Category: Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 2019

I finally arrived in Muscat, 2 nights in a hotel and off. The road a are wide the pavements are clean it’s sort of perfect. My route took me into the centre of Muscat and as I sat down for coffee and breakfast I struck up a conversation with a guy and his son. I explained my trip, he seemed fascinated. Then as he got up he paid for my breakfast, I protested (not too hard) but to no avail. This is a prime example of the random acts of kindness you get used to in Oman. The people are friendly, but not too friendly, interested but not over zealous.

The national museum is great

My love for Arabic jewlery, carved doors must have stemmed from living in Qatar as a child.

I left Muscat and after a few miles I got this.

The road ended and this started. A Couple Of hours later unfortunately it stopped and I was back on the road.

I started to look for a camp spot finally as it was getting dark I found a ledge. I just could not find a spot shade from the road lights. A loud and bad sleep.

But awake at 5.30 riding by 6. It started fast but by 12 the wind was so strong it had more than halved my speed. I rode to Sur and couldn’t find the energy to ride on to a camp spot. So hotel it was.

The wind was so strong this morning I went back to bed but it quietened to nearly zero, I rode fast to get some miles in.

Then the wind whipping the sand across the road

I was sandblasted to a gritty pulp.

But I decided my route didn’t have enough off road so I moved from this

To this

It’s not hard to make that choice.

The wind still whipping a hoolie I decided to find a camp spot. Now I am hoping for a stealthy approach but the wind whipping the flywheel high in the air I think every Omani from here to Muscat knows where I am.

I’m now in the middle of a desert writing my blog using mobile data that spectacular.

Last night at the airport I was so stressed at my failure that I just went to the ticket office cancelled the ticket and resolved to get a visa at the Oman embassy.

I put my bike back together jumped on with documents in hand and went to the Oman embassy. 1st in the non-existent queue. I was seen personally.

The guy said you cannot get a visa here. Apply online, I made him sit next to me as I applied. It went through immediately. (claiming up to 4 days). I could have done it at the airport and still got on. Grrrrr.

So I phoned Sri Lankan Airlines, to be informed there were only business class seats. Somehow I didn’t believe the guy so I went to the Sri Lankan Airlines ticket office at the world trade centre.

The nice lady said economy ticket is available. So I now have ticket in hand for tonight’s flight.

Totally good news. Best I get back to the guesthouse and repack my bike.

I’ll get some Smak on the way to the guesthouse that’ll brighten me up.

😎

I got a new bike box from decathlon and packed this morning.

Prabath and Sudassie the owners of the Colombo Orchid Villa guesthouse were good enough to let me stay late, helped me to get a taxi booked for 3pm.

I relaxed in the car and got the driver to stop at 3 places until I got my Smak fix.

At the airport in plenty of time. Through the first security up to the check in desk. The e-visa was online. The check in girl looked at me, Your visa is not here sir, I opened the email from the Oman embassy and sure enough it just said draft. My jaw dropped to the ground. I started typing furiously and phoning numbers. But this was all to no avail it most certainly wasn’t there. I think I must have got half way through and then just gave up.

I’m not the first person and definitely won’t be the last. But I am the one who is happy/unhappy to write about it.

Of course I am angry, the guy hassling me to take his taxi is testament to that. 🤬.

I am now in a hotel close to the airport in Colombo, well 26km out. I will cycle to the Oman embassy tomorrow and try to start the process.

My plane ticket is deferred, at a price of course. Luckily it is open so I can get the next Sri Lankan Airlines flight. Seats available on Thursday, flight full on Friday, then the weekend so no visas issued then. I’m holding my breath for tomorrow night.

Grrrrrrrrrrr. I hang my head in shame.

I left Ella at 7am, sort of pleased not to be there anymore

Ella a town of buzzword, Yolo, bespoke, farm shop, fusion cooking 🤮. There is a tourist strip like in Siem Reap and Luang Prabang. Loud music, and restaurants serving the aforementioned fusion cooking. “Yeh I did Thailand and SEA last year” sort of talk. Not really my kind of thing. But when in Rome…. I went out to an Italian restaurant ordered a bowl of pasta, it wasn’t enough so I ordered another then some chips then banana fritters and ice cream. I have to say it was good.

100 meters out the door and the road goes up steeply. When I organise my routes the Garmin likes to put in a few short cuts, so instead of going via the main road it just cut a out sections. These short cuts are usually steep beyond belief it’s a tripple balance, keeping the bike upright, keeping the front end down and keeping my ass firmly on the seat to maintain traction on the back wheel. It’s never easy.

I eventually turned off the road, it started like this

Which I didn’t think was too bad, but then it turned to this,

Which I walked through, but it turned to this

Which I thought was a bit much. Some tea workers said it only got worse, so I turned back. Eventually finding a road 9km from Lipton’s Seat.

I had an inkling it may be up. But a solid 12% all the way was pretty taxing. I raced past a Tuktuk over some bits of rough road, then as I was ahead gunned it to the top to make sure he didn’t overtake on the smooth roads.

Some pretty spectacular views shrouded in mist.

At the ticket office a kilometre from the top everyone was turning left but my route turned right (along the jungle road I was later informed) it started ok

But then started to deteriorate

All downhill but so rough I could only travel at 6 or 7 kph.

This I’m sure you will understand plays merry he’ll with your better regions. But I wouldn’t give it up for the world. Such beautiful sights. But 20 km of rough track, phew, I wish I had my pink bike I would be flying down.

Then finally I hit a tarmac road and pedalled hard. So georgeous to be on smooth again. I nearly zoomed past thus waterfall but an extra attraction pulled me in.

Then I turned right and a straight road down and 55km to the coast.

Its at this point that my cycling shouts decided to weld themselves to my bottom and every time I moved it was like rubbing salt into the raw skin. I stopped often but this didn’t help. I tried to just ride through. Finally j got into the guesthouse at about 5.30 pm. Seven and a half hours after I started riding. Savlon it’s all I have 🤔.

Riding in the mountains is so good it sort of makes up for the pain in the ass.

Here’s hoping I can bang out a quick 100km tomorrow to get to my sea resort.