From atrocious uphills to delirious downhills - we had it all!
From mountain biking to highway cruising - we did it all!
From sunkissed beaches to Sahyadri reaches - we witnessed it all!
From Portuguese walls to Cascading falls - we saw it all!
From singing birds to Konkani words - we heard it all!

Destination Goa – 250 kms – 5 days – 10 bikers – one awesome experience
Organized by YHAI, you'd discover there's more to Goa than beaches, babes and booze! Perfect way to get a feel for the local flavor - be it the surprisingly rich bio-diversity or the delicious cuisine or the Goans' love for football or the beautiful architecture of the village churches. Highly recommended!

Top 10 Goan Moments
Day 0 – Joy Ride in the City of Panjim, Goa.
Day 1 – Panjim to Assolna – The day I (Re) Discovered the Joy of Cycling
Day 2 – Assolna to Netravali – The day I relished the Sweetest Ride
Day 3 – Netravali to Dudhsagar – The day I fell in love with the Gears
Day 4 – Dudhsagar to Dhargem – The day I fell in love with the morning song
Day 5 – Dhargem to Panjim, - The day I fell in love with Goa!
Route Plan and Route Map

Mission: Kumara Parvatha
Objective: Set foot upon the Peak
Agents : Vinod, Imran, Rama and yours truly
Strategy: Climb from Kukke, Reach Peak and get down to Girigadde the same evening.
Attempt: second time for me after an unsuccessful attempt last December.

Okay. Now that the plan is chalked out and we are all set, let’s begin the journey which turned out to be an affair to remember! It was a sudden plan and we were off to Kukke on Friday night. It was an uneventful ride until we were somewhere around Gundiya Check post after which the ride was pretty bumpy and by 6.30 in the morning we were at Kukke. Last time I saw this place, we reached around the same time and I found Kukke to be a sleepy little town. However the town was teeming with activity this morning. After freshening up at the public restrooms and having breakfast, off we go by 7.30. Oh, but before I start I wanted to check my weight and so I did! Wait and watch to know by how much it came down.




We hit the trail by 8 AM. This being monsoon season, we were apprehensive about the leech infested first 5 kms of the trek. Salt, tobacco, pain relief sprays (more for leeches than pain ;) ) were duly packed. Well as expected, there were lots of leeches but constant vigilance and the salt/spray worked like a charm. It was not as tiring as the last time partly due to the pleasant weather and partly maybe due to my trekking experience since then.2 hours of trekking takes you above the forest canopy and it is now that one can get a good view of all the mountain range surrounding and the clouds if lucky! A couple of shots and an hour later we reached Bhattaru Mane. We had lunch at 11 and by 12 we started to reach the peak and return back to Bhatta’s place.

Actual Date of travel : 6-7 December 2008

KP was looming above the temple right in front of us and we couldn’t wait to start the journey to the peak. Spirits were soaring high and so the journey begins. We started walking towards KP. A right turn from the temple leads to the trail. After some 15-20 minutes walk on the road through the village, one can spot the official trail with a welcome board informing the details of KP.

Now we were heading into thick jungle and it is steady ascent for most parts. The initial 5km stretch passes through thick canopy of trees and the trail is mostly roots of those trees providing a stable footing among rocks. Initial enthusiasm got us past through not even the first half-an-hour. Realization dawned pretty early! We were totally drenched in sweat and already exhausted. Just half an hour into the trek this was our condition and we were looking at a whole day of steady ascent with obstacles we did not imagine yet. The light breakfast we had was of no help and we were feeling hungry and drained. At that time some angel I suppose offered us an orange. It was pure delight! The citrus fruit had worked its magic effect and we were feeling better than a minute before. It is at times like this that one actually appreciates the value of basic essentials of life. Never had an orange tasted so good in my entire 23 years of existence! And then again, the four of us were getting ahead slowly with frequent breaks to ease our tired bodies. The weight we were carrying got us tired even more than usual. But we were told we will leave our entire luggage at Bhatta’s house. That was some consolation getting us past this rocky ascent.3 hrs of trek in the dense jungle brought us to Bhattaru mane at around 12.30 – 1.00 PM. Rice, Sambar and some pickles were served for lunch. We were good to go by 1.30 again. The plan was to reach the peak by 3 or 4 PM and then start the descent to reach Bhattaru mane by 5-6 PM. So off we go by 1.30.

Next morning we hit the trail again by around 8 AM. Now the task of getting down the hill was becoming more tedious as we also had our luggage to carry while we tried to balance ourselves. We slipped, we fell, but we made it to Kukke Subramanya in one piece by 12-1 PM! We met a couple of childern playing cricket at the foot and joined them for a game. We were back in the same hotel where we started this wonderful sojourn - two momentous and joyous days in the woods. We were planning to eat at the Subramanya temple which is known to serve the tastiest food but it was too crowded and we had to start soon for B'lore. Instead we thought we would atleast visit the temple but people were queued up already in long lines and no chance of that either. But miraculously one gate in front of us was opened( I don't know for what reason) we pushed our way through to have a wonderful Darshan. And as always all's well that ends well! So was the end of this journey.