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Rony Cumon dude...bring the entire louge...awsum rite up..very nice pics..!! waiting for the entire writeup..also lookiing fwd to ride another trip...
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Who needs a stereo when you've got a throttle ? ( Time to turn up the volume.) -
Day 1 -> Leg 2 :: Revdanda - Kashid - Murud
During our last visit to Revdanda, the bridge just next to coast line caught my attention. I had made up my mind to ride over it next time around to visit Korlai and Kashid. But I never knew that this opportunity would come so early and like this. Just few minutes from Revdanda fort we came across this beautiful bridge. With the camera still hanging off my neck, I decided to take some quick snaps.
Part of Welspun Factory
It was now getting too hot and we decided to move on. The road went right under the Welspun factory's conveyor belt bridge and then uphill for some time. After some distance the road forked and I stopped to ask for direction. Rishi had some local friend staying nearby and he thought to give him a call. I could see a small bridge ahead and decided to stop over it to take some snaps till Rishi was done talking to his pal.
Upon calling his friend Rishi found out that he was not in town. So he had a brief chat with him and later we decided to move on towards Kashid. It was 10am now and the heat was killing us. The road had quiet a few bends and bumps too. After few miles the road suddenly turned smooth and we came across an awesome U-Pin curve. As there was hardly any vehicle around Ameya decided to test his cornering skills and I quickly took position to capture him in my lens.
I could hardly cover the bend in my lens as there was no space beyond the point where I stood and took the pic shared below
Rishi had already moved ahead unaware of our cornering picture session. After Ameya's few knee scrapping cornering trials, I decided to give it a try and scrapped my bike's left foot peg instead
Realizing that Rishi must be waiting for us, we decided to resume the ride towards Kashid. Soon we entered the Phansad sanctuary border area and the thick tree cover on either side of the road greeted us. It was a pure delight to ride in this section. Soon we reached Kashid beach which had few tourist flocking near the sea front and on the adjoining food stalls. We slowed our bikes a bit and decided not stop as we had to reach Murud as soon as possible. In my mind I already had a plan to visit Kashid separately in monsoon along with Phansad.
We continued riding towards Murud leaving behind the tree cover and smooth roads. After some time the road started taking us to higher elevation adjoining the coast with some tight corners. At one point, we got a breathtaking view of the beach. This was an abandoned watch tower right at the apex of the corner. We got our bikes near it and decided to check it out.
It was half past 10 now and we decided to get on the bikes and resume the ride towards Murud which was just few kilometers ahead. The road now slowly sloped down towards the beach with some nice bends. By quarter to 11 we reached Murud beach which was quiet deserted. We found a nice place to park our bike under shade on the pavement along the beach. Soon we removed our Helmets and Jackets to let the sea breeze cool our body. We had coconut water relaxing under the shade chit chatting with our gears and helmet lying idle on our bikes.
Poser Boy
Meanwhile a biker came near our bikes checking out the gears and xBhp sticker. He apparently knew about xBhp and had met up some xBhpians in past who had come to Murud. We had some casual talk on how to get into xBhp and about the safety protocol to be followed while touring. It was nice talking to him. It was 11:15am now and we decided to get back on the bikes to reach Shrivardhan on time.Last edited by Rony; 04-02-2011, 01:07 AM.Comment
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oye..kokan ka chaska lag gaya. esp the internal roads..quite smooth and awesome curves..
nice picsComment
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Day 1 > Leg 3 :: Murud - Kuda Caves
Murud onwards the road started getting bumpy with occasional sharp curves decorated with soil & gravel. Traffic was next to none which helped us maintain a healthy 40-60kmph even on such pothole studded roads. For initial few kilometers we had beautiful coast on one side as seen in the pic shared below
Later the road headed into the interiors punctuated by villages after every few kilometers. The condition of the road kept deteriorating and heat kept intensifying. Now instead of sea we had brown dry grass and few trees on either sides of the road. Though few occasional bends and uphill turns kept us entertained. At some points we asked for directions and one of the villagers mentioned Tale village while showing us the way. Instantly I remembered about Kuda Caves which happen to be near Tale village according to one of the blogs which I read prior to this ride. I immediately made my mind to pay a visit to this ancient site.
About Kuda Caves / Kuda Leni
There is a group of ancient rock-cut Buddhist caves in central Maharashtra, near the sea, at Janjira creek. These are Kuda Caves - 26 caves made for Buddhist mendicants some 1700 - 2100 years ago.
Buddhist temples near ancient port
Often the oldest Buddhist rock-cut caves were made near port cities and on ancient trade routes. Seems that Kuda Caves were not an exception to this. Most likely here was located the ancient port of Mandagora mentioned by Ptolemy, ancient Greco-Roman geographer. Caves were cut for Buddhist mendicants in Hinayana tradition, in 1st century BC - 3rd century AD. Later, in 6th - 7th century AD there were made additions in Mahayana tradition - including numerous sculptures of Buddha.
26 caves
Kuda Caves are 26 rock-cut caves and 11 rock-cut cisterns. Some count more caves here, for example 28 - but these other caves are just small chambers. Caves are located some 45 - 60 m above the sea level, they are cut in the side of some 75 m high hill. All caves are located in compact group, outer caves are not further than 200 m away. Entrances open to the south-west, there opens beautiful view on fine landscape - estuary with steep hills around it. Researchers have numbered the caves - from Cave I to Cave XXVI. Part of caves - caves I-XV are located somewhat lover but caves XVI-XXVI are located per some 12 m higher.
Sculptures, inscriptions and paintings
For thousands of years these caves have experienced the impact of storms and rain. Natural forces have erased sculptures, inscriptions and drawings in the front part of caves. Less exposed inscriptions and artwork though have been preserved. Interior of Kuda caves for most part is plain and not adorned, caves are quite similar. There is an exception though - Cave VI has lavish interior with many reliefs.Walls of caves were plastered with earth and rice-shaff. Several caves contain traces of paintings. Many caves contain inscriptions, Cave VI contains even six inscriptions. Five of these inscriptions (in Cave VI) belong to 5th - 6th c. AD. All other inscriptions have writing characteristic for 1st century BC. Nearly all inscriptions mention the names of donors to the monastery and the donated gift - cave, cistern.
Five caves are chaityas - temples - with dagobas - shrines - inside. Other caves are leni - created for dwelling. Lenis for most part consist of verandah with a door and window in the rear wall. Behind the rear wall there is cell or chamber with cells with rock-cut benches where monks slept. Doorframes contain a groove - once here were placed wooden doors. As it is common in ancient rock-cut architecture, the design of caves strives to imitate wooden architecture.
After some 20 minutes ride at around 12pm we came across a bridge and a cross road immediately after it. There was a small police chowki at right side corner. I asked the cop regarding directions to Kuda Caves. He pointed to the road on our left which was heading towards Indapur. He said it was only 2 km from where we were standing and later offroading uphill for few 100 meters. Determined to visit it we directed our steeds in the said direction and rolled on. Within few minutes we reached the spot where we had to take a U-turn to a kutcha road heading uphill as indicated by the arrow on the board by ASI reading "Tourist Place. Towards Ancient Kuda Caves".
For the convenience of readers, I have taken few screenshots of the route which we took to Kuda Caves shared below.
Turn Back Point : Off-road Starts Here
Believe me after seeing the condition of the road we had second thoughts almost instantly. But then after coming so close to Kuda Caves we thought to give it a try. Don't know about Rishi and Ameya, but atleast I found it worth to ride that hellish road all the way up. I will let the pics do the talking !
It took us around 15 minutes to reach the top braving the gravel bound track. I made it first followed by Rishi. There was already a lower cc bike parked under the tree which belonged to a archeology professor from Deccan College, Pune who had come with his Japanese counterpart to survey the cave. Ameya apparently had a fall on a steep slope and took some more time to reach top. I wasted no time in capturing the beauty of this place into my lenses !
Rishi posing in front of marvelous Cave VI
Cave VI is chaitya and the most interesting cave in this monument. Forecourt adorned with sculpture of front part of standing elephant - initially there were two but one is lost. In the front of cave there is small sculpture of Buddha, seated on a throne, upheld by naga. Two vidyadharas hold a crown over Buddhas head. Above this sculptural group there is arch supported by sculptures of alligators and with two flying figures above. Interior of the cave is adorned also with sculptures of Buddha, Avalokitesvara, women, lion with dwarves, elephant, bull, tiger.
Main hall contains sculptures added here in 5th - 6th century, sculptures have remnants of paint on them. Whole interior of the cave - columns, ceiling, walls - contain traces of plaster and painting. Inside the cave there are several inscriptions left by donors. Left end of verandah contains long inscription with beautiful calligraphy, in seven lines. This inscription also is left by donor.
The 2000 years old beautiful carvings
On the left side wall are (1) at the top, four nine-inch Buddhas seated cross-legged in the meditating position or jnanamudra, each in separate compartments. Under these are two groups, separated by a pilaster, each consisting of a thirteen-inch Buddha on a lion-throne with his feet on a lotus and fly-whisk bearers as before; a crown borne over his head by demigods or Vidyadharas, and an alligator canopy as before, with four demigods carrying garlands. Below the lotuses are two deer and ten kneeling figures, four to the left and six to the right. Below these are moldings with two deer and the fame-face or kirtimukh in alternate panels: (2) A twenty-eight inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with two fly-whisk bearers, the left bearer holding his clothes in his left hand, and the right bearer holding a lotus stem with his left hand.
Overhead is a plain arch with a kneeling demigod on each side, the left one holding some object and the right one a flower or fruit. Under the demigods the stem of the central lotus is upheld by two Naga figures cut off at mid-height, with five kneeling figures two to the left and three to the right: (3) Above is a relic-shrine or daghoba in bas-relief; below the relic-shrine is a fifteen-inch Buddha in the meditating position jnanamudra, on lotus, with a standing fly-whisk bearer to the right. All three groups have remains of paint.
On the right wall beginning from the left are: a two feet six inch Buddha seated cross-legged on a lotus, with the usual fly-whisk bearers on each side standing on lotuses. Overhead is a plain arch with a demigod on each side carrying a festoon. Below the arch, the central lotus stem is supported by two Naga figures each on one knee, with a kneeling Naga woman behind, and on the left another kneeling woman with a man kneeling behind her Below the three, on the left, is an inscription in five lines pretty distinctly cut, on a smooth surface, in characters of about the fifth or sixth century and in the Sanskrit language. It has been translated:
' This is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Buddhasingha. May the merit it be for the attainment of Supreme knowledge by father, mother, and Shtaa'rka (lord), and then by the whole feeling world.'
After this inscription comes the second group of sculpture, the same as the last as far as the Naga women. Between the left Naga woman and left fly-flapper is a faintly cut inscription, continued between the right-hand figures. It has been translated:
'This (image) is the meritorious gift of the Sa'kya friar Sanghadava, and the Chendina field is given for the expense of lights to Buddha. Who cuts of (this grant) is guilty of the five great sins.'
Under the left Naga woman a kneeling figure offers a lotus bud; behind the right Naga woman is another kneeling figure: and below it a woman. In the third group, the central figure is a Buddha one foot seven inches high, the same as the first Buddha down to the lotuses; below, the Nagas appear to have torn up the lotus stem and are bearing it aloft, the Naga women kneeling behind as in the other group. On each side, under the Naga woman, two kneeling figures look upwards.
At the back of the hall a low screen wall supports two eight-sided pillars and pilasters with double crescent ornaments. An entrance between them leads to the ante-chamber of the shrine, and a low parapet or rail behind the bench is carved with animals. Beginning from the left, the right side of this carved rail has a mythical lion or Sardula driven by a dwarf who holds its tail; then, a maned tiger with a dwarf holding its tail and brandishing a club; then a dwarf-driven bull; and lastly a tiger. On the left side are a tiger, whose tail is held by a dwarf; then an elephant; then an animal whose face is broken, probably a stag looking back and last a tiger whose tail is held by a dwarf.
On the return of the back wall which meets this carved rail, are, on each side, two male and female figures, like the figures on the front screens in the temple caves at Kanheri and Karla. In the left corner are two standing figures, a man five feet four inches high, and a woman, five feet two inches high including their headdresses, with at the right lower corner, a boy holding the woman's foot as if shampooing it. The man wears a high head-dress, earrings wristlets and armlets a waist-cloth and waistband, its end hanging over his right thigh. His right hand is raised and his left rests on his left hip. The woman wears a curious roundish head-dress and large earrings, a pair of heavy anklets on each leg, an armlet and wristlet on her left arm, and a wristlet on her right arm. Her right hand rests on her right hip, and her left hand is laid on the boy's head. The boy has no ornaments and seems to be a servant. In the right pair of figures the man is five feet four inches and the woman five feet high. The man stands to the right of the woman. He wears a curious high headdress in eight folds, earrings, wristlets, and armlets apparently of round beads. He wears a waist-cloth, its end hanging between his legs and showing a highly ornamented border, and a waistband whose end hangs along his right leg and also shows a rich border. His left hand rests on his left hip and his right hand is raised above his head, the finger next the thumb being held up and the thumb and the three other fingers closed. The woman wears a rich headdress like an inverted English hat with flowing drapery below it. Between the bottom of the headdress and the woman's brow are two bands, the upper like a roll of plaited hair, the lower like an ornamented fillet, which ends over her right ear in a metal disc with four pendants. The right hand is raised shoulder high and holds three lotus stalks, whose flowers rise high over her head. She has no ornaments on her arms or neck, but heavy earrings, a waistband of metal discs, and on each leg a pair of heavy anklets, the lower one somewhat flat. A band of cloth is fastened round the waist-belt in front and falls between the legs.
The floor of the antechamber of the shrine is level with the top of the bench in the hall, and had benches on the inner sides of the parapets. At the left end is a cell with a bench on the right side, and above the bench is a hole, eighteen inches square, giving entrance into a smaller cell filled with stones and rubbish. A doorway about nine feet wide leads into the shrine in which is a plain relic-shrine or daghoba reaching to near the roof, and joined to the roof by the staff of the umbrella which is carved on the rock above. There are traces of plaster and painting on all the walls, roofs, and columns of this cave.
In the left end of the verandah is an inscription of seven lines beautifully cut on a smooth surface and perfect. It is in much older letters than the other inscriptions in this cave, and is in the Pali language. It has been translated:
'The meritorious gift of a dwelling-cave by Sivama, younger than the Writer Sivabhuti, among the full-brothers, sons of Sulasadata and (his wife) Utaradata, and servants of Maha'bhoja Mandava Khandapa'lita, the son of Maha'bhoja Sadageri Vijaya', with the rock carving by Sivama's wife Vijaya and his sons Sulasadata, Sivapalita, Sivadata, and Sapila; and the pillars by his daughters Sapa, Sivapa' lita, Sivadata', and Sulasadata ['This inscription', says Dr. Buhler, 'gives us a peep into the Bauddha social and religious life of perhaps a century before the Christian era. Skandapalita is a Mahabhoja or Konkan chief, in whose service are the sons of one Sulasadata, namely, Shivabhutia, who is a lekhaka or writer, his younger brother Shivama, and four of Shivama's sons. They all bear names such as would be found among the Shaiva sec,t showing that though they or their ancestors may have been converts to Buddhism, they did not as Buddhists feel bound to abjure all connections with the popular beliefs. One of them bears the name Sarpila, from sarpa a snake; probably pointing to serpent worship, which was not inconsistent with his being a Shaiva. Shiva-bhuti constructed cave I for the use of the Bauddha monks, and perhaps also cave III. Shivama emulating the religious munificence of his elder brother, sets about the construction of cave VI, and his wife and sons join him and share the expense and the merit. The prominence of the names of mothers and wives indicates that in ancient India women enjoyed a much more public and honoured place than they have done for centuries past; and this is in accordance with allusions to women in Sanskrit and Pali literature. Here the Mahabhoja's mother named Vijaya, probably of the Sadakara or Sadagaira family, is chronicled. Shivasarman's wife is also called Vijaya, and she, with their sons, undertake the sculptured work, the two pairs of figures on the back wall and the front portions of the two elephants at the ends of the facade, for those alone are coeval with the cave. This is not all. A share of the work is allotted to Shivama's four daughters-in-law, for it seems more likely that they should be here called by the names of their husbands than that Shivabhuti should have four daughters called by feminine names corresponding to those of his four sons. These women bear the expense of two plain octagonal pillars in the back of the hall, and other two in the verandah, with perhaps also the two pilasters. This family thus share among them the expense of a Bauddha chapel, plain but commodious, and one of the largest among the Kuda caves.'
The exuberant view of the coast, from where early age traders used to visit these caves.
I was taken aback by the beauty and history behind this place. The professor whose bike was parked under the tree along with ours gave me a profuse insight about the origins of the caves and his archeological work. It was enlightening to know about our rich heritage which is lost in the distant past and turned to ruins thanks to the apathy of modern day governments and lack of interest amongst common Indian public. According to him hardly any one know about these caves and those who visit it rarely understand what they are seeing. I must say that I was very lucky to have met him at the correct time and make sense of my visit to Kuda Caves. I thanked him by clicking his pic shared below.
He even gave me his visiting card just in case if I wish to switch my profession
We spent around half an hour exploring the place. It was quarter to 1pm now and we decided to leave to the premises but were little nervous. Climbing that ridiculous road was bad but riding it down was a nightmarish experience.
With the downward ride being successful we felt relaxed as the bike came back on the familiar tar road. We rode back 2kms to the cross road (Police chowki) and directed our steeds towards Shrivardhan via Mhasala Ghat.Last edited by Rony; 04-05-2011, 11:26 PM.Comment
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I remember reading about Kuda caves, but now able to see them, thanks to your pics.
Great ride..
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Thank You
Cage or Bike, no matter what you take there, you will always enjoy the ambiance of this beautiful place. One should try and stay for a day instead of just visiting the beach & hushing back !Originally posted by chicmagnet View PostAwaiting your log with bated breath!
My trip to Diveagar & Harihareshwar a couple of years ago was a memorable one but it was in a cage
. It was still fun though
Sure bhau ... aaple ashirwaad asel tar jaroor visit karu !Originally posted by darkknight View Post
Thanks .... work in progressOriginally posted by omvaikul View Post
Originally posted by ketan_r15 View PostThanks .... the resort was indeed an exquisite place to spend night with an hospitable environment provided by the care taker "Anna". I will share all the details regarding the Resort in my upcoming post.Originally posted by tourer_kashif View Post
Originally posted by Sachinnair View PostThanks both of you .... lets plan a monsoon ride to DiveagarOriginally posted by pratheekkunder View Post
No issues deepan bhai .... I had asked DK bhau to tell you to call me when you meet him ... I was waiting for your call till 1am that day. Later I SMSed you that I will meet you at around 6:30am near Vashi bridge. I thought you must have read it. So I was waiting for you there. But even after repeated calls you did not pick up which made me think you are in deep sleep. Hence I decided to move on. Next time i'll make sure I have your cell atleast a day before the ride !Originally posted by xstunter View Post
Originally posted by roamer View PostThanks ... Konkan is indeed Kashmir of Maharashtra especially in Monsoons !Originally posted by MotionFreak View Post
Sale sab mehnat mehi karuOriginally posted by Ameya220 View PostRony Cumon dude...bring the entire louge...awsum rite up..very nice pics..!! waiting for the entire writeup..also lookiing fwd to ride another trip...
... Anyways, it was really fun to ride with you pal ... Looking forward for our Goa ride soon
Thanks saurabh ... how are you doing ??Originally posted by saurabhjd View Post
Even I was unaware of it until I came across some blogs online. Its an important place for those who have interests in Archeology & History. One should visit it with proper guide or atleast have prior information about the place. Only then visiting it makes sense. I was really lucky to have found Mr. Jadhav there who helped me understand the importance of Kuda Caves and the history behind them.Originally posted by roamer View PostI remember reading about Kuda caves, but now able to see them, thanks to your pics.
Great ride..
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hi rony, nice pics there. I did this Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar stretch one month back. However we took the ferry service to reach Dighe from Janjira as it was already 4 PM.
The coastal road between Diveagar to Shrivardhan was simply superb, ill redo the stretch again.
Bring out the remaining part of your log.Comment
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Suzuki Samurai (2003-2004)
Hero Honda Passion (2004-2010)
Bajaj Pulsar 220 F (2010-2013)
Bajaj Pulsar 200NS (2013-????)Comment
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Day 1 > Leg 4 :: Kuda Caves - Mhasala Ghat - Shrivardhan
By now the heat was at its pinnacle and our bodies had started dehydrating. We had to reach Shrivardhan as soon as possible hence we avoided taking pit stops barring a few for refreshments. The road was more or less lateral for few kilometers with occasional patches of potholes and gravel. I was kind of over-speeding with Ameya & Rishi trying to catch up. Ameya was following me closely soon. The speed was a bit too much for the kind of road we were riding on. Rishi had warned us several times to keep it slow and steady. But old habits die hard and we kept cruising at 40-60 kmph. I wanted to get this stretch done quickly without wasting much time under the sun. Also riding fast somehow eases the shocks from my bike while bumping against the shallow potholes and uneven roads. I was maintaining a good rhythm between the bike and the road.
Just before Mhasala Ghat, we passed through a small village where I stopped to ask for direction. By the time I was done, Ameya & Rishi had reached and Ameya started to ride ahead. I thought to give him the lead position for some time as I had been leading for the entire ride up till now. As we left the village, there was a biker with a pillion riding just ahead of us. Ameya was leading with a speed of around 40kmph and I was also following him in full swing. Few meters ahead there was a sharp right turn going a bit uphill blinding the road ahead. On the left hand side there was river bed and a tree. Just inches before the turn there was a sign board indicating right turn and I remember noticing it quiet vividly. Meanwhile Ameya was fast approaching the curve and the biker with pillion was riding to his right. All of a sudden Ameya went straight off-road instead of taking right turn. While the biker with pillion took the proper right turn. Following him closely, I was baffled. Back of my mind I knew that the road had to go right as indicated by the sign board but after seeing Ameya go straight I got confused and even my bike went straight off-road towards the river bed. Ameya somehow managed to stop his bike meters before the river by braking hard. My bike was heading towards the tree next to the river which had some big stones at its roots. Even I braked hard but my worn out Eurogrip tires hardly got any grip and the bike skidded kissing the ground with a strong impact. I was slammed in front of the bike in somersault fashion. The lower edge of camera which was hanging around my neck hit my chest sending shock wave throughout my body.
For a minute I was totally taken aback by what just happened. But soon I regained sanity and got up. The biker with pillion stopped just meters ahead and came back to help me. Ameya was still on bike with a bewildered look. Thanks to all those riding gears covering my body, there was no major bruise or cut. Even my bones were responding properly. Only my chest hit by camera was paining for a while. I checked the camera and it was alright since it was inside my jacket. But my bike was not that fortunate. Its front and right side took the maximum impact. The leg brake pedal was twisted badly locking my rear tire. The newly replaced wind shield was scratched again and silencer which was already making some noise was slightly bend. Rest all was looking proper atleast superficially. We loosened the rear brake screw unlocking the tire. We even tried to straighten the brake pedal but it was not bending at all. I took the bike back on the road to test if other things are alright. It took some attempts to get the bike started and when it finally did, I took it on a small ride. I was worried about the alignment but it was looking proper now. I was keeping my right leg on the leg guard as the brake pedal was screwed up. The nearest village was Mhasala where the bike could be repaired.
My chest pain had subsided by now and we decided to get to Mhasala asap. The biker and his pillion's help was appreciated and we left for Mhasala. Within 15 minutes we reached a T-junction and at the end of the right turn there was a bike mechanic. I was relieved to see it. After observing the bike's twisted leg brake pedal he asked us to visit the petrol pump which was 2km in other direction to get it straighten through a welder. We immediately got on our bikes and rode towards the petrol pump and reached there in 5 mins. There was a big garage opposite to it. I took the bike there and asked them to get the pedal straight. The garage boys quickly took the welding tools and started working on it. Meanwhile, Ameya and Rishi were having refreshments at a hotel nearby. I had to be with my bike as my bag was still tied to it. The welding was done in 15 minutes and I took a test ride. The pedal was now working properly. I also adjusted the brake screw back to its original position. Ameya & Rishi brought me a cold drink which I gulped to quench my thirst. We were still some 40 km away from Shrivardhan which was our final destination for the day. Wasting no further time we decided to get back on bike and ride quickly towards Shrivardhan. The road was still bad with gravel and potholes all over. This time I rode a bit slowly and cautiously. Soon we encountered the Mhasala Ghat which was amazing given its height and view but the narrow road with potholes all over were pain in ass. I wanted to take few snaps but keeping in mind that we were already 2 hours behind schedule with everyone fully exhausted, I decided to keep riding in order to reach our Shrivardhan at earliest.
After few kilometers we reached another T-junction with left arrow pointing to Harihareshwar and right to Shrivardhan. This was Shrivardhan-Harihareshwar road. We took right turn and started riding the last few kilometers. It was pretty smooth road. We could see settlements on both sides of the road hinting that "manzil ab door nahi". We soon crossed Shrivardhan Bus Stand and entered the market area. We asked for direction and a local villager told us that the road leads to the beach straightaway. We kept riding straight till we reached the beach at around 2:30pm. It was an amazing view out there. We wanted to stay in a resort next to the beach. So we rode back that road for few meters and came across an intersection where we saw a board of MTDC recognized "Khotachi Vadi" beach resort. We rode in the direction pointed by the arrow. After few meters we came across this big board and next to it a beautifully maintained resort.
We parked our bikes in the veranda next to the entrance and met the person in-charge "Anna" who was the local caretaker of this resort. First we checked out the room which had a big bed and attached toilet. The room was clean and tidy. We then asked for the charges and he said Rs. 850. We tried to bargain a bit and he finally agreed for Rs. 800. It was 3pm by now and we still didnt have lunch. Anna said he can prepare some food but it will take time since lunch was over. We decided not to make him cook and have some food outside. We took off all our riding gears and placed them on a big table next to the veranda. Anna asked for tea and we immediately ordered 3 cups. It was rest time and we had nice time chit-chatting while having tea and biscuits for about an hour.
The ambiance of this resort was stress relieving which helped us quickly overcome our exhaustion. It was 4:30pm now and Rishi was still very hungry, so was Ameya. They decided to hit the market to have some junk food. They found nice vada-pav stall. Meanwhile I was checking out the resort and decided to hit the shore which was at the backyard of this resort. It was a mesmerizing sight. The entrance to the beach went through a thin stretch of tall trees commonly found across entire Konkan coast. Next to it was another thin patch of green grass and bushes bordering the sea sand. The beach was like an arc with Mountains on either side. The Sun was beginning to head into the sea. I started capturing each and everything I could see into my camera lens.
Later Ameya and Rishi also joined me at that beach. Now I decided to put aside the camera and enjoy the place. Me and Ameya decided to have bath in the sea and soon left our clothes with Rishi and immersed ourselves into the raging sea waves. It was really an amazing experience to feel the sea waves lashing the body under evening sun amidst mountains and flock of sea birds on the beach. The calmness of this place won my heart. After having fun in sea for about an hour we decided to head back to room and have proper bath to get rid of all the sand and salt stuck to our body. The Sun had set by now and we asked Anna to prepare some delicious food for dinner. While Ameya and Rishi ordered sea food along with beer, I asked for a vegetarian thali. After having bath, we rested for a while. It was 8pm now and Anna served us dinner prepared by him. The food was nice and tasty. Later we spent some time in the veranda where it was pitch dark but the air was cool. After relaxing for about an hour or so we went to the room and hit bed so that we can wake up early in the morning to visit Harihareshwar.
An uninvited guest in our room !Comment
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hey rony while reading about thr fal, i m still laughing & tears r cumming from my eyes. Actually wat happened was, i saw the board indicating Right, but I overspeed that corner & got offroad. That turn was far to sharp than what i calculated, also the road was too stip to take a llok on the turn. rony that time i felt very bad that 1st time i was leading & because of me u had a fal.Sorry yaar
But it was fun...The kids were askingme N rishi that '' DADA Tumhi India che ahat'' That means R u INDIAN. HAHA that was very fuuny. From any angle we were not looking like foreigners, But dont know y that kids thnk so & asked us
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Who needs a stereo when you've got a throttle ? ( Time to turn up the volume.)Comment
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This is the first time I am replying.........
Rony..... your the Man.......
ameya ..... RIP
why is ameya centre of attractionWe Bikers are not those who ride to commute , But the ones who commute to rideComment
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Faale ... tujhe hasna aa raha hai aur mujhe ronaOriginally posted by Ameya220 View Posthey rony while reading about thr fal, i m still laughing & tears r cumming from my eyes. Actually wat happened was, i saw the board indicating Right, but I overspeed that corner & got offroad. That turn was far to sharp than what i calculated, also the road was too stip to take a llok on the turn. rony that time i felt very bad that 1st time i was leading & because of me u had a fal.Sorry yaar
But it was fun...The kids were askingme N rishi that '' DADA Tumhi India che ahat'' That means R u INDIAN. HAHA that was very fuuny. From any angle we were not looking like foreigners, But dont know y that kids thnk so & asked us. ... That stupid crash was very much avoidable had you been more focused on the road rather than "gaon ki goris" !
Regarding those kids, I guess our funky Riding Gears and Helmets must have made them ask that innocent question
Rishi, sometimes we need to give importance to such characters ... don't forget who was the sponsor of this tripOriginally posted by RISHIS View Post
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The south never ceases to amaze me!Join xBhp On
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nice trip log there rony...enjoyed every bit of it...
Ride Hard !!! Ride Safe!!! Enjoy every moment on your machine !!! Cheers....Comment
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