Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Sunday, 23rd-October-2016. Sehore to Panjh. 85 miles. 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 check out. But unfortunately, there was nobody! So I just had to sit around take deep breaths and wait! I eventually managed 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 I was there for a couple of hours. Eventually after 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! I really should learn and follow my own rules!
The number one rule is to 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 spoken for a while, he said that I was better off pushing onto the next town of Vidasha. As there was a good hotel there. And if that wasn’t any good, there were plenty of others.
Big Mistake
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 did 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. I started to prepare myself 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 were 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!
A Sign Of Life
But hey, it was a good sign that somebody even said that there was one on this road. I set off with renewed vigour that somewhere along this road. Hopefully not too far away would be a guest house! I was further geed up when I saw a sign. I 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!
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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!