From Pune to Goa and back on a Royal Enfield Classic 350! Why? Just to meet parents and spend the weekend with family.
We'd asked you readers to send us your bike reviews and share your experiences. Get Ahead reader Kegan D'souza shares the fun and thrill of his unexpected journey.
It all started as a regular day getting ready for work when all of a sudden my mum who was in Goa with the rest of my family called to check on me and told me that they all are missing me a lot. It was then that I decided to surprise them… the only question was 'how do I reach Goa?'
It was as if like an angel my bike the Royal Enfield Classic 350 smiled at me saying: Ride Me!
At first I was a bit nervous as I had never ever gone for such a long trip all alone and that too on a bike. And to add to the dilemma was the fact of not knowing the route to Goa. But I guess the excitement of being with my family and the adventure of riding my bike gave me the courage to go ahead with the ride. So I packed up a few clothes and the bare essentials in my trusty old backpack, wore my riding gear and locked the house door and got ready to ride, leaving the house at 12:30 in the afternoon wanting to reach my destination as early as possible.
As I started the engine, the roar of it made my heart race and got my adrenaline pumping. Soon it was like magic: the bike's engine beat synchronised with my heartbeat, and so I rode with my cellphone's GPS on and only adventure on my mind.
As I started off towards my first obstacle the Katraj Ghat I realised that I have to fill up fuel and so my first stop about 5km from home was the gas station. I filled my tank full, paid the guy and got ready to ride once again and off I went.
As I cleared the ghat section hoping that my bike doesn't give me any trouble the only thing playing on my mind was what would my Mom say if she knew what I was up to. After the ghats came the best part of the journey the Bombay-Bangalore highway, a beautiful four lane road with nothing but greenery on both sides: The Ideal Road.
As I kept riding not realising that my mobile charge had drained leaving me without a GPS to follow. Luckily the road was well tagged having milestones with directions at regular intervals. As I was nearing Kolhapur around 4 in the evening I started to feel hungry and was on the look out for a place to eat and give my bike and myself some much needed rest as we both were riding continuously for the past 4 1/2 hours. But to add to the fact that I was hungry all the restaurants were closed due to Dusherra festival. So with an empty stomach I continued to ride hoping to find something to eat soon.
Around 5 pm just before Nipani I spotted a small joint and stopped there for lunch. After a good meal and some rest I asked the waiter for directions and continued my adventure. As I neared my next obstacle the Amboli ghat it had started to turn dark and made me wonder if I made the right decision of riding to Goa; nevertheless it was too late to turn back now and I kept riding ahead entertaining myself by singing my favourite songs and pepping myself up for the rest of the journey.
Not to my surprise the Amboli ghat had real bad roads and riding through it and avoiding the potholes as much as I could to avoid a puncture was a task in itself.
But finally after a long stressful part of the ride the sign 'ghat over' made me happy and it's there when I met the 'Yamaha Mission 10000 Riders' who were all regrouping and waving out a me as I passed by acknowledging me as one of them, a 'Rider', it felt real good.
A few kilometres away I had to make a small pit stop to answer nature's call and as the riders I met before passed by the ride captain stopped and asked if I was okay and wanted to join them for the rest of the ride. I accepted the invitation and started riding with them for the last part of the journey, the Sawantwadi ghat, and then into Goa I was at around 8 pm. We had to clear the ghat with lights on. As I rode with the boys from the Yamaha Mission 10000 I learnt a few more safety tips when riding in a group. Thank you Yamaha Mission 10000 riders! As we entered Goa it was around 9 pm and as I bid farewell to my new friends I wished them a safe ride and headed off towards my home and family.
As I reached home my family was down by the poolside and when they saw me they all were excited and awestruck and couldn't believe I made the trip on bike all alone. My older brother was so happy that he congratulated me on my achievement and confessed that 'I am jealous of you' in a loving way. Mum on the other hand had a totally different approach and kept touching me to see if I was really there. All in all it was an excellent ride.
The ride back....
After the long enjoyable ride to Goa and spending a good fun-filled weekend with family there, it was time to head back to my routine life in Pune. This time my family accompanied me in the car as I rode along. But the major dilemma was which route to take. The Gaganbawda and Amboli ghats were only potholes. So the only next option was the Chorla ghat. It was a new road for all of us hence we were a bit reluctant to use it, but after some research and with the help of Google maps we decided to go for it.
And so the journey begins...
After a good night's sleep and a quick check-up of the bike, we left our home in Goa at 6:30 am, heading for Chorla ghat. Our first stop was for fuel not very far from home. As I rode through the village roads of North Goa I was overwhelmed by the amount of cattle on the road due to which I was forced to ride slowly.
The first ghat section was amazing. It was an intoxicating mix of nature's wonders in all its beauty and a really smooth and wide road. To add to the mix was zero traffic.
After this mesmerising ride through the forest the ghat opens up into Belgaum city which was a bit busy but the good roads more than made up for it. This is where I had my second stop and had a nice breakfast of puri bhaji and an exceptionally good coffee. After the 'pet puja' it was time to hit the road once again.
Once out of Belgaum city we hit the Bangalore-Mumbai highway and as before it was a pleasure to ride on.
It was around 2 pm when we stopped for lunch at a McDonald's near Kolhapur, and after a quick bite and a small visit to the men's room I was ready to ride all the way home not knowing what was in store up ahead for me. As I neared Shirval we ran into some rain; this is when Ryan, my brother, called me up and informed me bout the heavy rain on the ghat section. So I handed over my bag to him and for the first time rode without any luggage. At first it felt like something missing but as I got into the riding groove I tackled the ghat as if it was my daily road to work. It was fun but I still missed the Chorla ghat and all its beauty.
It was then it struck me that after a few more kilometers my adventurous road trip will come to an end and that made me sad. At the same time a feeling of pride and self-accomplishment crept in too knowing that I had finished a 1000 km journey all alone on my bike. It was fun and has encouraged me to take some more rides like this one.
Highlights of the ride:
My bike kept up to its tag line 'built like a gun' and didn't give me any trouble throughout the trip
My family acknowledged the fact that I am a rider and can ride long distances
I proved to myself that I can ride long distances
I have a feeling of pride and self-accomplishment which inspired me to write this blog
To finish off, all I can say is that the ride was complete in every way possible and has increased my appetite to ride ten fold.
Will keep on updating this blog with my future ride experiences and hopefully some more pictures too… Until the next ride, keep thumping...
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