Day 6

It’s again an overcast morning and it drizzling every now and then. Teams started dropping their bags at 7.30 am and took their Breakfast in the base hotel
Warned after the briefing, the teams were prepared to take the longest and toughest drive during the Mumbai Xpress: more than 230 km to the coastal town of Rathnagiri. Once they had crossed Mahabaleshwar the early morning fog slowed all the vehicles down to below 15 km/h speed. Hazzard light and head lights were glowing on all the vehicles plying on the road.
 

A bit of fog ain’t gonna stop nobody!

I started immediately, along with all the teams and stopped for breakfast. Then I met Team 3 Just in Time and Team 10 Swole Team 6 at a waterfall. It’s a stunning view and teams were praising Maharastra for its scenic appearance and beautiful mountains. After that it is a pretty straight forward drive and I met all the teams on the way. Team 14 were talking to a police man and they were seems to be in up mood as they were finishing the challenge of the day.
 

Chivalry is not dead!

When I stopped for lunch I could see some more teams going past us. Team 2 3 Amigos was leading the pack to the destination. I did not get any service call throughout the day.  But after teams started checking in I heard that Team 8 Mayo4Sam had a small issue and they quickly set that right by a local mechanic.
 

Giving some scared locals a ride

All the teams were just on time except Team 7  Not Fast, Not Furious and team 12 Rickshaw Lady. Team 12, the lone traveler from Australia, lost her way and to find it back it took her time. Even though she lost time, she found a companion in Team 7 and they drove  to the destination together. It was almost 8 pm when they arrived at the base hotel.
Then it is all beer and stories. As the hotel had no bar, the teams made arrangements by driving into town to get beers well before 6pm. I think by now they all got along well and everybody understands the other’s need.  It’s a superb team building event.
 

Day 7 & 8

It is a bright start from Rathnagiri. I met all the teams on the way and waved passing them. The Goan state roads are such a reliefing sight compared to the battered Maharastrian roads. I reached the hotel around 4.30 p.m. One by one all the teams checked in the hotel after 5 pm. As the challenge was given in the old Goa, most of them visited the place and came back. The hotel was nice and all were relaxing and got ready for the rest day.
 

Taking the “Cow Picture Challenge” to a new level

Goan night is a party night. Team 7 Vollette Kels had birthday the next day and it was party in Baga where she got her birthday bash.
On the 8 th day teams rested thoroughly and some of them had their own agenda on visiting places and trying new food style. When I went to the hotel that day for a brief time, they showed me how they had partied the previous night. What happens in Goa stays in Goa. Team 10 Swole Team 6, who had a team member left from the start due to visa issue, decided to discontinue from the challenge and they announced it to me. Bye Bye Peter and Sebastian, amazing guys who missed their friend Bryan badly. Hope we shall see you in another challenge. It’s Bye from me form Goa.
 

Despite the rains, teams had a fairly easy day and everyone arrived to the flag down in time to visit the incredible Raigarh Fort at Mahad. Lost in a deep mist with scattered rains, a vast rock face covered in lemongrass, moss and gently swaying greenery that appeared almost electric in color, the fort is at the very top. Teams climbed into precarious little boxes on the ropeway that leads up in groups of 8 or 9. Despite the hilarity of arranging transportation in regular jeeps that broke down anyway (thanks team 6!) and the mysterious Indian fees for things you never imagined for things from parking to gate fees, taxes, entry, etc. It was incredible, the stuff of fantastical medieval movies and dreams. Waterfalls gushed out of the green mountains everywhere with delicate little flowers struggling against the elements on impossible slopes.

The fort itself was huge, covered in moss and filled with rainwater. The throne and various look outs called for more exploration, though the fog was so thick you could only hear the voices and steps of friends nearby but anything more than 10 or 15 meters disappeared.

The nice people at the Hotel Kuber Palace assured us that there would be a pool next year, though we aren’t so sure that’s the improvement we’d most like to see. Still the people were very nice, the service was unusually good and the restaurant was really what you’d want to tell people about when describing the more exotic experiences along the way.