Mysore-Goa Trip:

Mysore-Goa Trip:

1700 kms, 6 days, 1 man, 1bike, Mysore –Jog falls-Murudeswar-Gokarna- Goa-Sindhudurg-Karwar-Haveri-Mysore. Mountains, beaches, Ghats, Good roads, bad roads and no roads.

Leave approved finally for Diwali vacations at the last moment. But, with airfares hovering in the sky, the 1500 km trip one way to my hometown seemed out of reach. The mind did further simulations and finally Goa as the destination was freezed. The travel mode as usual was my bike.

Left Mysore on the morning of 23^rd Oct, 2011. I had breakfast at Arasikere, after crossing Channarayapatna. After Arasikere, I followed NH 206 till Honavar. The Mysore to Jog Falls stretch is in good condition. Then I had a short stop and photo session at Jog falls. I did not go down to the bottom of the falls considering the 3 hour trek. After that it was bad roads flanked by scenic Ghats on both sides. After Honavar, roads turned from bad to worse. Monsoon, Volvos and heavy trucks have totally damaged this stretch. Then I went to Murudeshwar, which houses a giant statute of Lord Shiva right on the beach. After that I moved towards Goa. But bad roads and fatigued body forced me to halt at Gokarna at Om beach.

Then I explored Om beach and the numerous temples in Gokarna in the morning. The Gokarna to Goa stretch is in good condition, but the roads are bit narrow. I reached Goa in the evening to encounter massive traffic jams. Finally, I reached my cousin’s place at 8 PM. The next day, it was sightseeing in Goa itself-Miramar beach, Bambolim Beach, Dona Paula, Bagha, Calangute. Beware of bridges in Goa. They have a 30km/hr speed limit and there will police interceptors at the end of the bridge to collect the customary fine. On 26^th Oct, we went to Sindhudurg (water fort). It’s a strategic fort off the Malwan coast. The fort contains the hand and foot imprint of King Shivaji. One has to go by boat to the fort.

The next day I was on my way back to Mysore. To avoid bad roads, I decided to take a different route. After Karwar, I took NH63 towards Hubli. Just before Hubli, at Yellapur, I took a short cut towards NH48. The Yellapur- Gunjawati-Mugod-Bankapur stetch is a total of 70 km out of which 20 km is bad. The road is a single lane road passing through dense jungle on both sides. After Bankapur, it’s a 4 lane touring bliss (NH 48). Then I halted for the night at Haveri. The next day took another shortcut, to reach Shimoga. But, this time it backfired. The Rannebennur-Tuminkatti-Honnali route is in a really bad shape. After Shimoga, it was back to good roads. Finally I reached Mysore at 7 pm on 28^th Oct, 2011. All in all a massive trip with a different kind of riding experience.

Mysore – Panjim = 700 kms (via Shimoga)

Panjim-- Sindhudurg = 110 kms

Mysore –Gokarna = 520 kms (Via Shimoga)