This week’s Travelsonabike2 on this day cycle touring post comes from India on the 15th-December-2011. And it’s my birthday.
Thursday 15th December 2011 Tivsa to Nagpur. 81 miles.
Yay, it’s my birthday! Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday, dear Garry. Happy birthday to me. What a noisy night I had last night. At about 2 am, there was a lot of noise outside my room and in the courtyard outside my window. The guesthouse was attached to a temple, and I think everyone must have been off to pray. At around 4 am, I gave up trying to sleep and got up. I wanted to be on the road nice and early anyway, so it wasn’t too bad and probably did me a favour. I wanted to finish early today and have a few pints on my birthday.
It’s been an eventful ride today. There have been several road accidents, none involving me, thankfully. And none that I witnessed. I arrived at them after they’d happened. Some looked pretty nasty, although I didn’t look too closely. I’m surprised there are not even more accidents, considering how they drive. There have also been protests, with the protesters burning tyres on the road. I’m not sure what they were protesting against, but they sounded angry. I was uneasy around these protests and got past them as quickly as possible.
Monkeys
I’ve also seen some monkeys scampering along the road. How cool is that? It’s just something you never see in Europe. I could see them running from one side of the road to the other in the distance. As I approached, I got my camera ready. I had to get a picture of one. As I got nearer, I noticed one sat on a milestone, but he didn’t look too friendly! So rather than stop, I snapped him as I rode past. Seeing monkeys in the wild is so cool, even if they don’t look friendly. What a cool experience.

I also met a couple of fellow travellers, Stefano and Annamaria, from Italy. They were doing more or less the same journey as me but on motorbikes. Now you know what I’ve said about always attracting a crowd when I stop. Well, today’s gathering was beyond words. We were mobbed. I bumped into Stefano and Annamaria on the outskirts of a small village, and we stood by the side of the road talking. But it wasn’t long before we started to attract a big crowd of people, which grew so big it was starting to block the road. I could sense that Annamaria wasn’t too happy. I also felt a bit uneasy about the situation, so we took a few quick photos before heading off.
Time For A Drink
I arrived in Nagpur nice and early. I wanted to find a Western-type hotel with the internet and a bar. After all, it is my birthday. Just in case you hadn’t realised! Nagpur was so busy, and I got stuck in the traffic and was forced to go with the flow, unable to escape. When I finally got out of the traffic, I was completely lost. Luckily, two lads on a motorbike asked me where I wanted to go. They said to follow them. They led me to a rather large, business-type hotel, which isn’t cheap. But it’s just what I was looking for, and hey, it’s my birthday! Usually, I’d go for a curry on my birthday. I can’t see tonight being any different!?!
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