From Mumbai to My Ancestral Village: A Solo Motorcycle Journey Along India’s West Coast Jan 2026

 I usually visit India every year to spend time with my parents, who live in Mumbai. This time, I decided to do something different — a motorcycle road trip from Mumbai to Dapoli along the scenic Konkan coast. Since this was going to be a solo trip, I had to choose a destination which was going to be one days riding distance from Mumbai. I would avoid riding in the night at any costs as people are out to blind each other out with high beams. I was familiar with the route and the coastal region is my most favorite place close to Mumbai. 

Choosing the Motorcycle — Royal Enfield Meteor 350

This is the first time I rented a motorcycle in India. They provided a Royal Enfield Meteor 350. It wasn’t my first choice, but it was the only model available for my travel dates — and it turned out to be a reliable companion for a long coastal ride. The bike was in good condition, equipped with a standard USB charging port, a phone cradle for navigation, and pannier racks for luggage. The phone mount proved especially useful, as I depended heavily on GPS navigation while riding unfamiliar routes.

Riding from Mumbai to Dapoli Along the Konkan Coast

My destination was Dapoli, a coastal town along India’s western shoreline in Maharashtra. Originally developed by the British as a hill station to escape the summer heat, Dapoli serves as a hub for exploring nearby coastal villages known for their quiet beaches and natural beauty. The route from Mumbai to Dapoli offers a mix of highways, winding hill roads, and scenic coastal stretches — making it ideal for motorcycle touring.

Road Conditions and Riding Experience

From Dapoli, I took several day trips riding down steep hills toward the coast. Road conditions varied, which is typical for a region that experiences four months of heavy monsoon rains each year. Some sections showed signs of washouts and uneven surfaces, but for motorcycles this added a sense of adventure. Sometimes all you need is a narrow strip of road, and the occasional rough patches created the off-road feel that many adventure riders appreciate.

Ferry Crossings and Scenic Coastal Roads

One of the highlights of riding along the Konkan coast was the ferry crossings. Riding a motorcycle onto a ferry and continuing the journey on the other side felt like part of a true coastal adventure. Certain roads even reminded me of mountain routes in California, with winding curves and dramatic scenery. Locally, parts of this coastal region are sometimes compared to California because of the landscape and relaxed atmosphere.

The Konkan Region — Food, Agriculture, and Culture

The Konkan region is known for its rich agricultural heritage, producing Alphonso mangoes, cashews, coconuts, and rice. These crops shape not only the landscape but also the local cuisine and culture, making every stop along the journey an opportunity to experience authentic coastal Maharashtra.

Look what I found a bunch of GS enthusiasts!

Day 1: https://youtu.be/BqSVfXCBkkQ?si=PzCEihNxdtWNXCh3

Nice Day

Its been a nice day today. My dad (Baba)'s angiography results were better than most people were expecting, found the post office in Kompally?, got the flat screen delivered and connected with my old friend from Dapoli days Devraj Dewan!
Baba needs to go on a strict diet. I haven't seen him restrain himself from any of the goodies ever. He accepts that after a big episode like this one, he tends to get comfortable and forgets to keep off ghee etc.

I wanted to mail a home DVD of Inika's Kathak class for Baba hence decided to look for the post office. Venkatesh our driver looked at me funny when I asked him about the Post Office? Nobody uses that these days. I thought it would be easy to find it in a small village like Kompally. Four people gave us completely different directions. When we asked one about the Post Office, he replied with a question.. Do you mean the Kompally Post Office? We said yes, his reply was no, I don't know where it is? That was wierd I thought. Then it turns out to be someone's house and there were a few people waiting outside knocking on the door. They have been waiting for quiet a while. But soon as I was about to leave, a lady opened the door andI handed over my mail to her with Rs. Ten.

I have been trying to call Devraj Dewan for a few weeks. Out of which the last few weeks "Airtel" decided to reject my appication and disabled my outgoing calls on the grounds that our "Proof Of Address" was not valid! Seriously one thing there is a severe lack of in this country is "processes" and the when there are processes there is a lack of people who are supposed to follow them. Anyhow I thought I 'll keep trying today and he picked up the phone. We were room mates in Grad school and I must have talked to him after nearly twenty three years. He is married and comed form the beautiful north eastern state of Sikkim. Perhaps I could go there on my motorcycle which BTW is still over a month and half away from delivery date.

I must mention all the goodies that we got from the U.S. Thanks to Ruthie and Lisa. Nishad got a complete collection of SF Giants medallions, Inika got box of activity games (which we are all going to have to learn to play) and best of all Seema and I got to have Peets coffee this morning, yes the "Guatemala San Sebastian" ...ground for the cone filter!

Rain Saves the Day

It has been a rough Friday. My dad is in the hospital in Mumbai getting ready for an angiography. Nishad has been dealing with a lot of "passive agressive" behaviour of some kids in class. We just finished talking with Nishad about his life in the new school. He is handling it very well. Then it started raining really heavily so much that the plastic roof on the terrace made it sound loud and it was imposible to sit in the living room. Since we don't have our furniture yet everything echoes.

Seema thought why not go outside and get wet in the rain. After initial reluctance Inika joined t our surprise and we all spent a good half hour jumping in the puddles. I was glad for the rain and glad that Ini is not paranoid about it anymore!

Full Circle

It will be almost a month since we arrived here in Hyderabad and I have decided not to procastinate about writing this. We have moved into our new residence a few weeks ago and currently going through the pangs of what a new home owner must go through in India. Our major furniture hasn't arrived yet but barring a few things we don't really feel the need for more stuff!
One of the reasons I wanted to write this was, this move is really a big thing for us. We feel lucky to have this opportunity to be able to live somewhere else for a while. I have the best deal so far as I am not working yet. In fact its going to be my first time if and when I take up my job here. We live in a "gated" community so it is sort of luxurious. Tennis courts, manicured lawns etc. The pool and the gym are a work in progress so we will be roughing it out. Actually Seema and I are sleeping on our camping cots till our beds arrive. Getting back to talking about this move, our vision was to get the experience of living somewhere else for both of us and our kids. I was hoping to get a two wheeler and take the kids on shorter rides once in while.

Finally blogging

Hey,
Its my very first blog, Yeah!