Day 1 : Belapur-Uran-Rewas-Alibaug-Revdanda-Kashid

Left Blpr @ 6.30 along the 20km URAN highway. A straight road leads to Uran, & from there on to Karanja jetty. It’s a pleasant ride & a good way to warm up the senses. The relatively pleasant weather makes cycling early mornings a chill experience.

Crossing over from Karanja to Rewas takes about 15 min in a ferry, after filling up the tank with chai & bhajjis.

The ride from Rewas to Alibaug is another 20 km flat pedal; while trying to come into terms with the cycle, gear, load & fitness. Along the way, managed to gulp a glass full of refreshing Neera. Reached Alibaug by noon & headed straight for Revdanda after a brief halt for filling air. The route from Alibaug to Revdanda is again through beautiful country side. Since it was a Sunday, there were, a stream of cars returning back after the wknd. By noon, I had hit the first set of uphills & soon after, it was time for me to shut shop & take a brief break. Pulled in to a small shack & gorged on chai – chai & kandapohas; while also cursing the miserable performance of the Indian cricket team. All along the route, ask any bloke & the 2 names that immediately draw ppls attention to be sacked are Tendulkar & Sehwag; especially Tendulkar, for bloking the entry of other capable players from Maharashtra.

After a 45 min hiatus, it was time to go full steam & hit Revdanda. A pretty village with a seaside fort, it also has a gorgeous Ganpati temple. Walked along the sandy shores, exploring the fort & finally wading my way trough moist sand to hit the road back to Kashid.

It was past 4.30 pm & I had about 90 min of daylight before halting fro the day. Being the first day, had no intention to push the limits & do a night sojourn.

The day’s proceedings evolved into a nicety, with me reaching Kashid by 6.30pm as the radiance of dusk cast its shadows on the sandy beach. Dropped anchor @ a shack & there came an ex- forex dealer who happened to run a lodge service from a rented bungalow. A nice bloke; had to haggle with him for close to 45 min before he came down on the rates. But for all that, he treated me to some yumm Chicken & Prawns curry. The FOoooooooood , especially after 70 off km of cycling was YYYuummm…….!!!

Spent a few hours lying on the beach, under the full moon. Soon, it was time to hit the sack, amidst the cool n cozy comforts of the bungalow.

While on a road trip, feel free to walk into any shop or house to ask for accommodation; as their may not be elaborate boards & advts indicating the existence of lodging facilities. An alternative would be to spend the night on the beach; which is considered relatively to be a safe alternative.