Dave and his Bike

Days 58, 59 & 60.

Day 58.

I didn’t bother with breakfast at the hotel. I didn’t fancy fried eggs again. Once I’d paid my bill and trundled off down the road, I found some great street food almost immediately. A couple of vada pav with some chai, and a couple of samosas squirrelled away in my handlebar bag for later. Result.

The road was more of the same. River crossing, climb, descent, river crossing, repeat. After about seven or eight repeats (devouring my rations on the way) I had covered 50km and it was approaching midday, so I looked for somewhere to rest for a while. The restaurant I chose was a waste of time and effort. I asked for some Sprite. They said yes. Then there wasn’t any. I chose some bhajis from the menu. They said yes. Then guess what? I left with a bottle of water. At least I’d had half an hour off the bike!

I plodded on. I reckoned on it still being 50km to Anjuna or Calangute, which I didn’t fancy today, so headed the 15km to Parabgaon – shown on the map as Paradise beach. The road I took petered out, so the last 100m was across the sand. Soft sand. Hard-to-drag-a-bike-across sand. At least it wasn’t far, and it’s all part of the adventure. I went straight to the LaCliff Paradise Resort, to discover that it’s not what it sounds like. I then had a similar scenario to the restaurant: yes we have a room; showed me the room; gave me a drink; sorry the room is already booked. I moved on about 100m to the Sea Horse Restaurant and Hotel. They actually did have a room. Bigger, cleaner, cheaper. Another result!

After a shower I had a lemon and ginger tea. Really refreshing. I was tempted by a beer, but that will wait until later!

I also heard from Clayton this morning. He’s managed to get to Goa and find a bike shop. His bike should be fully repaired by Wednesday (3 days’ time).

Mileage so far: 3472km

Day 59.

I had a proper lazy start to the day. By the time I had packed up and had a big bowl of porridge for breakfast, it was after 0900. I knew it was a short day, so treated it as such. I found a better route back to the main road, which was mostly cycleable, but still had some patches of soft sand. The ‘main’ road surface was also questionable and slow going for the first few kilometres. I opted for the bridge route, as opposed to the ferry, as it was less hassle and no waiting around. I also wasn’t sure whether it was still running.

There were still a couple of punchy little climbs to get over before crossing into Goa (and one afterwards), which don’t get any easier with panniers in the heat. I hope this is making me stronger – I’ve got some big (really big) climbs to do later in the trip.

As soon as I had crossed the bridge and police checkpoints into Goa, I could tell. Immediately it was busier. There were western tourists on scooters. There are Christian churches (a throwback to Portuguese rule) in addition to the Hindu temples. In Anjuna itself, nearly every building is either a bar, restaurant, hotel or homestay. I tried a couple of places right on the beach, but didn’t want to pay their prices, so opted for somewhere a few minutes walk inland for fewer rupees. It also has a swimming pool and includes breakfast.

Once installed I went for a stroll. I found an ATM and then took my hard earned cash to the beach for a beer and some papads.

The rest of my day consisted of resting / dozing at the hotel, and eating. Chicken biryani and another beer sated me in the evening, the only downside being that it was more expensive than anything I’ve had so far in India. I suppose seaside tourist resorts are the same the world over.

The biggest cockroach I’ve ever seen made an appearance in my room before I slept. It won’t be back. It didn’t survive the encounter.

Mileage so far: 3509km.

Day 60.

Day off. Again.

Breakfast at the hotel was disappointing. The menu had toast and jam as an option. I ended up with four slices of toast but no butter, jam, or anything else for that matter. The chai was ok though. After a bit of routine bike maintenance / checking, I walked around to the German Bakery. You couldn’t get more stereotypically hippie if you tried. It did have the best coffee that I’ve had so far in India and quite a good attempt at a croissant though, so I’m not complaining. Great atmosphere!

I then walked down to the beach and settled in to a shack for some orange juice and a bottle of water. It’s a great beach, if that’s your thing. It’s not mine particularly, but it’s a good opportunity for people watching. The sound of the sea is also quite relaxing.

I managed to while away a few hours doing precious little, had some (not very exciting) masala papads for lunch, then wandered back to the hotel via the flea market where I picked up a little bracelet for Jane.

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking at routes across to Chennai. I’m trying to link up places of interest – national parks, temples etc. whilst at the same time being conscious of daily mileage and finding somewhere to stay. I also managed to fall asleep. Making up for not sleeping brilliantly last night I think.

Sadly, away from the beach, Anjuna is the same as the rest of this coastline. Outside most hotels they have a fire every evening to dispose of the days rubbish (including plastic), and the sight of the cattle (and dogs, cats and rats) rummaging through piles of rubbish in the street is all too common. I don’t know what the answer is.

Back on the bike tomorrow. I’m looking forward to the change of scenery, as for the first time in India I won’t be following the coast. Hopefully an early start heading towards the Mollem National Park. And the hills.