Arambol Beach, Goa.

We had heard about Arambol beach from many other travelers we met before we had even crossed over to Goa, so it was inevitable that we would pass through without stopping over for a few days. Travelers started coming to Arambol beach in the 60’s, and today it is firmly on the backpacker trail with more foreigners on the beach than locals, or so it seemed to me!

After an easy drive from quiet Agonda, we found that Arambol was busy and crowded but had value for money accommodation, many choices for food and WIFI advertised everywhere. Coincidentally, we ended up staying in a place without WIFI! We looked around a bit before deciding to head further along the coast to Keri beach. Keri was a beautiful, quieter beach than Arambol, but when we checked around for  accommodation, it was clear that we would have to stay in Arambol as the available rooms were not very nice. So we headed back to Arambol and stayed in an alley just off the main road to the beach, in Rudresh Guesthouse. Clean, large, airy and value for money at only 500 Rupees a night.

Our amazing room (with hot water shower) at Rudresh Guesthouse.

Far from its humble hippie beginnings, Arambol is now a commercial hub for traveler-related clothes and crafts from all over India and Nepal. Menus and shop signs are  even translated into Russian for the main group of tourists in Goa. I haven’t seen so many people walking in the street with hula hoops anywhere else in the world! It’s a weird place, and having just gotten back on the backpacker trail from traveling mainly in places where Rick and i are the only foreigners, we felt it more so.

Getting a dreadlock done at our local barbershop.

Arambol beach during the day.

Boats on Arambol beach.

The beach near sweetlake in Arambol.

Arambol beach, crowded in the evenings with sun gazers.

We spent some time at Arambol just to take it easy during our last few days in Goa, while we prepared for the highlight of this second part of our journey through India, the Konkan coast of Maharashtra.

Sunset on Arambol beach.

Agonda Beach, Goa.

We left Gokarna pretty late by our standards, taking our own sweet time since we knew that the trip would be a relatively short one. In all, it took us about 3 hours riding through the scenic coastal road (NH17) and crossing over from Karnataka to Goa.

Fishing boats in the town of Karwar, northern Karnataka.

More fishing boats in Karwar.

On the border. Crossing over from Karnataka to Goa.

We spotted many tourists on the road the closer we got to Agonda beach but were pleasantly surprised to find that we could easily find budget accommodation and that the beach was not crowded at all. Once we got settled in and had a rest, we set off to explore the surrounding beaches as we had originally planned to spend only one night.

Sea View Guesthouse, right on the beach with only 5 rooms for rent.

Our basic accommodation at Sea View Guesthouse.

A cow and her one-day old calf right outside our room!

Our first stop was Palolem beach, a very popular beach both with local and international tourists. As soon as we arrived, we knew that this was not the place for us. It was crowded and the whole beachfront was packed with bars, restaurants, shops and hotels. We literally stayed 10 minutes and left!

The busy Palolem beach.

Next we headed to Cola (or Khola) beach, about 10 kms north of Agonda beach. Not the easiest beach to access, we had to drive through some really bad roads and walk for 5 minutes to reach it. However, once we arrived, we found an absolutely stunning beach. Cola beach is actually a collection of three sandy bays separated by rocks and fringed by a river and lush greenery. Rick and i both fell in love with this place as soon as we arrived, so we sat for a while to enjoy the sunset. There is not much choice in terms of accommodation on Cola beach, and that just added to its allure. It is pristine and deserted and is definitely a place that we would recommend to anyone seeking relaxation and solitude (and not traveling on a shoestring budget, like us).

The river on one side and the Arabian sea on the other at Cola beach.

The main (and perhaps only) place to stay on the beautiful Cola beach.

Huge rocks on Cola beach.

Before we knew it, the sun had set and we headed back to Agonda beach for dinner and a well-deserved rest. Our quiet night on Agonda beach, with the sound of the waves lulling us to sleep is what made us decide to stay another day the next morning. We took a long walk down part of the 2 km long stretch of sand and spent most of the next day enjoying the tranquility of Agonda.

Agonda beach looked quite deserted while we were there, exactly what we were looking for!

Agonda beach and its massive expanse of sand.

Lifeguards on duty on Agonda beach.

Accommodation on Agonda beach blends in with its surroundings.

Lots of fruit bats opposite Agonda beach.

A beautiful sunset on Agonda beach.

Gokarna, Karnataka.

While we were in Hyderabad and had time to broadly plan our trip, we decided that after Hampi, our next stop would be on the coast. Since our last season working on Perhentian Island, Malaysia last year, we had not been to a beach or seen the sea, and we were missing the sound of the waves. Gokarna was the natural choice as our first coastal stop since it was a day’s trip from Hampi by motorbike and we had heard that the beaches there were less congested and touristy than those further up north in Goa.

The trip took us 9 hours and when we arrived at Om Beach (one of the neighbouring beaches to Gokarna accessible by road), it was already dark. As luck had it, we found a guesthouse with parking right next to our hut, so tired and aching, we settled in for the night.

It was only the next day that we actually saw the beach, or rather a collection of huge beaches fringed with swaying palm trees and the rocky mountains of the Western Ghats. It was the first time that Rick and i had seen the Arabian sea, and we both agreed that although the beaches were pretty, they were very different to the white powdered sandy bays with crystal clear waters that we have been spoilt with in Southeast Asia.

Our place in Namaste Guesthouse.

Our guesthouse on the side of Om beach.

The first sign that we saw on Om beach was not very encouraging.

Our first stop was Paradise beach, accessible by crossing a small river next to a fishing village and walking for about 15 minutes. It was pretty and smaller, cosier than the massive beaches on the western coast that we had seen online. Since it was government land, the authorities had come and demolished the facilities that were initially set up there by the local villagers, so there were only a few people camping and some day-trippers like us who had walked or come by boat.

A small deserted beach in a fishing village where we parked the motorbike before walking to Paradise beach.

A small shrine near the fishing village in the rocks facing the sea.

Paradise beach.

After Paradise beach, we headed to Gokarna town, one of the seven important Hindu pilgrimage centers. It is believed that Lord Shiva emerged from the ear of a cow (Prithvi, the Mother Earth) here, hence its name which literally means “Cow’s Ear”. The beach in the town was not very nice and crowded with local tourists and pilgrims so we had a bite to eat and headed to the next beach along the coast, Kudle beach.

A huge wooden chariot in the pilgrimage town of Gokarna.

Kudle beach is where most backpackers stay in Gokarna, as there is a wide choice of budget accommodation there. The beach was huge but clean.

Backpacker central: The huge Kudle beach.

When it was time to get back to our place on Om beach, the sun was almost setting. Om beach is named after its distinctive shape of “Om” and is a pretty beach with a lot of places to relax in the shade. Right next to it, is Half Moon beach, accessible by foot.

Taking in the views at Om beach.

Half moon beach.

Sunset at Om beach.

After a full day of exploring the area, we were exhausted! Next on our itinerary would be a shorter road trip northwards to see more of what the beautiful west coast of India had to offer.

All packed up and ready to go!

Hampi, Karnataka.

After returning to India with a new 45-day (3 month) visa, our priority was to make sure the motorbike was in good running order to be able to continue on our trip around India. Our first few days in Hyderabad (where we had kept the bike for a month while we were in Malaysia) were spent tending to the bike and getting our fill of Hyderabadi Biryani before setting off on our longest trip on the road so far,  almost 400 kms, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh) to Hampi (Karnataka).

The roads were much better than we had expected, and Rick had spent days researching the best route for us to take so we ended up making good time. The cold morning was a shock to the system and we were not prepared for it to be freezing. We practically had to put on every item of warm clothing we had and peeled off the layers as we went along.

Our first stop for a chai (but still feeling cold) just after Mahbunagar, Andhra Pradesh.

Our last break just before Gangawati, Karnataka.

We arrived in Hampi Island at around 5pm, after a good 10 hours on the bike, which rode like a charm, the smoothest so far, according to Rick. We had chosen to stay on Hampi Island (on the opposite side of the Tungabhadra river from busy Hampi Bazaar and the main UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vijayanagara) as it was less congested and found a group of guesthouses situated in the middle of paddy fields, and surrounded by boulder rock hills. By coincidence, Bobby “One Love” Guesthouse (where we finally settled) was run by a Maltese guy and had many Maltese travelers staying there. It was nice (and slightly strange) to hear Maltese being spoken daily, something i have not heard for a long time, and made me think of my mother, who was also Maltese.

Bobby “One Love” Guesthouse on Hampi Island.

Our mud hut at Bobby “One Love” Guesthouse.

The view across the Tungabhadra river from Bobby “One Love” Guesthouse.

The paddy fields just next to the guesthouse.

We spent 5 nights in Hampi, exploring the area and enjoying the landscape, which reminded us of one of our favourite underwater dive-sites in Malaysia, Terumbu Tiga, off Perhentian Besar Island in Malaysia, with its huge granite boulders. The ruins of the Vijayanagara capital were visible  everywhere, some still in remarkably good condition, dating from the 9th to the 14th Century.The local villagers had just started planting rice so most of the fields were flooded, which made the views even more beautiful.

A view from above, flooded paddy fields, surrounded by boulder rocks on Hampi Island.

More typical scenery around Hampi.

Enjoying the views at sunset.

The dam and lake on Hampi Island.

Unique rock formations near the lake.

Goats taking a rest near a traditional boat.

More beautiful landscape around Hampi Island.

The fast flowing part of the river.

The ferry crossing for pedestrians and small motorbikes.

Ferrying passengers and motorbikes over the river.

Maneuvering the motorbikes onto the tiny ferry.

The view from the other side of the Tungabhadra river

A massive bull in Hampi Bazaar.

A group of temples.

Ruins and boulders stand side by side.

More ruins amongst the boulders.

Carved pillars in one of the ruins.

One of the many intricately-carved temples in Hampi.

Erotic carvings adorning one of the temples.

Spell check please!

South Indian goodness on a plate. Delicious!

We were in Hampi during the festival of Sankranti, which saw many local tourists flood the area, causing massive traffic congestion on the small village roads. In the nearby fortified town of Anegundi, the houses had beautiful Kolams on their doorsteps to usher in this harvest festival.

Refreshing coconut water and bananas at the side of the road.

A troop of monkeys in Anegundi.

Ancient ruins in Anegundi.

A massive wooden chariot in Anegundi.

A beautiful Kolam outside a house in Anegundi during the Sankranti festival.

Traffic congestion during the Sankranti festival.

When the time came to get going, we said goodbye to Hampi, and loaded up the motorbike for the next stage of our journey and headed to the west coast of India.

Sunset on Hampi Island.

Our Road Trip through India.

Some time has passed since my last blog post, and in travel terms, it’s a very long time. I will try to fill in the gaps over the next few weeks but to get you up to date, Rick and i are a long way from our first impressions of Nepal. We spent three months exploring and trekking in the foothills of the Himalayas and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Nepali people.

From there, it was a long bus, foot and train journey into India to our first stop, New Delhi. We spent a week walking around the Karol Bagh shops selling motorcycles and finally found the one for us. A silver Royal Enfield Classic 350.

Inspecting the bike for the first time in Karol Bagh, Delhi.

The rest is history! We spent 3 months on the bike, starting in the north, then making our way westwards towards the Pakistani border, then south, ending in Hyderabad. The journey so far had surpassed our expectations. This is the first time, in almost 4 years of traveling, that we have had our own transportation, allowing us the freedom to make our trip up as we go along. And what a spectacular country to enjoy this liberation. INDIA!

Our first three months on the road in India.

From Hyderabad, we flew back to Malaysia to apply for a new visa, and catch up with family and friends over the year-end, before flying back to continue on our journey through India, starting in Hampi, Karnataka.

The bike today in Hampi. Still running well after 6,000 kilometers on the road.