Ride Dates: March 30th - April 1st, 2018
When life gets complicated, I Ride.
It was the long weekend off and financial year ending. With the pressure of paying all taxes and filling I.T returns, it was time to release your stress. After the successful Maha Coastal Solo Ride (MCSR) during the 1st week of March 2018, it was time again to explore and experience the bliss once again.
Sipping my just made hot coffee, I was deep in thoughts with a wandering mind. Having explored entire coastal Maharashtra, I was now comparing every other location to beat the upcoming one. For a fact, I understand that every ride experience is different and unexplainable. But, I wanted to explore someplace which I had never been to. I then started asking my peers about their experiences and rides. While short-listing, there were many interesting places in and out of Maharashtra. A certain place in Maharashtra grabbed my attention and I instantly looked it up.
I was too much convinced the plan to visit this place and finally, my destination was declared to ‘Fernweh’ (my partner to this ride, My bike). I decided to explore Velas.
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| Fernweh |
About Velas: Velas is a small eco-village in Ratnagiri district which is famous for the Olive Ridley Turtle population that visits the Velas beach every year and lay eggs. At Velas, turtle conservation movent is undertaken by the villagers.
Ecotourism in Velas: Velas is not only home to turtles but also to a myriad of bird species including the White Bellied Sea Eagle, White Backed Vulture and Indian Swiftlet. Accommodation in the local home-stay will add a truly warm touch to the experience.
Velas is around 238km from Mumbai.
My Itinerary was prepared. I and 'Fernweh' were ready to take on yet another exciting journey. I started riding on March 30th, 2018. Being a Friday and start to the long weekend I was expecting some traffic as many Mumbaikars would have planned an outing this weekend. To avoid this traffic I started early in the morning at 6.30AM. Tanked up Fernweh and started to ride towards Panvel. The idea was to explore some other route of interior Konkan but was also excited to be on the same route I rode on during my Maha Coastal Ride 2018. Route taken was Jogeshwari - Panvel - Vadkal Naka - Kelghar - Agardanda Jetty - Srivardhan - Valshi Jetty - Velas
Starting early gives you a benefit of taking halts and explore some new places. I took a breakfast break at the Karjat-Matheran junction. Sipping a cup of hot adrak chai with hot vada pav. Moving ahead, I was riding on an easy route as the road and the conditions were familiar to me. Ideally, the plan was to reach Velas by late afternoon, but I was running late as I had to spend more time at Agardanda Jetty and Velshi Jetty. I reached Velas around 7.30PM. It was dark and I was hungry. The idea was to pitch a tent on Velas beach and spend the night beachside. Unfortunately due to the panchayat rules no one is allowed to pitch the camps on the beach. I was disappointed and had to return back. I saw a small shop where I bought some biscuits and water. I asked the shopkeeper if he can help me with some place I can pitch my tent and stay. He offered me his backyard which had huge coconut trees. I was tired I pitched my tent & had the yummiest home cooked food offered by the shopkeeper`s family. Post dinner, I planned to ride for a small distance to a place where the sea meets the road. I parked 'Fernweh' and sat with him here for a while taking in the aroma of the cool sea breeze, the sound of the crashing waves, I relaxed. Around 1.30AM, I returned to my tent and with high hopes to go to the beach to see Baby Turtles. Listening to soft music, I retired for the day in my tent.
I was woken up by the sound of birds chirping and the cool breeze. Suprise to see Omkar kept a cup of tea ready for me as I woke up. I got ready and rushed towards the beach. Only to see there are many tourists who have come from Mumbai and Pune to witness the Baby Turtles. We waited for the officials to come and complete the routine process of counting the newborn turtles. And now it was the time for these new lives to begin their journey towards the sea. Tourists stand on either side fo a roped aisle, cameras in hand, for what`s one of the years most awaited 'Red Carpet Walks'. As volunteers release the day`s first batch of Olive Ridley Turtle hatchlings, cameras go off. As though choreographed, babies make their way into the sea, guided by the morning sun. As "On release, when the hatchlings head to the sea, they record the place`s geomagnetic field intensity, remembering it till they return as adults, "This is a key moment in their lives." says one of the volunteer I spoke to "Fifteen years later, the females from the batch will reappear to nest and lay eggs at the exact spot of their birth. They will hatch 50-60 days later. And the cycle goes on", she said
After spending some time at the beach clicking photographs and networking with other tourists, I headed back to omkar`s place, where I have pitched my tent for the night. Only to be welcomed again with a plate of hot poha & kadak chai for breakfast. I had a plan to visit Mirya Beach which is 12km from Ratnagiri. This beach has recently started Scuba Diving. With a great experience in Tarkarli during MCSR 2018, I was excited to do scuba again.
I enquired about more places to explore in the close by area and got to know about Bankot fort, which was around 10km from the place I was. I started my journey towards Bankot. Being a fan of James Bond movies and the expensive shots, where the action is set on coastal roads in foreign locals. Never did I imagine that India too has a similar coastal road. The road which leads towards Velas from Bankot may not be as smooth as the ones shown in Hollywood, but the views here are indeed as spectacular as once you see abroad. Took another 15mins ride uphill through some narrow village roads. At the main entrance of the fort, there is a small sloping platform where one can park 2 -3 cars. As expected of any fort, this one offers fantastic views of the surroundings including the beaches below. One can clearly see the different color of the river and the sea water mingling. The time spent watching the waves run into the sands below was one of the highlights.
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| View from Bankot Fort |
After spending some time at the Bankot fort clicking some pics it was time for me to move towards Mirya beach. Mirya is around 200kms from Velas. Ridding on the same route towards Ratnagiri (Velas - Anjarle - Dabhol Jetty - Guhagar - Tavasal Ferry Crossing - Ratnagiri) I took the lunch break around 4PM at Hotel Rajgad which I missed during my MCSR 2018 in Guhagar. After having some lip licking Konkan veg food, I headed towards Tavasal Ferry Crossing. Tavasal - Jaigad Ferry runs every 40 mins and I just missed to board the 5.40PM ferry so had to wait for the 6.40PM ferry. It was another amazing ferry ride crossing Jaigad River. Met a young boy who just gave his 12th board exams, on the ferry. He was excited to know how I manage to travel solo. We had a good conversation and here we are at Jaigad Jetty Point. It was almost dark and I was upset as I was going to miss out the lovely view from Ganeshgule to Ratnagiri. So I took the other route, SH 106 towards Ratnagiri. It`s a dark road with a lot of curves but the sun goes down its one hell of a ride. Reached Mirya around 9.30PM only to know that there are no staying options available, so had to return back to Ratnagiri. Took a room in Hotel Safari Asia and unloaded "Fernweh". Got freshen up and went out to explore some nightlife in Ratnagiri. Soon it was 11.30PM, then when I realized, tomorrow will be a new chapter in life. With high excitement, I switched the lights off.
Got up early in the morning, had breakfast and headed straight to Mirya Beach for all new scuba diving experience. Harsha Scuba Diving (+91 7719905533), well-educated & certified instructor took me deep in the water and we took a deep dive inside. The best way to see fish is, become a fish. I went 10 meters deep in the sea. I can mention many moments that are unforgettable. It was the second time I was doing scuba within a month`s time but at a new location. Have been underwater for 30 minutes. Experiencing the beautiful underwater life, I was given instructions. Exploring the underwater marine life, corals & rockscapes. I have already experienced this before, but it was more exciting than the last time. Here, I got to see different species of fishes, the rockscapes were amazing but the only thing that disappointed me was the clarity of the water. It was not as clean as it was at Tarkarli.
It was time to head back to the bay. I came back to the hotel room, packed my bag and we were on our way to Mumbai. While returning, I took the Ratnagiri - Chiplun - Panvel Highway. It was around 4.30PM and the weather conditions were not supporting me to ride. Took a break, for having some water but ended up having a whole 4kg watermelon. Riding post-sunset was a bit stressful as it`s not comfortable with high beam lights hitting your eyes by the opposite traffic. I was back home around 12:30AM.
It was a wonderful experience. Have learned one thing on this trip “Travel with fewer plans and more freedom” Covering 944 km over a span of 3 days. Mumbai – Velas – Ratnagiri – Mumbai. Partial Coastal Route & highways. This solo trip not only pushed me out of my comfort zone but also pushed me out of the zone of others expectation.
Few Pointers if you plan a trip.
- Dates for The Turtle Fest in Velas & Anjarle are in March & April.
- Mumbai – Velas – Mumbai can be done in 2 days.
- Carry cash as there is no ATM in Velas
- You will not get any network in Velas so make all your important calls at Velshi Jetty.
- Language: Marathi – Hindi
- Various Groups plan a trip to Velas Turtle Fest you can find more details about the same on the internet.
Thank you for reading the blog. Share your comments. More rides & blogs coming soon. Till then “Work Hard & Ride Harder”.
*Vella is a Hindi word which means idle in English.
