Sun, Sand and the Arabian Sea

This weekend some friends who ride with the Big Wheels Motoring Club invited me to the Konkan Coast. So I grabbed a helmet, packed my swimsuit, and got up at six thirty in the morning to get ready to meet. Then we waited for a while until the sleepyheads made it to the meeting point.


Finally on the road, with amazing views riding through the Maharashtrian ghats, on the back of Yogesh's bike. (Thanks to Nipun for this photo!) I didn't take nearly as many photos as I wanted, but it's a little difficult to do that on a motorcycle. At the halfway point I moved to the car since the roads were so bad, I'm an inexperienced pillion rider, and apparently riding is a real full-body workout.

In Kashid we hit the beach just after 5pm. I swam in the Arabian Sea!! The water was actually perfect: clean, warm, and nice waves for swimming. The beach was also very quiet. Sadly the sun went down too soon. I could have spent at least another hour in the water, although I think I made everyone a little nervous swimming out so far. In India, appropriate swimwear for women is shorts and a tshirt, so my bikini only played a supporting role.

Then back to the hotel to eat, drink, and relax. We spent most of our time on the balcony, but I did lay around in a hammock for a while. Jealous yet?

In the morning I took some photos and picked up some stones and shells on the beach. I also chased these tiny crabs for a while. They dig holes in the sand, are really fast, and blend in with the sand perfectly. I only spotted them when they ran.

Early afternoon we headed back. We took some better roads, so it was much more enjoyable in that sense. On the other hand, about halfway it started pouring rain, and didn't let up through the rest of the ride. A cyclone off the coast was responsible for the heavy rains in Pune this past week as well. By the time I got home I was soaking wet, cold, and exhausted because I also rode past my endurance ability. Even so, biking is terrific fun, even if it's only as a passenger!

I'll post photos for the Big Wheels Motoring crowd on Facebook as soon as I can.