[na_agrawal]

Not all those who wander are lost!!

Key points –

1. Car – My trusty 8 years old Hyundai i20 Active Petrol.
2. Peeps – Me with my wife, my friend with his wife.
3. Time – 27th April to 4th May (8 days). 41 hrs 22 mins of driving.
4. Total kms driven – 1588km (home to home).
5. Overall fuel economy achieved – 13.44 kmpl. (4 adults and full boot luggage).
6. Best fuel economy achieved – 15.8 kmpl (Goa to Gokarna and within Gokarna).
7. Worst fuel economy achieved – 10.3 kmpl (Within Goa).
8. Total tolls – 690 (to and fro combined).
9. Cheapest fuel – 96.31/L (somewhere in Goa), most expensive fuel – 103.82/L (Pune).
10. No breakdowns, no punctures, no issues. Car performed ideally. Except one stuck-in-sand event.

Day -1.
I went to sleep, or maybe tried to sleep early so as to leave as early as possible. Target was set somewhere around 4:45 am and to pickup my friend by 5:30 am from Katraj and leave for Gokarna. Already had refueled my car up to the brim and filled her shoes up with 33psi, filled up the windshield washer with the blue liquid. Bags packed and ready to be thrown in the car, snacks preordered from BBnow and off we went to catch atleast 5 hrs of sleep.

Day 0.
But, my phone’s clock app knows better why, I left finally at 6 am from my home and picked my friend up at 6:50 am and finally left for our destination a full 1.5 hrs late. We drove leisurely, on a calm Sunday morning. The roads were relatively empty, and I was well aware of the route. This was my 4th excursion on this particular road and I had a good idea of the roads. Had some snacks on the way in the car, thus saving crucial morning hours. Stopped at the Anuskura ghat view point at 11:20 am to catch a glimpse of the surroundings. (time as told by my google timeline). Refueled at a South Goa petrol bunk somewhere around 4 pm. And finally reached my Airbnb at about 8pm. A good 13 hrs drive. Not much to show in pics on this day...



My steed at the Anuskura Ghat



A view of somewhat dried up valley

Day 1-2-3.
Drove around Gokarna visiting numerous places which caught our interests. Had a gala time with my friends after almost a year. Some of the notable places which I visited were, Kamal Beach, Kudle Beach, Mantra Café.



Somewhere in Kamal Beach. This one is unexplored and we were the only ones there. I wouldn't recommend this one post sunset.



On the way to Kudle Beach



Om beach



Sunsets are a real peach on Kudle

Day 4.
Gokarna to Goa. We left late. Yet again!! Somewhere about 12 noon. Plan was 10 am.
Stopped at Karwar beach, near to Karwar INS Naval academy. The road and beach run almost parallel for about a km, and we decided to stop even though the temps were high and hot winds were blowing. I stopped my car right in front of the beach. Spent 10 mins, which felt like eternity in the hot sun and came back to my car only to find it stuck in the sand with atleast 5 inches of my tire and rim buried deep into it. Tried hard to unstuck it, only to lodge it deeper into the sand. Then, suddenly, I remembered Anshuman Bishnoi’s videos and tried to find a wooden plank nearby. Found 2 huge ones in barely 30 secs, tried to stick it under the front wheels and I gunned the car while doing a zig-zag pattern with the front wheels. The car started moving, my confidence got a boost, engaged reverse, then first, then again reverse and repeat. Barely 2 mins, and I was unstuck!! Thanks for the videos, man! Reached Anjuna, Goa by 530 pm and checked in to our Airbnb.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uxCMrMtr0hA?feature=share

Day 5-6.
Roamed around Goa, visiting and covering the most we could. Some of the notable places that I went to were, Chapora Mangroves backwater Kayaking, Tomatoes Morjim, Nauti Amigo Cruise, Burger Factory.



A cruise night onboard Nauti Amigo. I will rate it 3/5.



A perfect evening date at Anjuna with my biwi.

Day 7.
The day which takes us back home has come. We had planned to checkout by 11 and have a good lunch and then leave for Pune by 12 noon. But traffic and weekend ending made sure that we won’t be able to stick to those timelines. The rush, the traffic was crazy that day. Most of the cars bearing KA, MH, GJ and DD registration plates were flocking the restaurants and cafes. All had similar checkout time as well, everyone wanted to grab a lunch and then leave for home. Eventually, with both ours and car’s full tummies, we left Goa at about 2pm. Fun fact: I left Goa at exactly 60,000 kms on my odo A new milestone for me. Again, a full 2 hrs late. We encountered a huge traffic pile up at Karad, and up until that it was a smooth drive. Karad traffic delayed up by a good 45-55 mins. As roads cleared up, we were able to stretch our legs and stopped at Rau Wada (superb food and good service) for a dinner. Finally, we reached Katraj in Pune at about 1230 am in the night, dropped my friend, and proceed to my home in Hadapsar. Parked my car at my residence at about 1:10 am. A tiring, 11 hours’ drive from Goa. (Generally, it takes 9 hours without the dense traffic).



Left Goa at exactly 60k kms



Reached home after a 1588 kms drive. Took this pic next morn!

Now onto a next one. Lets see where I go.
~NA

[prathneo]

Thanks for sharing.

Do you mind sharing your Airbnb link and experience? And any other places to stay, food and excursions in Gokarna. I am also planning similar trip from Pune, just waiting for temperatures to cool down a bit.

[Born2Win]

Originally Posted by prathneo

Thanks for sharing.

Do you mind sharing your Airbnb link and experience? And any other places to stay, food and excursions in Gokarna. I am also planning similar trip from Pune, just waiting for temperatures to cool down a bit.

Thanks for the overall details. I am also planning somewhat similar trip to Gokarna along with Dandeli.
Totally depends upon the climate. It would be really nice if you can share details about your stay, overall weather in Gokarna and place you had visited.

Thanks