Bicycle Expedition to Goa

Photo gallery and Travelogue

General information

We were a group of 6 enthusiastic boys and travelled from Goa to Dombivli (suburb of Mumbai) on bicycles. Travelling a distance of about 635 km, we completed the expedition in 6 days. It was a memorable journey along the National Highway (NH-17) passing thru North Goa and Konkan to Mumbai (Madgaon, Panaji, Sindhudurg, Kudal, Rajapur, Lanja, Ratnagiri, Khed, Mangaon, Pen, Dombivli). I still recollect the thrill, excitement and the exhaustion.
Apart from the primary aim to celebrate the spirit of youth and learning teamwork, hard work along with adventure and sports, we also intended to spread awareness about a pollution-free environment and encourage the use of bicycles. We were sponsored by the ‘National Youth Organization’ a sports organization having RSS roots.
Team-mates: Abhay Joshi, Kedar Bhagwat, Arun Sabnis, Kedar Navare, Devendra Rsibood, Priyank Thatte.
Warning: Long article. Be patient while it loads! [2,494 words, 25 photos]

Photographs

Background

I was searching for some adventure like this since a long time. I heard about this National Youth Organization and Mr. Manohar Kshirsagar who assists youngsters to plan their journeys. The 5 other guys had already registered. I knew the two Kedar’s but rest three – Abhay, Arun and Devendra were new acquaintances. Although I entered the group at the last minute and had no experience of such travel, I insisted to join the team.
We started our practise sessions about a month in advance. We spent up to 4 hours every morning to enhance our stamina and get to understand each other better.
Abhay, Arun and Kedar had participated in last year’s journey from Kolhapur to Mumbai. Abhay was chosen as our team leader.

Day 0

Bombay to Goa : We travelled to Goa by train with our bicycles tucked in the luggage compartment. After landing at Madgaon railway station in the evening and getting possession of our bikes, we were a jubilant bunch and started riding the bikes right there – on the railway platform itself! The Railway police intercepted us and threatened to penalize, but let us go when he learnt the purpose of our visit.
Enchanting Goa: Night stay was at Madgaon. Next day morning we reached Panjim, which is some 22 km away. Goa is a magical place and it had cast its spell on us already. No sooner than we reached Panaji, we went out to the beaches and sight seeing. At night we lubricated our bikes cleaned them and prepared ourselves for the arduous journey ahead.

Day 1:: Panjim to Kudal (70 km)

First interruption : We were flagged off early in the morning from Goa and proceeded on our path. The first disaster struck in a few hours when Arun’s tyre got punctured near Mapusa. Apparently Goa is a city of motorbikes and we had difficulty in finding a bicycle repair shop. Eventually we did find one and the owner was thrilled to meet us. He gave some extra supplies of spare parts free of cost.
Spirits : We had our lunch at a small roadside eat out on the Goa side of the Maharashtra – Goa border and then rested for some time under a giant tree. That was also the last time we relished the sight of small stores brimming with alcohol bottles!
Surprise : At about 30 km from Kudal (towards Goa), we were pretty exhausted and were looking for a good place to rest. A stranger stopped and enquired. He was so excited to know about us, that he insisted on visiting his house and stay there for some time. Typical Konkan house – thatched roof, earthen floor (शेणाने सारवलेले) , (I think you get the idea). A Tulsi vrindavan (तुळशी वृंदावन) and a marigold (झेंडू) flower garland (तोरण) over the door. The surprise came when we realized that the gentleman was Muslim, and was fasting for Ramzan.
First accident : Accidents! Yes, we had one right on the first day. By the time we reached our destination, it was pitch dark and visibility was null. Everyone had torches and we followed a disciplined order, but unfortunately, the road was not smooth. One of the lead guy’s bicycle tripped and the incident was so sudden that those behind him had not time to react, ultimately falling over one another. Fortunately, there was no serious injury, but it did have an impact on our morale.

Day 2:: Kudal to Rajapur (92 km)

Break : After lovely breakfast we left Kudal early in the morning. The road wasbeautiful. The dark black tar road flanked by red soil and tall trees on both sides. We covered major distance before lunch time and then a tragedy struck. At Kankavli, Arun who was injured in yesterday’s accident complained of acute pain, and Devendra had health problems. We decided to send them both, accompanied by Abhay to Rajapur by truck.
Cursed by the Sun God : So we were only 3 guys now – Me, Kedar Bhagwat (KB) and Kedar Navare(KN). The post-lunch session was brutal due to increasingly scorching heat. All of us were covered from head to toe almost fully and even the faces were covered with towels. We looked like terrorists or motorists from Pune. Generous amounts of sun-block lotion could not prevent my exposed skin from being penetrated by sunrays and I started looking like a ‘red indian’.
Visitors : One of the interesting incident in the evening was to see a foreigner cycling along, on his hi-powered bikes with gears, flashlights, accessories and luxuries. The man was from Scotland and currently residing in Germany. He said that he travelled every year in India on bicycle. We had some good conversations with him. Next we met a group of biker boys who were travelling from Goa to Pune.
Chaos : In the evening, it started raining at 6 pm and we were at Kharepatan, approx 19 km away from the destination. Unfortunately, the three of us got separated from each other and had to travel the ghats alone. The rain was still overpowering and darkness was all consuming. Add to the blackout and the fact that I was drenched in the unexpected shower, the road was spiralling down sharp curves giving me sortof “near-death” experiences. I held the flashlight in one hand and attached polythene bags all around so that other vehicles could see me. It was tough, and I was virtually crawling. We had decided to gather again at the bridge across the river at the outskirts of Rajapur. I reached there and waited for a long time but none of KB or KN were in sight. So I decided to move on, find a telephone booth and call up the place where we were scheduled to stay.
Lost! : Rajapur is a ghostly town. On the meekly populated road, there was hardly any person in sight. Suddenly this dangerously looking man appears with a shawl on his shoulder, lantern in one hand and a stick in other. He asks my name – “थत्ते, म्हणजे तू भट का?” (”Thatte, does that mean you are a Brahmin?”) Already terrified by the earlier episodes, that question reminded me of the stories of ब्राह्मण द्वेश (hatred towards Brahmins) and scared me to death. There is a Muslim crematorium adjacent, adding flavour. The next moment he goes soft and says, “जा बाळ, इकडून जा, shortcut आहे” (”Ok kid, take this route, its shorter”). At other times I would have disliked anyone calling me बाळ (kid) , but anyway. Somehow I reached the main town and called up the place where I was expected. Other guys had already reached and were getting worrying about me. (Some of them thought I was dead already)
Finally! : That night we rested at Kedar’s uncle’s home in ब्राह्मण आळी (road with residence of Brahmins). I slept on a large wooden swing, close to an animal stable. Didn’t eat anything other than some rice (वरण भात)as I was feeling ill.

Day 3:: Rajapur to Ratnagiri (75 km)

Up ahead : The day started with a climb over a sharp gradient. In the afternoon we stopped at Lanja for lunch. We met a doctor who invited us to visit his home, where we rested for a couple of hours, showered and departed after thanking him profusely.
Six minus one : Our friend Devendra fell sick again so we sent him to Chiplun for a day’s rest. The rest of us then proceeded to Ratnagiri.
Interview : At Ratnagiri, the five of us stayed at my elder friend Satish Lele’s (popularly known as Lele kaka) place. We were also interviewed by Tarun Bharat newspaper, courtesy Mr. Bapat.

Day 4:: Ratnagiri to Khed (140 km)

Happy Birthday : This was the longest and the most difficult journey. Most of us were already fatigued by three days of continuous cycling. However we decided to meet this challenge anyway. We had lunch and shower at a petrol pump and I celebrated my bicycle’s birthday.
Celebrities! : Our photograph and a small write-up was published in ‘Tarun Bharat’ (Ratnagiri, dated 4-Nov-03). It was a very wonderful feeling next day, as people would look at us and exclaim- अरे! ही तर पेपरातली पोरं! (‘Look! These are the boys from the paper!’) That was really wonderful. A short ‘preview’ of how it feels when you are famous!!
Split : Later, due to some silly disagreement, we split into two groups – Me and Kedar Bhagwat in one and Abhay, Arun, Kedar N in the other, later joined by Devendra. The two of us covered distance rapidly and reached Chiplun at around 6 PM. We had some sandwiches and carried some apples for the upcoming journey through Parshuram ghat (पर्शुराम घाट). The sky was crystal clear and was filled by sparkling stars, a view so enchanting that both of us stopped at the highest point on the ghat to admire the beauty. (We also got philosophical and started talking about life and relationships)
Soon we crossed the rest of the way fighting darkness until we reached the Shivaji Maharaj statue at Khed. The next group arrived a few hours later.

Day 5:: Khed to Mangaon (86 km)

Relaxed : This was a short(er) route and we were suffering from the tremendous exhaustion of previous day. So we started late and travelled steadily. First Kashedi ghat (कशेडी घाट) took almost 4 hours to cover. In the heat of the day, it was very cruel. After that it was flat land. We stopped occasionally for water, snacks and you-know-what. Between Mahad and Veer was located the Raigad Military School where I went for a summer camp.
Bombay Goa Highway (NH17) passes through mountainous terrain. That makes it difficult to travel. From Goa till Poladpur, the road was barely on a flat terrain or following a straight path. Extreme gradients and sharp twists and turns makes this road vulnerable to accidents.

Day 6:: Mangaon to Dombivli (128 km)

Blessings of the lord : At Mangaon, early in the morning, we were felicitated by the temple. After sufficient breakfast, we started on another lengthy but last section of our journey.
Crowd, smoke, noise : Things really changed after we reached Pen (Wadkhal naka actually). 6 days’ honeymoon in Konkan paradise ended abruptly and now it was the typical Mumbai culture that was starting. People wearing wristwatches and actually looking at the time. Everyone was late for something.
Roads were littered and air/noise pollution was too high. The earlier day, we all were really looking forward to reaching home asap, but now, wished konkan was here in Dombivli too…
Homecoming : We reached Shil fata by sunset and got cleaned up there. This was 12 km from the hometown and several school students had travelled till there to greet and welcome us. They were very curious to know about our journey.
Victory : Out of the six of us, only two members – me and Kedar Bhagwat completed the journey completely. Others suffered some problems due to which they had to travel in some vehicle with their bikes.
Achieved! : At the outskirts of Dombivli, friends and family members had gathered and we were given a grand reception. We went to the National Youth Organization office and had a small felicitation ceremony there. This was followed by more celebration and ‘other’ things later.

Next day

Aftereffects : All of us were mentally and physically stressed. We couldn’t sleep for long time the next day even if we wanted to. Our bodies refused to cooperate and it was a weird feeling of stiffness and numbness altogether. Finally we took our beloved bicycles and went around the town!

Reflections

There was so much to see, so much to learn, and so much to realize.
Hospitality in Konkan: The people of Konkan are extremely friendly (do I need to say that). Hospitality is great. All of us were born and brought up in the Mumbai City, and the only times we had seen Konkan was during holidays.
People were always curious to know, who we boys were and what were we doing at that place. Once we explained our motive, there were many instances when the common man went out of his way to congratulate us, encourage us and cheer us up. It doesn’t feel right to drink tea for free, but the चहा वाला (tea-seller) simply wouldn’t accept money; and this didn’t happen once or twice, but almost every day!
Entertainment : Reading number plates of passing vehicles and guessing their behavior was a good (and perhaps the only) entertainment while cycling. A mere glimpse of “MH-05” would mean so much to us! Some of the “MH-05” drivers even offered us cucumbers and snacks simply because they were
proud of fellow Dombivlikars. Then there were typical arrogant “MH-01,02,03” cars, and how can we forget “MH-12”- bad road discipline !! (MH-05 are vehicles from Dombivli, 01, 02, 03 from uptown Mumbai and MH-12 from Pune)
Entertainment exceeded : Road signs carried creative and amusing messages. For example-
“Drive slowly to reach home early”
“Control your nerves on the curves”
Or more in marathi-
मोह टाळा, नियम पाळा (restrain your urges, follow the rules)
झोपला तो संपला(if you sleep, you are dead)
मनाचा ब्रेक, उत्तम ब्रेक(control of mind is the best speedbreaker)
Diversity : We were 6 youngsters, from different backgrounds and thoughts. It was very natural that we fought with each other. But everyone was aware that his ultimate aim was to successfully complete this task. The arguments, decision-making, peace making, etc. was all in fun and was taken in right spirit.
Conclusion : It was extreme challenging, physically, Our bodies were subjected to do the maximum, a test of stamina and perseverance. But apart from that, it tested our capacity to work in a team, ability to lead, keep our cool and take the right decisions. It gave us confidence about ourselves and was a tremendous morale booster. Most importantly, it was an enjoyable adventure.