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.