Imagine riding a bike through that for like 12 hours straight! It is bliss, I tell you.. :D
7 of us took off on 4 bikes from Pune to a place called Dapeli, nestled in between the beautiful Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The Konkan belt is amongst THE most scenic routes one can take for a bike trip. And we had amazing weather too! We did get a bit of heat for few hours over the 2 days, but it was very very pleasant for a lot of the trip..
Biking is an amazing thing to do! This was my first long bike trip, and it was one of the best experiences in my life.. One of my good friends who is an amazing musician/ endurance sports enthusiast put it this way, "long distance biking is a kind of active meditation." That may not be a very musical statement, but I tell you, that is one of the truest things you will hear..
"Active Meditation" is probably the most brilliant way to describe the experience of long distance biking. It felt like experiencing a beautiful piece of art. Different kinds of terrain evoked different emotional flavors in me, some discrete and tangible, while some very abstract. These would sometimes come up as pleasant recollections of some of the better moments in life with loved ones, sometimes bring visions of previous moments spent in the cradle of nature in all its resplendent majesty and beauty, sometimes a peaceful and somber realization of some particular aspect of life and many more that are very difficult to put in words. The most fascinating thing is that, while biking, your mind is forced to remain fully engaged in the present moment.. Your life depends on it! It just does not wander. All the previous described mental activity occurs as a sort of automatic process where a small part of the consciousness just acts as a witness, and you go through all these subjective experiences in a very very detached state of mind, which sort of frees you from many many impressions. Hence, I say it truly is a meditation!
And after all these hours spent on the road, I can confidently say that biking is only as risky as you want to make it. If you keep your head in place and not attempt unnecessary showmanship, the risk of fatality is no higher than any other means of transport. Yes, on a dark night, and on a thin poorly made path, biking is riskier.. But otherwise not. Oh, and all said and done, it is a bit tiring on the lower back and the region further south, but that is just a small opportunity cost for the immense joy it has to offer. Plus, you could get a Thunderbird-like vehicle designed for ergonomic comfort and save on that too! :D
We stopped for the night at a beautiful beach near Dapeli, swam in the Ocean for a few hours, chilled and relaxed for the night (really deep sleep! :D ) and drove back to Pune the next day by a different and equally scenic route..
All in all, an amazing trip and the beginning of my enthusiasm for biking! I am eagerly looking forward to my next such trip.. :D
