Solo Bike Ride to Mumbai - Karnataka - Goa - Mumbai from 30th Dec '16 to 3rd Jan '17

Solo Bike Ride to Mumbai - Karnataka - Goa - Mumbai from 30th Dec '16 to 3rd Jan '17 Day 1 - It was decided with another biker friend to leave for Goa on 29th Dec but he had some work so was postponed to 30th Dec. We started early morning at around 6 am from Vashi via Old Mumbai-Pune Highway. It was chilled in the morning and just before Khopoli, my friend started feeling much cold and he was not able to ride further as he thought he could not complete such a long journey. So he went back home. And I continued my ride as I am used to any kind of weather conditions. Within an hour (7:25 am) I reached Green House Cafe at Khandala Ghat and had my awesome breakfast Medu Vada & Coffee. From there again started my ride via Satara - Kolhapur - Belgaum NH4 with some short breaks on the highway I reached Hubali (Karnataka) in the late afternoon at around 4:04 pm. 500kms ride completed in 8hours approx. This was possible because of the smoothest and awesomest NH4. This is one of my best roads for riding or driving smoothly without any potholes or roadblocks. Just a few speed breakers during junction crossings. On the way had taken loads of selfies with Roads, Rivers, and Scenic Mountains. Reaching Hubali I searched for a hotel for me which I got at just Rs. 500 a night stay. They also had a restaurant so had dinner and the next day morning breakfast there only. Next Day 31st Dec'16 I left for my next destination Badami Caves & Fort. Day 2 - About Badami Town - Badami, formerly known as Vatapi, is a town and headquarters of a taluk by the same name, in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India. It was the regal capital of the Badami Chalukyas from 540 to 757 AD. It is famous for its rock-cut structural temples. It is located in a ravine at the foot of a rugged, red sandstone outcrop that surrounds Agastya lake. Badami has been selected as one of the heritage cities for the HRIDAY - Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana scheme of the Government of India. About Badami Caves - The Badami cave temples are a complex of four Hindu, Jain and possibly Buddhist cave temples located in Badami, a town in the Bagalkot district in the northern part of Karnataka, India. The caves are considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, especially Badami Chalukya architecture, which dates from the 6th century. Badami was previously known as Vataapi Badami, the capital of the early Chalukya dynasty, which ruled much of Karnataka from the 6th to the 8th century. Badami is situated on the west bank of an artificial lake ringed by an earthen wall with stone steps; it is surrounded on the north and south by forts built in later times. The Badami cave temples represent some of the earliest known examples of Hindu temples. UNESCO has described the designs of the Badami cave temples, and those in Aihole, as having transformed the Malaprabha River valley into a cradle of temple architecture that defined the components of later Hindu temples elsewhere in India. Caves 1 to 4 are in the escarpment of the hill in the soft Badami sandstone formation, to the southeast of the town. In Cave 1, among various sculptures of Hindu divinities and themes, a prominent carving is of the Tandava-dancing Shiva as Nataraja. Cave 2 is mostly similar to Cave 1 in terms of its layout and dimensions, featuring Hindu subjects of which the relief of Vishnu as Trivikrama is the largest. The largest cave is Cave 3, featuring Vishnu-related mythology, and it is also the most intricately carved cave in the complex. Cave 4 is dedicated to revered figures of Jainism. Cave 5 may be a Buddhist cave. Another cave was discovered in 2015, about 500 metres (1,600 ft) from the four main caves, with 27 Hindu carvings. About Badami Fort - View of Badami Fort from Badami Caves Badami fort lies west of the Bhuthnatha temple, atop a cliff right opposite the Badami cave temples. The entrance to this temple is right through the Badami museum. It is a steep climb with many viewpoints and dotted with little shrines. The path is laid with neatly cut stone, the same that adores all the architecture around. About Aihole - Aihoḷe is a village having a historic temple complex in the Bagalkot district of Karnataka, India and located 510 km from Bangalore. It is known for Chalukyan architecture, with about 125 stone temples dating from the 5th century CE, and is a popular tourist spot in north Karnataka. It lies to the east of Pattadakal, along the Malaprabha River, while Badami is to the west of both. With its collection of architectural structures, the Aihoḷe temple complex is on the pending list of UNESCO World heritage sites. About Pattadakal - Pattadakal, also spelt Paṭṭadakallu, is a UNESCO-inscribed World Heritage site. It is a village and an important tourist centre in the state of Karnataka and is located on the left bank of the Malaprabha River in Bagalakote. It is 22 km from Badami, and about 10 km from Aihole, both of which are well-known for Chalukya monuments. It is 514 km from Bengaluru. The Pre-Chalukya historical and archaeological site Bachinagudda is also near Pattadakal. From Pattadakal I immediately left for Hampi. Which was around 135 km, it took around 3hrs to reach this awesome site. I was very excited to visit Hampi. This was one of my most awaited destinations in Karnataka. Once you visit this place you will never forget its beauty. The ride to Hampi was superb, surrounded by rocks & boulders. As I reached Hampi, it had a street market on the right side of the narrow road, with cottage/homestay, hotels, restaurants everything within 500 meters. To enter Hampi Site you have to cross a river, you can cross this river by boat or park your bike before & cross the river jumping on rocks. Or take your bike to the temple gate from a different route this route comes from Hospete. But I had not taken Hospete road. As you enter Hampi Heritage Site, you will not stop taking pictures from different angles. You will end up with a minimum of 200 selfies, 300 scenic pictures, and around 50-60 videos on your phone. One can night stay at Hampi without any disturbance. You can do anything here. Enjoy the sunset at Matunga Hill, play the guitar, or sit/sleep inside the ruins of temples / Houses reading a book or playing slow music on your phone. Hampi is the place where you can enjoy staying from Sunrise to Sunset... My next destination was 300 km away from Jog Falls. But this was possible the next day only. But before that I had to cover at least 50% of my journey & till I do not find a good place to eat & sleep. After sunset I left Hampi, with soothing memories which never can be deleted from my mind. With my phone settled on the mobile holder, GPS on, I throttled towards Jog Falls. Covering almost 150kms I was passing through a small populated village. On my right, I saw an authentic South Indian restaurant. As I was starving & it was around 8 pm I thought of stopping here. On my way, I didn't find any hotels for my stay & I had made up my mind to sleep this new year under the open sky at some temple complex on the highway. Yes on my many rides, I have slept in temples. Temple is the best place to stay at night. You get shelter, a silent zone it is, no alarm needed, in morning 1 pandit will come early morning & give you prasad for sure. But this time it was not a temple. At this restaurant, I ordered Masala Dosa & Tomato Rice / Pulav. I asked the owner can I find a stay here hotel or homestay or temple. And he said just behind our restaurant there is a lodge. And I was like oh great. After dinner, I checked in to the lodge. It was a decent & clean room. It a new year's eve outside locals was rushing to the cake shop for buying cakes for the celebration. It was a small village but everybody was excited when it will be 12 & the new year will be celebrated. It was 12 & cake was cut by kids, distributed to all, even I had 1 piece. And with a new year resolution to finish my ride successfully, I went to sleep. Day 3 - It was 1st January 2017, a new day, a new morning, a new world. It was a pleasant cool climate. Got freshen up, made my bike ready, cleaned & washed it. Had breakfast at the same restaurant & left for Jog Falls. This morning was something different. Wanted some music to enjoy, so played Bryan Adams's song Here I Am on my Bluetooth handsfree and the ride started. This song was perfect for this day. With awesome happy mood and scenic natural beauty, took loads of selfies, pictures & videos of nature & my bike ride videos too. Crossing river bridge, small ghat & I was at the Jog Falls. As it was December water of the falls was less. Little disappointed but that's nature and I was glad I was finally at one of the highest falls in India. Taking lots of memories on my phone and left for my next destination which I had to finish by today. My next stop was Murudeshwar Temple. Yes, the big Shiva Statue at Murudeshwar Beach. I wanted to see this for long long time. My Many friends had already visited this place and I had not. So this was the time for me to go. Reaching this place was not easy. Almost 60 km starting from Jog Falls was a long long Ghat route which was passing through the dense forest area. And I had to cover this before the sun sets. As it was ghat route speed above 50kmph was not possible. But still, I managed & reached Murudeshwar Temple before 6 pm. Finally, I was here & started capturing memories for me. Within 2kms of the temple, there is usually a lot of rush & traffic jams because of the narrow roads & there are luxury buses, and state transport buses entering till the end of the beach & gate of the temple. I left after sunset for my next destination Gokarna. But that was possible the next day only. So in between on NH17 I found a stay at just Rs.500 a night near Kumta, a decent hotel with a veg restaurant. Their restaurant was quite famous as locals & travellers were visiting and it had a waiting for a table. How I got a table shared with someone as I was just a single person? I ordered - After dinner went to my room, saw the news on tv, some updates on Facebook & Instagram and went to sleep. Day 4 - Breakfast at Kumta Navy Museum, Karwar. It was 2nd January'17 and had to 3xplore many places today. Gokarna Beach, Om Beach, Half Moon Beach then the beaches of Goa. GO GOA GONE One by one explored all beaches Uptill Malvan (Maharashtra) in a single day. Just 10-15 mins at 1 Beach, capture memories and would leave for the next beach. I made my personal record of visiting the maximum number of beaches in a single day in my life. Little extra time I gave at my fav destination Goa. At Anjuna / Vagator Beach I relaxed at the shack had some fruit drinks & appetizers and watched the sunset. From there left again for Maharashtra, entered Malvan city & found a homestay for a night at just ₹300. They too had their own restaurant had my dinner there and rested for the day. Day 5 - Early morning left for Malvan beach, Tarkarli beach, then via NH17 via Ratnagiri, Chiplun stopping over for tasty Vada pav & Tea, reached Mumbai by late evening. This was my solo backpack cum solo bike ride trip of 4Night 5Days covering 3states, lots of beaches, historic sites, Waterfalls, rivers, temples and so much more. Thanks, a lot for reading my blog. You can write to me if you have any questions or queries about your trips. Do comment, like and share my blog.