Category: India 🇮🇳 2019

28 days in India and I rode about 20 of them. 1610 km in total about 80km a day. Seemed about perfect for me.

I had some great stays, and a couple of pretty sleazy ones. And some exceptional places.

I didn’t particularly penny pinch and was not extravagant. Probably spent a little over budget though. Typical middle of the road crap.

I know I could have been a bit more organised, could have tested my equipment more before leaving.

The first few days I did struggle, I was tired, unfit, in a new country. But as the days went on I found a rhythm sorted some of the problems. This is how it always works. I like it, but that doesn’t stop it from being a struggle. Now I have to do it all over again in Sri Lanka.

There have been bike issues. 5 days with a dangerously wobbly handlebar caused by back bag/Lauf forks combination. A broken saddle. Loose headset. Lost back light. Broken dynamo cable. 5kg and a big bag sent home. All sorted now and hopefully in Sri Lanka I will hone the set up more. It’s one of the parts of travelling I enjoy, the readjustment of the setup, it’s fun. Just because I am writing about it and sounding a bit negative does not mean the I am hating it it is just a description of the situation. And finding a resolution is rewarding.

I most certainly have been scared. I’ve been amazed. And as always I have been enthralled by the people’s kindness and generosity.

Would I come back, yes of course.

India, ‘Made like a Gun’

Yesterday I rode to Decathlon to try and find a dry bag.

Then on to The Bike Tales bike shop. We, swapped the tyres around front to back, back to front, resoldered the spade connection back onto the cable of the dynamo, changed the saddle, readjusted the headset, bought a replacement back light, talked a lot of bike tales, became friends.

I went home a happy man.

Then the guest house landlord suggested we go to find a bike box. I sat on the back of his scooter and shut my eyes, 1st bike shop no boxes,2nd bike shop no boxes, 3rd bike shop boxes but a bit small so I took 2 so they charged me 30 Rupees. We rolled up the boxes and slid them between us on the scooter. Driver leaning forward me leaning back holding boxes and handrail, the boxes extending 50cms out each side, every time we went over a speed hump, and there were many I nearly rocked off the back. But we made it back and intact. Large sigh of relief.

I went out to a Tibetan resturant bored a poor girl to death with bike stories, it’s good to talk.

I spent this morning trying to put the bike into the boxes. I’m still living in hope.

Then this afternoon I went to an art exhibition.

I know, I don’t know what I’m doing.

I sat on the patio of this georgeous building sipping coffee and munching through substantial amounts of breakfast.

I remarked to James the other guy at the homestay how lucky we were. The view was fantastic, our hosts exceptional, the food outstanding. And all for the princely sum of 2000Rupees. That’s just over 20 quid. You can hardly get a cup of coffee and a croissant for that in UK.

I had specifically selected this homestay because of its remoteness, it was a seriously good find. And just the 2 if us there chatting about life. 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Unfortunately, the irony is not lost on me that the first time I bite into a lovely piece of soft fruit, I crunch down on a pip and a big chunk of tooth broke away. Here’s hoping all will be ok for the next 50 days or so.

I finally left at 10am. All sort of downhill to Kochi. I adjusted my route to a Decathlon store to see if they had a saddle and/or a tyre. No luck. The third bike store I went to had a saddle it’s sort of the right shape and plastic…. it’ll have to do, the old Brooks is hanging on their wall. My back tyre is nearly used up, I am going back tomorrow to try and swap the tyres around. I have a few mls. Of tubeless fluid. So hopefully it will be OK.

Then I rolled on through to my homestay in Kochi.

I took a little time to locate Sceva’s Garden Home but the dot was in the right place. I booked 2 nights and what a wonderful stay I had. Fed till I could not eat any more. And so delicious.

I did make the effort to walk to the main road and back about 60 mins but that was enough effort. The rest of the time I sat around and lust looked out the window.

Packing up thus morning I was sad to leave. But move I must.

I just jumped on its was sort of downhill all the way. Unfortunately the dot in Bookings.com was 5km out to I luckly met Eldho who with his son did some fantastic detective work, found the owner phoned and they came and guided me here. But so remote and beautiful now I am here.

Due to a slight miscalculation, I found myself with 130km to do this morning. Organised my stuff early out the hotel by 07.30 and into a tea house for breakfast.

20 mins into the riding I felt a little clunk looked down and these dropped off my saddle.

My saddle nose is like this..

So when I ride the nose rotates slightly to the right and stays there so my bits are rocking and rolling on the rails. No worries onĺy 120kms by this time. Then the road changes to a track.

But fortunately not for the rest if the ride.

I know the first 40 or so kms had to be fast as there was a small hill to get up at the end.

As I ride up to the Anamalai Tiger reserve the warden looked at me gravely and told me not to stop for 12 kms…. As tigers were dangerous. I rode fast.

Once again, fill in an abundance of superlatives about the scenery.

The game reserce warden said only 50kms to Munnar, 20kms up tgen flat ish. I picked my way through a valley, mountains flanking my on right and left, the sun beating down, seldom getting a moment’s shade. I met a Belgiun father and sons motorcycle bonding group, all riding Royal Enfields

The road went up and never seemed to stop. That saddle was doing my cycling rhythm no favours either. I finally got to the top, 10km from Munnar how wrong was that warden.. 40 km up and then 10km down.

Unfortunately I had another 25km after Munnar but all downhill it was bliss. My Wi-Fi had decided to stop and also my SIM so I stopped and asked a group of guys if I could borrow their phone. They readily agreed and were so helpful.

I am now safely absconded in my homestay. That is way too good for me. I’m scared to lie on the bed it us so beautiful and clean.

I was so stuffed last night that I slept badly and the muezzin’s call to prayer was way after I was awake.

Packed and ready to go, I most definitely was not leaving before breakfast. Luke joined me. They served some of the weakest coffee I have ever tasted, well I didn’t taste the coffee I think they just waved the jar over the cup.

I decided to cruise over to the Dolphins Nose View Point, I thought it was downhill all day but up for a good few Kms out of Ooty. Then a lovely route cut out of the rock, tea plantations either side of the road, views to a heaven, on to the dolphins Nose set over a waterfall and a gorge. I sigh with my inability to muster up enough superlatives. Unfortunately it was a little hazy.

Then back to the real route. As I hit the main road the road took a definate turn down. The road twisted and turned like a writhing snake, devastatingly steep gradients, and if that was not enough, I joined behind a truck stuffed with furniture and household goods, he was slow which allowed truck, busses, cars, motorbikes, all steaming and hissing hooting their horns, overtaking on blind corners. I would say if there is a gap just wide enough they would overtake, but over and over again the gaps it thought were not wide enough seemed to get filled by trucks so big. My hands were aching from gripping the brakes. There were times I could have overtaken something but fear from the end of my ties to the top of my head gripped me because coming up the slope were trucks and busses and motorbikes and cars all trying to overtakethe slowest. The amount of times I heard the screech of brakes as a truck driver rammed his foot down and pulled in behind me to avoid oncoming traffic. I can still feel the fear in my belly as I write this.

30kms and nearly 2000meters of fearful descent.

Then it’s flat all the way to the FabHotel Thejas Paaradise, Coimbatore. The staff have been great and the room is perfectly adequate.

I got in showered and discovered I don’t have enough time for my original plan so I have adapted the next few days. (You’ll never know the difference 😉)

In resturants I have become a complete imbecile at ordering. So I was trying to order a girl sitting with her boyfriend on the next table asked if I needed help (obviously I did) then they invited me to join them. They helped me order and we proceeded to have a spectacularly fun evening.

I had a mission today and that was to relax and sort out my sleeping bag liner.

Breakfast eaten I set off down to Ooty bazaar. 1st place I spot is a taylor I explain my desire, he sent me off for an hour. I wandered the bazaar aimlessly, coffee and a second breakfast. Then as I was walking about I saw this bloke with a bicycle, bugger I love being the only one,oh well better be sociable, hi guy with bike, do you speak English. He was from Cornwall, so a sort of English, although really I detected no accent. We went for breakfast. And after discussions discovered we were staying at the same guest house.

But I had my sleeping bag liner to pick up.

I’m sure you know I love a bit if gold bling, so all good there.

I got back to the guest house and discovered Luke (No not my son but the guy with the bicycle) having a bit of food. I suggested we meal together in the evening. He had been recommended a place, Kingscliff/ Earls Secret, not sure their website does them any favours. Set in a manor type house, hmm times of yesteryear. The meal and service were great, I had an evening full of bike/travel and living life to the full jibberjabber that has been sorely missed over the last week or so. In hindsight I believe it would have been better to have had lunch there as the view would have been fantastic.

Left just after midday, checkout time, yesterday. The morning spent viewing the Mysore Palace. There were other places to see but the magnificence of the palace was enough.

The road flat and the scenery comparatively boring, the traffic and horns were testing as usual.

As I am riding I am getting the urge to get some Bollywood action.

Anyway the hotel was hard to find its dot from Bookings.com was woefully out of place, but I did meet this family, had tea then they set me on the right track.

The hotel was sleazy, couldn’t quite tell if they had left the sheets on since the last person. But the room overall was reasonably clean. I slept fitfully. But the resturants next door was good enough. I had 2 helpings.

I woke early and left at about 07.30. Quick cake and a tea. The family yesterday had waxed lyrical about Bandipur Reserve and how beautiful it was, when I got there I was faced with 🤚. At this point I find it is a tiger reserve and I either need to ride round, way too far, so it was a truck ride. I waited, and waited. Eventually a guy in a pickup came up the guard asked him if he could take me. But there are 2 routes to Ooty and he wasn’t going my way. So I waited some more, eventually a guy came up and offered to take me at a price,

I negotiated, but I am shit and so I paid and got the ride. We saw a mongoose? Elephants and monkeys, no tigers grrrrrr!

Dropping me off in Gudalur. I scoffed a bun and some coffee. The only way is up from now on. The gradient not too steep but 50 or so kms rising just over 1000meters so enough to test.

Once again stunning scenery. I am now in tea country.

Estates with tea pickers. Women with tied up sheets full of tea walking down the road.

A georgeous eucalyptus forrest, the trunks arrow straight pointing to the sky.

Useful advisement to men through some of the town’s.

And finally a sign I had arrived.

The search for the hotel was tough, once again vodaphone let me down with their coverage.

I was frazzled when I arrived, so I booked a second night immediately. This hotel is the polar opposite to last night, the people cannot do enough to help. Although we are at 2000meters and it does get cold at night.

The home stay last night was pretty ropey and the food for evening and breakfast a joke.

10 mins out from the homestay I stopped and had a coffee, 1st one since being here.

The route was georgeous. People were amenable. Such a good ride and after yesterday I felt good the legs were even moving.

Through coffee plantations, past tea plantations, the full array of morning and afternoon beverages.

I rode past a temple and stopped to look round, a guy gave name a chocolate which was not the most pleasant of tastes.

The road today was particularly broken up and the pounding my sensitive bits got was unimaginable, but the moment I got back on to proper road the traffic increased and the level of horns went up and the near misses multiplied 10 fold. Give me a rough ride any day.

I asked for Veg fried rice at lunch but got French Fries, but they were nice.

Then I rocked into a home stay, bed no shower, use a bucket, still charged me a grand though (I suppose it’s OK about a tenner). It seems the husband and all his cronies are coffee plantation owners.

They all turned up at about 5pm and proceeded to play cards till 10pm. That’s why I am writing this so late. But I did go out for the best meal I have had yet.

I didn’t want to leave the Kadinamane home stay this morning it was such a tranquil spot and although the horns are usually muted at night, I didn’t hear a peep. But the beds are plank hard and there was activity outside. Breakfast not on the menu so I put the bike together and rode off.

There was a little town about 3km along the way, I crunched through a square of peanut brittle, 2 cups of tea and I was ready to go.

The joy and naivety of early morning. The sun already high and temperatures starting to rise above 28° the road was easy, but with this showing on my Garmin I knew it wouldn’t last.

The first long pitches are simple just getting the legs warmed up. But despite the discarding of 5kg yesterday the bike is heavy. Just before I left up I gotScott at Mickey Cranks in Witney to reconfigure my gearing now with a 24t on the front and a 32t on the back my easiest gear is easier than before. If I had not done this I would have been in a world of trouble on this climb.

The world infamous Agumbe Ghaut is only about 7km long but the hairpins are so steep and with this coupled with the horns blaring as a truck negotiates each turn, but some of the trucks just cannot get round most of the turns without taking up all of the road. Every turn is a mess of caution tape, a flimsy reminder that the wall then the sandbags were not enough to stop previous drivers.

The road is shrouded in jungle plants, monkeys playing on the road, dicing with death.

Me the sweat is dripping off my nose, landing on my Garmin forming a pool. The legs in pain but it’s early in the day I’ll recover. 😏

I was hoping for a celebratory tea but nothing there. So on l pushed. How many times can I reiterate the beauty of riding through a jungle.

At about 3pm I was on a particularly steep climb and had stopped for an orange so asked someone if there was a home stay close. 10 km he said, I rode on. 10 km on, I see a bloke, who told me it’s only booked online, but my Wi-Fi is not working, he shrugged, 4 km further he said. I rode on into the town, I asked 2 guys, nothing here they said 20km further, my face must have dropped, but resolute I pulled the bike round and started pedalling. I really was shattered by now, the road took a decidedly upward slant, then I turned a corner and the steepness got the better of me I just ground to a halt rested my head on my handlebars for a long moment, pulling my self together I put foot to pedal, but after the 3rd switch back I had to stop again and I did what I have berated many a person for, I started to walk maybe for 10 mins, I was shattered, just an indication of how awfully out of shape I have got. The next stop was the jungle guard. He said 3km, at this point it was getting on for 6pm and I as spark out of humour. But I stopped at a shop the bloke pointed to a place, they were offering me stuff to sweeten the deal I said I was happy to go horizontal and my bike is safe.

Although they promised food at 8 and it’s 8.30 I’m hungry and want bed.