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I had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant which was included in the price of the room and then a lovely warm shower.... I did enjoy the luxury :-)
I was on the road for about 10. The ride today was hard as it was still very mountainous but very beautiful. Tea plantations again and then long stretches through the jungle where there were no towns for over 30kms. I definitely made the right decision last night to stay in Manenthavady.
In the afternoon I finally reached the pass to decend from the Western Ghats down to sea level. I had made the climb up well over 1 month ago on the way to Gudalur. The pass was very steep (not as steep as the pass from Masinagudi to Ooty) but fortunately there were sections where I did not have to brake. However, by the end my hands really hurt from braking! The pass drops 800m in 5km!
The view over the mountains with the sea in the back ground were awesome. At the bottom of the pass the roads became far busier and it was much more densely populated. For most of the day before the pass I was cycling on single track roads though quaint little villages, tea planations and the jungle. After the pass there were only highways with heavy traffic and loads of small towns. I did not enjoy it anywhere near as much.
I was on the road for about 10. The ride today was hard as it was still very mountainous but very beautiful. Tea plantations again and then long stretches through the jungle where there were no towns for over 30kms. I definitely made the right decision last night to stay in Manenthavady.
In the afternoon I finally reached the pass to decend from the Western Ghats down to sea level. I had made the climb up well over 1 month ago on the way to Gudalur. The pass was very steep (not as steep as the pass from Masinagudi to Ooty) but fortunately there were sections where I did not have to brake. However, by the end my hands really hurt from braking! The pass drops 800m in 5km!
The view over the mountains with the sea in the back ground were awesome. At the bottom of the pass the roads became far busier and it was much more densely populated. For most of the day before the pass I was cycling on single track roads though quaint little villages, tea planations and the jungle. After the pass there were only highways with heavy traffic and loads of small towns. I did not enjoy it anywhere near as much.
It was tough going today, not just because it was hilly but the quality of the roads in places is terrible. This photo was taken after I had descended down to sea level and I was on a main highway to Kunnur. The road just turned into a dirt road track. It then changed back to tarmac again about 1km later. When they do road works in India they don't just close one lane and put up traffic lights etc like the UK - they just start taking the road to pieces and the vehicles drive round the men working on the road..... My poor old bike took a real battering today!
I arrived at Kunnur about 6ish and checked in to a lodge in the middle of town. It had a nice varanda looking out over the main street. I went off for a wonder round and got lost in an English book shop for ages. I rather stupidly bought 4 books! I will now have to carry them until they are finished!
I sorted out a few things like internet on my phone and some other little faffing jobs. No dinner as I am trying to lose the weight I put on by eating so much at Johnie's. Damn his culinary skills and generosity!
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