Coast to Coast 2021: Jaitapur to Agonda

By 7 am I pack up and get ready for the day’s new adventure. It is bright all around and the morning chill can still be felt. I mount all of my stuff onto the bike and go to my host’s house for a cup of tea and meeting hopefully, not for the last time.

The phone numbers are exchanged and I bid them goodbye. I try to give them some money for letting me stay but, they refuse. Money should not be taken from family members, that’s what I hear. They tell me, they had once hosted a Chinese national who was on a trip like me and had failed to obtain a place to stay the night. So basically, it was just a repeat of the procedure for them. I thank them for their warm hospitality.

I hit the road immediately and come to my terms. Like an airplane pilot checking all his buttons and gauges before the flight, I do the same and arrive at a conclusion that the bike is running the way it should run. The destination for the day is unknown and I am due to take the last ferry in Maharashtra. After that, I will be in Goa. The plan remains the same, try to ride on the coastal roads which run along the sea. For the remainder of my State, it will not be much of an issue but for Goa, I doubt.

It’s a long day ahead like yesterday. I manage to get proper sleep the night before and that has resulted in an increase in my energy levels. I will be needing it in large quantities today.

I enjoy my riding. First of all, the road is well paved, the thing which I had least expected. On top of that, the weather’s perfect and no traffic can be seen. Cattles more than humans accompany me on the road I ride.

I see a large number of mango gardens alongside the road. The mangoes can be seen in clusters and their size is big. In some of the farms, I see people spraying insecticide on the mangoes. Maybe, to prevent them from getting infected just before the harvest. Some mangoes from the branches hang too close to the road and are protected with a nylon net so that they are not stolen! Some branches which are stooping too low are being supported by bamboos.

2 hrs of riding since morning and I stop at a roadside stall to have breakfast. The hunger is barely controllable. Breakfast consists of some bakery items along with tea and then a main course of Bread with Omelet. The time is around 10:10 am when I hit the road again. Malvan is more than 15 km to go.

I reach Malvan by 11 am and get lost in the maze of small streets. Even Google is unable to help me out. I resort to local people and they are kind enough to guide me. Pretty soon, I am on the right track towards Vengurla which stands at 50km.

Just around Noon, I reach ‘Vengurla’ and still have some km left before I hit the border. I stop to top-up on my hydration pack which by now has almost emptied. The weather is hot and humid and it makes me sweat from the inside even though it’s a quick stopover.

I quickly ride towards Terecol which marks the last point on the Maharashtra coastline. Terecol even has a fort to explore but is skipped by me as I have more to cover in the next state “Goa”. Luck evades me for this part of the ferry ride that will take me to the shores of Goa. The ferry will take some time to come back as it has just left. The distance is not so much and gives me enough time to gather my bearings and to lessen the load on my bladder. As I wait and watch for the ferry to return, I meet a beautiful couple along with their young ones who are on a staycation at Terecol for a month. They are from Bangalore and are happily spending time here. The kids seem equally happy and bombard me with all sorts of questions. I try to answer them in as simple a way as possible.

After some time the ferry arrives, but I come to know that they will not leave immediately as very few people are on board. I tell them my urgency to move on, but they will leave only if I pay more. I have no option and I place a 100rs noted in his hand. The engines roar immediately. The time on the clock reads 1:15 pm.

I ditch the atlas and rely solely on Google Maps. That is the only way out if time has to be saved and wrong turns avoided. For Goa is all about lanes and lanes where an atlas will not work. At around 1:20 pm, I set my foot in Goa.

The Map is set in such a way that I get to ride as close to the sea as possible. This is my 3rd time exploring Goa and 2nd time on the bike. Most of the places are familiar to me. It’s just a matter of feeling the vibes again and getting to know what has changed since the last time. It’s Tuesday today, hardly a rush can be seen on the roads. It gives me the advantage to move faster.

I cruise past the Ashvem and Morjim beach and soon I find myself crossing the Siolim Chopdem bridge into the central part of Goa. This is the most happening place amongst all. Hees lies the famous beaches of Vagator, Anjuna, and Baga. Every year, almost 80% of the crowd visit these 3 places while the annual festival for Royal Enfield riders meetup event is officially celebrated at Vagator hill. The event lasts for up to 3 days and is filled with music, fun, and meets. The Last event happened in 2019 November and 2020 was out due to COVID-19.

I find less traffic even in this part as I ride past the not-so-crowded beaches. It’s time for lunch and I head towards the Royal Enfield Garage Cafe for a quick bite. This place is earlier not included in my “must-visit” plan but, it’s lunch time and this place is near to my position. A lunch amongst motorcycles. The love for Motorcycles!

It’s time to say goodbye to Garage Cafe once again. I first visited this place in 2019 for breakfast. This time it was for lunch. One day it will be for Dinner. The road is “straight” towards Aguada fort. Another place frequented by tourists and travelers. I pass through the beaches of Calangute and Candolim and finally arrive at the place around 4 pm. This place was visited by me in 2015. Right now, it’s just marked as a checkpoint along the route. Soon, I will be entering South Goa.

I have marked Miramar beach as my next checkpoint. The very place where “Ajay Devgan” starrer ‘Singham’ movie scenes were shot. Again I mark this beach only as a checkpoint. It has been thoroughly explored by me in 2015 A.D. Just as you cross the Atal Setu bridge and enter Panaji, the capital city of Goa, you can see rows of casinos overboard the ships. The night view of these ships is of the sights to be captured. I have yet to open my account on the Casino front. Apart from the Casino ships, you can find evening cruises that give you the best Sunset view on the Mandovi river. Some cruises also offer you an evening Dine-on package.

This is my first time riding south further than Miramar beach. And I enjoy my riding as the heat intensity has dropped and there is a beautiful orange hue over the sky meaning that the Sun is about to set. I still have a long way to go inside ‘Goa’ itself. Earlier, I had thought that I would be entering Karnataka. The winding roads of Goa have added to the excess distance and taken me by surprise. Covering the entire coastal roads of Goa in a day seems tough.

I head now towards the Goa International airport taking the coastal road. The views of the coast are awesome and I stop to take some photos. Further down, I enter into the city and I get to see the beautifully done houses. Painted with beautifully vivid colors, they catch your eye as soon as you pass by.

I reach Bogmallo beach, which is the first beach in this part of ‘Goa’. The time is around 5: 35pm. I take a quick look at the setting sun and turn my bike around. There are quite a few people at this beach. I get some stares while leaving.

After I do the calculation, the Goa-Karnataka border is still 60kms more to go. Since I don’t have a hotel booking, I try to push on till the Border. Getting a room inside ‘Goa’ will turn out to be very costly to me.

After crossing Cavelossim, it feels like I am riding inside some kind of forest. The dusk has just fallen and due to trees around, it gives an impression that is late night. The traffic is scarce. I switch off my aux light to get a better view of the road. I am completely unaware of the things on my left and right.

At around 7:12 pm, I enter Agonda. It’s pitch dark and I decide to call it off for the day. I ask the shopkeeper about getting a budgeted stay but few of the owners are not coming down below 1000rs buck. It’s only for the night stay I tell them but my pleading falls on deaf ears. Upon waiting for some time and checking on the internet, I meet a guy who runs a beach hotel nearby. After a lot of convincing, finally, he agrees for 500rs for the night. It is quite a winner for me considering ‘Goa’. We roll down to his resort cum hotel. The name goes by ‘Arya Cottage’.

The hotel room is individually placed on the beach directly supported by wooden poles. The room is reached via stairs and had a thatched roof. It has an attached bathroom and considering the quality and upkeep, it seems like I have hit jackpot. With few steps and you can hear the sound of the waves crashing.

I pay him advance and get myself cleaned up from the day’s torture. Electronic gadgets are put to charge while I sit on the beach listening to the sound of the ocean. It really soothes me after a long tiring day. I can hear the murmuring of the tourists sitting nearby.

Dinner is served at 9 pm which is simple and consists of Daal and Rice. I wanted it light. The portion is way more than I had expected but I take time to put it all down.

I retire to my room saying the owner Goodbye and informing him that I will be checking out early morning even before he wakes up. I receive a thumbs up from him.

Back in the room, I crash as soon I enter. With the ‘Goa’ chapter almost ended with the border being just 30km away, I think how will the Karnataka leg go. The excitement of that makes me fall asleep fast.