This week’s Travelsonabike2 on this day bicycle touring post comes from India on the 27th-December-2011. A productive day getting ready to continue on my ride to Australia.
Tuesday 27th-December-2011 in Calcutta.
After filling up at breakfast, I went for a shave. After my haircut the other day, I had more hair on my chin than on my head. It’s so cheap and easy to get a shave here. And there’s a man just outside the hotel.
After my shave, I decided to clean and service my bike, but I needed something to remove the oil and grime from my chain. So I set off on my bike in search. I soon came across a street stall that looked like it sold motor parts. They should have something, I thought. As soon as I pulled up, I drew a crowd. I explained what I wanted and what I wanted it for, not knowing if they had anything.
Somebody, who knows if it was the stallholder or not! But they came out with some petrol, that’ll do, I thought, I just need a brush to apply it. But India being India, I didn’t need to find a brush. There was somebody there for that. Who, for a few rupees, would clean it for me. That was fine with me. It’s such a messy job. I’m more than happy to let somebody else do it! Although, I did feel a little guilty because the man who cleaned the chain just used his hands. He would dip his hand repeatedly into a pot filled with petrol and rub it on the chain until the old oil and dust had gone.
Back at the hotel, I borrowed a bucket and sponge, washed the rest of the bike, and changed the oil in my gears. I don’t have a standard derailleur. I’ve got a Rohloff Speedhub, which I was very sceptical about when I bought the bike. But now I think it’s brilliant. Once I’d changed the oil and checked the bike over, I went off for a ride.
Country Number Eleven Coming Up
I’ve now got my visa for Bangladesh and will leave straight after breakfast tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll make it to Dhaka either Friday or Saturday, where I’ll have to stay for a few days while I sort out a visa for China. I also hope to meet up with my good friends, the Barrs. They’ve been cycling in Bangladesh over Christmas. Hopefully, we’ll get to spend New Year together.
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