Monday, January 30, 2012

Ratnagiri

Ganpatipule - Ratnagiri, Jan 30, 2012.

44 km

I had the shits this morning and decided right away that I would make it a short day and only go to Ratnagiri. I also know that from here I must go to all the way to Nate before I can find a good place to stay. I may even have to be without lunch tomorrow since there really is not much along this stretch.


Leaving Ganpatipule

Probably my stomach upset is only from eating too much in Ganpatipule. Too much ice cream and sweets, and a couple of beers as well.

Somehow I took a wrong turn early today and cycled way too much inland. I did not realize this until I was already in Chafe. Had to turn around and go back the same road some 4 km.


Lost

Other than that it was nice cycling. I came along several good beaches with not a soul in sight. Sometimes on crowded beaches I think how nice it would be to find one with no people. But then again when I do find such a beach I also realize that there are no chai shops, nowhere to get any food or water etc.

Ratnagiri is a rather large town with all the amenities. I cycled through the bazaar and then turned up the hill leading Eastwards. There I found Vihara De Luxe Hotel. Here I have a good room for 600 Rs. It seems that prices have started to come down a bit now that I have come further away from Bombay.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Ganpatipule

Guhagar - Ganpatipule, Jan 28, 2012.

58 km

There was a temple or mosque near where I stayed. Around five or so in the morning they started chanting, and woke me up much too early.

When I finally gave up trying to go back to sleep I went and asked for breakfast. It was 8 o'clock and I was told I had to wait until 9. I really wanted to get going before ten o'clock for a change, to enjoy that invigorating morning cycling. So I just had a cup of tea and moved on. In the village proper I stopped at a small restaurant for some idlys.

Riding out from Guhagar was very beautiful along small roads. But it was a mistake taking the road closest to the coast. I had to come over a sizable hill on an absolutely awful gravel road. Even pushing my bike uphill was difficult. And when it finally turned down it was not much fun either. I think I spent well over an hour on that dreadful part of the road.


Bad road

I crossed another river by a ferry boat, and landed at Jaigad jetty. In the village there we got a fine veg thali for lunch. And there was another uphill of course before rolling in to Ganpatipule.

G is a well established holiday place. Today being the saturday of an extended weekend I was a little concerned it may be difficult finding a room. I cycled down to the beach and started asking around. I was told to check with MTDC (Maharashtra Tourist Development Corp), sort of a very large tourist bungalow. But right by its entrance was a young man who asked me if I was looking for a room. He took me to his guest house, a five minute walk away. Here, at Kapil Lodge, I have the best room I have had in a long time, 800 Rs.

There are loads of Indian tourists in Ganpatipule, many hotels, guest houses and restaurants. I decide to have a rest day here. In the evening I met another Swedish cyclist, a guy on a simple Indian bike with no gears. No wonder he had some minor knee problems and was concerned it could worsen if he push the uphills too hard.

There are ATM's in Ganpatipule. I used the one at BOI, but saw signs for at least two more.

Guhagar

Anjarle - Guhagar, Jan 27, 2012.

68 km

Another lovely cycling day, even though it turned out to be a good bit longer than I had expected.

There are several major hills to cross between Anjarle and Guhagar. It is tough going uphill but ever so sweet running the downhills.
There is also a river to cross by boat between Dabhol and Dhopve. Julian had overtaken me in an uphill and soon after I was offered a ride in a big white automobile. I turned down the offer but obviously Julian accepted the same offer out of my sight. When I arrived at the boat jetty at Dabhol I was surprised not to see him there. I had to wait for half an hour for the ferryboat and used the time to eat a mango ice cream. I also talked to a British Indian who was here to visit the parents of his wife.

When the boat arrived I got onboard and we sailed across the not so wide river in some 15 minutes. On the Dhopve side there was another uphill in the direction of Guhagar, where I was going.

As I enetered Guhagar I stopped to check Google Maps and it so happened that I was just outside the house where the British Indian was visiting. He saw me and came outside. I told him I was looking for a guest house and he suggested one right nearby. I got a room there, not charming but adequate. The lady brought me a bucket of hot water for the shower I badly needed.

Later when I went down to the beach I found Julian right there, setting up his tent.


Julian's tent

I had dinner at the guest house. It was a terrific veg thali, in the local style of this area.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Anjarle

Shrivardan - Anjarle, Jan 26, 2012.

51 km


Coastal road

Overall I think this has been my nicest cycling day ever. I ride together with Julian. We cycle as near the coast as possible, and have to cross two river mouths by boats. The first one, from Hareshwar to Bankot, is quite straightforward. The boat runs on some kind of schedule, and people knows from where.

It is a quite small boat and I am amazed at how many motorcycles they can load on it. Plus of course our bicycles with panniers and all. The charge for us with bikes is only 10 Rs each.

We stop for a snack at Bankot before riding on. The stuff we get is proably the same as I had for breakfast several times up North, called Pooha. It is not a real meal but still somewhat filling.


Bankot

We go along small roads and come along very nice roads with many trees and lovely shade. For several hours we cycle right next to the coast and see many fine beaches. We come through sweet villages where lots of children greet us with Hellos, and older people call out 'Good Morning' and 'Welcome to India'. I am very pleased to come this route. Today is also the Republic Day in India, sort of a National Day even though not in name.




Beaches

Some of the small roads are not in very good shape, but there are also long stretches were the road just could not have been better.


Cycling along the coast


We had some idea of maybe stopping at Kelshi. Then our first boat captain says that Kelshi is not all that nice, and recommends we continue on to Anjarle.

The second boat we have to take to reach Kelshi is a good bit more iffy. There is no schedule and some confusion about where it actually runs from. Eventually we come down on some rocks just by the water where there are three fellows waiting. They say the boat will come here. And they start calling out for the boatman. We see a very small boat, like a large canoe being punted across the river, but it does not land anywhere near where we are waiting. After some time there is a motorpowered boat that make a landing a couple of hundred meters from where we are. Julian pops over to ask. The man says his is a private boat but he will take us to Kelsi for 40 Rs each. We accept and get our things onboard. Then the three fellows who had been waiting on the rocks board as well. When the boat came across in our direction it was on motor but going back the boatman punts us across with a long bamboo pole. We expect him to take us right into Kelshi which is visible from afar. But instead he lands us on a beach where there is nothing around. Well there is a trail that leads off the beach and the men say it goes to Kelshi. We load up and take that trail. Very soon we come to the outskirts of town and find a little restaurant where we get good food with refills for a most decent price.


Kelsi river landing

Then we continue on and have no problem finding Anjarle Beach. There is a little charming resort that unfortunately is all full. Julian wants to camp on the beach and cook his own food. The lady tells me that I can find a room at Mr Sarthe's only five minutes away, and that I can come back to her resort for dinner. I find Sarthe's house and get a huge room that looks more like a dormitory with some 8 beds. He says I can have it for 1200 Rs, and I move in. It is almost 6 o'clock and I hate being out looking for a room that late.


Big spider on my wall in Guhagar

I have a bucket shower with really hot water and then go back to the resort around 7. The lady does not speak much English but helpful guests from Bombay helps with translation, and I place an order for prawns masala. But I must wait till 9 pm for dinner. When I finally get it around 930 it is a fish masala.

Shrivardan

Murud - Shrivardan, Jan 25, 2012.

45 km

Cycling out through Murud was so nice I kept thinking that if I had had a camera fitted on my helmet I could have snapped a dozen good pictures. Very interesting town life going on. I rode across the bridge and soon saw another good beach.

Murud bridge

At Rajapuri I get a boat across to Dighi. There are some guys with motorbikes near the jetty and they confirm that this is where the boat will leave from. They say it will leave at 1130, in 45 minutes, which suits me fine. But it actually does not leave until 1230 and I wish I had had some bananas.

Ar Dighi I find a little restaurant where one fellow is just finishing off a meal that looks tasty. I ask him if it is vegetarian and he says yes. I tell the waiter I would like to have the same. His English is almost nonexistant and he keeps asking me what I want. He wants me to have a name for the dish, which I obviously don't. Eventually another guest gets involved and my order is sorted. I think it was called Ushal and it was very tasty.

A little later I meet the first cyclist so far on this trip. He is Julian, a nice young English guy going the same direction as I am. He has cycled 17500 kms, from London via Poland, Iran, The Stans, and Kathmandu. Last night when I had dinner in Murud I talked to a German sounding couple who had a rented car. When I tell them I have cycled from Kathmandu they give me a high Hindu greeting and say "respect!". Glad Julian was not around then or my puny 2500 kms would not have been much worth.

I talk to Julian an hour or so by the roadside and then we cycle off together.

The coast is a bit more hilly here and the road winds round and round, up and down. At first the road itself is fine but then turns worse, and eventually much worse. It is as if they never got around to putting the top tarmac on.


Village road

When we come to the beach at Shrivardan Julian says he is on a much smaller budget than mine and that he plans to camp on the beach and cook his own dinner. I ask around for some guest house and is pointed off just ten minutes down the beach. I roll my bike over there and ask for a room. It is Subhan Beach House. It is only accesible from the beach, there is no road to it. The manager tells me a room is 1800 Rs. When I ask for something cheaper he offers me a hut on stilts for 800 Rs. It is a no frills thing with only mattresses on the floor. But it is clean and and so are the mattresses and sheets. I take it and ask if Julian can sleep there as well for the same price, he can. I go down to the beach and tell Julian he is welcome if he cares to. We still have many things to talk about and it would be a bit ridiculous to have him in a tent on the beach and me being the only guest at the resort. So he moves in. I have a good Fish Thali in the restaurant, and Julian cooks his own stew on a Primus stove right there.

The sounds from ocean waves feels good when going to bed. Towards morning it gets quite cold though and I wake up several times to adjust my blanket. We have Masala Omelette and chai for breakfast.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Murud

S of Alibag - Murud, Jan 24, 2012.

43 km

Again I took it easy this morning and only left at 1030. Dolphin House was a very good place to stay at. Both the Thali I had for dinner yesterday and the omelette I had for breakfast was excellent.

I had been thinking of trying to cycle on the beach, seeing how hard the sand was. But the owner of Dolphin House made some calls and found out that I would not get far before I would have to turn around due to some large cliffs jutting out all the way into the ocean. So I got back on the road and headed South. It was a bit more hilly today than the almost flat roads I have had the last couple of weeks. Not very long climbs though.

The road itself is not very good. Then again that may be a blessing becuase it slows down motor traffic.

I stopped for chai and biscuits at Kashid. The beach looks really good there, and there are several chai shops. But it seems most of the smaller guest houses this place has had have been bought up by rich Bombayites and turned into private homes. There are some large resorts that does not look particularly inviting.

Murud town is not much. The beach however is very good. I stopped for my ususal Dhal and chapatis right soon I came near the beach. There I also asked about rooms and when asked told them I did not want pay more than 1000 Rs. The man made a phone call and soon a fellow arrived on a bicycle. He said he had a room for 800. Ok let's see it. When we got to his guest house he said the 800 Rs room had just been vacated and now needed cleaning. In the meantime he showed me another one for 1000 Rs, which is actually an A/C room and would with A/C cost 1200.


Island fort



Kids on the road

Anyway I ended up taking it, and here I am. This gh has a name in Marathi/Hindi but no English.

S of Alibaug

S of Alibaug, Jan 23, 2012.

34 km

I knew this would be a short day and was in no hurry to leave this morning. The boat left the dock by India Gate sharp on time at 1115. The boatride is just an hour to Mandve. There was some confusion about the price for taking my bike on the boat. The man at the booth were I bought the ticket said it would be 75 Rs for me and I think he said I would have to pay an additoinal 25 onboard for the bike. But at the gate the dude said I must pay 75 for the bike as well, so I did. Then after I had boarded another fellow came to me saying I must pay 50 for the bike. I told him I had already paid 75 and he was satisfied with that. I think I was taken for a ride there but am not sure for how much.

It is quite amazing to be in real rural countryside so very near giant Bombay. It was very quiet and beautifully green when I rode away from the dock at Mandve. Very soon I found a nice little reastaurant by the roadside and stopped for lunch. Then onwards towards Alibaug. The road that had at first been very good soon turned worse, and traffic picked up too.


Instant countryside

I was not too impressed with Alibaug and decided to move on a bit further along the coast. Just some 5 kms out of town is a much nicer beach where I also found a little guest house. I asked some rickshaw drivers about guest houses and was told to cycle another 2 kms and then by a Maharaja statue turn right towards the beach. I did and saw signs for a Naomi Hotel, and headed that way. But just before arriving at Naomi I saw another sweet little place called Dolphin House. Here I have a good room and a large lovely verandah. The village seems to be called Nagaon. On Google Maps it is near Sonar Peth. It is real nice here. The beach is more or less totally empty, and clean. But the coast seems to be very shallow and it may be that by high tide the whole beach comes under water.


Mandala painted on the ground

I saw two ATM machines in Alibaug but there may well be more. The town is larger than I had expected.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Colaba

Colaba (S Bombay), Jan 20, 2012.

25 km

I had called Bentley's, my favourite hotel in Colaba, twice to try book a room, but they were fully booked already. So when I cycled out of Bhandra this morning I did not know where I would find a place to stay. I planned to try Prossers first and then Carlton, both of which I have stayed at long ago.

Two years ago I had cycled up from Colaba to Bhandra after breakfast, and found it easier than expected to ride in this huge city. This time though I was going in the other direction and I was caught up in the morning rush heading downtown.

I had fed my Garmin Gps with the adress for Bentley's, the nearest waypoint I had. The other hotels are fairly close by. For some reason the Garmin sent me on a couple of odd detours already quite far up North. And then further South was hellbent on me taking Marine Drive before homing in on Colaba Causeway. After a while I changed the Garmin to "Off Road mode" and only point me in a general direction where I should aim. That was better and I could just take any road that did not have too much traffic. Still I ended up in several real jams, and I also managed to knock over a wheelbarrow loaded with fresh concrete, at a place where there was road construction going on. It nearly flipped me over too, and my left pannier came off its hooks.


Colaba traffic jam





Colaba is nice and airy





Marine Drive

Eventually I found Prossers, and it was closed, locked with a chain. So off to Carlton. Here I got a room! Trusty old Carlton, used to be one of the rougher places in this part of town. This place always had a lot of character. The reception used to look like something out of a 30's Hollywood movie. I often thought it would fit right in if Humphrey Bogart would come down the stairs in a long white smoking jacket, bogarting a fag.


Carlton

Now Carlton has been renovated. It has been done pretty good. The outside of the building looks quite the same, the balconies are still here. But the rooms have been spruced up and many fitted with A/C and fine bathrooms. The price has inevitably gone up too. I pay 2500 Rs for single occupancy of a good double room. Unfortunately the reception is not nearly as charming as it was. But the staff is very friendly and helpful. I have my bike on a rear balcony, along with other leftover stuff that Indians keep.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Bhandra

Bhandra, Jan 18, 2012.

90 km


Approaching Big B



Coming in to the city

Two years ago I did a cycle trip in S India, from Bangalore to Kanyakumari and then up on the W coast through Kerala and Karnataka to Goa. From there I took a train back to Bombay, for my flight home. By mail I asked the guys in Bangalore, where I had bought my bike, if they knew anyone in Bombay who could service and pack my bike for the flight. They told me about GearIndia in Bhandra. Deepak there did a fine job on my bike, and now I was heading back there for more service. Stupidly enough I never called or mailed GearIndia beforehand. I found my way back to the shop, only to be told that both Deepak and the other guy doing service was no longer with the place. Now GearIndia only sell stuff.

Anyway the dude there told me about another bike shop in the area, Pro 9 Bicycle Studio, over by Carter Rd. My plan had been to ask Deepak for advice on a hotel nearby. The new guy suggested one hotel around the corner. It was of the fancier kind, looked expensive, and was full. They sent me to another place that was also full.

By then it was almost 6 o'clock and started getting dark. I cycled around asking rickshaw drivers for hotels. Most of them had some suggestion, and several of their passengers got involved too. Mostly the advice was to go some street further on and then turn left or right, where I would find "many hotels". I never really did find any of those. But eventually there was one, called King's Regency on Linking Rd. They had good rooms, and at 2500 Rs was no more than I expected to pay. So I was happy to move in.

Next day I rode over to Pro 9 and found a very pleasant guy, Faisal, and his very friendly father. They had several jobs already booked for the day but said my bike would be ready by 9 PM.

So I stayed another night in Bhandra, which was fine because I wanted the opportunity to explore this wealthy Bombay suburb. Bhandra West, and nearby Pali Hills is indeed a very nice area. Lots of trees and good shade on most roads.

It is obvious that people here are loaded with money. Houses are beautiful, and there are lots of fine restaurants and cafes. Not to mention excellent automobiles and beautiful women.


Pali Hills

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

NH 8

Silver Miles (Manor), Jan 17, 2012.

60 km

Silver Miles is a sort of roadside motel right by the NH 8. On Google Maps I can see that there is a place near called Manor, but I have not actually seen any such town or village.

It was sweet cycling out of Dahanu, and I meant to remain on small roads for a little longer. But then somehow I took a wrong turn or whatever and I was practically already on the national highway. Those are not that fun cycling on but I feel I must get on with going to Bombay, I have things to do there. Must get my bike serviced and I must talk to my airline about taking the bike home. There are conflicting reports on the net on how Qatar Air deals with bicycles. I don't want to leave all that until I actually am about to fly.

So I hit the highway and did good speed. After several hours I saw a fine looking resort that also happened to have an art exhibition at this time. Went in there and asked. Their cheapest room was 3500 Rs, and it was obvious from the reception staff that they did not really want me. So I pedalled on.

After some further kilometers I spotted this Silver Miles place on the other side of the highway. I pulled an Indian manouvre and pushed my bike across the divider to the other side. There I was more than welcome. I got a very good room with aircon and a superb bathroom for 1300 Rs. And they even helped me dragging my bike up on a second floor balcony. There is a modern restaurant with good food, although the waiters are a bit annoying. I hate it when they won't let me serve myself the food I have ordered, and am about to pay for.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Dahanu

Dahanu, Jan 16, 2012.

40 km

I meant to just slip across the river to Umergaon but there I found no place to stay and had to move on. I cycled mostly along the coast and saw several uninviting beaches. The beach by Dahanu is fine though.


Cyclist suntan

Here I stay at the BeachClassic Resort. I have a fine room for 1200 Rs. Now I have just had dinner at the attached restaurant. Food is fine but not nearly as good as what I had at Nargol for a fraction of the price.

I get no cellphone coverage here at all despite trying both Airtel and Idea.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Nargol

Nargol, Jan 14, 2012.

37 km

I took the small roads as near the coast as I could, checking out beaches along the way. It was nice riding through tiny villages where I stuck out like a sore thumb, or as if I had been a couple of moose cycling through on a tandem while playing the banjo and singing a duet. I bought some bananas and chai in a tiny place. People were friendly enough, but they stared at me like thinking "what the f is that?". They had obviously never seen anything like it.

It took some trial and error before I found a place to stay. There is a combined guest house/sanatorium/girls hostel run by Nargol Parsee Association. It is a fairly large compund with several old buildings. I never saw anyone by the one that probably is the sanatorium. But there was a girl at times around the girls hostel. I was alone in the guest house. It has only two rooms and one large verandah. The place is run by a very sweet family. They also cooked for me, superb thalis and sweet tasty tea. I must say the bed was rather hard and the large room quite cold at night. There is however a fine modern bathroom, and the verandah is lovely.


Nargol GH



Lovely thali



Towards Nargol Beach

Friday, January 13, 2012

Jampore Beach

Jampore Beach, Jan 12, 2012.

21 km


Jampore beach



Guess what animals these are?

Today was just a minor move to a nicer beach. Actually I wanted to stay at Pensuvilla Resort which looks nice on web pictures. But it was completely closed. Massive iron gate and a big padlock. So I had to turn back to check out this beach. It looks far better than the beach by Daman town. And there is a little guest house here, Chandrika, 500 Rs.
Later I realised that there is also a classier looking hotel cum restaurant, Chinatown. It is low season now and the manager offered me a room for 600 Rs, which is half price. I never checked out the room though since I was about to leave pretty soon. The restaurant has good food.

I still have diarrhea and am not up to riding any long days. And I still don't know for sure where to go from here. I will probably stay at least one more night.


Don't try to walk across this shallow river

Daman

Daman, Jan 11, 2012.

49 km

Checkout at Shreelekha is already at 0900. Otherwise I would have left later. My stomach was upset again the whole night and I slept poorly. Don't know if I had eaten something bad or if it was just all the icecream I had in Valsad.

Todays cycling was a mix of very nice small country roads and a good bit on NH6. I had a tailwind and did good speed. I never saw any signs on the highway to turn off towards Daman and actually had to ride back a bit to get on it. The roads leading in to Daman itself were pretty bad.

Daman town is not entirely bad for a small Indian place. But there is virtually none of the Portuguese architecture and feel I had hoped for. The beach is absolutely terrible. The sand is quite black and there is a lot of rubbish and human faeces. The beach front has not a single restaurant or coffee shop.
The streets in town are quite clean though, and people speak very good English, something that was rather lacking in the parts of Gujurat I came through.

As I walked along the beach this afternoon the same thought kept coming to my mind; I am not staying here any longer than necessary.

I have heard that there is a much better beach only some ten kilometers further South, and I have seen on Google Maps that there is a guest house down there that looks old and charming.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tihal Beach

Tihal Beach, Jan 9, 2012.

62 km

At Sauras Hotel I was up earlier than otherwise needed to take my bike back out on the street before 0630. I could have it in the reception only on that condition. The hotel restaurant did not open until 0830 so I hit the sack again for a while. Thus I did not leave until 0930.

It was sweet cycling on small roads for a couple of hours. Then out on the NH for one hour with a tailwind and it felt as downhill too for much of it. And the last hour back on small roads again. I changed my plans during the day and decided to head for the nearest beach. It is monday today, the first weekday after holidays. I figured it would be a good day to find a room at the beach. First place, Salty, said they were full. The next place was a bit too simple and the next after that said they were not allowed to take "single people", strange. But finally at Sheelekha I was well received and got a very good room for a bargain.

There are only very few guests here and the restaurant is not open. Now I have been to Salty and had a terrific dinner. I will have a rest day here before moving on to Daman.

Navsari

Navsari, Jan 8, 2012.

60 km

Vyara was actually quite a sweet little town. A good bit more so than Navsari where I am now. I have just been out walking an hour, and I am surprised how dark it is here.

Getting out of Vyara was a piece of cake with my Google maps. Rode the first half on NH 6, up to Bardoli. Then it was nice to get off the National Highway to a smaller road. Surface was still fine and much less traffic.

An Indian man rode up next to me on a motorbike and recommended this Hotel Sauras, particularly for the food. I have a fine room for 525 Rs, good size, clean bed, and the obligatory dirty bathroom.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Vyara

Vyara, Jan 7, 2012.

46 km

I really must learn som Hindi! I have been so many times to India and still only speak less than a dozen words. It is really embarrassing and such a shame. I need to find a place where I feel comfortable to stay for at least a forthnight mostly for the sake of learning Hindi but still not a useless place to be in general.

At last a quite short day! I had Pooha and chai for breakfast by the bus station and hit the road by nine. This place Vyara is in Gujurat. When I first rode in to town I thought it did not look like much at all. Very barren and few people around. But when I came on the main street it looked quite the opposite. Parts of town is very modern looking while other parts are quite desolate.

I found this little guest house with a name in Hindi only, as has been the case several times lately. I have their best room for 500 Rs. Hope there is not a mosque nearby to wake me up too early.

After a quick shower I was out for lunch at a modern looking fast food place. I shared a table with a small Indian family, a little girl of about three or four and her parents. That girl was absolutely beautiful and I was pondering to ask if I could take her picture but then never did. Many Indian children have gorgeous faces with very large eyes.

Navapur

Navapur, Jan 6, 2012.

69 km

Several times during the day Indians aske me where I am going. Often I have to tell them that I do not know, and I don't really care either. Somehow I have come to the conclusion that there is a guest house or hotel in this or that town. At times just by seeing on Google Maps the size of the place, at other times I have asked around. Then that becomes my goal for the day. But I soon forget the name of the place.

Still it is a big thing for me coming to these off-the-beaten-track places. It is one of the things I like about cycling. I head off to unknown places. Not because of some special temple or whatever other attraction. I go there because I need a pit stop. Then when I deal with finding an actual hotel or guest house, and some food, I get in contact with the locals. They are without exception incredibly friendly and helpful. By chance I have ended up staying in many places that are predominantly Muslim, and it has been a pleasure to experience that Muslims are just as friendly as the Hindus, of whom I have more experience.

Todays cycling took me over a couple of sizable hills. At one point my Gps told me I was at 590 mtrs asl then later I was down at 140. I never checked the altitude this morning but I did climb for at least two hours before it started going down again. And I had a head wind too all day. I rode entirely on NH 6 which is an ordinary two lane road without any hard shoulder. There were a lot of trucks going in both directions. Many times I had to stop by the roadside to let them pass.


I often take a pic of the gh I am staying at. Can come in handy when I need to ask around or take a rickshaw back

A couple of hours before arriving here I was told that there would be many hotels in town. When I asked around here I was directed to this Ambika Guest House where I am now at. It is a fairly scruffy place but OK for the 250 Rs it costs.

Sakri

Sakri, Jan 5, 2012.

60 km

This morning my legs felt a bit stiff and I was considering whether to take a rest day at Dhule. Eventually I moved on though because my bed was rather hard, and there was a fair bit of traffic noise. I did not leave until 10 and my plan was to only ride to the other side of town and there find a good place for a rest day. Never found a place though and soon was out of town altogether. Now I am heading due West, towards the coast. Another 250 kms away.

At a roadside little restaurant a truck driver offers me a ride to Daman but I am not interested. This road is also a National Highway, but of an earlier kind. There are trees all along giving fine shade. It is also a bit undulating and generally a pleasent ride.
The truck driver tells me there is an "Uday Palace Hotel" shortly before Sakri, at reasonable price.

When I find it it is almost 4 PM and I have ridden 60 km. Not really a rest day. I get an almost decent room for 400 Rs. The room itself and the bed is surprisingly clean for the price. The bathroom looks grimy but whatever the stains are they do not wash away easily. The shower water is almost warm. There is an outdoor restaurant were I have just now had a good dinner, and lots of chilled mineral water. They won't let me take the bike inside though, making this the first place on this trip where I have been denied that.

Dhule

Dhule, Jan 4, 2012.

100 km

I ride all day on NH 3 leading to Bombay. It probably starts in Delhi. The road itself is in excellent condition. But being all new and built up quite high there are no trees and no shade. At times it is slighly hilly.

Soon I notice there is not much air in the front tyre. I stop by a place where a guy seems to be selling used tyres. He has a machine pump and inflates my tyre in a few seconds. There is no real charge but I give him ten rupees which he seems very pleased with.

An hour later I am low on on air again. I take out my handpump and a spare tube. Soon after I pull in at a chai shop. I have a chai and then replace the punctured tube. I feel inside the tyre and check its outside without noticing anything that might have caused the puncture. Replacing the tube does not take long but of course it attracts attention and soon there are more than a dozen Indians offering advice and wanting to help.

When I am done I ride on and within an hour realises that again I am low on air. Whatever punctured the first tube has now done so with spare one too. I have to stop and pump several times during the day.

When I reach Dhule I am very hot and tired. I stop by a small shop for a bottle of chilled mineral water. The man tells me there is a guest house not far away. I get a fine room at Swagath GH for 600 Rs. It feels great to have a good hot water shower.

After dinner I bring in my front wheel to my room and repair both tubes. I also find a tiny spike from a wire lodged in the tyre. I can see nothing at all on the outside but feel it inside. It takes my pliers from the Swiss Army knife to pull it out.

Sendhwa

Sendhwa, Jan 3, 2012.

69 km

Early today a man rode up next to me on a motorbike asking were I was going. I told him quite honestly I did not know. I knew I wanted further West and South, aiming for Daman and also getting closer to Bombay.

On my smartphone I have an app for Tripadvisor that is supposed to list hotels nearby. It did not have anything at all for this Sendhwa and I was a bit concerned that I would have to go on all the way to Dhule wich would make it an extremely long day.

It seems though that Tripadvisor only has fancy hotels, and offers them at bloated prices way above what you can get when just walking in. I have never even considered booking anything through Tripadvisor. Mostly I have thought that if there is _one_ hotel listed for a town there are likely to be others too.

Anyway I roll in to Sendhwa and ask some guys bu the roadside if there is a hotel. One guy points me further down the road I have come on while several others say there is one just a little bit back. I try the nearest one. The fellow in charge seems stunned I would want to stay there. He shows me a room that isn't much but I take it anyway, only 200 Rs with attached bath. It is pretty grotty but as an experienced India hand I have my own bedding so to speak. I always travel with at least two lunghis (sarong), and I have my own blanket, which in this case is a "100% Yakwhool" shawl I bought in Kathmandu. It is fairly large and quite warm. I wrap my down vest around a fleece shirt and then a lunghi around all that to make a pillow. Then spread the other lunghi as a bedsheet and then with shawl on top I am all in my own stuff.

Later as I go out for dinner I find a much better Hotel, Shanti something. Food there is fine, and I am sure so are the rooms. I once again remind myself not to always settle for the very first option.

I am tired and as always fall asleep soon after I put out the lights even though the bed is hard. But there is a mosque nearby that starts calling for Allah around 4 AM and I am up early. As several times before in Madhya Pradesh I have Pooha and chai for breakfast, and a couple of bananas.

Khargon

Khargon, Jan 2, 2012.

90 km

The Google Maps advisor suggested I take a rather long detour North of The Narmada to get to Khargon. I ignored that and cycled on smaller roads that homed in more directly. This proved to be a good choice. The road was fine and I passed through several nice villages. The landscape was rather flat and mostly agricultural.


Huge piles of chilis drying near Khargon

Once I entered Khargon I asked a cop if there were any hotels nearby. He pointed me down a street, and there I soon found a small place. I got a rather dingy room for 250 Rs and moved in. Later when I took a walk around the block I saw several other hotels that looked far better. One that comes to mind was called The President. It did not look overly expensive and if I ever were to come back to Khargon I think I would check that one out.

Almost next door to were I stayed is a modern looking restaurant called Lazzez or something similar. There I had a fine dinner.

Khargon is not much to have frankly. But it is OK for an overnight stay when in need.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Volvo and other things on the road

Since several years now there are Volvo buses in India. Somehow I understand that there is a cooperation between Volvo and Tata. I don't know if these buses are made in Sweden or in India.

Anyway here they are not only another bus brand but have become a whole new class of buses, a more modern and comfortable way to travel. I saw in Mysore five years ago that Volvo buses had their whole own area at the bus station.

Now owners of other brands think that their bus is also very good and have simply taken to painting Volvo on it, even when it is a Tata bus. It looks kind of funny. I hope that the Volvo guys remain cool with this infringement and realise that it is
actually the best endorsement they can get.


Faked Volvo



Indian type TukTuk



Front wheel drive



Half a door, and exhaust fumes will warm up driver



Pots on the go