Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Cycling in India stage 32 to Mysore

The hotel was ready with an expansive breakfast buffet at 6:30, so we left at 7. Much to our surprise, it was foggy and moist, so that the bike felt wet, and we collected moisture as we rolled along. This happened regularly up north, but this was the first time we experienced it in the south. Couldn't wear my glasses.

It was  coil , the road was smooth, and probably a bit downhill, so we zoomed along.  Just before 9 the fog cleared off, and the temperature immediately picked up. We had a quick early lunch, and kept going, reaching the hotel by 1, having covered 129 km.

We are located within easy walking distance of most sights. Tried to do some shopping for silk, and found selection of silk by the yard very boring. Huge variety of saris to choose from. They tend to be 44" wide and 5 to 7 m long.

More exploring tomorrow....


Cycling in India stage 31 to Hassan

The hotel had a good breakfast  ready at 6:30,so we were able to get rolling shortly after 7. The temperature was below 20, so I felt a bit under-dressed in my light jersey on the initial downhill. Within 45 minutes, the temperature had picked up, and it kept rising all morning.
The first part of the ride was across a flat plain with mixed agriculture and some small reservoirs. At 40k, we climbed for 7k on a smooth but hot road with little traffic, and shot down the other side into treed and cool coffee plantations. A dramatic demonstration of what the development of tree cover does to ambient temperature.
Eventually we were back in more arid country, where we could feel the heat. The total distance was 135k, so I kept up a steady pace except for a side trip to a temple, where I couldn't see a safe place to leave my bike, so I just looked from outside.
Nice, quiet country hotel with a good shower and tea set with kettle...



Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Cycling in India stage 30 to Lakkahalli

We rode 120 km today, initially through irrigated agricultural land, with lots of rice cultivation at various stages in the growing cycle. For quite a long distance, we rode beside a lake behind one of the irrigation dams, where there were men deploying very fine gill nets from little home-made corricles both close to shore and well out in the lake where a nice breeze was  blowing, probably 15 kph. What a risky business!
We then went through a forest reserve, which should have been a nice ride, but the road was so rough that it was bone jarring. 20 km of terrible pavement. The bike made it with no problems, but I am still trying to protect my right arm from too much shaking, so I had to ride slowly, and in a somewhat twisted position, which was exceptionally tiring.
A mix of smooth and rough roads led us to a very nice resort on the shore of a huge reservoir. I showered and changed quickly to be ready to go on one of the safaris offered  by the resort. I went on the boat safari, because I didn't want to sit in the back of a Jeep jostling over bush roads for two hours.  Unfortunately,  both 'safaris' proved to be as unexceptionable as they were over-priced. We saw a couple of types of deer, an osprey and some other birds, but the 'naturalist' didn't know where to find particularly unique animals.  Dinner was good, so the day ended well. The weather is warm enough that we are now eating all our meals al fresco when we are outside the cities,



Sunday, February 26, 2012

Cycling in India stage 29 to Davanagere

The hotel did the best job yet of serving us an early breakfast, but then things slowed down as the ferry boat drivers coped with us and our   bikes. There was plenty to watch as we waited for the bikes to be ferried across, and then it was fun to ride past many of the Bampi sites as we left town.
It was a long ride -- 140km, but the roads were generally smooth, so about 6 hours riding in the increasing heat. We rode through a lot of dry high plains, with relatively little agriculture and few settlements. There was a strong wind that blew from the side most of the time, providing air flow to relieve the heat, but also blowing various kinds of dust on us. Several times, I was blinking a lot to keep my eyes clear.  Some small farmers were taking advantage of the wind to do their winnowing: they would spread the grain on the road where the traffic would have to drive over it, then they would use a basket to throw it in the air and let the chaff blow off. Unfortunately, when I stopped to take a picture, they would stop the throwing procedure, to pose standing still.
Felt tired, sweaty and dirty when I got to the hotel, but the shower and the air conditioning work fine, so relaxed before dinner.



Hampi

<p>Our hotel is situated on a strip of laid back tourist facilities across the river from the religious and archaeological village. There is a backpacker feel to the  area: guest houses offering accommodation in thatched huts, simple little eateries offering a wide variety of menus.  Tourists are speaking a wide range of languages, and they  are dressed in a wide variety of styles, including fashionable light western clothes with scarf, colourful mix and match from the stalls that line the streets in tourist areas, hippie outfits and all types of western summer wear.
On the other side of the river, restaurants are not allowed to serve meat or alcohol because it is a religious centre, but no such restrictions apply on this side.<br>
The first morning, we crossed the small river on a specially adapted motorboat that operates as a ferry, and met our guide for a morning tour of the major sites. It was a good thing we hired him, because the monuments were spread out across a lot of rough terrain and there was little signage. <br>
The two most famous monuments are the Vitalla temple, with its musical columns, and the Royal Elephant stables. Each of the small, narrow granite columns in the Vitalla temple is designed to sound a different note when struck with a stick, so musicians entertained the court by playing music on the columns.  Throughout the temples, there are several beautiful statutes of Vishnu's bull, including a monumental one carved from a single stone.  There are many representations  of horses and elephants in bas relief.  The elephant stables were remarkable for their size and architectural design.

Hampi prospered for two centuries following 1350, serving as a trading, administrative  and religious centre. Within the rocky terrain, they built royal buildings, temples, and seven huge bazaar areas, each specializing in a different trade, including one believed to specialize in trading Arabian horses.
On the second day, we went by tuk-tuk to visit some small caves to see the ancient rock paintings. The "caves" were very shallow and low horizontal gaps between rocks, and the paintings were in places the water did not run down the rock face. In many ways, they resembled the Wari tribal art. I can't find any information about them on the web.

</p>





Thursday, February 23, 2012

Cycling in India stage 28 to Hampi

We got an early start to minimize exposure to the heat over the 120k ride.
The terrain was initially quite dry flat country, with patchy agriculture. Saw a mix of mechanized tools and beasts of burden.   I stopped to photograph oxen ploughing in a field, and pulling a roller in a winnowing operation elsewhere.
The ride offered the typical mix of rough and quiet rural roads and bustling towns with chaotic traffic!
As we approached Hampi, we were in a high plateau surrounded by hills of huge boulders, and an oasis - like abundance of water, and lots of rice paddies among the palm trees.
  Our hotel is in a rural setting across the river from Hampi, looking out over rice paddies.
Very relaxing.



Cycling in India stage 27 to Ilkal

Since we only had a 60 k ride to our next stop, we were encouraged to visit a couple of temple sites.  What a treat!
The cave temples at Badami were spectacularly situated on cliffs overlooking a small lake. There were four caves carved into the cliffs 15 centuries ago. The carvings were on a par with Elephanta island: many dancing idols, and many animals, such as lions and elephants in the decorative trim. There were also some bulls featured. The combination of the location and the carvings was stunning.

A few kilometers down the road we stopped at another World Heritage temple site. A cluster of ancient temples in a flat desert location, and well maintained. The were built in a distinctive style,  and  were ornamented with many statues and friezes. Shiva's bull was represented in several places, and in one small temple, a huge black stone bull filled the inner sanctuary were offerings were being made.

By the time I had explored the two temple sites, the temperature had climbed to 40, and we were riding into a head wind. We traversed a dry region with a certain amount of agricultural activity.  There was a winnowing operation taking advantage of the highway traffic on a bridge: the grain was spread across the roadway on the bridge so that the combination of passing traffic and cross wind was gradually moving the chaff to the side.

Tonight  we are staying in a very basic hotel beside a big road. Pretty rough, but manageable for a night.



Cycling in India to Bedami Stage 26

Today's ride was 140 km with a lot of rough roads, so it was a long ride, Made longer by an error in the directions, so that I rode an extra 8km. It was the hottest and most thirsty ride to date. My thirst built up as I rode, despite the fact that I was drinking a lot of water. I filled the camel-back at lunch and again just before the end, where one of the trucks had stopped to give us water. I wore my sleeveless jersey for the first time, and didn't get the sun protection lotion on the back of my shoulders, so got a bit red there! Next day, I wore my white full-sleezed jersey.
  We rode through a lot of farming activity, most of the work focussed on harvesting sugar cane. We saw several other crops, including sunflowers. There was a lot of livestock along the road, and there were women using the pavement to winnow their grain.
I took it easy because the roads were rough, so arrived at the hotel after 3. I enjoyed its relaxing courtyard around the pool. I can't swim yet, because my road rash on my right elbow still bleeds a bit after a shower,  but it is getting better, so I should be able to swim in a few days.



Belgaum rest day

After 6 days riding, it was nice to have a rest day. We were in a modern and comfortable hotel on the edge of town.
We walked through a busy shopping district toward the fort. En route, we encountered a religious procession with musicians, elaborately dressed men and an idol on a palenquin carried by four men dressed in white. People were lined up along the street waiting to pay homage. When it was their turn, they poured water on the feet of the nearest bearer, and then placed coconut and flower donations beside the idol. Everybody was in a festive mood, laughing and kidding each other. Respectful, but no church-like solemnity.
When we got inside the fort walls, we were surprised to encounter a very low density residential / institutional neighborhood with a few old temples and a military base. They were small temples, but they provided a first chance to go inside a Jain temple to see the black statues of idols, and the elaborately decorated interior of the dome.
Although the hotel offered a good formal restaurant in air conditioned splendour, we found a well run roof top restaurant next door offering Indian food, and attracting lots of well dressed locals, so we enjoyed a couple of dinners there.



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Cycling in India stage 25 to Belgaum

<p>Before lunch we climbed for some 15 kilometers to reach a higher plateau. Fortunately, the incline was manageable, there wasn't much traffic, and the road was well shaded by trees, so it was quite pleasant.</p>
<p>After lunch we rode through a farming region in the midst of sugar cane harvest. Lots of men, women and children in the fields, tractors hauling wagon loads down the road, crushing operations, and people spreading the crushed stocks in the sun to dry. We saw one place where men were boiling down the juice in a huge open vat.</p>
<p>One town we rode through had a Sunday market down the highway, many vegetable sellers, and lots of shoppers.</p>
<p>There are large trees blooming in the same way that magnolia do; large flowers on bare branches. The flowers are red, and there are thorns on the trunk.</p>
I arrived at the hotel at 3, temperature in the shade was 35c, and we had covered 120 km. I felt more tired than usual, and I drank a lot of water on arrival. I am glad that we have a rest day here.




Cycling in India stage 24 Devgarh to Kudal

<p>Only about 80 K today, initially on some very rough roads. <br>
We went through one village that was preparing to celebrate; a side street was blocked off, and the highway was being decorated with paint on the road and strings of flags between the utility poles. <br>
First part of route  was parallel to the coast, a bit inland, crossing rivers and estuaries, then after lunch turned inland. Hot day. Glad to sit around in the shade upon arrival at hotel at 1.</p>


Cycling in India stage 23 to Devgarh

My arm and hip were feeling much better, and the road was reported to be smoother,  so I decided to ride.
We rode 120 km, crossing inlets and climbing over points of land.  The inlets had fishing  villages and prettier surroundings, whereas the tops were quite dry and uninhabited, although we did see lots of evidence of tree planting; probably orchards of some type.
My thermometer read 40 in the sun in mid afternoon.
My arm was swollen again after the ride, but I gave it a good wash and a long rest at the hotel, and it is looking  better.



Cycling in India stage 22: Harnai to Ganatiphule

Another day heading South along the coast. I rode in the van to allow my arm to recuperate from the accident. It was still an interesting ride, as we followed the same route as the cyclists, including two ferry crossings adjacent to fishing towns. There was a fair stretch of rough road, which I was glad not to ride. Lots of up and down to get over points of land. A total of 1,800 cumulative meters climbed -- and descended, as our hotel is on a beach again.
Saw a number of women carrying leaves in specially designed open weave baskets.



Cycling in India stage 21: Marud to Hanai


95 km down the coast, plus two ferry rides to cross wide inlets. We were traveling somewhat inland, parallel to the coast, only seeing the sea when we crossed an inlet by bridge or ferry.  Quite a few hills to climb. Some  very rough roads.
Beach hotel at destination. Another walk in the sea.
Low point of the day; when I was going down a rough patch of road, and tried to catch my water bottle before it fell off, but I got knocked off my bike by a bump. Bruised and scraped my elbow,  plus a couple other bruises, but nothing broken. Fellow rider who is MD recommends I stay off bike for two days to let internal bleeding  clear up. So I will be riding the bus for a day at least.



Cycling in India stage 20 to Murud 66km

We carried our bikes onto the ferry at the Gateway to India, and sailed south for an hour, disembarking onto a relatively quiet coastal road.
This was a very different environment than previous days: hot & humid, with  lots of palm trees. The road bumps up and down, climbing over ridges and crossing rivers.
I bathed my feet in the warm Arabian Sea for the first time.
It was a short ride, so we had time for an afternoon excursion to the island fort of Janjera. We were delighted to discover that the boat transfer to the island was by lanteen rigged wheries, much like a feluca. The crew did an expert job of managing the landings.



Interruption due to lack of wifi. Big update soon...


Saturday, February 11, 2012

Cycling in India stage 19 to Vikramgarh

We rode through high country all morning; mostly grazing land.  Amusing to see hay stored in trees just out of the reach of the cattle.
A lot of down hill after lunch, mostly decent pavement, but some rough spots. The temperature went over 35 for the first time. It was very pleasant on the fast downhills.
We are staying at a rural eco-lodge in a traditionally built hut, and eating under a thatched roof. It is interesting to see how comfortable this is at this temperature.



Cycling in India stage 18 to Nashik

As we left the hill station, we were glad to find it was just over 10 degrees, warmer than we had anticipated .  We rode in hilly country with lovely views, and then we dropped onto a high plateau with a mix of agriculture and dry lands. This a wine producing region. We saw vineyards and lunch was by a winery which we toured and where we bought samples. Having now tasted my sample white and red, I will stick to drinking Kingfisher beer!
Tonight we are staying in a busy regional town which is also a destination for pilgrims who want to swim in the river. It is a bustling and colourful place. A beautiful produce market down by the river, busy shopping streets, and no fussing over tourists.




Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Cycling in India stage 17 to Saputera

Today we rode 112 km in hill country on back roads, mostly in forest reserves. We saw people living by very self sufficient means. It felt like we were riding through one of those "open air" museums which displays old farms and ancillary equipment. Except this was real life. I saw a group of people winnowing; men and women  were passing home-made wooden trays filled with grain to an elderly man standing on top of a platform. I didn't think it was appropriate to ride in there to take a picture; I might have done so if I could speak some Gujarati.
There were lots of all-wood ox carts, and places where hay was stored on roofs or on platforms out of reach of the cattle.
Villages we have passed through to date tend to be centered around the road. They are not like towns in Mexico or Europe which have main squares. As we ride into a village, we see increasing density and then we see the main bus stop, where there are people sitting around among stores selling snacks and refreshments. In larger towns, the center involves a market that spreads out into the street.
Today's ride  ended with a long climb up to a "hill station", I.e. a resort village high enough to be a cool destination in the hot months. A totally different world.



Cycling in India stage 16 to Songadh

Early departure with a fast group of riders. We zoomed along near 30 kph until we hit the hills, where the road went over a small pass, about 500 meters. The pavement was relatively new and smooth, mostly with big trees shading the road, with few villages along the way. Lunch  was among the trees along the road, and only disturbed by herds of cows and goats passing by.
Jaipur is called the blue city, but we saw a couple of blue villages on this ride, with many tents made from blue tarpaulins. A tough place to live.
I stopped by a brick making operation, where the boss was glad to have his picture taken, but the women who were carrying the bricks to the kiln were not allowed to be distracted for photography.




Cycling in India stage 15

The road out of Jumbugodha led through a park and then back into farming, with trees most of the way. As the next hotel by the river Narmada was only 66 km away, we weren't on the road long. Our van driver found a good chair stop, where we attracted the usual crowd of enthusiastic onlookers.
I finally got a picture of a typical truck back end which encourages passing vehicles to use their horn; which drivers are most willing to do!
When we reached the hotel, we checked into our room, and then went out for a 20 km spin in the country.  On our return, a couple of local TV crews were interviewing the guides, and asked to interview us as well. Given that the interviewers spoke no English, I wonder how they will edit their stories. Clearly,  one of the hooks was how we were cycling "despite our age".



Sunday, February 5, 2012

About bovines

<p>Cattle and buffalo have  a different lifestyle in India than elsewhere. The difference is most evident in the cities, where cattle are roaming in the street scavenging in the garbage. We regularly come across cattle on city streets.  <br>
The cattle wander through the crazy traffic and everyone -- cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, pedestrians and cyclists -- manage to avoid them. The cows take it all in stride, and remain totally calm, even as people touch and push them. They are treated with a mixture of respect and neglect. I saw boys hitting them with sticks, without elders stopping them.

They are part of the economy in numerous ways. One morning, I saw an elderly woman in the city dump a bag of garbage in front of a cow, and march home, having accomplished her mission. On the other hand, there are vendors who sell lovely fresh greens near the cattle for locals to buy and feed to the cattle, presumably to enhance their karma.<br>

Beef is never on the menu, but milk is very important to local diets, and manure is important for heating and cooking. One of the distressing sights is to see a woman sitting on the street scooping fresh cow poo into her bowl with her bare hands. She will then hand-mould bannock - shaped paddies, and set them out in the sun to dry.
There are quite a variety of bovine; not quite sure what's a buffalo v. a cow. There are some with big horns, some with swept back horns, some with painted horns, some with blankets against the cold, even one with a lovely decorative shawl.<br>
<br>
In the country, cattle  live a more typical existence, tethered outside homes, being herded along the road, and grazing.  Bullocks are used to pull carts, power water pumps, and to plough fields.  </p>





Sightseeing around Champener

We set out as a group of 8 to explore Champener, starting at the south gate of the citadel and visiting several of the former mosques. They were exceptional architectural structures, with no colour or life, but lovely proportions.
They proved a stunning contrast to the adjacent Pavagadh, which is an important contemporary  Hindu shrine to Kalikamata atop a mountain that attracts thousands of pilgrims. We made our way to the shrine in a constant colourfull flow of people via a combination of jeep taxi, cable-car, and stairs. Most of the pilgrims walked at least the last half of the way up the mountain, rather than taking the cable-car. Along most of that route, there were stalls selling gifts to  present at the shrine, special clothes to wear, toys, food, and much more. This shrine is both busier and more commercialized than Lourdes.



Cycling in India stage 14

We left our lovely tents in the Garden Palace after a breakfast al fresco and rode 110 km, mostly on bigger roads, with the usual variation between quiet countryside and busy towns.
I am getting so accustomed to the extraordinary sights, sounds, and smells of Indian roads, that it felt like a routine day of cyclotouring!
The temperature is now very pleasant; above 10 as we start out, and climbing to 30 by noon. Some of the roads are well shaded by trees, so very pleasant riding.  We are also eating all our meals al fresco.
Today was Saturday, so different activity in the streets, although everything is open and many kids are traveling to/from school. We heard loud music in many of the villages we passed, suggesting some kind of celebration.
Our hotel for the next couple nights  is a far more humble "palace" than some of the earlier ones, but a pleasant country retreat.