Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

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Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune



Nice Start @Noob350 ji

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

nice start bro
waiting for rest of travelogue.

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

Route- Pune-Kolad-Janjira-Murud-Indapur-Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar-Pune
Bike- Royal Enfield Thunderbird 350
Riding Gear- Helmet- Kranos Imola Future
Jacket- SPG Aspida Atlas
Gloves- Cramster Twister
Duration- (On Bike) 10 hours
(Total) 16 hours
Distance​- 456 km


Same lazy afternoon, I'm all surrounded by books, sleepy. As I'm preparing for a major exam, all I do the whole day is to study. The last time I did a long ride was in June'16. I occasionally do short rides like Lavasa, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar etc but my hunger for long rides remains unfulfilled. Because I cannot afford to spend more than a day on things which don't help me score more marks. So on that lazy afternoon, I was checking the map for new short ride directions. And then, I realised that the sea is just 150 km away from Pune. Just 150 km! The closest beach to Pune is Murud, roughly 150 km away. Alright! Fixed a day, fuelled up, all check, done, let's go! I would've loved to stay in Murud and explore more but due to lack of time, had to return on the same day. I prefer to ride solo and I had planned the same for this ride. But my friend, Shiv was interested in the ride as he had never travelled on a bike for more than 50 km before. Sure, I agreed. Made some preparations for the ride and made an attempt to sleep. (Failed because of the excitement!)















An accident in Tamhini


It wasn't much cold in Pune at 5:30 in the morning. Decided to have breakfast and tea before leaving. There’s a small hotel at Nalstop which is open at night from 3:30 to 6-6:30. After a plate of Poha and tea, there we were, on the road, towards the sea. I had decided to take the route via Tamhini and Indapur. Tamhini came quickly. The road upto there is fairly good. Stopped in the ghat for some pictures. Man the valley is beautiful! But then they came. The gang. The gang confronted us, looking at us fiercely. They surrounded us. I tried to explain to them that the thing in my hand is my phone, not a food item. But looked like the monkeys were really hungry. They kept coming forward. Then I revved a bit hard and loud and yeah, they all ran off. Continuing on the road, we crossed Kolad and a beautiful road began. Smooth, silky road, dry trees on both sides and scenic mountains in the background! This stretch from Kolad to Roha is awesome but there are too much trucks and trailers on the road. Things started to get bumpy after Roha. There are two routes to Murud- a new one and an old one. We accidentally took the old one. The road was bad. Really bad, like Thunderbird's suspension. There wasn't even much of the view. Somehow we managed to reach Rajapuri, were Janjira fort is located. So pleased to see the sea, feel the sea wind and that smell! It took us around 4.30 hours to reach Janjira because of the bad road and some long halts, as it was the first time for my pillion on a bike.








The Crown




Am I talking to my Bike?




India's 3rd largest cannon- weight- 22 tonnes! And me





Parked the bike, bought tickets to the ferry and got in the boat. For those who don't know, Janjira is a marine fort and a boat is the only way to reach there. After loading up, the boat sailed towards the fort. The huge, one of it's kind fort, built in 17th century, still looks intact in the times where 5 year old modern buildings collapse. Reached to the fort within 15 minutes. The same boat which takes us to the fort, takes us back. We are given 45 minutes to explore the fort. Only 45 minutes. Guides are available there. But we did not take the guide and decided to explore by ourselves. Clicked some photos, recalled the history and after 45 minutes, got back to the boat. By the time we got back to the land, it was almost 1 pm and very hot. We were really hungry so found some hotels in Murud, picked one and had lunch. Rajapuri and Murud are adjoining, just 3-4 km away.



Janjira




That's my pillion


While having lunch, I got an idea to go back to Pune via Mahabaleshwar. Murud to Mahabaleshwar is around 160 km and Mahabaleshwar to Pune is 100 km. Initially, Shiv, my pillion refused because he was really tired as this was his first time. But then he too got excited and said, f**k it, let's do this! But first, time for a powernap There was a small beachside garden in Murud, went there and man what a nap! Woke up and got back on the road at around 3 pm. Now the route we had to take was via Indapur-Mangaon-Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar. The road till Indapur is fairly ok, where it connects to Mumbai-Goa Highway. Time for three digit speeds Poladpur came quickly, where you have to take a left for Mahabaleshwar. Took a brief halt there. The road from Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar is absolutely lovely! There was minimum traffic. Soon the ghat section began. Yaay! Twisties! I bet that ghat has better twisties than Lavasa. Had a lot of fun in the ghat. You're enjoying the turns, focused on the road and you see to the left side. Beautiful! Immediately stopped the bike to appreciate the breathtaking view of the valley. Beautiful! Watched the sun set and continued towards Mahabaleshwar. This is what I ride for. New roads, new region, new people, new food, and of course, the magnificent shades of the nature. At that time I didn't care about my studies, didn't care about the time, didn't care about any of the problems in life. I just lived that moment. That moment for which I have no words to explain. That moment when you truly experience inner peace. Didn't want that moment to end, but it had to.



Beautiful, isn't it?


It was dark now and still some ghat section was left. There were rarely any vehicles on the road. And that's when the jungle started. That jungle region is called 'Javli'. This jungle is so dense that the sunlight doesn't reach the ground. The road was now kind of frightening. On an incline, I saw two guys pushing their motorcycle and signing me to stop. They had no fuel in the bike. It was dark, there was no other vehicle on the road and still some incline was left and they looked tired from pushing the bike. Next petrol pump was 6 km away, in Mahabaleshwar. I took out some fuel from my bike in a bottle they had, enough to make it to the petrol pump. They were very thankful. Some words were exchanged about our journey and we left. Simple help, meant a lot for them. Whenever, however possible, no matter how small, help others. It doesn't harm. It only makes you a better person.



25000 km done!


Alas! The cool weather of Mahabaleshwar was actually refreshing! Reached there at around 7. Had a cup of tea and biscuits, relaxed for a bit. As both of us have been to Mahabaleshwar several times before, we did not intend to visit any 'points'. We just wanted to feel the pleasant climate. Trying to see through high beams from the opposite side, managed to reach the Pune-Satara Highway, via Wai. I've ridden on the Pune-Satara Highway so many times that I actually know almost every pothole or bump. Thus was able to maintain higher speeds despite of poor visibility. Reached Pune at around 10 pm. I've ridden 500 km in a day before, thus was not much tired. But my pillion friend was super tired because in his first time, he sustained as a pillion for roughly 450 km. I don't think I would be able to do that.

Just a day of riding, but gave me energy for the next few months.


The journey is more important than the destination.

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

Well done. Could you share the road conditions from Poladpur to Mahabaleshwar. About 4 to 5 months ago there was a 15 km stretch which was broken, has it been repaired?

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

Yes it has been repaired. Current road condition is excellent. The road is a little bad near Mahabaleshwar but is good enough to do 70.

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

Nice read!
Lovely pictures there!

Re: A Day Full of Satisfaction | Pune-Murud-Mahabaleshwar-Pune

Thank You!