How I lost my 1st drone in around a week
A Harley 440X ride from Bangalore to Goa, an Appsmith offsite, my first drone flights on the coast, surf camp in Mulki, and the day salt water killed the drone.
This trip happened in early 2024. I had wanted an iPhone for a long time. I asked a colleague in the US if he could bring one for me. He was a VP at Appsmith and he was kind enough to say yes. My birthday was coming up, so I decided to gift myself something nice — an iPhone 15 Pro and a drone, both ordered from the US.
Around the same time I also bought a bike — a Harley-Davidson 440X. Hero and Harley teamed up to make it in India. The build quality and design are not perfect, but I love how it feels on the road. That feeling was the only reason I bought it. I had been waiting to do a long ride for a long time.
Then Appsmith planned a company offsite in Goa in February. Rohan, my engineering manager at the time, and I decided to ride from Bangalore to Goa on our bikes.
Bangalore to Goa on two wheels
I wanted to do the full ride in one go — about eleven hours with short breaks, no overnight stops. Rohan preferred to split it into two days and stay the night on the way. He started one day early and stopped somewhere on the route. I joined him at Karwar for the second leg.
It was my first time in Karwar. The beach there surprised me — really clean, really pretty. We stayed at a small place near the beach. Nothing fancy, but it felt good. The next morning we rode into Goa.
I saved the route on Google Maps as I went. If you want to see the rough path: here on Google Maps.
The Appsmith offsite
In Goa I finally met my teammates again — people I had worked with for about two and a half years, mostly online. It felt great to see everyone in person.
But honestly, I was most excited about two things: my new iPhone and my new drone. I had to find Kali, the colleague who had carried them from the US. I waited a few hours before I could track him down and get everything.
Then I learned something annoying. The hotel Appsmith had booked was close to the airport. That area is a drone red zone. I could not fly until the offsite was over. So I waited.
The offsite itself was fun and memorable. We learned how to cook Goan food. We played games. All the usual offsite things. I enjoyed it, but part of my mind was already on the coast and the drone.
Solo days in Goa
After the offsite ended, I moved into hostels and spent a few days on my own before Mulki.
Vagator — my first drone flight
I stayed at a hostel near Vagator beach. It was a small, cozy dorm — my first time sleeping in that kind of setup on this trip. Vagator is where I finally flew the drone for the first time in India. I was nervous and excited at the same time.
Here is that first clip:
Arambol — a trek with strangers who became friends
At the hostel I met a few people — one guy from Mumbai and another from London, in a different group. We all decided to go to Arambol beach together.
The guy from London knew a small trekking path near Arambol. So you had a person from London leading Indians through a trail in Goa, India. It was funny and it was fun. We recorded the whole walk. Here is the reel: Arambol on Instagram.
Palolem — work by day, beach by evening
After that I headed to South Goa and spent two days in Palolem. I still had work, so I stayed alone, worked from the hostel during the day, and went to the beach in the evening for sunset. I flew the drone there too.
I booked a dorm bed. I expected a room full of guys. The dorm could fit about twelve people — it was like a two-bedroom flat. In my room there were four or five women staying. I was surprised at first, but it also felt like a good sign. They felt safe enough to be there. That made me happy.
One evening I found a cafe near the beach. Someone was playing live music. I loved it. I sat there for hours. I watched the sunset on Palolem every night I was there. Reel from that stretch: Palolem on Instagram.
Mulki — surfing, a tent, and a spider
From Palolem I rode toward Mulki. I had already booked a seven-day surfing session. On the way I had marked a few spots on Google Maps where I wanted to stop and fly the drone. Maravanthe was one of them — the road runs right next to the sea. I stopped, flew, and filmed.
Longer cut of that coastal ride: YouTube. Reel: Maravanthe on Instagram.
When I reached Mulki I wanted to be adventurous. I thought I would sleep in a tent. On the first night I saw a spider almost as big as my hand. That was enough for me. I am not as adventurous as I thought.
Luckily I found a really good group at the surf camp dorm. There was a free bed the next day, so I moved in. From then on, our small group went to surfing together every morning. We had a lot of fun. The camp van would pick us up and someone would shout “SURFFFINGGGG” — half joke, half alarm clock. By day three it felt normal.
I also flew the drone on the surf beach. That habit would cause trouble soon.
The day the drone died
On the third day of surfing I was filming near the water again. The battery was low — around twenty percent. The app kept warning me. I thought I would bring it back myself.
What I did not know: when the battery drops to about five percent, the drone takes over. It lands on its own, wherever it is. It was close to the shore but it went down in the water. We ran and pulled it out fast. It was already too late. Salt water had gotten inside. The circuits were most likely ruined.
I still had two more days in Mulki. I did not want to ruin the trip, so I told myself: let us see what happens when I get home. If it survives, good. If not, I will deal with it then — maybe cry a little, maybe buy another one.
Those last two days were still good. Surfing, the group, the sea — all of it stayed fun.
Riding home
When it was time to leave, I rode back to Bangalore. I left early and stopped in Mysore to meet Raksha, a college friend. We had lunch, I rested a bit, and then I rode Mysore to Bangalore the same evening. I reached home around nine at night.
NICE Road at night on a bike is not fun. I was on the service road for most of it and just wanted to reach home.
The next morning I took the drone to a repair shop in Bangalore. They told me what I already feared — salt water damage is usually the end. The drone was dead. From my first flight at Vagator to that visit was about a week and a half.
What stayed with me
I still have the route, the videos, and the memory of new friends on the road. I also have a simple lesson: keep the drone farther from the water than you think, and when the battery is low, land early. Salt water does not care about your footage.
If you ever do a ride like this — take breaks, drink water, and do not rush NICE at night. The coast, the hostels, and the people I met mattered more than the drone in the end.