13th Feb.2010 (Varkala –Edava & Kappil Beach, Enjengo Fort, Kerala ) After spending half a day in Varkala – just lazing around the beach gulping beer and relishing tasty Sea Fish,,, I always wanted to rent a Royal Enfield Bullet (Motorcycle) as I did in Pallolem and Munnar.
I saw most of the tourists (Firangs) on a Honda Activa, Scooty Pep or Hero Honda Splendor,,, but being a die hard Bulletwala – riding those "chotus" would not be fun. "How we got a Bike on rent ?". By now – you would be wondering why renting a Royal Enfield Bullet is a must. We enquired almost every Bike Tours & Travels / Agencies in Varkala (Papanasam Cliff area) for a Bullet, but all motorcycles were booked on rent. Dejected, we lost hopes and looked for the second option of hiring a Cab. After supper, we headed to our guest house. A small conversation with the owner back home – I spoke about my love & passion on bike riding and discovering new places. One of the owner’s friend -Sunil, was an ardent Bullet lover. I had to tell all the crazy & fancy stories of Travelling nook & corner of India & Sri Lanka. He was impressed of my Bullet Clubs trips to Leh Ladakh and Lahaul Spiti. The owner made a few phone calls & his friend agreed to rent his bike.
Riding along the Arabian Coast After a short & quick swim in Papanasam Beach (Varkala), few checks on the bike and headed straight for the petrol bunk in Varkala. Had some amazing crunchy delicious Poori’s n Vada in a local restaurant and continued with our new journey. Locals & enthusiastic travelers had suggested a beautiful location – it's one place where you get to see the Arabian Sea and the backwaters. A similar landscape what I had spotted while backpacking to GoKarna. (Konkan route) I did not waste a single minute getting there as the day was geting warmer,,,,Wow – I just can’t tell what a feeling it was while we arrived at Kappil Beach. As we crossed the bridge, we turned onto a straight rode, to me left was the gorgeous blue Arabian sea and to my right was the green Kappil backwaters. Soma & myself just thought for a moment – are we here or is it a dream ? I could here the gush of waves hitting the Kappil beach shores. Out was my camera, i managed to click loads of photos in all directions. We went further ahead along the beach to clock some more photographs. En route back to Varkala, we visited the private harbour, a new houseboat at anchor.
As it was humid, we stopped at a local Tea shop at 1 for Hydration (Nimbu Pani). Locals at the Tea Shop had suggested to visit Edava Beach. Kappil Beach to Edava beach is a mere 3 kms by road .
We ventured deep in the villages to locate Edava Beach . A few wrong turns, but we managed to locate. We spotted an Ayurvedic Spa near the beach, I spotted a well paved track along the sea shore,,after a break at the nearby refreshment area, we headed on our journey.
Biking along that 3 kms Sea shore route was unbelievable. A bit scary as there was cliff to my left with the Arabian Sea. With the Standard 350 on 1st gear, we rode along the lonesome paved track to get some of the best glimpses of my riding times,,,yes – it reminded me of the Blu Turquoise Lake of Pangong Tso (Leh Ladakh). It was an Absolute Blue Water with the rhyming of the waves,,,a few bright colored boats could be spotted along the beach. We loved sitting in the shade and enjoyed the view. I guess, renting the motorcycle was a good decision. We were exhausted by 3 PM and wanted to return to Papanasam beach (Varkala). Enroute, we wanted to stop midway to have the Lunch, Soma's favourite Sea food. We stopped at a local restaurant but to our disappointment, lunch time was over. We requested the Owner & Kitchen staff to prepare Sea based meal. The cook gave us options on fish - Sea Bass, Tuna, Marlin & Calamari with local curry. Soma chose to go with the local option of Sea Bass. The meal was mouthwatering & truly enjoyed the local flavors. We headed for Enjengo Fort. Enjengo Fort is one of the prime watch towers in the South India region. One has to climb 225 steps to get a good view of the top. once we reached, it was worth a sight. It seems God had enough time to make this place better, lush green landscape with loads of Coconut trees overlooking the Arabian sea.
A few tips from a locals, we headed for Golden Island to check out on the sunset. Sunset at Golden Island was an amazing experience. A perfect evening to spend with Soma. After Sunset, we left for the Varkala beach. I believe sometimes, the brand of owning a Bullet really helps you.
Statistics.
Total Distance: 120 Kms
Places Visited: Varkala, Kerala (Papanism Cliff & Beach, Edava & Kappil Beach, Enjengo Fort and Varkala Town )
Approx Temp: 33*C. Humidity: 85%.
