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...

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.

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.