Tag: India

Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Tuesday, 11th-October-2016. Dhule. Got woken up at about 5 am this morning by some very strange noise. It was a bit like something scratching or dripping. So I put the light on to see. No, nothing was dripping, and I couldn’t see anything, so I turned the light off and rolled over. Then I started to wonder if it was a rat in the room and if it was inside the underside of the other bed in the room!

Not really wanting to share my room with a rat, I decided to investigate. And turned the light back on. It was a cockroach obviously doing its dying swan song! It was on its back but kept jumping up as if to right itself but just kept landing on its back! Anyway, it fell silent after about 10 more minutes, and I found it dead on the floor when I got up!

I set off as normal this morning and only got a short distance down the road when I started to feel really bad again. I was hot with the sweat pouring off me. And I was very short of breath! I continued on for a bit more, but it was no good. I really wasn’t feeling good! So I decided to stop at one of the many street stalls that sell food and have a bite to eat whilst I decided what to do!

Carry on and just ride it off, but then I’ve not really been feeling that good since I started. And it seems to be getting worse rather than better! Or take it easy and do even fewer miles than I’ve already been doing!

Or should I go back to the hotel I stayed at? At least it was a pleasant place, fairly modern with good wifi, and I knew my bike was safe. (We moved it into reception in the end last night) And if I was going to be ill, I could have a bit of comfort! Also, I’m sure that they would be able to get a doctor if I needed one! Decisions decisions!

I continued on for another half mile, but in the end, I went back to the hotel. Thinking that it was probably the best idea.

Is There A Doctor In The House

When I got back, they called a doctor out for me. The doctor came out a few hours later, along with the hotel owner, the hotel manager, a junior doctor and somebody else who I didn’t know. It was probably somebody passing by wanting to have a look at the poorly English man!

The main doctor listened to my chest, felt my forehead and felt my pulse. Asked me a few questions and then asked the junior doctor to give me an injection in my bum! He did tell me what it was, but I didn’t really catch what he said! Next, somebody else came into the room and took some blood from me to take away for tests.

An hour or so later, the blood tests came back with the hotel manager, not the doctor as you’d maybe expect! Anyway not too sure what’s the matter with me, but they’ve given me some antibiotics and some other tablets and told me to rest!

I Spent the rest of the day sleeping on and off. Think I may still be here tomorrow!

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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Monday, 10th-October-2016. Malsne to Dhule. 64 miles. The view from my hotel room last night looked out over some agricultural land which was being farmed by a local teacher. He was using an ox and cart, so I took some pictures of him and was sort of talking to him along with the manager. Who wouldn’t leave my side in a friendly way, though. Anyway, when I went down to the restaurant, the farmer only came in and gave me some ground nuts, or as we call them, monkey nuts.

I tried to get away nice and early this morning, but the very friendly and nice manager just wouldn’t let me go. He just wanted to talk to me and kept plying me with coffee. Not that I understood too much, as his English wasn’t great, but still, it was better than my Hindi!

I eventually got away from the hotel and had a nice flat ride for a while. I was feeling a lot better today, and it wasn’t such hard work as it has been. But then it was a lot flatter!

Having the internet tonight means that I can see where I’ve been these past two days! Although obviously, I know where I am, just not in any detail!

Where Have I Been?

I’ve been in the Satmala hills, which is probably another reason why it was a bit hard going. When I came up that big climb on Saturday, that was the Ghat and or hill to get up. And today, fairly early on, I came down the Ghat!

Anyway, four hours into my ride today, a car pulls up in front of me with an arm hanging out, gesturing me to pull up alongside! It was only the blooming manager from the hotel! He was also on his way to Dhule, where I was heading! I think I’m being stalked!

I almost had an accident today. A goat ran out in front of me. Luckily we never made contact, and the goat scampered away whilst I continued on my bike, a little shaken but fine!!

The page title image is of a market just for onions. I’ve been smelling them as I’ve been going along.

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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Sunday, 9th-October-2016. Igatpuri to Malsne. 62 miles. Obviously, India knows who I am judging by the number of people who have stopped me in the past two days asking for a photo with me. As for the hotel tonight. I thought I was never going to get to my room they just wanted to take photos of me with the hotel in the background!

Stopped early tonight I really didn’t fancy being out in the dark again, especially as I’ve been really struggling these past few days. and really couldn’t work out why. Maybe I can’t do the distances that I used to. Or perhaps I’m too old!

Hopefully, neither of those is the reason! I think and hope that it’s these strong antihistamines that I’ve been taking; they just knock me for six! All I’ve wanted to do all day is stop and rest. Every turn of the peddle was a real effort. I’m surprised I have done as many miles as I did! Anyway, we’ll soon see if it is those tablets I’m going to stop taking them tomorrow. Although I know I’m not going to do a huge distance tomorrow. I think I’m going to stop at Dhule, which is only about 60 miles away. It’s a biggish town, so I’m hoping to get wifi!

On The Road

There have been a lot of protests along the roads today. They burn tyres on the roads, which brings the traffic to a halt. Although I only saw one lot of tyres burning, there had been quite a few more. I could tell by the blackened road. But the worst part of it is the metal shards from the tyres that are left on the road. How I never got a puncture today is a miracle! Apparently, the protests are some religious groups who aren’t very happy, and that’s as much as I know!

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Garry McGivern Travelsonabike2 is cycle touring in India on Saturday, 8th-October-2016. Mumbai to Igatpuri. 81 miles. Didn’t get off to the best of starts this morning. I’d only gone about a hundred yards from the hotel and got chased by a couple of dogs!

Finding my way out of Mumbai was relatively easy, as I sort of remembered it. I must admit that I don’t remember it being so busy, and there seemed to be loads more flyovers over nearly every junction.

The traffic was really awful for about the first three or four hours, and no matter what or where I tried, there was just no way of avoiding it. I tried the flyovers. They weren’t too bad, except it was a hill to go up each time and come back down once it was over the junction. You then had to contend with joining traffic! But going under the flyovers was even worse. You then had junctions which did have traffic lights, but nobody took any notice of them. It was just a case of putting the blinkers on and hoping for the best!

I’ve been having real trouble staying hydrated today. I’ve been sweating so much it’s unbelievable! It’s all probably down to the fact that I’m so fat and unfit! But hopefully, that’ll change by the end of this trip!

I ended the day going up some big hill. I knew that it was starting to get late, but I thought I’d just get up there and then find somewhere for the night. Well, this hill just kept going on, and it was pitch black by the time I reached the top! Not really what I had in mind for my first day cycling. Hopefully, I’ll judge the daylight situation a bit better tomorrow!

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