Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Punjai to Kishangarh – 110 K
Only a few minutes after heading out from the hotel, Jan had another flat (on the rear tire). She decided to just pump it up and continue – not sure why, but I didn’t question it. Anyway, about another 5 minutes more of riding and when I looked in my mirror, she and Candie were nowhere to be seen. There were 6 of us riding together and 3 of us stopped while the 4th went back to find that indeed Jan had had her second flat of the morning. While we waited, I pulled out my camera to take a picture of this barber shop on the roadside where we were. It is a very common sight to see someone sitting in this type of chair with shaving cream on their face getting a shave from the “barber.”
The terrain thus far has been very flat with only a few hills. Most days we have a lunch stop and today’s was at a converted town hall. This gentleman gave me permission to take his photo. He lives in this area and tends to the shrine and buildings here.
There was a couple of cute goats hanging around out lunch stop too… the young goats are energetic and I’ve seen more than one of them running along kicking up their heels. I’ve found very few things that make me laugh here, but the young goats are a hoot! Here’s one working on an orange peel… he gave up after a few minutes.
Today’s ride was mostly rural and we passed through village after village – some of them had large beautifully designed haystacks. I didn’t get a picture of the fanciest ones with the tall peaks and curved tops, but here is the basic shape and size. It looked like the cows had eaten the lower portions – I’m not sure what kept them from collapsing, but I DID notice large sticks were used for support. Here’s a plain one:
The tour has a competition going – whoever takes the picture of the funniest sign here in India wins – I can’t remember what they win, but they are gathering sign photos to make a collage for the website. I read a sign on the back of a truck that made me chuckle – I couldn’t take a picture because I was riding but the sign, in hand painted letters said, “Highly Inflammable.” I guess as long as everyone else knows what they meant, that’s what counts. The other day I asked someone what one of the phrases on some of the big vehicles means – they say, “Please use Dipper at Night.” What the heck is a dipper? It was explained to me that a dipper is your dimmer/bright switch on your headlights. I believe that comes from their British influence – anyway, they want you to flash your lights when passing or approaching oncoming traffic in the wrong lane… yes, that’s how it works here. Today I took a picture of this sign… your guess is as good as mine as to what this is advertising? I have seen very little body fat here so I just don’t get it…. Hmmm.
Our hotel for the night is a fort converted to a hotel. Here’s the amazing view from the hotel….
I waited for someone who was going for a walk thru the village so I could join them. Finally off my bike, I could take a few pictures of a few of the things we see in these towns. This fellow runs the laundry – he was ironing on the street (his cast iron iron is filled with hot coals).
Here’s a typical scene in town: pigs and piglets looking for snacks along the street and the shop keepers doing business in their elevated street-side shops. Most small towns and villages have open sewers that line both sides of the street and it is very common to have heaps of garbage in town or just on the outskirts - this is a favorite spot for the pigs too.
The last of the village pics for the night – a bicycle and a motorcycle parked at the side of the road. They look much like a scene from days gone by, but I assure you they are in use by a local resident.
