GOA - Holiday round the year
 

I bought my Suzuki Samurai in Feb, 2002. Since then I was planning a long trip to test its caliber and also to satisfy my desire to go as far as I can in one single go.Finally me and my buddy Sheen� who is also a bike enthusiast decided to make a trip to Goa during the Diwali time. The plan of Goa in Sheen�s mind came just a day before. Earlier we had planned for Mahableshwar as it was somewhere around 270 km from New Bombay and easily reachable against Goa which stands at 600 km plus. The things were set for Mahableshwar when suddenly a day before on afternoon of 8^th Nov, 2002, Sheen rang me in my company to check for the route to Goa on internet.

I checked out instantly and traced the route with the rider�s feedbacks and all. Finally I came to know that it is one of the finest roads in India. Then I checked the Oil and petrol levels after leaving from the office that day of my newly serviced bike. Now the table was set for the GOA trip. WE carefully scanned the Maps before going to bed that night. Sheen was not well a bit arousing the worries but he managed his health and was finally snoring after 11 pm.
 

We got up at 4:30 in the morning and after completing the morning rituals, we hit the road at 5:30 am. We have not seen the road so the target was to go steady at 60 and cover as much distance as we can at one go. I was on the driver�s seat with driving gloves; my Studd�s jade and wind cheater to avoid the early morning chilly winds.  We drove at steady 60 till we crossed Panvel. Later we decided to test the capacity of bike so that we can cover a fair distance by noon. I pulled the accelerator to reach 75-80 KMPH on criss cross road. The road was superb and one of the best I have seen in my life. The only problem was the rushing vehicles and ST buses and the highway comprises of many blind turns. Once you turn after Panvel onto NH17 for Goa, the road becomes a two-lane highway, which is well maintained but with its fair shares of fast corners. NH17 passes through forested roads, Karnala Bird Sanctuary and Pen where the road splits in two. The entire run from Pen to Mahad runs south in an almost straight line After Poladpur, NH17 changes districts as it crosses over from Raigadh to Ratnagiri.

We took our first halt at poladpur we its advisable to avoid fatigue. It was a fine morning with bright sunshine and good views all around. The left turn from here takes you to Mahableshwar. We stopped at one fine turn which was providing a spectacular view of Pratapgarh. I checked the odo, it was reading 155 km from the initial point� so 155 km in just 2 hours 30 minutes. After sipping TEA, Sheen took the charge and my bike was again roaring. We reached chiplun at 10:30 am after passing through many ghat sections. It was quite enough for us as we have almost reached the half way in just 5 hours.
 

After that we slowed down a bit took frequent breaks of 5-10 minutes at an interval of 50-60 km. After Chiplun, the drive has a different flavour. Whatever small traffic there was becomes practically non-existent. The drive passes through the quiet little town of Rajapur, a place that I always watch for because it seems to possess a real movie unit location. There is a big mosque that you can see for miles, and a bridge across the river.

From here on in, there are various inviting side roads that can take you to the coast, which isn�t very far. Sindhudurg itself, that great floating fort. The food and quaint charm of Malvan, and the beautiful beach of Tarkarli. After this, the towns pass in quick succession. The road into Sawantwadi, though narrow because of the landowning pattern of the area, is very nice. Trees shade the narrow strip of highway perfectly, and the closely packed fields and groves on either side can make you forget that you are on a prominent national highway.
 

From Sawantwadi, it�s a skip and a jump. Drop one ghat, drive a few  kilometres, and suddenly the green fields and cashew-laden hills of Goa open up before you. We were in GOA , crossed the border at 4:30 pm and touched the Capital Panji at 5:30 pm. So in all it tool 12 hours inclusive of all breaks. The journey was very good and after that we were damn tired� so tired that we even skipped our dinner after checking in into a motel at Panji (too tired to move to restaurant). The journey was really a nice experience. And above all no complaint from my machine; 600 km plus in 12 hours. Cheers to SAMURAI.

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