoon” ‘Man! Every individual I meet has been to Bangalore is it?’ I started to think as he was explaining me about his visit to IT Capital.

He suggested me to unload the luggage from bike else it will be difficult to take the bike into the ferry. I unloaded the bike and requested him for another Vada Pav but this time with Chili.

“Abhi laata hoon. Tum ruko!” He said handing over second Vada Pav in my hand.

He bought Chili in some time and guess what? I had 2 more Vada Pav’s followed by tea as I had nothing else to do. While taking photos of the Ocean, a Coastal security guard officer came to me requesting to show the photos I had clicked just few minutes back. There again I repeat the same story about my journey and my work, he checked the photos I had taken and said no issues. After relaxing nicely for 1.5 hours, ferry came at last and loaded my bike and even I got into the ferry paying 36 Rs for 4 Vada Pav’s and Tea J.

Loading the heavy bike isn't an easy job :(

Cargo carriers in Dighi Port

Reached Dighi in about 15 Mins, tied back my luggage to bike while locals were curiously looking at what I am doing and headed straight to Shrivardhan asking route wit many locals who came across on the way. Road was in bad shape with lot of pot holes and it was very narrow. But good part being most part of the stretch was thick with greens around. Learning from the mistake of previous day, I had just worn a thin jacket over a cotton shirt and it was much better this time J.

Horrible Konkan roads :(

Reached Shrivardhan and had to stand still behind a bus which was stuck up taking a turn in narrow streets of Shrivardhan. ‘Boy! Will you ever move ahead? I am already late’ I wanted to yell out loudly but I knew no one would ever bother about it. Finally after spending couple of Mins, the bus moved ahead and I headed straight to Shrivardhan beach which was very nice and calm. It was so silent that I could here only the sound of waves and nothing else. Clicked my share and was on my way to Harihareshwar.

Calm Shrivardhan Beach!

“Bhaiyya, Harihareshwar???” I asked a localite while on the move.

“Har main road pe right maarna. Seeda Harihareshwar jao ge….”

 Reached Harihareshwar which offered smooth roads with typical coastal vista and parked the bike paying 10 Rs as parking fee. Walked till the shore to get my share of clicks of the beach and next in the list was stepped Canyon which was right behind Harihareshwar temple.

Harihareshwar Beach!

Isn't this Beach wonderful?

Climbed a small hill to get in there and it was very peaceful, calm and isolated. Just to my bad luck, I had no time to enjoy it L. This place gave me an idea about how much ocean has caused the corrosion of these gigantic rocks over the period of time. Capturing all the surroundings in my lens walked back to parking grabbing Misal Pav and lemon juice.

Corrosion over the decades or more....

Can you imagine the amount of corrosion taken place?

It was already past 4:00 PM and I still had close to 200 Kms for the day L. Geared up and made my mind to do speed run. Rode nonstop to Mangaon seeking directions from locals with music on ears. Road to Mangaon was mostly in bad shape making me ride slow adding to the delay L.

Reached Mangaon by 5:20 PM and got into Pune route asking direction. Mile stone said Pune is 120 Kms and there I get my first shock since it was already getting dark and I knew for sure I will have to cross Sahyadri’s in dark. Reached Nizampur and enquired for fuel.

“Yaha aapko petrol nahin milega. Kum se kum pachaas kilometer jaana padega aapko….” He said while his mind was searching for the nearest fuel station.

‘Shit! Damn shit. What the hell shall I do now?’ I was scolding myself inside me.

“Aap ek kaam karo. Bhees kilometer seeda jao! Waha pooch lena. Shayad waha hoga….” He said not being sure about it.

His ‘Shayad’ made me not to take the risk and I questioned him back,

“Mangaon me milega kya petrol?”

“Ha. Waha zaroor milega aapko….”

Without second thought and wasting no time, rode back 10 Kms to Mangaon and filled up fuel in a petrol station adjacent to NH-17. It was 5:50 PM by the time I hit SH-97 to Pune again and I decide to cover as much as possible soon before dark. Rode pretty fast overtaking every possible vehicle and got into Tahmini Ghats. Ghat was really breath taking with steep curves and complete silence around. Adding to that was road condition which was too bumpy and horrible. It was complete dark by now and I had hardly any vehicles to accompany me on road. Frightened me, rode as if my ass is lit with fire and crossed Mulshi Dam. My initial plan was to reach Mulshi Dam backwater early and spend some quality time there but to my bad luck couldn’t make out when I crossed it since it was too dark. It was around 30 Kms before Pune I took a break since I was pretty confident of reaching my destination now and informed my loved ones about the status. While near in Pune, 2 guys in bullet came close to me and

“Where are you from?”

“Bangalore”

“Which group you are riding in?”

“I am doing a solo trip” I said concentrating more on the road.

“Which is the route to Hinjewadi Bridge?” I asked them this time.

Pillion signaled me to follow him and he would show me the route. Reached NH-4 and they gave direction to Hinjewadi Bridge. Bidding bye them, rode ahead and called up Ravi and he directed me to his house and I told him am damn hungry. I made him clear about my state saying,

“Since morning, I am surviving from 4 Vada Pav’s and Misal Pav”

Ravi assured me not to worry and I reached his house in about 30 Mins time. It was close to 10:00 PM by then and hungry me got fresh and had 2 Chapati's till Ravi's beloved wife Priyanka prepared dinner.

“You know from morning I am just having something related to Pav. I just want to have nice home food” I said to Priyanka without knowing what’s in the dinner box for me.

“Oh Shit! I have prepared Pav Bhaji again” was the loud response from her.

“That’s perfectly Ok with me! I just said I need some home food.” I said and we were soon on dinner table with Bhaji and lot of Pav’s in front of me.

Had yummy dinner discussing about my journey so far, plans ahead, plan for tomorrow and what not. Post dinner, we had small chit chat session and crashed for the day with everyone set to conquer Shivaji’s capital Raigad Fort tomorrow and we would start ASAP when we get up.

Day-6 | 14-December-2013 | Pune-Mulshi Dam-Mangaon-Raigad-Mangaon-Mulshi Dam-Pune (in car)

It was around 6:30 AM when Ravi kept a small pretty flower on small Ganesha idol inside his car and opened the boot space for us to load the luggage. It took hardly any time for us to get out of Wakad and we were cruising in NH-4 towards Chandni Chowk. After few calls to Ravi’s cousin Vivek, finally he was in and we would pick him up on the way. Vivek’s dad had come to drop him and we 4 nomads were on for day’s adventure after bidding bye to Uncle. Since I had taken the same route yesterday to reach Pune, I had latest update on the road condition and was constantly updating Ravi on the same while on the move. We were already much behind the schedule and took our first break for breakfast near Mulshi Dam after filling the fuel. Stuffing in Poha and Misal Pav followed by Tea, got back on wheels with the mindset of reaching the destination ASAP.

“Krishna, if you don’t mind, can I take front seat?” Priyanka asked while were gearing go move ahead.

“Sure! No issues” I said while opening the back door.

“Because I have vomiting sensation” She replied.

“Oh! Even I have the same problem but I am perfectly fine right now.” I replied with a smile J.

As we moved ahead driving adjacent to Mulshi backwater, I enjoyed the mesmerizing vista which I had missed yesterday. It was only now I realized how much I had missed on my previous day L. The group was pretty excited about conquering Shivaji’s capital Fort and this excitement took us to lot of discussions. Since we were running behind time a lot, we decided to take rope way to reach top of the Fort since it would save a lot of time for us. In middle of nowhere Ravi got official call to attend and I took this opportunity to capture the eye catching hills of Tahmini Ghats J.

Mighty hill at Tamhini Ghat!

Thats Ravi's loved car :)

After dealing with few steep twisties, reached Mangaon and then asked direction to Raigad wit localities.

Took a left turn to Raigad few Kms before Mangaon and this stretch offered narrow roads with few tourist vehicles plying around. After dealing with few twisties, we reached Raigad base and soon, me and Vivek went to enquire about rope way.

“Kum se kum char ganta lagega. Poora waiting hain!” Ticket counter person said literally laughing at us.

‘Oh man! Did I hear him properly? Did he say 4 Hrs?’ it was kind of bomb being exploded on our mind.

Came back to parking place to discuss what to do and meanwhile, a local bus driver said,

“Rope way se jaldi pauch jao ge! Magar Raigad ka asli nazara dekna hain toh paidal jaana! Tab pata chalega Raigad kya hain….” Cutting our discussion.

Scary cable car will take you to the fort in 10 Mins!

After few Mins, we all decided to trek and it was around 12:45 PM when we started to climb up after having lemon juice. I was all excited and climbed little fast but they 3 took it little easy making sure they don't get exhausted soon. Though I was fast and ahead, I had to take frequent breaks to capture majestic Sahyadri hills standing firm right in front of my eyes.

First view of Shivaji's Capital - RAIGAD

Takmak Tok point!

After about 45 Mins, we stopped for juice and again continued walking ahead.

“Kitna door hain abhi???” I asked a local juice seller panting like a dog.

“Adha ganta lagega….” She replied politely.

‘Jai Shivaji’ I said in myself and continued further only to stop after a while to grab 2 more lemon juice and Cucumber. While taking rest under a shade with Cucumber in hand, shopkeeper said it takes more than 2 days to explore it completely and Fort is spread over 100 acres and it has 1500 steps altogether till the top.

Walking all the way to top :)

What shall I say for his courage?

View of Shayadri midway to the Fort

My gang cheering below :)

Finally by 2:45 PM, we were inside the Fort taking entry ticket. Although we were pooped out completely, beautiful views around gave us the much needed energy to explore the Fort. As we entered the colossal Fort, we came across 7 Queen’s room, minister’s quarters, secret chamber, King’s palace, secretariat, market place etc. Priyanka and Vivek did explain whatever they knew about the Fort to amateurs like me. Fort had already accumulated good amount of tourist crowd majorly school trips.

I guess it was a watch tower of the Fort!

Kings palace I believe!

The Legend looking strong even in statue!

That's the Fort's market place :)

Place from where Legend went to heaven!

There were many of juice shops inside the Fort and Marathi known member of the group (Vivek and Priyanka) took the initiative of speaking to a shop keeper about lunch and booked our lunch after visiting Jagadamba temple.

Shopkeeper had told us to visit her house on the back yard and she would keep the lunch ready by then. We entered her small hut which had her family and also few cats and hens. After waiting for a while, we got served with delicious Dal and Roti which was nothing less than heaven for our ultra hungry stomach.

“Lassi milega kya???” We asked without any hesitation.

After burping hard, we were back on the Fort paying her bill. Next in the list was most important spot of the Fort! Takmak Tok Point. It was the place from where Shivaji would throw his enemies and as you would have guessed by now, it was a dead end of a hill. It was already close to sunset by now but that just couldn’t stop us from walking through a narrow path and reaching to the tip of the hill. Takmak Tok Point was simply out of the world with its views around.

The beauty of nature :)

Grand Canyon of India? ;)

Sunset from Takmak Tok!

With satisfactory clicks and resting for a while watching the sunset and enjoying the beauty around, we decided to climb down with as less breaks as possible. We didn’t take the ropeway since we were sure that there will be a huge queue to get down. As soon as we came to the entrance of the Fort, it got almost dark and we hardly had any torch too L. Only torch was the one on our mobile and the natural moon light. I switched on my mobile torch and lead the way constantly informing about rocks, stones etc which came on our way to my group who were walking right behind me. Somewhere midway,

“Krishna, actually you don’t need to rely on torch. Moon light is more than enough to identify the path!” Priyanka said from behind.

I switched off my torch and yeah! I could make out from moon light itself. Damn! I wasted so much battery I thought and continued further. With a small break we reached base in around 75 Mins and directly entered a shop and ordered Lemon juice. With juice getting inside us, we geared up for the backward journey and since it was a night drive, we had to be very cautious and ride slow. Journey back home began with me sitting beside Ravi and we all made sure some or the other discussion was on so that no one feels sleepy and we all are alert. Reached NH-17 and then to some random restaurant in Goregaon. Had dinner and back on our respective seats. Tahmini Ghat looked scarier this time might be due to the pitch darkness and absolute silence it provided. Ravi had a great task of concentrating very much on the road and my job was to make sure I chat with him constantly so that he may not feel sleepy. Priyanka and Vivek too joined with me making sure no one sleeps and we were discussing about verity of issues like road safety, politics etc. Somewhere on the Ghats, Priyanka couldn’t control and puked out whatever she had eaten. Without second thought, I took the back seat leaving the front one to her and journey continued only to be stopped at Mulshi for tea. Priyanka and Vivek had already been on a small nap by now and me and Ravi stepped out for tea to freshen ourselves.

“Good you told me to stop for tea. I was feeling damn sleepy!” Ravi told rubbing his eyes and as soon as heard that, my sleep went away.

After a tea break, continued our journey ahead and finally at 1:30 AM, reached our nest and crashed on bed just like over worked donkeys.

Day-7 | 15-December-2013 | In Pune

However late I sleep on previous day, I just can’t sleep till late morning. Opened my eyes by 8:00 AM but dint want to get up so soon. Effort to catch up some sleep went in vein and was out of bed by 8:30 AM and occupied myself reading paper and arranging my valuables.

“Good morning!” Ravi told with his eyes half open by 10:00 AM.

In some time, everyone else woke up and had tea chit chatting with no plans for rest of the day. Everyone looked pretty stressed from yesterdays adventure and till NOON, it was more of relaxing around with nothing much to do. Ravi and Priyanka had some personal work and me and Vivek accompanied the couple. Came back home and had lunch by around 4:00 PM. Post lunch, me, Ravi and Vivek headed to Shanivar Wada which is on the prime commercial location of Pune. Since it is a crammed place, Vivek suggested Ravi to park the car at a distance and walk further. Security stopped us on the entrance to inform that it is closed. With nothing else to do, gave a quick visit to Lal Mahal adjacent to Shanivar Wada. Lal Mahal offered us few important stories of Shivaji’s life depicted in drawings. Came out and had Vada Pav followed by Jahangir and Lassi in Dagduseth. Vivek’s house was pretty close from there and he left to his home bidding bye and we drove back to home. Had dinner and again we three went out to have Cold Coffee in Durga Coffee House. Came back and crashed thinking of Konkan on cards for tomorrow J.

Day-8 | 16-December-2013 | Pune-Bhor-Poladpur-Khed-Dapoli | 244 Kms | 1924 Kms

Day started with Ravi opened the galley door and said ‘Good Morning’ with complete dressed up for work. They were back on their normal routine life and it was time for me to move ahead on my journey. Ravi was getting ready for work and I was busy looking at Eicher maps for the day’s route. And that’s when Ravi delivered a kick ass dislogue,
“Yeina ye? Yaan nete officegu ready avondulle! Eer mare, aaramudu, maps tuvondullar…. (What is this? I am getting ready to office and you are looking at maps cozily….)” I couldn’t respond anything else apart from bursting out with laugh J.
Ravi left to work and I got fresh and had Idli Chutney unlimited again J. It was around 9:00 AM when I said by to Priyanka and loaded my bike with my backpack. Kick started my bull after 2 days of complete rest to it. Reached NH-4 towards Satara following Ravi’s instruction. Crossed Pune city and reached Nasripur with melodious music on ears dealing with moderate traffic.
“Bhayya Bhor????” I asked a local who responded that I should ride ahead still to reach the cross road.
Continued a little further and once again,
“Bhayya Bhor????” I asked a local on bike wearing shining sun glass.
He starred at my alien getup and said,
“Mera peecha karo! Uss taraf jaana hain! (Pointing to cross road on other side of NH-4)”
The road to Bhor was narrow but was in good condition for smooth ride. Reached Bhor crossing Bhatghar Dam and enquired the route to Mahad.

Bhatghar Dam somewhere on Sahyadri's....

Soon after I exited Bhor, I was warmly welcomed again by wonderful Sahyadri. Riding on those twists with narrow roads and hardly any traffic around was out of the world feeling for me and my bike. Adding to that was breath taking vista all around. Rode ahead only to realize that I was riding adjacent to Bhambatmal dam back water and guess what? This backwater was very huge and I was riding beside it for about 20 odd Kms.

Riding in between the hills!

Nira-Deoghar Dam backwater on the way!

The beauty of Sahyadri forced me to take frequent photo breaks which were worth wallpaper. After riding for a while and getting down in altitude, bid bye to gorgeous Sahyadri with a flying kiss and rode towards NH-17. As I was riding ahead, Sahyadri was moving far from my RVM’s.

Eye catching views all around :)

Riding in the edge with last view of Sahyadri's!

‘There it comes again!’ I said to myself when I saw NH-17 running right in front me. I was thinking that I will have to compromise a lot on road conditions but NH-17 proved me wrong with butter smooth roads and I took my lunch break in Poladpur. The plan for the day was to reach Mahad and settle but since I had plenty of time running for the day still, I quickly made up my mind to reach Dapoli right away. Post lunch, rode across wonderful Kashedi Ghat and reached Khed.

At last in NH-17/66 :)

Kashedi Ghat in Konkan

Scenic Kashedi Ghat

“Bhayya, Dapoli kaise jaana hain?” I asked in petrol station while filling fuel.

“Seeda jao! Shivaji ka putla milega. Waha se right maarna….”

Road to Dapoli was smooth with lush green typical Konkan landscape.

“Room milega????” I asked receptionist of Usi Lodge which was on the entrance of Dapoli.

After a little negotiation, got into the room, got fresh and enquired the route to beach with lodge receptionist.

“Seeda jaana! Aat kilometer ke baad left mudna. Murud Beach milega. Aapko Dolphin bhi dekne ko milega beach main….” He said virtually planning a small itinerary for me.

Since I had plenty of time at hand, took a small nap and woke up with a shock looking at time which was beyond 5:45 PM. I was already late for the sunset and headed to Murud Beach with an intension to reach as soon as possible. As per lodge receptionist’s directions, I reached Murud Beach but a little late since sunset was over a little before L.

‘Damn!’ I said to myself and took a small walk on the shore of Murud Beach. Beach was very calm and peaceful with relaxing sound of waves kissing the mainland continuously.

Into the greens! Towards the coast :)

Sunset in Murud Beach!

Thought to try out some local chat and had Sev Puri followed by Bhel Puri.

“Yeh Suvarnadurg kila kaise jaana hain?” I asked another local guy sitting next to me while grabbing my quick bite.

“Woh aapko Harnai se jaana hoga! Kitne log hain aap?”

“Akela hoon” I replied.

“Toh who aapko mehanga hoga! Paanch sou mangega woh boat wale….”

In Subsequent conversations, he said the route to Anjarle Beach and details about Dolphin spotting. With the day ending, rode back to Dapoli, had dinner in a vegetarian restaurant that I found luckily on the way back and crashed in bed with a quick plan for tomorrow in mind J.

Day-9 | 17-December-2013 | Dapoli-Harnai Beach-Kelshi Beach-Murud Beach-Dapoli | 91 Kms | 2015 Kms
Plan for the day was just the local sightseeing and this made me take my own time to get out of bed in spite of room, boy knocking the door screaming,
“Garam paani….”
Got fresh and was on bike with camera by 9:00 AM.
“Bhayya, kya hain naasthe main?” I asked the servant of same vegetarian restaurant.
“Misal Pav milega abhi!”
‘Wow! Back to Misal Pav’ I said and ordered one. After stuffing in few extra Pav’s inside in appetite, was all set to explore the local places and first in the list was Suvarnadurg Fort. Riding adjacent to ocean listening to its waves was very refreshing to mind and soul.

My trusted partner

Harnai Port

“Bhayya, Survarnadurg kaise jaana hain?” I questioned local guy.

He took out his right hand and pointed to a direction and started speaking nonstop for few Mins in Marathi. None of his words entered my brain and I was only relying on his hand direction. He could have as well shown the direction and said ‘Saral’ and finished his job I thought to myself and rode straight only to come across road work for which I had to take a diversion and get on the beach directly. As soon as I got into beach, I realized how clean it is and started thinking if it is actually a beach or a drainage stream! It was just in a pathetic shape with polythene covers spread all over the beach L. Thought my destination would not be so dirty and rode ahead.

“Bhayya Suvarnadurg kaise jaana hain?” I ask another young guy on bike.

“Kila?” He confirms.

“Haan” I confirmed when locals where gazing at my bull.

“Kitne log hain?”

“Akela” I reply.

“Phir bahut mehanga hojayega. Paanch so lete hain boat main” And he gave directions to the boat.

As I went head, it turned out to be more horrible in terms of cleanliness and I said ‘I QUIT’ and rode back quickly to be out of that dirty mess. ‘Oh Gosh! What I relief’ I said when I was out of Harnai.

Enroute Angarle and Kelshi Beach

Next in the list was Anjarle and again I had to ride beside ocean but this stretch offered me a little twisty road too. At one view point after riding up the hill, I stopped for a photo break since I could get aerial view of Suvarnadurg Fort. After clicking photos, when I was about to get back on bike, I saw some animal crossing the road and I could firmly make out that it’s not dog for sure. Quickly took my camera out, fixed telephoto lens and clicked as many snaps as possible of d animal and when I previewed the photos I came to know it’s an Jackle. ‘OMG! Did I actually see it?’ I said to myself.

He was quick but thankfully caught him in my lens :)

Taking a sun bath?

Suvarnadurg Fort aerial view

Satisfied me, when I was about to start off, two guys in bike came close to me and asked something in Marathi.

“Hindi main bataon bhai.” I said with confused expression.

“Aap idhar ke nahin ho?” One of the guy fired back looking as much confused as I am.

“Nahin.”

“Acha! Main ek gaon ka raasta pooch raha tha.”

‘Dumb idiot! Couldn’t you make out from my number plate that I am not a localite?’ I scolded him in myself and rode ahead. When I was about to cross Anjarle bridge, a white i10 was honking continuously from back. I stopped with frustration and they came close to me,

“Kaha se aaye ho?” Young guy asked me with 2 others in car.

“Bangalore.”

“Akele? Koi saat nahin?”

“Kal mera dost aayega Ratnagiri main.”

“Aage kahan?”

“Kelshi jaana hain!”

“Achha! Tees minute main pauch jao ge….”

They went ahead with thumps up wave and I rode ahead crossing Anjarle Bridge.

Angarle Beach distant view!

For some reason, I decided to skip Anjarle Beach and rode ahead towards Kelshi Beach. Road after Anjarle was in very bad shape. Reached Kelshi and asked d route to beach with a guy sitting relaxed in auto. He spoke something for 2 Mins and ended with ‘Saral’ and that’s when I came to know he was speaking in Marathi J.

“Hindi main batana bhai.” I requested.

Rode as per his directions and I was in Kelshi Beach in no time. It was very peaceful with absolutely no crowd and cleanly maintained too.

Kelshi Beach

Powerful waves :)

With no more riding ahead and Misal Pav being vanished from tummy, did a speed run back to Dapoli after a photo break in Murud beach. Head was aching a lot might be due to riding in hot sun and being hungry I thought and had full meals in same vegetarian restaurant.

In Murud Beach

Filling my stomach, reached back room and decided to take rest for a while. Was watching movie in my tab and didn’t come to know when I went asleep. I opened eyes only when my watch showed 6:15 PM. ‘Damn! I can't get sunset in Murud Beach today too L’ I cursed myself for sleeping like buffalo. Head ache was still refusing to leave my head and decided to take a small walk in town and have something to stomach. Had Vada Pav and tea as part of evening snacks and bought fruits while coming back. My friend KP called saying he is in bus to Kolhapur. With nothing much to do for the day, continued watching the movie which I had left midway while having fruits and then crashed packing my belongings.

Day-10 | 18-December-2013 | Dapoli-Dabhol-Valneshwar-Jaigad-Ratnagiri | 168 Kms | 2183 Kms

“Bhayya garam paani abhi milega?” I asked room boy since I heard him walking in corridor at 6:00 AM. Had quick bath and got on bike to Murud Beach for Dolphin sighting.

“Abhi check out karoge?” Room boy asked and I replied

“Nahi! Baad main karoonga.”

Reached Murud Beach and found hardly any crowd there except one family. Inquired about Dolphin sighting and that family’s driver said counter has to open yet. In the mean time we had small casual talk and,

“Aap kaha se aaye ho?”

“Bangalore.”

“Kaise? Matlab train, bus...”

“Bike se aaya hoon.”

“Bike se?????” With his eyes and mouth open to their threshold.

Mean time counter opened and I took ticket and was all set to spot Dolphins. Slowly few more tourists poured in and now boat was full. In an effort to get good view, I took the front seat and it was little scary since all I could see front was deep blue ocean and nothing else.

“Camera leke jaa sakte hain na?” I confirmed with boat guy just to be safe.

Our boat sailed for miles but no sign of dolphin at all. I could see that every tourist’s eye was wide open and all were deeply lost in searching for a sight of Dolphin.

Sailing in search of Dolphin's

“Itna Door hum nahi aate hain. Kal wahi pe dika tha.” Boat guy said with little disappointment but not losing the hope. After travelling ahead a lot and with no sighting of Dolphin’s, we started our backward ride and I was desperately looking around in sear h of Dolphin’s. Suddenly, some black object moved in at a distance to my left. I concentrated over that point hard and there it goes. I finally got to see Dolphins wings and screamed,

“Ek minute. Waha hain. Maine abhi dekha.” Pointing my hand to left.

Boat was stopped immediately hoping we all get to see it again. Lady sitting back screams again in Marathi saying she spotted it. Curious now, we wait for some more time and but didn’t get it again and it was sailing back to mainland. However I was pretty satisfied that I could spot it J.

Reached mainland and it was already 10:00 AM. Had quick breakfast of famous and regular Misal Pav and reached back to lodge in hurry. Settled lodge bill, loaded the bike and took off to Dabhol from where I had take my bike in ferry. Road was pretty scenic with green around but the climate was very humid making me sweat in spite of wearing a thin jacket. Rode pretty fast asking directions to Dabhol Jetty and when I reached there, thankfully, ferry was ready to depart. Took ticket and loaded my bike in ferry. It took off in no time towards Veldur Jetty. As I was pretty excited, got busy clicking photos and guy next to me asked,

“Yeh kaha ka registration hain?”

“Karnataka.”

“Aap vaha se aaye ho?”

“Ha.”

“Ab aage kaha jaana hain?”

“Goa hoke Mangalore. Vaha se Bangalore.”

Conversation continued for a while and he gave me timing details of Jaigad jetty.

My first experience of getting into Jetty (Dabhol Jetty)

Ferry reached its destination but I still had lot to cover to reach my destination for the day. I took off again asking the route to Valneshwar.

'Saral' was the constant reply I got from whomever I asked the route on my way. Road to Valneshwar was pretty isolated but was between lush green forest. Enjoyed riding immensely and even road was pretty smooth. Reached Valneshwar and the route to beach which was hardly 100 mtrs away.

Wonderful, calm Konkan :)

Isn't this scary a little?

Valneshwar Beach

Got my share of clicks of calm and clean Valneshwar Beach and took off towards Hedavi.

“Bhayya yeh Jaigad kaise jaana hain?” I asked at a T junction which had very confusing directions with no sign boards to a guy in bike with his lady as pillion.

He himself was not sure and mean while an old lady started telling something in Marathi.

“Aap unki baasha samaj payenge?” Guy asked getting down from bike.

“Nahin bhayyya! Muje marathi nahi aatha hain.”

He spoke to old lady and explained me the route and I continue again thanking him for all his humanity.

Reached Thosal Jetty and ferry was waiting. Went to ticket counter only to know that it will leave at 2:00 PM. ‘Gosh!’ I said since it was just 1:35 PM. Hungry me and nothing else to do, had Cocum Juice and an Apple that I was carrying to keep up with my hunger temporarily. Ferry took off after a bus got into it with great effort. A car driver started talking to me regarding the same things about my trip etc.

“Yeh bhi alag experience hain ki aap apna bike ferry main leke jao. Road main jaana toh roz ka kaam hain! Lekin ferry main jaane ka andaaz kuch alag hain.”

He had tough time getting into Jetty!

Got down in Jaigad jetty and took off towards Ratnagiri asking directions as I was already short of time. SH-4 was pretty dry but road was butter smooth and it was bliss cruising on this road. Crossed Ganapatipule and reached Ratnagiri at 4:00 PM riding adjacent to beach for miles with mesmerizing views all around.

Ganpatipule Beach at backdrop

Ocean! Ocean and Ocean :)

Will this end at Ocean?

Mesmerizing view on the way to Ratnagiri!

Called up KP and he directed me to lodge which he had booked close to bus stand. Got fresh and straight away for food hunt as even he was waiting for me to have lunch together. KP wanted to try out some special item of Maharashtra and I suggested Misal Pav without taking a second to think. Had yummy Misal Pav and Onion Uttapam and then we headed to Ratnadurg Fort with me taking pillion seat. Ratnadurg Fort was small peaceful cherishing Fort and after taking the walk around it, we climbed adjacent small hill for sunset and what a view of ocean we got I must say. It was just worth the effort for us as it offered wonderful nature and absolute silence.

View from Bhagwati/Ratnadurg Fort!

Reflection of super power!

Bhagwati temple inside Ratnadurg Fort!

Cave beneath the Fort

Sunset view in Ratnagiri :)

Spent time relaxing there till sunset chatting about our college days, friends, plan for tomorrow etc and then got back to lodge. After a while, had dinner in nearby Rajasthani restaurant and closed the account with tomorrows plan.

Day-11 | 19-December-2013 | Ratnagiri-Ganapatipule-Jaigad-Ratnagiri | 98 Kms | 2281 Kms
Days plan was just local sightseeing and hence we extended our sleep and were out of bed by 8:45 AM. Had breakfast which included Misal Pav by default as menu and were on towards Ganapatipule seeking directions from locals. KP was desperate to take riding seat and I was pretty happy to get rid of it for some time J. After few Kms, came across a place from where we can take our bike directly to the shore and there we go without second thought. It was an amazing feeling to ride the bike in beach and with couple of photo shoots, we were back on track.

Beauty all around

It was amazing feeling I must say :D

Just before entering Ganapatipule, security stopped us tearing a receipt and handing it over to me.

“Kitna?”

“Dus….” He replied eagerly looking forward to the next vehicle behind us.

Entered crowded Ganapatipule and directly off to beach parking our trusted machine. It was fully hot with Sun dancing over our head by now and we decided to walk for a while and relax under the shade. With no much option to relax, we eventually ended up in Tender Coconut shop beside beach and settled firmly there on plastic chairs with a Tender Coconut in hand.

Calm waves kissing the shore at Ganpatipule Beach

Ocean till the end

It was around 1:30 PM when shopkeeper started to remove the plastic chairs beside us indirectly hinting us to leave badly since we had already spend more than 90 Mins and we had just bought 2 Tender Coconut’s and nothing else from him. Considering the shopkeepers frustration, we decided to detach ourselves from plastic chairs and headed straight for lunch.

“Kaha jaana hain aapko?” Security guard stopped on the entrance of MTDC Ganapatipule.

“Restaurant hain kya yaha pe?” We responded.

“Yaha se seedha jao….”

Had vegetarian Thali which was not value for money and headed to Jaigad Fort bidding bye to Ganapatipule.

Fishermen's trusted machines

Road to Jaigad was pretty smooth but very isolated with hardly any crowd around. Negotiating with narrow road, we entered badly maintained Jaigad Fort and took a walk along Fort walls enjoying the beautiful views the Fort offered.

Entry to Jaigad Fort

Only complex remaining inside the Fort

Can you see how tree roots have taken over the complex?

Jaigad watch tower

Waves in its own style

Ratnagiri light house

By evening, we started our journey back and stopped for a tea midway.

“Karnataka ka passing hain?” Fired a local guy while waiting for the bus.

“Ha”

“Kasa se aaye ho?”

“Bangalore.”

“Kitna mileage detra hain?”

“35.”

While riding ahead KP gave a brilliant idea.

“Next time if anyone asks the mileage, tell them it gives 120. They will surely hold their heart and die on the spot.”

Reached back Ratnagiri and straight to lighthouse since I had missed it during my previous visit. KP went in to check the entry while I was parking my bike in super narrow road on the Fort walls. While I was entering the gate, KP came back saying ‘It’s closed! It is open only from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM’ and I checked my watch only to see that it was close to 6:00 PM. Disappointed me, reached back to lodge with nothing else to do. Relaxing for a while, had dinner in nearby restaurant and crashed with tomorrows long ride plan in pipeline.

Day-12 | 20-December-2013 | Ratnagiri-Vijaydurg-Kunkeshwar-Malvan | 194 Kms | 2475 Kms

My mobile has been very punctual in giving me wakeup call and it happened the same today. My bike looks heavily stuffed with 2 huge bags on panniers and a pillion, we took off for the day’s journey.

“Careful! Go slowly. My wedding is on the cards….” KP said little worried over how I would handle the bike.
“Don’t worry! You are super safe when am riding….” I said laughing inside my helmet and took off J.
Had breakfast in town and
“Pawas kaise jaana hain?” We asked few locals on the way.
We got confirmed about the route only when we saw huge Finolex industries on our right in SH-4. Since it was still early morning, Sun was not harsh on us but I had to ride very carefully due to the heavy load on bike which was resulting in mild wobbling. Road was smooth and neither we were in hurry for anything. Taking our own time for natures call and photos, we stopped for Tea after about 40 odd Kms in some isolated place.

Loaded bike waiting to munch miles ahead

“Bhai, Chai laana by 2!” KP ordered unloading his gear onto a table.

Tea hawker got curious on my LS-2 helmet and fired his bunch of questions in whatever English he knew. I was wondering ‘How come its helmet this time for a change and not my bike?’

“How much for this helmet sir?”

“Teen hazaar hain.” I replied while sipping my tea in tiny steal cup.

He took up my helmet and again,

“Raat ko dikta hain kya isme?” Pointing to the tinted shield I had in my helmet.

“Haan! Dikta hain….”

His curiosity came down after I answered all his questions with a smile on my face. KP got engaged on a call with one of our friend who was about to get married in few days. After his set of questions, it was our turn to question him in detail about the route.

After a good break for about 30 Mins, we got on the road and KP wanted to try his hand over heavy bull this time. Me little worried about how he would handle, took pillion seat with a worry L. Next stop came in Vijaydurg Fort riding across moderately maintained road. Parked the bike under shade, and we entered a Fort leaving our entire luggage on bike against our wish but with no other option.

“Ticket lelo use….” An old man said pointing to the young chap at a distance.

“Kitna hain ticket ka?” I asked young guy.

“Dus rupeeya” He replied taking ticket book out.

I paid him 20 Rs and he handed my 10 tickets of 2 Rs each saying he doesn’t have ticket of 10 Rs. Fort was huge from inside with few locals living there taking care of the Fort.

Vijayadurg Fort

Vijaydurg village as seen from Fort

Walls were made of massive Rock Stones and it was very thick too. After about 70 Mins, we managed to complete one round to the Fort with frequent breaks for Photo and witnessing the view of ocean.

Ruins inside huge Fort

Thick walls protecting the fort from nature

Nearby vista

As it was close to 2:00 PM, we decided to have lunch in Vijaydurg and head further. Had lunch in a restaurant which had opened today itself and geared up for the next leg of ride. Sun was too harsh on us by now and I was with thin layer of clothes on myself.

Devgad was another 30 odd Kms of pleasant ride across abandoned Konkan track with lush green farms on either side of the road. I could see that majority of farms were of Mango and that’s when I realized might be here is where famous Ratnagiri Hapus is grown. As I was just thinking of Mango’s, my mouth was already filled with water since it is one of my favorite fruit. Reached Devgad Fort negotiating with congested Devgad small town. KP got down from pillion seat and went inside without turning back. After removing my riding gear, I got inside the Fort only to find that this stupid is taking a pleasant nap in shade. Devgad Fort offered very scenic views of ocean compared to Vijaydurg but nothing special in terms of Fort ruins. It consisted of small lighthouse.

Devgad light house

Dead end?

Eye catching colors

Beauty as seen from Devgad Fort

Random Beach on the way

After clicking my share of snaps, I too took a small nap. Even though it was for short duration, it made us super fresh for the ride ahead.

In about 30 Mins, we landed in Kunkeshwar which is well known for Shiva temple attached to the beach. But the beauty which caught my eyes was colorful temple walls. After a quick round to the beach, got into a small restaurant.

Colorful Kunkeshwar temple complex

Calm Kunkeshwar Beach

Wave art on sand :)

“Khane me kya hain?”

“Misal Pav milega….”

“Do Misal Pav leke aana jaldi….” I said as I was damn hungry L.

First look of Misal Pav looked very different and it didn’t taste as good as previous ones. On enquiry, hotel guy said,

“Yeh Malvan style ka Misal Pav hain….” With a smile and dignity.

While enquiring about our trip, he said people speak Malvani in this region and gave a little more information about local life style. With all said and done, we geared up for last leg of the ride for the day and I took pillion seat to enjoy Konkan while on wheels. Reached Malvan riding cautiously and first look of this town made me feel it’s very nice coastal town and looked like Goa of Maharashtra. We had reached our destination safe but were on road still and hence badly were in look of shelter. Enquired few lodges only to find that either that were full or they were completely out of our budget. At last, after couple of search, got into a Sonchafa Motel after a little of negotiation. Lodge owner was an old man and looked like he was desperate to speak to someone. He started to speak in partial English he knew about Malvan and it didn’t seem to stop for long. He gave us detail of Sindhudurg Fort, Devbagh, state level swimming competition on next day, snorkeling and other water activities in Malvan and what not. Finally after about 20 Mins, we managed to escape from his talks and got fresh checking into our room. Had dinner in a small Bhojayanala nearby and walked to Malvan jetty and relaxed for a while before crashing for the day.

Day-13 | 21-December-2013 | Malvan-Devbagh-Malvan-Nivati Beach-Calangute | 168 Kms | 2643 Kms
‘Yahoo…. It’s Goa today….’ This is what my mind and heart was shouting even before I could open my eyes. Since Goa was very important for us, we started our day pretty early so that we can reach Goa well before dark. First place in list was Devbagh which is around 10 Kms from Malvan township. Reached Sangam point when the shipping village was still asleep. First look of beach looked peaceful but as we went on, it turned out be pathetic in its cleanliness. Without second thought, got back on wheels and back to simple, beautiful town of Malvan.

Devbhag Sangam near Malvan

Had breakfast of Misal Pav again on some small hotel and directly to Malvan jetty to catch a boat to Sindhudurg Fort. Fort seemed to be wonderful one from the shore and I was just waiting to get there to explore it. After waiting for a while in queue to collect tickets, got one for us and directly on boat. Boat guy poured customers till threshold and finally it started to move towards the fort. The water wasn’t deep since I could see some rocks clearly hidden in water.

Massive Sindhudurg Fort in middle of Ocean

While the boat was heading to Fort entrance, few stupid local tourists in the boat started to move around in an effort to take photos. As a result, huge boat which was carrying around 50 tourists started to quiver a little. Scared me and KP looked at each other signaling to be ready for jump in case of any accident J. They were careless in spite of warning from boat guy. After about 20 Mins of scary boat ride, we landed in Sindhudurg Fort entrance.

“Ek ganta milega kila dekne ko. Teek ek gante ke baad boat niklega….” Boat guy said making us clear about the time we had in our hand to explore the Fort.

As soon as we entered the Fort, I realized that 1 hour is very less to explore the massive Fort built by the legend Shivaji on tiny Kurte Island.

View of mainland from the Fort

Taking a sunbath?

Quickly made up our mind to walk on the fort walls so that we can cover as much as we can on time we had. Also we guessed there may not be much of ruins in the Fort and hence not worth going in middle etc. Fort was simply huge and beautiful built by huge rock stones. Its thick walls have been protecting the Fort from massive waves of ocean for few hundreds of years. There was snorkeling activity being conducted just outside the Fort walls. The point which caught my heart was the color of ocean and white rock stones. There was something special in them that combination of both was very striking I must say. Walking along the Fort walls clicking snaps from every possible angle, we reached back side of the Fort where there was a small hidden door and an artificial beach. I heard someone saying that Shivaji had built this small beach for his queens to enjoy playing in beach. Lucky queens we concluded and moved straight to entrance looking at time.

Gigantic Fort walls spreading vast (Can you spot private beach of Queens?)....

Standing firm against the nature

Shivaji Temple inside the Fort

Lodge manager had told that only this Fort has temple of Shivaji where Shivaji’s idol doesn’t have beard. But due to time constraint, we gave it a miss and reached the boarding point of our boat.

“Abhi time hain! Who dekliya aapne? Waha Shivaji Maharaj ka haat aur pair ka nishan hain….” Boat guy told with smile on his face.

After seeing the legends palm and foot prints, boarded the boat for thrilling backward ride. Boat started after waiting for some time for other passengers and we reached back to main land in no time.

Reached lodge after Lemon Juice, loaded the bike and took off to Goa bidding bye to friendly lodge manager. Witnessing lush green landscape of narrow SH-4 as a pillion was simply awesome which I enjoyed to the full. After about 40 odd Kms, saw a sign board which read Nivati Beach on right and I insisted KP to visit that beach against his wish. Nivati beach offered absolute seclusion with clean and deep beach. After thinking for a while I realized that this was the first deep water beach in this ride so far.

Isolated and deep Nivati Beach

Got back on the saddle without wasting much a time and I took riding seat now. With a quick break for Tea near Vengurla, stopped for lunch crossing Shiroda at a junction.

“Kaane main kya hain?” Asked two hungry souls.

“Misal Pav aur Vada Pav milega abhi….”

“Do Misal Pav leke aana bhai….” We placed the order.

It was around 4:00 PM when we started our last leg of ride for the day and after riding across smooth country side road; at last we kissed NH-17. ‘Wow man! It feels so great and am in Goa. Yahoo’ I said to myself with complete excitement. As Goa was nearing, my excitement was taking control over me which reflected in speeding the bike. I realized the same only after warning from KP to ride carefully J. Crossed Mapusa and,

“Calangute???” We asked few locals who said we have to go straight.

KP called lodge people after reaching Calangute KFC junction and they directed us to lodge. After completing the check-in process displaying our ID cards etc, got fresh and headed straight to Baga Beach which is one of the most happening place in Goa. As expected, Baga was packed with tourists of all age groups. After a small walk along the shore, settled in a shack with drinks and snacks.

Illuminated Shacks of Baga Beach, Goa!

After enjoying pleasant evening, headed to Anjuna Beach for dinner bearing the horrible traffic jam on the way. ‘What the hell are so many people doing at this time of the day?’ I started to think as I could hardly see any vehicle moving. Reached Anjuna and realized it is completely silent compared to Baga and we decided to head back to Baga for dinner. Had Fried Rice and Biryani in a beach shack and reached back to our room and crashed by 12:45 AM.

Day-14 | 22-December-2013 | Calangute-Baga-Calangute-Anjuna-Vagator-Calangute | 34 Kms | 2677 Kms

It was KP’s desire to go for a jog bare foot on the shore and he was adamant about it since previous day. After a quick discussion, we decided to take a dip after jog. Set out to Baga Beach early in the morning and straight to beach all set to run J.

“Time kya hua bhai????” KP asked a local guy relaxing in shack.

“7:15” He said looking at his wrist watch.

We marked the line and ready, steady gooooo….

We had no time constraint and not much plan for the day too. We made sure we will jog and not run. Hence we took it very slow. On the way we could see that there were few other likeminded tourists who were on their tracks and running along the shore. Few babes had just stepped to beach and still stretching their bones J. After about 18 Mins, we took a U-turn and its backward run now. I must say that it’s really amazing to get the work out done in shore right under sun. Although we were slightly panting, we could feel the freshness inside us. Finally reached the starting point and stopped just crossing the start line which we had put before starting the jog. As soon as I stopped, I could clearly feel that my thighs were vibrating a lot.

“Time kitna hua bhai?” KP asked the same person with whom we had asked the time before starting the run.

“Saat bachkar pachaas minute….”

“We ran for 35 Mins. Am sure we ran for 5 Kms…. Coz even when I did 5 Kms marathon I was running at same speed….” KP said fully satisfied.

‘Wow! Did I actually run 5 Kms? I just can’t believe that I have so much stamina’ I was actually jumping out of joy. Settled out in a shack, got into our shorts and directly to face the fresh waves. It really feels stupendous to take a dip in beach after workout. We were feeling as fresh as we can start for another 5 Kms run J. With every wave passing through us, we were feeling more and more excited. After a relaxing dip in fresh water, got back to shack sipping a pot Tea followed by diet breakfast. I have a habit of eating heavy breakfast but these diet breakfast was no where enough for me L. Post breakfast, relaxed in shack for a while and got back to lodge. Got fresh and hit the bed without second thought. KP took a nap while I got busy watching movie in my Tab.

Due to light breakfast, I was damn hungry and by 12:45 PM we went to Udupi Hotel nearby for lunch after forcing KP to detach himself from cozy bed.

“It’s too sunny and hot. Let’s go out evening. Let’s take some rest now” KP said and got back to his bed again. Due to barefoot jog, my right foot was slightly paining and I guessed it might be due to lack of practice and neglected it. With no other plan, I continued watching movie until evening. By around 4:00 PM I finally managed to wake up buffalo sleeping next to me and we headed out to Anjuna Beach to check the happening crowd filling fuel. By now, my foot pain had slightly increased and I couldn’t walk properly L. Anjuna was more silent than Baga with crowd engaged in their own world boozing all around.

Busy Anjuna Beach

Can u guess what is this?

Calm part of Anjuna :)

Took a walk around the beach and got back to parking to visit Vagator Beach. Due to leg pain, KP was full time rider for the day and I was full time pillion L. Vagator was much against my expectation. I had thought Vagator Beach will be more scenic with shacks and babes all around but it was dead opposite. I was shocked to see there wasn’t even a single shack on beach. It was close to sunset time and I could see that huge crowd was waiting to witness sunset standing curiously on Chapora Fort walls in ‘Dil Chahta Hain’ style. With every step I took, I could feel that my foot pain is increasing and I told KP that I would head back and wait near parking.

Cozy Vagator Beach

Tourists desperate to catch Sunset at Chapora Fort next to Vagator Beach

Close to Sunset

And here he sinks!

KP came back after taking a complete walk on the shore and we decided to head back to Baga Beach again since it was the only place where we could find good quantity of crowd.

Reached Baga with a little confusion on direction and again to a shack for quick bite enjoying the melodious music of waves. Since KP was about to start his own family soon, he wanted to do a small shopping for be family and special one J. After shopping in Calangute, had dinner in same Udupi restaurant and hit the bed applying Iodex to my foot and wishing that the pain will vanish by tomorrow.

Day-15 | 23-December-2013 | Calangute-Dudhsagar Falls-Calangute-Anjuna-Calangute | 174 Kms | 2851 Kms

Initially when KP was planning to join the ride, he had told me to reserve one day for Dudhsagar Falls. Today it was I said when I opened my eyes. Got on bike getting fresh in no time and KP took the riding seat. Although I was enjoying the excitement of visiting one of the famous falls on South India, a part of my mind was worried to the core and reason behind it was my foot pain. Damn it! It was paining more than yesterday but there was no swelling at all. It was paining so much that I had to rely on my toes for walk at times. Initial few Kms were like dealing with traffic and soon after Panaji, we took left towards Ponda which had 2-lanes smooth track to cruise on.

After few Kms, took a natures call break and I took over riding seat since I was feeling pain resting my leg in foot rest. I thought if I ride, my concentration will be deviated and may not feel too much pain J. Road was simply super smooth and scenic with thick forest on either side. I could see lot of KA registration vehicles plying and that’s when I realized this is NH-4A which connects Panaji to Belgaum.

“Bhayya, Kulem kaise jaana hain??” I asked to a person standing in bus stand just after Ponda.

“Seeda jao! Molem se pehle ek petrol pump milega. Waha se right lena. Seeda Kulem jaayega….”

“Yeh raasta kidar jaayega” KP asked pointing to another road with suspicion.

“Arre! Udhar mat jao. Woh jungle ka raasta hain. Phir tum ghoom jaayega” He replied firmly.

Continued riding between thick forest and took right turn right before petrol pump and in some time, we reached Kulem from where we knew we can’t take our bike ahead. Our assumption was to take a train till the falls and catch another train while coming back. Parking our machine under shade went straight to railway station after a quick Tea.

“Sir, hame kuch information chahiye tha….” I requested to station master being as innocent as possible.

“Ha. Kaho….” He said without lifting his head busy writing something in white sheet.

“Dudhsagar Falls ke liye train milega kya yaha se abhi?”

“Abhi kuch time se pehle nikal gaya…. Agla train shaam saade char bhaje hain…. Lekin uss train main jao ge, toh wapas aane ke liye train nahi milega….”

‘Oh God! Shit. What the hell is this? Coming all the way so far, do we end up with nothing?’ We were just scolding our fate.

“Paidal jaa sakte hain kya?” KP asked again but I was no way ready to walk with my painful leg.

“Kareeb bhara kilometer padega aapko….”

With no option left for the day, came back to main road only to know that Dudhsagar can also be visited by rented jeep which is the most common way to visit the falls from Kulem. After enquiring a little, went to ticket counter to get the details and man o man! It looked nothing less than fish market where everyone is eager to get the tickets. Me joined their line too and after dealing with human traffic for about 20 Mins, got two tickets paying 770 Rs. The jeep booking works like this! Single jeep can carry maximum of 7 people and the fair for one jeep is 2300 Rs. There were another couple who would join us and other 2 tourists from big family in our jeep and hence it was total of 6 tourists in our jeep. After paying for the life jacket etc, we got into our jeep at last.

“Kya system hain! Poora corrupt hain…. Kuch bhi clarity nahin hain…” KP said little frustrated to other couple who is originally from Kolkata based in Bangalore.

“Boss! As far as I know, I am sitting in jeep in just 15 mins after paying for the ticket…. I don’t think system is corrupt!” Head of the Kolkata family told happily.

I told KP not to talk all such things with these people since it would never get into their mind J. Driver came in no time and our jeep took off towards falls. After paying for the forest entry ticket, we entered the forest passing which we had to go to reach the base of falls. Since I was sitting next to driver, I initiated the conversation with him,

“Kitna kilometer hain yeh raasta?”

“9 kilometer hain….”

“Kitna trip karte ho aap ek din main???”

“Do trip karte hain. Subah aur dupaher ko….”

Our conversation continued while KP got busy chit chatting with 2 members of huge family who had come in our jeep. After some time, driver asked about our trip and there it goes N^th time in this trip that I am sharing about my trip to someone. Driver also told that they have made life jacket compulsory since lot of tourists have lost their life in the falls since the water is deep. After about 45 Mins of hardcore off road drive which included passing through few water crossing, we reached the base of falls from where we had to walk for 5 Mins to reach the falls. Driver told us that he would give us one hour and we have to be back by 1:20 PM. ‘Damn! Is there walking still’ I said starting my walk slowly. Reached falls which was not in its full glory but not bad too. It was packed with tourists and I could see that lot of them were taking dip in falls few wearing life jackets. After good amount of clicks and chilling out for some time, we got back to parking and straight away back to Kulem with same off road experience.

Wonderful DudhSagar Falls

Stream falling with glory!

Nice place for Jacuzzi?

Tourists busy in water beneath the falls

On the way back, me and KP took back seat and we could hear other guy asking the driver,

“Yahi falls hain na jo Chennai express main dikaya tha?”

Me and KP busted out laughing since KP had told me he asking the same question to him couple of time while heading to falls J. It was close to 3:00 PM by now and KP insisted on having lunch here itself. Got into a small restaurant which served pathetic lunch for 70 Rs and KP just couldn’t control it anymore. He busted out on servant complaining about the food.

Got back on saddle with our tummy filled and journey back was little bad majorly due to the hot sun right on our head and added to that was coastal humidity. Reached Panaji with a tender coconut break in Ponda and straight away to lodge eagerly looking to rest for some time. Since there was no other plan for the day and we had plenty of time in hand, I suggested KP that we can head to Anjuna Beach and take a dip. Around 5:00 PM we headed to Anjuna Beach and took a dip only to realize that water is not at clean and sand beneath is not as soft as it was in Baga with lot of rock stones in between L. Got out quickly and back to our favorite Baga Beach with a quite bite in Anjuna. After relaxing for a while in Baga Beach, headed back to Calangute and closed the days account after a quick dinner J.

Day-16 | 24-December-2013 | Calangute-Palolem-Karwar | 134 Kms | 2985 Kms

It was time for us to bid bye to Goa and move ahead after relaxing here for 2 days. By 8:00 AM, I was ready but KP delayed a little by an hour. Settled the lodge balance and straight to same Udupi Krishna Hotel for morning feast. I was damn hungry cause of which I had mild head ache. After stuffing in Upma and Onion Utappa followed by filter Coffee the journey continued towards south. Crossed Panaji and took a nature’s call break after which KP insisted that he would ride.

Agriculture in Konkan

Due to heavy baggage, bike was occupying more space on road and we had to ride more cautiously. But this stupid was trying to overtake from left side in 2-lane road and overtaking when vehicles are coming in opposite direction. It finally came to control after a blast from my side. Crossing Margao was painful as it was congested with heavy traffic. After negotiating the slow moving traffic, got rid of Margao traffic and it was smooth road to cruise on with green vista around.

“Bhayya, Palolem kaise jaana hain?” I asked a local guy who was getting on his bike.

“Seeda jao. Bees kilometer hain….” He said and we zoomed off.

Rode ahead witnessing the lush green vista of Konkan and crossing over Konkan railway track couple of times and took right turn to Palolem soon after reading Goa tourism board. In no time, we were on Palolem Beach with the loaded bike resting in parking. Took a small walk around the beach with our jackets on while all others were wearing the minimum cloth required to cover themselves J. After a couple of clicks, got back on bike and straight to petrol pump to till the tank till neck. The reason being, fuel rate in Goa was around 59.1 Rs/Ltr whereas in Karnataka it is around 79.3 Rs/Ltr.

Wave ready to kick off

Homely Palolem Beach

I wish to stay here one day :)

Since Karwar was just about 40 odd Kms, we filled the fuel and moved ahead crossing state border. ‘Finally am back in state’ I said to myself and insisted KP to take my snaps for memory.

Welcome back HOME :D

Reached Karwar by around 3:00 PM and after a little search in tiny town, got the deal done in Hotel Sona Palace for shelter. Lodge manager said it would take some time to clean the room and we decided to finish our lunch in the mean time. Came back and directly to room and then to bed getting fresh as we were burning due to harsh sun rays since morning. Soon after I got into bed, I went to deep sleep and woke up only when KP played song from his mobile. Got fresh and headed to Tagore Beach which is right beside NH-17 and hardly a Km from our lodge. Meanwhile KP wanted to enquire about the return bus ticket from Gokarna for tomorrow and we headed to KSRTC bus stand before heading to beach. But we couldn’t get the ticket booked since the counter got closed a little before at 5:30 PM.

Tagore Beach was very calm with moderate crowd most of which are locals. With no other plans in mind, we settled in beach for some time before heading to exhibition nearby to kill the time.

Sunset in Tagore Beach, Karwar

Wonderful Sunset colors

“Yenide tinlikke (What is there to eat)?” I asked a local chat shop guy just outside the exhibition.

“Girmit!” He said busy preparing the same for other customers.

We both were clueless about what actually it is and decided to have one and check. It tasted very nice for our hungry tummy. Got back to room, rested for a while before heading for dinner and then closing the eye shutter.

Day-17 | 25-December-2013 | Karwar-Gokarna | 111 Kms | 3096 Kms

Days plan was to reach Gokarna which is just about 70 odd Kms south of Karwar. Hence we took is cozy a little and headed straight to Sadashivgad Fort around 10 Kms north of Karwar towards Goa.

“Illi Sadashivgad Fort yelli baratte? (Excuse me, where is Sadashivgad Fort?)” We asked couple of localities and in quick time we got the route. Parked our bike in front of Bhavani Temple and climbed few steps to enter the Fort. Frankly, there wasn’t anything special in the Fort and over that, Emarald Bay resort was neatly setup inside the Fort.

“Who gave them the permission to setup resort inside the Fort?” KP asked me with little frustration.

Sadashivgad Fort

An antique ruin in the Fort

But from tip of the Fort, we could get gorgeous landscape of deep blue ocean and the merging of great Kali River with Arabian Sea. Took a walk around tiny Fort and from another view, we got the aerial view famous Karwar bridge.

The great Kali River joins the Ocean

Devbagh Light house and island in Karwar

Famous Karwar bridge

With nothing else to do, got back on bike and got back straight to lodge finishing our breakfast. On the way back, KP wanted to check Jungle lodges and resort whose office was very next to NH-17. They had their resort in Dev Bagh Island. Since lodge manager had given us the room with a condition that we should vacate by 10:00 AM today, got back to lodge and packed our luggage in jiffy. Settling the lodge bill, we got set to move to our next destination. KP wanted to ride badly as it was his last day of the trip but I insisted that I would ride for some Kms.

Got back on our trusted NH-17 after booking return journey bus ticket for KP, rode south with thumping bull. For initial few Kms, view of right side was blocked by thick and huge walls. The reason being India’s biggest naval base is under construction and hence NH-17 in this stretch is in ‘DO NOT STOP’ zone. After riding for about 40 Kms, took a break to fill in some liquid to our dried up throat and for butt break. After resting for a while, I got back as pillion and journey continued on NH-17 till we saw a board saying ‘Gokarna 9 Kms’ with a right arrow. Gokarna is a very small temple town with one main narrow street. Just before entering the town, civil stopped and,

“Where are you coming from?” Constable asked us suspicious on our looks.

“Heli saar. Goa dinda barta irodu…. (Tel me sir. We are coming from Goa)” I said removing my helmet and meantime even KP removed his helmet and scarf.

“Oh! Neevu kannada davara. Nim getup nodidre olle foreigner tara kanistiralla (Oh! You guys are from Karnataka itself. Your getup looks like you are foreigner)” He said with a smile and let us go without further interrogation.

Next big task for the day was to hunt for a budget lodge. As I was pillion, I took the responsibility of getting into lodges and asking if there is any room available for us. When I rang the door bell of one such lodge, a lady came out little frustrated.

“Madam, room kaali idiya? (Madam, is there any vacant room?)” I asked trying to be decent.

“Haudu! Ide. Adakenta eega? (Yes! It’s there. So what?)” Lady said scanning me from top to bottom.

“Room kaali idre namge bekittu. Ondu dinakke…. (If there is a vacant room, we want it for a day)” I replied little confused on her frustration.

“Neevu yaaru? (Who are you?)” She fired back.

“Naanu Krishna (I am Krishna)” I replied bursting out of laugh from inside on her questions and attitude.

After thinking for a while she replied saying she will not give is the room and I came out thanking her J. Repeated the conversation to KP and we both laughed holding our stomach. Search continued further but it didn’t last for long as we got a good room in Hotel Gokarna International. Got fresh and had lunch in restaurant next to lodge. Post lunch, relaxed for a while in room and by 3:30 PM, stepped out to visit Paradise Beach for which we had to do a small trek.

Broken road connectivity to Paradise Beach

Climbing even a small hill on my injured leg seemed terrible for me but after about 30 Mins of trek crossing the hill, the view we got was all worth it. Paradise Beach looked much like private beach with small in size and very less crowd lazily lying around.

Paradise Beach!

Cool and calm is what it makes as Paradise :)

Dual color rocks

After a quick rest, returned back to parking and next in the list was famous Om Beach. This beach was crowded with lot of tourists. I wanted to walk till the other end of the beach, climb a small hill and get beautiful view of the beach but KP insisted to head back as it would get late for him to catch the bus.

Entry to Om Beach!

After relaxing for a while in Namaste Café, got back to lodge and KP got set to start his bus journey back home. On the way to bus stand, he bought some fruits for his dinner and got into bus which was waiting to depart. Bidding bye to him, came back to lodge buying some fruits as part of my dinner. ‘Solo ride continues again and its home sweet home tomorrow’ I said and crashed in no time J.

Day-18 | 26-December-2013 | Gokarna-Mirjan Fort-Yana-Murudeshwar-Udupi | 258 Kms | 3354 Kms

Destination for the day was sweet home but I had to take a detour to Yana as per my plan. Since I could not explore Om Beach properly yesterday, I had to visit it as well and hence hit the beach early in the morning. Parked the bike, got down from steps and am on beach which was very calm and peaceful with no tourist crowd. Few foreigners were busy jogging along the shore and I could manage to walk slowly as I was still suffering from pain L. Slowly walked to the other end of the beach, climbed the small hill from where I could get bird’s eye view of the beach. It was simply heaven to relax just watching the blue ocean and listening to its music.

Sunrise en-route Om Beach

Wonderful Om Beach!

Tiny islands adjacent to Om Beach

Colorful rocks at Om Beach

After spending some time, came down and while I was walking back along the shore, I could see few very small water bodies which looked like Octopus at first glance. Curious me,

“Yenidu?” I asked a local fisherman.

“Idu niralli irutte. Bande kallalli irutte idu. Sathog bittide…. (This lives in water. It will be sticking to rocks. Now it’s dead)” He replied saying some fisherman would have caught it along with fish.

Dead tiny Octopus due to fishermen's job!

How discounted is the life of these strange species I thought and rode back to lodge. Got fresh, had breakfast and am off towards south. Midway saw a board to Mirjan Fort and decided to give it a quick visit. Fort was barren with tourist crowd might be since it was still early I thought and gave a quick visit to the Fort. While I was busy clicking the ruins, a local came to me and asked,

“Idu video camera na? (Is it a video camera?)”

“Alla. Bari photo aste. (No. It’s just a photo one)” I said getting back to my camera view finder.

Mirjan Fort

Inner view of the Fort

Ruins of the complex's inside Fort

Indian Roller busy looking....

After a quick photo session, got back on wheels and straight to Yana. Just before Kumta, took a left turn towards Sirsi and after few Kms, again took a left turn where it was mentioned ‘Yana 9 Kms’. The last 9 Kms of ride was between thick forest and it was bliss to ride here. With absolute silence and complete shade by dense trees.

Riding between lush green towards Yana

First view of gigantic Yana

Parked my bike and desperately got rid of my jacket which was making me sweat badly. Ticket collector came nearby to give parking ticket.

“Yestu? (How much?)” I asked taking out wallet.

“Hattu rupai (10 Rs)”

“Luggage ille idre yenu parvagilla alva? (No issues if I keep luggage in bike itself right?)” I asked handing over 10 Rs note.

“Yenu agalla bidi irli ille. Naanu ille irtini… (Don’t wry! Let it be here. Nothing will happen. I will be here only)” He replied turning back and running to other customers.

He told it’s around 1.5 Kms walk and I said ‘Damn shit’ I said to myself since I was still suffering from leg pain L. With no way out, started walking slowly eagerly looking forward to reach the target as soon as possible. Soon after am done with walk, I could see that I still had around 200 steps to reach the finish line L. ‘Man o man! Is Yana really required?’ My heart questioned but I had made my mind to visit this place as part of this trip and now no turning back at any cost. After climbing like a tortoise, finally I made to the base of world famous unusual rock formations. The 2 hillocks stood straight in front of me but before I start capturing them I had to get some liquid inside me as I was sweating badly.

Sharp and tall Yana rock formation!

Got my camera out after drinking tender coconut and captured the Bhairaveshwara Shikara (mountain). This mammoth hill was nesting place for many honey bees too. In my previous visit, I had been inside this hill which leads to a cave but this time due to physical damage, I gave it a miss and started to climb down after few shots of Mohini Shikara.

Bhairaveshwara Shikara standing firm!

Observe the sharpness of Mohini Shikara!

Honeybees in the cave

Creativity of nature

Sharp edges on the cave

Walking back was not as terrible as forward trek and on the way back in steps, I could see the few very old grannies were trying their best to climb up holding their breath.

“Innu yestu steps ide? (How many more steps still?)” An old lady asked panting badly telling her family to move ahead.

“Innu ondu Innuru steps ide. Hadnidu nimsha saaku.… (Still around 200 steps more. It might take about 15 Mins)” I said offering any help if she needs.

Came back to parking answering queries about trekking to people who were climbing up and while I was taking  my bike, I saw a driver drinking cold water taking it out from his car. After staring him for few seconds, he understood what I was badly wanting and offered me to drink chilled water. Thanked him for the offer and finished nearly half of the bottle J. Got back on track and straight to NH-17 enjoying the vista around with no breaks as I was already late for the day. Crossed tiny town Kumta, Honnavar and took right turn on Murudeshwar entrance. Parked my bike in public parking hoping that my luggage will remain safe till I am back and am off to explore the land of Shiva. Apart from famous Shiva temple, this place was also known for 20 floor temple complex and huge Shiva statue of about 120 feet behind temple.

20 Floor Murudeshwar Temple complex

Crowded Murudeshwar Beach

Huge Shiva statue

Huge Nandi statue

A scene of Mahabharata :)

After clicking them all taking ample time, back on road to home finishing lunch in Kamath Hotel in Murudeshwar itself.

As I still had lot to finish off, rode pretty fast and gave my next break in Maravante which is famous for its deep beach right beside NH-17. Called up home to update the status sipping a hot tea and got back on saddle only to stop in home without any break in between.

Maravante Beach spread for miles

As I was getting close to Kundapur, road quality decreased marginally and after Kundapur, it was more like riding in city. 4-lane road work was under progress and added to that was terrible traffic on NH-17. With all these, I reached home by around 7:30 PM and my parents were curiously waiting for my arrival.

Since I had plans of grabbing a chat, got fresh in no time and directly to Vaishali Pav Bhaji center which is very well known in Udupi. Came back home, had dinner chit chatting with parents for a while and then I switched off my days account.

Day-19 | 27-December-2013 | Udupi-Mangalore | 131 Kms | 3485 Kms

The destination for the day was Mangalore which is just 60 Kms from home and hence I started my day taking my own sweet time to detach myself from cozy bed. I must say that my day kick started well with moms delicious filter coffee J. After grabbing unlimited breakfast, I managed to finish off some personal work in first half of the day. Also, got my bike checked for oil top up, loosening my bike kick which was so hard that I was feeling pain in my leg at times. Also managed to take my mom out for her work in my dad’s girl friend ‘TVS Wego’. With whatever time was left till lunch I made sure I visited my brother’s house nearby and played with my darling Saanvi who had just crossed 1 year. This little angel of mine made my day special with her gorgeous smile and it was very refreshing. It was just 5 Mins ride from bothers place to dads place and it was just a heaven to grab mom cooked lunch J. Post lunch took a small nap as it was burning hot outside and I knew I just can’t step outside.

By around 4:00 PM headed out to visit hidden hanging bridge near Kallianpur which is around 10 Kms from Udupi township. The bridge stood firm connecting two shores of the river. It was a very calm and relaxing place but just that I dint had enough time in my hand to enjoy it L.

Antique bridge still being used by locals

Famous Hanging bridge in Udupi

Another view of the Hanging bridge

Next in the list was famous Malpe Beach which was replicating nothing but fish market. Frankly it was over packed with mostly school trips. I just didn’t feel like staying there for even 5 Mins and got back to home to enjoy dads luscious special tea. ‘Yes! You read it right.’ When it comes to tea it is my dad who is well known in my home for it J.

Malpe Beach in Udupi crowded with tourists

St. Mary's island as seen from main land

After tea, thought to visit Kapu Beach which is known for its light house and since it was almost getting late, I rushed ripping my bike. Kapu lies 13 Kms from Udupi towards Mangalore in NH-17. Parked my bike and directly to lighthouse. Thankfully, lighthouse was open for tourists and I climb up taking entry ticket.

I knew that this lighthouse was built during British rule but only after reading in Wikipedia, I came to know that it was built in 1901 and it is 27.12 Mtrs in height J. View from top of lighthouse was just breathtaking with deep blue ocean on one side and thick green main land on other side.

Famous Kapu Beach lighthouse

View from the lighthouse

After enjoying sunset in lighthouse, climbed down and back to brother’s place to spend some time with my angel. Came back home, had quick dinner and left to Mangalore. Road to Mangalore was under 4-lane work and Udupi-Mangalore NH is one of the busiest NH’s I have ever seen. This 60 Kms stretch is more like city traffic with vehicles plying without break. It was dark by the time I touched NH and hence I had to ride with my helmet visor open. The combination of road work and traffic poured the maximum dust on my eyes. Thought of stopping in Bittu Dhaba in Mulki for famous Lassi but gave it a miss in an attempt to reach Mangalore as soon as possible. Entered Baikampady industrial area and called Manoj since he had the keys of my brother’s house who was on vacation around Munnar with family and friends. Manoj was waiting just before PVS circle and had no vehicle as he had given his dads Maruti 800 to mechanic due to some issue. After greeting each other, I tied my luggage to panniers stand and took Manoj to his house from where he picked my brothers house key and came in his beloved i20 to show me the route. Thanked him and briefing him about tomorrows plan, I entered my brother’s place parking my bike and unloading the luggage and went to deep sleep in no time.

Day-20 | 28-December-2013 | Mangalore-Bekal Fort-Mangalore | 164 Kms | 3649 Kms

It was a planned cozy day in brothers house. Only thing i was missing at the moment was delicious snacks which my sis-in-law prepares J. As i was pretty much tired of eating outside food, prepared simple rice at home with pickle as breakfast. I know it sounds strange but for me, its nothing less than heaven. Plan for the day was Bekal Fort in the first half and rest spend in city with Manoj. While I was getting out, my owner of the house.
“Neeuv Shrinath tamma va? (Are you shrinath’s brother?)” He asked with a smiling face.
“Ha! Haudu…. (Yes….)” I said with a smile back.

“Oh camera?” I said glancing at my camera bag for which I just nodded my head with a smile.

“Nange Shrinath helidru. Nimge tumba interest untantalla photography yalli. Nimma favorite subject yenu???? (Shrinath had told me that you are very much interested in Photography. Which is your favorite subject?)” He asked cleaning his specks with soft cloth.

“Mainly Landscape. Jaasti naanu ride nalli use madtene aste. Nimge kooda tumba interest untantalla photography yalli (Mainly Landscape. I use it mostly during my rides. Brother said even you are into photography….)” I replied maintaining the same smile on face.

“Haudu. Nanna favorite subject tigers. But eega naanu birds shoot madta iddene (Yes! My favorite subject is tigers. But currently am shooting birds majorly….)”

Continuing the conversation, he also told that he frequently visits all major national parks in India for tiger sighting. Having done with conversation, I kick started my machine and in no time, was on NH-17 crossing Pumpwell circle. It was a weekend and traffic was really unbearable. Road condition was at its worst I must say. As I was constantly losing out time due to traffic, rode nonstop to Kasargod and asked for directions to Bekal Fort.

“Signal left, straight….” Replied a localite in very simple words J.

Soon after I got into Bekal Fort road, it was under repair work and I had to take a detour in very narrow road behind slow moving traffic for few Kms. ‘Man! Will I get to see Bekal Fort today?’. Finally after dealing with all the mess in terms of traffic, we both landed in Bekal Fort by around 11:45 AM. Took entry ticket and got into explore the last Fort of my trip. Compared to my previous visit on this Fort, there was lot of improvement in terms of maintenance. 

Bekal Fort entry

Inside Bekal Fort

The ruins of the Fort was decorated with small gardens and neatly maintained with no garbage at all. Fort boundaries were huge and took a slow walk around to catch the landscape around in my lens.

Ruins neatly maintained :)

Watch tower of Bekal Fort

Watch tower touching the Ocean!

After around 50 Mins of being inside the Fort, stepped out with dry throat and had Lemon Juice which was badly required for me.

Since I knew I would have to spend a lot of time dealing with traffic, got back on saddle without wasting much of a time. Paid 2 Rs parking fee and zoomed off to hit Mangalore at the earliest. Came home with a tender coconut break in between and prepared rice for lunch and had it with curds and pickle wondering how a simple food can be so delicious. Post lunch, took a small break and then met Manoj.

“Happy birthday dhani (Happy birthday boss)” I said wishing him on his 30^th birthday J.

He parked his bike in front of municipal office and we headed to Panambur Beach in my bull which was close to Baikampady industrial area. Panambur Beach was nothing different from Malpe Beach in terms of crowd. I wonder where does such a huge crowd pours from? Attached to Panambur Beach is famous Mangalore Port and there is a small walk path made of stones to separate both. Manoj wanted to go for a walk in that and I said ‘Ok’ in spite of little pain I was suffering from. But when we went close, security guard sent us back saying walking here is not permitted. With no option, we sat in sand for some time chit chatting about our college friends.

Last ray of light in Panambur Beach

Huge Cargo ship arriving in Mangalore Port

By 7:45 PM, I insisted to head back as I was damn hungry. Since it was his special day, it had to be celebrated with little speciality and hence we headed to Palkhi for dinner. Spending quality time enjoying the food, came back home with a dessert in a parlor and crashed with the thought of calling it end tomorrow J.

Day-21 | 29-December-2013 | Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore | 368 Kms | 4017 Kms

It was pretty big day for in terms of distance and hence I had to make up time early in the morning. Woke up at 4:30 AM and loaded my bike and was on road by 5:00 AM. It took hardly 15 Mins to be out of Mangalore and soon I was in Mangalore-Bangalore NH-48. High beam light from vehicles in opposite direction was huge distraction but as I was maintaining slow speed I was able to deal with it easily. Even though I was in Coastal region which is well known for its hot burning weather, I was feeling pretty cold in spite of wearing leather jacket and pullover inside L. Sun showered his first ray of light to this region after I crossed Uppinangadi.

 

Misty morning towards home

As it was damn cold, I had to take natures call break and continued my ride in an effort to cover as much as possible before it get sunny.

Crossed Gundya and there it came! Famous Shiradi Ghat which can hold Guinness record for its consistency in bad roads. But as it was early morning, I could see very few vehicles plying because of which I had little less dust pouring on me. Few potholes were so huge that it could easily put me on ground.

Ever pathetic roads of Shiradi ghat

Rode very slow dealing with gigantic potholes and after few Kms of this hell, NHAI had replied the potholes which helped me in great extend to speed up my journey back home. As soon as I climbed Sakleshpur, visibility reduced to great level with thick fog ruling the road. Fog was so much that I could not see the road ahead in few curves.

Foggy Sakleshpur

Stopped for breakfast and continued further as I was kind of liking the way I was ending my ride joyfully. Soon after Hassan, I was welcomed by 4-lane ultra smooth road and I enjoyed thumping my bull to the full. Took few breaks in between to give some rest to my butt and engine. Filled in fuel near Chanrayapatna and headed straight. As I was riding on, I was keeping a close watch on the distance to Bangalore and with every drop in distance, I was feeling satisfied about the ride I was about to end. It was around 1:30 PM when I entered Nelamangala from where I took exit to NICE road.

“Mysore Road….” I said while handing over 50 Rs note for the toll in NICE toll booth.

Took exit in Mysore Road and Bangalore welcomed me with its natural style of traffic. Reached home in no time using Kengeri Uttarhalli road. By around 2:30 PM, parked bike in front of my house and got in with my luggage and a feeling of accomplishing my mega ride.

Epilogue

‘So how was the ride in all?’ My heart asked my mind soon after I got into sofa after freshening myself. ‘Great! Incredible, fantastic, brilliant……….’ My mind was constantly puking out words and it doesn’t seem to stop at all. Informed my parents and loved ones about safe arrival and am sure my parents must have taken a deep breath. I know it sounds really stupid to be out for couple of weeks in unknown place between unknown people without having an idea of unknown circumstances which might knock my door anytime from anywhere. But I have no words to defend myself. There is a great saying that ‘The best way to experience love is to fall in it!’. On the same lines, I would confidently say, ‘The best way to experience travel is being on bike ride’.

But unlike my other rides, I had absolutely no time after the ride. The reason being I was all set to head Dandeli with few colleagues for 3 days to enjoy some adventure activities like River Rafting, Rappelling etc. No matter what condition I am in, I will always be game for adventure.

It has so happened with my every ride that soon after I complete it, my mind just doesn’t stop there nor it asks for a small break. My mind had virtually opened Google maps and started its hunt for another unexplored place in my incredible country. ‘Oh Man! Did I just look at India map? Haven’t am done with all these places? When will I conquer all these unexplored lands?’ Life is too short I said to myself. There is still a lot left to be covered in my country with ‘North East and Gujarat’ in hit list and hence my Journey continues….. JJJJ

Tour Map