Day3 - Dec 5 ,Sunday

Kelshi morning started with admiring and bathing in the natural beauty of the house, with chai and a plate full of poha. It was indeed a Sunday-mood- morning with everyone so busy washing and cleaning their byk and nobody looking to move an inch with 10 am sun already on our heads except for Rahul who set out early to photograph the sanctimonious Kelshi temple.

Utility shade

Kelshi Home

The Enthusiast

The Plan 
Big realization dawned upon us that a rigid plan is not something that you carry on a Bicyle and counting Kms everyday is just not a way of life. So FREEWILL.    

 

The Route
The road from Kelshi to Harnai passes through beautiful villages and one of the biggest climbs of the trip is encountered just after crossing the  Anjarle bridge. 

                                                                                                                                     

After the Anjaarle climb

Temple on the way

                                 

The view reaching the top is quite mesmersing giving you the view of Suvarnadurg fort and pretty large village touching the sea and roofed with Manglorean tiles. A big descent leads you to a road touching the sea where we took a left leaving the fort and Harnai on the right. 

Dibakar and the Island  Fort, Suvarnadurg

  

After continuously riding for about an hour we decided to take a small brunch around 1.0 pm in a village named Asud. Six tasty thali pith, four garam vadas, five locally made curds and minimum eight  Sol-kadis ( lost the count) was shared between us. The brunch turned out to be a bhaari bharkam khana leaving a stoned look on the Kaka`s face who was serving with expressive  “Gaon basa hi nahi ki aa gaye lootere”  look.

Old school on way to Dabhol

The road thereafter is on SH4 with a steady and manageable gradient for about 4 kms which then flattens out to touch Dapoli where we refilled ourselves with Enerzal packs and water. Dapoli was the first big city-type-look town which we had seen on our journey.

On the way to Dabhol, there was a big chase between me and a  local “tumtum”, a sharing rickshaw for about 5 kms  on a descent for which I was expressively applauded by a man in it but unfortunately gave up looking at the steep ascent ahead  with the man disappearing in a distance with his hand expressing “Chal, C`mon Aaja, Phatt gayi kya?”.

Dabhol jetty

Just another day

The road from Dapoli to Dabhol is an unexpectedly enduring ride for every descent, there was a steeper ascent and this continues till Dabhol ferry reveals itself after 25 kms.

 

Cyclogy

On a trip of such magnitude, you will be amazed about your craving for food. The rate of metabolism increases three fold and you act as if you have been thirsty all your life. Supply will always be less than the demands. And the strangest thing, the amount of water that goes in is never proportional to the amount that comes out.   

To Dhopve

Improvisation 
 It was already 5.30 pm and completely fatigued when we reached Dabhol and a call was taken to take a ferry and cross over to Dhopve and reach Guhagar, 13kms ahead instead of a stay at Dabhol which looked unrelentingly depressing.

 Misfirings : Had to cover a steep gradient on the very day of big climbs after crossing the ferry and a night ride  of 12kms up to Guhagar which we had promised never to do before setting out on this trip. Also Guhagar turned out to be the biggest bill night of the trip because I guess the smallest and costliest Surmai`s are caught in Guhagar.

Where Bani got jabbed

Moment of the day 
6:30 am. And I punched Bani in my sleep. Ouwwww.

There was a big guy who was bugging and torturing me in my sleep and Bani stepped  up at the same time to wake me up. Natural reaction.Big Bang Punch on his chest.

Wooww, Knew that I kicked and shouted but jabbing was indeed very new and refreshing. “Ouuwww”  Bani cries.

 

Guhagar stay, next morning

Rewards 
Having no plan does work. Frewill. This was the day of  big achievements considering the heights we climbed and descended while the Cyclo-comp still posing a  90+ kms reading for the very day.