Flowers of the Doctor

Star Date 25122007

Star Date 25122007

Doctor's Farm, Kolad

Captains Log; Star Date 25122007

Situated on the banks of River Kundalika, Doctor’s Farm is a decent weekend getaway. Two igloos house the rooms and the common dining area that overlooks the river. You could paddle about in the calm river waters for as long as you want, go fishing or take a dip in the swimming pool that is flooded with running river water, follow it up with caroms or just sit and chat by the river bank.
December –January is a good time to be here, with the early mornings and late evenings being pleasant. River-rafting and trekking are the attractions during Monsoons.

A map at their website (http://www.doctorsfarm.com/) is a must look up for directions. Essentially, the Farm is 6Kms off the NH 17 – the Bombay-Goa highway and is a few kilometers short of Kolad, which is about 100 Kms. from Navi Mumbai. The stretch, between the highway and the Farm, through a forest is a lovely drive. The last Km. though, is un-mettled and rough.

The queen of hill stations - Mussoorie

Captains Log; Star Date 24092007

We leave Dehradun at 530 hrs for Mussoorie – a 35 km twisty drive. The comfort of a car shields us from the outside chill. With sparse traffic at that hour we’re at Lal Tibba by about 700 hrs. and park near the church. The walk up to Sisters Bazaar, beyond the TV station, is lovely. The sight of pine covered mountains, clean fresh air and the morning chill makes the walk really great. As we come around a bend we see folds of mountain ranges ahead with the furthermost fold covered with snow. The snow capped peaks glisten in the early morning sun. We come across an old Moris parked along the path and immediately settle down for a picture.

After the two hour walk I am cold and hungry. Back near the church we order for Alloo Parathas (a must have in Mussoorie) and Chai. Feel energy levels come back after downing the sumptuous Parathas with a blob of butter.

Next we just drive down to Kempty Falls for a look see. Company Garden, we leave for a next visit and decide to walk down The Mall and take the rope way to Gun Hill. Shoot pictures of Daisy’s swaying in the light breeze and shoot some balloons with an air gun. While I shoot all five blue balloons in five shots, she finally gets the pink balloon on the fifth. Another round of Aloo Parathas and we’re ready to walk back to the Mussoorie Library.
Apart from Mussoorie, Dehradun itself was a memorable experience with a visit to the Chetwode Hall at the Indian Military Academy, a drive past the FRI, the Brigade Mess and our old house in Birpur.

FRI

7 Birpur

The Gun Hill Daisy's

Exif: Shooting Mode - Program AE, TV - 1/800, AV 1/4, ISO Speed - 80, Focal Length - 6.0mm.

Exif: Shooting Mode - Program AE, TV - 1/640, AV 1/4, ISO Speed - 80, Focal Length - 6.0mm.

Star Date 24092007

Sunflower - Brand New Day

Exif: Shooting Mode: Program AE, TV: 1/200, AV: 4, ISO Speed: Auto, Focal Length: 3mm, White Balance: Auto.

Star Date 31122006

Lonavala - Chikki Ride

Captains Log; Star Date 03092007

Hit a heavy drizzle on the Lonavla-Amby Valley stretch so the S3 stays ensconced in the bag. Visibility 10 meters! Valvan dam, though a beautiful place, is a disapointment as the guards watch every step and photography not allowed! :(

Picked up Chikki's from A1 and some Almond Choco Fudge from Cooper's. Yipee!

Solo Run - Mulshi - Lonavla - 8 hours, 312 Kms.

Captains Log; Star Date 100606

I can see clouds but doesn’t look like its going to pour.

Wheels roll at 615 hrs.

Hit a drizzle at Kharghar! Can make out rain happening towards the Bombay-Pune side. Fortunately I am headed Bombay-Goa.

First stop at Kalamboli, Mc Donalds – rations & a coffee. Service is slow early in the morning.

Turn into the Panvel-JNPT toll road to avoid Panvel town – two wheels, no toll!

Hardly any traffic on NH-17 and make good speed. Things are familiar up to Wadakal Naka.

Next stop at Kolad (100 Km.) at 810 hrs to check for directions. I locate SH 60 that goes to Pune and turn into it. The road looks inviting. Hardly any traffic. Nice mettled road lined with greenery on both sides. Starts to get pretty twisty. Underestimate a curve, freeze when I see gravel and wham! Couldn’t pull my right leg out from under the bike. Struggle a little and I am up. A car stops, I wave him past. Try to lift the bike – I can’t. Fortunately a truck comes by. They help get the bike up. Get away with scratches on the faring.

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.

The road tests me mentally and physically. Rough is an under-statement and its getting hot. Every time I start thinking about turning around, somebody turns up to say the road would take me to Lonavla and that the patch up ahead was bad but it’ll be good thereafter. Now half way down that rattler, turning around is not really an option.

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 Tiger Point for a brunch and a sip of water.

Lonavla to Bombay is, well, a breeze.

Distance & Time Line:

Roll 615 hrs.

Kolad 100 Km @ 810 hrs.

Mulshi 179 Km @ 1030 hrs.

Lake view brunch.

Amby valley golf course 210 Km @ 1215 hrs.

Tiger Point view brunch 2.

Lonavla 230 Km.

Home 312 Km. @ 1430 hrs.

Whew!

Petal Blaze

Exif: Shooting Mode - Program AE; Tv - 1/100; Av - 4.0; Exposure Compensation - 0; ISO Speed - Auto; Focal Length - 6.0mm; White Balance - Auto.

Star Date: 31122006

Trail Blaze

Exif: Shooting Mode - Shutter Speed Priority AE; Tv - 5; Av - 8; Exposure Compensation - (-)2; ISO Speed - 100; Focal Length - 26.8mm; White Ballance - Auto.

Star Date - 28042007

Video - Fish Auction at Harnai Beach.

Video - Boat Ride into the Sea - Murud / Harnai

Day 3 - Solo Run – Dapoli – Murud – Harnai - Anjarle.

Captains Log; Star date 19032007

Wheels roll at 450 hrs. The beam is doing a good job of picking the road ahead. It’s really dark, chilly and desolate. I can just about see the tree-line adjacent to the road. I know there's a jungle behind the tree-line. And that's not exactly comforting when its pitch dark. With speedo at 40 kmph I am going slow but steady.

Soon after Dapoli I am a little more confident and speedo moves in the 50-60 kmph range. At Khed I check with locals for directions. In the darkness I can hardly recognize the place. I do a 90 kmph dash up to the ghat. The sky’s beginning to lighten up. As the trucks lumber, I zip. With sparse traffic I immediately get down to enjoying the Kashedi twists. Speedo moves in a broad 40-60 kmph range. I love the 4th gear on stretches like this because of the acceleration and deceleration it has to offer. And for the sharp climbing turn, the 3rd gear is just a nudge away.

Just after Mahad I chance a glance towards the rising sun. My God! There’s a solar eclipse happening. I pull over, get my S3 out and start shooting. I stick around for about fifteen minutes then pack and move.

Stop at Open Umbrella at Mangaon for breakfast. They serve piping hot idilis and special elaichi tea.

Looks like I am going to run short on fuel. Turn into a pump only to see a board, garlanded on the pump, saying ‘Petrol Sumplle’. Manage to get fuel at Nagothane.

I have a close call with a Sumo coming from the opposite direction near Karnala. Stupid chap is driving right in the middle of the road while I come out of the vehicle ahead to take a peek for a clear coast to overtake. Phoof.

Home 1010 hrs

Distance & Time Line:

That was fun!

Day 2 - Solo Run – Dapoli – Murud – Harnai - Anjarle.

Captains Log; Star date 18032007

Six in the morning after a nice sleep, I am on the beach. I set up the camera on the tripod and aim towards Harnai. My objective is to capture the lights at Harnai, especially the light house. Change settings for a slower shutter speed, a larger aperture and click. Manage to capture the red dot like light emitted by the light house.

The salubrious breeze calls for a long walk.

Around quarter to seven I can see two boats park on the beach. They are there to give people a boat ride into the sea. Being the adventurous kind I don’t hesitate and jump in for a short solo ride. The boat is pushed out into the waters and is guided further in by a guy on the bow with a long bamboo pole. They watch the waves to make the launch as effortless as possible. But the tide’s rising. A wave comes in hits the bow and lifts it up. As the wave travels to the rear the bow falls, chhhaap!, back into the water. A little deeper waters and the Yamaha outboard motor is made to kick in. The motor sputters to life and effortlessly steers the boat into deeper waters. The sunrise is picture perfect and I get busy with my camera.

To dock the boat back on the beach they turn the bow towards the sea, shut down the engine and wait for the waves to push the boat towards the beach. The guy on the bow gets busy with the pole. A big wave and chhaap! The roller coaster launch and landing makes me feel a little woozy. Designed more for wheels I guess.

I spend the next few hours on the beach.

At around 1000 hrs after a omelet bread breakfast I decide to ride down to Dapoli. Just before Dapoli I see the mile stone point right to Burundi and I turn in to explore. I pass by the Agriculture University. Another few kms and I hit the best kind of twisties I’ve ever seen. The road curves left, right, goes up and down with impunity. If the side for the road isn’t a ‘khai’ it’s lined with mango trees. This place stands out in sharp contrast to Harnai. While Harnai is noisy with its fish auction, this place is sublime owing to its agri tilt.

Burundi is indeed a lovely beach head. Some shots later I am headed back to Dapoli. It’s a small busy town. Pick up some bottles of water and chocolates from a store.

I am back at the resort by lunch time. After lunch I laze under the pine trees that are within the Kamats resort, just short of the beach. A couple of birds (little smaller than myna, green feathers, one straight pointer kind of a tail, extremely agile) are playing cops and robbers I think.

1700 hrs, I want to get RollyPolly out on the beach for a photo shoot against the backdrop of the setting sun. A road on the other side of the Murud Devi temple leads to the beach. The beach end of the road is soft sand and I have to power my way through. On the beach I can feel a slight drag as the wheels turn on the firm sand. Nice cool breeze hitting the face (no AGV), the puttering sound of the bike and slash of the waves on the beach make for a good mix.

As the sun starts to go red, I get busy with my camera

While I am busy clicking, the tides rising. Suddenly a wave comes up and I move back to avoid getting my shoes wet. I realize the camera on the tripod might take a tumble as the water goes back and takes some of the sand with it. Whoops! Even the bike might take a tumble. The bike tumbles.

I gather all my gear pack up and move before things get worse.

At the beach end of the road the sand looks softer. Baaaaammm, the engine stalls and I am stuck. I am now a spectacle for a dozen onlookers. A local on my 3 O’clock can sense 50 bucks I think. I take a deep breath and tug the bike back while astride. 7-8 more heaves later I am on firmer sand. Start the engine, point towards firmer sand, rev the engine, 1st gear, baaaaammmm and I am out.

Head back to Kamats. Need to pack for my long ride back home. The twisty and desolate roads make me wonder if I should really be leaving early. But the thought of being home by about 10 is tempting. I decide to move by 5 am.

D-Day - Solo Run – Dapoli – Murud – Harnai - Anjarle – 608 Km.

A three day holiday in March presents a good opportunity for a long ride. A colleague of mine, Jubhi, suggests the Kamat Beach Resort at Murud off Dapoli. I look it up at Outlook’s Weekend Breaks from Mumbai. This would mean a 250 Km. ride on the NH 17 (Bombay-Goa), something I’ve been wanting to do since I read RagingBulls trip log to Ratnagiri at Xbhp and a ride in a tin-can to Chiplun with office colleagues in July 2006. The more I think about it, the more I want to do it.

I check with colleagues and friends. They evince interest. So I go ahead and book a cottage.

Preparation:

Get down to doing a more detailed research. The attractions are – the ride on the super slick NH 17, Kamats Beach Resort and an opportunity to explore the coastline from Burundi to Anjarle. And with RollyPolly’s Birthday looming up, what a better way to celebrate than, well, to roll.

As it starts to get pretty warm around noon, I would have to start early to beat the heat. The 250 Km route would take me through, Karnala, Pen, Kolad, Mangaon, Mahad, Poladpur, Kashedi Ghat and Khed on the NH 17, and Dapoli to Murud on State and local roads. I look up the route on Google Earth. It’s going to be a really long ride. Stopping every 50 odd kms for a sip of water would be a good idea I think.

As the long weekend nears, friends and colleagues start citing other commitments (how predictable!). So it’s gonna have to be a Solo.

I have RollyPolly serviced a week before the ride. The mech recommends Castrol Power 1 that’s a little expensive at Rs. 231 compared to Rs. 175 for the regular Castrol engine oil. That’s a small cost to keep baby happy. I ensure the tool kit, spare tube, cables, spark plug and the medical kit are in place. A day before the ride I leave office early, I tank up with 11.5 litres and have the PUC and air pressure checked.

Pack in two bottles of water, electral (oral re-hyderation), biscuits, chocolates, apples, dry fruits and canned coffee flavored milk. And of course my S3 and a tripod. The small HP Photosmart would stay in my bomber jacket for shooting while on the road.

Captains Log; Star Date 17032007 (D-Day)

I secure the bag using a cargo net. That’s going to be my backrest for the ride. 435 hrs. I am ready to roll. The sweat that oozed while I struggled to secure the bag, dries quickly as the morning chill hits me.

The gear feels slick. Guess the oils good. The headlight beam fighting the night feels warm. Get on to the Bombay-Pune highway from Nerul. Hardly any traffic going my way but there’s a load coming from the other side. Speedo stays between 40 and 50 kmph. Turn into the NH 17 after Panvel. I open the throttle a little more as I reach the Karnala section but soon realize unlike riding during the day, at night I need to give the beam time to show me how the road ahead curves. And not many vehicles dip their lights for a lone biker.

I make a note of the NH emergency number – 98334-98334 & 98675-98657. Hope they work.

The air’s chilly but fresh and feels really great. The road’s smooth and RollyPolly’s giving me a lovely ride.

Stop at Hotel Open Umbrella at Mangaon. It’s yet to open, so I pull out my canned coffee. My chocolates, O! They are in the freezer back home!

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.

Start climbing and immediately start enjoying the twisties. As the trucks lumber up the Kashedi Ghat, I zip. I stop often to capture the scenery with my digi. Speedo between 40 and 60 kmph.

After the ghat, the asphalt up to Khed is super smooth and more or less straight. Speedo now between 80-90 kmph. Chiplun 36 Km. Chiplun 33 Km. Whoops! I’ve overshoot Khed by about 7-8 Kms. Turn around and turn left for Dapoli from Khed.

The road’s lined with greenry on both sides, it’s twisty and no traffic. 900 hrs and I am starting to feel hot or am I tired. Park and munch on some dry fruits, sip water, take a snap, walk around a little and I am ready to go.

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?”

Take a left turn from Asud for the Murud Devi Mandir. This stretch is really patchy.

Home Ruuuunnnnn. 260 Kms and 5.5 hours, I am tired. The resort looks good. The lotus in the pond at the entrance catches my attention.

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.

1600 hrs I am feeling refreshed and decide to ride down to Harnai and further on to Anjarle.

From Murud to Harnai the road runs along the beach. The roads patchy.

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.

Today’s attraction:
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.