Cycling in India final stage to Kanyakumari

The first half of the 80 km ride followed busy secondary roads over hills and through villages. On that part of the ride, I realized I have had enough of the Indian driving with the honking, corner-cutting, and disregard for traffic coming from behind. We had to put up with it to enjoy the trip, and I am glad to have made the trip without having a collision with a vehicle or a pedestrian. 
As usual, there were some nice surprises along the way.  I was delighted to come upon a colourful set of papier mache statues from a religious procession that had been left along the roadside with their heads covered. 
As we approached Kanyakumari, we were on flat land close to the coast, and there was little traffic. We all gathered for a picnic lunch, and rode the last few kilometers in a convoy to the jetty where we could shoot the group picture with the statue in the background.  With our new "Indian Adventure " jerseys on, we  looked like a co-ordinated group!
At dinner, we enjoyed looking at pictures taken throughout the ride. We have seen so much in the past weeks, going from one experience to the next,  that the pictures will be very helpful aide memoirs.
We packed the bikes into boxes, and we have spare time to explore this little town which seems to thrive on a combination of inshore fishing and pilgrimages.

Cycling in India stage 39 to Allepy

Relaxed ride down a small coastal road for 58 km straight South from Conchin. We had breakfast at 8, considerably later than usual, so that we wouldn't arrive at our destination hotel too early.  There was relatively light traffic on the road and many trees shading us, so it was a pleasant ride through a mix of humble homes and villas on a sand ridge between the sea and lagoons. There were a few public access roads into the beach, some were used for recreation,  and some for fishing.  Elsewhere, there was often a substantial dike between the houses and the beach.  This is such flat, densely populated country that it is hard to imagine what they could do in the event of a tsunami warning, other than head out to sea.
On the inland side of the road we saw canals and lagoons.
Allepy, aka Alapuzza, looks like a busy regional centre. Some tourists come here to go houseboating in in the canals.

Cycling in India stage 37 to Cochin suburbs

We started a 7am at 1600 metres, where the temperature was 8 degrees, so I dug in the bottom of my bag to find my jacket and some gloves!
We set off on a small, bumpy road down the hill, which I named  the "Western Ghats White Knuckle Roller Coaster"! We dropped 1,000 metres in 35 km, which is a gentle incline,  when compared with Mont Ventoux, but gravity was pushing plenty fast.  The road surface was rough and unpredictable, and there was typical Indian traffic on the road, including big buses, tuktuks, cars, motorcycles and pedestrians operating in their idiosyncratic ways, so I rode the brakes pretty hard, and lifted off the saddle most of the time. Average speed for that stretch was under 30 kph. Good fun steering down the hill, stopping occasionally to admire the mountain scenery. By 8am, the temperature was in the low 30s.

The second half of the ride was on a fast, smooth highway with a slight downward incline through lots of busy villages. Traffic was not too busy, so it was fun riding through all the activity. I watched a rather sad looking elephant and his handlers cross the road near me.
The heat was manageable on the bike, with the air flow, but when we reached the hotel in the suburbs of Cochin, we locked up our bikes, and were sweating profusely as we walked into the lobby. Fortunately, nice waiter handed me a couple of paper napkins to clean up with!
Off to try out the pool...

Cycling in India stage 35 to Udumalpet

<p>Today we rode 120km on smooth but uninspiring secondary roads. We saw relatively little agriculture, but lots of towns and villages, as well as a number of building projects along the road, although there was no evidence of prosperous industry. There were no tractors or bullock carts on the road, but quite a few private cars.
It seemed like country side without a purpose.  Where our support van stopped to set up our picnic lunch, there was a patch of flat gravel ground which had been surveyed, divided up into lots with no positive aspects, such as trees, water, or a nice view, and there was a tent set up to serve refreshments to prospects .... in the middle of nowhere!
Saw a Juggernaut parked on the main street of one of the villages. Without any decorations, it looks rather sombre, but it is probably covered with flowers when it is used in a procession.
The hotel is in a smaller regional center than last night, and it is very basic.  I am looking forward to getting back to the seaside.  </p>

Cycling in India stage 34 to Erode

A different day today; We rode our bikes  55km and then got in the buses for the rest of the ride. This was necessary because we were crossing a national park / animal reserve,  and last year the trip leader suffered serious injury from an elephant in a similar park.
The bike ride was through typical rural country, but it was Saturday, so the villages seemed busier than usual.  We also encountered an unusual number of bullock carts coming towards us; they weren't loaded, and they weren't decorated, so no apparent reason for the traffic, but it reminded me how much rural Indians use traditional methods in their rural work and living to keep their costs down. I feel this is why there are a lot of people on the land, the villages are full of people of all ages, and we seldom see abandoned fields,  like you do in so many other developing countries.
In the bus, we rode for some 50k through uninhabited forested hills in the park, with more typical rural areas on either side.
Erode is a busy town. Our hotel shares  a side street with several other hotels. We tried to go out for a walk, but found that the bigger streets are taken over by the traffic. There are no sidewalks, and there is no room to walk safely between the parked vehicles and the traffic. The city planners have coped with this by making all the adjacent residential streets dead ends, and therefore not attractive to through traffic.

So... a good time to do some reading ....

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 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,

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.

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.

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.