The Backpack Nomad

Goa - Travel Diaries I am sitting at a restaurant near home, having my dinner, as I write this. I had just returned from Goa, bike ride.  Enjoying the sunrise I decided to make the journey on Friday to attend a wedding. I really wanted to go, and ride on the highway overnight. After returning from work at 7 PM, I packed my stuff, had a power nap and started my journey at 8:30 PM. The highway was smooth and I could maintain a comfortable speed till Pune, where traffic slowed me down. After Pune, I was able to speed up again, but it was starting to get real cold now. I took my first halt at Satara, as the temperature started to dip unbearably. Dinner - Egg bhurji and chapatis served hot, and delicious. After dinner, I was ready for the next leg of the journey. Another 60 kms later, I halted for refueling. I was starting to feel very sleepy now. So I parked the bike at the petrol pump, and slept for an hour.  Belgaum, return journey I started again at 3:30 ...

Our tents, as the moon sets I woke up the next morning by 630 AM. No one else was up yet. I left the tent with my camera, washed up in the nearby stream of water and clicked pictures of the landscape around me. The moon was just starting to set and the sun was rising. The rays gave the dried grass around a beautiful golden tinge. I got my jump shot, walked around a while and came back to the tent. I took my guitar out and started playing it, at a little distance from the tents. This was amazing. People had started getting up, wishing 'good morning' and exploring the place. We clicked a lot a of pictures, till breakfast arrived. And then, tea was served.  Jump shot! Photo shoot While having tea up there, on that cold morning, I realized that nothing freshens you up like this! I was ready to trek further after sipping two cups of tea. We packed our stuff, put it all in the common tent and left for our next view point - Konkankada. It was just a ten-minute walk...

Entrance to the fort It was a long and tiring trek over the weekend. It's Monday, and I am still recovering from the tiring journey. But when I look back at it, it was all worth it. It started off with a facebook post about the trek to Harishchandragadh, which was supposed to have a session of poetry, and story-telling. Although "I am not a poet, and you all know it", I signed up for it, thinking I could entertain them with my limited guitar-playing skills. I asked around and there were three of us to trek now. But on the day of the trek, two of them backed out. Of course I went, with a guitar in one hand and the camera kit-bag in the other. I was out to trek with Utopia journeys. Our ride I woke up early on Saturday morning, by 5 AM, excited to start. I had to catch a 7:35 AM local to Kasara station from Thane, and I was at the station by 7:20 AM. The train was reasonably empty. I reached Kasara at around 930 AM, standing at the door, with both my bags...