Exploring the Konkan Coast
I just got back from my maiden solo motorcycle trip. It was around 4000 kms in total and if I had to summarise it in one word, it would be - incredible.
I read this quote somewhere, “God didn’t create metal so that man could make paper clips.” Makes sense when you think about how many precise parts it takes to move in sync for you to ride a motorcycle. Humans are always pushing limits. It’s a testament to the human spirit of adventure and exploration.
Riding a motorcycle is not the cheapest way to travel, it’s not the fastest and it’s definitely not the most comfortable but it is the most fun.
If you want to travel fast, catch a plane.
If you want to travel on a budget, take the train.
But if you want to explore - ride.
Some of the things you see and the sounds you hear are almost indescribable. It’s especially hard to convey the feeling of being in the moment, one with nature. I might not have been able to pen down all of my thoughts and feelings but I have tried my best.
This is a rough outline of the route I took.
Vadodara - Daman - Alibaug - Guhagar - Malvan - Goa - Gokarna - Udupi - Mangalore - Kudremukh - Chikmagalur - Bangalore - Davanagere - Satara - Mumbai - Vadodara
You can jump directly to the trip details by clicking here.
Motorcycles = Freedom
insert a screeching freedom eagle here
I recommend watching these two videos by Ryan from FortNine.
Why Do Motorcycle Riders Brag About “Freedom”?
Freedom : What Every Motorcyclist Needs to Know About Freedom
It could mean different things to different people. It depends on what’s holding you captive. For many, motorcycling is freedom from the rut in their daily life. When you get on a motorcycle, you forget all your worries and focus just on the ride. For some, it’s freedom of choice. Some roads are only accessible on two wheels. Likewise your definition might vary. You get to decide what motorcycling frees you from. It is the most engaging form of travel.
Here is an excerpt from “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig,
“You see things vacationing on a motorcycle in a way that is completely different from any other. In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame.
On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming. That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousness.”
Journey > Destination || Journey + Destination = Experience
This trip reinforced my mind that the journey is better than the destination if not equally important. Everyday after riding for hours on end, whenever I got to my destination, it felt good to rest for a couple of hours. But after that, all I wanted to do was get back on the road and ride some more. Some destinations were almost boring and I couldn’t wait to get up the next morning. This journey definitely fixed my terrible sleep schedule. Maybe it was just this trip that I felt that way because one my purposes was to get away from the hustle. When you’re on the road, in the meadows, there’s no one around you. It’s just you, your motorcycle and the sweet sound of your engine’s exhaust. The things I experienced on the ride were almost always better than when I reached my destination each evening. I might feel different after some other trip but it depends on where I’m touring I guess. The more I think about it, there more I feel it’s all about the experience. Some destinations might be worth it. So I believe equal importance should be given to both. Rushing through just to get to where I was going would have made me miss the best parts of the trip.
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and stay positive.
Nobody can predict the weather. You can interpret this statement in a positive or a negative manner. The weather can change anytime. You could be drenched in the rain and 30 minutes later, in the same place, be looking at fluffy white clouds in the blue sky. You could be driving in a storm and 15 minutes later be pulling down the sun visor in your helmet cause the sun is getting in your eyes. Nobody can predict the weather. Not Google, not AccuWeather. Nobody is accurate. You just have to adapt when it changes. I was too worried about the rain but when you think about it, it’s just water. It’ll dry off. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared. You could take a break and find some shelter or if you absolutely have to keep going forward, just ride slow. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best and stay positive. It is rightly said that the fear of something is always worse than the thing itself. Once you go through it, it’s not nearly as scary.
India is massive!
India is huge, India is amazing, India is incredible. Looking at a map, you don’t realise how big our country is. It’s when you get on the road, ride for 10 hours and realise you’ve barely crossed a single state, that you get an idea of the massive size of our country. One thing that changed in me after a long trip is the scale at which I look at distance and time. When I started, I had planned not to ride more than ~6 hours a day since I didn’t know how much I could endure. But I rode significantly more than that and wanted to ride even more. It’s when you start, that you realise what potential you possess. Now when I look at 2 or 3 hour rides, they seem easy. Even 10 hour rides don’t seem daunting. It reminds me of a scene from ‘Life In A Metro’. A couple is having a conversation. The guy is narrating a story where he says that his friend bought a car 5 years ago but he hasn’t taken it out yet. His friend says that he’ll take it out when all the signals in the city are green. To this, his partner replies, “What an idiot. How will he know the signals are green if he doesn’t take out is car?” The first guy says “Exactly! Take your car out. Take your chance.” The gist is, if you don’t try, you’ll never know. I have barely been through a fraction of India and I plan to experience as much as I can.
The most raw form of travel
Motorcycling is the most raw form of travel that I have ever experienced. It’s not for everyone. It’s not luxurious. It’s not glamorous. You can’t carry a lot of clothes. You need to carry just the essentials. You need to carry spare parts for your bike, rain gear, winter liners, bike maintenance tools and much more. Comfort is compromised. But when you’re out on the road, riding through a patch of land with green grass as far as the eye can see, mountains in the distance with low flying clouds, birds chirping and a cool breeze running through your open visor - there’s no other feeling like it. Nothing comes close.
Sounds of nature (or lack thereof?)
There were some moments, up in the meadows nestled amongst the mountains, where the only sound was my engine. When I got to the side and shut it off, for a second it was like the world was shut off. No vehicles or humans in sight. Which in turn equals no noise. But if you listen closely, you start to hear the sounds of nature. You can hear the birds chirp and the rustle of the leaves as the wind gushes through them. When you’re there, amongst the nature, you start feeling aware. Your senses heighten, you feel a bit uneasy in the beginning but slowly it becomes serene.
Chaos in its purest form
Driving in india is chaos in it’s purest form. People do not understand the concept of lanes or they do and choose to ignore it. In some places there are no lanes. People do not use lane change indicators. They overtake from both sides. People just drive where they get the space to drive. They drive on the wrong side of the road. They run red lights. Animals could pop out of anywhere. People cross the road at anywhere they want. There are potholes everywhere, even on highways. Speed breakers are not always marked. People honk for no reason. Nobody is wearing a helmet. A lot people are on their phones. I swear I saw a guy watching a tv show with his phone mounted on his bike while driving. Families of 4 are riding on one bike. Road signs are missing. Patched up sections of the road are not level with the rest of the road. Of course there are exceptions. Some people do obey traffic rules and some roads are in good condition. In Fact some of the internal village roads were better than the highways that I took. But the best strategy to drive in India is to drive defensively. Assume everyone on the road is an idiot and trying to bang into you.
Now onto the actual journey.
First Leg
Day 1. Vadodara to Vapi - 30th Sep 2023
I started at around 6.30AM. I rode for 2 hours straight on NH48, had breakfast and started riding again. I met a fellow rider on the way. He was on his way from Surat to Pune. I reached Vapi at around 11.30AM, ate some food and took a nap. It rained a little in the evening but then it stopped and the weather got pleasant. I went to Devka Beach in Daman, sat there for a while, came back and called it a night.
Day 2. Vapi to Alibaug
The ride from Vapi to Alibaug was amazing. Saw a lot of riders along the way. They were mostly headed out of Mumbai. There were a few superbikes as well. I reached Marine Drive and stood there for a while. Since it was Sunday, a lot of riders were out with their superbikes. Saw a few Ducatis and Hayabusas. I had booked a ferry ride online from M2M Ferries a few weeks ago. I boarded the ferry from Mumbai Central for Alibaug. The ferry was decently big and spacious. The experience was good but I’d honestly rather drive as it’s more engaging. The ferry ride took around an hour and the drive to the hostel was another 20 minutes. It drizzled lightly throughout the day. In the evening went to Alibaug beach, strolled around for a while, came back and slept off. It rained pretty heavily in the night. I got a bit worried about the weather and thought it might ruin the trip. As I would find out later, it doesn’t take long for the weather to change and things to turn around. Just need to keep a positive attitude and keep moving forward.
Day 3. Alibaug to Guhagar
“What followed was quite possibly the best ride of my life.”
The next morning it was raining again. I planned on leaving at 6 but waited for the rain to subside and left at 7. There was a light drizzle when I left and after that it didn’t rain one drop. I got on the old Mumbai-Goa Highway(NH 66) and it was amazing for the most part. A few rough patches but the weather was nice and the views were good. Green fields just beside the road and mountains with low flying clouds behind them. At Mahad, I got off the highway and took the inner route to Dapoli. What followed was quite possibly the best ride of my life. For the next 50 kms, it was mostly just me and my bike. I went up and down some hills, around some twists and turns, rode through lush green meadows, and saw some amazing views. I barely encountered any humans along the way. Eventually I reached Dabhol and took a small ~10 minute ferry ride to the other side. There aren’t a lot of bridges closer to the ocean so ferries are the go to mode of transport along the coast. Reached Guhagar soon after the ferry ride. It’s a small town with a nice clean beach. I stayed at a place called The Woods, which is a house made entirely of wood. It’s not common in India to have wooden houses. The house was beautiful and the hosts were amazing as well. Later I took my bike out and rode it a little on the beach. It was something I had always wanted to do. The bike was sinking a little so I couldn’t do it for long. I need to try it again with some more technique. Then I went up the hill to watch the sunset. I found a view point form where I could see the entire beach. It was calm and serene. I ended the day with cleaning and lubricating my bike’s chain as it had already been way more than 500 kms at this point.
Day 4. Guhagar to Malvan
The ride from Guhagar to Malvan was fantastic, especially towards the end. It was all lush green fields. I wanted to just sit there and gaze into the distance. I wish I had a small stove with me. This was a nice place to cook some food or tea and just chill. I moved ahead and reached Malvan. I didn’t actually stay in Malvan but rather a bit north to it at Talashil Beach. It isn’t a very touristy spot. It’s like a river delta with the river Gad on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. It’s a narrow strip of land with a few homestays. They had just had a storm there 2 days ago. There were zero tourists when I went there. The weather was great and I had the beach all to myself. It was peaceful. I booked a homestay here called Shree Ram Homestay which was right in front of the beach. The host made some delicious local home cooked food. It was one of the best meals of the trip. The highlight was solkadi, a digestive drink made of coconut milk and kokum, which he made using fresh coconuts from right outside the house. I had a lot of different versions of solkadi on this trip but this one was the best. The next morning, I was a bit surprised when the host woke me up at 5.30 and asked me if I wanted to see dolphins. I walked out on to the beach and there they were, dolphins just some 100 odd metres from the shore jumping around. The host told me since there aren’t a lot of tourists here the dolphins come closer to the shore. After that I packed up my stuff and headed to Goa.
Day 5. Malvan to North Goa
From here it was mostly shorter rides. The weather was in my favour again - clear skies. On the way from Malvan, I encountered some more secluded grasslands. After a while, in the middle of nowhere, I saw a long boundary wall with a road going parallel to it. It turns out I was riding alongside the Sindhudurg Airport. With clear blue skies, fluffy white clouds, an airport on one side, green grass on the other, and no humans in sight, I stood up on my bike. For the next few kilometres I rode my bike while standing up on the footpegs, visor open. It was an amazing feeling. Definitely one of the most memorable moments of the journey. Eventually I left the fields behind and entered Goa. The stay in North Goa was uneventful. I just got some rest after a few long days of riding.
Day 6,7. North Goa to South Goa, South Goa
I encountered some bad weather in this part of the journey and got completely drenched. Thankfully it wasn’t that long of a trip that day. This was the first day when I was staying more than a day at the same place. It turned out to be a good decision. The hostel I stayed at, called the Lost Hostels, was lively. They had a game night and a music night while I was there. I met a few fellow travellers including a guy who has been travelling for 4 months in his car, putting his tent up in remote places and cooking his own food. I had seen enough beaches in the earlier part of the trip, basically every day, so the beaches in Goa were not on my go to list. They were anyway not as clean as the ones I had been to in Maharashtra. One place that I did enjoy was Cabo De Rama. The views from the top, overlooking the beach, were really good. The highlight here was my stay at The Lost Hostels. I did have a thought about wanting to stay a day more but had to move on. There was much more to explore so I headed to Gokarna.
Day 8,9. South Goa to Gokarna, Gokarna
This was again a short ride. The Zostel in Gokarna is located on a cliff overlooking the beach. Right outside the dorm rooms, you have deck chairs overlooking the ocean. The view from there is amazing. I did a morning trek here which covers all the beaches, a sunset trek which has some of the best views of the trip and played some beach volleyball which was a lot of fun. The live music here was again incredible. These were a few relaxing days. I ate some amazing Banana Buns at Dattaprasad Tiffin Canteen. They were one of the best things I ate on the entire journey. The Chicken Fried Rice and Meat Loaded Fried at Mantra Cafe at the Zostel were also very good. I cleaned and lubricated my bike’s chain again here and headed to Udupi.
Day 10. Gokarna to Udupi
The road from Gokarna to Udupi was a straight highway all along. I booked a homestay near Kaup beach. In the evening I took my bike bike for a ride. I road alongside the beach towards North for around half an hour. I didn’t get to explore Udupi much. Just went back to the homestay, ordered some food and slept.
Day 11. Udupi to Mangalore
It was again a short ride. I had booked an Airbnb there. Out of all the places, Udupi and Mangalore were the 2 places where I had difficulty finding affordable accommodation. In the afternoon I went out for some food. I ate Chicken Sukkha and Neer Dosa. It was delicious. Then I took my bike up the hill to the Mangalore view point. The road up the hill was full of gravel but the view on the top was good. Some green grass patches up top looked really peaceful. In the evening I ordered some food at the Airbnb and took some rest. One thing that surprised me was that the locality I stayed in, would have a power cut for a few hours every week at the same time for grid maintenance.
Day 12. Mangalore to Bangalore via Kudremukh & Chikmagalur
I was up early but had to delay my ride a bit because of the rain. I started an hour or two later than I usually did. The plan was to drive to Chikmagalur. I had a few route options. I decided to take the longer route through Kudremukh National Park. You need to take a free permit from the authorities before you enter the National Park. They give you a small tag that you have to return when you exit. You get like an hour to cross the national park. The roads are small and not very well maintained. The weather was gloomy and cold. The roads were dead quiet and you aren’t supposed to stop as there is wildlife present there. Occasionally I’d encounter a truck or a bike but for the most part it was me driving alone. The views in the national park were good but the roads were terrible. It was all blooming green with some low flying clouds. Eventually I got out of the National Park and reached Chikmagalur at around 12PM. I had planned to stay there for 2 days but ended up riding to Bangalore as my friends had already reached there. The ride from Chikmagalur to Bangalore was around 5 hours. It was smooth roads and highways all along. I encountered some bad weather just before Bangalore but I saw the dark clouds coming in and had already donned the rain gear that I was carrying. This was the longest ride of my life. I rode for 10 hours straight with just a few snack breaks. I was tired. Finally, on the 12th day of my journey, some 2300 odd kms later, I reached Bangalore at 5PM on the 11th of October 2023.
Now it was time for some rest and recuperation.
Second Leg
Day 1. Bangalore to Davanagere - 21st Oct 2023
I stayed in Bangalore for around 10 days with some friends. Now it was time to head back home. I had chosen this weekend because I had a day off on Tuesday because of Dussehra. So I took a day off on Monday and planned to get back home in 4 days. This time I was taking the straight highway back home. I had given my bike for service as it was close to the service interval. Due to some issues I got my bike on Saturday the 21st of October. The plan was to leave early in the morning and ride till Hubballi but I got my bike at around 1 PM and left at around 2 so I changed my stops. It took me almost 2 hours to just get out of Bangalore because of the traffic. Here is where I had my first accident. I noticed a guy riding an Activa while looking at something on his phone in one hand. Whenever I see something like this I usually stay away. I did the same this time, overtook him swiftly and went on my way. A few minutes later, there was a halt due to traffic and I stopped my bike. Suddenly the same guy crashed into my bike from behind. We both were not hurt but the front of his Activa got mangled up. My bike didn’t even sustain a single scratch thanks to the saree guard. I actually was gonna get it removed before the journey but the service centre guy told me to keep it in case my bags lag and get close to the tyre. I was sure that wasn’t going to happen but decided to not remove it since I did not want to make major changes to the bike just before a long ride. Funny how things work out. The guy’s excuse was that he was looking at a map. I just let it go and went on my way. Once I was on the highway the roads were great and I reached Davanagere in the night. I usually don’t ride at night but this wasn’t as bad. The roads were well lit for the most part.
Day 2. Davanagere to Satara
I started early in the Morning at around 5.30AM but had to slow down and halt because of the fog. The visibility was terrible. I could barely see beyond 10 metres or so. The fog took around 2 hours to clear up. The roads were pristine. I made it to Satara before sunset and took some rest.
Day 3. Satara to Mumbai
On the ride from Satara to Mumbai, you pass through Lonavala. There is a section of the highway where the national highway and the expressway have a common part. Usually bikes are not allowed on the expressway but since this section is common, bikes can go on this 10km or so stretch. The signs are not exactly clear so people go on the expressway but when they don’t see any other bikes they turn around on the wrong side thinking they’re on the wrong path and try to make it back. But just where the two roads merge, there is a small police checkpoint and they are there just to fine people who turn around and ride on the wrong side of the road. It isn’t exactly people’s fault since they’re just trying to obey the rules and not get on the expressway. There should be clear marking that bikes are allowed on this stretch of the expressway. One more observation I made was the lack of road signs once you enter Navi Mumbai. There are massive bridges and flyovers with no signs. There’s so much pollution and the air doesn’t feel fresh. Tall buildings with smog all around them are present everywhere. It felt like urban hell. Maybe it was just the part of town that I was in but it did not have a good vibe. I didn’t get a chance to explore Navi Mumbai so I couldn’t go to the better spots. Eventually I made it to Bandra. In the evening I rode my bike all the way to the Gateway of India through Marine Drive before getting some rest back at the hotel. It had started hitting me that the journey was about to be over soon. It was a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand I wanted to travel more but I also thought going home would be nice.
Day 4. Mumbai to Vadodara
This was the last day of my trip. It’s a straight highway from Mumbai to Vadodara. I started early, took a single snack break and was back home by 12.30PM.
Some Statistics
| Distance | 3912.4 kms |
| Fuel Cost | Rs. 11,823 |
| Lodging Cost | Rs. 15,730 |
| Mileage(Speedo Indicated) | 34.7 kmpl |
| Total Days | 25 |
| Days of Riding | 14 |
Epilogue
In total I rode for around 4000 kms. This was an amazing trip. I saw incredible views, rode through beaches, meadows, highways, mountains, coastal villages and more. Thankfully the weather didn’t trouble me much. One of my motives for the trip was to overthink less. I think I succeeded a little in that but I didn’t stop thinking. If the goal was to stop thinking and clear my mind, then I believe I had more thoughts about things that I had never thought about. I saw new perspectives to life. The things I saw made me think a lot about what I had been doing and what I wanted to do. Life in the villages is so far off from what we see in daily life. Neither is necessarily better than the other. Rural India really is something else. From the way that people dress to what they eat, it’s all very different from the cities. For example, I didn’t know that the white ‘Nehru topi’ is ubiquitous in rural Maharashtra. Also, not everyone speaks Hindi in Maharashtra. Some people only speak Marathi but are always happy to help. Of course you find some not nice people but that is bound to happen in a country so big. But in general, the people I came across were really kind and helpful. In essence, I saw and experienced India in a way that I had never seen before. Funny thing is, the day I came back home, all I wanted to do was get back on the road and ride. I did exactly that a few hours later and went for a short ride around the city during the night. Riding was still just as fun.
Lastly, to my Honda - you did good kid, I’m proud of you.