Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Friday, 7th-October-2016, in Mumbai. I decided to take the bike out this morning, just to make sure that I’d put it together properly and a wheel wasn’t going to fall off!
The other reason for getting the bike out was to go and see the Dhobi Ghat, where nearly all the clothes from Mumbai come to get washed. Apparently, it’s all done by men and no women!
This was my first time back on the roads of India, and I’d forgotten just how busy and chaotic they were! I’ve found that the best way to deal with them is to cycle like an Indian and put the blinkers on. Don’t look left, right or behind. Just keep going. Ring the bell and let everybody else move out of the way! Which surprisingly works!
On Foot
After going to the Dhobi Ghat, I made my way back to the hotel to drop the bike off as I was now off to see the dabbawala’s if I could find them! I tried yesterday but got the wrong time and place! Today I got the right time but the wrong place. Luckily, I quickly worked out that I was in the wrong place and moved, catching the last few dabbawalas heading off to deliver their tiffin tins.
Fingers crossed, my phone seems to have settled down now, and I’ve been able to access the Internet. It’s also not deleted anything today!
Tomorrow, I hit the roads properly, heading in a north-easterly direction. Who knows where I’ll end up, but that’s one of the reasons I like travelling the way I do. I just never know where I’m going to spend the next night!
Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
Glad to hear the wheel didn’t fall off on your first trip out. The dhobi ghats are amazing and I remember reading about the tiffin delivery but we didn’t see them. Ethan and Isla still wondering why you’ve not come back in the mornings especially with so many noisy, dusty jobs left to do! Looking forward to following your progress. Stay safe. Martin, Nicky, Ethan and Isla.
I only caught the end of the Dabbawalas but it was still good to see. Maybe get Dave to do the dusty work!!
Say hi to Ethan and Isla from me.