Advertisement
Published: January 3rd 2012
DSCF2927
all the trucks colourfulBefore my trip I was asked from many people what I want to do when I have arrived India. I was not sure about that, it was so far away. I just said, first arrive and then I will see. And now I am indeed here in India! After 13045 km riding, 205 days, 13 countries, 8 seas, 29 flat tyres, 12 broken spokes, one broken tent, one flat foam mattress, one lost helmet and camera, uncountable many mosquito bites. When I wrote on facebook the status that I have arrived in India, there were lots of congratulations and comments on that. Thank you very much for that! Indeed, I am quite proud to have done this.(In spite of the two cheatings) Not so much that I have arrived here, more that I really started the trip. I think the starting was the most difficult. The rest was nearly done by itself. It is now normal to ride the whole day, not to know in the morning where and what to eat and where to sleep, sleep somewhere outside and be always dirty.(As Bert said: "The dirtiness is belonging to you, it is getting a part of you.")
So, now as
I have arrived in India I can answer the question about my further plan: Riding, of course! My Visa is valid until the midth of April, so I will have some time to discover India by bike! My rough plan is following the west coast from Mumbai until the very South and then following the east coast to Calcutta and then maybe Delhi. So there will be a few further blog entries you can enjoy 😊
Punctually on Tue, 22.11. at 4.30am local time I landed in Mumbai. I was picked up by a staff of the hostel I have booked. There was a free bed so that I could sleep there for about 3 hours. The first day in Mumbai I and 5 other travellers were visiting Dhavari, the biggest Slum in Asia. At first, we felt a bit unwell to go to a slum as a tourist, its like going to a zoo and watching the poverty. But the fee we have to pay for a guide is mostly used for projects in the slum so that the people propably also have something from our visit. It was quite impressive. The population density is the biggest in the
whole world. We were surprised that the mood of the people was not very depressive. There is a huge recycling area of plastic and also sheet metal cans. The plastic is collected from all over the world. So the people have much to do. The people there were used to see tourists and greeted us friendly.
The next day was Taking-my-cycle-from-the-airport-day. It took me about 6 hours to get my bike. But that was not the worst. The staff made me so afraid that I have to pay incredible huge taxes because of the worthy bike. I was so naive and worried that I agreed that they "arrange" (bribe and so on) everything for me for about 100 Euro! I cant understand myself why I made this. In the hostel the hostel runner was angry with me that I paid so much where I didnt have to pay anything. So I couldnt really enjoy that my bicycle landed unbroken to Mumbai. In total it would have costed me much less if I had taken the bike with me in my flight (nothing to say about the much less stress I would have had).
I have an Indian friend originally from
Pune (150km southeast from Mumbai) and now living in Berlin. He is coming to Pune the december, so I want to visit him then. But what to do the time until then? Mumbai was too expensive, so I wanted to do a round trip. Raj, the hostel runner, was recommending me the famous ellora caves, so I decided to go there. At first, I had to ride out of Mumbai which was of course a nice adventure. Here is traffic on the left, but it doesnt matter if you are riding on the right side because the local are doing the same.(It even happened to me that a big truck in the night was coming towards me on the highway on the wrong side with full beam so that I couldnt see anything) I couldnt believe that the so-called "Highway" out of Mumbai actually was a highway. There was much action on and next to the street (you often dont really no where the street ends). Pedestrians, bicycles, handcarriages, mopeds, rikshaws (also called tuk-tuks, that are three wheeled taxis), three wheeled micro transporters, cars, trucks, dogs, chicken, dogs, cows, dogs, goats, cats, dogs, pissing men, playing kids, pigs, dogs, clothes
DSCF2936
here I got my first water washing women, litter, fire making and cooking people, little kiosks, ... And of course, incredible noise because everybody who can is honking, and extremely smelly car fumes.(Especially the mopeds and tuk-tuks are bad) As soon as I was getting out of Mumbai, nearly no signs in English.
I was happy that I have learnt some Hindi in Berlin so that I am at least able to read the Devangari script. However, the signs where the roads are leading to are also quite rare. I missed many exits so that I had to ask often.
The first night out of Mumbai I was going off the road a few hundred metres and was in the middle of a big forest (where was my last forest? I dont remember, maybe at the donube!), I was surprised that so close to so many traffic and people it is so quiet and only nature. In the morning there were some women carrying wood on their head. At first they were so shy that they hadnt the heart to pass me. They went back, propably to discuss what to do and decided that they had to pass me and hurried to do so. Again I
DSCF2938
my first host family(s) in India was surprised that not far away from the mega city Mumbai there are people that seem to live without any contact to foreigners.
The next day I was leaving the highway and I enjoyed the little traffic and the calm. But the road was getting worse. In the late afternoon I bought food for dinner. The shop runner said that I can sleep next to the temple of the village. I attended the daily prayer ritual at the temple. A bell was ringed monotonely and the people clapped with there hands. After a while everybody was singing. It was nice to see. The drinker of the village was dancing to the music. The children found it funny but the adults seemed to be annoyed of him. I was going for join the dancer but I thought it propably would offend the people. There were some mosquitos so that I decided to build up my tent. After that a guy from the village said that I also can sleep at his house. So I packed my tent back and was following him to his place. he English of the people was quite poor. The mother tongue here in Maharashtra is Marathi,
but they all can speak Hindi as well. I was proud that I could ask some questions in Hindi (and also understood the answers😊) as "What is your name?How are you? Are you living here? How many children do you have?" They told me that I should go to Shirdi which is on the way to Ellora. I had no idea what there is to see; it was not mentioned in my "Rough guide" (I got the guide in the hostel of Mumbai for free. It has about 1500 pages, so a really heavy guy), but why not?
It is hard to get proper food in the many kiosks on the way. They only have water, chips, biscuits and soap. But there are many restaurants where you can get a proper meal for about 1,50 Euro. And its really tasty! You also find fruit stands (1kg bananas for about 0,30 Euro!) so bread or even cooking is not necessary. The first days I had a bit stomach ache and some diarrhoea but not severe. My stomach has become quite strong during the trip, I think. Although, one day I felt quite sick. That day I only went to the next
kiosk to buy some water and found a nice place to rest. I had a nice midday nap. I was awaked by two cow shepherds. I tried to explain them that I want to stay there. After a few hours they came again and they convinced me not to stay there because of snakes and of other reasons I havent understood. They led me o a temple in the middle of the field where I could stay. A few minutes another guy came and said that there are biting aunts and showed to a farmhouse in the near. I was going there and asked if I can stay there in the near and they said no.I was surprised, this word I havent heard often. Maybe they understood me wrong. I was quite frustrated and went near to the first place, picked up my tent because of the snakes and had a nice night. Such circumstances!
Shirdi was very touristic, no foreigners but many Indians. The locals immediately were running to me abd fighted each other who could give me his card for his shop. And then I saw it: a temple with a huge queue in front of it. A
guy came immediately to me and without knowing was is actually going on he arranged a VIP pass for me. Heshowed me a place where I could put my bicycle (in front of his shop). Cameras and mobiles were not allowed inside, he showed me the place where to leave that. And then, of course nothing is nothing, he led me to his shop where I could by things to offer. For whom I still didnt know. He packed me a huge bag of flowers, food, clothes, ... 950 Rupees! Erm, thats too much for me! At most 200! Hemade 300 out of it, butI had a VIP pass (dont know why), so I could shortcut the queue a bit. Often somebody shouted something and everybody was answering. Like "Zicke-zacke,Zicke-zacke!" "Oi, oi, oi!" But was probably a bit more religious... It was a annoying mass processing. The offers were given to some monks and they just threw them carelessly to a statue, from Shree Sai Baba, as I found out later. I decided to give just the flowers and keep the food for myself. I was happy to come out of the touristical town.
In the night, Ive already put
up my tent, when some locals came to me and said that I dont can stay there. It took some time until I found out the reason: "Tiger!"- "Tiger?"- "Yes, two!" Hmm, maybe thats really a reason not to sleep there. But I thought they are in the deep jungle. They said something of a school in the near where I could sleep. The school I havent found of course, but I found a place next to the highway on a sugar cane field, and I thought the tigers wont have the heart to come so near to the highway.
I was going to Arthur Hill Lake in the near and that was beautiful! Nearly no people and amazing landscape!
Most villages dont have fluent water but electricity. There are 3 technical things that every household has: a mobile phone, a TV and a moped. My bicycle is erverywhere a sensation. I am often asked: Where are your gears? I dont know, somewhere inside, I just know here are some. Even my lock that you can fold and my bord computer is very interesting. In a bike shop the staff made 1000 fotos of my bike because they
DSCF2944
even the signs are proposing to horn! havent seen such like this. The interest and excitement of the people is a bit different than in Iran. Here the people are waving and greeting also often but it doesnt look so excited. But, if you stop because you ask somebody for the way or you have a puncture, then immediately 10 people are around you and watching you. I even had it in the morning when I get up, piss in the bush, brush my hair and teeth and pack my stuff on the bike that 10 people are watching me.
The last night before I arrived in Pune I was at a nice lake. Two boys visited me there. They were quite interested in my stuff, my books and my MP3 player. I made so good experiences with the people on my trip so I decided to borrow them my Mp3 player over night. However, the next morning they havent brought me the player back. Shame! A guy from the neighboring house helped me to find his father and he promised to take the player from the boys - after school because they took it with to school. We exchanged our mobile numbers so that we
can arrange to give me the player back.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.232s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 7; qc: 45; dbt: 0.052s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
ELHAM BEHROUZI
non-member comment
GOOD FOR YOU
HI.I SAW YOU IN PARISHAN LAKE A BOUT 3 MONTH AGO AND NOW I GET YOU ARE IN INDIA .I ALMOST SEE ALL YOUR PHOTOS AND ALL I CAN SAY IS "GOOD FOR YOU BUDDY