Day 5: Kelshi - Dabhol

We woke up at 5:15am, but due to packing laziness, finally left at about 7:15. We had a look at a nearby temple and a dargah that Shivaji built. At 8am we had a half-breakfast and then followed a mud route to Uttambar. There we ferried our cycles across the creek to Ada, on an outrigger.



Cycled about 5km to Anjerle. It was a continuation of the same type of mud road, with trees on both sides and nice smells of mango and jackfruit. En route we stopped and had coconuts. The owner himself climbed the tree (without a rope!), plucked and cut open the cocos for us. Really refreshing.

At Anjerle, we took another outrigger across the creek and then finished our breakfast of bread and Milkmaid, sitting by the wharf. It was already noon. 3km to Harnai on a good tar road. This is our noon halt. We rested at the restaurant where we had lunch. The food is getting progressively cheaper, perhaps due to distance from Bombay and the highway.

Harnai is a mini tourist spot, famous for its beach and a sea fort, Suvarnadurg. The place is getting commercialized - even the restaurant owner doesn’t know where the beach is! Harnai is otherwise known for its fish market, where reportedly 25 lakh rupees worth of fish is sold everyday, mostly exported to Kerala(!)

In the afternoon, we spent time at the land part of the fort. People can hire boats (at student-unfriendly rates) to go out to sea for Suvarnadurg. We spotted some interesting fish with circular markings and a lot of time was spent trying to catch them.

Saying goodbye to Harnai at 5pm (late! Damn those fish), we proceeded 4km along the road and took a turn for Murud(II). There’s a temple here. From Murud, we went further seaward until we reached the beach. This was one of the most beautiful rides so far – along the beach to Burondi. The beach has a very gradual slope and there is hard rock very near the surface. This has resulted in a wide stretch that is damp and springy, but the sand does not stick to your tires, nor does it resist it. Beach interspersed with stones and water. I’ve never been to a place like this before. By now it was about an hour before sunset, and clouds were obscuring the sun - time to move on.


Burondi is a medium sized town and well stocked with provisions. We bought milk and bread here and proceeded along the tar road towards Dabhol. Initially a long climb and then the fastest (and safest) descent I’ve made. It was getting dark by the time we started another large ascent. Suddenly the road became untarred, and the descent was spoilt. Uneasy, slow progress towards Panchnadi where the road forks and one road goes to Kolthar. The other one, which we followed, ascends again and gets tarred in the process. We soon reached a kind of uneven plateau. Very little habitation, very little traffic. Total darkness - but the horizon is bright. After about an hour, we took a turn during descent and were suddenly dazzled by all the lights of Dabhol – those of the town, those of the boats and the brightest, of the power plant across the creek. There’s even a lighthouse that sends out a powerful beam. We halted and admired the view.

We were escorted the remaining distance to Dabhol by a truck that lent us its headlights. At Dabhol we had cheap dinner and hired a room at Rs 100 for the night. There’s a bath in the room! But decent accomodation.

Today I really experienced “hugging the coast”. Most of the time, the sea was visible. Since we had rejected the longer inland routes, we had to travel on muddy, sandy or rocky roads most of the time. Some of these stretches remind me of the inner roads near Kodavoor or even in Udupi. There were two ferry rides today to add to the coastline experience.

However, to enjoy all this, one has to repeatedly pester the locals for the ‘shortcut’ or scenic route. Sometimes this is better for cycling, as such roads are along the coast and therefore flatter. This I experienced just after Burondi, when we left the coast and ghats came upon us suddenly. The locals usually tell you the bus route or tarred route, but the knowledgeable fishermen or coastal locals have more fundas. However, ask a lot of people for the same road and you get different answers. Confusing.