Apologies!!

It has been a very exciting and busy 1 week!! I am forced to break the promise again (and no more promises). I am in Kotputli now. Just 160 kms from Delhi and finally the tour is ending tomorrow (I would have cycled close to 1850 kms by tomorrow). I have a dozen stories to share with you all (I got robbed, just 200Rs, my tire burst once, I fell from the bike, not even a scratch on my body, met a dozen people, visited dozen places… etc), but time is a major constraint. I do not want to do a shabby job by updating the blog for the heck of doing it. This tour has been very memorable so far and I want to cherish and share every moment of it. Hence I will update it on the day I reach Bangalore. Till then I have more than 100 pictures to share with you all. Pictures speak a lot than words!!

Click here for the Pics
Wish you all a happy new year and Bye for now ( and 2010 as well).

Day 7

As per my plan my destination for the day was Indore which is 130 kms from Julwania. I started the ride at 6.30 in the morning and it was chilling outside (probably 6C). Stopped for breakfast at 8.15. I was surprised to see Samosa, Sev, Jilabhi and mirchi bajji for breakfast, but it was just perfect for the climate. The owner of the hotel asked me if am I going to mandu, I told him I was going to Indore. I stop for teat at 10 in a Dhaba and they ask me the same question, if I am going to Mandu. I finally start thinking if I should change my plan and the chaiwala plays with my mind and says you will not get another chance to see Mandu and you are just 42 kms away. I agree with him and blindly change my plan and take a left towards Mandu. He never told me there were two very ghats to climb. The climb and the afternoon sun sucked all my energy and I was moving in snail’s pace. As this was not an highway, it had both pros and cons. Very few trucks on the way, lot of trees for shade, panoramic view etc. and the cons being lack of availability of hotels means no chai, water, food ..etc. The ghat climb was very killing and i kept singing and talking to myself loud (that would have made the people think that i was from a Lunatic Asylum) to divert my mind.

I reached Mandu at 5 in the evening and the very first sight of a huge fort between a valley told me that I had made the right decision. Mandu was the sub division of the Tarangagadh or Taranga kingdom . This fortress town on a rocky outcrop about 100 km (60 miles) from Indore is celebrated for its fine architecture. Mandu's was earlier known by the name of "Shadiabad" meaning the city of happiness (Anand Nagari), the name was given by then ruler Allauddin Khilji. I found a room for 200 in Hotel Maharaja which was decent. By 8 I came out for dinner and for a change tried noodles , it was not that good, but a lesson learnt, be a roman in rome. When I went back to the hotel I met Daneal and Selvia who had come from Germany to explore India and stayed in the room adjacent to mine . We kept discussing the places of interest and the route plan till 12.30 in the night. Daniel is 23 and wants to do his automobile engineering where as Selvia is a graduate in mathematics. They were surprised that being an Indian even I was carrying a map!! I had to explain them that Germany would be maximum as big as South india which is hardly 30% of our country. Daniel came down in November and has already seen Rajasthan and Delhi and was guiding me on the do’d and don’t’s. By 1 I was snoring in my little room covering myself with 2 blankets.

Day 4 to 6

Click on the link to view the pics of Day 1 to 7

Day 2 and 3 continued.

Hi all, so far I have rode ~ 900 kms and I am in Mandu, Madhyapradesh. Post crossing Osmanabad on Day 3 I met Mr Ritesh and his family who happened to come to the same dhaba where I was having my lunch. He is basically from Dhule and currently working in Hyderabad. He has two kids (twins) who have acted in a bunch of telivision ads (peter England, Good day biscuits..etc) and he was sharing those videos from his cell phone. He also asked me to give a call when I reach dhulia and also asked me to stay in his place. Post shooting few snaps of the kids I moved on to Gevrai.

Day 4

The entire scenario changed from day 4. I had to ride 85 km to reach Aurangabad, I am not sure if it was because of the good roads, I reached Aurangabad in just 4 hrs (20km / hr) and was feeling really fresh. Aurangabad is a very modern city like Bangalore. I reached Bai mahal (also called mini Taj mahal) by 12.30 and started my journey towards Ellora. I had my lunch (chicken Bhuna and paratha) in a restaurant called Rasoi Ghar and the taste was as usually good. On my way to Ellora, near Daulatabad I got to know that Ellora caves as closed on Tuesdays, which means I need to stay another day,. Without wasting time I visited Daulatabad fort and then realized it was a great decision. By 3.30 I was out of the fort and started towards Ellora and planned to see the caves the next day morning at 6. I stayed in Vrindhavan resorts and a young chap Armit Jain owns it and he offered me a room for just 180 Rs which sounded dead cheap. I spent the whole evening walking across the same rode (hardly 300 mts) more than 20 times and would have drank at least 10 tea. I had jeera rice for dinner and hit the bed at 10. Total distance for the day was close to 120..

Day 5

I wokeup at 5.30 and the temprature outside would have been close to 5C. I was the first to enter the caves, and the entry fee is Rs 10. There are totally 34 caves and we need close to 15 days to visit all the 34 caves and the distance between each cave is close to 3 km. I hired a auto rickshaw for 60 Rs ( as I had just 2 hrs) and he also acted like my guide and took me to the 7 most important caves. These excavations show they are as old as 600 or 800 AD. Its worth visiting and exploring the place.

In was out by 8.30 and started towards Dhulia post breakfast (onion Dosa). Most part of the ride was a downhill, but very narrow. With few breaks in between I managed to reach Dhulia by 5. I found a lodge nearby and called up Ritesh and he guided me to his house which was hardly 5 kms. He stays in a joint family and we chatted for an hour post introduction to all his family members. I told them bye and had my dinner by 9 and was fast asleep by 10.



Day 6.


Today my destination was Julwania. I knew today would be real cycling as I had to climb an uphill of over 1000 meters and 20 kms long. The ride was very smooth till lunch and the uphill started post lunch. I could see trucks finding it hard to move even and inch further but I over took them at a speed of 18 and they were all smiling looking at me. This show off was just for 3 kms and I slowly started to loose my energy and struggle to breath. I could feel the latic acid rush on my knees and I kept on pushing myself and when I had 8 more kms I shifted to granny’s gear. The later part was a reward for my climb, a 20 km downhill.

I have been observing a white power patches all over my wind jacket from day 1 and I thought it was dust. On day 6 I realized it was the dried salt that I have been loosing from my body as sweat. I immideatly opened a pactek of electrol and  had it with water. I reached julwania by 6 and found a pathetic lodge as usual and was asleep by 10.

Day1 to 3

Dear user,


I am extremely sorry for the delay in posting the updates, blame the unavailability of a cyber café (forget cyber café, getting my cell phone signal has become a luxury). Today will be my last day in maharashtra, I am in Dhule.



Day 0 – The departure,

Unlike my last trip, there was nothing to rush in the last hour. I went to SRS travels in the morning and asked them to load my bike in the bus I was traveling. Initially he demandd 400Rs, and finally I got it down to 150 Rs. Every thing was packed and I was all set to leave to the bus stop (just 10 mins drive from my place) at 8 (the bus was at 8.30). Half way through I realized that I had forgotten to take my camera, so had to come back and pick it up. The bus arrived on time and after few calls I set the alarm for 6 AM and slept.



Day 1

The Alarm woke me up at 6 and the bus was expected to reach bijapur by 6.30. After few minutes, the co passenger sitting next to me woke up and I asked him what time would Gol gumbaz open, he replied by the time the bus reaches Bijapur it will be open. Do they open as early as 6.30? he replied it would open by 10 and the bus was running late by 3 hrs.. A bad start! For the next 3 hrs he spoke about bijapur, places of intrest, agriculture.. etc and I just started to nid-nod for courtesy.

The bus hit the bus stop at sharp 10 and my bike was in a good shape. I went to a lodge opposite to the bus stand and asked him if i can get a room to freshenup for 30 mins, he didn’t have any rooms available but he asked me to use the bathroom!! Awesome, that was all I needed. I took bath and was ready to hit the road in 15 mins. I went to a nearby restorent for breakfast and it was very lousey.

My first start point was Gol gumbaz, which was 8 km’s away and iu reached in 10 mins. It is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah built in 1649. The dome is the second largest one in the world which is unsupported by any pillar (1st one is in Rome). The acoustics of the enclosed place make it a whispering gallery where even the smallest sound is heard across the other side of the Gumbaz. At the periphery of the dome is a circular balcony where visitors can witness the astounding whispering gallery. Any whisper, clap or sound gets echoed around 7 times. By 11 I was on my waay to ibharim Rauza, the tomb of adil shal 2. The design of Ibharim Rauza served as an inspiration for Taj mahal. By 12, it was time for me to say good to Bijapur and very soon to karnataka and was on my way to Solapur. Note - Do not expect cleanliness in Bijapur, the entire city is very dirty.

Now starts the real ride, I need to cover 107 kms in 6 hrs. There is nothing much to talk about the ride as it was a bit boring and I had my lunch (Alu Palak , roti and tea) in a Dabha on the way. The place is very dry without any trees for shade and the people look like xerophytics. After few more tea breaks (The tea tastes excellent) and chit chat with the people on the way I reached Solapur and found a decent room for 200. After shopping few oranges I hit the bed at 10.



Day 2 and 3

I am clubbing Day 2 and 3 together as I do not have much to talk about. Firstly, google map is 99% accurate and I fell in the 1% category. It showed a town called terkhed on the way to Aurangabad (where I planned to stay on day 2) which happened to be a very small village with 2 huts  . It was already 7, pitch dark and getting colder every min. Luckily I found a Dhaba on the way and spent the night there (it was fun though, truck drivers singing and dancing all night).

Day 3 I rode 130 kms and stayed in a place called Gevrai. The lodge I stayed was probably the dirtiest lodge in india. I do not intend to explain more about it (People intrested to know more can mail me ).

Overall, its been close to 360 kms ride and people tend to ask the same questions

First – where am I from and where am I heading to? – Bijapur to Delhi

Second – Where do I work? - bangalore

Third – Government job or a private Job (they will not respect you if you are in a private job) – Private (I disappoint them)

Fourth – How much do I earn? – never ask a guys salary nor a girls age

Fifth – 10,000? – Bit more than that

They all start laughing for them selves telling being truck drivers we earn more than you, studying is of no use - But I spend at least half a day with my family and I can be more healthier when I gt old (I tell this to myself). The region is too backward in literacy and

so are the peoples thinking. I got to see how entire india would have been in 1950’s in these 3 days. But, food and tea are the only two things that really impressed me so far. They cook with passion. In a day I am having 5 cups of tea. I will post the Pics soon as this cyber parlor owner is scared that my camera has virus!!

Tour de North - Season 2

I just have a day left for my second tour! This winter I have planned to start my second tour (all the stories of my 1st tour are in the same blog) on Dec18th to vanquish Bijapur to Delhi, approximately covering 2000 km in 14 days. The initial plan was to start my tour from Goa (where I ended my last tour), but the route from Goa to Bijapur seemed to be pretty dry and it would be just boring 3 days ride covering ~ 300km for nothing. I do not want to kick start my tour in such a way and instead invest the same time exploring Rajasthan. Hence I decided to start the tour in front of Golgumbuz in Bijapur and I am hoping to end it in front of “India gate” in Delhi on 1st of Jan. I have booked the onward journey to Bijapur by a private bus (350 Rs) which will leave Bangalore at 8.30 PM and I should reach Bijapur max by 7 AM. The return ticket is booked as well from Delhi to Bangalore by Samparkranthi Express costing 576 Rs.

• The Route


The tentative route I have decided to take is Bijapur – Aurangabad – Indore – Jaipur - Delhi. I will be crossing 6 states, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Some of the challenges that I am expecting in this tour are

1. Climate – I am expecting the max temperature to be close to 30 C and the minimum to be 6 C. I might have a trouble to vacillate between warm and cold temperatures.

2. Practice – For this tour, my practice has been close to Nil!! I am just relying on my past experience.

3. Distance – on an average I need to cover 130 km a day for 14 days without a break.

4. Language – The most important factor, I need to manage with my broken Hindi for 2 weeks.

Other than these there can be few exogenous factors as well that can make my condition better or worse, I would categorize them to fall under Murphy’s Law and ignore.



• The Bike


It’s the same bike I used on my previous tour, Decathlon – Rockrider – 5.2, but have made very minute changes. Need is the mother of all inventions, hence I could tap my left brain and get the half baked engineer out and came out with some small innovations.

1. On my last tour, whenever I came across a panoramic view, I did not have patience to stop the bike and take a snap as I use to loose out on the cadence (rhythm). To over come this issue, I took two clamps from a broken door and fixed it to the centre of the handle bar and adjusted them in such in such a way that the camera focuses the road. Now I can mount my camera on this and shoot as many pics I need without stopping my bike.

2. Absence of a rear view mirror can be really dangerous, a lesson learnt from the previous tour and I was not too keen on placing the mirror on the handle bar as its already messed up with the odometer, headlamp, camera and bell. Hence I took a broken headset that was lying at home and fixed one end of the mouthpiece to my helmet and I have fixed a very small mirror which is hardly 2 inchs weighing few grams to the other end. It works absolutely fine and it’s adjustable too.

3. Last time I carried a big backpack and tied it with strings, and it was hell of a task to keep it intact. I will not be facing this problem as I have got pannier bags, though they are small I think I can manage all my stuff in that and planning to carry another small bag if necessary.

4. Lastly Baba of RR cycles serviced my bike and I am satisfied with his work. It looks like a brand new one and hoping to have zero defects (to talk in Six Sigma terms).



• What will I carry?


1. cycling shorts – 3

2. Normal Shorts – 1

3. Jeans (for sight seeing) – 1

4. T-shirts – 3

5. Jacket (it weighs a lot and occupies maximum space in my bag) - 1

6. Sandals – 1

7. Gloves – 1

8. Towel

9. batteries

10. Mobile charger

11. Camera

12. Strings to carry any extra bag

13. Soap, brush and paste

14. Puncture kit, tool kit, hand pump and an extra tube.

15. Socks – 3 pairs

16. Sunglasses

17. Monkey cap

18. Cotton to stuff it in my ear

19. my e-ticket

20. hard copy of the maps

21. Blanket (Not sure if the lodges I plan to stay will have one, and I do not intend to pay for the blanket)

22. Electoral (5 packets)

23. and lastly %$#% rs.



• The fun


Some of the places I have decided to explore as of now are Ujjain, Indore, Kota, Jaipur, Agra ..etc and these places carry historic monuments which date back to few centuries, for example, Ajanta and ellora caves, Golgumbaz, Hawa mahal, Jal mahal and even taj. So culture and heritage is never a limit to explore in this trip. If I am bored of exploring forts and palaces, not a problem, I can start exploring food in Indore, Jaipur and Delhi. If that bores me as well, I can shop in rajasthan and Delhi (I have already got a list to shop from my friends and relatives, probably they are forgetting that I am touring on my bike). So, my plate is full and there is a very bleak chance for me to get bored. I am sure I have much more fun and adventure in store for me, will update you through my blog as and when I come across one.

• The blog


I will not do the same mistake that I did last time by promising to update the blog every day, but I can vouchsafe to update it once in 4 days in the worst case (I will try to update it every day). As this is a heuristic approach, anything that happens will be a discovery, so watch this space for more!! Right now i am finalising on much needed packing. I have changed the comments setting in my blog, so there is no need to become a member to post a comment (but please do reveal your identity on the comments you post) which would make life much simpler.

Weak legs pertinacious to conquer a pagent route

   If you are wondering why there has been no updates for 4 months, the fact is simple, i did not have any stories to post. I had stopped biking for 3 months to give myself some break, but it was a bit late when i realised that the break period had turned into luxury and i paid for that luxury in this ride.



  It was a long weekend as Friday being an off on occasion of Durgashtami and i planned to go on a small cycling tour. Though the destination was still a question mark, i had few options, Option 1 Chikmagalur - Belur - Halebidu - KemmanGundi - BRP, Option 2 - Shimoha - Jogfalls - Sagar. I enquired in VRL travels to check the availability of tickets and I was told that he had 1 seat left and it would cost 600Rs and cannot guarantee if  my bike could be carried in the bus. I immediately dropped the plan of taking a private luxury bus as i did not have time to negotiate (It was 8.30 Pm) and a government bus would not cost me more than 300. I went to majestic with my bike and the bus stand was jam packed because of the long weekend. I was sure now that i would not get a seat in a luxury bus and the last option i had was to try in an ordinary one. I found one that was due to leave at 10 PM. I approached the conductor if i can load the cycle inside the bus, the conductor told me that the bus did not have a carrier on the top, but i could try loading it inside the luggage box. I dismantled the front wheel, slid the handle bar a bit and tried to load it, but it was still large to get inside the box. Finally the conductor was kind enough and asked me keep the bike inside the bus at the last row in spite of the the fact that the bus was completely crowded and even the fellow passengers did not complain. The cost of the ticket was 170 and just 20 for the bike, but the conductor demanded 50 more for his "kindness" which i was still ok with as we had a "Win Win". I was still saving more than 350 Rs. I was unable to sleep as the bus was over crowded, bad bumpy roads throughout the journey  and the chill wind coming through the shattered window panes. I reached Shimoga at 5.30 AM. I immideatly assembled the bike in the bus stop, changed my dress in the pay and use toilet and pushed off to a nearby small hotel at have my breakfast (I had skipped dinner the previous night). I had a vada, upma and coffee which was decent, but I found it hard to assimilate the fact that the bill amount was 32!!.
          The ride started at 6 in the morning and the climate was very pleasant and the sun didnt even peak through the clouds. Even the roads were very neat without any patholes. After 10 km's i started finding few uphills and downhills. It was lush green forest and fields all around and most of the time i was the only one on the road with a light drizzle. I could hardly find any symptom of human in habitation. I can say its one of the best rides i have ever had. But on the contrary there were few disadvantages too. The pleasant climate meant a short day. It would become dark by 5 PM, I had to bike 105 Km to reach jog falls and 105 to come back, the sum is 210. I have never touched 200 number, my highest being 178, come what may i had to reach Shimoga within 7 as its very risky to bike post darkness. To reach Shimoga by 7 i had to be in Jog within 12. This calculation made my legs pedal a bit faster. The breakfast I had in the morning was burnt in 2 hrs (40km ride) and i started feeling a bit tired and hungry by 9 and stopped in a very small canteen which had just one table. I had 3 dosas with chutney, Avalkkey (beaten rice) and 3 tea's which costed me 15. After few photo sessions and chit chat with the locals i started the ride. Inspite of having a good break fast i was still feeling bit tired. By 11 I reached Sagar a small town on the way to Jog (Jog is 35 Kms from here) completely tired and exhausted after cycling just 78 kms. Either the roads had too many uphills or my body was in a bad shape.  This was the time  I realised what a 3 months luxury can do to your body and Stamina you had built. I had 2 glasses of apple milk shake which costed 30. I started off by 11.30 and this the real uphills started and the sun was out to its glory. The last  3 km was a complete downhill which meant the backward journey would kill me. By now i had consumed 4 ltrs of water and 2 tender coconuts. After lot more breaks i managed to reach Jog by 1, it was gargantuan, but I exhausted to the core, sleepy, hungry.. I was in a mess.
I remember reading Maslow's Hierarchy of needs which says human needs form a pyramid, the bottom most needs are very basic like food, shelter.. etc and the top most being Self Actualization like problem solving, morality, creativity .. etc. Whenever i start cycling i start at the summit of the pyramid where the need for self actualization is the top most priority, by the time i reached Jog i was at the foot of the pyramid where food and shelter became the top priority, after a good meal i knew cycling back to Shimoga was close to impossible and i called my friend who resides in Sagar and he asked me to come home straight to his house, the 2nd layer of the pyramid which is "Safety and Security" ,  and it was a big relief, and time was no more a constraint. This is what cycling does to me, in a day i slide across the pyramid and every break takes me back slowly to the next top layer. I spent some tome clicking snaps and few kids wanted to take snaps posing with my bike too.
I left Jog by 3.30 and the initial 3 km climb was very hard, but the remaining 30 km's were  alright. With few more breaks i reached Sagar by 5.30 and the 1st thing i did was to book a ticket back to Bangalore. This time i choose a luxury bus for 350 and they had place for my bike in the luggage box. From the bus stop my friends place was another 10 kms. He was my room mate during my university days. After hot shower we spent time taking about our university days with tea. I finished my dinner (with lot of sweets on occasion of Dussera) and left his place by 8 and reached the bus stand by 9.15 and loaded my cycle and went to my seat and closed my eye...  Blank. A copassenger woke me up in Bangalore at 6.
Picture Lovers click here       

 For Number lovers,
Total Distance covered - 148
Time taken - 1 day
Cycling hours - 10 hrs
Fuel - Upma, vada, 3 dosas, 1 south indian meal, 2 apple juice, 4 coconuts, 5 ltrs of water.
Cost for food and water - ~300
Travel cost - 240+350 = 590
Total expense =  ~ 1000

Trip Summary

• Number of days - 9
• Total distance covered - 1182 Km
• Max distance covered in a day - 178 on day 1
• Min distance covered in a day  -  98 on day 5
• Max speed touched - 48 km/hr on day 9
• Number of states visited - 4 (Tamilnadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa)
• Number of Union Territory - 1 (Mahe)

Pictures - Part 1 Part 2  Part 3 

Click here for the Pics
Day -6
The pain in my left hamstring had disappeared and I started by 9.30. It was a good start, pleasant and cloudy weather with neat even roads. I had a very close at my cadence and rhythm. I managed to cover 40 km in 2 and half hours. Though it drizzled at few places it never interrupted my ride. But i had to pay for the pleasant ride soon with a huge uphill and the clouds that blocked the sun started to disappear. All my excitement to see the Bakel fort started to diminish slowly. The route was a series of up and down hill with barren land on either sides. When I had 20 more kms to Bakel fort the roads became flat, but had a dozen potholes after every few meter. I even hurt my foot to the peddel, very minor.
The majestic view of huge fort built on 40 acers appeared at 4.30. I had enough time to view the fort. The entry fee was just 10, but the fee to take my camera was 35. I spent an hour there and started towards kasargod. Its a very small city, but well maintained. I had my diner in Indian coffee house and hit the bed at 10.30.

This was my last day in Kerala, but my memories will stay alive thought my life. If i was blindfolded and left on a road and was asked to indentify that if the road I stood belonged to Kerala or not, I would just do 3 tests, 1stt; Is there any poster of Cheguvera? If not, 2nd. Is there a poster of the Brazilian or the Argentinian Soccer team? and if these 2 tests fail you will see this one for sure, a poster of a beautiful girl covered completely in gold to promote Alukkas Jewellery :)

Day 7

Though I was told that Mangalore was more warmer than kerala, i wore a sleeveless jercy (a big mistake). The first 50 kms went on smooth and crossed the Kerala border and entered Karnataka at 12 noon. I had my lunch in Mangalore and the heat was really killing. Post lunch I took the NH 17 road, it was a huge 4 lane stretch with lot of huge buildings and no sign of any tree or shade around. I was completely exposed to the sun and the hot head wind from the sea was really hitting hard, almost stopping me. I managed to move on for 1 0 mins telling myself that I just needed time to get used to these roads and the sun. In these 10 mins I finished a liter of water but it never cooled me down. The sun had completely burnt my skin leaving boils and scars and it was too late to realize that I should have worn a full length T shirt. When a hard head wind hit me, my frustration level hit the max. I stopped riding, went to a nearby shop and asked if there was any bus back to Bangalore. Yes, I decided to give up. He said there was one in 45 mins. While I was waiting for the bus, the air became cooler and it was relief. I decided to give one last shot and got back to the road. It turned out to be the best ride in this tour. The four lane roads ended very soon, neat single lane roads with fields around welcomed me and stayed along throughout my ride till Udupi. I managed to cover 45 kms in just 2.5 hrs. I stayed in a mutt for just 50 bugs, freshened up and spent the evening roaming around the city.

Day 8
The wound in my feet had turned into a small infection and was itching. I did not want to take any medications as I had just 2 more days. I do not have much to talk about this ride. I reached Murudeshwara at 5 in the evening. The giant idle of lord shiva is really eye catching.

Day 9.

My final destination was Goa. I had planned to reach Gokerna on day 9 and hit Goa on Day 10, but I had to make a   small change in the plan as there was a big swelling in my feet. I decided to ride straight 160 kms to Goa. Was it doable was still a question mark. I started at 4 in the morning and my target was to reach Karwar before 12 and I some how managed to reach Karwar by 12.45 and my leg was hurting very badly now. I took a small power nap post lunch in a temple and started to ride by 2 PM. I reached the Goa border at 2.30!! yes, it was almost the end of the tour, so i rode the last 30 kms as slowly as possible enjoying every moment. I reached Kankona and got my wound dressed up in a nearby Govt Hospital and reached Palolem. I got a room facing the beach for 300 Rs, I had a juice and hit the bed. at 6 in the evening.

Day 3 - 7

For those who are impatient, please click here for the pics
Day 3
I woke up at 8 in the morning and had Puttu and Egg curry for breakfast and started from Kochi at 9.30 towards Jew town. Paid a quick visit to the Jew town (unfortunately the Synagogue was closed) and left the place after few photo sessions. I said good bye to NH 47, and moved towards the Y pin Island (not sure if the spelling is rite) which is a shorter route to reach NH 17. Roads  were really good good inside the island. While I was riding, a middle aged man, Mr Lal who was passing on his bike casually asked me where was I coming from, When I said I started from Kanyakumari, he asked me if I would like to stop and have some Juice in his bakery which was on the way, I said Yes without a second thought. He ordered me an orange Juice and was very thoughtful  and advised me not to take the deviation to NH17 till the end of the island as the roads here were small and had lot of trees on either sides so that I could avoid the sun to some extent. I thanked him and started back as per his advice. The observation i made on my way was, Kerala has more bakeries than hotels, and they are so huge (as huge as the coffee's in bangalore).  The ride was very smooth as the roads were even and I reached Guruvayur at 5 in the evening. I got a room for 200 Rs, took a quick shower and went for a long walk around the city. There was nothing around of my interest, had dinner and hit the bed at 10.

Total distance covered 103

Day  - 4

I switched off the alarm at 5 and told myself that I would sleep for few more minutes. Those few minutes turned out to be 3 hrs, i immediately woke up, still half asleep and took a cold shower, that ensured I am completely awake. I gulped in a plate of Idly vada and headed towards calicut.  As per Google map I had 147 Kms to cover today and I was late. When I had a closer look at the map, there seemed to be a shorter route  the only hassle being a small river flowing in between 2 towns. When I enquired about this to a auto rickshaw driver, he said there was a bridge in between. That is all i needed to know, I avoided the highway and took a new route that I had discovered. The roads were small and isolated (most of the times I was the only one on the road) with sea towards my right and coconut plantations on my left. As these roads are normally taken by the locals, the kids on the streets were excited to see a stranger, few commented something in Malayalam (probably a bad word, in a way its good, not to know a language), few asked for a ride on my bicycle, but i settled them down by taking few pics instead, a kid even went to an extent of acting like a blind boy crossing the road and was purposely blocking my way. It was 3.30 when I stopped for lunch and I still had 30 more Kms to go. I ordered for "una" meaning meals and was back on the roads. After few more breaks, when i had 10 more Km's to Calicut I came to a small village with coconut plantations on the bank of a backwater. I immediately told myself that it was time to use my sleeping mat. I went to the city, got some fruits and biscuits for dinner and headed back to the village. I used the headlamp of my bike as a light source, switched on my I pod watching the peaceful water in font of me. I do not know when i fell asleep.

Overall, it was a fantastic ride and wish my future rides would be the same.

Total Distance - 131

Day-5
For  change, the alarm was silent, the sun rays through the canopies woke me up at 7. I was surprised to see a fisherman already at work and made sure if my bike and bag was in place. I took a quick dip in the ice cold water, packed all my stuff and headed towards Kannur. I came to Calicut city to have my breakfast and order for bread omelet and finished it in no time, when the waiter came to check if I would like to have coffee or tea, I ordered a plate of dosa for which he gave a awkward look. I was back on NH 17 and started off with a huge uphill, a bad omen for a cyclist. This was followed by a series of uphills and downhills taking every ounce of energy from me. I even developed a pain on my left hamstring. Even the sun was not on my side. It was 1pm and I had already taken 5 breaks and had 60 more Kms to cover. The only hope I had was, I tht even roads would start from Mahe as it was close to the sea. But it remained a hope, the roads became even worse.I even left my cap in one of the shops where I had stopped for Juice.
  The ground rule that I follow is, "whatever may be the ascent, never get down from the bike". WhenI had just 8 more kms  to go, I broke the rule on the middle of a very steep uphill and started to push my bike. This ride had completley discoureaged me. So a  far this has been the most difficult ride in this Tour but very challenging too.

Total distance 102

Dear Reader,
 I am extremely sorry!!,  I could not update the blog as per my promise. Firstly, i do not know why the Mobile blogging service is not working (it says "message undeliverable"). I later planned to update it from a cyber cafe, but either i did not have time or energy to do so, but today i have both.

For those of you who are looking just for my ride experience please scroll down and go to Day 1, as Day -1 and Day 0 talks about how i transported the cycle to Kanyakumari..

Day -1 ..... Circus
As i had to log in at 2, I got up at 7 in the morning and rode my bicycle to majestic to get it shipped. I was there by 8 and an old man helped me cover the frame and saddle with a peace of cloth to avoid scratches for 40 Rs, meanwhile i went and finished the formalities of filling the form. When I submitted the form he said he would accept the parcel only post 6 in the evening as my train was at 11. This was ridiculous!! I didn't not have any other choice and I immediately decide to take the risk of parking it in the bus stop and I went home.
    I took the 5 PM log off cab from the office and got dropped in Majestic. I was really glad to see my bicycle being parked where i had left it in the morning, I even thanked the parking guy for taking care of the cycle which was not locked, and as he heard the words "not locked"  he gave a strange look and started blasting me telling, he would be blamed for our carelessness, he was right but I did not have any other choice. As i went and submitted the same form in the parcel counter he asked for my travel ticket, another blunder, I did not carry the e- ticket with me. This time I went to the same parking guy and explained him my condition and he agreed to take care of the cycle. I had to walk close to 2 km near the railway station to find a Internet parlor. Finally the form was submitted, the inspector near the gate asked for 30 bugs just to open the gate and let the cycle inside the platform, but he settled for 20.
    I came back home, made a quick check if i had forgotten anything, everything looked alright. At 10.15 I said good bye to my tensed and angry mother and took a Rick to Yesventpur railway station.

Day 0 .... Confusion

   My train arrived to Nagercoil at 4.30 (late by 2 hrs) and my cycle was about to reach by 5.30 in Island express. I waited in the station for an hour and finally the train arrived. I was waiting near the parcel office to immediately collect the parcel and push off to kanyakumari, but there was no sign of my cycle. When I enquired in the counter, I was told that the guy who clears the luggage was on leave and I was suppose to go and collect in Kanyakumari!! I immediately boarded a bus to Kanyakumari and finally collected it. The co passenger who travelled with me in the bus was a member in Viveknanda kendra and promised me to get a room there. I agreed without a second thought and got a neat room for just 50Rs. I had my dinner in Saravana Bhavan and hit the bed at 10.30 PM as i had an early start.

Day 1.. The struggle

    The alarm woke me up at 3.30 in the morning and i was ready and out on the street by 4.30. The clouds were clear and after 5 Kms I heard a devotional Malayalam song played in a tea shop, Kerala was at least 50 Km away!!From then on, very few people understood Tamil, most of them spoke Malayan..I will not be surprised if there is a border dispute. By 5.15, I was movingg in a good rhythm, but.......... it started to drizzle, and the drizzle transformed to a pouring rain within few minutes. I knew I had a long distance to cover, so took my rain jacket and proceeded towards padhmanabhapuram palace. The rain jacket was of no use, I was dripping wet. When I checked my odometer it  really scared me, i had just covered 15 km in 2 hrs!! My normal speed would be 20 km/ hr. Blame the uneven roads and the rain. I reached the palace by 7 and the watch man was very kind to let me in looking at my condition (it normally opens at 9). It went around the palace and started to proceed towards Trivandrum. The rain was playing a spoilsport, when i was getting used to the rain it used to stop and the temp would shoot up, when i was trying to get used to the humid condition, the rain would come into play out of nowhere. I was really getting sick as i was getting splashings from all directions. I reached Trivandrum at 11 and i had 80 more Km's to cover. I visited Kovalam and I took the bypass road form Trivandrum and started to proceed towards Kollam, my final destination. On the way to Kollam I was surprised to see a huge Infosys building!!
Initially the roads were pretty even and i was hoping it to remain the same, but it didnt. I stopped in a shop and ordered for orange juice and just closed my eye for a moment, blank!!! When i opened my eye I realised i had slepty for 35 mins and the orange juice had become warm. I had the juice and few pieces of dates that i carried and started fresh to knockoff the remaining 50 Km. Initial 15 km's was fine, later I did not want to fight with these mercy less uphills and i shifted to "granny's gears" (meaning, even a granny walking beside can overtake you) and moved in snail's pace. Took few more breaks and finally reached Kollam at 6 in the evening. I found a decent looking lodge for Rs 150, threw my luggage in the room, had my dinner (idyappam and chicken curry costing just 55 Rs) and was in deep sleep by 8.
Total Distance  - 178 Km
Time - 13 hrs
Water - 8 Ltrs

Day 2... Mesmerising Allapy

I got up by 7, and rushed to the backwaters in Kollam.The guy in the counter demanded 300 Rs for a ride till allapy, but I negotiated and settled to pay 200 as i would be getting down in Haripad. We were just 8 of us in the boat and 4 of them were foreigners. 1 from Japan,  I really tried hard to pronounce his name, but I am sorry, I gave up.. but he was a very enthusiastic man, looking in his 40's but he is actually 65. He owns a Casino in Japan and shared his card (which is in Japanese). The other 2 were a sweet young french couples who  had come to attend a wedding in Bangalore. I was zapped to know the guy was a Supply chain forecaster in Boeing!!!  The boat ride was fun and I finally waved them a good buy and got down in Haripad. From there i went to Kuttanad, the rice bowl of kerala. Beautiful rice fields welcomed me. I had heard from many that this place was famous for duck roast and when i enquired few people all directed me towards a toddy shop. I entered the shop an ordered rice and duck roast. I saw 2 people half drunk and one already drunk. The one who was already drunk started the conversation with me asking where was I from, when I told him Bangalore he started taking about Devegowda and in a while he proudly said that the current CM was from Kuttanad, i just gave a friendly smile. His next question was, which party I support, i knew this would be a very controversial topic and that too with a man who is half drunk, i finished off my lunch soon. I reached Allapy at 6.30 in the evening and Kochi was 60 more Km's. With few more water and Juice breaks I reached Fort kochy at 11PM.

I have uploaded feww pics here
 Total Distance - 96
Time - 8 Hrs
Water - 6 Ltrs

Tour De Monsoon

• Tour De Monsoon


This monsoon I will be touring on my bicycle, starting from Kanyakumari and proceed along the west coast from 28th of May. I do not have a destination yet to end the tour but I have planned the tour for 10 days and planning to approximately cover 1000 Kms. I will be travelling to Nagercoil with my bicycle by Bangalore - Nagercoil Express on 27th May and reaching Nagercoil on 28th noon. I will have a small warm-up ride till Kanyakumari (20Kms) before I kick start the tour. I have reserved a normal sleeper class ticket as I want to keep this trip as economical as possible, not because I have a financial constraint, but I want to avoid Luxury as much as possible (I have given so much luxury to my body that my waist size has been increasing by multiples of 2 for the past 2 years). This would be a good 10 days test on my body to observe how much pain it can take. I have decided to completely rule out the consumption of bottled mineral water unless and until I come across a situation where I do not have any other choice, I will be drinking the water the locals drink, having the food the locals have. I will be staying in hostels, houses of worship, paddy fields or even a police station if I do not feel safe (I am carrying a sleeping mat).

Coming to the fun part, as most of the places I will be visiting has a strong history (were once ruled by the British, Portuguese ..etc), I will get to see a lot of temples, Palaces, forts, beaches, churches, Jew synagogue, Chinese fishing nets, ports.. etc. I will be staying in a house boat, will be camping wherever possible, cooking my own dinner (not a 7 course meal, I meant something like Maggie noodles) and many in store for me as surprise. I get to ride in between the rubber estates, paddy fields, and lanes passing along the sea and backwaters in the rain. This is all I know as of now.



• My Bike

It’s Rockrider 5.2 from Decathlon. I fitted a rare carriage to accommodate my backpack and sleeping bag. I have already fitted the head lamp, tail lamp and odometer. Other specifications remain the same that comes with this model. For more information about the bike you can visit the Decathlon web site.





• What will I carry

1. 3 pair of shorts and T Shirt, 1 Jeans, A pair of Gloves, my sun glass to ride in the hot sun and a water proof Jacket to ride in the rain.

2. Camera

3. Sleeping bag

4. 2 Water bottles (1Ltr)

5. Enough batteries to keep my headlamp and my tail lamp glowing for 10 days

6. 10 Packets of Electoral to overcome the loss due to dehydration.

7. 2 packets of lion dates as a quick energy booster (will keep replenishing if needed)

8. Mobile phone and charger, card reader and Pen drive.

9. IPod loaded with songs to its maximum capacity.

10. Toothbrush, paste and Soap

11. Johnson’s Baby Powder to avoid saddle sores

12. A book and pen.

13. Cable lock

14. Sunscreen and Vaseline

15. Repair tools (Spanner, Puncture kit, hand pump.. etc) and an extra tube.

16. Hard copy of the maps taken form Google Maps and the route plan.

17. Petrol and lighter for camping

18. Last but not the least “$#^^” Rs



• Why am I going on this tour?

“I am not doing this tour for any Social Cause!!”. So if you are looking for some kind of motivational story to work on a social issue like global warming, I am sorry to disappoint you. Then why am I going for this tour? To be honest I do not have a very clear answer, but I do have few unclear ones like,

1. I like to push my body to test its limit. For example I like feel the terrain in my muscles as I climb and when I am dripping wet after the climb I get a down hill as a gift. It’s a lovely experience and the smell of air I breathe is unexplainable!!

2. Admiring nature while cycling is all together a different experience (that too during the monsoon)! You are neither to fast to miss the beautiful view around nor too slow so that you loose out on time.

3. It’s a confidence booster!

4. It’s a thrilling experience to be left all alone just with a bicycle and 3 pair of cloths in an unknown place where you do not even understand their language.

5. Last, but not the least, who does not want to spend a long vacation in the Sun, Sand, and Sea.



• What to look for from this Blog

I will be blogging from my mobile (thanks to BlogSpot for mobile blogging option). I will post lot of stories about the places I travel, the kind of people I come across, and the challenges I face (especially with my cycle and language. I am learning few words in Malayalam like Buttermilk, Orange, tender coconut water.. etc as most of the days will be spent in Kerala). This is all I know as of now. I will be posting the updates, routes and pictures as and when they come.