MAHA COASTAL RIDE - A Solo Trip to Cover The Coast Of Maharashtra – Sagari Mahamarg

YOUR DIAMONDS ARE NOT IN FAR DISTANT MOUNTAINS OR IN YONDER SEAS; THEY ARE IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD, IF YOU DIG FOR THEM – RUSSELL H. CONWELL

So here I sit with a plan, but waiting for the day to begin.

Benjamin Franklin once said “EITHER WRITE SOMETHING WORTH READING OR DO SOMETHING WORTH WRITING”

Hence, I thought to give a shot to do something worth writing.

MAHA COASTAL RIDE - A Solo Trip to Cover The Coast Of Maharashtra – Sagari Mahamarg.

We all have planned a road trip to Goa a couple of times, but never thought of taking this route as it takes 4 days via SH4. Although it`s called SH4, the roads are more like country roads. On numerous occasions it runs into the water & a ferry must be taken to cross to reach the other side. As the ride name says Maha Coastal Ride; the ride should be an independent ride with the focus of the coast lines & to explore the Konkan region. The plan was all set, but had to wait for months. Finally, with a fresh mood and great enthusiasm, I started this exciting journey off for the Maha Coastal Ride on March 1^st, 2018.

The ferries which took me from one side to the other can transport bikes, cars and even buses & can accommodate around 8 to 12 cars at a time. So this route can be planned on your mood to ride or drive.

The route:

Day 1: Mumbai – Panvel – Vadkal Naka – Kelghar – Agardanda- Ferry Crossing – Digi – Shrivardhan

Day 2: Harihareshwar – Ferry Crossing – Kelshi – Anjarle – Harnai – Dabhol – Ferry Crossing – Dhopave – Guhagar – Velneshwar Temple – Rohile Beach – Tavasal – Ferry Crossing – Jaigad Lighthouse – Ganpatipule – Arey Ware Beach – Ratnagiri - Ganeshgule

Day 3: Ganeshgule - Gaokhadi Beach - Ambolgad Cliff - Padel Canteen - Vijaydurg Fort - Devgad Fort/Light House - Devgad Wind Mills - Achara Beach - Malvan - Tarkarli

Day 4: Tarkarli - Vengurla Beach (MH) - Shiroda Beach (MH) - Amboli Ghat - Mumbai via Nipani - Kolhapur - Wakad (Pune)

This is the 4 day route that I planned and rode through. You can drop in some locations as per your convenience and plan your ride back from Tarkarli.

Day 1: Mumbai to Shrivardhan : March 1st 2018

On 1st March, 2018, I and Fernweh (my bike) started off with this exciting journey with full energy and enthusiasm. I left from Mumbai at 10 in the morning without any halt straightaway to Agardanda. With no fear of travelling alone, keeping in mind how I could be safe throughout this ride and taking extra precautions wherever necessary.

 On the way to Agardanda Jetty, there is a signage for Janjira fort which is only 2 km away. if your schedules are open and if you want to experience some more of the konkan region, Janjira Fort can be amazing sightseeing place which also requires you to travel through a jetty set-up by the locals. As I was running behind the schedules, I couldn't visit the fort. I reached the Agardanda jetty at 4PM, only to know about the low tide during then. The options were to take an alternate route to Shrivardhan by road which was around 56km & approx. Two hours or wait for the small ferry boat through which the can be loaded & shifted to Dighi. I opted to enjoy the ferry ride for 10 minutes and reach Dighi.

I survived the day enjoying my mom's homemade snacks. I reached Shrivardhan around 7.30PM and hence couldn't explore the beach at this hour the first thing was to look for a place to stay. I didn't have to look in for many places as I settled in the first thing I enquired in. Took a non a/c room which was decent for a single person with clean toilets & pocket friendly. Yogiraj NIwas - (9403316829 /9922161183). as a rider you need to do this every time you settle into a hotel room, charge all your devices - Gopro, Power bank & of course your cellphone. I was super hungry. The home stay guys suggested that if I love sea food I should visit Hotal Prasad and yes he was correct. I ordered for a fish thali & fired Prawns. The owner of Hotel Prasad, goes to the market himself to pick up fresh fishes every morning & also prepares the order himself. If you are a non-vegetarian, go only for sea food option while you are riding in the coastal area, that`s what you will get the best as its their specialty and also staple diet.

It's been Holi the very same day. I was very lucky to find a temple next to my home stay for that night. it was an amazing sight to see the celebrations of Holi in a different way than we celebrate in Mumbai. Females dressed in proper traditional sarees, young boys preparing the "Holika". the boys were chanting in their local language. They were having fun. As the "Holika" was set on fire, boys around were waiting to celebrate it in thier way and of course they did. Pulling out hot coconuts presented to the "Holika", it was distributed to all of us as "Prasad". I got small hot piece and experienced to celebrate holi in another part of Maharashtra.
Post dinner, I took a small walk on the beach and gave some rest to my eyes early that night. With my mind wandering and planning day 2, I slept in the comfort of a home stay.

Mumbai - Shrivardhan Km covered : 245km

Episode 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zAQxEflMI&feature=youtu.be

To be continued...