After a super duper fun trip trip to malshej just two weeks ago, it was time for yet another un-planned short trip. It all started when I logged into my facebook account on afternoon of 18th September 2010 casually as usual & found a Private message from fellow’ Xbhp’ biker friend Ketan Nikharge.
Our conversation went as follows.
Ketan Nikharge
September 18, 2010
A small ride on Sunday 19th Sept '10
Hello everyone,
I wanted to ride to Kaas this weekend to experience the blooming land but seems can't make it this year. Running out of funds and also no good camera with me to capture the beauty there. Hence have planned a small ride for tomorrow. Details as follows:
Destination: Vardayini/Kansai waterfall.
Date: 19th Sept 2010
Meet up: Panvel McD.
Meet up time: Knowing the punctuality of members over the time, have come up with a time bracket than a fixed time. You are supposed to reach the meet up point anytime between 5.45 am and 6.15 am. Those present there on time will start rolling at sharp 6.15 am. If by any chance you gonna get late then send an sms to any of the members as soon as you leave your home and approximate time you'll take to reach the spot, so that we can wait for some more time(of course only If it's not too much of waiting time). Sorry if I sound rude to anyone. But now a days heat is building up. We need to reach there before it's too hot.
Confirmed members:
Ketan - R15
Umesh - pillion with me
Mandar - ZMA
Approximate distance - 200 - 240 Kms round trip
Total expenses - distance given calculate as per your bike's FE + food.
Others - Carry towels and extra clothes if you want to enjoy the waterfall. Carry your own first aid kit. All documents necessary.
Riding Gears - Since this isn't an official xBhp ride I can't force anyone for wearing full riding gears but ROADS AFTER PANVEL ON NH17 TILL NAGOTHANE ARE VERY VERY DANGEROUS WITH TWO WAY TRAFFIC AND POTHOLES INFESTED. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED YOU WEAR ALL RIDING GEARS though the end decision is left to you. You are at your own risk.
Special mention - There's no food joint near waterfall. If anyone wishes to bring home cooked food then please go ahead we all can munch on it near the fall.
RASH RIDING IS STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED.
Those interested please reply to this message before tonight or leave a confirmation sms on my number i.e ********** (Number not displayed sighting privacy concerns)
Thanks to all. Hope to see you all tomorrow.
DON'T FORGET TO CONFIRM AND WEAR GEARS!
Mitesh Bhadricha
September 18, 2010
Hi Ketan.. Plan sounds pretty fun & I might get along wit a pillion that u r familiar with & 1 more FZs since it is not all gear compulsory ride (although I'll be geared :)) & the other 2 wont be having gears but Helmets+gloves will be there. Will confirm by evening.
PS: My 5 MP Nokia comes handy with decent clicks. :):)
Ketan Nikharge
September 18, 2010
Hi Mitesh,
You are welcome buddy!
Well the riding gear compulsion is compromised just because it's not an official xBhp ride but as I had said it's highly recommended in this or any other ride. Ask them to wear a thick jacket along with gloves and helmet. That's what we call the basic riding gear. Please avoid riding without a jacket. You never know when things can go wrong. :):)
Mitesh Bhadricha
September 18, 2010
Sure.. We'll be in denim jackets. & i kno u mentioned its a non xbhp ride that is why i thought of getting them along, otherwise i never recommend them to any of the xbhp rides. Anyways we all kno safety 1st so no compromise by any of us as far as possible.
Ketan Nikharge
September 18, 2010
Thanks a lot Mitesh ;-);-)
Mitesh Bhadricha
September 18, 2010
ok confirmed.We'll meet you up in around Shivaji Park.Just let us know when and where to meet at Shivaji Park.
Ketan Nikharge
September 18, 2010
Do you know Shivaji Park Ganpati temple? Or Shivaji Park CCD? Or Shivaji Park Barista? Or Shiv Sena Bhawan? Or Hinduja Hospital?
Any of the above mentioned places?
END OF CONVERSATION
We took rest of the confirmations Offline over phone &the meeting place & time was decided.
As soon as I saw the message on FB I messaged Najju if he is interested in joining for the ride & I promptly got a positive reply from him. Percy however denied due to some own issues. My jacket was left with Tushar on our last malshej ride so I had to collect it from him before the ride. I called him up & he was kind enough to come back to dadar at night after office hours just to give me the jacket. Najju & I met Tushar at approximately 9.45 pm at dadar & collected my jacket. We met karan there & did a little TP before i dropped Karan home & on the way he showed me the ganpati temple near shivaji park where we were supposed to meet Ketan next morning. After dropping him home, i rode back to dadar station where Najju & Tushar were waiting for me. Tushar bid us goodbye for the night alongwith his best wishes for our ride & left by 10.45 pm.
Najju & I started our return journey home & as soon as we left dadar, my bike started jerking wildly thus indicating that I was out of petrol. Somehow managed to ride it till elphinstone road where it finally gave up. We inquired about the nearest petrol pump & it was depressing to know that nearest petrol pump was almost 2 kms away on the opposite side in elphinstone east. I & Najju took turns dragging the bike & after about half an hour we finally got the petrol pump we were looking for. My petrol indicator was at blunder since it still displayed 3 bars of petrol even though entire tank was empty. Anyways we got just enough fuel to get back home & refill the whole tank from my regular petrol pump at marine drive. Fuelled up with Rs 500 worth of petrol at my trusted petrol pump & then dropped Najju home. I got back home at around 12.40 am.
I tried to sleep as soon as I got back home but as usual, sleep disorder just before a trip was a common issue for me now. The exhilaration of riding to a new-fangled place with authentic professional riders was mesmerizing my thoughts to the core. Would I be able to cope up with their speeds, would I be able to uphold group riding discipline, would I be able to hang about in formation.. These were just a few of the questions haunting me with just a few hours to go until I could find the answer to all of those questions myself.
I have no idea when i finally slept but I was most certainly awake even at 2.00 am. I had an alarm set for 4.45 am & usually when I set alarms for trips, just 1 ring of alarm in morning & I would be up & running, but it didn’t work for me this time & I don’t know why. Luckily, Najju was on schedule & he persistently kept on calling me & finally I got up at 5.00 am. We were supposed to meet Ketan at shivaji park by 5.30 am so I knew that I was late. I didn’t want to delay any further so I asked najju to walk till my house which would take him at least 10 minutes & I was determined to get ready by then. I just did the basic chores in record time & got all set for the ride, dumped all my gears in my bag & rushed downstairs to my bike. Didn’t get time to warm up my bike as I usually do before all trips but then again, it was ok since my bike was ridden hard enough just few hours ago till 1.oo am last night.
I met Najju at about 5.20 am & then we were off to our meeting point at shivaji park. I ripped my bike maintaining average speeds above 80 kmph on the empty roads all the way till shivaji park & we reached our meeting point by more or less the same time as decided. I was happy to know we were the first one’s to reach there. I called up Ketan & he informed me that he was on his way but delayed just a bit. We had some time now so clicked a few pics & got all my safety gears on. Ketan showed up with Umesh within 10 minutes & we had a small formal introduction session before hitting the roads. I asked ketan to take the lead & I shall follow him.
First click of the day. At shivaji Park waiting for Ketan & Umesh.
We were off the small lanes of dadar/matunga & reached Sion via takandas kataria marg to join the Eastern express highway. Ketan rode at average speeds below 70 kmph keeping me in his rear view mirror till we were on eastern express highway & I was able to keep up with him all the while so he gradually started increasing speeds upto 90 kmph all the while on sion-panvel expressway & I followed him comfortably at a safe distance. Ketan took the exit for palm beach road after Vashi bridge & as soon as we were on palm beach road, ketan ripped his Yamaha R15 to its potential & so did I. Even though I was doing speeds above 100 kmph constantly on palm beach road & often went above 110, Ketan’s R15 slowly started to gain the distance & disappeared through the horizon in some time. I still kept ripping my bike to its potential for some time until I saw Ketan again who was slowing down for me to catch up with him. I wished I had a higher capacity bike to burn the roads of palm beach as it was absolutely traffic free & a treat to ride on. Nevertheless, I loved riding my FZ there & we reached Panvel McDonalds soon due to our steady speed sessions. Mandar (another xbhp’ian) was waiting already for us since quite a while I guess. Ketan & umesh went in McD while I & Najju preferred to wait outside where our bikes were parked & enjoy the early morning chill. All 3 of them were out in some time & after a formal introduction session with Mandar, we were on the roads again.
Ketan took the lead again while mandar asked me to follow Ketan as he decided to tail the group & ride in last position. Ketan took the JNPT road after the turnabout at the start of Mumbai-pune express highway & it was tremendous to ride there on high speeds in completely foggy environment. Najju shot some nice videos all the while when I was ripping my FZ on JNPT road.
Taking on the Foggy roads
We reached the NATIONAL HIGHWAY 17 (NH17) junction in no time & Ketan briefed me & Mandar with a word of caution for the road ahead which would be difficult to ride on as compared to the city roads that we rode so far. I had been to Alibaug twice earlier through the same NH17 & I had a fair idea of risks & rewards associated with the mighty NH17 but still it was good to be cautioned by a senior for a change. NH17 is better known as Mumbai-Goa highway & a dream road to ride on. However, it is a bit risky to ride on since there are no dividers separating the opposite lanes which means overtaking from the wrong lane is a common sight on NH17. Further, riding on NH17 at nights is a real Pain in A** because there are no streetlights & maundering several hairpin turns is a dangerous task especially when the vehicles in opposite lanes are in their full glory on high beams of their headlights. I knew this all from experience & so did Ketan & hence he cautioned us to be extra careful just at the beginning of NH17.
After a “Ride Safe Caution for the roads ahead” from Ketan, we started our journey on the beautiful yet dangerous NH17 maintaining the same formation with Ketan leading & mandar tailing the group. I, being the youngest member, was more then happy to ride between the two of them under their supervision.
Usually I don’t wear my glasses on my bike trips & I don’t know why but I was riding with my spectacles this morning & the extreme chilly weather & fog was enough to condense my glasses & minimise my visibility while I was riding on JNPT road. I had to clean my glasses again & again to keep them un-condensed & clear. Finally I decided to remove them & keep them in my bags side pocket & ride without glasses as I was much more comfortable without them. I decided to wear them sometime later when the fog disappears so when I rechecked my glasses at the beginning of NH17, I found them broken in two pieces as I was trying to keep them hurriedly in bag while riding. So now I had no option but to ride throughout the day without my glasses which was disappointing news but not a big issue though.
As soon as we were off on NH17, we were blessed with some amazing patches of roads & nice corners to take on & amazing views on both the side of roads accompanied us throughout.
Some pics clicked by Najju on the go
First rays of Sun
& the fog
Loved the cute little teddy hanging around at the rear end of the truck
Some Lush Green Grass
& some amazing roads to ride on
The Carpet of Greenery
As expected from my earlier experiences on NH17, the big vehicle drivers were mercilessly driving in their full glory & it took some skill to negotiate through them. However the guidance in form of Ketan’s lead was helpful enough. I stacked in the rear view mirror of ketan almost throughout the NH17 journey upto vadhkhal naka, while Mandar was left a bit behind as he was riding calmly at his own pace enjoying his music. I just loved riding with an experienced & sensible but still fast & talented rider like ketan. The way he was manuvering through the big vehicles, overtaking them, signalling me to slow down or pass by him etc was a different experience altogether as I really felt comfortable taking on NH17 in his presence.
A nice video shot by Umesh while we were riding on NH17.. It was so cold/foggy out there & Unfortunately the camera lens got condensed gradually resulting into blur picture in the later half of video until Umesh realised it & wiped the lense to get clear videos again.
Finally we reached Vadhkal Naka by 8.15 am where Ketan asked me if I had ridden on Nh17 before & I replied positively which I guess would have explained to him how I was somehow able to manage & keep up with his pace although he had to slow down on numerous occasions for me. A few minutes wait & Mandar regrouped with us & we all decided to have a breakfast break at one of the small hotels there.
A nice video shot by Umesh while we were riding on NH17.. It was so cold/foggy out there & Unfortunately the camera lens got condensed gradually resulting into blur picture in the later half of video until Umesh realised it & wiped the lense to get clear videos again.
Finally we reached Vadhkal Naka by 8.15 am where Ketan asked me if I had ridden on Nh17 before & I replied positively which I guess would have explained to him how I was somehow able to manage & keep up with his pace although he had to slow down on numerous occasions for me. A few minutes wait & Mandar regrouped with us & we all decided to have a breakfast break at one of the small hotels there.
A group pic jus outside the breakfast joint before starting the trip again. I went for a Pee break so missed the pic :(
After a splendid tasty breakfast of missal pav & a cup of tea, we all were back on the road for the main attraction of the day. Our destination i.e Nagothane/Vardayini waterfalls wasn’t more than an hour away from Vadkhal naka & we were again averaging speeds above 70-80 kmph on the lovely roads which I had never ridden before. Post Vadkhal naka, the straight road up ahead leads to Alibaug while the left route was the one we were riding on which went till Goa & beyond. The road post NH17 was absolute treat to ride on. We maintained the same formation & kept riding in cruise mode & made a few stops for inquiring about our destination with locals who helped us gladly. I learned a lot of small things throughout the ride & one of it was to always take a halt off the road no matter how brief the halt maybe. Ketan used to ask me move off the road even though I used to halt at the edge on left side of the road while he asked for directions but it can get realy risky on such small two lanes roads where vehicles are always pondering to overtake each other.
Finally we reached a small offroad exit which looked like the exit we had to take for vardayini waterfalls as directed by the locals so we were off NH17 & riding on rough roads. Pretty soon we were riding through mud, water & slush. Ketan was leading again & finally he signalled me to stop & turnaround after seeing a small river ahead amidst huge stones & no way up ahead for riding the bikes. We were on a muddy off raid trail & making a U-turn here was a task in itself. Mandar was at last position in the group & fortunately with enough space to make a comfortable U-turn. I too managed to get a U-turn on my own in that small area available to me but ketan got his rear tyre stuck in the mud without any grip so Najju had to rush off to him & help him out with some manpower. Umesh recorded the entire scene in his camera which got deleted somehow. After a fun offroad session & successful U turns, we were back on the trail that we came from. We saw a small turn which we had missed earlier so tried our luck & that paid off as we reached the base village directly by 9.00 am. The villagers out there looked at us as if Aliens landed in their cosy little village especially coz of big bikes & all the safety gears that we were wearing. We finally parked our bikes at the point from where we couldn’t ride any further & ketan started inquiring with locals about the Vardayini waterfalls. Upon some enquiry, we found it would take us about an hour to trek upto the waterfall & the local young guy (Sathish) providing us with the info was very helpful & ketan asked him to lead us to the waterfall & he happily agreed. We dumped all our gears, jackets at his house which was right opposite to where we parked our bikes. Before starting the trek, We just took our backpacks as it contained clothes+food & then off we went to the jungle.
We were off the village & into the small paths of the dense green forest in no time. It was nature all around us & all of us went crazy with camera, clicking pics & shooting videos on the go. It was a pretty easy trek requiring minimum efforts & the soothing cold atmosphere all around was amazing. Some Pics on the go.
Spot me if u can
Umesh, Ketan & Najju
Nice Shot
A wondeful compilation of our trekking videos edited by Ketan with amazing soundtrack. Must See.
Finally, about half an hour into the trek & we saw the first glimpse of water in form of a river which we had to cross.
Crystal Clear Water
See How happy I was
But he wants much more water :)
A video of to get a clear idea of the place we were at the moment.
After clicking a few pics, we crossed the river & we were closer than ever to the giant waterfall as we could clearly hear the sound of the waterfall roaring in its glory. A few minutes more & we could see the first glimpse of actual waterfall & we all were amazed by the giant beautiful Vardayini waterfall. I had never seen such a huge waterfall personally so this was a hell of an experience for me & so was the case with all the others. We dumped our bags on a nearby rock & crazy pics sessions started.
First view of the huge waterfalls beyond the trees
The Mighty Vardayini Waterfalls
Mandar, Umesh & Ketan
A small video shot by me as the others cross the slippery patch of river to come close to the waterfalls
Men in White/Blue.. I should have worn that combination matching with my bike's color scheme ;)
& finally, some proof that I was there TOO :)
Sometime later we decided to get the feel of the waterfall up close & personally so one after another, Mandar, Najju, myself & Ketan entered the gushing dairy white streams of waterfall & the first common reaction from all of us was “the water is damn cold”
The classic pose which we never fail to click on most of our trips - Gandhiji's teen Bandar
& we started wondering what is he upto now??
& then everyone shouted in one voice, "Mandar baba ki Jai"
Mandar posing as a swim suit model
In the words of Ketan, Mandar - The Jalpari
Spot the Najju Contest
& time for some videos
From my Cam
From Ketan/Umesh's Cam
The only group pic of all 5 of us - Clicked beautifully by our local guide Satish
We settled in & had a gala time enjoying the brutal downward force of the streams of cold water. Pics were clicked by Umesh mostly & after nearly an hour, we decided to move out as the water was way too cold & prolonged exposure might lead to headache or cold. The sun had set in by the time & we made full use of sunlight to dry ourselves & get some warmth. I had brought along some chips which we all munched on. After changing our wet clothes, we bid goodbye to the mighty waterfall of vardayini by 10.30 am.
Last pic of the waterfall
As we started trekking back to base, our local guide Sathish informed us about an even greater waterfall which was right on our way down to village & he asked us if we wanted to see it too. Now who would deny to an offer like that but he warned us beforehand that this waterfall is extremely risky & there is no chance we can go into it & enjoy the waterfall as we did in the last waterfall. He asked us to be tremendously cautious even while enjoying the beauty of the waterfall from distance & we agreed to him. Within minutes after crossing through zigzab visible & invisible trails through thick dense forest, we could finally have a first glimpse of waterfall that Sathish was taking about. At the very first view we could say, this was a massive one.. Much mightier then the earlier waterfall & much more riskier too. We inched closer towards the edge to have a clear view of this mighty waterfall & the dicey rocks on some patches made our task enormously tricky. One tiny slip would mean bidding goodbye to rest of the group, perhaps forever. However we managed to get some awesome shots & videos despite of the lurking danger but giving priority to safety.
The Mightiest of All
Some On the Edge posing :)
Najju wondering over ways to get down ;)
& now He's smiling since he found a shortcut downhill i.e just one slip from the rock he was sitting on :)
Relaxing on the Edge :P
Ketan posing with our guide Sathish
(Note the Vardayini waterfalls in the upper left corner where we enjoyed since last one hour)
Posing with the Pro
I shot a nice video to get things in Perspective
Few videos by Ketan/Umesh
We left the place soon as there was nothing much to do apart from just posing for the camera while being worried every second & every step. The return trek was much more relaxed & easier considering our fresh moods as well as downwards slope of the trek.
Some Miscellaneous pics on the way down
Note: Equal credits to Najju for clicking pics from my Camera
Trying my hands on some creative Photography
However the heat was kicking in as we paced to the base where we finally regrouped with our beauties patiently waiting for us right there where we left them.
My Milky white baby posing with the elder brothers.
Hero Honda KariZMA, Yamaha R15, Yamaha FZ 16 LE
( And I did return with my 16 other office friends again in January 2011, though not on bikes)
We got back on the clear roads of NH17 before 12 p.m & then myself & Najju separated from the group as we had some other plans for the day ahead as pre-decided by us. Najju had never been to Alibaug by road earlier so we had decided to ride to alibaug after vardayini as Ketan had planned this trip upto afternoon only & we still had a whole day up ahead with us. We invited Ketan & gang but they politely declined our offer as they had been to alibaug quite a few times earlier & they were resolute to get back home by late afternoon thus keeping this trip as a half day trip only. I discussed about directions for one particular place near alibaug where I had never been to earlier & I had seen the place in Ketan’s blog & it looked lovely so I wanted to go there since we had ample time. Ketan was kind enough to provide all the details he could & so the final destination was set as Korlai fort (the place I wanted to visit) after our alibaug visit. Ketan & gang were going to ride at a leisurely pace from hereon having some photo/video breaks while we had a schedule for the day ahead so finally we bid them goodbye even though our ways were same till Vadkhal naka.
Some amazing clicks by Umesh while returning home..
This is my Favourite
Mandar The Man
Mandar, The Professional at work - Have a look at the top notch safety gear he is riding with.
Its hard to believe its the same guy riding this ZMA who was posing as Baba Mandar & Jalpari at the waterfalls..
Different shades of a True biker & the Fun hidden within him.
Ketan - Our lead throughout the trip so far
Finally we were riding solo now for the first time in the day after an amazing first hand experience of group ride. I couldn’t give my bike to Najju so far as I was worried if he would be able to keep up with the pace of other two who were seasoned riders & I didn’t want the entire group to slow down for us & Najju understood my point as well. But we were riding unaccompanied now with no limitations & so I asked Najju if he wants to take over but to my surprise, he denied. Well, he proposed to let me ride all the way till Alibaug/Korlai & then he would ride us back home. Sounded fair enough to me so I was on my own for now & riding on one of my dream roads i.e the Mumbai-Goa highway (NH17) on which I wished to ride till goa pretty soon. I ripped the bike on the beautiful roads, took on some amazing bends, enjoyed the view all the way & reached Vadkhal in no time. The roads up ahead till Alibaug were pretty familiar to me since I had ridden on these roads twice earlier so I kept riding my bike at just above average speeds to make sure we reach alibaug soon & we did reach alibaug city by 12.30 pm.
It was blazing hot in alibaug city so we took a petite break at a tea stall to munch on some local vada paavs before riding ahead to Alibaug beach. The beach was a bit unsatisfactory as there was bare minimum activity around & looked like a local un-crowded beach, nothing different. We decided to move ahead soon as there was nothing to amuse ourselves at alibaug beach.
The Colaba fort in between the Arabian sea which can be visited by boats, horse carriage or walking there during low tides. I've been there countless times before but not this time as it was high tide
Finally Me posing on my FZ - I wonder how Najju sat on that small Pillion seat all day :)
Asking directions from locals, we were on our way to Korlai fort. We crossed Nagaon, Akshi beach before finally we reached Korlai. The roads past Nagaon were in horribly pathetic conditions with huge potholes of sizes I had never seen in Mumbai. Roads back in Mumbai felt like heaven as compared to these. Most of those potholes were filled with muddy rainwater & the four wheelers passing from opposite lanes showered us at many a times with the muddy water from these potholes. However we continued at our average pace of 40-50 kmph all the while.
On our Way to Korlai fort. A Right turn from the end of the bridge will take you to Korlai followed by Kashid beach & then Murud Janjira..
A left turn will take you to the beautifull Birla mandir which I had visited years ago with my friends.
First view of the Korlai fort.. Its on the top of that small Hill
Finally we made it to korlai in time 2.00 pm as per schedule. At first look, It was a small sleepy place with minimal activity around even though it was Sunday & I wondered what was wrong with Alibaug today. We went offroad & through small village lanes to finally reach the small hill which housed the korlai fort & lighthouse at the top. It was an amazing sight right from the beginning & our enthusiasm level augmented as we got closer to the place. The last few hundred meters of rough roads before reaching the gate of Korlai fort were just amazing to ride on just because of the spectacular view of the rocky coastline for as long as our eyes can see.
Nice video shot by Najju as I rode uphill the rough path with amazing views all over
We reached the gate & found it to be closed which was very disappointing. If I remember correctly, the visitors timings (as stated on board at the gate) started again after 4.00 pm which would mean we have to wait a couple of hours before we can see the fort & the lighthouse situated there. We were in a dilemma whether to wait or leave. But to our surprise, a guy came from the opposite side of the gate inquiring if we wanted to see the lighthouse/fort & we promptly said YES. He demanded a nominal charge of Rs 10 per person & Rs 20 per camera for clicking images. We nodded happily to his offer as he opened the gate & I rode my bike inside the premises & parked it at a safe spot. We dumped our entire luggage along with safety gearson the bike & set out for a visit to the lighthouse & the person who opened the gate for us gave us an amazing little background check about the working of lighthouse, its importance & he also clicked a few pics for us. Finally we paid him his well deserved money before leaving for the fort which was situated at a higher altitude & we could get there by climbing few huge stone steps starting from the lighthouse itself.
Some clicks from the lighthouse.
The RED Lighthouse.. Its my first time when I saw a lighthouse from so close
A view from lighthouse of The beautiful Rocky beach
& the Coconut trees completes the view of the amazing coastline
See my baby parked downstairs in the lawn peacefully waiting for us to return.
& finally the Korlai Fort.. Our next target at somewhat higher sea level than we currently were on
A video for the view from lighthouse
Some Posing by us before leaving for the Fort
Our click by the Lighthouse-Keeper
Internals of the Lighthouse
The Lighthouse building. We were asked to enter it without shoes & we honoured the request
Finally we started the climb for Korlai fort soon & the climb looked easier at start but it wasn’t. Probably because of the extreme heat from sun, or those considerably huge steps to climb but we were definitely short of breath.
This is how i looked after a few minutes.. Damn Tired!! Jacket off & dying for a sip of water
Note in the upper left corner of the pic, the Lighthouse building & Lighthouse we just left.
But nevertheless we made it to the top in less than 10 minutes. It was a breathtaking view all over which can’t be described in words so we went crazy clicking pics.
Not a bad shot by Me
It was well past 2.30 pm & finally we were feeling the hunger so we decided to have lunch which was a delight in itself to have in such a breathtaking location & some amazing home cooked non-veg food (Keema masala) by Najju’s mom. Myself & Najju are quite a foodie with great appetite, especially when it comes to non-veg food but still we were not able to finish the delicious lunch & till date we wonder what was the reason why we couldn’t finish the lunch completely.
An un-invited guest at the Lunch
We clicked some amazing shots post lunch
The Shooter
Amazing view at the North end of Fort
The Fort
This was the small path we rode to lead upto the gate of Korlai fort
Amazing beach & strong winds blowing all the while.. What more one could ask for :)
A video from this point of fort
Notice The bridge in the center of the pic.. Its the same bridge on which we had clicked a pic earlier. Left to Birla Temple & Right to Korlai
Dil Chahta Hai style - We missed our 3rd best friend - Karan
Finally after all those pics, I had to drop an idea on Najju to leave the place by 3.30 pm. Najju seemed a bit upset at my proposal to leave such a wonderful place so early but there was a reason behind it. We were still about 175 kms away from home & Najju was supposed to ride all the way back. Considering his limited experience of riding on highways & no experience at all on the dangerous NH17, I wanted him to have enough time to get us back home at his own pace without rushing. Moreover, I didn’t want him to ride on NH17 after sunset as it was one of the most horrible rides as I knew from experience on my ride to Alibaug. Najju agreed to start the ride back home earlier than he expected it to be, sighting my concerns. So finally we said bye to the wonderful place wishing to come back soon with many close friends & enjoy the beauty this place has to offer.
Some Final pics before we left the Korlai fort premises
I upgraded to A brand new Cannon once we conquered the Fort ;)
My baby in the green lawn of the Lighthouse
Proof - Its Najju's riding turn now
We left the gate after bidding goodbye to the Lighthouse keeper. The patch of road from the gate of korlai fort at top of hill to the bottom of hill was a rough road with few tricky turns so I asked Najju to let me ride till the bottom & then he can take over but he denied as it was our official turnaround point which meant his turn to ride. I didn’t want him to risk riding with pillion which would mean additional weight to manage, so I suggested him to ride alone till the bottom while I walk downwards on my own. I thought it would be a small walk downwards but it was a well above 15 minutes walk in tiring direct sunlight. The only positive side was that I managed to get some nice pics on my way down which wouldn’t have been possible if I was on bike.
Sexiest rocky coastline I've seen personally
Notice Najju zooming past the small path while I'm left behind clicking this pic :)
South View of the Beach
North View of the Beach
Cactus on the beach.. Love the Combo
Finally I found Najju waiting at the bottom of the hill & we started our return journey which was a horrible one considering I was sitting on the pathetic uncomfortable pillion seat of my bike now. I really pity my pillions on long trips (Shruti/Najju/Tushar/Sneha) who sit for hours continuously on my FZ’s rear seat which is undeniably the most uncomfortable bike seat in India. The horrible roads all the way till Nagaon beach were unbearable at times. However Najju rode slowly over those potholes infested roads which helped minimising the pain. We took a small break somewhere near Akshi beach to get some chocolates as Najju tends to get sleepy at times & having chocolates is his way of staying up which has worked fine over time. Finally we touched the smooth roads past nagaon beach by 4.30 pm.
One last view of Korlai fort hill as we reached the same Bridge yet again..
I don't know why I am so obsessed with this bridge now :)
We crossed alibaug soon & were on NH17. Najju was riding slowly at his pace but still there were a few moments where I feared we could end up in a disaster so I kept guiding him now & then. Finally just before Vadkhal naka, Najju pulled over & asked me to take over riding the bike. I was shocked at this & I asked him if he was fine. He informed me he had a mild headache plus the backpain which was a result of riding pillion throughout the first half of the trip on those bad roads was taking its toll on him now & he was not able to give his 100% in concentrating on roads. I was a bit worried for his state of health but he assured me he was fine & nothing serious to worry about. He took a painkiller tablet (crocin) from my first aid before we got back on road again. It was just about 5.30 pm when I rode through vadkhal naka & all the while we could see the sunday traffic was getting worse. The sunset was on its way & I was strong-minded to ride through NH17 & to get to Panvel before the last ray of sunlight fades away.
Frankly, even I didn’t want to ride on NH17 at nights again & my friends Shailesh/Pravin/Shruti/Tushar & Sneha would know the reason behind this as we had quite a memorable experience (in a negative way) on our last night ride on NH17. So I ripped my bike all the way on NH17 & surprisingly we were at panvel by 6.30 pm itself. Still I maintained healthy pace all the way on JNPT roads as I wanted to get in city before nightfall. Najju shot a few nice videos of us speeding & touching 100 before JNPT road.
The Last video of the day when I manage to take My FZ to 100 KMPH somehow inspite of heavy crosswinds
Finally we finished JNPT road & as soon as we were on sion-panvel highway, my bike gave up as it was empty with petrol yet again. I felt really stupid at the situation since it happened twice in less than 24 hours. Luckily for us, there was a HP petrol pump just close by & we were back on road before wasting much time or having to drag the empty bike in search of petrol. We had a small tea break somewhere close to Mankhurd at around 7.00 pm.
This is how he looked while we stopped for the tea break.. Absolutely Fresh & Charged up :) :P
I asked Najju again after the tea break if he wanted to ride the remaining part of the way back home but he politely denied again so I continued on the way back home through bad traffic even though I expected a traffic free ride as it was Sunday. Finally we reached Najju’s place by 8.15 pm where we bid goodbye to each other & I reached home by 8.30 pm. Clicked a last pic of the day for logging down the Kilometers traveled today.
350.4 Kms of Pure Fun
Finally I got upstairs & fell asleep soon after a nice shower. I informed Ketan about our safe return & thanked him again for inviting us to this trip which turned out into a very memorable one indeed & once again, it was all almost unplanned
The trip log & images through words of Ketan
http://www.xbhp.com/talkies/tourer/14803-photo-log-konkan-calling-getaway-varadayini-waterfalls.html
*NOTE* - As I upload this trip log in the month of June 2011, my fellow biker friends Ketan & Mandar are already back from their wonderful ride to Leh-Ladakh just a few days ago on 21st June 2011. A link to Ketan's log on their trip to Ladakh.
We (I & Najju) rode with them (Mandar & Ketan) once..
& now We wish to ride soon to the place they have just been to..
Just Waiting desperately for June 2012 ..
Till then, I'll keep myself contented with small rides, thus warming up for the TRIP of my LIFE.. :)
Ride Statistics
Date - 19th September, 2010.
Riders - Ketan Nikharge, Umesh, Najju, Mandar & ME.
Bikes - Yamaha R15, HH Karizma-R, Yamaha FZ-16 LE
Route taken/Destinations covered - Marine lines -> Shivaji Park -> Palm beach rd -> Panvel -> Vadhkal -> Nagothane -> Vardayini waterfalls -> Vadhkal -> Alibaug -> Nagaon -> Korlai fort -> same route back again leaving alone nagothane/vardayini.
Major Highways taken - NH3, NH4, NH17 NH4B
Total Kms - Exact 350.4 kms
Rating - ****
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