Rohan R. Rao

Rishikesh, the white water rafting hub of India, with the turbulent waters of Ganga at Shivpuri beckons all Travelarkers. River rafting as a sport has reached new heights in these parts of the country and the thrill delivered under optimised safety protocols just makes it all the more worthwhile.

It is surely must be experienced by each and every adventure enthusiast.. and here we give them a chance and a reason to celebrate their adventure quotients with our ‘White water Rafting’ event at Rishikesh on the -

Christmas eve from 25 – 28 Dec ‘09
New years eve from – 29 Dec ‘09 to 1 Jan ‘10

Itinerary Ex-Delhi: 3 Nights / 3 Days package

For more details – please visit Travelarks Blog: Rishikesh Rafting Dec ‘09

Cheers ~~~

Bull shitting under the pretext of religious sentiments in India has reached alarming levels long ago and the amount of stink that has permeated the atmosphere is suffocatingly stinky!

Had a close encounter with the filthy stink yesterday on one of the very popular hiking trails in Sahyadri – The Dhak Bahiri. What was the stink about?

Have these -

Females, not allowed. If they try to pay their obeisance to the deity, it renders them impious, and may be, even amount to sacrilege!

However, chaknas and liquor seems to be the prasad offerings to the deity. A lot of the stink-causing villagers, who maintain their double standards, threatened us with dire consequences if the female accompanying us were to climb upto the ‘pious’ cave. However, they carried gallons of liqour atop and created nuisance in the cave.

Behead a live chicken in the cave, cut it, cook it and then savour it along with the liquor. Goes down well with the deity? eh? Utter bull shit. Nuisance values!

No issues with us, since the girl accompanying us had been there twice earlier and not being there for the third time did not bore holes into our souls and egos! But this nonsensical fuss did, maybe..

Other than that …

No offense to the day; it was a perfectly beautiful day with all the frills attached – less humid, not-a-scalding-heat, the freshness of green post monsoons and more importantly a good group to share all this with.

We started from Jambhivali village. Jambhivali can be reached from Kamshet (15 kms from Lonavala, on Pune-Lonavala route).

It takes around 30 minutes to reach Jambhivali from Kamshet. From Jambhivali a good trek of hour and a half brought us to the col between the Kalakrai pinnacle and the Dhak massif. Another 5 minutes to reach the famous rock patch of Bahiri.

The heat, even though not  scalding, was hot enough to try and seek some shade. The cave was left in pathetic condition by the rampaging villagers.. the hooters!

The final stretches of Bahiri patches, need to be negotiated with care. In summers, more so because chances of sun-stroke increases manifold owing to the extremely hot temperatures and completely exposed stretches.

We paid a quick visit to the cave and decided to descend towards the Karjat side. Descending to Sandshi village from Dhak is no-easy task. Why? No defined route as such.. Lot of thickets to negotiate and plenty of avenues to lose the way and get stranded in the jungle as the sun sets down on you and no other option than to spend a night out in the jungle.

We were about to end up doing the same (spend night in the jungle), but for some correct decisions and route finding. After a very long traverse, we reached Kalakrai wadi and then to Mangaon (near Sandshi). It was 7.15 PM by the time we reached Mangaon, the final 30 minutes being in darkness.

From Mangaon, we managed to hire a rickshaw ride till Karjat and the 8.41 PM fast train to CST. Good trek with the fellows, apart for the mind-numbing senseless display on the villagers part. Who were they..? Not worth discussing..!

Check out the photos here -

http://picasaweb.google.co.in/rohanrrao/DhakBahiri#

Cheers ~~~

Another one with a night out in thickly forested jungle infested with wild carnivores! Another night out in a jungle after an encounter with the deadly venomous Bamboo Pit Viper! Another night out in a jungle after some tired bodies with scared souls insisted on walking no further! Another night out in a jungle besides a gushing stream and a bliss..

Well, mid September is surely not an advisable time for the Arthur’s Seat – Chandragad trek, but then not paying heed to deterrent advice is what distinguishes this bunch… ready to rough it out kuch bhi..kaise bhi.. kabhi bhi…

Then what was the worrisome factor? That we were 14 of us and all of them weren’t prepared for kuch bhi and  kaise bhi..!!!

So the much awaited Friday night came as we boarded the Mahabaleshwar bound Asiad and after a bit of quiesence dozed off..! Came dawn and we alighted the bus at 6.00 AM and surprisingly Mahabaleshwar was neither chilly nor were there any traces of rainfall! Quite unusual..

Read complete treklogue here – The Travelarks Blog

2nd October, being Gandhi Jayanti, is a national holiday. More importantly it falls on a Friday. Aahaa.. an extended weekend at our hands and we surely won’t let it pass by quietly. Here we bring you a small but very beautiful package of Sindhudurga tour.. the first and only district in the tourism.

The architectural wonder of monumental Sindhudurga fort. The strong bastions and unshaken walls of Vijaydurga. The serendepid ambiance of Tarkarli. The sanctified presence of Kunkeshwar. And your wonderful company to make the entire journey firmly etched in our memories…!!!

3 days and 3 nights: A tour, a bliss!

Sight seeing:
Sindhudurga
Vijaydurga
Kunkeshwar
Tarkarli

Itinerary:
Thursday night departure (1st October) from Dadar at 11.00 PM

Day 1: Friday
Reach Tarkarli at around 10.00 AM
Rest + Refreshments
Sindhudurga visit  at 12.00
Lunch at 1.30 PM
Return to resort + rest
Evening Tarkarli beach
Boating at Devbag
Dinner + Camp fire
Retire for the day

Day 2: Saturday
Early start at 7.00 AM
Breakfast
Leave for Kunkeshwar by 8.00 AM
Reach Kunkeshwar by 10.00 AM
Kunkeshwar visit + Lunch by 1.00 PM
Leave for Vijaydurga by 2.00 PM
Vijaydurga sight seeing
Dinner + Return
Retire for the day

Day 3: Sunday
Early morning start
Breakfast
Leave for Mumbai by 8.00 AM
Lunch at 1.30 PM
Reach Mumbai by 8.00 PM

Lots of senic beauty, azure blue skies, golden beaches at Tarkarli, wonderful fortresses and more awaits you!

Cost – Rs 4000 per person

Includes:
Transportation from Mumbai to Mumbai by private vehicle
Accommodation at Malvan / Tarkarli
Food and refreshments during the duration of the tour
Service charges

Register for the event now – http://travelarks.com/index.php/component/jforms/1/8

Contact –

Shailendra Acharya – 9619043675

Rohan Rao – 9987506223

I have been to Naneghat 18 times before, but have seen nothing like this one! This was amazing and exhilarating!

“Rohan, mala parat jaychay, mala var nahi yaycha! Var jaychi kaay garaj aahe???” It means in Marathi, “Rohan, I want to go back. I don’t want to complete the trek. Whats the need? Why take the risk?” Not usuallr are these words associated with Naneghat; this time it was!

Read and see (pics) more at http://travelarks.com/blog/?p=69

The group – 25 in number, 19 participants and 6 of us to manage them; an apt ratio of 1:4. Whoa! good figure And I dare say that ratio was not required. It was very much, considering the heavy down pour, chilly winds, ever increasing levels of water gushing down against us threatening to throw us off balance and the reduced visibility due to very thick fog! … just an excerpt

Aaram se.. like we had all the time in the world we started at 9.00 AM from Bhiwandi bypass. Why? Well a soul from Goregaon did not want to break the sakhar-goud (sugary-sweet) sleep at 5.00, so early in the morning to make it by 7.00 at Kalyan. So we decided to make it 8.00 AM at Kalyan. Did I tell you the team comprised of just great souls – nothing more and nothing less. Yes, another one from Dombivali just about lost and found his helmet outside an ATM and further delayed the proceedings by good one hour. So it was 9.00 AM by the time all the riders met at Bhiwandi bypass. That wasn’t the end of it. Picture toh abhi baaki hain mere dost!

The motorcycle ride was always going to be fun and when the destination is Bhandardara, the entire affair was going to be a fairy-tale affair and we were well aware of this part of it. But the other part with mobike rides is equally interesting / frustrating and even though we were aware, like all bikers tend to, we too overlooked it.

So we started at 9.00 AM and covered good ground in about 2 hours to make it to Manas resort at the upper end of the Kasara ghat. 11.00 AM was it then. The ride was dull for most part of it. The highways dug for repairs, trucks lining the mono-laned highways, fumes, pot-holes and some waywayd rickshaws marred the riding pleasure till Kasara. But once the ghat began, the foggy ambience coupled with lush green and intermitted rains livened up the moods and we began to see the better part of it.

Past Manas the ride was enjoyable. We reached Igatpuri and then Ghoti in no time. The traffic at Ghoti is diabolic as always and there is no escaping it if one has to reach Bhandardara. We manouvered our mobikes through the potholes and sea of men dotting the lanes in Ghoti and escaped past the maddening traffic – relatively quickly. Soon after we mae our first halt for some pet-puja. Misal pav, alu paratha, tea and milk was all that we savoured at the dingy stall-like restaurant past Ghoti.

It was raining for the good part of the ride so far and past gGhoti the story was no different. The rains made sure that tiny droplets accumulate on our helmet visers and make matter difficult albiet spicing up the entire journey with excitement and relishment.

We zipped on the curvy tree-lined roads on thr Ghoti-Rajur road for some distance before taking a right turn. This is when the beauty of Bhandardara starts to give its glimpses for the first time. The other wise dark volcanic massifs had turned green and rendered hazy due to the overpowering mist. Also running along the steep slopes and tracing a thing white line, disrupted at places, were the gushing waterfalls and rivulets further beautifying the entire affair.

On one side was the valley which was deepending with every revolution that our type made towards Bhandardara. ANd on the other side was the montane bliss garnished with waterfalls and green. We moved along the two mystiques on a relatively  well laid tarmac.

Reached Bari in no time. Stopped for a while to sneak peek at Kalsubai. In vain as the clouds refused to budge. At Bari we also realised that one of our rider accomplice had a punctured tyre, however it wasn’t completely deflated. We were aware that Shendi was  not too far and we could get it fixed it there. SO without much delay we made it to Shendi (Bhandardara). We lost a good one hour to get the tyre fixed up – attribute that to the archaic process of fixing the puncture and the long hours of power cut that has become a routine in the villages of Maharashtra.

We decided to go to Randha waterfalls, lying 10 kms ahead on Shendi-Rajur road. We reached Randha in about 20 minutes, parked our bikes and gazed at the awe-inspiring facade of Randha falls as it cut through the rocks and bore into the rocky bed below. The gushing falls, roaring noise and the altitude lend that typical feel to Randha. The water cuts through the gorge to make its way ahead.

We spent around 1 hour near Randha including some garma-garam Bhaji and chaai. And it was time when we decided to retrace the road taken and get back home. In between we made a compelling halt ear the Bhandardara dam wall to have a look at the vastness of Aurthur and the magnificence of Wilson Dam, what is popularly known as Bhandardara. Anandvan is the MTDC resort that caters to tourists here. The breeze was over powering our balance. A beautiful 10 minutes before we hit the saddle again.

Took on the curvy roads once again and started revving the throttle.  Prashant (he guy who had his tyrep punctured earlier in the day) really had an off day. One the way back we had to ride through half-way of the knee deep waters and that was enough to dampen he spark plug of his CBZ and take the spark out of the engine. The bike halted and refused to ignite again. Sandeep went back to Shendi once again, brought a mechanic and got it fixed. One more hour lost (2 hours of the day – Prashant ke naam ka bill faada!)

Well, it was 5.00 and we were still at Bhandardara. We had to move quickly and quickly it was. The ride back was a zipper. Heavy fog, pricking rain drops, strong winds and the speedo hovering at 85-95 kmph. In no time the Kasara ghat was descended and routed through the zig-zag traffic of the Kasara-Bhiwandi section. Many a times the never ending work has rendered this highway mono-laned and cautionw as necessary therein,especially when the visibility was significantly reduced. 7:30 PM it was by the time I made it to Bhiwandi bypass. And called my friends to enquire about their whereabouts. I learned that they were still at Asangaon. No poin waiting for them then, I revved up further dropped my friend at Goregaon and made my way back to Kalyan again. It was 9.30 PM then when I reached home and ripped my wind-cheater of my body.. soul..? What???

Soul was still lurking around somewhere near Bhadardara.. Randha… vroom.. Oh yes.. I clocked somewhere around 403 Kms yesterday.

I had a leisurely bike ride (a bit too leisurely) and a small hike to the hill-fort of Sarasgad near Pali last week. Shri Ballaleshwara Ganapati at Pali being one of the sacred Ashtavinayak deity, the religious sentiment attached couldn’t be underplayed.

The group comprised of 6 riders and 5 pillions, most of them more of trekker and less of rider. As we always did on our previous rides, we decided to meet up at Panvel bus stand at 11.30 PM on Saturday night. The time schedule was surprisingly not manipulated too much and we managed to set the throttle revving at 11.45 PM. Some of the indolent ones managed to skip their home made meals and forced a halt at Palaspa naka, famously known as the Dutta Snacks junction.

Some Chinese menu was quickly savoured and we moved on towards Pen, taking one of my favourite routes, NH 17 linking Panvel in Maharashtra with Edapally in Kerala. This 1269 km long road passes through the western coastline of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala. However, we had not even 10 percent of this route to be covered and we quietly moved through the smooth boulevards.

As such most part of the route is good and enjoyable, but the curvatures and banking offered by the stretch of road as one approaches Karnala is surely one of the best rides and a treat for any rider. Not only is this portion specklessly smooth, but it also offers ample of curvatures with wide flanks to run-in hard and enjoy the tilt. Couple that with the undulating gradients and it just is… Awesome! Also this stretch of the road is peculiarly characterized by cooler ambiance.

Passed the stretch in in a jiffy and moved on further. Another few minutes of revving and came Pen. Aniket, one of the pillion, has a weekend home (which is reduced to year-end home) at Pen. We decided to take a nap and move on towards Pali early in the morning. 11 trekker, riding over a weekend, a night halt, all geared up for a trek after a long time and did I think of having a quick nap? Absurd! Most of the time went by chirping away at some pointless banters. And when the sleep penetrated the ambiance, it was already 6 AM. 22 sleepy eyes freshened up and hit the saddle.

Rolled leisurely till Wadkhal, helped ourself with some misal pav and tea and then rolled even more leisurely till Pali. It was 8.00 AM by the time we reached there and a further delay of 30 minutes saw us stepping out to climb Sarasgad just when the Sun was starting to get hotter. Cameras were out, and I was busy with my handycam. SOme photos, some masti and the stroll kept on nearing the Sarasgad bastion, which appeared atleast somewhat closer than what it did 30 minutes earlier then. The sun was shining harsh on us by the time we managed to scramble up the upper slopes and enter the fort through the wonderfully carved entrance.

We reached the base of the upper cliff and lay for a cooler break under shadow cast by the overlooking massif. Lying nearby is a huge water tank scarped in the belly of Sarasgad massif. The tank does hold water, but is not potable anymore thanks to   the mindless visitor who have converted this place in to a dumping ground for plastics. It was just 10.00 AM now and we had plenty of time in our hands to manipulate the schedule as required. We decided to make the best use of time on hands by indulging ourselves in the tank cleaning process. The water was shallow which allowed us to enter the tank without much trouble. We tried and removed as much plastic we could then – it amounted to 3 big bag-full of plastic. We removed substantial amount of waste from the tank and packed it in plastic bags so that we could easily carry it till the base for disposal. We could not clean the tank completely, but we definitely removed a hell lot of plastic debris and initiated a small process towards it, thereby feeling good.

We moved on further circumnavigating the massif. There are numerous rock hewn caves, some big and some small in the belly of the massif along the circumference. The fortified walls and crumbling bastions evoked a blended emotions flavoured with the nostalgic pride and neglected present of such magnificence. After completing the circuit we moved up to the top of the massif by 1.30 PM. It was really hot and humid then. We paid our obeisance to Lord Shankar in a temple atop and later relaxed for a while under the shade enjoying the cool breeze. Off went the sweaty T-shirts and it was just pure pleasure to enjoy the cool breeze bare bodied. After some wafer and other snacks being gulped, we started on our descent. The descent was nothing to write about, under the hot sun, over the scree slopes and some thorny bushes. We completed the descent and reached Pali at around 3.00 PM; visited the temple and soaked ourselves in the sanctity of the place.

Lime juice, buttermilk, amla juice and so on rehydrated our parched souls as we recuperated ourselves. Got a pack of Kandi pedha as Prasad and moved on towards our parked bikes to hit the saddle once again. We embarked on our return journey at around 4.30 PM and by then the sun was getting mellow. The ride was quite steady and pleasant with stopovers at Pen for the famous Ramwadi tea. As always riding through the Karnala boulevard was a pleasant experience once again.

Reached Kalyan at around 8.00 PM and after a cold shower hit the bed to drench into the rigmarole awaiting me on Monday. The memories as always are ever fresh!

One of the most pertinent dilemmas in an outdoor enthusiasts life is to balance the outdoor activities and domestic responsibilities. This becomes even more of an important issue in country like India where domestic bonding and attached responsibilities stake a greater claim on ones life than everything else. How many times do we find a trekker complaining that he did not find the time to satiate his hunger for outdoor quotients? Probably a zillion of times.

Finding the right balance isn’t always the easiest thing to do when you are pulled bilaterally with equivalent forces – inevitably though time tells which of the force would incline you to their side. And more often than not it is the domestic pull that wins the tug of war. However, I don’t find it surprising that domestic pull is greater – not only it is the societal pressure but also a in-vivo conscience that leads one to attend to domestic chores first.

Usually one thinks that once the domestic responsibilities are taken care of, (when one is well beyond 40) he can fulfill his long cherished dream of undertaking a travel spree. But then what about the children – SSC, HSC, Graduation and so one – the unending cycle continues.

When can a true outdoorsy soul lead his life and cherish his desire unbound with no strings attached? Only when there are no strings attached. This doesn’t necessarily mean to severe the strings; but one need to learn to have elastic strings and if it is already too late to elasticize, one can always learn to append extension slings.

Mumbai – Diveagar – Shrivardhan – Harihareshwar
Total Distance – 436 Kms
Bike - Honda Shine 125 CC
Top speed – 100 Kmph
Onwards breaks – Wadkhal Naka (Breakfast)
Return breaks – Panvel (Lunch)
Districts involved – Thane, Raigad
——————————————————————————————————-

Cusping on the months of February and March, this particular bike trip bade farewell to winters and embraced the approaching sweltering summer with elan. The temperatures were not exactly cool and pleasant, neither was it biased on the side of unbearable heat. It was just as neutral as it could be – offering neither too much nor leaving much to be desired.

Also this trip saw me making my onwards journey on NH 17 during the day for the very first time. Plus my rear wheel has taken a slight beating on earlier trip to Malvan, so the curves and braking had to be smooth and easy. It was long time back and a bike trip was beckoning me for some time. This was ideal get away for two reasons – relative proximity for a leisure bike trip and the Konkan stretch on either side of this strip (Alibaug to Murud and Bankot onwards) had been done number of times earlier with this strip remaining to be visited.
——————————————————————————————————-

Late morning departure -
Started at 8.00 Am from Kalyan on Saturday, quite a late start by previous comparisions. Anyways, the steed was ready and the mile munching began. The road was bathing in teeming traffic and the ride was no different from my daily commuting ride to Andheri, until I crossed Shil Phata and headed towards Panvel. The Shil – Panvel road as always is not the best ride with loads of trucks on those uneven roads, however it made me feel away from the suffocating traffic atleast.

Panvel bypass –
One can take a panvel bypass from Kalamboli circle by proceeding straight instead of taking a left turn. The left turn take through Panvel city. We took Panvel bypass and further to Wadkhal for our breakfast at Hotel Aamantran. A paper dosa and cup of coffee and we set again.

Hotels –
Datta Snacks at Palaspa phata (Closed at night) is a famous landmark now
Hotel Amantran at Wadkhal Naka

24 hour Petrol pumps -
Vijay Automobiles, Kalamboli, Mumbai-Pune Rd, Panvel.Ph: 022 7452525, HP. Facilities: Lubes, snacks, coffee vending machine, music cassettes and clean toilets.

Dharamkar Motor Store, Vadkhal Naka. Ph: 02143 9008, BP. Facilities: Puncture repair shop

Plus -
The stretch of road from Panvel to Pen, specially near Karnala is very good.

Minus -
Traffic, speed breakers, pollution, dust and haphazard crossing makes Kalyan Shil phata road a not a pleasurable experience.
Road near Shil Phata is the worst stretch of road that one may encounter, potholes and crater ridden. Care for your vehicles, drive in first / second gears.
Traffic in Panvel city can be unnerving (If one does not take the Panvel bypass)
——————————————————————————————————-

Wadkhal to Diveagar -
Before taking a right turn from Mangaon, We crossed Nagothane, Kolad, Indapur within no time. The road goes via Morbe. The road is quite good and offers an enjoyable ride.

After about  a 45 minutes ride one reaches Mhasala. From Mhasala proceeding straight will take one to Shrivardhan. However, our destinationwas Diveagar and hence we took the right turn from Mhasala. In another half an hour we reached the tranquil setting of Diveagar via Borli.

It is a nice place to spend your day relaxing along the calm and serene beach gracing the Arabian sea. Also other attractions are the Suvarna Ganesh temple (A Ganesh idol made in Gold – courtesy Govt. of Maharashtra) and Rupanarayan temple at Diveagar.

The Diveagar beach is a beautiful beach with calm waters and offers a delightful swim. We spent the rest of the day at Diveagar.

There are plenty of accommodation facilities available at Diveagar. Lodging starts from as low as 300 bucks to most of the decent ones costing well over 1500 bucks per day for a two bedded room.

We stayed at Hotel Dhanraj, who started with 1200 Rs for a days stay, but saw a surprising scale down to 700 Rs when we started to walk away. The food and service provided with the typical ‘Wadi” feel makes it a very good place to be.

Hotels -
Plenty available on NH 17 till Mangaon.Hotels and snack corenrs at Mhasala
Plenty of restaurants at Diveagar.

24 hour Petrol pumps –
HP petrol pump at Mangaon. Rest room facilities available.

Plus –
Wonderful stretch of road from Wadkhal Naka to Mangaon. It is a straigh stretch of road with minimum hassles.

Minus -
Traffic at Mhasala and rough arterial roads from Mhasala to Diveagar.
——————————————————————————————————-

Sunday calling –
Sunday saw us waking up a bit early. A qucik refresher, breakfast and we started towards Shrivardhan  at around 8.00 Am from Diveagar. Shrivardhan is just 19 kms from Diveagar. One can reach there taking the road along the coast via Shevadi. However, the road from Diveagar to Shevadi is in a bad state (around 8-10 kms). But the entire stretch being along the shore line really make it a ride worth doing once. We reached Shrivardhan in around 45 minutes.

Shrivardhan -
Shrivardhan, the home town of the Peshwas is famous for it serene ambience, the historical significance attached, beautiful beach and temples that it houses. We had a quick lok around the town, had a beach ride and then moved along towards Harihareshwar.

Harihareshwar -
Harihareshwar is 18 kms from Shrivardhan. The road again is not in the best of condition. It took us nearly 40 minutes to cover the distance. Harihareshwar is a holy place – called as Kashi of the south. A beautiful Shiv temple, decent beach and rock cliff overlooking the relatively rough waters of Arabian Sea. It was nearing 10.30 when we reached there. The Sun was beginning to get harsh, before we completed our Harihareshwar look around.

Lots of coconut water, snacks and some sweets before I mounted on my steed once more. It was nealr 11.45 when we started from Harihareshwar. The tar on the road beneath was pretty much heated us and so was the temperature inside my helmet. I was really starting the feel the summer well before the anticipated schedule.

Return –
We retraced our route till Jasavli before taking a right, which took us straigh to Mhasala over some not so wonderful roads. From Mhasala retraced the road upto Mangaon before hitting NH 17 and back towards Mumbai.

We reached Panvel by 3.15 PM and headed straight to a hotal for lunch break. A continuous ride of 3.5 hours at 80+ kmph in hot conditions called for a engine respite on my modest Shine. Also we did not want to stretch our hunger pangs till Kalyan.

A nice lunch and we headed towards Kalyan. Enroute picked up a water melon and cooled ourselves with some juicy bites before reaching Kalyan and to the comfort of my home sweet home.
——————————————————————————————————-

Note –
Fill your Petrol well before bifurcating from Mangaon. No petrol pumps enroute upto Mhasala.

Total Distance – 1076 Kms
Bike – Honda Shine 125 CC
Top speed – 105 Kmph
Onwards breaks – Wadkhal Naka, Poladpur, Sangameshwar
Return breaks – Lanja, Mangaon
Districts involved – Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurga
——————————————————————————————————–

It was the month of December and the winter chills had not yet set in, at least across Mumbai and suburbs. We (Me and my pillion) decided to experience if our hinterlands in Konkan have some winter chills in their depot for us. None better than a breezing bike across the smooth boulevards. It was not a surge to escape the mundane, but the real passion for driving long distance that led to our Sindhudurga bike tour being realized. The enchanting and exhilarating beauty of the trip was overwhelming.

Embarking bytes – Departure from Kalyan 9.30 PM
As always with most of our bike tours, we started off from Kalyan well past the sunset with and sunrise aeons away. It was 9.30 PM when me and my pillion saddled on my Shine and embarked on our long tourney.  The street of the suburb was still bustling with activity and the deafening decibels were effectively at work as always. However, a cognizance of leaving behind all the mundane madness was reassuring and we revved our way towards our destination.
———————————————————————————————————

Wadkhal Naka break – 11.00 PM to 12.00 PM break; Distance covered – 60 Kms
The ride to Wadkhal Naka took us just an hour and a half to cover. It was 11.00 PM when the ignition key was turned off and the side stand pulled out for.  It was not a long journey or an exhaust break that demanded saddle rest and a quick refresher that forced us to halt the engine at Wadkhal Naka, but the hunger pangs in my pillions tummy. A prawn thali was just the perfect dose for my pillion, while I enjoyed sipping on a hot cup of ispeshal chai (special tea). The expected chill in the atmosphere that we expected in the month of December was conspicuously absent.

Panvel bypass -
One can take a panvel bypass from Kalamboli circle by proceeding straight instead of taking a left turn. The left turn take through Panvel city. After a short while, the bypass meets JNPT road. From this point a left turn meets at the Datta snacks corner (Palaspa Phata). It is just 2 kms longer than the Panvel city route.

Hotels -
Datta Snacks at Palaspa phata (Closed at night) is a famous landmark now

Hotel Amantran at Wadkhal Naka

24 hour Petrol pumps -
Vijay Automobiles, Kalamboli, Mumbai-Pune Rd, Panvel.
Ph: 022 7452525, HP.
Facilities: Lubes, snacks, coffee vending machine, music cassettes and clean toilets.

Dharamkar Motor Store, Vadkhal Naka. Ph: 02143 9008, BP.
Facilities: Puncture repair shop

Plus -
The stretch of road from Panvel to Pen, specially near Karnala is very good.

Minus -
Traffic, speed breakers, pollution, dust and haphazard crossing makes Kalyan Shil phata road a not a pleasurable experience.
Road near Shil Phata is the worst stretch of road that one may encounter, potholes and crater ridden. Care for your vehicles, drive in first / second gears.
Traffic in Panvel city can be unnerving (If one does not take the Panvel bypass)
——————————————————————————————————-

Poladpur break – 1.45 AM to 2.15 AM; Distance covered – 115 Kms
A left turn from Wadkhal Naka and the true essence of riding on NH 17 is experienced. The smooth roads with a calming influence is always a pleasure to experience.  We comfortably breezed between 80-90 Kmph mark and made good distance. We reached Poladpur in less than two hours covering a distance of 115 Kms. Enroute we bypassed Nagothane, Kolad, Indapur, Mangaon, Veer, Lonere and Mahad. At Pladpur we rested our saddle with a short tea break and also a quiescence to the Honda engine. There was still no sign of any chills in the ambiance.

Hotels -
Stalls at Poladpur offer Bhurji Pav, Omlette and hot tea to the travellers.

24 hour Petrol pumps -
Doshi Automobiles, Mumbai-Goa Highway, Mahad. Ph: 02145 22387 BP.
Facilities: First-aid, lubes, adjoining restaurant and clean toilets.

Plus – Wonderful stretch of road from Wadkhal Naka to Poladpur. It is a straigh stretch of road with minimum hassles during the night. However during the day, it can be crowded at the abovementioned town destinations.
Minus - Nothing really
—————————————————————————————————–

Sangameshwar break – 4.00 AM to 4.30 AM ; Distance covered – 118 Kms
A short 30 minutes break at Poladpur seemed to be more than enough. We were really not feeling tired or sleepy after nearly 4 hours of gazing past the uppers on oncoming vehicles. We decided to continue further from Poladpur. The atmosphere was still pleasant, albeit a slightly cooler than where we stated from. Just as we move past Poladpur there is a chowk with a statue in the centre. A left turn from this junction goes to Mahabaleshwar, which is 42 Kms away via the Ambenali ghat. The road straight led to our destination.

Ghat sections enroute -
Kashedi Ghat -
Immediately after Poladpur the long and curvaceous Kashedi ghat begins. The ghat road extends for about 8 Kms. There are some blind curves along the ghat, but wide smooth roads with appropriate banking renders it enjoyably safe.

Baste Ghat and Parshuram Ghat -
Post Kashedi ghat the road is relatively comfortable for 20 km and past Khed before beginning of the Baste Ghat. Baste Ghat extends for around four Kms and continues the sharp corners and hair pin bends before the curves of Prshuram Ghat takes over. Parshuram Ghat extends for further 6 kms before reaching Chiplun.

Post Chiplun there are another couple of short curvy ghats before reaching Sangameshwar.

Hotels -
There are lot of Hotels available for food and accommodation at Khed, Chiplun and Sangameshwar.

24 hour Petrol pumps -
HP Highway Services, Bharna Naka, Khed Taluka, Ratnagiri district. HP.
Facilities: General store, STD booth, reasonably clean toilets.

G B Mehta and Sons, Chiplun. Ph: 02355 56060.
Facilities: Lubes and puncture repair shop.

M/s Yashodhara Services, Mumbai-Goa Road, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri Dist. Indian Oil. Facilities: Lubes, adjoining restaurant.

Plus – Beautiful roads and pleasurablr riding experience
Minus – Lot of ghat roads in this section,. although not a minus point but just a word of caution
——————————————————————————————————–

Reaching Vijaydurga at 8.00 AM; Distance covered – 175 kms
This was the longest non stop ride of the onwards journey covering a distance of 175 Kms and requiring about three and a half hours to do so. The tea wallah at Sangameshwar had warned off the heavy fog that settles in the region early in the morning then and requested us to stay back till the mist clears. The thick fog cover is as a result of close proximity to Bhima river, which runs parallel to the road for some distance. It reduces visibility to a considerable extent

However, we did not want to waste valuable hours waiting for the fog to recede and we decided to move on. We briskly moved on the mist laded roads and crossed approximately 3 kms of the curvy roads of Nivli ghat before reaching Hatkhambe. (A road bifurcates for Ratnagiri from here).

Past Lanja there are couple fo short ghat sections in Vanked ghat (2 Kms) and Vatul ghat (7 Kms) before reaching Rajapur. It was daybreak by the time we reached Rajapur at around 6.30 AM.

We experienced chill in the atmosphere for the first time in the ride so far only in this section. A short ride of about 30 minutes further brought us to Talera village. From this point we left NH 17 and took a right turn for Vijaydurga (around 42 Kms). The road is not so good and one feels this especially after riding on wonderful smoothness that NH 17 offers. Around 14 Kms before Vijaydurga is Padel village. This is the junction for reaching Kukeshwar, Devgad or Malvan from Vijaydurga.

Hotels -
Roadside dhabas and restaurants along the way at Hatkhambe, Pali, Lanja, Rajapur and Talera.

24 hour Petrol pump -
Mangal Agencies, Bombay – Goa Road, Rajapur. Ph: 02353 22074. Indian Oil.
Facilities: First-aid, toilets, ambulance available, adjoining hotel (veg).

M/s WY Pokhale, Kasarde. Ph: 02367 32634.
Facilities: Clean locked toilets with key on demand for customers only.
——————————————————————————————————-

Vijaydurga
Invincible fort of Vijaydurga that has withstood the testing times and weathering of the lashing waves still presents a very imposing picture. Numerous bastion, tall strong walls, fortifications, guarded entrance and everything about the fort seems to narrate the indomitable strength that it possessed in the days of yore.

It takes around couple of hours to have a look at the fort. Vijaydurga does not actually provide quality accommodation, but since we rode continuously for around 11 hours without a major break, we decided to have a good sleep. We rented a room at Hotel Suruchi. They also provide satisfying meals. Although the accommodation was not very good, it was much needed.

The charges were -
Double bedded room – 300 Rs with Common toilet and Bathroom
Double bedded room with toilet & bathroom attached – 650 Rs (larger & well maintained)
Contact – 02364 – 245335 / 9423053777 / 9420260464

Meals -
Veg Thali – Rs 40
Non Veg Thali (Chicken) – Rs 50
Fish Thali  – Rs 60

A good rest (4 hours sleep) at the hotel and a relaxing lunch (1.00 PM) saw us refreshed for the visit to Vijaydurga  in the evening. We whiled our time having a look at the humble village before being mesmerized by the marvel of fort Vijaydurga. A beautiful sunset over Arabaian sea made for the perfect finish before retiring for the day.

Garage -
Mustafa provides baisc garage services at Vijaydurga village. For majore troubles one has to hire garage services from Padel (14 kms from Vijaydurga)

Petrol pumps -
No Petrol pump at Vijaydurga. Nearest petrol pump is at Padel (14 Kms)

Plus – Beautiful fort
Minus – Lack of quality accommodation at Vijaydurga
———————————————————————————————————-

From Vijaydurga to Malvan – 9.30 AM to 11.30  AM; Distance covered – 86 Kms
Next day had an early start. We woke up by 6.00 AM and proceeded with our breakfast and other refreshments. We had another look at the fort and clicked some nice photographs. After a quick wrap up at Vijaydurga we bid farewell to the town and traced the road back till Padel village (14 Kms). From Padel a right turn takes one to Devgad, Kunkeshwar and Malvan via Achare. There is a beautiful Rameshwar temple 1 km off Achare which can be covered enroute.

Devgad and Kunkeshwar are both 8-10 Kms oof the Vijaydurga – Malvan route. Both can be covered along the way.

The roads are narrow but relatively in good condition. It took around two hours to reach Malvan, including a visit to Rameshwar temple off Achare.

Hotels – None along the inner roads across villages, one may find small dhabas, stalls enroute.

24 hour Petrol pumps – None

Plus – Close proximity of major tourist destinations like Kunkeshwar and Devgad
Minus – Nothing really, can’t expect major hotels and petrol pumps across inner arterial network of roads in the hinterlands.
———————————————————————————————————-

Malvan – Beautiful location, good accommodation and exotic cuisines
Small town amidst beautiful setting. Malvani food is famous for it exotic cuisines, predominantly sea food (Malvani). It provides good accommodation and good food. Coconut, Rice and fish assume prime significance in the Malavani cuisine. Malvan is also known for Malvani Alphanso mango. It is also known for sweets such as Malvani Khaja (Sweet made from besan flour & coated jaggery) & variety of Malvani Ladoos.

There are plenty of accommodation facilities ranging from expensive luxuries like Sagar Kinara (Rs 1600 for two bedded room) to affordable ones like Sonchafa (Rs 300 / 400 for a two bedded room)

Government guest house are vailable, but the bookings for are to be done from Swantwadi and no direct accommodation is provided, which we thought was a bit of tedious service.

Look out for the very famous Zantye’s cashenuts at Malvan and their range of cashew sweets and products. Also products like Kokam and other Malvani treats if the foodie in you displays an insatiable quotient.

Hotel Sonchafa – Lodging, boarding with parking facilities
Landline No: 02365-251144/253375
Contact Person: Mr. Laxman Prabhu
Contact No: 9423053920

Restaurants -
Ruchira restaurant – Provides authentic Malvani food with good & clean service

Swami restaurant – A bit modern-sih restaurant for those who want to have a flavour of Chinese, Punjabi or other cuisines. They also provide Malvani cuisines.

-
A couple of Kms further away from Malvan bus depot enroute to Kasal
——————————————————————————————————-

Sindhurdurg fort – Boat services and alternatives
State government provides regular boat services from Malvan jeety to Sindhudurg isle fort. It is merely a 15 minutes boat ride. The charges are Rs 27 for a return ticket. However, they povide just one hour to have a look at the entire fort and I believe it is too sort a time to have a look at the fort completely. Also the boat services are only for Sindhudurg fort.

There are three more forts – Padmadurga, Rajkot and Sarjekot near Sindhudurg which are not covered in the boat services provided thereby. Hence if one has a sufficiently large group, they can hire the services of local boats and strike a good deal for all these forts to be covered leisurely at ne’s own pace and not rush through the things.
———————————————————————————————————

Tarkarli beach – 6 Kms from Malvan ; Devbaug beach – 12 Kms from Malvan
A very short ride from Malvan is a very beautiful beach at Tarkarli. The beach is lined by pine trees that adds all the more to its already enchanting beauty. The white sand dissolving in the blue waters of Arabian sea make for a perfect eye treat.

Accommodation is available at MTDC beach houses, but these are a costly affair. There are a couple of private lodging facilities available nearby. The enquiry for these can be done at parking facilities provided near the beach. However we thought that it is better to stay at Malvan and visit these nearby places.

Slightly further ahead is Devbaug (12 Kms from Malvan). Devbaug Beach offers an enthralling sight of hundreds of seagulls flying simultaneously. It also provides avenues for boating.
———————————————————————————————————

Return journey – 6.00 AM start, 9.00 AM Breakfast at Lanja; Distance covered 161 Kms
We had an early start for the day as we aim to reach Mumbai as early as possible. At around 6.00 AM we start from Malvan towards Kasal. Kasal is 32 Kms from Malvan. The drop in temparature was evident and for the first time in three days we were actually shivering while riding. With clenched teeth and frozen fists I continued to rev towards Kasal.

From Kasal we turn left on the NH 17 towards Mumbai. Further ahead enduring the cold winds we managed to reach Lanja. We halted here for a much needed warm break. A leisurely breakfast with Dahi Vada, Sheera, Kanda Bhaji, Mix Bhaji and a cup of tea provided the much needed warmth after 3 hours of chilled ride.

Hotels -
Numerous hotels and refeshments available at Kasal, Kankavli, Rajapur, Lanja

24 hour Petrol pump -
S B & V B Samant, Kankavli. Ph: 02367 32028.  Facilities: Puncture repair shop and clean toilets.

Plus – Beautiful roads, less traffic
Minus – Nothing
———————————————————————————————————

Lunch at Mangaon – 1.30 PM to 2.30 PM; Distance covered – 238 Kms
This was the longest non stop riding stretch of the entire tour so far. It covered 238 Kms in 4 hours, all attributed to non stop speeds of 85-90 Kmph on smooth and relatively traffic free roads of NH 17. The saddle was partly numb and screamed for a rest. The breaffast from Lanja was well digested and our tummies began to crank their demands for another dose of filler.

We had our lunch at Sugran restaurant at Mangaon. The food was decent and tasty in the form of Veg Kolhapuri, Chapatis and a Chiken thali for my pillion. We wrapped up quickly and began moving towards our destination – Mumbai.

Hotels – Lots of them along the way

Plus – Wonderful roads
Minus – Crowd at the township areas enroute, cautious driving required
———————————————————————————————————

Completion of the tour – Total Kms clocked 1076 Kms; wonderful memories to cherish
Tracing the way back from Mangaon to Kalyan was more of a nostalgia. A always nearing the concluding stretches of ride on any long tour presents with a mixed sort of emotion, the satisfaction of completing the ride is blend with the feeling of end of the journey. Breezing past at 90 Kmph saw us reach Panvel in no time. I bid farewell to my pillion here and continued on my way back to Kalyan.

The traffic became evident, pollution, road congestion and all came back flooding and corroding the pleasures of riding on NH 17 for past three days. It was all back to routine as the smooth runways gave way for congested arteries in the city.

———————————————————————————————————

Some useful information -

Refreshment Stops -
Misal Corner, Goa turn-off after Panvel. Awesome misal pav and strong tea, just what you need to prepare you for your drive ahead.

Hotel Open Umbrella Mangaon, Ph: 01240 63879 Indian, South Indian and Konkani food. Konkani thali costs Rs 40.

Hotel Ruchi Garden, Outskirts of Mahad, Splendid views of the Savitri river.

Motel Visawa, Mahad, popular stopping point with a general store and all kind of snacks.

Taj Gateway Chiplun, excellent food but at a price.

Hotel Swad Sangameshwar, excellent Maharashtrian food and non-veg thali.

Neelams Countryside, 24-hour coffee shop with continental snacks and rooms for an overnight halt
——————————————————————————————————–

Note of caution -
Slow moving rickshaws and bullock carts aplenty near villages.
Numerous Accident Spot signs on the road. Take them seriously.
Bridges over rivers have speed breakers before and after them.
———————————————————————————————————

Ghats to Cross -
Kashedi Ghat between Poladpur and Kashedi
Baste Ghat after Khed
Parshuram Ghat between Khed and Chiplun
Nivli Ghat between Sangameshwar and Nivli
Vanked Ghat between Lanja and Rajapur
———————————————————————————————————

As always, a satisfaction on completion of a long ride is unparalleled and difficult to express verbally. I hope the log would be helpful for people planning rides in these areas. Have a good time.

Happy, Infinite and safe riding

~Cheers~