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Published: January 31st 2012
I realised that I have to hurry up a little bit because my friend Sepp from Kiel wants to visit me in Chennai in about 3 weeks, and if I want to fulfill my plan of going to the very South of Inida it are still 1500km.
Because the days in India are quite short also the distances I make are not so big. Before India it was no problem to ride more than 100km a day. But here I havent made more than 100km in one day except the one day without luggage where I took my MP3 player. After the night at the beach in Goa I decided to make 100km again. And I made it. I was going to the Cotiago Sanctuary in the South of Goa. And it was really nice. I havent seen any leopard or so but it was an awesome silence and nice jungle I was wandering in. So on 31.12. I already was leaving Goa again. Since the alcohol is so cheap in Goa that I bought a bottle of Cashew schnapps. I realised that after the last puncture I have lost my air pump. I couldnt believe it, how could I
lose my air pump? So I bought in the next town a new pump. It is a really big one! But it is working very fine.
My battery of my bordcomputer was quite empty at least it said so. I changed the battery and it isnt working at all anymore. But dont worry, the stop watch is still working so I can stop my daily riding time. And the distances I estimate by my maps and the road signs. So you still can enjoy my statistics 😊
New years eve I was celebrating with the schnapps and mango nectar. I was awakened by loud biting aunts in the entry of my tent. Unbelievable that they were so loud. But luckily, my tent was closed and they couldnt come into my tent.
In Karnataka, the next state after Goa I just cycled through. Although I was on a National Highway the road was often very bad. And the more I was coming to the South the more noise was on the street. I was often listening to music so it was a bit better. Here the mosquitos are also much more present than in the first days in
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wildlife sanctuary in GoaMaharashtra. I was surprised to have no problems with mosquitos there but now I have to hurry up every evening to build up my tent to flee away from them. However, n the tent is it often very hot and I am sweatening a lot. I start sleeping without any sleeping bag but during the night it is getting colder so that I have to crawl into it.
Some news of my companions: Bert from US cycled in Israel Jordan, Egypt , Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand (with some flights in between) and is now back at home. Chris and Meint made it from Teheran over Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan to Kashgar in China with the cycle. But for both it was too cold and Chris took the train to Beijing and Meint was flying to Nepal where he spent a month as backpacker. I think Chris is continuing to Australia as far as possible with bicycle.
After three days I came into Kerala. Again a different language, different people. The men are often wearing wrap-around skirts. You see again many mosques and women in black clothes. Even the letters are completely different from the devangari alphabet. So I have agaion
no idea what is written on the signs. I often must think of Europe, also with a unique currency and no passport controls at the borders, but different cultures, different languages, different countries.
I got again many spots as in Serbia for example, I thinkl it is from the heat and the effort. But they have gone again after a few days.
Sometimes I made a rest at a beach. Very nice beaches, often without any person there! But in general it is very crowded along the coast in Kerala. My RoughGuide says it is the most denelky populated region in hole India. And I feel it! There is no place where you can be alone for a few minutes. And then the horrible noise of the crazy honking of everybody. I have no problems with the smell, the chaos, the litter, the heat, mosquitos,... but the noise I cant get used to it. In the evening I had many problems to get a sleeping place. The towns or villages or whatever along the road didnt stop. I was happy when I found a green area in the middle of a town where I could stay. And it
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high view point is funny that in such places I was mostly not disturbed the whole evening, night and morning, although all people could see me.
In the middle of Kerala at the coiast there is a little enclave, Mahe, belonging to Puducherry, another very little state. There were many alcohol shops so that I allowed myself a bottle of wine. That night I stayed at a beach. Some locals came and stared at me without saying something or made some fancy movements with their hands that I didnt understand. I thought the one guy wanted to have some food of me. After a while a bigger group came to me and one said to me that there are often snakes. Everywhere snakes! Even at the beach. They showed me a place where no snakes can come to. I tried exceptionally to sleep without a tent but that was a fault. The mosquitos annoyed me muchso I couldnt sleep. At one o'clock or so the police came, wanted to see my passport and was asking what I am doing there. Thei said it was not so safe there, that there are some thieves. I nevertheless wanted to stay there and they said,
okay but dont complain tomorrow at the police. No problems with any thieves but many problems with the mosquitos!
One evening when I couldnt find a sleeping place I was riding in the night. Was not so bad as I thought and it was quite nice not to have the hot sun. But that was the only evening I did this, else I ride only in the daylight.
Some days it was really hot, it reminded me to the hot days in Turkey. I just went from one juice shop to the next and tried nice fruit juices and shakes and ice creams😊
In Kottayam I decided to go directly to Tamil Nadu and not make the longer way to Trivandrum and then backj to Chennai. The time was getting too close. I had to cross the ghats I was making 1000m elevation in one day. I dont know if I had such steep mountains so far. There were tea plantages everywhere where I also decided to sleep. I thought there was a nice meadow but suddenly my feet were completely sunk in mud. Nice! But I found a dry place to stay. In the night it
was extremely raining. Once a guy came and said something like Buga, buga, beega, Caruba! Probably Malayam, the language spoken in Kerala. I said "sleep, sleep"and made the corresponding handsign. "Buga, Baruga!" I answered the same and he was going away. And for this conversation I had to open my tent, that everything got wet! After a while the same game with another person. But then they let me alone. The next morning I was awakened buy one of the guys at 7am and he showed with hand signs that I should not stay there. He showed in a direction where maybe a hotel was. But now I didnt need any hotel anymore, so I left the tea plantage.
I was going to the Periyar Sanctuaryat the border to Tamil Nadu. First I missed it and I was riding down with much speed to about 400 m altitude. There I was said I am already in Tamil Nadu and I have to go back. Again upwards, maybe 400m. 10 min. down, 1h up...I was a bit disappointed because I couldnt go into the park with my bike. The normal way is to take a boat trip or to take
a tour guide which you had to book in advance. The second alternative sounded better, but another day staying there I wasnt going for that. So I took the touristical boat trip. And as I thought it was quite boring. Of course, the animals are running away by such a noisy boat going along the lake. When the staff said: "Look, a deer!" Everybody was getting to his feet and making pictures. But from a big distance we could see two elephants and wild pigs and a buffalo. Next to the boat we have seen two otters. An Indian tourist group m,ade much fotos of me and my bike. Maybe I was the most interesting being they have seen in the park 😊
Tamil Nadu I liked much more than Kerala, not so crowded and you easily find sleeping places 😊 In restaurants the food is served on palm leaves, very cool! In the days I arrived here there is a festival, especially celebrated in the countryside. As far as I have understood are the cows celebrated. They are often coloured, their fur and their horns. And in the villages there comes from big loudspeakers loud music, with a
very bad quality. I often was awakened by this music.
My two tent bars are broken now. Now the tent is a bit unstable there is little space inside and it is not drying so easy. But it still works. Hopefully I can get it fixed in Chennai!
One day I was staying at a lake. One guy asked me where I want to go now and I said I want to look for sleeping place. He was discussing something with another guy. I said:"For example here!" Because I liked this place and was annoyed of their disussion. They found it quite funny I think that I want to stay there and said:"I like this place!" They said something about cold, mosquitos, snakes, but no reasons not to stay there with my tent. They phoned to some friends and aftyer a few minutes the half village was watching me pitching my tent up. Every newcomer was greeted with the words:"...I like this place!..." accompanied with some laughter. Didnt know that this sentence was so funny... The next morning when I got up a guy saw me and he whistled to the village that everybody could join
the morning show of the strange crazy foreigner that likes that place.
I went to Puducherry in a bar restaurant. It was noon, but it was very full and loud and all people drinking. I had two beers and a little snack there. I was a bit drunk. I think I am not used to drink anymore. In the near I was also in the sea, seemed to be a famous beach by the locals. But it was funny that they just stood around. Not like at us, where everybody is lying at a towel or so. Only few were in the water, mostly little children. However, that didnt keep me from having a nice refreshing bath.
From Puducherry I followed the coast to Chennai. I had a little misunderstanding with Sepp, I thought he will arrive at Friday night in Chennai, but it was on Sunday night. So I had suddenly 2 more days where I was quite lazy, was often in an internetcafe and wrote some diary.
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tumelwup
non-member comment
good evening show
strange habits! strange clothing! amazing nature. Each time your bicycle stands alone outside your tent, haven't any locals or pass-byers fiddled on your luggage? Everyday where you get off bike into a restaurant, bar, shop, or when visiting people (for a sleep over), did never anybody bothered with your bike or the luggage on it? according to your diary-report, only insects liked to fall over your edible luggage, was'nt it? Have furthermore happy und adventurous journey through the large amazing India. Greetings tumelwup