Bicycle Touring South Asia: India, in Dhule

Cycling around South Asia, my latest bicycle touring update from India. 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 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!

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my route across India & Nepal
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos
• Tour page: Ride overview

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