Bicycle Touring to Australia: India, Mumbai to Igatpuri
My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling, Mumbai to Igatpuri. 80 miles. Well, I’ve survived my first day on the roads of India! And to be honest, they weren’t as bad as I thought! In fact, I thought the roads were worse in Turkey! And it wasn’t until near lunchtime that I realised they drive on the left! Don’t panic; I was cycling on the right side, as in the left! But because we drive on the left in the UK, I never gave it a thought. Negotiating my way out of Mumbai was surprisingly easy! Despite there not being any signs as to which way to go. I followed the traffic until I found a sign!
There’s been a big change in the temperature. Gone are the sub-zero temperatures of Europe. It’s lovely and warm now. Maybe a bit too warm! I’m now having trouble carrying enough water and staying hydrated! Luckily, there are plenty of stalls along the road that sell ice-cold water, which is much better than the water I carry, which gets so hot in the Indian sun! At one of the stalls I stopped at, I decided to have something to eat. I had some sort of Dhal, a bottle of coke and a litre bottle of water to go. All for under a pound!
On The Road
I’ve been using my bell today, joining in with everybody else, either ringing their bells or blasting away on their horns! Going up a big hill towards the end of the day was quite good. I was having a bit of banter with the trucks. They were trying to get me to hold on and get a lift up the hill! Which I didn’t, it went against the grain. Some lorries were so slow that even I managed to overtake them!
I think I looked like an Indian by the end of the day! I was so dirty from the dust and fumes! Perhaps that’s why the first hotel I stopped at said they were full! I can’t get my head around Indians shaking their head in no gesture but are then saying yes! Most bizarre to an Englishman!
Tour Information
It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:
- Photos: See my photos on Flickr
- The route: View my journey around the world
- Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
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