Day 10: Panchgani to Goa

The plan to be up at 5 AM for the TableTop sunrise kept pulling me out of rest through the night. No alarm needed in the end.

I had been following the work of photographer Thomas Heaton for a while, and something from one of his recent newsletters had stayed with me: the discipline of showing up for the shot even when the body would rather not. So at 5 AM, I got up, washed my face, picked up the cameras, called the caretaker to open the gate, and drove out while the town was still asleep.

TableTop Before Sunrise

The drive to TableTop took about fifteen minutes, the hill road curving gently through trees with fallen leaves scattered along the sides. It was quiet, the only sound coming from the wind moving through the trees.

I reached the spot and it was still dark. Completely dark. It was only then I thought to check the sunrise time. I was there at 5:35 AM. Sunrise was at 6:55 AM. An hour and twenty minutes early, alone on top of a hill with a few horses and carts nearby, kept there for tourist rides later in the day.

Stayed inside the car until the first person walked up for their morning exercise. Asked him about the spot, got off the car, picked up the camera and the tripod, and walked out onto the plateau.

TableTop is exactly what the name suggests, a large, flat stretch at the top of a hill. Ten football fields at minimum, possibly more. A walking trail runs around it, there is a small lake, and on a clear morning the valley below opens up completely. Local houses dotted the hillside beneath, the architecture different from what the plains show. Walking along the lake shore, frogs and toads jumped in ahead of each step. A troop of monkeys played at the far end of the plateau, the peninsular Indian species with long tails, noticeably different from the shorter-tailed ones more commonly seen in North India.

More morning walkers arrived as the light came up slowly. By the time the sun had fully risen, TableTop had become a small community of its own for that hour.

Clicked photographs, walked the full length of the plateau, and drove back down to the hotel. Panchgani had come alive by then. School children were being dropped off, shops were opening, and the quiet of early morning had given way to the daily movement of the town.

Had breakfast, then took an hour-long nap. The longest drive of the trip so far was still ahead.

The Drive to Goa

The plan was to drive to Goa via Satara, Oni, and then pick up the Mumbai-Goa Expressway. Estimated at seven to eight hours. What I had not accounted for was the Western Ghats themselves.

The Western Ghats do not believe in straight lines. Every turn opened up a new view of valleys and forests, which made the drive take longer than expected and easier to accept. No large buildings, no city clutter in sight. Just the road and the hills for most of it, with Satara the only major town along the way.

The Panchgani-Mahabaleshwar belt is known for its strawberries. Bought a small box before leaving the region, paid the exit tax, and continued toward Satara. Stopped briefly at a couple of viewpoints along the way to take in the valley below.

Stopped again at a McDonald's on the route for coffee and a wrap, another familiar brand appearing after a long stretch without one.

Near Arjuna Dam enroute, pulled over for some photographs and a glass of nimbu pani from a roadside vendor. The young boy selling drinks there offered something more useful than the drink itself. He advised against following Google Maps for the route ahead to Goa, said both options it suggested were in poor condition. His recommendation was to go straight toward Oni, spelled O-N-I, and join the Mumbai-Goa highway exactly 37 km ahead.

Followed his directions. The route went through small forested villages and merged with the expressway through a narrow lane. Took the left turn onto the Expressway as he had described. The signboard ahead read 173 km to Goa.

Stopped at a fuel station to fill the tank. The attendant, on hearing I had driven down from Delhi, looked at the car, then back at me, with the particular expression people reserve for things they find both admirable and slightly unreasonable.

Reached the hotel in Goa around 8:30 PM.

Goa, Finally

The back was sore. The knee too. Ten days of driving, and the longest of them had just finished. The plan for the next day was simple: stay put, rest, and let the body catch up. Laundry needed sorting before the next leg of the journey. The destination after Goa was still open.