Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Day 3 - Solo Run – Dapoli – Murud – Harnai - Anjarle.
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.
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.
D-Day - Solo Run – Dapoli – Murud – Harnai - Anjarle – 608 Km.
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.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Karnala Fort – Captured
Perhaps someone who’s traveled from afar could put up at the rest house in the Sanctuary. For people who are picnicking – Kamat’s just short of the Sanctuary is a decent place for a snack – and kokum sherbet makes for a nice sip.
Captains Log; Star Date 04032007
Early morning 630 hrs its chilly and I am missing my Bomber Jacket. But it’s a short smooth ride from where I stay. This section of the highway between Panvel and Pen is a biker’s paradise with its smooth asphalt and twisties. I tell myself to slow down just when I hit the Karnala ghat section lest I miss the sanctuary in the excitement of the ride. I look hard on the left for a nondescript ticket booth and a board that proclaims the entrance to the sanctuary.
The air’s fresh and mixed with a cacophony of chirps. I start my climb up to the fort. I can hear a tree rustle somewhere on my right. Guess it’s a langoor. After about half an hour it starts to get steepy. Stop to catch my breath, drink some water and down a Mc’Donald’s burger. Soon I am using my hands to latch on to rocks, roots and trees to haul me up.
This is what really makes the climb worthwhile.
I am going to make it point to get back here in the middle of the monsoons. I am sure it’s going to be nothing short of magical.
