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I was riding back and reached Velha Goa around 2 pm. I parked the bike near a circle at the old churches of Goa.

Velha Goa Churches

I entered the Basilica of Born Jesus. There was no entry charges. The church staff, were strictly prohibiting photographs inside the church. Non-plastered red porous rock walls added beauty to the church's exterior. The church was built in 1605 and stands unchanged with the ravages of time. The interior was beautiful with cherubim adorning the decorated walls. A silver coffin was on top of the wall on the right, where the remains of St Xavier could be seen from below. I was told the remains will be kept out of the coffin for public viewing once every 10 years. They will next be displayed in 2024. Old relics and ancient items were on display in a hall adjacent to the church. There was a souvenir shop in that hall and a sound and light show about the history of the church was offered. I tried to get a shot on my DSLR inside the church quickly like a paparazzi but got a stern warning "No Photos!" from a staff member. Even the photo that I had managed to click before the warning, came out as a blurry image.



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Then I walked to the parking lot and got on my bike and rode to the Divar Island ferry terminal of old Goa which was just behind the church.



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The ferry services were operated by the Goa state government. The charges were Rs 10/- for cars and none for two wheeler. I enjoyed riding onto the ferry with my bike. The ferry staff was excited to see my Tamil Nadu registration plate and asked if I really rode all the way from Tamil Nadu. He was kind enough to take some photos of me with another ferry passing ours in the middle of the river. The two-wheeler passengers had parked their bikes and were sitting relaxing in the ferry. Unlike the ferry ride I had in Fort Kochi, this was smooth. The main difference was the lack of waves. The Fort Kochi ferry ride was on the sea and this was on a calm Mandovi river.







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The Divar Island was a peaceful Island with a few resorts and a small Goan village in which there was a government school surrounded by Goan styled beautiful houses in with red-tiled roofs.

The landscape was mainly mangroves stretching for a kilometer into the interior. The central part of the Island was a somewhat elevated on a rocky region. The people and their houses were in this area. I saw boys with nice fishing rods engaged in fishing near the mangroves. I saw on the internet that there were boat rides offered for a day trip to sight salt-water crocodiles and birds around the Mandovi river.

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I left the Island from a different ferry terminal and arrived closer to the Atal Sethu Bridge. From there I rode to upper Aquada Fort in Candolim.

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Atal Sethu bridge. The top road of the bridge was prohibited for two wheeler.





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I parked the bike near Aquada Fort and the cost was Rs 50/- but the fort entry cost was Rs 25/- Strange !
Aquada Fort as the name suggests, was meant for clean water storage and distribution in the Portuguese Era. It had a prison complex and an old light house. It was tiring in the hot noon sun to visit the fort.

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I asked for the route to Devil's Finger and found that there was a motor-able pathway behind upper Aquada Fort which could take me to the end of the cliff. From there it was only a 500 meter walk down the path to reach the rocky beach shores containing the Bear Claw spot, Devil's Finger and the Kaurati caves. The radio station on the northwest end of Upper Aquada Fort was the starting point of the off-road trail leading to the cliff. I parked the bike and took my helmet in a bag, I started walking slowly and carefully, descending the path down, towards the rocky beach.

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The riding boots that I had gave a good grip while descending down to the beach. I went to a rock extending like a docked ship into the ocean. The rock was completely sculpted by splashing of the sea waves. Upon going to the tip of the rock, I realized that a similar rock a few 100 meters away was the one like a bear claw. I took my camera and took a few snaps. I was exhausted and did not want to walk to get closer. I had only enough energy left to climb back to my bike on top of the cliff.

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I really felt the need of the local guide as the photos in google was showing a cleft in a huge rock as Devil's finger, Bear claw and Kaurati caves.



When I came back to the cliff, I saw my bike had been moved and parked . I noticed a family in camping chairs occupying the viewing spot, with their 4x4 jeep parked beside them.
I was hungry and rode straight to Calangute market. I found Alif restaurant and had beef biriyani. I asked for hot water to drink but they said they could only serve bottled drinking water.



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The beef biriyani was Rs 110/- and a 1-liter bottle of water cost Rs 30/- A small boy at the cash counter was very confused and gave me change charging Rs 300/- Then I explained and got the correct balance.
I went back to my Backpackers hostel and took a shower. I arranged all my luggage, so that I could start early in the morning for the long ride back home to Vellore.
I was more relaxed once I had packed everything for the next day's ride.
Divya Tyagi, who was staying in the same 8-bed dormitory, met me and spoke for the first time. Though staying in the same place, each one had different work or sightseeing schedules. She was very friendly and told me that she studied in Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore. She was from Meerut and was working for an IT company. She was an avid traveler and got connected through our Insta accounts instantaneously. I was sharing about my Dudhsagar jeep trip which she had on her bucket list. She invited me to the group party that night but as I was leaving the next day, I politely declined. It was wonderful talking to her and was easy to relate with her on the topics of travelling to lesser-known tourist destinations..
All the people staying in that hostel were young, most of them working for IT companies. But they were quite interested about the reason behind my bike ride. They appreciated of my job in an orphanage, about my bike rides, and my blog.
Kishore, from Hyderabad whom I met in the hostel and who was staying in another 16-bed dormitory was quite an interesting character. Like many of the others, he was also an IT professional working for a software company based in Hyderabad. He was a member of the RH chapter in Hyderabad, an organisation, which is involved in the distribution of excess food at parties and functions to the slum dwellers. I also spoke about the Gadag Hospital and the orphanages there. I hope someone gets connected with the Gadag Mission Hospital with a desire to be of service to the poor
Parthasarathy was a real chatterbox, the hostel walls were reverberating "Bro....Bro...Bro.." He was the connecting link to all, causing everyone to bond together. Whether a boy or girl, young or old, all would be called Bro!!! I noticed that he was busy in his work as a team leader reporting over face-time, while keeping a low profile, jovially mingling with others.
I was thinking, if I had one day without bike riding,it would be great to be chatting and relaxing at the hostel and would have been great and getting connected with these smart young people.
I asked for a group photo and whoever was available joined in happily at that time.




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After that, I went to bed around 9 pm and slept.

27/05/2022 Friday:

I woke up to the alarm at 3 am got ready and checked out.As it was rather dark, the man at the front desk helpfully shone a flashlight while I fastened my luggage,. Divya Tyagi was awake and wished me a safe journey and then went back to bed. I was on the NH748 around 4:19 am. There was a sudden drizzle. I covered the front tank bank with the rain cover in which I had my camera. I prayed for a safe journey without rain. In a few minutes, the rain stopped. I saw a sign " prohibited for two-wheelers" on the Atal Sethu bridge only on the way back. I realized that I had ridden on the Atal Sethu bridge about 3 or 4 times by then.

From Mollem to Hubli, I was rather scared and was cautious of encountering an animal. But my ride was smooth without any incidents. I was stopped by the Karnataka police at the check post. The officer checked my Viaterra Claw tail bag by pressing from outside without opening it. He asked me whether I was carrying any liquor bottle. I said "No" and was allowed to go.

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The long ride to reach home safely was always on my mind. I was praying and was a bit more cautious to properly hydrate and energize myself with water and food. I stopped every 100 km and took a short standing break from my bike seat. I drank enough water, while I was riding back home. The memory of the abdominal muscle cramp that I had on first day of the trip was lingering in my mind.






I stopped near Hotel Durga Family restaurant, somewhere on the highway near Chitradurga. I parked in front of the entrance to restaurant, so that I could have an eye on the luggage rack. I took the tank bag and helmet with me and sat at the dining table.
A few minutes later, I saw another biker parking and entering the restaurant. I ordered onion dosa and a tea. It took some time. When I asked the waiter why there was such a delay while others were being served, he replied that I had ordered a thicker dosa and it will take time. He spoke in Hindi. I could understand a few words like " Paper roast nahi, Badi Motta dosa". When I was served, yes it was thicker, we call it oothappam. It was seasoned with chilli powder, onion, corriander leaves and served with potato sabji, sambhar and chutney. The waiter asked me whether I wanted tea now or later. Thinking of that time it had taken for Badi motta dosa, I said I wanted it immediately. He brought it to me immediately. Then he said you are going to drink it cold, watching me eating slowly. "Garam nahi, Thanda hi". My hidden Hindi part of my brain was functioning well.Thank God. I could enjoy the waiter's humour.
As I was about to leave, I met the other biker in the restaurant. He was Akilesh, riding from Belagavi to Bangalore, on his KTM 390. He said he was not a regular rider but was associated with a riding club in Bengaluru. We exchanged greetings for a safe journey. I started riding at my own pace and in few minutes, Akilesh whisked past me, waving goodbye.
I was thinking that I would have to go on the same route that I came but somewhere near Sira, The google maps diverted me to take a turn towards Chikaballapura.
I had a problem with my X grip Chevik mobile holder on the way back home.The rubber ball which was under the X grip unit got broken or worn . Hence the mobile unit was dangling on the charging wire. I tried fixing the ball and when I found that it was impossible with out the rubber ball component, I removed my mobile and kept it in the front pocket of my riding jacket. I was still connected to the GPS voice guidance with my Bluetooth earbuds. Whenever the voice did not guide me at complicated junctions in certain adjoining rural roads, I had to stop my bike and take the phone out to look at it. All for good. Frequent stop kills road rage.
Before Chintamani, I filled up with 10 litres of fuel after hitting the reserve tank. I prefer Indian oil petrol bunks as there is Rs 10/- cash back reward in Tamil Nadu. I still stuck to Indian oil bunks on this trip outside Tamil Nadu as well.
I went past Mulbagal, and Palamner. The roads were traffic free and it was remote with few village crossings. I was going on roads through small hills and ghats. I stopped and ate a Peanut bar. I drank as much water as I could. I washed my face with water now and then, whenever I stopped.
After Palamner, I was going very fast on the highway, and remembered that accidents were more likely on the return journey, especially on the last leg.






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I thought for a moment about the poet Robert Frost and the famous lines " ...and miles to go before I sleep and miles to go before I sleep". The poet was able to take time and watch the snow falling on the wooden logs in the forest while going through the forest late in the evening as it was getting dark.
Though the Google maps showed that I should reach home by 7.30 pm, I took time off to take some photos of the countryside with my camera.












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I reached home at 7.31 pm, having ridden for almost 14 hours, and my daughter was all smiles seeing me back again.






I thanked God for yet another beautiful trip to enjoy a bike ride, meet new people and make meaningful connections for a wonderful cause.

Riding Statistics

Rider : Tilak Francis
Bike : RE Classic 350 BS IV.
Total Distance = 1,948 km
Total fuel consumed = 50 Litres
Total fuel cost = Rs 5,064/-
Average Mileage = 38 km/liter
Repairs = Nil (lubricated chain on the end of 1st day, but forgot after that)
Food and other Expenses
24/05/2022 Tuesday
Rs 100/- for tender coconut.
Evening tea , snacks and dinner at ClarksInn , hosted by Dr Ajay Raju
25/05/2022 Wednesday
Morning tea Rs 10/-
Breakfast at Hotel Kamat Rs 155/-
goSTOPSGoa AC 8 bed dormitory (2 nights) Rs 1250/-
Dinner at Noronha's corner Rs 360/-
26/05/2022 Thursday
Parking bike at Kulem Rs 50/-
Breakfast with tips Rs 100/-
Jeep ride Rs 500/-
Life jacket Rs 40/-
Dudhsagar Forest entry Rs 100/-
Camera charges Rs 50/-
1-litre water bottle Rs 20/-
Flavoured milk Rs 30/-
Aquada Fort bike parking Rs 50/-
Aquada Fort entry ticket Rs 25/-
Alif restaurant late lunch Rs 140/-
Late evening masala tea with tips at goSTOPSGoa Rs 50/-
26/05/2022 Friday
Breakfast and tea Rs 102/-
Total food and staying expense = Rs 3,132/-
Total trip cost = Rs 8,196/-

Great log. And yes, great detailing!

Thank you Krishna.