The Endurance Man

Yet another discovery of a man's attempt to go through the most hellish suffering and prove something .......something what??? I think it simply proves that "Man indeed can DO anything if he THINKS he can". Ummmm....that was a boring cliche from my side but well... I have nothing else to conclude on why man is willing to endure such undertakings.

Whatever....

What panache this gentleman has, haan!!!! So, this is Sir...yes he has been knighted for his unmatchable feats..... Sir Renaulph Fiennes - A Londoner. Out of the many attempts he has made to prove his endurance the following is what actually introduced him to me while I was just hitting around on the wild web.

They've made it!
Seven marathons
in seven continents
in seven days
to help fight heart disease

Yes, to fight heart disease. When one learns that Sir Ran have survived one heart attack and have also bypassed the risks in his two bypass surgeries......Whoa!!! And do no get deceived by that a little younger look in the above pic. He celebrated his 63rd Birthday on 7th March. And yet not done.... he is on an extreme mission of climbing the Eiger.....taking the so said most dangerous approach - The North Face.

Amol salutes you, Sir!!!

This is Dr Mike with Sir Ran at the end of the 7x7x7 adventure in New York, USA. Dr Mike also accompanied him in this mind boggling idea. The idea itself will make one shudder with fear and anxiety.

The amputated thumb you see is the result of frostbites in one of his such crazy attempts. This was during a solo walk to North Pole. Sadly he did not make it for some reason but he has the guts and the attitude to survive the most gruesome challenge.

I have a feeling that this man must be a very simple and down to earth person. Would love to attend some of his talks if ever he does.

"We are ecstatic to have completed a challenge that was in such doubt of ever even starting.My heart attack and double heart bypass operation coupled with terrible weather conditions and mechanical problems in South America posed formidable obstacles to this epic adventure."

Ha ha....... So Cool! I liked this foto. Waiting for his plane at London airport.

I am sure he must be enjoying whatever he is doing to his body in such adventure rides around the world. And yet again it makes me wonder the unique relation of pain and pleasure. Its quite strange to see humans deliberately getting into such mental and physical suffering. Oh yea, of course Sir Ran's expeditions are with a Noble cause of raising funds for the unfortunate diseased ppl than simply with the idea of getting through a suffering. I have not yet fathomed the exact reason why such suffering brings joy to his heart. I have experienced that but do not exactly know the connection between joy and suffering. So contrary yet so connected. I have a feeling that it has to do with some psychological aspect of humans. No ideas whatsoever as yet....an yes....no time to think about that now.


Another foto from their Marathon...this is the duo running on a lonely road at Falklands Islands ....running runing...all alone.....running for a cause....



While looking for some good quotes about suffering this one strikes me and partially answers the connection question I have. This by Hellen Keller - an inspiration in her own style! It conveys in a nutshell what suffering brings to oneself - a transformation. But I am after "WHY".

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the
soul be strengthened,
vision cleared,
ambition inspired,
and success achieved."

...........................................................^ Hellen Keller


So very true............

Their Run horizontal , vertical mine! - The Run!

We keep exchanging such news .... and not normal news.....but news that are totally different and riveting .... news that give a jitter to the rational, normal belief and understanding. During one of such exchanges Rahul sent me a link to this mind blowing mission that three guys from three different parts of the world undertook in late '06 - early '07. This mission deserves to be called "THE RUN". I had heard/read of such marathons in the most punishing of climatic conditions on this earth but this is way beyond one's wildest imagination.

From right is Charlie, Ray and Lin - USA, Canada and Taiwan. I have not yet been able to grasp their inclination towards enduring such an ordeal. Reading through their site on National Geographic I see that they are more into trying to understand the culture and get to know more of the people and the lifestyle there in the Great Saharan Desert.

The Mission: Running 4000 miles across the Sahara Desert - East coast to West Coast of that enigmatic African continent.

One can read more about these guys and their Run at this dedicated site.

For me what strikes out in this attempt by my fellow three human beings is their willingness to persevere the inclement conditions of the Sahara Desert. Well, I like hot regions but having to run in the heat of the largest Desert on earth with a daily target of at least 40miles is of course no mean a task. I can only imagine the itching caused by the sweating, parched throats, high possibilities of encountering lots of wild insects, reptiles and animals. Subscribing for such a mission is itself a feat, I would say.

I have always wondered about the liking of 'torture' and suffering in human psychology. And what befuddles me more is the most certainly asked question about it - "Why?", "Why am I doing this to myself?" , "Why?". I have quite often asked this question to myself but never got any answer, or say there isn't any answer or rationale to this strange affinity for suffering. I just end up saying "aah! It feels good.". Suffering - be it emotional or physical I have always kind of liked it. In my own small number of such experiences, I have come closer to the fervor of life. Though I doubt if continuous suffering will get one to the Ultimate Truth of LIFE :-D. And I may not indulge into that. However as Lin has confessed...

"...learning and positive changes are the result of suffering, as suffering only makes one a stronger and better person. "

Personally I have realized that its in these times of suffering that the faculty of critical thinking and deep introspection is instilled and is in full action. For me, it has indeed triggered a lot of good and healthy thinking and has in fact led to many discoveries about myself. Some discoveries I forget , some I carry along but there is a lot of gain in such suffering. I kind of get pleasure in such suffering. Strange but true. The pains at the start of such suffering are engulfed and put aside by the deep thinking that soon ensues, or may be the constant pain is constantly fueling the thinking going on. It makes me unusually silent but not a single thought of loneliness creeps in. I am alone but not alone....am with my suffering, I am with my determination to persevere , I am with my doubts of succeeding, I am with my fears of failing, I am with my loneliness, am with my pains, am with my apprehensions, and for somehow I feel I am with HIM. HE is watching me going through the ordeal...be it physical or emotional...HE always watches and sees how I am going through it as HE must have watched this Trio going through the Sahara. For me, be it roller skating on the slopes of Himachal, cycling up that arduous Gaganbawda Ghat or that Mumbai-Pune one, or the monotonous NH17 on the way to Goa, or those solo treks in the hot sun with minimal water and food in the Shayadris, or simply rowing at the highest load in the NTU Gym, such physical and mental suffering has done a lot to me. and in a way I have liked that feeling. Though obviously this suffering of mine I am talking about is 0.0000000001% of what Charlie and the other two athletes have gone through in the Sahara desert. I can only imagine and admire this phenomenal feat they have achieved.

Certainly not to a scale as this mission of Charlie and his gang but am going on a kind of nano-"mission" this Sunday - 25th Feb. Its the Vertical Marathon 2007, Singapore. Organized by NTU and participated by all. Its banner I saw for the first time a couple of weeks back had fascinated me when I read that its a stair-way climb to the top of a 60 story building at Raffles Place. This 60 story building - The Republic Plaza - presents one with a climb of over roughly 1500ft - that is if you climb up all the 1380 steps there. Yes, a perfect venue to torture yourself and am going to enjoy pushing my legs against the stairs, gaining height at each and every breath.

I wonder even if God knows why am very much into such physical activities instead of participating into those Ice-cream, food eating contests I see going on here when all I want these days is a couple of KGs of fat over my bones to be like a good looking chubby boy.

Anyways looking forward for this Vertical Marathon and am going to complete it for sure, be it in the evening or the next day morning I am going to climb up all those 1380 stairs and click a photograph of the city center from the top.




Re Plaza, am coming!!!!!!!!!!!!

ufff....5:43Am dude! Got to go flat now.

Wrooof wrooof.....no....fuusss fusss...its a snake, buddy!

Photo Courtesy: Tan Sijie

Yes, a snake....
Dog-faced Watersnake - Cerberus Rynchops

Tan Sijie, a NTU student is doing a research on this particular species of water-snakes. They are quite prolific on this island. Collecting data for his work is one big task that is accomplished only with some active field work in the swampy areas of Singapore. So last night and the night before (19th and 20th Feb) we visited the wet lands in Pasir Ris to hunt for these dogs during their feeding time. I ha d volunteered to be a part of the Hunter team (Thanks to Guru for forwarding that mail)

These dogs are nocturnal snakes that mainly feed on fish. And as Sijie's research work was centered around their feeding habits we had to venture out during night time in the small window of low tide. The low water levels give good chances of capturing them while feeding. Ascertaining these nights when we could go hunting was purely based on statistical data of the tide levels. Sijie did a meticulous analysis of the Tides' data sheet he had acquired from the Govt office to decide the hunting nights. So considering the time of the day, tide level, and chances of capturing the snakes he had 4 days in Feb and 4/5 days in mid March. Quite a short time to collect data I feel. He is to arrive at some conclusion about the feeding habits of the snakes. We are to capture snakes right when they are swallowing a fish. And by swallowing I mean really swallowing. I was not impressed by their lack of judgment on the size of the fish they can squeeze into their slender body. Well you have that ability to widen your mouth to an extent of ones amazement but afterall you have cannot swallow each and every fish, damnit! :). We are to catch a snake that has almost or completely swallowed its prey and log it in Sijie's log book there. The next day he would take the snakes to his lab and take the measurements of their weight, length and other parameters. Am sure he knows what all he needs from the specimen :)


Night 1 - 19th Feb

We were to meet at the Pasir Ris MRT at 6:45PM which is the last stop of the EW Line starting from our boarding station, Boon Lay - the first station on that line. So going from one end to the other in exactly 60 mins flat. Yes, Singapore is just so small. :). Sijie and his friend "Fish" were already there. Singaporeans - very punctual rather, Amol - always late.

Got into our shorts and 'booties', sprayed anti-mosquito liquid on the open parts and there we were at he banks of the canal in the swampy area. Thankfully its more of a rocky shore than a swampy one so not much of foot-mud-munching and no fear of something creepy getting into your shoes. Sijie got the first sight and showed me how it looks.

From whatever I had read about the Dog
1. It's grayish in color
2. It's nocturnal and the very reason for our night time hunting.
3. It's non-venomous - a very important fact.
4. It's not very aggressive - another important fact.
5. Mostly feeds on fish - thats what we were to wait for it to do.

And yes...it was grayish and seemed not very aggressive but it was to be confirmed when I got my hand on the first snake that night. Not much luck in catching a feeding but spotted a few that helped Sijie capture it and add to his collection.

At the end of the time window we had we bagged around four Dogs with fish inside. Not bad haan!! Packed up and headed back to the MRT and back to Boon Lay to luckily get the last bus to NTU


Some more fotos ....from the same night.

My foot and a juvenile...just to give an idea of its size.

Another juvenile finding its way thru a gap under my shoe



An adult swallowing a fish.....




An overly ambitious juvenile trying to swallow
more than it can chew

Night 2 - 20th Feb

Same place but a little late. We were only two of us as the other volunteers were running late. Anyways started with our hunt. Had a good start at sighting but had to wait for a while before a good swallowing was in hands. In another hour the two later comers joined in and we four continued under our head lamps. Eventually we had a better catch this night. 6 in all. All feeding. In between had a small drizzle but thankfully did not pour beyond that and beyond 10mins and it kept the session quite enjoyable. Being in a swampy area with pouring like that of Singapore is not a comfortable situation to be in.

After quite a successful hunting session headed back to the MRT and back to Boonlay to catch the last bus to NTU. On the way I tried to understand some Chinese and Singaporean intricacies. The Chinese names have always befuddled me and the 1 hr train journey gave a good chance to try and understand how they are coined in the first place. Sijie and his other friend (Singaporean, I forgot his name. I am so dumb at remembering these Chinese names, Ufff! It just slips out of my brain the very next minute) were quite good in explaining the things. For the first time I understood some bit of the complicated names and Language intricacies of China. And yes also about guessing the gender of persons by their names. Now that I found is difficult without any knowledge of a good number of Chinese words:D

Overall, this activity was a nice experience, specially because it took me to the wild and so close to its habitants. Not that it was my first time......those days with Vaibhav back in India at Chirner, Panvel were closer and wilder than this one...but it game a good feeling to be around in the Nature. As is every instance of snake handling this added my liking towards these reptiles. At the canal whenever a Dog would swim pass me I would simply watch it with a smile while it wandered around between rocks. I felt genuinely good simply watching their graceful swimming. They ARE beautiful creatures. And such zillions of small members in the bigger picture, that is Nature, ought to make it beautiful.

Television Trip - Day4

Beautiful morning but a little disliked day.......and also the end was uneasy.

Photos of the 3rd and 4th day in this Picasa Album here.

Woke up to the sound of receding waves but otherwise a very quiet morning. The tent with cycle looked cool in that early morning light. Sealed the tent and headed to the rocks for a morning procession right at the sea shore and it was kinda refreshing. But in my wildest imagination I had that unfortunate eventuality of losing some part to the crabs there so was not all that free from nervousness. There were many fishermen there easing themselves.

A pleasant morning on the beach and then at the same restaurant a Veg Club Sandwich and hot n strong Coffee. A very small group of decent and no-nonsense tourists around, nice , clean place and also friendly fishermen around to chit-chat with made me like that place. Lazied around at the hotel but had to peddle start coz I had not thought about the night stay that day. Panaji of course but where and how in Panaji at such a peak tourist time. With the television back in place....oh no....nomore a "Television" it was...the other day I had removed the white cover off my bag at a Jetty near Morar Beach. The boatman there quite curiously asked me if I was carrying a "TV".....hee hee. I was on my way to Panaji. Going along the coast line in North Goa was to take me via Anjuna, Baga, Calngute, Candolim. Paid a brisk visit to Baga and Calungute and decided not to waste my energy and time exploring such maddening beaches anymore and unhesitatingly dropped the rest. And among such disappointing experiences were the futile attempts to get in touch with Rahul Alvares (the snake catcher in Goa I had fixed a meet up with. He, a member of a Rock Band there, had gone out for a show as it was 25th. His Dad on phone could not help more than just telling that he will be back only by 7PM, and I was in no way going to stop. But now I feel I shud have stopped! Missed a chance to see a King Cobra with Rahul :( ) and then a frustrating attempt to find that Skate park in Assagoa. I was not impressed with Nick, park owner's website that absolutely had no directions to reach his place. Strange and unprofessional I would say!! It really pissed me off when even the locals could not direct me. Heck!! Disappointed again, continued southward.

Following directions steadily pushed toward Panaji. Got into a number of different villages/regions I donot even remember now. On the way was Agunda Fort, at the north side of the Mandvi river before Panaji. Had heard about it and did want to go but did not know it came here. There is a Jail and a Light house there besides the Fort. And that climb up to the light house was a gruesome time on my ass n back. As if not enough that road going down to the Jail(at sea level) after the climb was like...where the hell is this road going??!! With a steep downslope it meant a really tough time coming back for the LighHouse diversion. But continued only to find that the Jail was closed for visitors Frustrated took a short break while taking some shots as this one.

Rode up like an injured bull to go up to the lighthouse - that too closed for the day. Fuck it! But It had not interested me to the least, anyways. Tried exploring the area to find a perfect sunset point going around the Lighthouse toward West. At a good height it gave the best possible sunset view. Loved to be there. And Goodness Grace...my batteries supported to take come really wonderful snaps. Kudos!

Engrossed in the sunset for a while I forgot about my worries about the night stay in Panaji. Panaji is on the other side of the river. A ferry service was to take me on the other side over the Mandvi - a guy told so and I relied on that to get to the city pretty soon than taking whatever roadway was there to the city. But to my fate...I never got on the road taking me to the Jetty, instead found myself taking a loooooooooong road along the river and then on a potentially fatal bridge. God forbids any unfortunate incidents at such times, I had never got so much confused and nervous on bike as at this patch to enter the city. Going over that long and freakingly busy highway was a hell of an experience. A scooter just missed me while I was crossing the road to join the maddening traffic toward Panaji. It was totally dark at around 8PM. The bridge is not sufficiently wide for that kind of traffic, I realized. Getting off the bridge was just the start of the confusion at the other end. Followed some directions in a frenzy but eventually ended up at the point of re-tracing the path towards Mumbai. Finally a Traffic Police and a passerby helped me get in the city. Eagerly looking for 'Lodge' around I rode thru completely unknown lanes without knowing where I was going. Checked a few to find them either full or darn expensive for my pocket. The possibility of camping somewhere seemed nil as I was in the city center. So continued my search for a place to sleep and somehow ended up at Marimar beach in hopes of camping there but the scene I saw from the road it looked very dicey for camping. High chances of getting looted. Trusting an automan's recommendation to seek shelter in a dormitory at Don Bosco School in the city headed back riding the same couple of KMs to the city from Marimar beach. The guy I met at Don Bosco was puzzled on 'dormitories' and did not know what to say to a lost traveler. Damn! Back to square one in the city area with fading hopes to find any place. In trouble I am - I thought. Ummmm..well, its not the worst thing I might have had to face. I surely would have spent the night somewhere safely..at some playground or at least requested the 'Forest Department' Office on the highway to let me hook my tent in their premises. The question was finding a decent room and not surviving the night in Panaji. Its always fun to have constraints in such trips. Constraint on the budget is one that leads to many interesting incidents. Paying around 1500/2000 Rs for a night, tho very much affordable with good availability as I had learned, would be so very boring on such a trip. Finding a camping site to save the room money, or finding the cheapest decent room has its own returns of fun and thrill.

Hunger, sweat, no room, tiredness had started taking a toll already. But somehow after around 2 hours of hunting got into a room at MG road - 300 Rs. The guy at the reception there was a little awed to learn about my cycling from Kolhapur and it seemed that he did me a favor by opening his 'dormitory' for me alone at a concessional rate. Felt Thankful for his kind gesture. Haaa! But was totally screwed up by that time. Besides that, eating places were overflowing so after a shower had another hunting session for food. Finally compromised on the location of a hotel and had dinner near the Church. Enervated and with full stomach , came back and dozed off. And yes, the checkout time was 9AM...so early to rise!

Merry tired X-Mas!

Television Trip - Day3

haa!! The day end was quite exciting....

Morning:

Got up, did things, and set out to soak the morning of the port area. My first morning by the sea. A wonderful sunny day it was! The cows idling on the road made a nice scene of the Konkan morning!

At the Port met a cute Swiss couple - David n Nicole. These guys had come from Mumbai - cycling! Exciting!.Panvel read 512 KMs from the Vengurla port :). Quite a ride it must have been. We gossiped for a while at the port and then headed to Vengurla market in search of a Petrol Pump. David wanted to clean his chain off the sand and dust. Was fun cycling around with no load...just a casual ride thru the market area. And to mention Nicole won by a huge margin in the number of "Hellos" she got from the local guys on the streets. "Hello", "Hello, where going" , "Hello"....o man...but she was enjoying every bit of the attention. David also did great in bagging as many Hellos but poor me......not a single "Hello" :D. Anyways...On the way had "Misal Paav" and "Vada Paav" for breakfast and finally got to a petrol pump. These guys there do not seem to sell any petrol less than 1L. But he understood the need and gave some loose - 100ML.

Been there, ate that, got that, rode back. Bid goodbye and best wishes to each other and I was back at the guesthouse. Packed up It was already 11AM so it was going to be a hot day ahead. "Television" back in place.

Captured some more of the beach in front and back on the seat thru the same market area. Today was a day to touch Goa. Asking directions going was good but that upslope right after Vengurla was a sucker! I could fill a bucket with the sweating! :) However, the road was beautiful with a short glimpse of the sea waters thru the trees on the right so enjoyed it. Amit, guesthouse guy, had told me about a Ganapati at Reddi on the way - before Terekhol. It sounded interesting so added it in my route tho it was a little off the track, which means riding inside and then coming back to continue for Goa. After some more sweating reached Reddi. The road thru the Reddi village was soo very typical of Konkan - very small, tar road with "kaularu" houses on both sides, silence, a very small shop at some corner, the ubiquitous coconut trees, humid - peaceful. A couple of KMs thru that village took me to a red-soil area near the shores. So there it was. The architecture wasn't that great as I had expected - BIG and Unique said Amit, nevertheless later got to know this is an "EFFECTIVE" Ganapati so no wonder why it was so crowded there :). So, asked Shri Ganesh to put some brain cells in my upper compartment("Deva mala buddhi de" hee hee hee hee) and retraced the route back to the main road towards Terekhol where my first Ferry Transfer was to take me to GO GO GO GOA!!!!!!! Well, it was just a short ferry trip over a river/lagoon whatever. But shud mention that I was looking forward to ride into to a boat and then ride out at the other end. I did and it was fun. And FREE! That surprised me, or I was too quick to get out of the boat for the guys to ask money from me.. hee hee...nope.....it IS free, I confirmed that at another instance of such a ferry transfer in Goa later.

Landing in Goa was one different feeling......yeah...Goa! It is different. Suddenly the traffic scene changes - lots of bikes with rowdy westerner nuts (some are good tho) with more number of motor repairing and cold drink centers. Passed Arambol village , dropped Arambol beach as it was sunset time already and after a short talk at a shop had decided to see the sunset at Morgim beach which was a couple of KMs from there. The route was nice, gentle slopes with sun setting, and a beautiful beach on the right side. The coconut trees added the much familiar Goa scene to the moment.

And there I was..... reached Morgim beach just in time to capture this simple but beautiful sunset. This was while I being busy talking to people to find out a good place to camp. Heck! Same mixed responses but hey remember that Let-Positive-Win solution I had devised? and I camped on the beach amidst the protection of the fishermen boats and huts!! :) Had to take caution on where to camp as I had heard of some lunatics trying to snatch things if found alone and given a chance. But no one bothered me throughout my stay. Sweaty day with no bath does help. hee hee.

Hooked up the tent on the sand, refreshed at the near by really nice hut restaurant and was ready to relax now. It was already dinner time so secured the tent with cycle inside and headed to the hotel for a wonderful Candle Light dinner. Eating had Onion Pakoda, Gobu Manchurian, Tomato Soup and finally ended with veg Pulao. All tasted delicious for a hungry lad. Though a little strange combination of choice but thoroughly enjoyed it on the tunes of The Beatles that hotel guy was playing. All this really took me high! :) .

We all live in a Yellow Submarine,
Yellow Submarine, Yellow Submarine

We all live in a Yellow Submarine,
Yellow Submarine, Yellow Submarine

What a peaceful night!!! Aaaha!

Camping on beaches is indeed an awesome experience. I loved it!
A sweaty day ended on a cool night with a crescent setting in the distant over the sea line with the sounds of the waves hitting the rocks. It was "A Moment", dude! Had started loving GOA, yeah! :)

At night the nearing high tide water sound did wake me up and tried to scare me of a possible floating camp site but the tiredness took me back to sound sleep.

Television Trip - Day2

A lot of cycling....

Morning:
As I woke up and started packing the number of kids surrounding me ...and my cycle grew. It was Saturday that means early school and I was right in their playground. "Where are you going?" "You slept here?" "Why are you going?" "Why alone?" ...answered multiple times to different gangs as they visited. Later a couple of their male Teachers joined and poured some of the same questions. One wondered if am on some charity ride. Wanted to tell him that am on "Mister Amol's Charity Ride for....Fun" but pitied him of my sick joke and answered something else. Got to know about a nice natural water source in the Ghat on the Rajapur side. hmm...lets try I said. Kept the bag in the school veranda and rode down the ghat in that direction. And....Wow! Right at the side of the road natural clean water nicely streaming down on a flat stone - a perfect Shower place. So a body wrapped in thermal, sweater, scarf was down to a tiny Jockey under the shivering water. Had no chance for a skinny-shower as it was on the road side. Never mind, It was fun bathing there! Back in clothes, spent some time basking in the Sun while a passerby in the ghat shared his experience of an encounter with a tiger when grass cutting down in the valley.hmmm...trilling!

NH17
Back to school, "Television" back to its place, breakfast and another cycling day! These are some of the most wonderful moments I live in such trips. Waking up, packing, and then moving on - Thinking about the route, making tentative plans, and if the road ahead is unknown its more fun - anxiety, worries, expectations..... Its an amazing mixed feeling! Zoomed down that wonderful Karul ghat (hmmm...want to skate down that ghat sometime. Its wonderful!). Rode thru the flat land down the ghat passing Vaibhavwadi, and a couple of small villages and finally reached NH17. Got a feel of the traffic on that road in the very first 30 seconds when a jerk in a Van suddenly came over the road from rest and pushed me on my right. Now it was only my Karma that there were no Trucks or Volvos behind me otherwise that was the end of the trip and my body with the soul let free right there and then. I escaped but was cautioned to be extra careful. The traffic was maddening and the highway torturous. Tho beautiful and in good condition it was kind of monotonous and tiring. Kept cycling and cycling. Took short breaks for Slice, Mazaa, Sugar Cane juice, Kokam whatever was available. Reached Kankavli for a nice vegetarian thali lunch after crossing the city. Quite a buzzzzz the city is!

Vengurla
Back on Road and still on NH17.......Vengurla was another 50 KMs or so. Finally took right at Kudal(or near there somewhere) and left NH17 for good. That interior road was no less taxing with those slopes and turns. Kept moving to reach Vengurla to end an arduous day. I liked the place at the first sight! Quiet, clean and not much fuss. Bought Paracetamol and Synarest in the market area, as my nose and body temperatures were not being so impressive towards the evening, and headed to the Port area to find that the only Hotel I had great hopes on was FULL.....I was fooled! Wandered, wondered for sometime......left alone without a room and no time and information to hook the tent anywhere. But I think there was something for me in that situation......hmmm......so, looking around somehow I landed in the only other guest house I found there. Got a room with attached bathroom , cold water, no plugs, stained bedsheet but clean. The location of the guest house is beautiful - just a small road between the house and the shore.

Dinner:
After a changeover dined at a decent hotel nearby, Coming out spent some time at the port watching the fishermen busy in their chores. The night at the shores was very much peaceful!! Back to room and flat on the bed in that sub-standard but cozy room. A BIG family, at least 6, had cramped themselves in the neighboring room. Their cacophonous chattering was subdued by the tiredness and had a sound sleep.

Was a nice day in the sun and on those big roads amidst frightening traffic and punishing topography.....but......now was glad it ended so well ;)

Good Night!

Check out some of the fotos from these first two days in this Picasa Album here.

Television Trip - Day1

A hectic day....ended well!

Due to unprecendented USUAL reasons the early morning departure has been delayed by over 5 hrs. The cycle rider is requested to keep his frustration level low and make as much as possible from what he has got. Thank You!

Got back from Sangli that morning at say 11:30 and hurried for an early lunch to avoid carrying it. Had gone to Sangli to get a carry mat. The night before it dawned upon me that I had donated my mat when leaving Mumbai. Paid this cost of a hectic drive to Sangli and back in that shivering morning and so this delay!

Had lunch. Bid goodbye to Mom and there I was ready to go.......Pankya gave a peddle-start to my trip and I was off at 12:30PM. Starting from Hatkanagale I had to reach Gaganbawada (80KMs) before dark in order to keep some daylight time to hook up my tent. With serious doubts I kicked the peddle......reached Kolhapur(24KMs)....met Sunny on the way, bought some sundry things at Papachi Tikati, and passed this KM stone at Rankala(2PM).

Then deciding to stop only at Bawada after this point looked down and started peddeling on the tunes of Lonely Planet Title Music. The road was familiar so not much excitement. Some patches as I rode further were uneasy on my butts on the hard seat but was going at a good pace without wasting time taking pictures on the way.


Reached Bawada(5:30PM). Had enough daylight to give some time to relax before I hunt for a camping site so had misal paav and Frooty at "Chavan Guesthouse". Kept the bag there and headed to Gagangiri to catch the sunset. It was pleasant but just a simple one. For me some cumulus clouds always add more beauty to the sunset/sunrise. But here just some stupid Cirrus, thats it. However, it was pleasant!

Anyways, luckily got some pix with a dying battery. Liked one spot for camping on the way to Gagangiri but it being a little into the jungle and dusk time, I held my urge to try that and looked for some local ppl to talk about any prospective safer places. I am scared of Wild Buffaloes and Bisons..and there are a lot in that area. Some guys advised to stay near the houses to avoid any possible interaction with the wild in the night. Some said it's absolutely horrendous even in the village area, anything can come in the night. After some more asking got bugged with these mixed responses. Then I finally developed an uncanny way of concluding whether to camp out or get into some guesthouse. So, it goes like this - after that point I asked whoever I came across, and the first instant the positive responses got a majority over negative ones I stopped. 3 positive , 2 negative...positive wins....screw it...stop asking.....put a tent here! :D And this idea of collecting responses was tried and "TESTED OK" almost every night there after. Ask ppl, let the positive response win, conclude, camp and have fun! Heee Haaaw!

So the first night..a little tired..butts complaining a little, hooked myself at a school playground. Had Mom's packet for dinner. Meantime had befriended some local guys there - road workers ,who were also camping nearby. Joined them and had Dashmi, Vangi, Dahi-Bhaat and some sweet while they relished on Chicken Rassa. Sitting infront of fire in between their huts was a nice experience. Spent some time with them and then with some more guys who were intrigued looking at my tent.

Later left alone under the clear sky.....a small campfire, Guns n Roses music, cool breeze and silence was a nice time..finally the tiredness made me feel sleepy by 11PM. Sneaked into my tent and into my sleeping bag...cozily thinking something. .....and that was a good start of the trip, YEAH!

My "Television" ride to Goa

"Where are you going?"

"Goa"
"Then whats up with the cycle!!!???"
"Putting it over the bus"
"Then why are you tying your backpack to the carriage"
"oh......am cycling up to the bus stand"

No more questions from him....

I escaped!

Ok...the cycle was ready to go BUT......my totally unprofessional way of ladening my stuff on the cycle gave it a really fussy look!! It was like a dumbass Ice-Cream/Biscuits vendor on cycle. Am quite allergic to ppl's attention, specially form my hometown and me on such a loaded cycle was certainly going to attract a lot of attention/talk/questions/amazement whatnot ... so asked Pankya ... the guy up here, my cousin, and a very good friend, to ride my cycle out of the town while I took his motorbike. We exchanged our bikes a couple of KMs away in the outskirts. But thankfully before he left me alone with my cycle I realized I am not carrying the tent rods :-O. Whoa!!! So had to wait till he got the rods, wondering how many things I will forget/lose in the coming days on this trip! :)

oh...the "Television"? So, such a laden cycle with that funny look, invariably made people think am carrying a Television on the carriage and not any normal bag. The moment Pankya touched the road just outside my house ppl started asking if he will be able to take the "Television" in one piece to wherever he was going. And this "Television", started in Hatakanagale, went right till Goa where and when I finally got fed up with this asking and took off the cover to let ppl see that I am carrying a backpack and a carry mat and not a stupid "Television". However, this notion was kinda entertaining and amused me a little so thot of giving this title to my trip.

My "Television" trip!

Putting up some good rubbish in different posts...day-wise...as and when I get time. Hope you guys enjoy and feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeel the up/down slopes, the sweat, the thirst, the pain in the ass, the pain in the back, listen to my panting, experience the loneliness on a remote road on a hot but pleasant day, the dislike of touristic places and those arrogant senseless tourists, the beautiful moments with complete strangers, the lazy mornings............and of course......get drenched in a lot ... a lot of fun

Cheers!
Civilized Monkey