Its evening now, the repair to the bike ended up being more than a repair. A frankensteinian creation with the only original part being the wheels and the rest salvaged from other cycles. As I ride it back to the coconut mans village in the dark I notice the pedal alignment is off, the hard plastic seat is already causing discomfort, and the bike is too tall for me. But alas It was too late to go back now, tomorrow I set off for the 200km or 120 mi ride to Bangalore.
After Hyderabad I wanted some quietness so I decided to get In contact with the coconut man who I became quite fond of during my stay at the ashram, and visit him in his village. So I went to Davangeri and arranged to go with the coconut mans son (the coconut man has a name but I prefer coconut man) to his village. I dont know how to properly explain the relationship I have with coconut man, perhaps the role of a grandfather is accurate, but theres something unique about him that makes him stand out among everyone I have met in India. He has these moments where he will go on about god and close his eyes as he searches for the english equivalent for what he is trying to say, usually failing but I understand nevertheless. But ultimately he is a man that understands the value of silence, as he showed me the location of a new room he is building in the middle of his coconut grove to be in total peace and silence and away from his son who he says talks to much.
As the days past I could see that he was living the life of retirement, of just eating and sleeping. I wanted something that would require effort, and thats when I noticed his rusted jalopy on the side of his house. He agreed that I could have it but was concerned over my idea of riding to Bangalore and he made me promise to call every night until I made it to Bangalore.
The first day was hell. My body was shocked, after eating too much and sleeping too much for too long to riding a 60 pound behemoth in 90 degree weather for 20 miles. After staying in a less than desirable hotel, with cigarettes in the toilet and a fan that never stayed on for more than 10 minutes. I woke up at 7, applied aloe vera to my sun burns and set off, 10 hours, 7 coconuts, and 50 miles later I made it to a town called Tumkur.
Today I rode the last 50 miles Bangalore and about 20 miles with an Indian that I met along the way.
Can you tell which one is the Indian? To the left you see a man wearing Adidas pants and shirt with a road bike worth somewhere around 1000$ U.S weighing around 30 pounds. To the right you see a man wearing a lungi, a traditional south Indian attire much like the Scottish Kilt with a bike that cost 1000 rupees or 20$ weighing 60 or more pounds.
Turns out Shree was on a 500 km or 310 mi 24 hour ride he didnt complete it, but looking at his blog I think hes done it before. He does cycle tours all over India. We talked about the benefits of traveling alone how you meet more people, and how more and more people are drinking bottled mineral water when “regular” water is fine, also how people from low economic status tend to be more generous. Hes a good chap and I recommend you check out his blog.
Im no bikeman but I foresee a extended bike tour in my future. Its one of the greatest ways to travel. Your not flying past everything in a glass bubble at 70 miles an hour but gliding along on your own strength taking in the sights sounds and smells of your surroundings. But im incredibly sore, and tired. Jab out.
running is also awesome =) I run and chase your bike.
[...] There were several interesting things about Danny. For starters, he is just nineteen years old. He told me that he was "between schools". The American usage of the word "school" has confused me for years now. For instance, they use terms like "graduate school", which would be considered ridiculous here. Here, if you aint goin to "college", you aint grown up. His parents have been very supportive morally of this journey, he says, but he saved up for the trip by working part-time ! And why would he be visiting an Ashram at this young age ? A short story is his reply. But the summary is clear : he wants to find out what he wants to do, and then get a degree for it ! Needless to say, I am suitably impressed by this young man. Read more about Danny's activities at his blog, and perhaps his latest post which speaks of his ride and our meeting. [...]
Hi Danny ! Good to see this story – and may you have more fun & learning in my country