I do not remember when I went into deep sleep. But, when I attained wakefulness I could still hear it raining cats and dogs; apparently the theme had not changed the whole night. I had entertained light hopes of making a quick dash to the beach before leaving for Karwar after 8 am. That was put to rest firmly when I looked outside the room window.
Last night Jaswanth had told me that he could get me a Upma breakfast before I left. Wielding an umbrella I reached the hosts’ house a quarter to 8 and the Upma was promptly laid for me on the living room table. While having the superb Upma I had a small chat with the hostess. She told me that they have been operating the ‘hotel’ for more than three years. I told them that they should designate it as a homestay as the facility had that character and food is served in the hosts’ house out of their kitchen. When people read of it as a Hotel their assumptions are very different. The hostess told me that they have plans of augmenting rooms and building new cottages with premium facilities. After breakfast I took leave of the pleasant hostess. I certainly would recommend this place to stay in Ratnagiri for any budget traveler.
Once outside the hosts’ house I thought of taking a couple of photos for Facebook post later. I was more focused on deciding the angle for the photo of the house when I slipped on moss and fell with a thud on the concrete. Fortunately, I did not hit my head or hurt myself seriously. The wrist and elbow got bruised a bit. The first aid kit in the car came to my assistance. The bruises continued to pain me for quite some time into the drive. Rains continued and I feared the worst if the condition of road was as bad as the previous day. As it turned out, the SH4 up to Rajapur was good and the NH66 thereafter became better. On the way I saw rivers in spate, gushing waters and cascades all over. The continuous rain had contributed its mite. However, the mist and lively greenery made the drive very romantic and visually most pleasing.
I was motoring along leisurely, enjoying the conditions and not making any haste as I had less than 400 km for the day. When I reached the Goa border at Patradevi I found vehicles parked to the sides of the road. A policeman asked me to park the car and go to the erstwhile check post where I was told that despite my Covid double vaccination report I would have to take the Rapid antigen test there. The official said that the requirement has been mandated by a court order, which they did not produce. I paid Rs. 270 for the test and got the result in 10 minutes. The policeman at the registration boot saw the negative report and waived me on without having to wait in a queue in the rain. Thank God for small mercies.
The architecture and character of the place changed immediately as I crossed over into Goa. There were grottos, crosses and Portuguese tile designs along the way. I thought of buying the layered Goan cake, Bebinca, on the way. I stopped in Navelim at a wayside shop to enquire if they had Bebinca. They did not but the owner asked me to check in the Bakery Fusion shop across the road. A middle aged lady was sorting things out in the shop, talking to her friend and swaying to music, all at once. She did not delay attending to me either. She sacrificed conversation with her friend and packed up ham and cheese sandwich, crumb fried chicken roll and a chicken roll, which I chose for lunch. When I saw all those goodies stacked in the counters I could not resist them. After I paid the bill, the gregarious lady said, "See you soon, Sir” in a very musical way. The spirit of Goa, I supposed. The last thing to be done in Goa was to tank up fuel, which I did. Diesel is cheaper in Goa as compared to Daman.
I reached Karwar by 4 pm and drove straight to Amrut Aura Hotel, where I had reserved. Amit, the Manager who was manning the reception counter upgraded my room, once I cancelled on the booking.com site. The 35 room hotel, Amit said, is doing exceptionally well due to the ongoing works of Operation Seabird. I found the room decently sized with decent service and value for money. Amit suggested dinner in their popular seafood restaurant if I felt like it. I marked it for action later.
I had some work at the Karwar Port, where there is a proposal to facilitate barging of containers. I was accompanied by the Conservator of the Port and we walked around and talked of the fortunes of the Port. At one time, at the height of the Iron Ore export boom, the Port had become very busy. At the same time that also changed the pristine environment the port was in. Later, court cases and ban on mining and export of iron ore scaled back Port activity and now it is back to being predominantly a fishing port.
The Rabindranath Tagore beach is said to be a must visit in Karwar. Having visited many others all over the world, I was not too much impressed by the beach. But what piqued my curiosity was the name that was given to the beach – Rabindranath Tagore. Later I was told that the Nobel laureate had visited elder his brother, who was posted as District Judge, in Karwar in 1882. He was not yet known to the world but the pristine environs awoke in him a series of writings on communing with nature.
The Rock Garden is another must see in Karwar. The closure due to the pandemic has taken its toll, I was warned at the reception. The Karwar District Administration, in 2018, used four acres abutting the beach to create art out of large rocks, with cascades and landscaped gardens. It is also a place where one can familiarise with the tribes of North Karnataka; life size models of the tribes, their habitat and cultural identities are beautifully depicted. It was sad to see that the garden needed immediate maintenance and the number of visitors are also too low to support the idea.
The Sadashivgarh fort is the highest point in Karwar. The fort was built in 1715 overlooking the sangam of the Kali River and Arabian Sea. The National Highway 66 linking Karnataka to Goa now cuts through the erstwhile Sadashivgarh granite hill. I drove up to the fort which is now operated as a resort by Jungle Lodges. I found the gates locked and later I came to know that the pandemic has sealed it for some time now. I sent some time near the Kali River Bridge to admire the sangam and inhale fresh breeze. Increasing drizzle soon drove me into the car and onwards to the hotel.
The Amrut group started business in Karwar as a jewellery store almost 100 years ago. Their seafood restaurant began business nearly 40 years ago and is designated as a must visit in Karwar. The restaurant was awfully busy and waiters were on their toes serving customers with supervisors taking orders after suggesting the day’s speciality. I had a Pomfret masala fry with a couple of rotis. It was pretty decent but a tad too spicy for my palate.
Just two more days to go before I reach Chennai. It has been a very enjoyable and eventful trip thus far. In Karwar I thanked God for taking the NH66 route. The route via Satara and Kolhapur was closed due to floods and Ratnagiri, likewise, was badly affected too. Escape by the skin of my teeth. A day longer and it may have prolonged my return to home base.
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