Coast to Coast 2021: Bapatla to Visakhapatnam

I wake up early around 5 am and by 5:45 am, I am ready to move on. As far as I can see outside, it’s still dark and dawn will soon break. There is a certain amount of chill in the air and no sooner I get on the bike, I force myself to stop within 500 meters as I see a tea shop. The town looks deserted at the moment and the only people I see are at the tea stall. I order a coffee and am quite amazed by its whole making process.

I join the same NH216 highway and am on my way towards the small town of Nizampatnam first. I have my Google Maps ‘ON’ and I am headed towards the larger city of Machilipatnam. The city, whose civic boundary resembles like an outline of a fish. The fog seems to have enveloped the earth and visibility is very low. Good thing is that the roads are cemented and traffic is less. My today’s destination, Visakhapatnam is somewhere close to 450 km.

Up ahead, I mistakingly take a wrong turn and continue my driving. Sensing that something is not right as the roads get deteriorated from bad to worse from as against the smooth roads of the highway, I stop and check the route again. I turn the bike back and in that process witness the most beautiful sunrise of the trip.

I leave the highway now and head towards Nizampatnam. The roads are barely wide enough for a single car to pass. To the right side of me is a water canal lined with Palm trees. The fog is dense and the whole scene around me seems like a dreamy state.

In about 30 mins, I reach the small town of Nizampatnam. The town is lively with people hustling and bustling here and there. The day-to-day activities have already begun as I weave my bike through the traffic and move ahead. I stop ahead for a quick check on the map and head towards the ‘Krishna’ river bank. The roads will take me through even smaller villages and smaller roads. I feel optimistic about all this and I get excited.

I reach Gangadipalem village situated at the banks of the river. From here, I take a sharp left to rejoin the main highway again just ahead of ‘Repalle’. There is complete silence around as I move ahead alongside the banks of the Krishna river. I feel like I am one with nature. I am driving but I feel completely at peace with no artificial disturbance. I cruise along happily and silently.

At around 8:37 am, I rejoin the highway and recheck my google for the correct road ahead. I am now heading towards Machilipatnam which is not far away. The fog is still there. As I race ahead, I am encountered with broken patches of roads under construction at regular intervals.

At Challapalli, just before Machilipatnam, I stop for breakfast. At first, I am a little confused as to what to order by seeing a large variety in front of me. Firstly, I see some different kind of ‘Vada’ and being curious enough, order it. While eating I come to know that its not ‘Medu Vada’ but some kind of fried round bread looking just like ‘Vada’. As I don’t like bread stuff, its little hard for me to digest it. After completing that dish, I order a normal breakfast of ‘Masala Dosa’. I ask for a tea but am politely declined as they don’t serve it. This is the first time in the tour that I am not having tea right after the breakfast. The time is 9:20 am.

A few minutes later, I arrive in the city of ‘Machilipatnam’. The city looks the same as the other one which I have seen in the past few days. Concrete finish roads lined with brick and mortar bungalows, some exposed while some done in plaster and painted. The traffic on the road as usual, the kind you would expect in such a city. Mostly, 2 wheelers dominate the scene. The fog has been cleared up from the atmosphere and I expect a clear view of the roads ahead. The time is around 10: 15 am.

I exit the city in no time and now I am driving again on the narrow village roads to experience their life. The house at some places is made out of palm tree leaves. Living is basically nomadic. While at some places I get to see beautifully done houses of the 21st century. A stark contrast to the eyes. The weather is pleasant enough for the ride with the right amount of warmth in the air displacing any cold which is left. I have set my google maps and marked them by waypoints so that I get to drive as close to the coast as possible.

The roads are getting cemented on one side and as a result, I have to take frequent diversions. Since breakfast, this is happening and as a result, the avg speed has come down to around 30-35kms. I drive patiently knowing that going further things will improve. I now head towards Narsapur city where probably I will be taking the first ferry on the east coast of India! The temperatures have shot up and the slow speed is really not able to cool off the sweat.

It’s close to Noontime right now and I cover exactly 200kms since the start of today’s ride. I had started the day early knowing that the roads were unknown and keeping some safety buffer. I am just about to reach Narsapur and stop by some roadside shops to cool myself up and hydrate my body. I have 3 glasses of cold Almond milk.

The roads to Narsapur are mostly single lanes with medium traffic. Dodging whatever the incoming traffic shooting past me, I arrive at the Narsapur ferry service location. The tickets are taken quickly and I consult with a local guy about the road to be taken after the ferry drops me on the other side. As per the Google maps, I am due to take the 2nd ferry no time soon but the man advises me to change the route as the ferry carries only people and not personal vehicles. I listen to him and take his advice. He looks at me like I am some kind of mad fellow who has avoided the soft cushy highways and instead taken this route. I smile and get myself ready to take down the bike over the ferry. I now, need to head towards the town of Razole.

The roads are mostly single lanes having width enough for a decent-sized vehicle to pass. I pass through the dense jungle of Palm trees and I think that they are plantations. Other than that, other trees are hard to see. A long small canal runs parallel to the road for quite some time. I feel the temperature drop by certain degrees as I pass through this dense foliage until I emerge out and join the city. I can immediately feel the change in the level of humidity which is only increasing as I drive further. The roads are well paved but occasionally I am encountered with broken patches as I ride through villages.

Before hitting Yanam city, I cross the large bank of the Godavari river over a bridge. It takes quite some time to cross it as the riverbank is huge. The mighty Godavari river. One of the seven most revered rivers of India. The shimmering blue waters glow with the help of the sun as I cruise ahead. I take a halt as I reach Yanam to attend nature’s call and decided to hydrate myself with a refreshing drink of muskmelon juice. At first, the boy faces some difficulty in understanding my requirement but, with hand gestures, he understands and gets on the task immediately.

I leave Yanam city at around 2:30 pm and head towards Uppada village ahead of Kakinada. On my way, I see rows of ladies sitting on both sides of the road to sell fish. Up ahead, I notice a huge flag on India flying high over a pole. I pass by a huge compound of San Marine Shipbuilding yard and just ahead I cross the series of railway tracks, an indication that a large junction is nearby which is Kakinada.

The road further from Kakinada is a pleasure to drive as I ride almost parallel to the coast. The road seems endless and I am enjoying it to the core. I even hear the noise of the waves splashing against the rocks. Compared to the western coast of India, this side seems to be rocky. Deep in the ocean, I see faint silhouettes of the cargo and the fishing trawlers.

The coastal run is over and I am forced to ride inwards towards Tuni. That’s the place where I will be joining again the NH216 to Visakhapatnam. The interior roads are superb giving the feel of the country life not to mention the spotless roads. The sun has started its downward march and my happiness level increases as I inch closer to my ‘birth’ city. I have already informed my 2 friends in Vizag about my arrival and they are equally excited to meet me as I am to meet them. One of them is a fellow rider like me while another one is a lady over 50 yrs, hailing originally from Maharashtra but later on settles in Vizag. We have come to know each other through social media. Its power is really great. Back in 2019, we were not able to meet but all the stars seemed aligned for today. I push on happily.

Reaching ‘Tuni’, I rejoin the highway and my speed increases to around 80kmph. I stop immediately at a petrol station as I am low on fuel. Now, its non stop till the destination. I ditch the normal NH216 highway and instead take the state highway SH157. By the time I am about to reach the city, I am left with very low battery and I don’t have any power source to charge. There’s still 22 km to cover as I put my phone in battery saver mode.

Meanwhile, my friend has already made my arrangement at one of the hostels in the city and has sent me the co-ordinates. We plan to meet at the hostel itself in the evening. By the time I reach the RK beach in the city, my GoPro has given up on me and I can’t record further. Luckily, there is some juice left on my mobile and without wasting much time I head towards my hostel.

My friend has already informed the hostel people about my incoming. They welcome me and find me a dorm. I quickly shit all my luggage to the 1st floor room and get myself cleaned up properly. All the tiredness goes away as I come out of the bathroom.

Its time to head outside with Vaishali for a pre-planned dinner. Jeet plans to join us later in the night. On the way, we stop at one of the famous coffee shops serving delicious coffee from the valley’s of Araku. Over a cup of coffee, we exchange stories about travel and life.

Later on, we exchange more stories over Dinner at a famous hotel. Back at the hostel, Jeet joins us for another round of good hearted discussion which goes on for like an hour. In the end, I thank all of them for hosting me in their city, a city, where I was born and they really made it feel special. I get more invitations for visiting the city again.

Its hard to say goodbye to all as the Vizag chapter comes to an end. Vaishali, in the meantime gives me some heads-up on the road ahead tomorrow to Puri. I welcome and thank her suggestions. A day well started and ended. Going to bed, I already feel like I am in the city of Puri, which is my tomorrow destination. A feeling that the trip has neared its end grips me tight.