Day 3: Ganpatipule to S wadi

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The name of the game today was 'Fotcut'. I had a slightly overpriced breakfast at the MTDC resort. I asked the waiter the road to Ratnagiri. He told me to just follow the signs and then added there is a shortcut if I was interested. My ears were up. Ofcourse there was no shortcut on Eicher's road atlas. Turns out there are two short-cuts. First and I guess the more interesting one is the Sagari Mahamarg. I took the right just opposite the Hotel Landmark to Bhandarpure. A couple of guys tried to stop me. Ignoring them I continued on the dirt road only to be stopped by a burly villager. He said the bridge is closed for the day as some explosions are being carried out for the construction of approach road. The approach road is a dirt road, as of now, and usually open for two-wheelers. He told me to go back to the highway and follow the signs. I knew better. Is there a shortcut ? Yes, go back to highway and take the Nevare fata. I prodded further is there a shortcut to Nevare fata from here. Surprisingly there was ! He pointed me to a barely existing road on my right which actually was a trail used by the farmers to cross the rice paddies. Crossing the paddy fields on a motor-cycle was definitely a good start for the day. The road got a bit wider after the fields and got me to the highway where the Nevere fata was just a few hundred metres away on right. The road is wide and smooth like the Hedvi-Ganpatipule road and definitely a very good alternative to the regular Ganpatipule-Ratnagiri route. My plan was to avoid NH-17 all the way to Goa. However my next halt was Sawantwadi to meet some old friends and acquaintances from my four year stay in this charming little town. So the NH-17 was inevitable. I was just delaying it as far as possible. So I headed south from Ratnagiri town upto Adivare. There is no ferry here, so you have to turn inwards towards Rajapur. A bridge over the creek, scheduled to open in May 2010, will take you to Jaitapur. As of now the option is to go back to Rajapur and take the NH-17 . If you are hell-bent avoiding NH-17, as I was, there is another option. Take a right at police check-post on the way towards Tarbandar 13km away. A small boat ferries to Jaitapur every 20-25 minutes. If you have a bulllet do not consider this option. I had a hell of a time loading my avenger in the dinghy. In the process, I forgot my helmet on the jetty which I realized only when I reached the other side. I asked the boatman to bring my helmet back on his next trip. A nice man, he advised me to take some rest and have lunch at the only restaurant in the village at the Sarpanch's home. I feasted on the home cooked surmai fish. I was also given a small stick while I was eating. The sarpanch's cats are very aggressive and fond of fish. So every now and then, I had to shoo them away with the stick !
It is always a bit boring to drive after a sumptuous meal. I drove to Hathavle junction, my entry point on NH-17. Those who want to continue south can take the right turn to Devgad on the way and then proceed to Vengurla, Malvan and further on to Goa. The coastal road from Mumbai to Goa or the Sagari Mahamarg is an experience which surely no biker should miss. Although sea is not your companion, the road takes you through quaint, laid-back villages and lush green paddy fields brightly contrasted by the red soil below. Most of the roads are wide, smooth and not on the map. Do not rush. Take atleast 3-4 days and enjoy the luxury of private beaches free which is always 3-4 km away. Watch out for the State Transport buses running at the break-neck speed at surpisingly high frequency, kids and villagers loitering around unaware of any passing vehicles and cattle. Usually the cattle is docile, but once I came across a herd with a particularly horny bull trying to screw everyone in sight and the poor cows were running wild in all the directions. I just missed one by a whisker. I had my heart in my mouth. Another point to be considered is that all the signboards and milestones are in Marathi and most of the locals understand only Marathi. Foreigners may have a tough time (a reason why LP has ignored this region). The Marathi script is similar to the Hindi and does not pose a major problem to Indians. It would be a wise idea though to take a look at the Marathi numbers to avoid the unnecessary and frustrating confusion over 40 km and 80 km milestones.
The 100 km drive from Hathivale to Sawantwadi was as boring as it can get on NH-17 with all the truck-traffic and incessant line of small villages. A surmai in my belly was pulling down my eyelids. I remember someone asking me what is the heaviest and lightest thing in the world ? The answer to the first one is eyelids. I will just give a hint to the second one: even a thought can raise the lightest thing . I reached Sawantwadi at 3 pm. This is probably the best place I have ever lived in. It is situated on the banks of a small lake and surrounded by miniature hills. The most popular hillock was the Narendra Dongar, the destination for several after-school excursions and free treadmill for weight-watchers. The simplicity and warmth of the people here never ceases to move me.

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