Cycling by Seashore

               This is an account of my cycle trip along the coast of Maharashtra from Mumbai to Ganpatipule. There were three of us. Kolhatkar who was with us till Shrivardhan and Dhavle and myself cycled till Ganpatipule.


               Main idea behind this trip was to travel very close to seashore. This route has innumerable creeks which often necessitated loading our cycles in small boats used by local people to cross the creek. Many times we had to literally cycle in sand because that was the shortest route. It was tough, mad and unforgettable.

               In spite of all hardships it was a clean travel without anything going wrong very badly. In fact when you are prepared to sleep on road and eat whatever you can get,  nothing much wrong can happen to you because your expectations are already so low.

Photo by Paul Green on Unsplash. Perfectly depicts the romance of an cycle trip.

               There was one scary moment on the road from Dapoli to Dhabhol. Road was going down and Dhavle got a bit carried away and wend down full speed. I was behind him at some distance by now. And then I saw it happening. Suddenly there was a sharp left turn and he could not turn his cycle and there was a deep ravine in front of him. I kept thinking, oh my god he is going to go over that cliff. It was like staring death in face. My hands were already shaking and it took supreme effort to control my nerves and cycle. Luckily he was able to stop his cycle 2,3 feet away from the edge of the cliff.

              Next scare came just before Jaigad. I do not remember the place exactly. Here we got late and had to literally walk last two hours since road was bad and it was pitch dark and cycling was hazardous. It was one of the most isolated road that I have ever traveled on. We did not meet more than five people during those 2 hours and no houses to be seen anywhere.

Beautiful Ganesh Temple and Beach. What a exotic location!!

              The reason I remembered this trip is a documentary I viewed last year. It was about the coast of British isles. It was beautifully made and finely depicted the romance of a seashore. Since then I keep thinking of a similar documentary about Konkan coast. With rich heritage and history coupled with verdant hills and mystical beaches in the nooks and corners of this region I am sure it will be a great experience for the viewers.