The Build up

The initial plan was to follow the NH17 highway to Goa. However, the events preceding the trip (caste based violence), meant I had to reschedule the trip & also look for a slighter safer route. That’s how, the Konkan coastal yatra took shape & form.

The benefit of not having prefixed action plan is the flexibility that it offers in changing routes without too much hang-ups. This is many ways was an experimental journey & hence any thing I would have attempted was a novelty for me, with its own share of uncertainties.

Pradeep was one bloke, who was as kicked as I was in biking; given that he & his wife form a formidable team. However, he had to drop out for personal reasons, while Piran was sucked into his new job by the new retail boys in town – RIL.

After the last day of college, the cycle had to be serviced, add a 5 gear chain on the rear, make arrangements for carrier in front & back…etc. With so much to do, & so little time, it was the usual hara-kiri, towards the end; like buyin rations, hand pump, helmet, puncture repair kits etc

Pradeep was the constant motivating factor & thank heavens for that. In fact, he managed to lure me into a night cycling jaunt @ Manori & that made me realise the significance of having gears; else the 340 km would have been cut short to 30 km…

While permission from the home front was easy, it came with a rider…”carry a cell phone” .. that was a killer ; as I had managed to stay away from that nasty toy for so long. Finding the right service provider is a big pain in the ass. While selling, they commit coverage even in the nearby Andromeda galaxy; until u actually reach there..Hufff… I got charmed by the Airtel tune, goody goody customer service & the price; only to find that it never worked along the route.

(While on the Konkan route, BSNL, IDEA & BPL are the most widely covered in that order)

Armed with a cell phone & 3 sacks, had to head back to Belapur for the journey to begin. Had to pick up my cycle with all the paraphernalia attached.

The penultimate night was spent mounting all the baggage on the cycle & testing it for balance. Slept off in the college & with alarm bells blasting off @ 5.00 am, it was time to hit the road, after an early morning round of Chai & Misal Pav.