Day 4: To Goa

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The last day of the Mumbai-Goa coastal circuit. The plan was to drive to Terekhol, see the fort, take the ferry to cross the creek and then drive south to Goa. A Dad's friend called me in Sawantwadi and insisted that I should visit his home in Shiroda. He and his wife took some time out from his morning rush to the office to have a little chat over the tea. I dropped him at the Vengurla branch of Syndicate bank. Everyone seemed to remember my Dad even though it was about 15 years back. My bike was definitely a center of attraction as it had been all over the trip. I came back to Shiroda and headed to Terekhol fort which is now a heritage hotel. I remember staying in their premium suite 15 years back with my family for 250 bucks ! Perched on the top of a small hillock, the room had panoramic views of the creek below. Now its a pretty costly affair. You can wander around the hotel under the unfriendly gazes of the hotel staff. You have to atleast buy a cold-drink (Rs 70) to sit in the open-terrace creek facing restaurant. Ferries leave for Arambol from Terekhol fort every 30 min from 6.30 am to 7.30 pm and are free for two-wheelers. Do not miss the omlette at the small shack at the Terekhol Ferry wharf. The road from Arambol to Goa is a very un-interesting affair compared to the Konkan paradise. Narrow roads, line of villages, shops, bars and hordes of shirtless foreigners, possibly drunken, rashly driving their motor-bikes (no bias, no conclusion, just an observation !). It got boring after a few km and took a right turn at Mandrem towards the beach. The road forked up crazily and I went on taking random turns until I lost any sense of direction. Finally I was driving along the beach but the traffic remained. I just kept driving on and got connected to the main road heading south. Small roads fork out for the beaches on the left. I headed to Vagator and spent an hour over an orange juice and a novel at a small shack on a sea facing rock. With the sun blasting over my head, I decided to head straight to Panaji, the base camp for my cycling expedition. A traffic jam at the Panaji bus stand that spilled over the Mandovi bridge all upto the Verne circle was waiting for me in Panaji. After an hour long ordeal, I was finally at the base camp near the Sports authority ground. A couple of friendly volunteers welcomed me and were quite surprised by my solo bike journey from Mumbai. I dropped my backpack in the allotted tent and headed straight to the nearby swimming pool for a much needed respite from the dreadful Goa heat in December ! As LP puts it, Goa has only three seasons: Hot, Hotter and Hottest.

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