Wednesday, February 23
Harnai to Ganatiphule – 110 K
Several of us rode the lunch truck to the lunch stop location and then unloaded our bikes and rode from there to the hotel. That is the best way to ensure that we arrive at the hotel in plenty of time to enjoy the facilities and the beach in the afternoon. We rode only about 45 Kilometers of the 110 for today. The roads are still rough (we call them Rajasthani roads) and hills are consistently 8-12% grades. The concept of enjoying a well-deserved downhill AFTER a climb is an unlikely reality. Most of the downs are SO rough and strewn with gravel or dirt that you have to keep on the brakes the entire way down. Bernie (you’ll see a picture of him below) had a flat yesterday AND today from his rear brake overheating the rim on the down hills. I alternated and combined using my back and front brakes on the down hills…. most of them anyway. There was only one gradual downhill that was on a nice roadway – I enjoyed it immensely! J
Before arriving at our starting point (the lunch stop around 60 K into the day), we had to board a ferry (with the truck) for a quick ride across the bay - it saved everyone 70 Kilometers of riding around the bay. While waiting for the ferry, I captured a picture of one of the prettiest birds here – the Kingfisher. Their coloring is STUNNING! Here it is sitting on a hunk of concrete alongside the ferry ramp.
On the ferry, I snapped a picture of two of the three drivers for our group. Ashuk (pronounced “a “ (as in apple) & shook with the accent on the shook) is on the right – he drives the flagging car and sometimes picks up riders – and he is very helpful with whatever else is needed and also is available to change our money from dollars to rupees. The other driver is….. I can’t remember his name but he is the driver for the luggage truck. We also put bikes in his truck if we have too many riders needing a lift. The driver of the lunch truck is not very friendly and doesn’t really talk to any of us…he’s the serious sort and he stays with his truck and even sleeps in it every night. I do not have a picture of him… not yet anyway.
They found us a lunch spot at about 63 Kilometers. A woman was doing her laundry when we pulled up. I caught a few pictures of her rinsing the clothes. She filled the bucket from the water spout and then rinsed the clothes in the bucket
Just a moment before she rinsed, she was bent over this rock cleaning them by rubbing them on the rock – I think she was using a mild soap too.
Her water pots for carrying water to the house were waiting to be filled – when the laundry is done, she will fill them, and one by one she will put them on her head and take them to her house for cooking and cleaning.
We began our ride on a downhill and right away I spotted a ‘leaf” running across the road…? oh wait… that was a yellow lizard! I haven’t seen many reptiles here and I’m not too disappointed about that… especially the vipers and snakes. We’ve seen a few snake charmers with cobras but that’s all… they give me the creeps!
Soon we were on the hunt for a cold coke and found a nice spot to stop for one – this is a very NICE roadside shop – I’m sure the whole village comes here for everything they need. We ate potato chips and Pepsi and were on our way… refreshed. See the red phone on the right…. That’s the phone for the town and even though it looks like the hotline to the president, it is actually the only landline in the town. J
We had another ferry ride – this time the driver would not leave until we had 15 bikes and riders so we had to wait until the boat was full before heading across the bay. The ride was about 30 minutes long – here you see Bernie, one of the funniest guys on the trip. He and his wife Beryl are from Prince Edwards Island and traveled with Tour d’Afrique for 4 months thru Africa. They have written a book on that experience. I have the title written down in my bag so I can buy it when I get home.
We crossed a bridge this afternoon and saw a pretty fishing village – of course a picture was a great reason to take a moment to get off our bikes and relax. Our riding style is relaxed and casual but not everyone on the trip has the same style. Some are more driven to get to the hotel in the fast and furious way, while others opt to stop and visit with the local folks, sometimes putting their bikes in trucks or taxis and getting a lift forward. The beauty is, all our different styles are welcomed and the tour leaders want us to be as independent as we want to be – they only ask that we contact them if we make changes so that they can keep track of everyone’s whereabouts. They don’t want to lose anyone along the way. It’s a reasonable request and one that is easy to comply with.
We stopped just ahead and had another cold drink – this time it was Coke. We also ate 2 bags of potato chips and while we sat in the shade of the bamboo awning, one of the young men brought out a handmade wooden replica of a fishing boat that he had made. He was proud of his workmanship and we acknowledged his skill… he was so pleased with our compliments that he left and returned with a photo album of his work. We looked at the photos of the different pieces he makes and sells… and of course the photos of his family too. It was a nice stop.
When it was time to leave we returned our glass coke bottles and asked for a garbage can to throw away our potato chip bags. No matter where we go, the response to a request for a trash can is always the same – they look at us like we are from another planet and shake their heads and gesture with their hands to just throw it on the ground. I can’t get myself to litter even WITH their consent. I feel like I’m being so disrespectful to the country and it’s land. So I did what I do each time this happens, I simply handed my bag to the young man who in turn throws it beside the building on the ground by the street.
Here’s two more pictures of this village before we left:
The view from our balcony at the hotel is lovely.
We had time for a nice walk on the beach and then had a chat with Bernie and Beryl about the idea of skipping the next few days of riding and going straight to Goa for a few days of R&R there. That’s what we decided to do. Beryl made the hotel arrangements while one of the staff at TDA arranged our transportation. We are going to Goa tomorrow! I’m excited!
Here’s a self portrait of me on the beach at this lovely spot in Ganatiphule!
