Captains log; Star Date 11042009
We’ve zeroed down on Palolem for a short break from our hectic routine of work-home-work. Palolem is a small beach town in the Canacona taluka in Goa. NH 17 which starts from Mumbai and crawls across the Sahyadri & Karmali Ghats towards Cochin, Karnataka passes through Chaudi, the district headquarters. A right just before Chaudi brings you to Palolem.
Research threw up places like the Palolem Beach Resort, Café Del Mar and Ciarans for our stay.
We’ve taken the Mumbai-Margao Super Special, which leaves Mumbai at night on Friday’s only, to get to Margao at 7 in the morning the next day.
We notice the pre-paid taxi booth and hire a cab to get to Palolem, which is about 30 km south of Margoa. An hours drive on the NH17 takes us through a hilly and forested area where cashew trees grow wild.
Café Del Mar turns out to be a big disappointment. The place reeks of beer. Perhaps the only people who would appreciate this place are people who would want to booze and dance through the night.
Palolem Beach Resort is better but we have to wait until 12 pm for a booking confirmation. We may not be able to get an A/C room and may have to settle for a non A/C room or tent accommodation. After an omelet-bread breakfast we decide to walk along the beach and see if we’re able to find a better place to stay.
Even though Ciarans told us in the morning that there weren’t any rooms available, we still walk in to give it another try. The set up is very inviting with beach beds, an open air bar and a library at the entrance facing the beach, a nice garden in the centre, huts on the sides and a bungalow at the back. To our luck, Mervin, the caretaker shows us to an A/C room in the bungalow! At Rs. 2,500/- a night it’s the most expensive around here, but without any doubts, it’s the best. The staff is an all Nepali crew who are extremely welcoming and helpful. You can see them greet guests, chat a little in English, explain the menu and go about their chores without any instructions being shouted across. The bungalow doggie – Megan, a great dane can be seen lolling about the garden or snoozing in a corner. The general atmosphere here is of peace and quiet.
The beach though is a beehive of activity. The beach is a 2 Km curved stretch with Neptune’s Point at the south end and an Island at the north end. The beach slopes gently into the sea and is therefore safe for a swim. The waves though, get pretty pushy when the tide is rising.
The beach is lined with shacks/huts/cottages which are pulled down just before the monsoons in June and are put up again just after the monsoons around September-October.
Most of the crowd here is foreign and you can see people walking, jogging or enjoying a dip in the sea or sun bathing. There are body boards and kayaks that can be rented for about Rs. 100/- an hour. If you can handle the sea, I would strongly recommend renting out a Kayak.
For off beach activity there’s the flea market near the entrance of the beach. You can also rent out two wheelers from here for about Rs. 200 a day – ask for a guy called Nikki. Two wheels is the best way to explore places nearby – Agonda and Patlem. Fuel here costs Rs. 50 per litre and is generally bought from a shack in a marketplace.
The day is spent enjoying excellent food at Ciarans and a dip in the sea in the evening.
For lunch we order Stir Fried Calamari (Squid) which is served on a mint-coriander salad and a tropical fruit salad topped with grated coconut and honey and sprinkled with peanuts. Tandoori Jumbo Prawns makes up dinner.
Captains log; Star Date 12042009
Up early we’re exploring the island side of the beach. This side of the beach is quite and rocky and during low tide one can walk up to the island. The island itself has a pretty green tree cover and you can hear forest insects humming with activity.
After a dip in the sea and lounging around in the beach bed, being Easter, we decide to head to St. Teresa’s Parish Church in Chaudi.
Thinking that we’d be zipping around a city kind of terrain I decide to hire a gearless Honda Activa. After a Pulsar this feels really different – my feet are in front of me and I want to shift gears right after accelerating.
After the church we head to Patlem beach for a look see. The gradient of the beach slope is higher here and therefore the sea a tad rougher than Palolem. There are sale boats available here for hire.
From Patlem we head to Agonda. This beach is longer than Palolem, a tad rougher and therefore less commercialized.
Greek Souvlaki opposite St. Annes Church is a must stop for a bite for some Greek street food. The set up is run by Kosmas Loumakis. We first start with a Chicken Souvlaki and then down a Paneer Souvlaki all the while chatting with Kosmas.
We are now looking for directions for Cabo-De-Rama fort which is about 15-20 Km from Agonda. The road to the fort is a dream for a biker. The road climbs, falls, twists and turns through a fragrant cashew forest. I would have been more comfy with a geared bike on this kind of a terrain for better control especially on slopes and gravel.
There’s a kucha road that heads to Cola beach which I am told is pretty good. I believe there’s even a Pepsi beach that’s equally good.
Nothing great about the fort but the view of the coast and the sea below from the fort battlements is superb.
For dinner we dig into a bar-be-qued Red Snapper.
Captains log; Star Date 13042009
I can see Megan sniffing around on the beach in the morning. A whistle and she’s off for a walk with me towards Neptune’s Point.
About 830 hrs we hire a fibre glass boat for Rs. 500/- for a ride into the sea. The boat heads around the Island towards Butterfly beach and back. We’re lucky enough to get a glimpse of a dolphin.
Back at Ciaran’s we lounge around in the library and take it easy.
1600 hrs its time to leave. The Konkan Kanya express drops us off at Panvel at 415 hrs. the next day.
We’ve zeroed down on Palolem for a short break from our hectic routine of work-home-work. Palolem is a small beach town in the Canacona taluka in Goa. NH 17 which starts from Mumbai and crawls across the Sahyadri & Karmali Ghats towards Cochin, Karnataka passes through Chaudi, the district headquarters. A right just before Chaudi brings you to Palolem.
Research threw up places like the Palolem Beach Resort, Café Del Mar and Ciarans for our stay.
We’ve taken the Mumbai-Margao Super Special, which leaves Mumbai at night on Friday’s only, to get to Margao at 7 in the morning the next day.
We notice the pre-paid taxi booth and hire a cab to get to Palolem, which is about 30 km south of Margoa. An hours drive on the NH17 takes us through a hilly and forested area where cashew trees grow wild.
Café Del Mar turns out to be a big disappointment. The place reeks of beer. Perhaps the only people who would appreciate this place are people who would want to booze and dance through the night.
Palolem Beach Resort is better but we have to wait until 12 pm for a booking confirmation. We may not be able to get an A/C room and may have to settle for a non A/C room or tent accommodation. After an omelet-bread breakfast we decide to walk along the beach and see if we’re able to find a better place to stay.
Even though Ciarans told us in the morning that there weren’t any rooms available, we still walk in to give it another try. The set up is very inviting with beach beds, an open air bar and a library at the entrance facing the beach, a nice garden in the centre, huts on the sides and a bungalow at the back. To our luck, Mervin, the caretaker shows us to an A/C room in the bungalow! At Rs. 2,500/- a night it’s the most expensive around here, but without any doubts, it’s the best. The staff is an all Nepali crew who are extremely welcoming and helpful. You can see them greet guests, chat a little in English, explain the menu and go about their chores without any instructions being shouted across. The bungalow doggie – Megan, a great dane can be seen lolling about the garden or snoozing in a corner. The general atmosphere here is of peace and quiet.
The beach though is a beehive of activity. The beach is a 2 Km curved stretch with Neptune’s Point at the south end and an Island at the north end. The beach slopes gently into the sea and is therefore safe for a swim. The waves though, get pretty pushy when the tide is rising.
The beach is lined with shacks/huts/cottages which are pulled down just before the monsoons in June and are put up again just after the monsoons around September-October.
Most of the crowd here is foreign and you can see people walking, jogging or enjoying a dip in the sea or sun bathing. There are body boards and kayaks that can be rented for about Rs. 100/- an hour. If you can handle the sea, I would strongly recommend renting out a Kayak.
For off beach activity there’s the flea market near the entrance of the beach. You can also rent out two wheelers from here for about Rs. 200 a day – ask for a guy called Nikki. Two wheels is the best way to explore places nearby – Agonda and Patlem. Fuel here costs Rs. 50 per litre and is generally bought from a shack in a marketplace.
The day is spent enjoying excellent food at Ciarans and a dip in the sea in the evening.
For lunch we order Stir Fried Calamari (Squid) which is served on a mint-coriander salad and a tropical fruit salad topped with grated coconut and honey and sprinkled with peanuts. Tandoori Jumbo Prawns makes up dinner.
Captains log; Star Date 12042009
Up early we’re exploring the island side of the beach. This side of the beach is quite and rocky and during low tide one can walk up to the island. The island itself has a pretty green tree cover and you can hear forest insects humming with activity.
After a dip in the sea and lounging around in the beach bed, being Easter, we decide to head to St. Teresa’s Parish Church in Chaudi.
Thinking that we’d be zipping around a city kind of terrain I decide to hire a gearless Honda Activa. After a Pulsar this feels really different – my feet are in front of me and I want to shift gears right after accelerating.
After the church we head to Patlem beach for a look see. The gradient of the beach slope is higher here and therefore the sea a tad rougher than Palolem. There are sale boats available here for hire.
From Patlem we head to Agonda. This beach is longer than Palolem, a tad rougher and therefore less commercialized.
Greek Souvlaki opposite St. Annes Church is a must stop for a bite for some Greek street food. The set up is run by Kosmas Loumakis. We first start with a Chicken Souvlaki and then down a Paneer Souvlaki all the while chatting with Kosmas.
We are now looking for directions for Cabo-De-Rama fort which is about 15-20 Km from Agonda. The road to the fort is a dream for a biker. The road climbs, falls, twists and turns through a fragrant cashew forest. I would have been more comfy with a geared bike on this kind of a terrain for better control especially on slopes and gravel.
There’s a kucha road that heads to Cola beach which I am told is pretty good. I believe there’s even a Pepsi beach that’s equally good.
Nothing great about the fort but the view of the coast and the sea below from the fort battlements is superb.
For dinner we dig into a bar-be-qued Red Snapper.
Captains log; Star Date 13042009
I can see Megan sniffing around on the beach in the morning. A whistle and she’s off for a walk with me towards Neptune’s Point.
About 830 hrs we hire a fibre glass boat for Rs. 500/- for a ride into the sea. The boat heads around the Island towards Butterfly beach and back. We’re lucky enough to get a glimpse of a dolphin.
Back at Ciaran’s we lounge around in the library and take it easy.
1600 hrs its time to leave. The Konkan Kanya express drops us off at Panvel at 415 hrs. the next day.
I take it easy after that and enjoy the 79 Km ride to Mulshi – a nice cool breeze for company – stopping often to take snaps. 
Check with locals for directions to Lonavla. There’s a narrow road, they point out, that’ll get me to Lonavla. Part of the 60 Km road I am told is rough. Explorer me decides to leave the comfort of the state highway.
I guess I must be a novelty in these parts – with a shinny new red Pulsar, Red wind-sheeter, cargo net and a jazzy AGV helmet; I have kids running behind me in one of the villages I pass.
That road finally brings me to (Surprise! Surprise!) the Amby Valley golf course. A few kms on a broad road then brings me to the Lonavla - Amby Valley road. The road feels like heaven after that rattler.
Stop at 
Lonavla to Bombay is, well, a breeze.
Stop at Open Umbrella at Mangaon for breakfast. They serve piping hot idilis and special elaichi tea.
I spend the next few hours on the beach.
As the sun starts to go red, I get busy with my camera
It’s bright now. At 715 hrs Vithal Kamat, at Mahad is yet to start preparing for the day ahead. Move on to Poladpur and stop for a cup of tea at Shudh Shanti Hotel. Pull out an apple. I take a longish break here as the ghat section starts from hereon.
At Dapoli I check for directions to Murud. The roads generally good but patchy at places and is as twisty as it can get. A state transport bus embarrasses me by catching me bang in the middle of the narrow road (he needs all of it). I can see him gesture “Kahe Boss?”
Check into my cottage. Look around the resort. What I need right now is some breakfast, a shower and a nap. But I can’t stop myself from getting to the beach, so I push the nap to later in the afternoon.
At Harnai beach, riding on the sand isn’t easy. I can feel a drag and the front wheel doesn’t exactly want to go where you want it to. I see a big crowd on the beach and head towards it.
The scene at Harnai Beach is like time standing still. Suddenly at about 430 hrs there’s a whistle and bullock carts standing near the water charge up the beach. It’s like a cavalry charge. The carts are carrying fish that have been loaded on from small boats on the water front. The small boats in turn have picked up their load of fish from bigger boats in the back ground. The carts rush to the nearest auctioneer and the auction starts. The carts are followed by people carrying fish in tokri’s. The fish are laid out on the beach and the auctioneer starts calling out prices. I do a video of the auction process. I’ll have to check with PowerSlave on how to put it up on my blog.
Those big ones are going for Rs. 400 each.
Those, I am told are ‘Wati’ and are going for Rs. 200 a tokri. The price could be lower at Rs. 180 a tokri if you take all the tokri’s.
The Harnai light house attracts my attention and I decide to ride up to it. The view from up here is exhilarating. The crowded Harnai beach, the Suvarnadurg Fort and the vast open sea.
The ride to Anjarle through Harnai village is rough. The road improves after the village. I climb up and what a view. Anjarle beach – you can have it all to yourself. I can see the Ganesh temple a little behind the beach on the hill. The ride to the temple is lovely. The road climbs, falls, curves – untamed twisties. It just doesn’t straighten for more than 5 meters.
On the way back I stop to watch the beach side mela. As soon as I pull out the camera kiddies start waving and look towards me with a big smile. I oblige, letting the flash fire. Check out the guy pushing that swinging boat. He’s literally flying in the air using his body weight to push all the way down so that the boat comes back even higher. I let the flash fire again to capture the moment.
Back at the resort I down a glass of Solkadi and follow it up with a Chicken Thali. Time to retire.
Phoof! What a day! And that’s just day one.
