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Published: February 23rd 2008
Children
Please send me a copy of this picture when you get to England. OKFriday 22nd February 2008
NOT a good day physically. Rode 102 miles, 60 of which, with a very grumbling, complaining stomach, in very high temperatures. Climbing 2127metres definitely didn't help either. On arriving at the hotel I felt very ill. ( Thank goodness someone invented imodium! ) I did not eat and went to bed feeling very cold despite the 30 degree temperature.
As we cycled along we passes lots of road works, mainly reconstruction after the monsoons and some road widening. Nearly all the work was being done by teams of women who carried everything on their heads- stone, sand, soil etc- all manual labour. Again the photo opportunity was marred by the fact that the women just wanted to pose for the camera. These women are something else, very strong and hard workers who can still find the energy to smile and pose for us. I have yet to see a wheel barrow.
I witnessed what happens when a tuk tuk takes a speed bump at speed-the load of tomatoes it was carrying as flung off and scattered all over the road. The local children swooped and were frantically collecting them until they
Backup crew
Smili the banana man saw the camera! Then all thoughts of free tomatoes were banished and they stood there posing, with not a single tomato visible.
Saturday 23rd February 2008
Feeling just a tad better. Cycled about 60 miles today, 10 of which were downhill, the rest up and down. Rode through a national park, could hear lots of elephants but never actually saw any. I saw lots of monkeys on the road. Several of the group are now suffering and only 4 actually managed to ride the whole distance. I actually rode the last eight miles of the journey in the transport provided as back-up! This was due to me 'hitting the wall' due to lack of food - I could just not face it.
We are in Marayoor in a lovely hotel with beautiful gardens. The daytime temperature has been in the mid to high 30s but the night time temperatures never fall below 30. We are provided with lots of drinks, hot and cold, as we cycle. The food is rather too hot and spicy for my taste, give me one of the Patak's Kormas from home any day. We do have chicken and fish curries as well as vegetarian.
I was chased by a pair of angry dogs again today and again I was denied the opportunity to 'zap' them with my 'dazer'.
Disappointing, but my day will come- I only hope the dazer actually works, if and when I should actually need it.
That's all for now folks!
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