Tapola - Nomad on two wheels

On the way to Bhor

On the morning of 30th September, me and a friend started our ride for Tapola, at 10 AM. This was my first ride on the new bike. The plan was to start at 6 AM, but obviously, we couldn't! I was on the Varandha-Bhor ghat route for the second time this year, but the road condition had deteriorated over the monsoon. We took quite a few breaks, coz my friend was on his first ride, and the landscape was amazing as well. A photograph waited on every turn! 

ST bus at Mandhardevi Ghat

  We halted at one of the stalls on the Varandha ghat to have some tasty snacks and tea. There were a lot of monkeys around who stole eatables from unsuspecting tourists! By the time we reached Bhor, it was 630 PM, getting dark and raining a bit. We decided to halt at Bhor for the night coz riding at night on the ghats would be risky. We stayed at this place called Maharashtra lodge for 500 bucks a night. The room was tidy, and the TV was showing live football! We dined at a restaurant called Palange Biryani, which served some delicous chicken biryani. We roamed around the place for a while and came back to the hotel after having desserts. While watching Chelsea loose 1-0 to Manchester City, we dozed off. 

At the top of Mandhardevi Ghat

Next morning, we had a cup of tea and started at 830 AM for Tapola. The road was in great condition for quite a distance. The view from the ghats while riding was breathtaking. We were at a great height and everything appeared miniature from up here. It was almost a 100 kms worth of ride, but due to the long weekend, traffic was bad as Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar are on the way. At Mahabaleshwar, we halted for a quick breakfast, then roamed in the market for a while before continuing on our way to Tapola. The view on the way was of a river through the valley. Koyna river cuts through the mountains here, and owing to the recent rains, the edges were submerged. The mountains on the otherside had a line of windmills. We halted for pictures, again. By the time we reached Tapola, on the edge of the river, it was 2 PM. We explored the place for an hour, had our lunch at this restaurant which had seats right on the banks of the river and I sat there for a while, playing the guitar. The river bank had a lot of boats parked. 

Top view of Tapola

Koyna river

  We decided to camp at on of the spots near the river. The locals were very helpful, and they showed us a good spot to setup the tent as well and asked us to be careful at night because snakes were seen at that spot. One of them also asked us to stay at his place if we felt uncomfortable staying in tent. We thanked them but set up our tent anyways. By 8 PM, we were the only people at that place. We sat having a deep conversation about life in general (the sort of talks that drunk people have, although we weren't drunk), till late night. Meanwhile, we could hear howling of dogs and boats bumping softly against the shore. The moon was high, but hidden behind clouds. The boating ticket counter had the bulb on, so it wasn't pitch dark. There was an occassional lightning, but no rains. It was a little spooky, but we had done this before, so it was not too scary. It was past midnight and the moon was invisible in the sky. Tired, we finally went to sleep in the tent with all our bags and helmets. 

The camping location

Ready to leave

We slept peacefully, and woke up early, by 6 AM. The lake had a layer of fog on it, and mountain tips with the windmills, showed up in the background. It was reasonably cold, but not unbearable. We packed our stuff, and a small photo session later, we were back on our bikes, homebound. On the way, we halted at Lucky's at Panchgani and had a heavy breakfast. They serve some delicious snacks, and should not be missed when in Panchgani. On the return journey, as soon as we hit the highway, I started feeling sleepy, so we halted at a dhaba and I had a power nap. After waking up, I felt pretty fresh and was confident to make the last 200 kms in one go! We had just one more little pee break, before the last leg of the journey. The last leg was very uneventful, and we were already dreading the fact that office resumed tomorrow. But it was the end of another wonderful journey, the first on my new bike and hopefully, the first of many!

Chai, at Lucky's

It was on this date, exactly a year ago when I went on my first bike ride with a friend to camp at the Kaas plateau on a borrowed bike. Today, my friend joined me on his first bike trip to camp at Tapola on a borrowed bike. It was interesting to notice this connection. I hope that the chain continues. New roads are trodden on, new destinations discovered! Here's to more checks on the wishlist!