GP pule....Part 1

This may seem like a devilish ploy but its one way to bring the proceedings to an end...Deep Purple @ the end of a wild concert.

And so is this travelogue...a devilish ploy.This adventure as all other prior ones had its own share of madness and magic.
So here I go...

I kicked off with a routine day to office on thursday...and was already packed to go to rathore 's place at Vashi directly from office. Picked up Rathore from his office somehwere between 8.30 and 9 dropped my bag at his place,and set off yet again for a little pre trip shopping. But it turned out a lot more than mere pre trip stuff that I shopped...imagine...I bought a cell phone...JLT.

Now the plan was to start as early as possible, because we were anticipating some 7 hrs of driving...to cross over the 350 kms to ganpatipule. Now what qualifies as early for any sane character...5...4.30...4....no,not for us mad characters. We dozed off late at arnd 1.30...but I can say for myself I effectively slept for just 1 hr...Thanks to those flying blood suckers...and part to the excitement of the trip..I was already up by 3..and to my surprise even rathore was awake. Now I was raring to go...but Rathore induced some sanity...and we finally were ready by 4.30 after a mast chai.

Kickstarted the Star to life...and just let it warm up.The trip meter was set to 0..and we were all set.That was 15 minutes to 5.After almost an hour of riding through the darknes and early morning(lateeee nite) chill...both of us were craving for the sunrise.Rathore more so..because he didn't have the warmth of the biker jacket that I was wearing. Topped up the Star at some 81 kms after start from a Reliance filling station.The sun was just rising in the east and the Stars headlites were still shining when we ripped through Magathane at almost 80 Kmph..Must definitely have woken up a few sleepy residents there.

The clean tarmac was helping my cause quiet a bit...as I quiet often touched 100kmph..and even managed to remain at that pace for some time.First stop was a little prior to Mahad after 157 kms of continious driving. topped up our stomachs this time with some Idli ,dosa's and the likes...and yeah...definitely some mast chai.Me opting for a coffee though. Started again after chilling out there for close to 45 minutes.

Now we had hardly gone 30 or so kms when we had to stop yet again on the middle of the ghat.Reasons are as starnge as they come....I dozed off ...while driving...not once but twice.And at the second one I actually spotted a chai wala when my eyes opened.Rathore too had dozed off more than a couple of times..so this was a welcome respite.
In the process we had already crossed over the left turn to m'baleshwar that we had taken the last time.And we were on uncharted territory now. There on it was ghats and more ghats...atleast 4 as per my count.But the road was a beauty....with its smooth twists and turns...and fading green and yellow trees all arnd. i never needed to slow down.
Next stop was 50 odd kms prior to Ganapatipule at a place before or after Sangameshwar.And the customary Bhurji Pav followed. Also there hadn't been any foto sessions...and the photographer in Rathore spotted a perfect spot behind the eating place to inagurate the foto shoot. Click click click click...the shutter snapped and the three of us were captured on film forever.
Rode on , it was somewhere close to 11 or 11.30 in the morning.Looking for rite turn to ganpatipule ,crossed another small ghat...and when the turn finally was there...we missed it..and went ahead...but not too...far because I soon realised...and a little inquiry confirmed my doubts.Turned back...and took a left turn instead of the actual right.
The surroundings changed drastically here....till now we had been through roads which had lots and lots of vegetation arnd...but this one ,SH106 was almost like in the middle of nowhere.Small hillocks and vast plain on both sides of the road...with the distinct red/orange konkan soil keeping company.
Reached finally at 1, but only after another round of poses infront of a milestone. Rathore later explained to me that, he had something going with these milestones...so he always made us pose infront of atleast one.
Now before we could drop of to sleep we first needed a place to do that.Also we needed to book room's for another grp of tourists...rathores roommates...and some frnds of frnds,who were supposed to join us there sometime in the night I guess.Now its already tuff to find a place to stay for just the 2 of us on a long weekend , imagine finding a place for all of 14 ppl.The prospect of a couple of nites on the beach were looming large on us yet again.We even checked out a tent on the Beach..offered by MTDC..by far the most lucrative option...was hopelessly available just for a day.
Question marks all around.... to be continued...