Ive recently moved to Goa with a new job and rented accommodation at Porvorim. Have plenty of family here but not really had time to make friends. With friends I mean, crazy people who love to ride and enjoy going on road trips where after spending all night arguing about things that we won't really remember, heading out at dawn to climb the highest peak in that State with no sleep, no food and 1 bottle of water between the 3 of us. Then taking twice as much time than a man in a wheelchair would take; reach the summit only to be chased down the mountain by lightening. Yes as I was saying Ive not been able to make any friends.

My buddies and I would go out often when I was in Bombay, but since Ive moved here we have not been able to co-ordinate anything and its been sometime that I enjoyed a good ride.

I finally gave up the search and decided to go out alone, found a map and planned the route on Saturday night. The destination would be Dudh-Sagar a mighty waterfall in eastern Goa; following a road that leads to the top of the waterfall where there is a spring -the source of the waterfall and a breathtaking view of the surrounding regions.

I rode out at 5 am with the usual combination of no sleep + extra strong chai.

First, Petrol. my bike, a red CBZ was on reserve since last evening with 2 and1/2 Lts as reserve I was good for another 100kms even after yesterdays ride back home from work.

Considering I live along a National Highway and near the City its a pity not to find a sngle 24 hr petrol pump. After a few enquiries with the local taxiwallas I headed out towards OLD GOA. A neat stretch of road along the Mandovi River leading to Ribander and from there a narrow road which keeps splitting into one ways around picturesque old houses to Old Goa.

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With the Basilica of Bom Jesu on the right and Se Cathedral on the left, along the same stretch, I rode on.Its 5:38 and I find a petrol pump which opens up at 6am. But the attendant obliged and filled fuel.Having petrol tank reserve restored and I had an additional 5 Lt in to burn.

Onwards to PONDA. The road taken was National Highway 4 A, it wasn't in too great a shape with potholes scattered across the road and loose gravel spread across some other massive ones declaring that restoration had ateast begun. Riding on I start climbing up towards the ghats I reach FARMAGUDDI; up on a hill with a coolness and fresh air thats unique to it.
Down the slope and Im in Ponda. I stop for some Lassi and off again. Now the roads are hell with pot holes materialising from thin air and Dumper trucks which have just be relieved of their load passing by like vampires fleeing away from dawn.

Dawn was magnificient with the sun lighting up clouds which formed a blanket, that stretched from over my head across the sky right to where the sun was rising leaving a narrow horizontal slit for the sunlight to pass.

Finally after some really bad roads I reach MOLLEM. Take the right (you would have to look really, really hard to find that right) and head out to COLLEM.

I stop for breakfast, puri bhajji and chai. After consulting with the cafe owner I was on a bumpy path which ended abruptly in a stream and began again on the other side.
The stream is not too deep, Trucks and Jeeps go through, but a local who was washing his truck in the stream informed me of another stream further ahead which was even deeper.
I stepped into the stream to gauge its depth and decided against going ahead, the water reached my knees and i could not risk having water go into the exhaust.

Dudh Sagar was now just 12kms away. It was 8:30 in the morning not such a bad time for a hike I thought. So I take out my camera to load the roll to find that the film advance lever of the SLR is not functioning.
Pissed off I decide to head back to Ponda to find a studio or a repair center which might be able to help.

On my way back the NH 4A wasnt the same that I had come by. There were some stretches which were like dirt bike racing arenas with the road splitting up into 4 or 5 paths and dust from the tyres of the trucks ah

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ead of me filling the air. At one such stretch i was displaced off the highway and was on my way into a new direction all together.
I stop to check the map and I was right, I had just passed PALE and that was way off the highway.

I thought to myself "today is Sunday and this is 'susegad goa', its very unlikely that I would find anything open so fixing the camera would need to wait anyway" with that thought just leaving my mind I check the map and I see that there is another waterfall nearby. I land up on the road from Onda to Sanquelim and take a left further ahead. I reach Arvalem Waterfalls.
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th steps leading down I find a temple and on the left the waterfall. There is a tiled path with benches leading up alongside the waterfall and then further up to where I had parked. Its not a huge water fall but the small hutments and the entire layout of the path alongside the waterfall looks classic as in from another year in time.

After spending some time there I pick up the map and find a lake not too far away, Mayern Lake.
I head out to BICHOLIM, an old man jumps on promising me directions in return for a ride. On reaching his destination he directs me to turn off left to find the lake further. The road leading down to it looks just like those around famous tourist spots with shops and stalls - I hate that. But the lake was calm, the near end of the lake being a man made construction with the top, motorable. There were a few paddle boats out on the water and the areas beyond the lake were hilly and green.

12:30pm Lunch: Fish curry rice. Very, very tasty fried fish.

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Off to CHORAO. Chorao is an island with narrow winding roads and pretty houses on either sides, these roads are very inviting and they entice you to continue riding. Slowly admiring the beauty the island has to offer I travel to the end of the island.
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End of the road. I ride aboard a ferry, onboard I meet an elderly man who had just hooked himself a huge kite fish.The ferry takes me across the Mandovi River to back to Ribander. From Ribander its back home
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and time for some shut eye.

Ive managed to capture a few pictureson my phone and Ive clocked about 175 kms, not too bad for a start. Next up ... Sindhudurg Fort, Ive wanted to go there since last year, but its too far from Bombay. From here, Its about 150 kms..... only. And this time there will be better pictures.