Coast to Coast 2021: Final Leg: Digha to Bakkhali

I wake up around 5 am and start to pack. It’s the final leg of my tour and I am filled with all sorts of emotions, the good and the bad. It has been a great tour since the start and I really have experienced a different kind of India traveling on the coastal roads. It’s all worth it in the end, as I congratulate myself. I hadn’t imagined that simple thought of coastal roads in India would really materialize into a big tour!

I start to pack the stuff onto my bike and it’s already bright outside. I can even see tourists buses plying around even at this hour. The time is 5:30 am and I wish to start the day after I have my cup of tea.

Tea is found just ahead as I hit the main road crisscrossing the internal alleyways. The little boy at the counter prepares a steaming hot cup while I take a look around. People can be seen everywhere. It’s the weekend! I tell to myself. As I take a sip, people gather around my motorcycle to peek. Royal Enfield does get a lot of attention on the road and even more if it’s loaded with luggage and has a funky helmet with Bluetooth attached to its side. People really admire such stuff. It’s something which is not NORMAL for them, this, I have come to know after many years of Riding. Little boys, take a fancy to the bike a lot more than grownups.

I leave the place around 6:10 am. As per the route study last night I would be taking a total of 3 ferries on my way to Bakkhali. My plan is to return to Kolkata city from Bakkhali which is 120 km in total. And so, the total riding distance for today will be close to 350 km.

After the initial hub-hub of the Digha tourist town, its complete silence on the road ahead. The Sun is about to break cover and the roads are a little wet due to the morning dew. They are single lane and almost empty with the occasional intrusion of cattle and people crossing the roads. Speed is kept checked due to the former as I move ahead with eyes focused.

I proceed towards the town of ‘Contai’ not far away from Digha. As per the initial route plan, I will be heading towards the coast from the town and taking the coastal route till I stop by at my first ferry.

I arrive at the busy ‘Contai’ junction and suddenly there’s life around. People go by their daily things. Vegetable sellers sit by the roadside selling their produce. The Sun has come up nicely adding a subtle glow to the atmosphere. I take a right turn and head towards the coastal town of ‘Junput’.

The road is full of activity. People mostly use bicycles for commuting and houses are constructed with basic natural materials. As I move ahead, the Sun rays lit up the paddy fields beautifully and a certain amount of warmth is in the air. The speed is kept low as sand is scattered on the road at most of the places. The villagers glance at me as I pass them by. Soon, I arrive at the first ferry point at ‘Rasulpur’. The time is around 7:45 am.

At first, I get a little confused about taking the bike towards the dock. A fellow gentleman nearby helps me. It’s a double bridge structure, first of concrete and the second one of metal, its width, barely enough for a single side movement. I get lucky as there is no one ahead of me as I move down the metal bridge.

I move at the end and see a sudden decline with the final 4 steps and a 1-foot wooden ramp for the bike. My heart is in my mouth and the people nearby watch me in a fix. For 2 mins, I am speechless and try to figure out about tackling this obstacle. Luckily, if I let go of the bike or if the handle slips from my hand, there’s a railing up ahead to protect it. As I sweat from inside in this cold atmosphere, people watch me bleakly.

Out of nowhere, a gentleman comes and starts to signal with his hand. At first, I don’t understand a word he is trying to imply but later on, with other people shouting in Hindi, I understand that he is telling me to get down and let alone the bike come down along the plank. He holds the bike at the crash guard as I slowly take down the bike, slowly releasing the clutch to reduce the bike momentum. We achieve success and he tells me to park the bike aside and wait for the ferry to show up. It’s the last day of the tour and activities like these, make me nervous. I sincerely hope the 2nd and the 3rd ferry to be easier.

The ferry arrives in less than 5 min carrying passengers from the other side. We wait till all the passengers get out. All the people on bikes, are the last ones to enter the ferry. The entry is simple and uncomplicated. There’s only a minor level difference between the boat and the pier. The ship horn blares immediately as everyone is confirmed in. The journey takes 5 min to the other side.

I get out of the boat and come across the similar-looking metal bridge. Only, this time, the ramp has a subtle incline and only 3 steps. I get down from the bike, start the engine and climb through the ramp. The locals help me out. At the exit, I pay a fee of 15rs for the ride and move on.

I readjust my Google Maps to take the coastal road towards the 2nd ferry point. The road passes through many tiny villages with lots of traffic and activities to see. Some people sell vegetables at the roadside while at some places, fishermen sell their catch. At places, on both sides of the road are lush green paddy fields while at some locations it’s barren open land. Some stretches are pleasant to drive as you have a eucalyptus trees lined on both sides of the road covering the sun partially. The road quality is superb considering the interior parts. People mostly use bicycles for commuting and even tri-cycles can be seen which double up as a luggage and people carrier. At some locations, wooden logs are chopped and kept at the side of the roads only to be taken away to the sawmills.

I reach the 2nd ferry point around 9:10 am covering 30 km from the first one. This one seems to be more crowded and the entrance bridge is also narrow. I wait for a while till the traffic coming in from the other sides clears up. Luckily, as I move ahead there’s no one coming in from the opposite side. The bike has taken the complete available width of the road. The bridge is around 150 feet long and I can see the river below me now. The last section of the bridge slopes down a little and I brake hard when I reach the end.

The ferry has just arrived as I struggle to get down. Using the same trick as last time, I get down from the bike and try to bring the bike down over the plank in 1st gear. The helper comes to my rescue immediately and we safely board the ferry. It takes a further 10 min for the ferry to get full and another 5 min for us to reach the shores of Haldia town. The time is 9:20 am.

It takes a while to climb back on the metal bridge as there are too many people alighting from the boat. I wait for every one of them to climb the stairs. I don’t want to take the bike on the ramp while they too are climbing. I make sure that no one is behind me and in a similar fashion like last time, I take the bike along the ramp in 1st gear and a little more forward. As I stop to get my bearings, I am panting heavily in my astronaut suit. The activity has almost drained my energy as I manage to pull the feat unassisted.

I start to feel hungry as there’s too much physical activity since the morning. I stop ahead at a roadside hotel for breakfast. Some local people sitting at the table suggest me to have ‘Ghugni’, a local dish and so I have ‘Paratha’ with omelet and ‘Ghugni’ and later on wash it all down with a cup of tea. The time is 10:15 am as I leave the place.

It takes another half hour for me to reach the third ferry point. The road mostly passes through town with buildings on both sides. At some stretches, the construction work is going on as I make my way over the loose gravel. Traffic is at its peak as the road is single lane. I stop for a while at the railway crossing before proceeding ahead.

I reach a busy junction which initially gives me the impression of Bus stop. I ask a fellow rickshaw driver about the ferry whereabouts to which he points to me in one corner. This is the last and the 12th ferry of my tour and it’s really a grand one. I go through the narrow passage which has a roof over my head and people all around. I am the only one who is looking odd man out here. There’s hustle-bustle everywhere as I push ahead slowly towards the metal bridge. My heart is in my mouth when I reach the dead end of the bridge and see what lies ahead of me.

First thing, there’s no one to assist me as I stand there thinking how to get the bike down on the pier. To add to my woes, there is no barrier up ahead and If I lose control over my bike, then it’s directly to the bottom of the river. I get nervous as people instead of helping me out, watch my despair. It’s the last ferry of the trip and I don’t want to take any stupid steps. It’s like the final mission, I say to myself, and need to carry this activity with utmost focus and patience. Seeing no one coming to help me out, I get down from the bike and slowly and steadily start descending the bike down over the plank. Inch by Inch the bike comes down and I finally manage to get both the wheels down on the pier. It’s a huge relief for me as I turn the bike and align for the ease of loading onto the ferry. The storms have gone! The time is 10:45 am.

The ferry arrives by 10:55 am and takes roughly around 15 min to drop us to the other side. At the exit, there is a bit of a mess when the conductor asks for a ferry ticket. I say to him that I wasn’t issued any. I am forced to buy a ticket and hand it over to him which costs me 55rs. I push ahead.

I am on NH12 now and it’s a single lane till the end. I get stuck in the traffic due to some procession being carried out but, after some km, open the throttle. The roads are well paved but the speed is kept checked due to oncoming vehicular traffic. The time is 11:40 am and Bakkhali, the last point is 87 km to go. Hoogly river flows to my right.

There’s moderate traffic till Kakdwip afterward which the traffic thins out. The road condition deteriorates but is manageable as mostly it’s deserted, and so are the shops lined on both the sides. There’s seems to be some kind of silence lurking around like no tourists want to come to this part of the state. I had expected heavy traffic, being a weekend but it’s just the opposite. The heat is beating up on me as I watch the distance to Bakkhali reduce from double-digit to a single.

I reach Bakkhali at around 1:30 pm ending my trip. Even at the beach, there’s hardly any crowd. I tell a nearby ice cream vendor to click a photo of me along with the bike and assure him that I will be taking an ice cream after I finish my vlogging. The big trip ends here covering more than 8500 km and I am happy as hell. A daring mission pulled off solo! To celebrate, I purchase an Ice-Cream from him and visit the beach just to have a look around. The ice cream starts to melt even before I hit the waters. I give myself time recollecting all the memories from the 1st day as I watch the waves hit the shore.

The trip ends as I return to Kolkata that evening and settle in a dormitory. I meetup with my local biker friends there and during that discussion they provide me a valuable advice of shipping the bike over train instead of driving it back towards Pune. I welcome their suggestion they help me book a train the next day. The train leaves day after tomorrow and I get a bonus day to relax and rejunuvate in the city.

EPILOUGE

After 36 hrs of train of journey I reach home safely and is welcomed by my family. They are happy after seeing me since long time and so do I. It’s the end of a long and beautiful trip but, I say to myself that eventough the trip has ended the journey of exploration continues.

I sincerely thank all my friends who supported me directly or indirectly in making this tour successful and memorable. Without you, trip of this scale would have not been possible. I wish you all the best luck in life!