Bagan, 20 oktober

Samla alla Europas kyrkor och katedraler på en yta stor som Manhattan så får man en aning om hur det är I Bagan. Här finns typ 4000 (ja tusen), pagoder och tempel utspridda, ofta så att man ser 25-30 åt gången. Det är helt hejdlöst.

 


Här vilar sig Buddha
Men det är också gott om Guest houses och restauranger. Ännu är det inte många turister här, men ska visst komma i November. Jag bor på Shwe Na Di Guest House, riktigt rart och fint, $15 natten, aircon, fri wifi, kylskåp och frukost. Coola gäster.

Lokalbefolkningen är fullständigt underbar. Människor kan helt enkelt inte vara rarare än de här. Det är tydligt att turismen ännu inte haft någon alls negativ inverkan. Alla hejar och ler, många kommer och vill snacka. Det finns vykortsnasare, och många med hästdroska, men ingen är särskilt påstridig eller besvärande. Unga flickor är makalöst söta och rara.

Jag blir nog några dagar.

Mandalay 17 okt

Jag gillar inte Mandalay något vidare. Guideboken skriver att den som kommer hit och förväntar sig något liknande som beskrevs av Orwell och Kipling för länge sedan kommer bli besviken. Dagens Mandalay har mycket Kinesiska influenser, med mestadels nya fula hus.

Så är det. Tror aldrig jag sett så många hardware-stores på så begränsad yta. Det var också varmt som f-n nu i mitten av oktober.

Hotellet jag bodde på, Nylon, bara namnet ...., var rätt bekvämt men fult som attan.

En dag gjorde jag en expedition till Pyin U Lwin, där var det fint men tyvärr regnade det större delen av dagen. Grämde mig att jag inte hade med hela bagaget så jag kunde stannat över natten. Betydligt svalare än i Mandalay.
Pyun U Lwin går också under namnet Maymyo. May var en Brittisk militär av något slag som var här när Britterna höll Burma som koloni. Han ruttnade på värmen i Mandalay och tog sig en bit upp i backen där det var svalare och slog sig ner. Småningom blev det en mindre stad när fler Britter joinade hans tillflykt. Myo är Burmesiska och betyder något i stil med 'boplats' eller så, dvs Maymyo är där som May bor.
Arkitekturen är helt Engelsk, typ sent 1800-tal.

Det finns ett helt gäng hästdroskor som ser ut som Wells Fargo under cowboytiden. I verkligheten importerades dessa från Indien längesedan.

 

Bortom Maymyo finns ett plejs som heter Hsipaw. Där ska vara rysligt vackert och man kan trekka i backarna. Hela det här området är typiskt sånt som jag bara måste komma tillbaks och cykla.

Fö är hela den här Burma-resan bara en rekognoseringstur för att se om jag verkligen har lust att göra en cykeltur här. Det har jag, stor lust.

--

Rangoon 15 Okt 2012

Det har snackats om en turistinvasion av Myanmar (Burma), den här säsongen. Mycket möjligt med tanke på att det faktiskt går framåt med demokratiseringen. Men ännu är det ivf inte många här. Air Asia - Flighten från Bangkok var bara halvfull. Och jag ser inte många vita ansikten i Rangoon. Första guest houset jag kollade var nästan fullt, men det finns nog många som knappt har en gäst än.

Fast det finns ju andra turister än vitingar. Jag har träffat på flera Thailändare här som turistar. 

På ett lokaltåg i Rangoon
Rangoon är riktigt coolt! Jag bor snorbra på Okinawa GH och det är riktigt kul typer som bor här.

I Rangoon

Mest bara en test för att se om det funkar.
Rangoon är riktigt nice. I kväll ska jag med nattåg till Mandalay.

Lasse

New changes.

Bangkok, Oct 9, 2012.

New changes.
I will change language again on this blog, reverting back to my native Swedish.
My last several trips I have been cycling, and I keep a cycling journal at the English language cyclist site Crazyguyonabíke. I have at least to some extent cycled areas where I had not been able to find detailed accounts of the roads and/or places to stay etc. To amend that I wrote in quite detail so that future cyclists along that way could have use of my accounts. It felt quite a job to write the same thing once in English and then again in Swedish.

Eventually I will cycle again on this trip but much along the same way as I did in SE Asia last time. I do not feel I need to be so elaborate in my journal this time, but rather write less often, and hopefully of better reading value to the occasional visitor.

So now I will go back to my native language.
..........

Jag byter alltså språk igen i bloggen. Det blev lite väl detaljerat om själva cykelvägen och var jag hittade boende etc. Nu har jag tänkt vara lite lösare i ramarna och inte nödvändigtvis skriva just varje dag. Bli inte förvånad dock om det plötsligt kommer ett kapitel på Engelska, det är ju ett tjusigt språk.

Jag landade på Suvarnabumi i Bangkok i morse. Flög med Thai, direkt från Stockholm. Själva flighten var inget mycket att säga om. Take off på tidtabell och tack vare en del medvind landade vi faktiskt drygt en halvtimma före schedule. Var på backen redan kvart över fem. Jag tog hissen ner i källaren och en bulle med taxameter till Soi Rambuttri.

Taxi i Thailand är mestadels en välskött verksamhet om man ger fan i att försöka vara smart. När jag tidigare gått ut på gatuplanet och dealat med taxichaffisarna om ett pris har jag ofta landat på 5-600 bhat. Sen har då highwayavgiften plötsligt kommit ovanpå. Med taxameter blev det 239 bhat och det var varskott redan från början att om jag ville åka highway så var det jag som fick betala avgiften. Det ville jag, och det kostade 70 baht extra. Drivern spettade på ordentligt och var alldeles vänlig och hjälpsam. Han fick tre hundra och "keep the change". Jag var på Four Son's Village strax efter 6 men var dum nog att inte be få "se på rummet" innan jag betalade, eftersom jag varit här förut. Det ledde till ett  rum som är en bra bit mindre än jag haft här tidigare. Helt OK förvisso, med badrum, balkong och aircon för 600 baht. Men nästa gång vill jag se rummet först, och anar att jag då kan få ett större.

För 6-7 år sedan stod Thai bhat och Indiska rupees i samma pris för mig, 18 öre. Sedan dess har bhathen gått upp till 24 öre medan rupeen sjunkit till 14. Summa summarum är det ofta dyrare i Thailand än Indien.

I dag har jag tryckt ut lite pengar, köpt ny guidebok, beställt en cykel och lagt handpenning, fixat telefonkort och fått mig en rejäl massage samt sovit middag.
Jag är väldigt nöjd att jag tog mig tid för flera år sedan kolla in Bangkok ordentligt och nu hålls i trevligt område och känner mig rätt hemma.
I morgon ska jag ta mig till Burmas ambassad och ansöka om visum. Det blir en halvtimmas båttur på floden till Taksin Bridge och sen en station med Sky Train.

Why we cycle

Here is another quote for you. It is from a bike journal by a young American girl when she was about halfway on her trip across the US;

The best of Diana Johnson

"As I cycled away I thought to myself: Bike touring really does rock my socks off. I like the challenge, the adventure, the lack of a safety net, the daily confrontation of my own fears and doubts.

I love the feeling of commitment - in total commitment I find total freedom. I love the connections I make and the feeling of celebration. I love the fortitude this life requires, and the self-reliance. I love the simplicity of this life, and the unexpected moments of grace. I love the risk and the uncertainty. Not knowing where I'll sleep tonight, or where I'll be tomorrow - these unknowns makes me giddy. I love being alone and emerging from the loneliness with a new appreciation for the company of others, as imperfect as we both may be."


Ride on

Bombay (Colaba) 2

Mandve - Bombay (Colaba), March 11, 2012.

19 km

Checkout was already at 0830 at the guest house near the jetty at Mandve. Then I had a 10 km ride to the other jetty at Rewas. The boat from there landed me in Port of Bombay, from where I had another 9 km to ride down to Colaba.

The best rooms at Carlton were already occupied but I got another OK one for 1200 Rs. Outside bath though.

It is good to be back in Bombay again. The very last bit of cycling for this trip will be riding up to Bandra W tomorrow to turn my bike in for service and boxing.


Gps track of my cycle trip in India. 3808 km, 67 cycling days. 57 km/day

Mandve

Murud - Mandve, March 10, 2012.

72 km

Up early and left at 0915. I realised it would be possible to ride all the way to Mandve today, and probably also come across the bay to Bombay if I so wanted. Not that I really had any urgent business in Bombay, but anyway.

There are a few hills even up here but much less so than further South. At around 12 I stopped in a noisy little town for an ice cream. When I was enjoying my cone another cyclist rode into town and stopped for a chat. It was Matt from Australia. He has cycled from Delhi and is heading all the way to Kerala. He is actually the first cyclist I have met going in the opposite direction on this entire trip. It is good meeting someone coming from where I am just about to go. In this case though he could not really tell me anything about the way I did not already know. Well, he could have told me that the normal boats between Gateway of India and Mandve are suspended for five days due to the Indian Prime Minister visiting Bombay, but he didn't. Matt had come across from Bombay yesterday afternoon and stayed the night at a guest house just by the Mandve Jetty.


I thought I knew which guest house he meant and happily cycled on to the jetty where I had arrived a month ago. When I got here I was told about the boat suspension and that I would have to cycle to another jetty some 10 km away, and from there take a boat to somewhere other in Bombay than Gateway of India. I guess Matt was unaware of what boat he could not take and what Mandve jetty he could have arrived at.

My legs are really tired now, and my ass very sore. I could not help being aware that this is more or less the last day of this long cycling trip. More than anything I was very full of thoughts about how much I love India and the Indians. At one spot was an old woman standing by the roadside waiting for something. She was fat and ugly and very lovely in an Indian way at the same time. For a fraction of a second I had the urge to just stop short right in front of her and plant a big kiss on her forehead and tell her that I love her just being there. But I got the better of me and just cycled past. It probably would have shocked the bejeesus out of her if I had.

So now I am at a guest house by a jetty where there will not be any boat for another two days. Tomorrow morning I hope to find the other jetty and zip over to big B. Hope the Prime Ministers visit does not mean I will have trouble finding a room. With my smart phone still not working I have not been able to book anything.

Murud 2

Hareshwar - Murud, March 9, 2012.

64 km

I woke up early, when it was still dark outside. Then lay around awake for quite a while, but must have eventually dozed off again. I awoke to a piercing sound, some kind of alarm. At first I thought it may be a fire alarm or some such. I got up and checked my room without finding anything to be alarmed about. Checked outside and found nothing of interest. Then cast a glance at the wall clock and saw that it was already a quarter to nine.

By the time I had had breakfast and packed it was again ten o'clock before I got under way.

My legs felt tired and powerless in the strong headwind, and many more hills than I remembered from before. It took me forever getting to Dighi where I knew there would be a boat for crossing the river. For the first time on this trip I was really looking forward to this cycling coming to an end. I think I am just worn out really.


I found no place for lunch and made some mistake on the road. Had to cycle back a bit before getting back on track towards Dighi. Around 130 PM I came upon a small place selling ice cream. I asked for a cup with one scoop Butter Scotch and one Fresh Mango. The Mango thing was OK but not that special. The Butter Scotch though was delicious. When I asked the woman there, she told me a double scoop is 25 Rs. Not huge scoops, but adequate. I have another double, this time Butter Scotch and something called Anjeere. Again the prize goes to Butter Scotch. The woman is pleasant talking to and her English is remarkably good. She asks about my cycling trip and wishes me a pleasant journey. I am reinforced in my thinking that I was overcharged last night for the strawberry ice cream at the resort.

Eventually I reach the jetty at Dighi. There is a boat already loading motorbikes and I am soon onboard as well. The passage is a bit rough with the boat rolling quite a lot in the rather heavy seas whipped up by the strong wind.

At Janjira, just on the other side of the river, is a nice looking restaurant. It is already four o'clock but I have dhal fry and two chapatis anyway. As I cycle away from there I ask a rickshaw driver for Murud. He shows the way and tell me it is only 5 kms to go. Very nice!
It is Saturday, and yesterday was full moon, and the Hindu spring festival of Holi. I am a bit concerned about finding a room, thinking that many city people may have come down here to celebrate Holi. I cross the bridge leading in to Murud and head for the guest house I stayed at here a month ago. Bingo, I get the same room, same price.

Anjarle 2

Guhagar - Anjarle, March 7, 2012.

62 km

For a change I got away quite early. And oh how nice the morning cycling was! This whole area seems like a dream of yesteryears. Everything is slow, allowed to take its time. People sit around in the shade of trees, talking, smiling, and sometimes enjoy sleeping outside.

Roads were mostly of good quality. I crossed two rivers by small wooden boats, and I think one more on a bridge.

I think I have quite a lot of time for my ride up to Bombay, and was thinking of maybe cutting the days a bit shorter, find new places to stay. But then after the second boat trip I was already in Anjarle and moved in at Mr Sarthes place, where I stayed last. This time I decided to take my meals at his place also. There were several Indian tourists staying at Mr Sarthes, people from Pune and Bombay. They are aware of this being an area that still run by an older clock, and come to enjoy it while it lasts. Once the coastal highway is completed there will no doubt be many changes here.

Dinner was served on banana leafs, and tasted great.

I had a long talk with a couple of gentlemen from Pune, and found out some things of Indian history that I had not known about. Some time I must buy a good book on the subject.

Hareshwar

Anjarle - Hari Hareshwar, March 8, 2012.

51 km

I was up early today and was hoping to hit the road before it starts getting really hot. But then I ended up talking to people and again it was past ten before I finally got away. At first the road was fine, but soon turned worse. When I rode into Kelshi and asked for a boat across the river I was told I had to ride further inland. It came to be a very long and not that nice detour. Eventually I crossed that river on a bridge some 12 km further inland than were I had hoped to come across by boat. The ride on the Southern strand of the river was not altogether bad, but after having crossed the bridge I had to cycle back towards the coast on an awful gravel road. The detour must have cost me a couple of hours.


Once back on the coast again I started looking for an alternative to Shrivardan to stay at. When I reached Hari Hareshwar I asked at the Mtdc Tourist Bungalow for room, but it was full. Eventually I got a pricey room, or a bungalow actually, at the Hareshwar Tourist Bungalow. The room is fine and clean. But service at the attached restaurant is abysmal. There is no menu, food is not good, and they charge a hefty 65 Rs for a slice of strawberry icecream. There is a large freezer in the restaurant but still the only choice is strawberry.

Paint is flaking from the walls, there were piles of towels lying about right in the dining room. Someone spent the money building a fine resort, and then left managing the restaurant to incompetent fools. The whole thing reminded me of state run establishments in Eastern Europe in communist times where no one gave a shit.

Guhagar 2

Ganpatipule - Guhagar, March 6, 2012.

58 km

I had intended to have another rest day at Ganpatipule. But then I could not get a room at Kapil lodge where I wanted to stay. I got a room nearby, OK but not as good. There was quite a bit of noise early this morning. I don't know if it was the family or other guest leaving early. Anyway people talking loudly just outside my room much too early. I decided to leave after breakfast. My cycling clothes was only half dry from laundry when I put them on.

Oddly enough I felt much more tired today than yesterday. It seems the long ride up to Ratnagiri only hit me today, despite yesterdays half day, and lots of good food.

There was a ferry crossing before noon, between Jaigad and Navsai. Then cycling through real rural Konkan landscape. Sweet villages and nice people. I managed to avoid the nasty gravel road, but it was very hot through much of todays riding. Road conditions varied.

Some 4 kms before Guhagar I found a good dhaba at a road crossing. I had a good plate of chicken Schezhuan and washed it down with bottled mango juice and mineral water, well chilled. At Guhagar I decided to go back to the guest house I stayed at last time. It is a good place but I am a bit concerned about he nearby mosque starting their calls to prayer so early.


Guhagar guest house

Ganpatipule 2

Ratnagiri - Ganpatipule, March 5, 2012.

28 km

It is really good value at Vihar de Luxe in Ratnagiri. 600 Rs for a good room with an unusually soft bed, and a fine breakfast bouffe included in the price. And breakfast is available from already at 0730.

I rolled down the hill to the bazaar looking for some fruit to have as a snack. There was a couple of men selling grapes but he spoke no English at all and was unable to tell me the price with hand gestures. It was only gibbledygook what he told me. I thought I would find someone better at communicating with aliens, but never did. It was not far to Ganpatipule anyway so I could manage without the fruits.

At the bottom of the hill I met another foreigner, maybe South American, who said he was also on a cycle trip, but at the moment just out shopping. He was heading South, and I told him about the many hills he was up for.

It was good roads today. I crossed another three rivers, all on bridges. Up and down again of course.

Ratnagiri 2

Devgar - Ratnagiri, March 4, 2012.

101 km

Todays distance was a bit too much, in this heat and headwind. By the time I arrived Ratnagiri I was totally wiped.

The road itself was very good. I think I crossed seven rivers, all of them on bridges. Thus there was no delays, no waiting for ferryboats. But the bridges are of course all low down, and then I had to climb up again on the other side. Many of those uphills were so steep I had to get off and walk, pushing my bike. But oh the lovely shower once I had gotten my room, again at Vihar de Luxe. Divine!

An hour before Ratnagiri I stopped by the roadside for a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice. I could feel my blood sugar was at rock bottom and I was almost losing the will to pedal on. A young woman had this cart where she pressed fruit juices and mixed with ice, 20 Rs a glass. She was very pretty and had a lot of henna paintings on her hands and arms. She obviously wanted to talk to me and was disappointed when she realised I spoke neither Marathi nor Hindi. Once again I vowed to take a Hindi crash course next time I come back to this lovely country.

Devgar 2

Malvan - Devgar, March 3, 2012.

60 km

It is a beautiful way between Malvan and Devgar. But the road was mostly bad. There is however roadworks going on along much of it, and it should soon be better. I had a quite strong headwind in my face for most of the day. I guess it cooled me off a bit but obviously it also slowed me down.

Malvan 2

Vengurla - Malvan (Tarkali beach), March 1, 2012.

47 km

The hills of Southern Maharashtra have attacked me today. They are not as steep as in N Thailand or as long as in N Laos but they are just so many. Up and down, up and down. Still I know that this is only the beginning, there are many more to come in the next several cycling days.

I did not want to bother the family at Shram Safalya Niwas GH with breakfast. I ate some grapes and biscuits I had and drank a bottle of water. Then I could do my toilet needs, and was off. Instead I stopped by the bus station in Vengurla village. Just outside the bus station was a little schack where a man had a gas stove and cooked snacks. I had some potatoe-chopped onions thing with a baji and bread. It was nice and very Indian. While I ate I watched him deepfry Samosas and Pakodas in oil. After he had let the oil drip off he picked out several Samosas, broke them in small pieces and threw them out the door to a noisy bunch of crows hanging around there.
Obviously the crows will in no way benefit the man's business. And they are sure to come back again and again, probably bringing some crow friends with them, crowing and fighting. Still the man keeps feeding the birds. I did not need to ask him why, I know why. As a Hindu he is always aware that the fire of life within himself, that which makes it possible for him to experience yet another day, that fire is the same in the crow. A hungry crow is just as hungry as a hungry man.

Man is it nice to be in India! So many 'Hellos' and welcoming smiles along the road. And at crossroads I need not even ask which way to go. As I approach the intersection several people point me on and say 'Malvan!', since they already seem to have learned which way cyclists want to go.

I did not want to take the risk of waiting forever for a boat to take me across the river. Instead I cycled via the bridge. After I had crossed I did indeed find a small gravel road that runs along the river, and did not need to cycle via Malvan town. I was hungry again by the time I came to Tarkali beach area, and stopped at the Mtdc bungalows for their superb veg Thali. Now I am back at Babla Beach House, and very pleased to be here.


There is a lodge some 10-15 km S of Tarkali beach.

Vengurla 2

Arambol - Vengurla, Feb 29, 2012.

30 km

Going back up the same way I came down three weeks ago has the advantage of me knowing some things to avoid and others to look forward to. Returning to the very guesthouse I stayed at in Vengurla definitely is something I wanted to do. This beach schack I am now at againg is not so special by itself, but the food I get here is indeed delicious, and the sweet family I stay with is a prize.

I was a bit surprised that it was only 30 km getting here, now that I bypassed Shiroda beach. I thought it would be well over 40 kms.

This morning I was up early at Arambol. So early that no restaurants were open at all. I went for a walk on the beach, and did my morning excercises. On the way back to Laxmi GH I spotted a small place that had opened and were serving idlys. There I met a beautiful older Swedish woman, even though she has never lived in Sweden itself. She is well travelled and we had many things to talk about. I had expected to be on the road by 0830 but it came to be almost 10 o'clock before I eventually got away.

Still I arrived here at Vengurla already by 2 pm. I was even considering to continue on to Malvan today, but decided against it. Since the boat I came across on from the other side does not seem to run regularly I will probably have to cycle further inland, and cross the river on a roadbridge. Now that my smartphone refuses to work I fear I may get lost on the roads before reaching Tarkali Beach.

Arambol 2

Vagator - Arambol, Feb 28, 2012.

22 km

Back in Arambol again. I could not get a confirmation on my train booking going Margao - Bombay. It is not unlikely that a booking could have come through one or two days prior to my actually travelling. But I did not want to risk being there on a chance which would have left me no options. Besides I felt I had been long enough in Vagator anyway. And I actually really wanted to get back on the road. So now I have just taken the first step of cycling back up to Bombay.

I know the first several days will be hilly and hot, but that there will also be many very nice stretches. And I have everything in my own hands. I have enough time to get to Bombay, even enough spare time for one or two rest days along the way. I think ten cycling days should be enough. I will skip a couple of the stops I made going down, nd hope to avoid some mistakes as well. My only concern is a couple of the river crossings I have to do. Going South there were at least two iffy crossings. I hope I will be able to find boats going my way.

I took it easy this morning and only left Vagator at 1045. Still I arrived Arambol at 1200. Now I am thinking maybe I should have gone on a bit further. But I plan to have my next stop at Vengurla, bypassing Shiroda beach.

Now in Bombay.

I am now back in Bombay since a few hours. My cycling trip is
basically over. Tomorrow I will ride up to Bandra and turn the bike in
for service and boxing for the flight early Thursday morning.

All is well.

--
Lars
lars.traveller@gmail.com

Goa

Goa, Feb 27, 2012.

It has been nice to take a good long break for a while. But now I start feeling that itch to get back on the road again. I have tried to book a train from Margao to Bombay but as of yet have been unable to get a confirmation. I am on waitlist. Now I plan to cycle back to Bombay instead. Probably leaving tomorrow morning.

It is a nice route along the Konkan coast, but I also realise that the hot parts will be even more hot now than 3 weeks ago. By late February winter is definitely over here and it is getting warmer. I expect it to take about ten days to Bombay and probably take a rest day about halfway up.


9 Bar posterYesterday I rode over to Anjuna to meet up with Sussi, a friend from Goa in the 80's. Amazingly she still looks exactly the same as she did when she was 23. We had dinner together at Starco, a restaurant where another Swedish woman is married to the owner. So Starco is somewhat of a Swedish meeting spot in North Goa. We were about 8 Swedish there and 2-3 others, all old Goa hands.


Vagator Beach Resort has been flattened.

Vagator

Arambol - Vagator, Feb 9, 2012.

22 km

I had some thoughts of cycling on the beach, at least down to Morjim, but after a long walk along those beaches yesterday morning I gave up that idea. For one thing i would have had to go very early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the high tide. And then there are also two streams to cross. It is no big deal walking through the streams but I would not feel comfortable taking my bike through.

So I cycled the road. It is very nice cycling in Goa. Roads are quite small and there is often good shade. And it is very beautiful.


Beach all the way between Arambol and Chapora
My fav place to stay in Vagator was full so I had to take a bad room elsewhere for one night. Then I could finally move in to Sunita GH. I got the same room I had here previously. It is not very large but I like it. Everything is clean, there is a good bathroom and a small verandah. When I unpacked all my stuff, actually for the first time on this trip, put my things on shelfs, plugged in the loudspeakers to my computer and played some Billy Holiday music while stringing up my hammock on the verandah, I could literally feel my shoulders drop, and that I was home.


Cycling in to Vagator

Sunset over Middle Vagator

Morning on Vagator Beach
I have already cycled further than I originally planned for this trip. Still I may go yet a bit further, down to Gokarna for a week or so. We'll see.


Goan bedsheet


Happy Hour gives me two Margerithas for the price of one

Arambol

Shiroda - Arambol, Feb 7, 2012.

20 km

The stop at Shiroda was not really necessary. But I am looking for the beach where we had a party in the early nineties. Goa police would no longer give permission for all night parties so some ambitious Italians took it up the coast a bit to Maharashtra. Some 500 motorcycles drove away from the Goan beach places in a real exodus. Party started at midnight as usual, and went on till around 8 AM. It was good.

In the morning we went down to the beach. It was very beautiful, apart from a dead dolphin right in the middle of it. Since then I have meant to go back and check it out better.

I am still not shure if I found it though. But it may have been the one called Paradise Beach near Shiroda. There are quite a few Russians here now.


Arriving at Arambol


Arambol beach


View from a chai shop


Morning Star has been supersized

Shiroda

Vengurla - Shiroda, Feb 6, 2012.

15 km

I made a short move this morning. Only from Vengurla beach to Shiroda beach. I feel I am on a mission to check out all the beaches along this coast. This beach here is by some called Paradise Beach. That is how the locals refer to it. But I happen to know that there are other beaches too by that name.

In Google Maps I could see that at Shiroda Beach was a place called Dolphin Bay Resort and that is where I went. The beach is beautiful but that resort is pretty shitty. The staff was ever so nice I must say, and it feels a bit bad to be negative about their place. But it really is not much. Not expensive per se, but still overpriced for what you get. And the food is not nearly as good as what I have had further up the coast. There were some Indian families staying, but I was the only foreigner.

It is a lovely beach no doubt, but as with all the other beaches I have seen in Maharashtra, the infrastructure is sadly missing. There are no chai shops or restaurants at all. I asked the manager here, at Dolphin Bay Resort, why not. He says the Maharashtra government does not allow alcohol of any kind to be sold within 500 meters of the beach. Again this Indian fixation on alcohol! To me the most important beverages in a chai shop are chai, coffee, juice and bottled water. Then if they can swing something foodwise it is of course even better. Never mind the beer and harder stuff.


Dolphin Bay Resort


Paradise Beach


When I walked on the beach in the afternoon I saw some signs in Russian, advertising beach shacks for rent. I saw quite a few Russian tourists around.

Vengurla

Malvan - Vengurla, Feb 5, 2012.

48 km

Following Google Maps there should be a route South along Tarkali beach road down to the river and then along that in a NE-ly direction to a bridge across the river. But when I got to the river there was no road along it at all. When I stood there, double checking Google Maps on my smartphone, a European man on a motorbike stopped by. He was looking for another cyclist, a German guy who should come around any day to pick up some spare parts. Austrian Roland is retired and spends a few months at Tarkali beach in the winter. He told me I could cross the river in a boat, or else I would have to ride almost all the way up to Malvan itself before I would get on a road leading to the bridge.

The boat sounded like a better idea, and Roland offered to show me where it would normally be landed. But since the day was still early he asked if I would want a cup of strong coffee in his nearby house. Sure, off we went. He has a fine little house down on the narrow peninsula that has Tarkali Beach on one side and the river on the other. Roland asked around about the whereabouts of the boatman and found out he had just punted his way over to the other side, and would be half an hour or so before coming back. Time enough for an espresso, and for good measure Roland also put a large Tuborg to chill down in the freezer. By the time I had finished my coffe and we had shared the beer it was obvious the boatman was not coming back anytime soon. So Roland called for another boat. This time a motorboat that wanted 200 Rs to take me across. OK.


Roland's place




On the motorboat
Once on the other side there was a small trail leading to a small road, and then onto MSH 4. I was quite eager to check on the beaches along the way, and it suited me fine to ride as close to the coast as possible. A couple of hours after leaving Rolands place I met German Steven, the cyclist who was to pick up the spare parts Roland had waiting. I turned off the # 4 trying to get to Dhaboli Beach, but never quite got there. I was on a very small trail, and hilly too. Eventually when people told me it would be impossible to take my bike all the way to the beach, and I also was aware of ending up the wrong side of a river I turned around thinking that Vengurla Beach was more likely to be what I was looking for.

Vengurla itself is a nice looking place. I stocked up on water and biscuits, bought a bar of soap and headed for where restaurants would be. That proved to be right at the Northernmost end of Vengurla Beach, near a lighthouse. There are several hotels and resorts there. By then it was past 5 PM and I decided to skip lunch altogether, and had two ice creams instead. There is another river flowing out to the ocean right up by the lighthouse. I thought it better to cross that river too before settling for the night. If I am by a beach I may as well be right on it, not separated by a river. Somehow even though it was getting late in the day I felt confident I would find some place better than those hotels.

And I did. Cycled on for a while and when I slowed down to have a look in on a small road in the direction of the setting sun, some men sitting aorund there said yes, yes, beach is this way! I asked if there would be a guest house, and they said yes there is. A lady a little further on confirmed it. I had to drag my bike through some heavy sand though before arriving at Shram Safalya Niwas. Here I have a bamboo and palm leaf shack right by the beach, 500 Rs, with attached bath and electricity. The family brought me chai and a delicious Thali. Nothing like skipping lunch to wet your dinner appetite.


My beach schack at Vengurla
And I had a quick dip in the waves soon after arrival. Fab!

Tarkali Beach, Malvan

Devgar - Tarkali Beach, Malvan, Feb 2, 2012.

76 km (incl some 15-20 km looking for a room at Tarkali beach)

I had asked to have breakfast at 0800 this morning at the Galaxy. I had my alarm at 0730 and was ready to eat by 8. At 0815 I went downstairs to ask why breakfast had not yet come up. Both the manager and the cook were in the reception reading newspapers, as if nothing had happened.
-Wait ten minutes they said, go to your room and it will be brought up.
-No thanks I'll wait right here.
-Sit down.
-No thanks I'll stand right here.
Eventually my omelette was ready about 0845, and the tea ten minutes later. Took the tea on my balcony, and hit the road by 0930.

It was great sleeping with the large balcony door open. I loved hearing the sounds of waves when I went to bed. It was still warm then, but I did expect to wake up in the wee hours needing to close that door. Nothing doing though. It was still warm when daylight woke me up.

Todays cycling had many hills, up and down, hot and dry. I still feel my legs being tired from previous long days. I had hoped to make this a short day. It did not really turn out that way. I was in Malvan around 2 PM. Nice town/village. But then there is another 8 km to Tarkali Beach. And it took me a long time and several rides along various roads behind the beach before I finally settled on Babla's Beach House.

From others I had suggestions for Sun'n Surf GH, Manali GH, and Cosy Nook GH. I only saw Manali, and did not find it particularly inviting. In the end my exploring Tarkali Beach came to be an ever more desperate search for somewhere that was not outright ridiculous where I could move in and rest my sore ass.

There are loads of resorts here. But by far the most of them are several hundred meters in from the beach, often on the far side of the road to boot. That is not my idea of staying by the beach, particularly as I meant to stay two nights. At long last I found this Babla's, and I am very pleased to be here. It is right behind the beach, there are hammocks strung up between palm trees, and I can hear the waves. Plus I got lovely food, the landlady is sweet, and there is a German Shephard dog. He barked at me first but we have now become good friends. I love having a dog at my guest house.

700 Rs, hot water, and clean. Nice!


View from my room at Babla's

Nice dog

Tarkali beach
Next day I take a long walk on the beach and spot some very nice bungalows in a palm grove. It is the Mtdc Resort. I have lunch in the attached restaurant. Very good Thali in the Malvan style. The spices used are almost exactly the same as I get at Babla's.
I enquire at the reception on prices for bungalows. They are 2500 Rs.


Tarkali Mtdc