Thu 13 Nov 25 - Harliharleshwar to Dapoli
Distance: 62.2 km | Ride Time: 3h 47m | Overnight: Dapoli (Comfort Inn Emerald Dapoli)
We rode away today at 6.50am heading towards a beautiful rising sun - it was absolutely delightful, except for the amount of rubbish along the roadside which has built up over many years, even hanging from the mangroves. The purpose of our early departure was to catch a ferry 7km away from the hotel to cross the river. From the other side we wound our way over a steady climb, then we had a nice long descent which was very rough and bumpy. The rest of the ride to our morning tea stop at the 31km mark was just delightful. We had mornos in a small village where we were served a local delicacy called Poha, an Indian breakfast dish made with flattened rice, onions, spices, herbs, lemon juice & peanuts. It was very light and tasty, just right for a mid-morning, mid-ride snack. Each day when we stop somewhere either for a morning snack or lunch (all inclusive) we get to sample a popular local dish. So far all the meals (bar one in Mumbai) have been excellent. Trying new and interesting foods has been a big part of this experience.
As we continued towards Dapoli, we followed a mixture of scenic rural and coastal roads. One small village was notably cleaner, and people looked to be a lot busier than we've noticed in other small villages that we've passed through over the past few days. I also noted that the majority of people in this village looked to be Muslim, which may say something about the tidiness of the town, or it just may be a coincidence. We rode along the coastline through small fishing villages, some with racks of fish drying in the sun, before we turned to the hills again for a 7km climb over the hill and down into our overnight destination at Dapoli where we had a late lunch - Vegetable Biryani (another delicious meal).
Today we saw beautiful Kingfishers, a few monkeys, lots of Buffalo, some goats and too many dogs, oh and a couple of dead snakes. Apart from the last climb which in the heat of the day was a bit taxing, it was a most enjoyable day riding - providing exactly what I came to experience, different food, the scenery, and witnessing people from another country going about their daily lives and showing their culture. I think we are fortunate to live the life we do at home, but these people with nothing seem to be happy with their lives too. Another wonderful dinner at a nearby hotel with the riding group and support team ended another great day.
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| Breakfast at our hotel before we rode away |
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| Looking up through the palms at the hotel before we rode away |
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| Boarding the ferry |
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| Boarding the ferry |
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| On the ferry - this bike is loaded with fresh baked bread rolls for delivery to the other side of the river |
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| Deepak - One of the support team. Never stops and always thinking ahead. He makes a lot of stuff happen |
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| Disembarking the ferry - These men appeared to be on a pilgrimage of some sort, and also wanted photos with the riding group |
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| A corner store in the middle of no where |
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| Waiting for something - or just something to happen |
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| A typical small village that we rode through today |
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A typical small village that we rode through today
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| Washing day |
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| Another busy woman |
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| and another... |
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| A local delicacy - Poha |
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| Mike - the tour operator sorting out the bill |
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| A large fishing community |
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| Sorting the catch |
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| Sorting the catch |
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| Sorting the catch |
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| Sorting the catch - all fish on the tarp |
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| Sorting the catch |
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| A lovely coastal ride |
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| A lovely coastal ride |
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| Freshly harvested rice |
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| Harvesting rice |
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| Freshly harvested rice |
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| Another fishing community, and a few boat skeletons |
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Another fishing community, and a few boat skeletons
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| The unusual sight of a white european riding past |
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| Our Hotel in Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli
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An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli
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| Woman selling garlic out of the back of a truck in Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli - Statue of a former famous King |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
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| An afternoon walk into the backstreets of Dapoli |
Great photos mate. Glad to see you follow your dreams. How is your new bike holding up?
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