26 Mar - To Panjim via Vasco de Gama

Day's run: 70 km
Total: 1,861 km
Start:  08:52 am
Saddle Time:   04:22
Total Climb:    369 m
Total Descent: 367 m
Average: 16.1 kph

The history of Goa is fascinating. The Portuguese were kicked out (by overwhelming Indian military force) as recently as 1961 and even then Salazar wouldn't recognise this fait accompli. It wasn't until he was kicked out in 1975 that diplomatic relations were re_established with Portugal. Even now, the state is administered using the Portuguese Civil Code (/Law) which is why there are so many beautiful heritage (hate that word!) houses are left to rot while the numerous inheritors (herdadeiros) fight amongst  themselves about what to do over their joint inheritance. Again, it's exactly the same in Portugal.

Nearing Vasco, As usual, the usual jostling for pole position at the level crossing gates.

I was fascinated by the shipbuilding and repair going on in the Zuari River estuary. The bulk of the ships seemed to be coal/ iron ore lighters.

Old Cross turning into New Cross?

Veggie market. Vasco da Gama sounded romatic but it is a real dump. I'd pedalled right out to the headland to try and justify my diversion there.....but nothing. A big disappointment.

This is more bullshit and propaganda from India Oil, who even paint their big storage tanks, full of what makes the world go round, with flowers and trees.

Good governance? I suppose the message is out there but it all rings a little holllow.

Now this is real engineering! How, given the basic equipment they have, do you put together a ship of this size?

End of the line.

Nossa Senhora da Peneda, Alto Minho....with white paint and palm trees make-over!

Panjim is much nicer. Thankfully, some properties are being conserved ........see, I avoided using the heritage word  : )

 I've had my non-slip studs ground off my pedals and now they are leg -friendly but (surprise! surprise!) too slippery. So, now I'm going to stick some emery paper on to them.

25 Mar - To Margao and on to Benaulim Beach

In search of an iPhone repair shop........

Day's run: 36 km
Total: 1,791 km
Start:  06:12 am
Saddle Time:   02:24
Total Climb:    434 m
Total Descent: 439 m
Average: 14.3 kph

Last night my iphone wouldn't charge or connect to the computer using either of my two cables (of dubious origin). As the phone had taken a knock when my bike fell over I convinced myself that the socket was damaged. I switched my simcard to a back up phone (bloody Apple with it's nano/micro sim card sizes).  I found out there was an Apple store that did repairs in Margao. So that was my mission for the day. I eventually homed in on the store by going round the town in ever decreasing circles. The body blow was that they didn't actually do repairs at all. So much in India, both literally and figuratively, is bullshit. Why did they advertise on the web that they did when they clearly didn't?
No matter, they said, the Apple store in Panjim will be doing repairs from April 1st. Yeah! Sure!
Fortunately, it was just a faulty cable and I now possess the genuine Apple article which cost the equivalent of 5 days accommodation in my beach hut. The assistant picked up my look-a-like $1 cable with thumb and forefinger, as if it was a dog turd, and dropped it in the bin.

A meander north to Margao (disappointing) and then out to the beach at Benaulim. The climb out of Agonda beach over the headland was a killer. Should have taken the N17 main road! At the top of the climb I took my T-shirt off and wrung the sweat out of it. 

These unprepossessing village stores, as in Portugal, don't look very promising from the outside but seem to stock most of my needs, matches, washing powder, water, mosquito coils........without charging the tourist premium.

My evening walk to a fish restaurant along Benaulim beach (to the white specks in the distance). There was a lone kitesurfer with a 12m kite on this beach earlier in the day (green with envy!)

23/24 Mar - Rest days at Agonda Beach, South Goa

Day's run: 20 km (to Canacona hospital and back)
Total: 1,765 km

Dawn departure. I like to think this is the fishing boat going out to catch the Kingfish I have ordered for supper.

You cant beat a dawn swim in a warm bath-like sea. Just what the doctor ordered.

Moggie having a nap and looking forward to sitting on my lap while I ate my fish. When my back was turned  he dragged the fish  head and backbone onto the seat cushion and made a right mess. When I pointed the oily mess out to the owner he just turned the cushion over! 

So, the deal is done, I'm hiring this Royal Enfield Classic for a month next year so Maria and I can go touring together. It will have suitcase racks and a bigger rear seat fitted so that it can comfortably carry Maria and  her mandatory 25 kg of I-don't-know-what.  : )

I think it's made for the smaller Indian man, but a zillion times more comfortable than a scooter.

I cycled to the district hospital in Canacona and was prescribed 6 days worth of amoxycillin. The deserted hospital was funny, totally opposite to the NHS. I stood in front of the hatch marked 'Reception' and stood waiting for the 9 nurses sat around reading newspapers and magazines behind the glass to enquire after my health. Nothing. In the end I testily enquired if I was in fact stood at reception. I got a response after all the nurses turned round to look at the wall clock..........a quarter to mid-day........was it shift-change I wondered......'Dressing?' öne said, without closing her newspaper.  They've obviously been to the same charm school as the hotel managers. No, I'd like to see a doctor please. Eventually, a doctor appeared in operating theatre garb and he was very good. The consultation cost me 350 rupees. Incidentally, an Indian doctor, now a Professor at Cambridge University, won the Nobel prize for Chemistry this year. Something really complicated to do with bacteria ribosomes. They're probably what  makes your leg swell and go bright red if left to their own devices.

As a parting gift the doctor instructed 'no swimming in the sea and no alcohol'. No way José!!

Later I have my haircut (100 rupees) and chat to the barber from the far north, Uttar Pradesh, who only sees kids every 6 months. As I leave, he introduces me to a Portuguese resident and I have my first Portuguese conversation since leaving home.

22 Mar - Dandeli to Agonda Beach (Goa!)

Day's run: 132 km
Total: 1,745 km (reconciled with odometer)
Start:  05:12 am
Saddle Time:   08:16
Total Climb:    1095 m
Total Descent: 1611 m
Average: 15.9 kph

Despite the lack of sleep I was spurred on by the thought of a dip in the ocean and although a long ride I assumed it would be easy. After all, I was on a plateau at 600m, so  a bit of flat, followed by a nice downhill, followed by flat coastal plain. Wrong! It got hilly before the descent,probably a bit of the Ghats again, then having decided to abandon Margao in favour of heading south to Agonda Beach, the final part was up and down like a yo-yo. The change in road quality as I crossed the border into Goa was immediately noticeable. Smooth tarmac, white lines and crash barriers, the lot. The descent, when it finally arrived, was delicious and I had great fun leaning the bike over in the hairpins and whizzing past the trucks.  Now 50kph may not sound a lot to you but after grinding up hills at 5kph it was heaven!

I had a place to aim for that I had seen on Booking.com but while looking for it I was accosted by a guy on a scooter who showed me a shack on the beach with a real sea view that was in my price range (300 rupees a night). It had a concrete base and that was about the only thing that survived the monsoon every year. The 'restaurant' just 10m away was even more temporary as it had to be removed by law every monsoon season. Owners Jay and Jasna were a nice couple and she would cook anything to order. Evening meal was prawn fried rice with a salad. I'd arrived!

India's equivalent of Romany gypsies - Karnataka

A close up of one of the many brick kilns in this area. I've no idea how they work but you can see the layers of charcoal (or fine coal) in between the brick walls and the smoke seeping out of the top. It's very labour intensive to build, but while heating up everyone disappears to press and dry more bricks.

Another timeless scene - in this part of India tractors are few and far between.

The Goan scenery was easy on the eye after the arid plains of Karnataka, but it was noticeably warmer and muggier down here. 

My beach abode!

Definitely off-season

That's the restaurant - green plastic sheet roof, on the right.

My gammy leg. I'm off to find a doctor tomorrow. I started anti-biotics yesterday that I bought from a pharmacy, but the woman serving me didn't know how many/how long.

My little patio....which caught a nice sea breeze in the afternoon

A misty sunset on my first night in Goa

21 Mar- Haliyal to a homestay ( near Dandeli)

Day's run: 36 km
Total: 1,613 km
Start:  08:52 am
Saddle Time:   02:24
Total Climb:    280 m
Total Descent: 333 m
Average: 14.9 kph

I'd planned to hole up in my Haliyal hotel to recover from the bug but I'd slept well and was feeling ok. I thought a short gentle run to Dandeli would be a good checkout, sometimes you actually feel better once you get going. Dandeli is situated in a jungle reserve and apparently it has river rafting (in the monsoon) so I should find some touristy accommodation there around mid-day. 

I have an injury. A couple of days ago, I failed to spot a speed bump and hit it quite fast. Losing my footing, my lower left calf was gouged by my pedal. I just left it to 'scab up' in the sun but 2 days on its starting to look infected. In Dandeli I bought Dettol, soaked a hand towel in half the bottle and tied it round the wound, which was proving to be a fly magnet. 

The Dandeli lodges were unappealing although the town was quite pretty. After stopping for a cold drink.......which was when the monkey decided to perch on my bike, I decided to press on a bit further.  The map showed only very small towns or villages up ahead on a minor road through the 'jungle'. So, when I spotted a sign for a home-stay at around the 50km mark I decided to call it a day. The home-stay had no mobile phone signal, no wifi and as usual, I was the only guest. Just after I'd settled down to sleep, it lost it's electricity too. With no fan the room was stifling. It was cool outside but I kept the windows closed to keep the mosquitoes and other creepy-crawlies at bay. I'd had a nosy around earlier and had spotted a vintage generating set and waited hopefully for it to kick into life. At 4am I gave up trying to sleep and started packing my bags. I had to wake up the night-watchman/cook to unlock the wicket gate to let me out. He cussed and cursed as he stumbled round in the dark trying to find his torch.

It was strange bumping along a jungle dirt track in the pitch black listening to the startled calls of the jungle on either side. I had to ride at least 30km before I found enough phone signal to check in with my loved one. She, of course, had assumed I must have been eaten by cannibals and had worried all night long.

Another intricate design in the dirt outside a country shack.

Having been offered a green mango earlier, I decide to try one. I don't think you eat the kernel..........bitter!!!!

Road laying through the jungle........concrete covered in wet sackcloth.

This Dandeli inhabitant wants to know where we are off to next! He sat there munching a roti. There is a video on my Facebook page.

20 Mar - Hubli to Haliyal - feeling sick

Day's run: 56 km
Total: 1378 km
Start:  05:45am
Saddle Time:   06:15
Total Climb:    689 m
Total Descent: 693 m
Average: 6.9 kph

I hadn't slept as well as I thought I might, given my efforts the day before. I had some wild-arsed plan to ride the 300k to the Goan coast in 2 days. I just wanted to be in the ocean.  This plan proved to be hopelessly optimistic when I hit the first hills of the day and the legs were just not responding. Tank empty. I had also been routed on  to some real bone- shaking back roads where, apart from the discomfort, my average speed, as I picked my way through the potholes, was pathetic. I re-routed on to the nearest highway and tried to ignore the fact that I was heading back south instead of west. I was starting to feel a bit nauseous and feverish, with a headache and a runny nose. Nothing serious, just the body saying "Be fair - give me a break". On the map Halliyal was roughly the right direction and distance at 50-odd kilometres. You just don't know about the accommodation prospects with these smallish towns. If there is a 'lodge' as they are called it certainly won't be advertising itself in Lonely Planet or Trip Advisor, nor will it have wifi........basically off the tourist radar completely.
I haven't seen another cycle tourist since I  arrived in India.......so I feel kind of special.
So Haliyal it is........at a steady pace.

The Karnatakan equivalent of Romany gypsies

"CowHA" copyrighted to Himalayan Academy Publications

In Hinduism, the cow is a symbol of wealth, strength, abundance, selfless giving and a full Earthly life............and an abundance of cowpats in the streets.

I am surprised at the number of cattle still used on the land.....they far outnumber tractors in the areas I'm travelling through.

Lots and lots of brick kilns in Karnatika. The labour involved in building and firing is staggering. Not sure how they work but they seem to have layers of charcoal and unjointed bricks forming the walls. You can just see the charcoal smoking at the top

Cows and water buffalo cooling off. The landscape is starting to green up.

I reach Haliyal and am so pleased to spot a hotel on the outskirts that I dive in straight away, The manager may not be rude but he certainly has a rude manner. Not a please, thank you or welcoming smile. I give my usual lecture "In England we say...........but I think it is lost on him.  
I walk into town and buy some paracetamol and ibruprofen, dose up and go to bed. It's 4pm, The bed is unusually comfy, I think I might stay here another night.

19 Mar Hampi to Hubli - A record breaker ride!

Day's run: 189 km
Total: 1318 km
Start:  05:28am
Saddle Time:   10:31
Total Climb:    865 m
Total Descent: 674 m
Average: 18.0 kph

Not that I'm into collecting distance records on this trip but I am quite chuffed to have clocked up 189k (116 miles) today, a distance I've never achieved before on any type of bike, never mind this leaden lump of metal. 

It wasn't actually meant to happen, I'd left Hampi early and arrived at my destination Laksmeshwar, at around 3 pm with 133km on the clock and the mercury up around 37deg. Laksmeshwar, a small  agricultural market town, was a real dump with one seedy deserted hotel.......literally deserted. Who-ever was running the place had disappeared..........and I don't blame him. I'd acquired a limpet-like tout, working for his commission, who was trying to contact the owner on his phone. I gave them 5 minutes more to find the owner and then I was off. I found a cold drinks shop and over a couple of fruit lassi's considered my options. The nearest big town was Hubli, a dog-leg to the north and 55km away. I would arrive in the dark but no matter.......time to bite the bullet.

This part of Karnataka is not that inspiring to ride, one of the reasons for the big ride...........just get through it!

05:30 pre-dawn departure. Note the lady of the house was already up and had decorated her doorstep.

On the highway out of Hospete. Another road-side repair. I'd noticed these small tyres hanging from the back of trucks (as you do when you've spent hours cycling behind them) and wondered what they were for. A cushion of course, for when you are sat rebuilding your differential.

Small-townsville Karnaataka. That's an interesting fort on top of that lump of rock but I'll give it a miss today. I guess it must be about 9am as the little guy with the big bag is on his way to school. Ha! Just checked the photo data 08:46:47...........I've been pedalling for 3 hours.

Master and apprentice. You'd think he would have bigger biceps doing this day in - day out. He was chiselling perfectly round holes in this stone........by eye.

A dry dusty timeless landscape. He is just smoothing the surface by dragging a  log over it. Materials: renewable, recycleable, locally sourced.........hand-made non-obsolescent, maintenance-free farm equipment. My! How we have 'advanced' in the west.

Out of respect, this humble man took off his shoes that he had been wearing in the field. I wonder what he thinks of me..........why  did I turn back to photograph his cart?

I stop for a tea break and the usual mob gather around the bike to touch and fiddle with it, The have broken my 'ting!' bell because they think the lever is a switch that makes the built-in compass do something ??. Worst of all is when they press or lean on the saddle to see the suspension work as this threatens to break the prop-stand. Some of the richer flashier guys in cars pull up and want to be photographed with me and bike. Some of them try and climb on the bike for the photo (without asking) and get short shrift from me. I don't have an Indian bike centre stand made out of  1" iron bar. They really piss me off because they are not really interested in me/bike......they just want a funny photo to flash around their social media.

If you are out in the sun all day it's not about  'looking cool' but 'staying cool'........... shade and ventilation are key. This is my hat of choice after trying several versions. I threw my Stetson lookalike hat away after someone asked me if I was American. It's not very aerodynamic but hey, I'm not going very fast. Shirt......Craghoppers Nosilife -  insect repellent range........repels everything after one weeks wear! Brilliant bit of kit for desert climes.

Different road, same scenery, new tarmac, hot tarmac!

By 1pm I'd covered 104 km. Check the temperature gauge!

As the sun sets I'm grinding out the final few kilometres to Hubli. This is a National Highway, an A road in the UK. This wide-load has to pass the ox-cart.....the oncoming traffic is fast and heavy. I stop to watch the fun and games.

Hubli is a big city. In the dark through heavy, honking traffic bedlam I find a grotty windowless hotel room near the  old bus station. Any port in a storm. A big day.