Category: India 🇮🇳 2019

Sometimes while sorting equipment I start to elaborate, and something works I stick with it. It’s at this point that you find you fill every bag to the capacity it’ll take, you think it is a good thing. But then you find the bike has increased to behemoth size.

Also I had a little rack this was was stretching the bike and sort if acting like a tail causing the bike to wobble side to side, violently and dangerously. Never riding over 25kph, downhill riding the brake ay every speed the bike wobbled, a bit like a dog waggung its tail. I’ve been waking up feeling like I have just got off a boat. My crotch is rubbed to bits because the wobbling was counter to the rhythm of riding. My wrists are painful and aching as they are the first point of contact.

The wobbling has been exacerbated by the new Lauf forks. They take out the bumps of any road but well…. wobble.

I have had to cull, the back bag gone the back rack gone, some equipment and clothes gone.

About half the weight of bags and equipment. The bike feels nibble and fast it rides well at all speeds (So far). The seat pack is not designed for this use so here’s hoping it will stand up, or I might have to find a substitute, and it is not waterproof. I will double with an inside plastic bag.

But the whole plan falls down if the Indian post don’t allow my bag to be sent to UK. Here’s hoping for Monday morning.

At my resort camp site. The music went on way later than the promised ‘10.30pm or it’ll disturb the animals curfue.’ —- Nooooooo now I’m sounding really old. 🤨

There was breakfast, I ate lots.

Leaving lazily at about 9.00am. Now since I crossed that ferry on the first day I have found the reputation portrayed to me by others about the traffic to be not quite factual, yes of course there is traffic and yes today I did get buzzed so close I hyperventilated for at least a minute. Yes the horns are annoying. But I have been travelling along near empty roads, through jungle scenery, monkeys scampering across the road, it’s is fantastic.

Yes I know the picture is not on the road but this one had already scampered.

I passed a monkey today, it did arrogantly hold it’s ground and as I drew adjacent it let out a bit of a growl and I swear I heard it mutter something about bloody tourists, now I have had some recent incidents with a dog ripping a gash in my leg, so I turned to the monkey and said something that I thought placatory, he growled again and started to jog after me cajoling one of the other monkeys to join him, I sped up….. considerably. Still they kept up growling, I had nothing left except hope for my life and legs, the growling got quieter and I look back to see my persueing troop had lost their appetite for human. I breathed a sigh of relief.
There has been signs about a tiger sanctuary but I haven’t seen any yet.

This morning I tried to readjust the weight distribution of the bike. But this wobbling fork us really being a problem. The wobbling puts so much extra pressure on my wrists, up my arms, right through my shoulders on to my back. I have to use the breaks every time the bike speeds up. Sometimes my pedalling rhythm starts the wobbling. I can reduce its effect by pushing as hard as I can on the handlebars through the forks, obviously this unsustainable. Not only the physiological effect on my body it also could have an effect on the integrity of the bikes frame. It ranges from pretty dangerous to horrendous dangerous.

1. Yes moved as much weight to the front
2. Yes moved the bags off the fork tines.
3. Yes tried more weight at the back
4. Yes pedalled slower
5. Yes pedalled faster
6. Yes pedalled heel down (Although I am pretty pissed off about adjusting anything to do with my pedal action that I have just perfected over the last 5 or so years)

No I forgot to message Lauf when I was last online. Doh.
No I have not messaged the Facebook ‘Lauf Owners Group’

I probably will have by the time you read this. 😏 Yep this is starting to piss me off.

Anyway the region is Karnataka just in case someone is going to India and doesn’t want to follow the lemmings just going to Goa and Kerela.

About 11.00pm as I was dozing there was an almighty dog fight outside, I didn’t dare look. Well also I felt the bed bugs had gone to sleep as well and I didn’t want to disturb them.

Out of Jog Falls village and slow pedalled for an hour. I only had a couple of biscuits last night as there were no resturants near. The first hour was of the ride was fasted. Then eventually I saw a chai house. 2 mugs and some cashew nut biscuits. Yum.

Today was a day of wonder and beauty.

Jog Falls was beautiful. But the road to the coast 100km exact, the jungle, the monkeys the birds of paradise. Practically no cars on the road. Winding up and down in such georgeous mountains. As I came round a curve I saw this

I rolled on by. Then I screeched to a halt and slapped myself… you are only ever going to be here once, where is your sense of adventure. I did a U turn. And this is what I was greeted with.

So steep I had to keep the brakes fully on and let the bike skid down… in a controlled fashion. 1.5 km later I was at the bottom.

Then it went up just as steep the other side. But every pedal stroke rewarded.

H

The monk showed me round, wow. I did offer some money, for the temples upkeep I said but it wasn’t accepted.

Then off back up the hill, it was a bit of a grind.

I rode on mainly downhill and eventually into my destination Bhatkal. I rode around hoping to meet some other tourists but could find none, I looked at the sea.

Then into The Royal Oak. Extravagantly expensive, but it has the best shower ever (on a par with the one at Cockerels) and they let me put my bike inside as I said it was my home. They are stars and the room is worth every penny if only because of the bike.

I set of at my usual 9.00 am. A banana and a few biscuits fuelled my legs, searching a chai. A good few Kms till I found a place I liked, well pot luck. I don’t find it too easy to spot places, decisions have to be made quickly. Anyway, tea sickly sweet, I always have a second cup.

The road is pretty cut up so it’s a guarantee that if I move in a bit to avoid collapsed edge I will be hooted and have another hyperventalation fit. Strong nerves are a must.

Scenery is still jungle, still not seen any tigers. Stopped at the most sleazy of food stalls today, no I wasn’t searching for the most sleazy it just happened to be the best of the bunch, anyway the guy made a couple of1st class omelettes.

I did want to make the coast today just over 100km. But these bike problems are doing my head and body in. So I opted to stop at ‘The world Famous Jog Falls’ obviously I hope to get to the coast tomorrow. I might stay for a couple of days if I can find somewhere nice. I also met 4 Russians touring around India, I asked if they were driving, but I was disappointed that they had a driver.

Just to prove I was there.

And I opted for a sleazyish homestay. 600 rupees. Less than a tenner. (90 to the £)

So I said I was going to stay for about a week. A lucky guess when I picked the hotel. I was also really lucky a person cancelled and I was allowed o stay the next night.

Tranquil, friendly, no bed bugs, close to the beach, close to resturants, and all at a good price.

So I made the inordinately ridiculous decision to leave the next day.

I put the bike together in a day, bags on the forks. Ecstatic about the new forks.

I got up early ready to leave but stalled a bit over a cup of tea or 2.

I see off. Horns, people, cows, tic tucs, you name it it was happening, let’s face it I’m in India.

My Garmin crashed every time I tried to load my route. But I found a method.

I got on a ferry and followed the new route.

Incorporated a bit of off road.

But there is a horrendous problem, what already you all shout, but there is and I seem to have no way to solution, every time I go above 20kph sometimes slower I get a front end wobbly so severe fear I am in dear of loosing control. The forks seem fine off road. The usual system is to load the front end. I have done that but to no avail. Grrrrrrr.

But I met a farmer who offered and I accepted lunch, he’s a cyclist.

I rode the day, the road went up the weather was hot, I was particularly pooped. I got to the top of a hill the police there gave me tea and told me there was a town with a hotel a little further along… I rode there and there was not a hotel so I rode back a bit to where I had seen a spot I may be able to camp.

By this time it was pitch black, lucky I had the dynamo front light.

Unfortunately the spot was next to a train line….. yes every 30 mins horn blaring.

Lots of dew and mist soaked the tent.

I packed up and rode on, I had a town in mind about 50km away great rude through nature reserves wildlife sanctuaries, lush verdant rain forests.

I

got to Dandeli, no hotels I liked but I found a resort empty quiet. I paid and they offer me their tent. Then 10000 teenagers turned up jumped 8n the pool played loud music. Grrrrrrr I have moved my tent to a quieter spot. But there is no horns being hooted.

Oh and my Garmin will not upload.

Oh and I am struggling to get a SIM for the phone

Well a couple of minutes, and by taxi.

After my crash in Spain I have been pretty apprehensive about getting back on the bike, let alone getting in amongst the Indian, world renowned, traffic.

Without a doubt my body is not totally ready. My leg is mainly healed, but my back is still considerably paining me. Grrrrrrrr.

I stayed in UK with my good friend Shpend who looked after me perfectly, I am immensely grateful. Well his wife and daughter fulfilled the lions share of the work. Shpend as always sat at the back and provided ‘help and advice’.

Seems like good weather.

Packing went well. Check in went well. The check in guy booked the bike all the way to Goa.

Couldn’t sleep on the plane but watched 5 movies.

Arrived in Mumbai. 5 hours in Mumbai. Hmmm e-visa, India seem to be obsessed with paperwork. The e-visa has to be printed out. But I had and was let in.

I had to recheck in my bike, I think so they could charge me excess luggage. 2000 rupees (about £22), card came to my rescue.

I tried all 4 cash points at the airport all refused. Then I felt a buzzing in my pocket, texts, my bank freezing all my cards thinking they had been cloned. A couple of texts from me later and I had access to my money. Whoop, panic over.

Flew to Goa, I had to wait a long time but eventually my bike turned up.

I got a taxi to the guesthouse. Seems quaint.

I met a Swiss couple we talked till late.

I spent the morning putting together the bike. I was supposed to leave today but have booked a second night… it’s quite nice, beach, sunshine.

Then my swiss friends left for Kerela.

And I am now set and ready to hit the road tomorrow.