Frustrating start to the day I couldn’t check out of the hotel as nobody was around! And I couldn’t just leave even if I wanted to because they had my passport and I couldn’t get out of the grounds as the gate was locked! Normally there’s a security guard present and he’ll get somebody to help you checkout, but unfortunately there was nobody! So I just had to sit around take deep breaths and wait!
I eventually manged to leave at about 8.30!
After my late start the day just went from bad to worse really!
I got lost in Bhopal and couldn’t find my way out and was there for a couple of hours but after eventually finding my way out I decided that I would stop at the next hotel I found as I could tell that it was going to be one of those days!
As I said earlier I could tell what sort of day it was going to be and with that in mind I really should learn and follow my own rules!
The number one rule being always stop at the first place you come across! Like an idiot I didn’t! I was all set to stop at a hotel when a car pulled up and the occupant got out to say hello which is the norm. After we’d spoke for a while he said that I was better off pushing onto the next town of Vidasha As there was a good hotel and if that wasn’t any good there were plenty of others.
With his advice and to my better judgement I continued on towards Vidisha passing several other hotels on the way!
When I arrived at Vidisha I couldn’t find the hotel that I’d been told to go to so I looked around for another hotel. The streets were manic and it was hard to spot a hotel and also keep an eye on the road!
I stopped at a couple and they were all full so I thought balls to this, I was getting bored of this now, so I just done what I do best cycled out of town in the hope that I may find something down the road!
After a couple of hours cycling it was starting to get dark so I started to prepare my self for a night of sleeping rough and stopped off at one of the many stalls that litter the side of the road to get something to eat. After filling up on samosas and tea I started to head off. As I was leaving I asked if there was any guesthouses nearby and somebody said 5km down the road although I’m always a bit sceptical when it comes to asking people distances as half the time when they say 10km it’s usually about 20 or 30!
But hey it was a good sign that somebody even said that there was one on this road, so off I set with renewed vigor that somewhere along this road hopefully not too far there would be a guest house! I was further gee’d up when I saw a sign, don’t know what it said but something was 5km away, perhaps a town or village with maybe a guesthouse?
After arriving in Panjh and stopping and asking countless people where the guest house was (just so I didn’t miss it) I eventually found it, but there was nobody there! I decided that I wasn’t going to go any further and I’d sleep on the steps if necessary so I just sat on the steps until somebody arrived, which they eventually did after about an hour!
I get it this is not a camping trip so are you travelling light? How’s your back?
Still carrying the same kit whether I’m camping or hotel camping! The backs good but then it always is when I’m cycling it’s when I’m not its bad!