Dandeli - Goa - Kumta

Date: 25 March 2017 - 2 April 2017

Total distance:  1,190 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:00 am 25 March 2017

End Time:  1:45 pm 2 April 2017

With: Rajkumar Khot

Couple of months had passed since the Kodai - Munnar trip and we were ready to go on our next cycle trip. It did not take a long discussion to decide that we would start the ride on 25 March 2017 and that we would ride for about a week. The plan was to ride to Dandeli, Goa and then towards Udupi. I had already ridden the route to Goa, however I did not have any hesitation towards riding the route again. Moreover, this was not going to be a repeat of the route as we were going to Dandeli and then riding to Goa.

The tentative plan was drawn up as follows:

Day	From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Departure Time	Arrival Time
1	Koramangala	Tarikere	273	14	17	4:00	21:00
2	Tarikere	Hosanagar	150	8	12	5:00	17:00
3	Hosanagar	Yellapur	166	9	12	6:00	18:00
4	Yellapur	Dandeli	144	7	10	6:00	16:00
5	Dandeli	Panjim	175	9	12	6:00	18:00
6	Panjim	Panjim	-	-	-	-	-
7	Panjim	Gokarna	163	8	11	6:00	17:00
8	Gokarna	Murudeshwar	124	6	9	6:00	15:00
9	Murudeshwar	Udupi	102	5	7	10:00	17:00
			1,297

Once again we planned to load the cycles onto the bus and return to Bangalore. We did not book the return tickets as it was a tentative plan with the option to extend the ride. I changed the tires on the Btwin as the side walls of the previous set of tires was showing signs of wear and tear. I had ridden approximately 6,000 kilometers on the set of tires and was not comfortable to use them further especially as I had seen cracks on the side wall. A little hunting around Decathlon stores before heading to RR cycles and getting Panaracer tires. The chain was also showing signs of wear, however I expected it to survive the trip and then head for a change.

Day 1: Bangalore to Tarikere:

Date: 25 March 2017

Total distance: 250 Kilometers

Start Time: 4:30 am

End Time:  7:00 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Koramangala – Tumkur - Tarikere

I washed the cycle and packed my bags and hit the bed. Had a decent sleep and was up at 2:30 am. I was out of bed and got ready and was ready to leave by 4:00 am. The wait from 4:00 am till 4:30 am was very slow and it seemed more like a couple of hours. I had not received any message/call from Rajkumar that he was on the way and was beginning to think that we would have a delayed start, however Rajkumar came by at 4:30 am sharp and we got going.

It was going to be a long day and the start was slow. I had not done any cycling for over 2 weeks and was doubtful about being able to survive the day. I had broken the entire day into smaller segments and wanted to take it one hour at a time. Although it was not day break, there were sufficient street lights which did not necessitate the use of the lights. I was keen on saving it for later in the trip and wanted to get through without having to charge them. Riding through the empty streets of Bangalore felt good and before long we had crossed Yeshwanthpur.

We took the Yeshwanthpur flyover and I noticed that the flyover heads mainly downhill after the initial climb. We crossed the toll and made quick work of the ride to Nelamangala. It was day break and as the sun came up we were up to speed and making our way towards Dabbaspet. Although the Sun was up it was not yet hot and we were able to keep the speed up. On reaching Dabbaspet the downhill's started and we made it quickly to the outskirts of Tumkur. We decided to ride through the city since the bypass is not in good condition. We had decided to stop for breakfast in the city. We rode past the city which was still in the process of waking up. Most of the shops were still closed and the restaurants were just about setting up shop. We rode on in the hope of finding a restaurant at the next turn, however this approach resulted in us getting out of town and with no food options.

We did consider heading back to town, however Rajkumar had seen a board indicating that there was a restaurant about 6 kilometers ahead. We rode ahead instead of going back to the city. We reached the restaurant and headed in to have a plate of idli/vada. It was 8:20 am when we reached, we had done 91 kilometers and we took a 40 minute break before restarting. We were happy with the progress that we had made although we knew that it would get difficult as the heat was beginning to rise.

Within a few kilometers of the restart we made a stop as Rajkumar made some adjustments to his equipment. I was looking at the knot on my luggage when I noticed that the tube which I had used to tie the luggage was loose. Closer look and noticed that the tube was cut and had become loose. I had enough tube to tie the luggage again as only a small length had been cut. We resumed the ride and came across a Basaveshwara temple beside the road. We stopped to take blessings and restarted the ride.

On my previous rides on this route I have struggled to ride from Gubbi to Tiptur. I was wary of this part and knew that if I made it through here, I would be able to complete the day's ride. I counted down the kilometers and the locations in between and kept taking a check on how I was feeling after every few kilometers. Every time the body held up, it was a confidence booster and I was able to push on. As the heat was beginning to rise and the water reserve was dipping, we made a quick stop for water and doubled it up with coconut water as well. We were about 20 kilometers from Tiptur.

We resumed the ride and it was an uneventful ride to Tiptur from here. We made it to Tiptur rather easily and when we passed through town it was 12:30 pm, we were not very hungry and did not want to stop for lunch. We bought fruits and drank a glass of sugarcane juice and then headed out of town to find a place with shade where we could eat the fruits. We found a peepal tree 3 kilometers from town and stopped to eat the grapes and oranges that we had bought. As we relaxed we did not realise that the clock was ticking and before we knew it 30 minutes had ticked over. It was 1:15 pm and the Sun's powers were at its peak. Although I would have loved to have taken a nap, it was very difficult with vehicles passing blaring their horns and also the thought that we still had about 90 kilometers to ride and that it would be preferable to do it in daylight was at the back of the head which did not allow me to take a quick nap.

We resumed the ride at 1:15 pm. We decided to stop for lunch at Arasikere which was 20 kilometers away. Approximately an hour's ride if the heat did not get to us. As it was largely downhill and rolling terrain we made it to Arasikere in an hour's time. The sight of a dried up lake bed was not good as we still have 2 more months of a harsh summer remaining. We headed into town and looked for a restaurant, as we could not find any in town we settled for the canteen in the court complex of Arasikere. We ordered meals and as we waited for the food we noticed that they had 'Hillikai' juice. I was curious to know what it is and on enquiry was shown the fruit and also told that it is similar to lime juice. We ordered and I liked the juice. The hotel staff spoke to us and on getting to know that we had cycled from Bangalore gave us a free serving of additional Hillikai juice and invited us to the restaurant on our way back. We thanked them for their hospitality and headed out.

It was boiling by this time and we were struggling a bit with the heat. However, we knew that we had to keep pushing and hoped that things would begin to get better by 4:30 pm. We rode steadily and as we approached Kadur I saw an old man frantically waving at me to stop. As I got closer, he was requesting that his cycle chain be fixed. I did not want to stop, however Rajkumar stopped and spent a little time in fixing the chain. The old man then started chatting with us and it ended with the inevitable request for money. We bid him good bye and restarted the ride.

I was beginning to tire by the time we got to Kadur. There was a small climb coming up and I wanted to conserve as much energy as possible. Rajkumar had ridden ahead and I was riding slowly. The Sun had begun its descent and it was getting cooler. I reached a railway crossing and walked the cycle past the crossing as I did not want a repeat of the wheel getting stuck in the tracks. A little ahead, there was another crossing and the gate was closed as a train was about to pass. I managed to catch up with Rajkumar at the crossing and the 2 minute wait for the train to pass was the rest that I needed. The energy levels were up and as soon as the gate was opened I was back up to speed. It helped that there was a downhill stretch after the crossing.

We were almost at Tarikere, our destination for the day. The pace was up and as we enjoyed a beautiful sun set we did not realise that we had entered Tarikere town. We enquired with the locals about the lodges and were guided to one near the railway station. Room rates were cheap and it was very modest accommodation. Enough for the two of us to crash for the night. We unpacked, secured the cycles inside the hotel premises and then headed into the room. Freshened up, washed the clothes and then headed out for dinner. A north Karnataka meal and some juice before heading back to the room to rest and recharge our batteries for the next day's ride.

Day 2: Tarikere - Bhadra Dam - Sakrebyle - Kuppalli - Thirthahalli:

Date: 26 March 2017

Total distance: 139 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:30 am

End Time:  8:00 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Tarikere - Bhadra Dam - Sakrebyle - Kuppalli - Thirthahalli

The first day was all about covering distance. The actual ride started on the second day as we would be visiting places. I was excited and looking forward to starting the ride. It was a difficult night as we could barely sleep due to the heat. However, with an exciting day to look forward to I was not feeling lethargic. We got ready and started the ride at 6:30 am.

Although it is the summer months, there was a lot of cloud cover and the Sun was hiding behind the clouds. Visibility was good and we were not complaining that the Sun was behind the clouds. We exited Tarikere and about 4 kilometers from town we had to take a turn to head towards Lakkavalli. Lakkavalli houses the Bhadra dam and this was our first destination for the day. The road started to climb, however as we were fresh and the day had just started the speed did not drop. We came across a lake which was filled with cranes and stopped to admire the view. We came across two locals who enquired about our ride and told us that we can go to the Bhadra back water and told us the route to the top. We thanked them and started the ride.

Within a couple of kilometers of the lake we came across the Bhadra Dam. Water was not being released from the sluice gates, however there was a side gate which is at a lower level from where water was being released. We watched for a while as the Bhadra river flowed to join the Tunga River. We took a few snaps and got back on the cycle to go to the back water.

Just after crossing  the bridge there was a gate indicating Bhadra Dam. We went in and further up, there was a gate which was closed, however, there was a small gate which was open. We took the cycles through and saw a flight of steps, we were parking the cycles when we met a person who said that we could go all the way up with the cycles and it was not advisable to park the cycles here. We rode up the hill, a short climb and came across the dam gate which was locked and a flight of steps beside it. We climbed up the stairs with the cycles and reached a road followed by another flight of steps. Just as we got ready to climb the steps, the dam staff came by and told us that we could ride to the top rather than carry the cycles up the stairs. We were more than happy. We rode our cycles and got to the top from where we saw the beautiful back waters of the Bhadra river. We saw the Jungle Lodges Resort nestled in the back water at the other bank. We stood and admired the view and contemplated what would be the height of the water if there had been sufficient rains.

We rode down and in a short distance there was a park from where we could go down to the water. We parked the cycles, a group of people were practicing Sudarshan Kriya and we tried to be as quiet as possible when walking past them. We got down near the back water and looked at water stretching beyond our line of sight. We spent some time at the banks before heading back up as we still had other places to cover.

We rode past the Bhadra back waters and our next destination was Sakrebyle Elephant camp. There were two route options, ride to Shivamogga and then towards Gajanur, if not we could take a short cut, where we ride to Mattur, cross the river by foot and then ride to Gajanur. The short cut would save us about 10-15 kilometers. It was a no brainer and we decided to go by Mattur, moreover crossing the river by foot sounded adventurous. We rode on good roads and kept asking people for directions to Mattur. We got varied answers for the directions until we got to know that we were pronouncing the name wrong, it had to be pronounced as Matthur and not Mattur. About 6 kilometers before Shivamogga, we took a left from the highway to head towards Mattur. The road immediately became bad. I was not very keen on riding on bad roads as we were riding road bikes and not MTB's. We rode about a kilometer and the road became worse. I was riding very slowly and Rajkumar had ridden ahead when I heard a two wheeler honking and then the person demanded that I stop. I told him that I could not stop and would speak as I rode, he said that we had just shot past a temple and said that I should visit the temple. I told them that I did not have time as it was late, they insisted that I should visit. I said that my partner had ridden ahead and that they should check with him. By the time they got to Rajkumar we were almost at the river and he also said that we could visit another time. They took us to the river and showed us the route to cross the river. I was disappointed when I saw that a bridge was being constructed and that we had to walk past the construction site. The river had very little water, only in two places there was shin height water. We took off our shoes and as we got into the water we noticed construction material in the water and although we wanted to push the cycle through the water, I opted to lift the cycle whenever possible so as to avoid the construction material.

We made it across the river and quickly wore our shoes. There was only a metalled road. I was pushing the cycle and Rajkumar was riding his even on these roads. Seeing him ride, I got a little confident that the cycle might be able to handle these roads and started to ride as well. Within a few minutes we made it to the highway and I was relieved that we were back on good roads. Sakrebyle is an elephant camp, similar to Dubarre and we had to make it before 11:30 am if we wanted to see the elephants. Crossing the river had helped us and we were placed comfortably on the time front. We rode past the Tunga Dam and as we got round the Dam we had reached Sakrebyle. It was 10:35 am. We parked the cycles, bought the entry tickets and headed in to see the elephants and the Tunga back waters. There was a line of elephants standing behind a wooden fence. They had just been fed and a few were being given the last morsels. We stood and looked at the mammoths and felt sad to look at them in chains. We did not appreciate that they had been domesticated by humans for their benefit. We looked at a couple of calf's frolicking and then headed to the back water. A few quick pics and we were back near the cycles. It was 11:00 am and we had not had our breakfast as yet. We headed to the nearby hotel, the only option available there and had Noodles, Pulav and Jeera Soda.

Our original plan was to ride to Ramachandrapur Matt and then stay at Hosanagar, however as we were going to be close to Thirthahalli, we wanted to visit Kuppalli as well. Kuppalli is the home town of the poet Kuvempu and we had heard that it is a beautiful place. We decided to deviate from our plan and added Kuppalli to the list and then go to Ramachandrapur matt.

It was 11:30 am when we started from Sakrebyle and we were 50 kilometers from Thirthahalli. It took us a good 2 and a half hours to get to Thirthahalli. Thanks to the road work being undertaken it was a frustrating ride. There were a lot of places where bridge work is being undertaken and we had to ride slowly in these sections. Further there was a long section where there was only a metalled road and as I did not want to risk damage to the cycle, I got off and pushed the cycle. We had not expected it to take this long, however on reaching Thirthahalli we realised that we would not be able to make it to Ramachandrapur Matt and then to Hosanagar by the end of the day. We decided to stay at Thirthahalli after visiting Kuppalli. We were not hungry and decided to ride to Kuppalli.

It was 2:30 pm by the time we started the ride to Kuppalli. The frustration with the road continued as we came across a lot of bridge construction places where we had to back off and further it involved a lot of climbing. We made it to Kuppalli at 3:45 pm and parked in front of Kuvempu's house. We headed in and saw the house which had been converted into a museum. Although the house does not look like much from the outside, it is a three storied house and took time to look at. From the house we headed up a trail which leads to Kuvempu's burial site which also happens to be the place which he visited to get inspired to write all those stories/poems. We got back down and went to the nearby hotel to eat/drink. It was pulav followed by Punar Puli juice and Majjige.

We started from Kuppalli at 5:30 pm. A quick visit to the nearby theatre where Bombe Aata was going on and then to Kuvempu's Son's burial ground. It was 5:45 pm when we started from here. We had to ride 17 kilometers to get to Thirthahalli. I don't know what had gotten to us, however, we rode the 17 kilometers in 30 minutes and were at the banks of the Tunga river at 6:15 pm. We got to witness a beautiful sunset and then headed down to the bank and sat beside the river.

Rajkumar contacted his friend Shishir who is a resident of Thirthahalli. Although Shishir was in Bangalore, we were given accommodation in his house and his father was more than willing to accommodate us. We spent some more time at the banks of the Tunga river and then headed to Shishir's house. It was 8:00 pm when we reached his house and his father welcomed us. By the time we freshened up dinner was ready and we were served delicious Puliyogare and Curd Rice. We ate well and then hit the sack.

Day 3: Thirthahalli - Ambuthirtha - Ramachandrapura Matt - Jog Falls - Siddapura:

Date: 27 March 2017

Total distance: 147 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:45 am

End Time:  6:50 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Thirthahalli - Ambuthirtha - Ramachandrapura Matt - Jog Falls - Siddapura

We had expected the night to be hot and to have another sleepless night, however, it got cold around 1:00 am and we over slept a little. We woke up late and missed our starting time by about 45 minutes. Shishir's father was also up and about and gave us a few bananas to kill the morning hunger. We took a pic with Shishir's father and then headed out into a foggy morning.

I was happy to be on good roads and as we made it out of Thirthahalli we were heading downhill before we moved onto rolling terrain. I was enjoying the morning ride when we had to turn from the highway to head to Ambuthirtha - the birth place of the Sharavathi river. The road condition deteriorated and so did our speed. The road was bumpy in places and where the road surface was there it was a rough surface which did not allow the wheels to roll freely. Further, not knowing the road as well was slowing us down as we had to stop on a couple of occasions to ask people for directions or check google maps for directions. Finally when we did make it to Ambuthirtha, the place was empty. We did get to see the pond which had formed at the place, however the temple was closed.

We headed back on the road and riding on rough roads continued. The previous day was frustrating with all the bridge work and the day had started with rough roads. I was hoping that the road condition would improve quickly as riding on these roads on a road bike was a concern with puncture risk being high although I had tire liners.

I was surprised when I saw buses on this route and surprise was also accompanied with stress as we had to get off the road to make way for the bus. The bus was hurtling on these roads and I wished I could also ride without any tension  on the road rather than having to concentrate hard to be as delicate as possible on the cycle. After about an hour's ride we made it onto good roads. I was very happy and it showed on the pedaling. I was making the most of the good road, when within a couple of kilometers we had to take a left towards Ramachandrapur Matt. It was bad roads again and when the bad roads turned to worse it became frustrating. There were huge stones on the road and avoiding them on climbs was becoming difficult and with the risk of damage being high I did not want to ride the cycle. I got down and pushed the cycle in the hope that the reduced weight would not damage the equipment.

It took a while, but we made it to Ramachandrapur Matt and then headed down to the river bed, which was dry and came back to the Matt. We then went to the Goshala. Ramachandrapur Matt's Goshala is known for housing different varieties of cows. They have 31 different varieties of cows and we walked around the Goshala looking at the different kinds of cows. It was an eye opener that each state has a different type of cow and some states had more than one variety. There were cows from the Sindh region as well which are effectively cows from Pakistan. Some well built, some lean, some tall, some small, some with large ears and some with huge horns, we saw them all and then went to the Matt. A quick visit to the temple and we were on our way to Hosanagar.

Hosanagar was not far off and the positive was that we had made it back to the highway and back to good roads. When we reached Hosanagar, we stopped to have breakfast. It was more like brunch as it was 11:15 am. Our next destination was Jog Falls which was about 70 kilometers away.

Sagar was about 40 kilometers from Hosanagar and in spite of riding quickly we took 2 hours to cover the distance. The heat and gradient were taking a toll on the timing. Just as we made it to Sagar, we stopped to have coconut water and then rode into town and refilled on water and then exited town and stopped at a bus stop to take rest. It was 2:20 pm and we had not had lunch as yet. We had been drinking a lot of water coupled with a late breakfast had resulted in hunger taking a back seat. As we sat in the bus stop I noticed that my chain had worn out and that it was not sitting in the chain rings correctly. It was the reason that the chain had slipped on a couple of occasions and I was hoping that it would hold for the trip which looked difficult with almost 800 kilometers remaining.

We restarted after the rest and made it past rolling terrain and then a downhill to get to Jog Falls. It was 4:00 pm when we reached the bridge across the Sharavathi. The sight of water was pleasant and soothing in the afternoon heat and also made away with the fear that there would not be any water at the falls. We rode down the hill and reached the view point. The falls is supposed to have 4 distinct waterfalls which are named as Raja, Rani, Rocket and Roarer, however with depleted water reserves we were lucky that we got to view Rocket and Roarer. Raja and Rani were very thin and it required a hard look at the falls to see that they were also present. A few quick snaps were taken before we headed to the food court to replenish our depleted energy reserves. Bread Omlette, Egg Rice and Jeera Soda and we were back on our feet. We had plans to walk down to the base of the falls, however as it was beyond 5:00 pm, the gates were closed and we had to make do with the view from the view point. A walk down to the view point to get a closer view of the falls and  while walking back up we realised that we had tired legs. The legs were aching on the steep flight of steps and we were surprised that we were tired although we had ridden less than 200 kilometers for the day. We spent a further half an hour at the falls before resuming the ride.

We had planned to stop at Siddapur for the night. We had about 20 kilometers to ride and it started with a climb after we had crossed the Sharavathi bridge. As soon as we were done with the climb, the adrenaline had kicked in and we sped towards Siddapur. However, as we got to within 3 kilometers of Siddapur, I backed off the pace and rode steadily into town. Rajkumar had ridden ahead and made enquiries about lodges in Siddapur. He was told a better option would be to try at the Inspection Bungalow and if we do not get a room there then we could try the lodges. Knowing that the Inspection Bungalow is meant only for government employees we still tried our luck. We had to wait for 30 minutes before the person in charge of the Inspection Bungalow came by, and to our luck he agreed to give the room. It was a spacious room and hot water was available as well. A hot water bath was what was needed and I was feeling refreshed. We had dinner at a nearby restaurant and headed back to the room to catch up on rest.

Day 4: Siddapur - Banavasi - Sirsi - Shivaganga Falls - Yellapur:

Date: 28 March 2017

Total distance: 149 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:45 am

End Time:  7:30 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Siddapur - Banavasi - Sirsi - Shivaganga Falls - Yellapur

As per our original schedule we should have been at Sirsi, however we were 40 kilometers behind at Siddapur. We had deviated from the original plan by visiting Thirthahalli, Kuppalli and Ambuthirtha. However, the reason to stop at Siddapur was since we had added another location to the route which was Banavasi. Banavasi is about 40 kilometers from Siddapur. We could visit Banavasi and then proceed to Sirsi. We had been covering a lot of places and further, the temptation to cover places close by did not allow us to stick to the plan.

Although we always hit the bed thinking that we would start the next day by 6:00 am, there is an inevitable delay in the morning and we end up being delayed by 30-45 minutes. It was the same story again and we were able to start the day only at 6:45 am. We were told that there is a direct route to Banavasi and that we don't have to go to Sirsi and then go to Banavasi. Not that we did not know the route, thanks to google maps.

We rode on good roads and looking at the route on google maps it was only a matter of time before we get onto the interior roads and the road condition changed. It was a case of enjoy the road when it is available. We had good roads and made the most of it until we got close to Chandragutti. Road widening has commenced here, however the middle of the road was good enough and with minimal traffic we were able to ride on the good portions of the road. When we got to Chandragutti, we missed the turn to Banavasi, we were supposed to take a left, however we headed straight and realised our folly after we had ridden about 2 kilometers. We had to back track and a couple of enquiries at Chandragutti about the route led to us getting onto the correct road. We rode towards Harishi for some time before taking a right, thanks to google maps we were able to get onto the correct road this time. However, after riding about 5 kilometers on freshly laid tarmac we got onto bad roads and this continued till we got to Banavasi. We had to negotiate about 6 kilometers of bad roads before getting to Banavasi. A ride through the quaint streets of Banavasi led us to the Madhukeshwara temple.

The temple premises is small when compared to the ones at Belur, Halebid and Somnathpur and does not have as many sculptures as the aforementioned places, however it still has its own charm. We walked in and around the temple and were able to enjoy the place as there were hardly any other people around. Off course, the few people who were around were staring at us like they had seen aliens, more coz of the tight clothes that we were wearing I guess. We made our way out of the temple and then started the ride towards Sirsi.

Just as we hit the town, we opted to stop for breakfast so that we can get the eating cycle back on time instead of having brunch we could have breakfast and lunch. We stopped at a small hotel and by the time we freshened up our cycles had been swarmed by people. We ordered pulav and as we ate people kept coming to us and asking us about our cycles and the ride. What we noticed was the change in the people as they seemed to be on the aggressive side here and we also felt a religious fervour in the kind of questioning when we were asked if we were doing the ride to promote Hindutva. The queries shifted from the ride to getting a test ride on the cycle and when we denied they were getting more aggressive in their tone. We decided to cut short the breakfast and eat quickly and get going. We started off on half full stomachs and beat a hasty exit from the place.

24 kilometers covered in decent time and we were at Sirsi. On our way to Sirsi we had noticed a lot of people sporting flags on their two wheelers and as we entered Sirsi we saw that the town was adorned with flags. Although Ugadi was the next day, it seemed like the town had been decked up early. Within a kilometer of entry into the town we were at the Kalikamba temple and it was teeming with people. The place was in chaos and police were regulating traffic and we had to park the cycles a fair distance from the temple.

We enquired about whether we would be allowed into the temple in cycling clothes to which we were told that we would be, but were questioned why we were wearing such clothes. We went to a flower vendor, left our helmet, gloves and shoes and went into the temple. Although the temple was filled with people the darshan got over quickly and then we had to stand in a queue for the prasad which was jaggery juice and usli. Took some time to get the prasad and then we sat for sometime in the temple during which time Rajkumar looked up the places near Sirsi. It was 12:00 pm and we had 100 kilometers to cover to get to Dandeli, however we still checked on the places that we could cover on the way. We saw that Sahasra Linga was on the way and decided to see the place and then saw Shiva Ganga Falls as well, however this required us to deviate from the route by at least 15 kilometers. We decided to take a call on the way and started the ride.

It took some time to negotiate our way out of town and get on the highway to Yellapur. We filled on water and ate a few bananas and hoped to get to Yellapur which was 50 kilometers away for lunch. We had ridden for about an hour when we saw the turn to Sahasra Linga which is about 3 kilometers from the highway. We went in and saw an almost dry Shalmala river and saw a linga carved on every rock on the river bed. Rajkumar spoke to a person who was cleaning the river bed area and enquired about Shiva Ganga falls. He said that there was very little water at the falls and that we should visit Ganesh Falls instead which is on the way to Shiva Ganga Falls instead as there was water there. He said that it was the same river which continued and would have the Ganesh Falls and Shiva Ganga Falls. I was not convinced since the river was almost dry.

Rajkumar was keen on going to Shiva Ganga falls as he had not seen it. We started from Sahasra Linga and got back on the highway. We rode about 10 kilometers when we got to the turn to Shiva Ganga Falls. Another localite came by and we enquired about the falls, he said that there was very little water at Shiva Ganga Falls and there was only a stream flowing near Ganesh Falls. He gave us directions to the falls. I was not convinced about going to the falls since there was hardly any water and further it was interior roads and we did not know the condition of the roads. Further, we had not had lunch and were almost out of our supply of water as well. It would be risky to go in, also we would have to change the schedule again since we would not be able to get to Dandeli by end of the day. It was decided that we would ride to Shiva Ganga falls and stay at Yellapur for the night.

We started the ride and within a couple of kilometers we knew that we were entering interior roads and further there would not be any shops/hotels on the way. I saw a board say 11 kilometers to Ganesh Falls. Shiva Ganga falls was further away from Ganesh falls and things looked bleak. The road started to head downwards and it was steep descents with speeds reaching in excess of 60 kmph in less than 5 seconds. Although we were making ground easily I was not able to enjoy it as the thought that we had to ride back up these slopes was haunting me. As we rode further, the road became smaller and then it was the end of the tarred road and there was gravel road with a steep drop. I got off the cycle and had to hold the brakes of the cycle and descend to the river bed. There was a small walkway across the river. We crossed over and as we made it to the other side we came across more gravel road and it was climbing. We had not seen Ganesh Falls and there were no direction boards available. We saw a young boy riding a moped coming towards us and we enquired with him about Ganesh Falls and he said that we had just crossed the falls. We looked back and saw just a small stream and no falls. Although we saw the funny side of it, I was not too keen on continuing to Shiva Ganga Falls as there was hardly any water and did not think it to be worth the effort. On enquiring about food and water, we were told that we would have to go to the village which is about 2 kilometers after Shiva Ganga falls if we wanted any food/water. With the closest food/water option being near Shiva Ganga falls we continued the ride towards the falls. We made it past half a kilometer of climb on a metalled road and then got onto a stretch of good tarred road which lasted till the turn to Shiva Ganga falls. When we did get to Shiva Ganga falls, it was just as expected, with hardly any water. However, we noticed that it had the potential to be a very good falls during the monsoons. Rajkumar wanted to walk to the base of the falls, however I was not keen as it would take an hour at least to get to the falls and back and we were on low energy levels as we had not eaten. We spent some time at the view point before starting the ride in search of food/water.

We made it about 500 meters before hitting bad roads again and the next village which had to arrive in 2 kilometers did not arrive. We were just beginning to get worried when the village did arrive and it did have a restaurant. It was house which was serving food and selling provisions. We were saved and as we went in we ordered Curd Avalakki and then drank water. After the curd avalakki we had 2 servings of Misalbaji. Even though we were not feeling hungry, when the food came we were gobbling it down. Tiredness plays strange games with the mind, it gives us a false sense of security that we do not need food, however we realise the requirement only when we start eating. I kind of bonked a bit here, since I was eating and drinking whatever I saw. I stopped when I was overstuffed.

Now that the energy requirement had been taken care off we had to start the ride back to the highway. We got past the initial bad road section and I was able to ride ahead in the downhill section and got onto the gravel path leading to Ganesh Falls. I looked back and Rajkumar was not behind, I waited for 5 minutes and Rajkumar was still not to be seen. I started riding back and within 100 meters I saw Rajkumar coming. He said that he had taken a wrong turn and gone towards a house instead of Ganesh Falls. We rode together to Ganesh falls, made our way past the walkway and then pushed the cycle up the steep climb on the gravel trail. Kept preparing myself for the steep climbs and hoped to make it past unscathed. I started the climb and every time there was a downhill, in my eagerness to build speed for the climb, I got caught out in the wrong gears when the climb started on a couple of occasions. To my surprise the climb did not take as long as expected and was not as difficult as expected as well. I was relieved to make it past the climb and was pumped up on having completed the climb. Further as we were getting close to the highway the two of us were pedaling like we were in a race and by the time I got to the highway I was out of breath. I rode a little ahead and wanted to take a break to catch my breath.

We stopped for about 15 minutes and then restarted the ride. Yellapur was under 20 kilometers away and we made steady progress. We came across a lot of volunteers on bikes having orange flags with Shivaji's photo on the flag and assumed that there had been a procession/gathering in Yellapur and they were heading back to Sirsi. We rode on and made it to the town and as we entered town we noticed that the shops were closed and that people were decked up and heading into town. As we got closer we saw that there was a procession going on and that the road had been closed. There was a large crowd and the procession was being taken out on the streets. We had decided to stay at the Inspection Bungalow based on our previous days experience and asked around for the location of the Inspection Bungalow. There were 3 different IB's, one of the Forest Department and 2 of the PWD. We had to request the cops for a way through and ended up at the PWD IB which was empty and the person in-charge had gone for the procession. We were told to wait and we waited for nearly an hour as he did not arrive. Patience was beginning to wear thin and a person came by and said that the person in-charge will come in sometime but there are no rooms in the IB. We headed to the Forest IB and were told that rooms were not empty on account of the procession and said that he would not be able to give rooms even if they were empty since a lot of officials had landed up in Yellapur on account of the procession. We started looking for lodges and were guided to one. Large room, where we were allowed to park our cycles inside. We freshened up, had dinner and hit the sack.

Day 5: Yellapur - Sathodi Falls - Ulavi - Syntheri Rocks - Dandeli:

Date: 29 March 2017

Total distance: 103 Kilometers

Start Time: 7:30 am

End Time:  20:15 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Yellapur - Sathodi Falls - Ulavi - Syntheri Rocks - Dandeli

We had an adventurous second half yesterday by riding in the forest and then getting almost caught out on the food/water front. There were hardly any people on the roads and our constant companion through the ride was the cricket insect. We had not expected the day to be so adventurous and thought that our share of adventure on this ride had been done. Little did we know what lay ahead for us today. We had planned to ride about 140 kilometers on the day and the day would start with a visit to Sathodi Falls, then we would be taking a short cut to Ulavi through the forest on a newly made road, go to Syntheri rocks and then head to Dandeli. We had planned to go to Sykes Point as well from Dandeli since we would be saving time by using the short cut which would save us almost 40 kilometers and then head back to Dandeli. It was supposed to be an easy day, however the road to Sathodi Falls was not in good shape.

We had a delayed start and were able to start only at 7:30 am. Within a couple of kilometers from Yellapur we had reached the turn to Sathodi Falls. We had ridden on a couple of kilometers of good road and the minute we took the turn the road deteriorated. Speed was down and I was back to riding carefully. We made it to the next town and stopped to have biscuits since our search for a hotel to have breakfast did not yield any result.

We got back on the cycle and as we rode on the road condition kept deteriorating. It was a downward gradient and in many places the road was not in a ride able condition. I got off the cycle and pushed the cycle on these stretches. The uphill's were also done with a lot of effort as we could not carry the speed from the downhill's. On many occasions I was pushing the cycle even on the downhill's. It took time, however we made it to the junction where we had to go right towards the Narayanpura bridge which goes to Ulavi and the left goes to Sathodi Falls. Sathodi Falls was 6 kilometers away and there was no road. It was a gravel road and although Rajkumar kept riding his cycle on these roads I was alternating between pushing and riding not wanting to risk damage to the cycle. We had been on bad roads since Day 2 and it did not look like abating anytime soon. I was beginning to curse the road and the stress levels were high since I was not sure about the damage that I was doing to the cycle. A painful 4 kilometers later we hit upon a good stretch of concrete road and I was relieved to be back on a good surface. Further within half a kilometer we got a beautiful view of the Kali river and stopped to admire the view.

We hopped back on the cycle and completed the remaining 1.5 kilometers quickly. We reached the gate and were told that the falls was a further kilometer away, although the cycle would go almost till the end we were told that it would be better to park the cycles and walk the remaining distance as the forest officials might have an objection if they came around.

We quickly parked the cycles and walked to the falls. It was a long walk and as there was no one to stop us, we were able to get right up to the falls. The falls was good and although the water was less it still was a sight. It was very tempting to get into the water, however knowing that the day had just begun I had to hold myself back. We kept moving forward from one vantage point to another in search of the best angle to take pics. We were surprised that it was a holiday and there was hardly any crowd at the falls and speculated that the road condition might be a deterrent. Just as we thought that the crowd was less, tourists started to trickle in. We watched the falls for some time and then started the walk back. As we walked back the flow of tourists kept increasing and we realised that we were early birds and the tourist flow starts only after 11:00 am.

Just as we got to the gate we saw that a food/juice counter was being set up. We were happy that we would be getting something to eat and had a plate of pulav and drank juice and refilled on water. I was eager to get the ride started as I was looking forward to get to the Narayanpura hanging bridge and riding the cycle on it. However before getting to the bridge we had to get past 4 kilometers of bad roads.

We got back to the cycles and restarted the ride. It did not take long to ride past the concreted stretch and then get onto the non-existent road. Made slow progress and then made it to the turn towards Shivpura. When I took the turn what lay ahead was a steep downhill gravel trail and I had to hold the brakes continuously to be able to ride with the speed under control. It took only about 50 meters for the hands to start hurting from holding the brakes, however, I did not have the option to let go as that would be dangerous. I had to fight through the pain and just as we made it to the bottom my hands felt like they were about to crack. To be at the bridge was a relief and a well deserved rest for the palm and fingers. We had to wait for a few minutes to allow traffic to pass from the bridge and then we made our entry onto the bridge. It was a different experience to be riding on a 1.5 meter wide hanging bridge and further when we have a beautiful river view on both the sides it just enhances the experience. We stopped in the middle to click a few snaps. Then got to the other side and tried to click a pic of the full bridge and realised that it was a futile exercise.

Now that the exciting part was done with, we had to ride on a trail to get to Ulavi. I had expected this road to be tarred, however realised that the road work is still going on and we were lucky to have a wide trail. The road was better than the road to Sathodi falls, however, it still was a bumpy ride. With time being a constraint I was forced to ride. Before crossing the bridge I had thought that I would be pushing the cycle, however on crossing the bridge, I was forced to ride. As road work was in progress, in many places there is just loose soil on the road and on a couple of occasions I barely managed to control the cycle and avoid a fall. There was a section in which the wobble was so high that I had the feeling that I was done for, I was determined to not let go of the handle and made it out of there unscathed. I was getting used to the road and as the confidence grew I was able to increase the speed a bit. Just as things were beginning to look up and we were making good time, I heard a bolt break and I saw a piece of metal fall of my cycle. I stopped and looked around and saw that the carrier clamp had broken. I signaled to Rajkumar to stop and checked the clamp, the screw was broken and there was no way to fix it immediately. We had to remove the broken screw from the groove first and then get a new clamp to be able to fix the carrier.

I got the bag onto my back and tied the carrier to Rajkumar's cycle. We were back on the road. I knew that the reason for the break was not faulty equipment but the bad roads. I had subjected the equipment to a lot of stress and something had to give, I was lucky that it was only the carrier. The road condition began to deteriorate with loose soil increasing and riding was becoming increasingly difficult with no traction available. I was sorely missing my MTB and would have loved to have the MTB as I would have been riding stress free. Instead, I had already suffered a carrier breakdown, and I did not know what else was going to breakdown on these roads.

We had begun to lose time and our water reserves were also depleted. It was lunch time, although we were not very hungry we knew that if we did not reach Ulavi soon we were asking for trouble. We were about 6 kilometers from Ulavi and it looked like we were good to reach Ulavi if we could refill on water. 6 kilometers looked like a maximum of 45 minute effort even if we pushed the cycle. We reached a junction where there was 2 roads and we did not know which route to take. There were a couple of houses to the left and I rode towards them to enquire about the route. On reaching the house, it turned out to be the Shivpur Matt and we were asked to come in and have water before proceeding. I was relieved that we could refill on water and just as we stepped in the Matt Seer came and told us to have lunch before going to Ulavi. We were more than happy and we freshened up and went in to have lunch. We had a sumptuous meal, refilled on water and rested for some time.

The Seer told us that a jeep had come from Ulavi and that he would request them to drop us at Ulavi, however, we told him that we would go by ourselves. We were told that there are 2 routes a 10 kilometer one and a 6 kilometer one and given directions to both. Further, we were told that it is very steep and riding would be very difficult as there is an elevation gain of 600 meters in 6 kilometers. Suddenly, the enormity of the task that lay ahead of us sank in. We knew that we would not be able to make it to Sykes Point and would barely be able to get to Dandeli. We revised our plans and started on the journey to Ulavi.

We pushed the cycle till we reached the junction for the 10 kilometer and 6 kilometer route. We opted for the 6 kilometer route although we knew that it would be steeper, however pushing the cycle up a few slopes will be quicker than riding on loose soil roads. At the same time that we were taking the 6 kilometer route, we came across a family on a bike, Father, Mother and 9 year old kid. They had taken the 10 kilometer route and seeing that the road was in bad condition had come back. We told them that we were taking the 6 kilometer route but it is very steep and that they should continue on the 10 kilometer route as it would be easier as they were on a bike. However, they said that the 10 kilometer route is very bad and would take the 6 kilometer route.

We rode a bit, pushed a lot and made slow progress. We kept coming across the family on bike at junctions where there were more than one route options and speculated on the route. We were either helped by a person coming from the opposite direction or we had to venture into the estates and ask around from the people at the house. The Thumb rule was that we had to take the route which is climbing up. As the day wore on the progress was becoming very slow as the climbs did not abate and they were very steep. It was as good as doing a trek with a cycle. Being surrounded by forest/estate gave us a bit of a breather as there was sufficient shade, however climbing up had got the heart pumping and the body temperature up. We had completed almost 4 of the 6 kilometers when we saw the family coming back saying that the road is very bad and that they could not ride and they had decided to return. We convinced them saying that we were almost there and that we probably had just a couple of climbs left. We told them that returning would be difficult and it was easier to finish the remaining distance.

It was as good as a trek for the mother and the kid since they had to get off every time the road got steep. On one such occasion the bike got stuck and was not able to make the climb. Rajkumar had gone ahead and I had to  help by pushing the bike up the slope. It was an activity which drained me out and I was exhausted by the time I got the bike to move out of the place. Had to walk back to the cycle and started to push the cycle. As I got higher I was struggling and taking short intermittent breaks on the climb. Caught up with Rajkumar and told him that we need to take a break. Sat for 5 minutes before resuming the trek. Had about a kilometer to go, however the gradient was not letting up. The legs were feeling the effect and I felt a slight cramp in my left achilles. Rotated the ankle a bit, stretched and the cramp was gone or rather controlled for the time being. The relentless trekking was finally yielding results, we were getting close to the road, however we still had a final climb to get through. I was very tired and had hit the wall. I would have loved to stay at Ulavi for the day to rest and then start the next day. The thought did hit that we should rest, however I said that I would take a call on reaching Ulavi.

We had made it to the top. The family was waiting and they thanked us for the help and headed to Ulavi. I pushed the cycle off the trail and got onto the road. Just as I set foot on the road the cramp struck again. The exercise routine did not work and being the exact location which has been operated all the alarm bells were ringing. I sat down and slowly massaged the spot and in a few minutes the cramp was gone. I got up and walked a bit and was feeling fine. Got back on the cycle and rode to Ulavi and visited the temple. It was 3:30 pm when we reached the temple.

A quick visit to the temple and then refilled on water as nothing was available ahead and we were on our way. Rajkumar rode quickly, however I was slow of the blocks. I was still feeling the effects of the trek and was worried about the leg. There was a small climb and by the time I got up Rajkumar was waiting and he said that we need to ride quick since Syntheri rocks closes at 5:00 pm. It was 4:15 pm and we had about 15 kilometers to go. At the same time he realised that he had kept his front light at the temple and forgotten to take it, as we did not have time we could not go back and also the fact that there were many people at the temple gave us very little probability of getting the light if we went back.

With time being a constraint, I had no option but to pedal as quickly as possible. It helped that we had long downhill's and rolling terrain and a climb just before getting to Syntheri Rocks. However, I was feeling very stressed, equipment damage, body damage and now there was time pressure as well. We had entered a tiger reserve, however my thoughts were never about being in a forest and that there could be animals around, it was only about making it to Syntheri Rocks in time.

We made it to Syntheri Rocks at 4:58 pm. The forest guard told us that they could not allow us through as it was late. Rajkumar requested them saying that we have come all the way from Bangalore for this and would not be around the next day. The forest guards allowed us to pass, but told us to get back quickly. We were happy to have been allowed through and rode on the trail to get to Syntheri Rocks. 5 minutes later we were at Syntheri rocks. Looked at the river flow down and the caves formed on the other side and bee hives and took pics. I was not too happy with the place as there was a foul smell around and did not enjoy it too much. Climbed back up to the cycles and then rode on the trail to make it back to the road. Took a small break for 10 minutes before resuming.

It was rolling terrain and we were making good time. We even managed to overtake a couple of tractors ferrying devotees from Ulavi and got to the climb to get to Patoli cross. The climb was slow and I also realised that I was low on energy and needed to eat something quickly. We were under 15 kilometers to Dandeli, but I needed to make a stop. Knew that nothing would be available till Patoli cross as we were in the tiger reserve and wanted to make it out as soon as possible. It was a fight again although it was slightly easier now as the Sun had gone down and the adrenaline was pumping after a couple of exhilarating downhill's.

I was happy to see the forest check post and further there was a shop as well just after the check post. We stopped and enquired about what is available to eat. We were told that nothing is available and that we should ride a further 2 kilometers where we will get food. We got onto the cycles and rode the 2 kilometers and reached the next village and we got the same reply, that there is nothing to eat. However, we were told that we were only 8 kilometers from Dandeli and it was downhill all the way and that we would be in Dandeli in 20 minutes. I popped a candy which I had saved for this kind of a situation and got back on the saddle. It was downhill and we were flying in the dark. In the next 20 minutes we were crossing over the Kali river bridge and made it to Dandeli. A further 5 minute ride and we were at a bakery in town eating up.

Rajkumar was busy on the phone speaking to his friend who resides at Dandeli but was not in town enquiring about places to stay. It took a good 30 minutes before another common acquaintance came by and took us to a lodge. There was a confusion about whether we can stay at the friend's house or at a lodge and finally settled at the lodge. It took a while and it was a tiring wait, I was relieved that we were in the lodge and freshened up. The shower did a world of good and I was able to head out for dinner which was a North Karnataka meal and then headed back for a much needed rest.

Distance wise it was the shortest ride till now, however it was a very tiring day and a lot of energy had been expended. We were behind schedule as well. We should have been in Panjim by the end of the day, however we were still in Dandeli. We had to re-plan the schedule as we had fallen behind. As we wanted to cover Goa and were short on time, we had to get to Panjim by the end of tomorrow. However, doing this seemed to be impossible if we visited Dudh Sagar waterfalls. If we visited the falls then we would have to ride about 60 kilometers at 7:00 pm and I did recommend dropping the place so that we could get to Panjim. The plan had changed to covering North Goa on moped and then riding South the next day.

Day 6: Dandeli - Movalangi Falls - Supa Dam - Castlerock - Collem (Dudhsagar Falls) - Mollem:

Date: 30 March 2017

Total distance: 108 Kilometers

Start Time: 7:00 am

End Time:  15:15 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Dandeli - Movalangi Falls - Supa Dam - Castlerock - Collem (Dudhsagar Falls)

It was a new day and with our batteries re-charged the plan had changed again. Rajkumar said that we would visit Dudh Sagar falls and that we would stay back at Mollem if it got late in the evening. The plan was to ride to the Kali bridge, then ride to Movalangi Falls, Supa Dam and then to Castle Rock from where there is a route to Dudh Sagar Falls. There had been varied stories about the route to Dudh Sagar falls and that the routes from Karnataka are not available. There is only one route which is to ride to Collem in Goa and then go to Dudh Sagar Falls. The train track route from Karnataka is banned and so is any other route option from Karnataka. We decided that we would ride to Castle Rock and then see if any options were available.

Although 6:00 am would have been ideal to start the day so as to visit Dudh Sagar falls, we were able to start only at 7:00 am. We went to the Kali river and as we clicked pics Rajkumar's friend Yogesh was back in Dandeli and came to meet us. Spoke for a while and then headed back to the lodge to have breakfast where Yogesh explained the route to Supa Dam and Castle Rock. We thanked him for arranging the lodge and the route map and bid him good bye after breakfast.

We rode out of town and within a few kilometers turned towards Moovalangi Eco Park. The Eco Park is a new development and we had reached even before the place was open. However being on cycles we were able to push the cycles in a gap between the fence and gate and made our way in. It was a view of the Kali river again and the view of the rocks in the river was not visible as the water had submerged the rocks.

We started from Moovalangi falls, got back on the highway and rode towards Supa Dam. We had good roads and finally we had left the bad roads behind or so it seemed. It was a good road but we had a little bit of climbing to do to get up to Supa Dam at Ganeshgudi. The cycle had begun to show signs of wear and the chain had begun to slip. There were a few gear options that I could not use and it was imperative that I move into the right gear before hand as shifting had become a problem. The chain had slipped off the ring on a couple of occasions as well. Although I hoped that the chain would survive for the trip, I knew that it was asking for too much as we still have over 300 kilometers remaining.

Just as I had begun to like the road, we came across road work again and the ride slowed down. As we got closer to Ganeshgudi the road was being re-laid and there was just loose rock on the surface which made cycling very difficult and with the chain slipping I did not have an option but to get down and push. We pushed the cycles past the road work section and then made it to the turn to Supa Dam. We rode down and reached the Supa Dam where a clear view of the dam is not visible as it is hidden behind the hill. We saw the Kali river flowing and got back on the saddle to head to Castle Rock.

Just as we made it back to the highway, we realised that we had to refill on water. There was no options available for the next 12 kilometers, so we were forced to ride into the KPTCL township and refill water and gulp down a bottle of pepsi. We made it back to the highway and then rode steadily towards Castle Rock. I came across a person on the bike and enquired about the route to Castlerock. He confirmed that the route is only from Goa and that if we wanted to do it from Castle Rock, then we had to get onto the train and go to the falls which required that we speak to the train driver and request him to take us to the falls. When Rajkumar came by I told him about the conversation that I had, however he was adamant that there is a route from Castle Rock and that we would be able to go to Dudh Sagar.

We took a turn towards Dudh Sagar from the highway. We were 20 kilometers from Dudh Sagar and surprisingly even though it was an interior road it was in good condition. The chain had begun to slip pretty badly whenever I was in the middle chain ring and I had to avoid riding in the middle chain ring which necessitated a lot of shifting when riding to get to the right gear combination. We made quick progress as it was rolling terrain with the downhill's outnumbering the climbs. Just before entering Castlerock there is a board which says Dudh Sagar 15 kilometers and we had to take a left. However, there was a forest gate right there and it was closed. The forest guard straight out denied permission to cross the gate. He said that if we wanted to go to Dudh Sagar we have to go from Mollem-Collem. We hung around and tried to request him, Rajkumar made every effort to get him to allow us. Finally, when the initial sternness melted and the guy got talking, he said that even if he allows us through there is another gate 12 kilometers away and that we would not be allowed inside that gate without permission from the forest department. He said that if he allows us through, then we would unnecessarily have to ride 12 kilometers to and fro and it would be a wasted effort. Meanwhile another ranger came by and said that if we could get permission from the forest office then we would be allowed to pass. However, the directions to the forest office were confusing and I realised that the office was not close by. Further, after my experience with the forest office for the Mullayangiri Trek I knew that even if we were given permission it would take a couple of hours minimum with preparing the application and then getting the required signatures. We were given another piece of information, that the route leads to the top of Dudh Sagar falls and not below and that we would not be able to cross the river to go into Goa. Further, even if we did manage to cross the river we would not be allowed to pass by the Goa Forest authorities as we do not have permission from the Goa Authorities. That sealed the deal, the route was ruled out.

We decided that we would try the train option. We headed to the railway station and the route that we had taken took us to the back entrance of the railway station. Two school boys had also come by and were enquiring about the ride and walking with us. When we got to the railway tracks, we came across a signal staff and enquired with him about going to Dudh Sagar. He said that we should get onto the train and get off at Castle Rock station. He said that there is a train which is about to leave and that we should leave our cycles and get on the train immediately since he had already given the green signal. The place was not safe to park our cycles, we had to carry the cycles on the over bridge, then ride across the bridge and then head down with the constant shouting of the kids that we should be fast since the train was about to leave. The noise being made by the kids was drawing a lot of attention and I was getting angry and tried to tell them to keep quiet. Just as we got to the station entrance the train left. We were just a minute late, if not we could have boarded the train.

Rajkumar went into the station to enquire about the next train. He came out and said that there is no train till 4:30 pm in the evening. However, we should ride to Mollem, then to Collem from where private transport is available to go to the falls. We have to take the private transport as no other means of transport is allowed at the falls. So it was decided, we would ride to Mollem, then get a lodge and leave our luggage and then take a vehicle to get to Collem and then use the private transport to get to Dudh Sagar Falls. We would stay back at Mollem for the night.

We started the ride from Castlerock and rode towards Anmod. In about 10 kilometers we were back on the highway and within a couple of kilometers we stopped at Anmod to have lunch. We had a vegetarian meal and juice and got back on the saddle.

A little bit of a climb before hitting the Anmod Ghat. It is supposed to be a downhill ghat, however it does not start immediately and we had to pedal a few kilometers before the downhill finally started. We rode carefully as there was a lot of truck traffic. Within a few kilometers we entered Goa and stopped to take pics at the border.

When we resumed the ride, although we could see the valley there was no clear view. We could not stop, however, we were looking for opportunities to click a pic of the valley which resulted in a slight reduction in speed on the downhill. A few more kilometers and then the view opened up. We stopped at the view point and took  a few pics. Hearing us converse in kannada, 3 tourists from Karnataka enquired about our ride and asked about where we were headed. We told them that we were going to Dudh Sagar Falls to which they seemed puzzled since they were also heading to Dudh Sagar Falls but we were both going in opposite directions. We got to know that they had overshot the turn to Dudh Sagar in Goa and were headed back to Karnataka and told them that they cannot go from Karnataka. We told them that we had just tried and not been allowed. We got back on the saddles and made quick work of the remaining downhill.

We reached Mollem and enquired about lodging and if transport is available to go to Collem. They said that there is no transport and said that if we were planning to go to Dudh Sagar Falls then we must rush since the last jeep leaves from Collem at 3:30 pm. It was 3:00 pm and we rode quickly to get to Collem. Mid-way through we saw the tourists in their car heading to Dudh Sagar Falls. We reached Collem at 3:15 pm and enquired about lodging, the rates were high, so without opting for lodging, we parked the cycles in a house and then headed to the taxi stand. Collem has a lot of paid parking options and we opted to leave the cycles at one of them. We took a spare set of clothes to get into the water at Dudh Sagar.

We went to the taxi stand and met the same tourists. A jeep requires a minimum of 7 people, 2 of us along with the 3 guys made 5 and fortunately there were 2 others waiting. So we had the 7 required people. We had to pay Rs 400 per head for the jeep. Then we were taken to a counter where we had to pay Rs 30 per life jacket. We got into the jeep and within half a kilometer, forest entry fee of Rs 20 per head had to be paid. Then started a roller coaster drive through the forest and after passing through water and weaving past the curves on a forest trail we were dropped off at the end of the road. We had to walk about 200 meters from where we saw the falls for the first time. Although it was not in its full glory, there was still water and the falls looked good. Took a few pics and then headed closer to the falls.

As we got closer we saw a pretty huge gathering of people near the falls and everyone was in the water. We clicked a few pics and then got into the water. Rajkumar was having a blast as he headed under the falls. Not knowing swimming I did not want to risk it and stood around at the shallow end of the water. After a good hour spent at the falls we were told that it is closing time and the life guards signaled that we had to get going. We changed and headed back to the jeep.

When we reached Collem, we checked for lodging options, however, cheaper options were not available. Although I was already in shut down mode we decided to ride to Mollem and stay there for the night. The ride to Mollem was not taxing and before we knew it we were in the lodge. Moreover, we had time at hand and did not have to rush to have dinner. We relaxed for some time and then headed out for dinner. After an average meal we headed back to the lodge to crash.

Day 7: Mollem - Old Goa - Panaji:

Date: 31 March 2017

Total distance: 58 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:45 am

End Time:  11:00 am

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Mollem - Old Goa - Panaji

We were edging closer to the finish but we were a long way from the original plan. We were a day behind schedule and we could not extend the tour on account of work commitments. We had to be back on 3 April 2017 and we still had about 500 kilometers to cover in 3 days. Not much if we only ride, however covering this distance while visiting places was going to be difficult. Because of the time constraint we had decided to drop plans to ride to Murudeshwar and Udupi and cover these places on a subsequent tour. Further, North Goa was going to be done on a moped to save us time. We could either ride to North Goa and see a couple of beaches or use a moped and see the entire coastline of North Goa. We opted to ride a moped which meant that we had to ride only 60 kilometers for the day with a stop at Old Goa to visit the churches.

We started the ride at 6:45 am and I was reminded that the chain is not in good health very early when the chain slipped. I tried to be as careful as possible as riding was becoming difficult. The traffic began to increase as we got close to Ponda. Along with traffic there was a climb as well to Ponda. I got caught out in the wrong gear in one of the climbs and getting into the right gear with traffic behind was a stressful situation. Moved over to the side of the road and got the cycle into the right gear before resuming.

Things got easier after we got past Ponda. It was largely flat terrain and we made good time here. About 10 kilometers after Ponda we could see the tower of the Basilica of Bom Jesus and when we got closer we had to cross the road and head towards Old Goa. We parked our cycles outside the Basilica, paid Rs 160 to the vendor outside to look after the cycles and our bags and started our Old Goa tour.

We made our way to the Basilica and noticed that we were early as the mass was going on. We had to tip toe around the church without making noise or distracting the devotees.

The visit to the Basilica was followed by the visit to the Se Cathedral, Church of St Francis Assissi and the Chapel of St Catherine. Mass was going on in the Se Cathedral and we were requested not to take any pics inside the church. As it was early there were very few tourists, however it was quite a walk around the church complexes and time was ticking. As it was breakfast time we headed to a restaurant and had breakfast.

After breakfast we collected our bags from the vendor and then hopped onto the cycle and headed towards the St Augustine Tower. We were at the tower in 5 minutes and a quick pic later and we were on our way to Panjim. We had expected to reach Panjim by 10:00 am, however the clock was ticking towards 11:00 am and we were still 10 kilometers from Panjim. We rode quickly and entered Panjim. A search for accommodation ensued and we saw a range of places from cheap to expensive before settling on a basic room as we would not be spending time in the room. I had a long walk around Panjim in search of an ATM as we were out of cash and took almost 20 minutes to get to an ATM. Got back as quickly as possible and then quickly freshened up.

By the time we got ourselves a two-wheeler, filled fuel and started from Panjim it was 12:30 pm. We were behind schedule and were racing against the clock. We rode on a crowded highway assuming that it would be quicker than to ride on interior roads. After about 20 kilometers on the highway we took the interior road and headed to Arambol beach. Our tour of North Goa beaches started at Arambol beach.

We spent some time at Arambol beach as it was not very crowded. It was a clean beach as well. A small walk on the beach and we were back on the moped. On our way to Morjim beach we came across Ashvem beach, which looked beautiful. As it was right beside the road, we were able to see this beach as well. We rode on towards Morjim beach. When we reached Morjim it was 2:45 pm and we were struggling on the time front. Our next stop was the Chapora Fort and since it involved a little walking we opted to have lunch. A quick lunch at a shack on Morjim beach and we were on our way to Chapora fort.

When we reached Chapora Fort what lay ahead was a steep walk up the hill. It was not something that I had budgeted for. However, we had to do it and do it quickly. We walked up to see a fort which is in ruins as it has not been maintained and looks like it has become a tourist spot only after being shot in a Bollywood movie. We looked at the Chapora River join the Arabian Sea from the fort and also saw the Vagator beach from the fort. As we did not have time to go to Vagator beach, the view from Chapora Fort was what we had to make do with.

We came down quickly and rode quickly to Anjuna beach. A quick 5 minute visit to Anjuna and we were back on the moped and riding towards Fort Aguada. I wanted to get to Fort Aguada before closing time and as the clock was ticking towards 5:00 pm we needed to hurry. We did make it to Fort Aguada 10 minutes before 5:00 pm and got to know that the closing time is 5:30 pm. Anyways, we had made it in time and a walk around the Fort and the view of the Arabian Sea later we were back on the moped to go back towards the beaches.

We went to Calangute beach and saw a beach in stark contrast to the beaches that we had seen earlier. This beach was crowded and we had to look for the beach in between people. It was a sea of people and was not impressive at all. We started walking on the beach and after walking for about half a kilometer we were able to find an empty area on the beach. We were in between Calungute and Baga. If we had walked a further 200 meters we would have been in Baga and back to another crowded area. We stood around and watched the Sunset.

When the Sun had gone down, we walked back and headed to Candolim beach. I was disappointed to see that Candolim has also become crowded. I had expected an empty beach, however the sight of a crowded beach was a letdown. It was almost 7:00 pm and with nothing else to do for the day we headed to a shack to have juice. I sipped on a pineapple milkshake as I watched the waves lash the beach. We sat around till night fall and then headed back to Panjim.

Gave the vehicle back at 8:30 pm. Had a quick dinner and then went to our room and hit the sack.

Day 8: Panjim - Benaulim Beach - Palolem - Ankola:

Date: 1 April 2017

Total distance: 162 Kilometers

Start Time: 6:30 am

End Time:  18:30 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Panjim - Benaulim Beach - Palolem - Ankola

The tour was almost over and our thoughts were already about getting back and about how we would miss riding the cycle in the next couple of days. The plan for the day was to ride on the interior roads in South Goa and trace the coast line to the Karnataka Border and then end the days ride at Karwar. It was approximately a 140 kilometer ride for the day with a visit to 2 beaches only so that we could spend some time at the beaches rather than making a splash and dash like we had done yesterday. We got ready and started the ride at 6:30 am.

The initial part of the ride from Panjim till Verna was going to be on the highway. It was early morning and we did not have any traffic issues. We made it out of Panjim city and started a couple of long climbs to get out of the outskirts. I saw a few Goan cyclists doing their morning rides. We came across the bridge on the Zuari River and stopped to click a few pics. Although the traffic had been less in the morning the minute we got onto the bridge the traffic increased and there was a continuous stream of traffic.

We got off the bridge and had to ride on a highway on which traffic was becoming heavy. I was happy when we got to Verna and had to get off the highway and get onto the interior roads. We hit the road which runs just beside the coastline, however the Sea is not visible as we had to go in a further kilometer to hit the beach. I had thought of going to Colva beach, however considering that Colva is a mini Calangute I preferred to avoid this beach and go to the Benaulim beach instead which is adjacent to Colva. Just as we were reaching Colva, we met Daniel a rider for the Spectrum Racing Team who was preparing for their race in Thailand which was coming up in three weeks time. He spoke and told us that it was good that we are staying off the highway and bid goodbye and disappeared within a couple of minutes. We continued at our pace and in the next 20 minutes we had reached the turn to Benaulim Beach. As it was breakfast time, we stopped at a hotel to fill ourselves up first.

After breakfast we hopped onto the cycles and rode towards the beach. It took all of 5 minutes to get on the beach. As it was still early we were able to carry the cycles onto the beach. Surprisingly we were not the only cyclists on the beach, there were 4 others as well. We carried the cycle to where the sand is hard and started riding on the beach. Every time the water came close we would ride away from the water just like how the birds which were hunting for crabs were doing. We had the birds for company along the beach. We rode from Benaulim Beach to Varca Beach before getting back on the road. We could have ridden along the beach, however considering that our speed would be way lesser we had to get back on the road.

The ride from Varca towards Palolem required that we get inland so that we could cross the Sal river before heading back towards the coast. After we crossed the bridge the terrain changed from being surrounded by old goan houses and estates to being surrounded by hills. Where there are hills there is climbing to be done. The climbs started and it was not something that I was enjoying as the chain ring was slipping as soon I put any sort of load on it. I was trying hard to get into the right gear and as a result could not enjoy the view as much as I would have if the chain was functioning well. As we got closer to Agonda the climb kept getting steeper and steeper. As we got closer to the peak it was very steep and required a herculean effort to get us to the top. The sight of a person on a motorbike switch off his engine when he got the top gave the indication that we had made it to the top and it was downhill from here. We stopped for a breather.

We rode into Palolem and before hitting the beach stopped for lunch. When we are riding we do not feel the effects of the ride, however a stop makes us realise how tired we are. Washing the face feels refreshing and as we sat under the fan we got to know that it is pretty hot out there. We had a vegetarian meal along with lime soda and mango juice before heading to the beach. We had reached earlier than expected and were scheduled to reach Karwar by 4:00 pm. As we would have time on hand, we decided to ride to Ankola which is 30 kilometers from Karwar as it would reduce the distance for the last day. Since the plan was to ride to Ankola, we still had over 60 kilometers to cover. As there was a fair amount of cycling to be done I did not want to get into shut down mode and opted not to get into the water. Getting into the water would effectively put me in relaxed/lazy mode and would result in a me looking for reasons to stay on at Palolem. Further lugging around wet clothes would also add to weight on my back, especially with riding in the afternoon Sun still pending. Rajkumar got into the water and swam around for about 30 minutes while I sat guard of our bags and electronic equipment.

I refilled water and we were set to go. We got back on the saddle and started the ride towards Karwar. We had gotten back on the highway as we would need to hunt for a boat to cross the Galgibag river if we had continued on the interior road. The initial part of the ride was good since we were passing through Goan villages which had a good tree cover. As we got closer to the Karnataka border we passed through the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and when we made it past this section the tree cover was over. There was a section before the wildlife reserve also with no tree cover. The ride in the Sun had left me thirsty and wanting to drink juice. I had water, however the temptation to have juice was beginning to take over the mind. Unfortunately all the shops on the highway were closed, I do not know why they were closed, but the sight of downed shutters was disappointing. We were 8 kilometers from Karwar when we saw a sugar cane juice vendor. We stopped and saw that there was ice cream and cold drinks as well. We had Sugar cane juice, Kulfi and Pepsi before resuming the ride.

The border was just a kilometer away and we crossed over immediately into Karnataka. We were welcomed by 'road work'. The place seemed to be very different and I could not identify the places that I had passed through the last time. Majali seemed to be very different. And as we entered Karwar, the compound of the Naval War Museum had vanished and looked like the road has been extended into the Museum. We saw the Karwar Beach from the road as we rode past it.

We had to negotiate a couple of climbs just as we exited Karwar and as soon as were done we had seen the last view of the Sea for the day. The Sun was beginning to ease up on the heat factor which helped in the riding. We were riding steadily in largely rolling terrain. We passed by the Naval base and stopped when we saw a cricket match being played. It was a tennis ball tournament and pandals had been set up around the ground and there was commentary as well. We watched for sometime before resuming the ride. As we got closer to Ankola I was feeling hungry. With no shops around to stop, I pushed ahead and when the shops did arrive we were pretty close to Ankola, therefore did not stop. It was just beyond 6 pm when we reached the outskirts of Ankola and when we went to the hotel, it was the same hotel that I had stayed in on my previous ride.

Freshened up, had dinner, went for a walk and then got back and crashed. The sleep time had changed from 11:00 pm to 9:00 pm and the waking up time had changed from7:00 am to 5:30-6:00 am. Catching up on sleep had taken precedence over watching TV or speaking to family.

Day 9: Ankola - Gokarna - Kumta:

Date: 2 April 2017

Total distance: 68 Kilometers

Start Time: 7:00 am

End Time:  13:45 pm

With: Rajkumar Khot

Altitude Profile:
Ankola - Gokarna - Kumta

The last day was upon us. The plan was to ride from Ankola to Gokarna, then to Yana and then ride to Kumta where we would end the ride. We had booked the 8:00 pm bus from Kumta to Bangalore. The total estimated ride distance for the day was a little over 100 kilometers and looked easy.

We started the day at 7:00 am. A 30 minute delay from our usual starting time. Within half an hour of riding we were near the Gangavali river and on crossing the river we were at the junction where the right goes to Gokarna and the left to Yana. We took the right and rode steadily to make it to Gokarna. I missed the turn to Om Beach and had made my way into town. Rajkumar caught up with me and told me that we should have gone to Om Beach, however as we were already in town we will go to the temple first and then go to the beaches. The temple was a kilometer away and was easy as it was downhill. We parked the cycles and went into the temple. Gave the luggage at the luggage counter and went in for the darshan. We had to take off our t-shirts as clothing on the torso is not allowed. We had to stand in a small queue for the darshan and saw rather touched the atmalinga which is buried in the ground.

We came out, got dressed and walked down to the Gokarna beach. A quick visit and we went to a hotel for breakfast. We started the ride to Om and Kudle beach after breakfast. We had to cross a hill to get to the beaches. The climb was slow as it was steep before the gradient evened out. We passed by a place claiming to be the Hanuman Janma Bhoomi, however we did not stop here and headed straight for the beaches. In a short while we had reached the peak and saw the Kudle beach from the peak. The beach looked clean from afar and the view was beautiful.

We rode downhill and then had to descend a short flight of steps to get to Om Beach. We parked the cycles near the steps and while we were getting down we were able to see the natural Om formed on the beach. The beach as such was disappointing as it was not very clean, I had expected clean beaches in Gokarna, however was disappointed with the beaches here.

We walked back up to the cycles. The Sun was belting down and was beginning to tire me out. We had to make it up to the peak before thinking of picking up any sort of pace on this ride. The ride to the peak as expected was slow and then we started a quick descent. When we got back to town we did not stop, we continued the ride towards the highway. On the way to the highway Rajkumar got a call and had fallen behind. When I was almost at the highway with no sight of Rajkumar, I made a stop to refill water and have juice. I had emptied out a litre of water in under 10 kilometers. Consumption was high as the temperatures were soaring. Rajkumar came by in 5 minutes and refilled his water bottles and had juice. We got into a conversation with the shop keeper and a customer and got to know that the route which we had planned to take to Yana involved a lot of climbing and the road was also not in great shape. They advised us to go by the highway and then take the left just before Kumta as it would lead right up to the Yana caves, also the gradient was easier by this route. As climbing was difficult for me with the chain badly worn out, I was all for the highway route and Rajkumar also agreed. We started the ride and within 200 meters the customer at the shop came by and handed over Rajkumar's bottles which he had left behind at the shop.

We got onto the highway and rode towards Kumta. Road work is in process, however the road is in good condition, just that we had to alternate between lanes due to the work. The time had already ticked to 12:00 pm and we were nearing Kumta and had not seen the left turn to Yana. We stopped at a bus stand to check google maps for directions. We confirmed that the turn was still ahead and restarted the ride. We had just begun when Rajkumar had a flat in the rear wheel. We went back to the bus stop and got down to fixing the flat. Rajkumar quickly removed the wheel and got the tube out. The air nozzle had come out of the tube resulting in the puncture. The new tube was fixed, air pumped and we were back. We had taken about 15 minutes. The puncture was not bad, what happened after was worse. When Rajkumar tried riding there was a marked wobble in the tire. Riding was very uncomfortable. We stopped again and saw that the tire was inflated unevenly. We reduced the air and pumped the tire again. Removed and refitted the wheel, however it did not work. Not only did it not work, but it was a further 15 minutes lost and more than the time it was the loss in energy that was worrying. We restarted the ride and Rajkumar was having an uncomfortable ride. The clock had ticked to 1:00 pm and we were beginning to fall behind.

We made it to the turn to Yana and started the climb immediately. No sooner had we started the climb we had to stop as the rear wheel in Rajkumar's cycle was out of air. We pumped air and got to know that there is another puncture. This was just not our day. We considered our options and I recommended that we should head to Kumta which is just 5 kilometers away and stop the ride for the day. We could get into a bus and go to Yana and return in time for the night bus if time permitted. Rajkumar also agreed. We had lost a lot of time and we did not know the gradient of the road that lay ahead. There were doubts about us making it back in time if we continued riding. We pumped a little air hoping that it would be sufficient to get us to Kumta, however we were back on the side of the road in 2 minutes as we had to fix the puncture.

15 minutes later, we had replaced the tube and pumped air and were on our way. This time the tire was inflated properly and Rajkumar was able to ride comfortably. We reached Kumta, checked into a lodge, freshened up and then headed to the bus stand. It was 2:30 pm. We were told that the next bus to Yana is at 4:30 pm and we will not be able to see the place if we go by that bus. Further, if we wanted to go to Yana we had to take private transport. We were disappointed and headed out to have lunch. I was not too worried as I was fine with not going to Yana, however Rajkumar did not want to miss out and it would be a long detour if he had to come back to this place. We had lunch and enquired with a taxi about the rate to go to Yana, he quoted Rs 1,500. We went to the auto stand and enquired about the rate and were quoted - Rs 800. Just the two of us, so we opted for auto and got in.

I was half asleep during the ride to Yana. The effect of the ride was beginning to show. Whenever I opened my eyes I could see that we were going downhill. When we got off the highway to Sirsi, the road became narrow and was rolling terrain and it seemed like it would have been a difficult ask for us to ride to and from Yana and make it in time for the bus from Kumta. The decision to take an auto seemed to be the right one. We reached Yana after a 45 minute auto ride and we got to know that we had to trek 1.5 kilometers to get to the caves. Purchased water, ate a few bananas and we were on our way.

The trek was amidst a lush green forest. We contemplated that the water levels here are good which is the reason for the greenery. Just as we spoke about the water we passed by a stream. Spent some time near the stream and almost slipped and fell into the water as well trying to get a vantage spot to click a pic.

We resumed the walk and within 5 minutes we were at the end of the trail and we had a flight of stairs ahead of us. Walked a few steps to come across the first rock formation, called the Mohini Shikara. The structure was massive, however a clear view was not visible as it was covered by the trees. As we walked higher we came across the second rock formation and this was even bigger than the Mohini Shikara. This structure is named the Bhairaveshwara Shikara.

The Bhairaveshwara Shikara houses a temple and we had to take off our footwear to walk around the rock. There is a gap in the rock and a path has been made through this place. The place is infested by rats and bats and the walk through the place gave a eerie feeling. When we walked out of the path and came around, we got a good view of the Mohini Shikara and we also had background music at this place, the buzzing of bees. This side of the Bhairaveshwara Shikara is filled with beehives and the buzzing is very loud. We were done with the walk around and headed inside to the temple. It is a cave temple which houses a Shiva temple and it is said that the Shiv Ling is self manifested and not installed. The priest gave us a history lesson on the origination of the two rocks and all of us listened intently. Getting the kind of concentration levels in class would have been difficult, however, the priest had everyone's undivided attention.

We came out of the cave and with one eye on the time made our way down the hill. We did sit for sometime near the stream, and then continued down the hill. When we reached the based we ate bananas and drank Jeera Soda and got into the auto. On the return journey we noticed that it was an upward gradient and we reiterated that Yana would be a one day journey exclusively and should not be combined with any other place if we plan to cycle. We knew that if we had attempted to ride to Yana we would have been fighting against the clock to make it in time.

We reached Kumta at 6:45 pm. Spent 30 minutes in the room and then went to the bus stand which was beside the hotel. We had to wait for 30 minutes for the bus to arrive, and requested the driver/conductor to load the cycles. This time they agreed rather easily, however they wanted the pedal to be removed, we had to convince them that it would not do any damage and loaded the cycles. We were in the bus with the cycles loaded at 8:10 pm and our return journey to Bangalore started. Reached Bangalore at 7:00 am next day and pedaled back home from Majestic.

Trip Summary:

A long arduous tour in which we have covered a lot of places. Although the average distance per day for the trip is only 132 kms, as we covered a minimum of 3 places at least everyday this was quite a distance. There were times that we felt that we had been slow and could have been quicker, however any quicker and we would not have been able to enjoy the places and this would have turned into a cycle ride in which covering distance would have been the sole purpose.

We did have equipment failure like the carrier clamp breaking and the chain not holding up and the cycle becoming increasingly difficult to handle, however we overcame these hurdles and did not allow these to stall the trip.

We went across 15 rivers, umpteen forests, bad roads, non-existent roads, roads which did not show up on Google Maps and rode rough shod across all the roads under stressful conditions and still managed to enjoy the ride. Almost all the days finished after sunset except for the ride to Panjim and the ride to Kumta. I enjoyed watching beautiful sunsets on all the days and would have liked to see the Sun rise as well except that on most of the days it was cloudy and I could see the Sun emerging from behind the clouds only after it had risen.

The Goa experience was different from the previous ride as I saw new beaches and the beaches were not crowded or dirty and looked beautiful. Every beach was worth spending time at except for the beaches at Baga, Calangute and Candolim which seems to attract all the crowd.

The ride has tested me physically and mentally especially in the forest when I was trekking to get to Ulavi and then had to ride to Syntheri Rocks under time pressure even though I was physically exhausted. I had expected the ride to Kodai-Munnar to be more testing, however this route although did not involve as much climbing was more difficult as we were on bad roads and the temperature also had its say in making things difficult especially when we were near the coast.

We have completed another trip and this trip has gone well and it has helped create a whole lot of unforgettable memories again. Giving myself a week off before I get back on the saddle and the cycle a much needed service and rest.

Day	From	To	Distance	Ride Time (hrs)	Total Time (hrs)	Avg Speed	Elevation Gain (mtrs)
1	Bangalore	Tarikere	250	11.75	14.25	21.28	1,061
2	Tarikere	Thirthahalli	139	8.50	13.50	16.35	1,357
3	Thirthahalli	Siddapur	147	9.00	12.00	16.33	1,670
4	Siddapur	Yellapur	149	9.00	12.75	16.56	1,917
5	Yellapur	Dandeli	103	9.25	12.75	11.14	2,145
6	Dandeli	Mollem	114	6.50	8.75	17.54	1,471
7	Mollem	Panjim	58	2.75	4.50	21.09	398
8	Panjim	Ankola	162	9.25	11.50	17.51	1,102
9	Ankola	Kumta	68	4.00	6.75	17.00	601
	Total		1,190	70.00	96.75	17.00	11,722