Guhagar – Ratnagiri - 100 km
Breakfast consisted of spicey idly and tea, and it was 9h30 by the time I got going.
The plan was to follow the shore, but each person I encountered told me no path
existed and it was best to follow the inland route. Both my GPS and Google Maps
indicated a path along the ocean. Still, I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake as
the previous day and instead listen to local knowledge.
The inland route was further and hillier than the coastal road, making it slow riding.
No one mentioned the four kilometres uphill, which soon called for an Eno-stop as a
breakfast of fried chillies and uphill don’t go well together. Still, the way was rural
India at its absolute best. Women doing laundry in a stream and men wearing the
dhoti made colourful pictures.
Although not a challenging route, the ride was a slow one through a sparsely
populated area, to such an extent I ran out of water and had to flag down a truck to
ask if they had water to spare. A few kilometres further, a roadside stall sold freshly
made lemonade. One glass was gulped down and another poured into my water
bottle. At last, the road descended, but five kilometres from Ratnagiri was the mother
of all hills. Phew! The road was so steep it required walking the bike. Not something I
needed at the end of a day of cycling.
Two days were spent in Ratnagiri not doing a great deal, except internet stuff and
long overdue laundry.