Mandve

Murud - Mandve, March 10, 2012.

72 km

Up early and left at 0915. I realised it would be possible to ride all the way to Mandve today, and probably also come across the bay to Bombay if I so wanted. Not that I really had any urgent business in Bombay, but anyway.

There are a few hills even up here but much less so than further South. At around 12 I stopped in a noisy little town for an ice cream. When I was enjoying my cone another cyclist rode into town and stopped for a chat. It was Matt from Australia. He has cycled from Delhi and is heading all the way to Kerala. He is actually the first cyclist I have met going in the opposite direction on this entire trip. It is good meeting someone coming from where I am just about to go. In this case though he could not really tell me anything about the way I did not already know. Well, he could have told me that the normal boats between Gateway of India and Mandve are suspended for five days due to the Indian Prime Minister visiting Bombay, but he didn't. Matt had come across from Bombay yesterday afternoon and stayed the night at a guest house just by the Mandve Jetty.


I thought I knew which guest house he meant and happily cycled on to the jetty where I had arrived a month ago. When I got here I was told about the boat suspension and that I would have to cycle to another jetty some 10 km away, and from there take a boat to somewhere other in Bombay than Gateway of India. I guess Matt was unaware of what boat he could not take and what Mandve jetty he could have arrived at.

My legs are really tired now, and my ass very sore. I could not help being aware that this is more or less the last day of this long cycling trip. More than anything I was very full of thoughts about how much I love India and the Indians. At one spot was an old woman standing by the roadside waiting for something. She was fat and ugly and very lovely in an Indian way at the same time. For a fraction of a second I had the urge to just stop short right in front of her and plant a big kiss on her forehead and tell her that I love her just being there. But I got the better of me and just cycled past. It probably would have shocked the bejeesus out of her if I had.

So now I am at a guest house by a jetty where there will not be any boat for another two days. Tomorrow morning I hope to find the other jetty and zip over to big B. Hope the Prime Ministers visit does not mean I will have trouble finding a room. With my smart phone still not working I have not been able to book anything.