Kerala India Cycling - Part I

With lots of help from a new friend I was able to squeeze in a bit of cycling.

Nilabja signed us up for the Wayanad Escapade with http://www.CyclingAndMore.com. After a bit of last minute gear shopping Avi and Vamsi agreed to join and we were off for some two wheeled fun. Friday night we boarded a bus at 10PM for the overnight ride down to Kerala.

Saturday morning we stopped to freshen up, change into cycling clothes, and have some coffee.






All suited up we headed to the state border of Tamilnadu to get breakfast and bikes. Apparently Tamilnadu was going to charge 28k Rupee road tax for the bus so this was the last we'd see of the bus until we crossed through Tamilnadu and into Kerala.



They issued me a hard tail mountain bike with disk brakes but no front shock lock as my trusty steed for the next two days and projected 150km. Per my running theme I was instantly and pretty perpetually entertained by India roads.



Entering Tamilnadu






On the first climb we passed several elephants grazing alongside the road. One eyed us as we past, took a few steps in our direction, and then settled back into grazing. Then the paved road turned into pot hole pass and I quickly began to appreciate the mountain bike. A bit further up the road villagers were giving elephants morning baths.




We progressed on. I use pictures of signs to help track progress. The bus didn't register while I was taking this picture. Looking back now what is the bus doing here, I though he was subject to massive tax? Maybe a different bus?



We began climbing a bit and found nice vistas of the Nilgiri or Blue Mountains.



I found myself hoping we'd go up there. We did find some good slopes and a tea plantation further up our designated route.


A bit into the climbs I found myself in a new pack of riders. We passed through a town and they pulled in for a break and ordered up some coconuts. Coconut was is inside a skin and therefore safe. The process to cut a straw hole posed only minor contamination risk. Fresh coconut water was quite tasty in the heat of the day. After sipping down the water there was a much more intricate process to extract the pulp. That involved far too much handling of the food for my dietary guidelines. I sprang for the five coconuts to offset my dependence on them for directions. Five fresh coconuts for water and pulp came to just under 100 Rupee or $2 USD.

Back in the saddle we found more climbs. In one uphill switchback Jerry took a tumble when his leg cramped up and refused to move. He was able to get untangled from the bike and step into a convenient nearby tea shop for a bit of shade and refreshment. Soon after that Nilabja came along and we rode together for the rest of the day.

Coasting downhill and giving up some hard earned elevation we found the truck with lunch. Food just tastes better after a good ride and today was no exception. The food was delicious. I managed to tear the bread and sop up food one handed.



The afternoon was just hot. I wonder if some of it was the heavy food. It was also getting late in the day and long in the kilometers. A guy on a motorcycle rode up beside and made conversation. Apparently he opened with a comment akin to "So, you're cycling?".


We crossed into Kerala and I really thought the scenery changed. Vegetation was bit more lush. We made good riding conversation covering every imaginable topic. Heading up one hill a shop off to the side with sodas and shade called out like a siren. We stopped for cool treats.

We pressed on and eventually reached the destination city. I thought maps and signs were bad in the USA. Most navigation comes down to asking three people and going with any resulting consensus. If no consistency then keep asking. We circled part of the town and found our way into the Isaac's Regency hotel.



We freshened up a bit and hung out waiting for further plans. We were hopeful for a trip to Edakkal caves but that ultimately did not pan out as the caves were under construction and closed. We walked around the city a bit, caught up with Avi and Vamsi, and then took showers and naps. Santosh joined us and the guys ordered up a tasty combination of Indian dishes for dinner. Afterwords Santosh and I explored more of the city. We walked to the ends of the lighted city and a bit beyond. The city was closing down and we needed sleep for another day of cycling.

Garmin track for part of the day: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/259406857

Agra India - Part II

Day two of Agra was an obligatory visit to the Taj Mahal. Supposedly it was visible out my hotel window but the fog had other plans. The fog later made for a VERY interesting trip back to Delhi.



Mughal Bazar visible out the window reiterated the foreign influences prevalent in this area.

My guide decided Taj was much too mundane of a day and additional spice was required. So my day started off behind the wheel learning to drive in India. Driving in India is most akin to wheeling or jeeping in the US. When jeeping in the US there are plenty of stationary obstacles. In India there are even more obstacles and they are all in motion. Left handed shifting, right handed steering, and horn use came pretty naturally. Signals were another story where I found windshield wipers more often than turn signals. Wipers and blinkers are reversed on the column. Tracking everything moving outside, shifting, steering, and using the horn make driving a full time job.

Eventually we hired a guide, found a parking spot, and set out to visit the Taj.


This is the eastern entrance gate which is mirrored by a western gate. A southern gate connects directly to what used to be workers quarters and now is a market if I understand correctly.

Inside is another entry gate. Eleven crowns each at the beginning and ending of the tunnel signify the 22 year construction of the site.



Mandatory I was here snap:



Our guide was quite camera happy and posing got old very quicly. We staged a miniature rebellion, took the camera away from him, and settled in to enjoy the sites.

Another panorama and my recollection of the buildings from left to right:
* far left memorial for one wife that gave no children
* red sandstone building adjacent to the Taj whose role I cannot remember but is a modern day luxury guest house
* Taj Mahal for emperor and wife who mothered 14 children and died in childbirth for the last one
* red sandstone building adjacent to the Taj whose role I cannot remember but is a modern day luxury guest house
* far right memorial for another wife that gave no children



The Taj Mahal itself is quite beautiful. No painting; everything is carved and inlaid stone.









These slabs are impressive - carving away the surface to leave floral designs. Inside the tomb are intricately carved "screens" whittled away from single large sheets of marble. By chance I got to see an inner wall exposed to light and the stones inlaid in the marble really do glow almost to the point of fluorescing. Its quite impressive and kind of sad there is permanent display that reveals this feature.

Adjacent "guest houses" are really quite amazing:









And finally a view of the entry gate from the Taj Mahal:



Its a beautiful structure that combines design elements from Moghul, Persian, Muslim, and Hindi cultures. Concurrently it celebrates life (14 children!) and death. I found it reassuring how well the site was maintained especially compared to some other historical sites.

We employed a guide for the Taj. I've tried audio guides and live guides. Personally I favor the audio guides. Listen at your own pace and generally be more assured of the accuracy and validity of information. Live guides do tell some great stories.


While I managed to drive safely enough on the streets of Agra I also wore out the last of my beginners luck. Some element of lunch at Pizza Hut got the better of my stomach. Side note: Pizza Hut does not have marinara sauce. My local confidant thought I was kidding or it was a communication barrier. Nope, honest injun, no marinara. Requesting tomato sauce for garlic bread yields a packet of ketchup.

Concurrently a ridiculously heavy fog arrived for the evening commute back to Delhi slowing travel and extending the trip from 4 to 6.5 hours. The excitement of of this ride started before the fog even arrived. We crossed an overpass with deep craters in the cement. At one point we were rolling along beside a lorry and I watched it drop into a 6" deep crater in the road. We dropped into the edge of the same crater. We were close enough I watched the truck mudflap scrape the ground. The vehicle bodies missed colliding only because the car I was in tapered at the back. Had it been square there would have been body damage. See, just like jeeping in the US, body guards are highly recommended. Later when the fog set in I could see the car directly in front of us but not the car ahead of that one. I could not see the edge of the road out the window. The most memorable part of this was riding along between two lorries and seeing a third suddenly pass by going the opposite direction. Headlights of the truck behind were head high. The one faint working tail light of the truck ahead was head high. Then suddenly out of the soup of fog another headlight appeared coming toward us, traveling the opposite direction, and floating along about head high. It's a really good thing that everything moves slower here. Try as I might I could not get a picture that did justice to the situation.

The next morning fog delayed and canceled flights out of Delhi. Fog was so dense I could not see the end of the jet bridge or the jet parked there. The slow down was a fortuitous opportunity to rest and function on diminished calorie absorption.

I was surprised to discover India also slows down for Christmas. I think everyone appreciates a reason to party. Traffic was light, hotel was short staff, and laundry was two day turnaround. I laid low for my own recovery and to spare others from well worn clothes. I also realized this is how Santa gets his work done - globalization and crowd sourcing. My day time was US Christmas Eve night time.

I'm accumulating a good amount of knowledge about India if conversational reactions are valid indicators. This is a personal perk. On two recent occasions friends have recognized Indian topics after following my adventures. This is an outside perk. It feels good to have a part in bringing the world closer together.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Agra India - Part I

Discussing traffic will get old. Eventually. In the mean time there appears to be no such thing as a simple outing. The national highway to Agra is roughly equivalent to an interstate in the US. This isn't the new expressway.



Tractors are normal on all roads. Missing from the picture are horse carts, camels, and people riding atop busses. All very normal here. A night time luminescent delight provided a nice regional reminder.



The best traffic treat to date was the drive from Firozabad to Agra on Saturday evening. One side of NH2 was closing for a classic car rally. I think of a rally as a race so that description didn't sit quite right. Whatever the ensuing calamity was sure to entertain. Either police or military were clearing the two left lanes which would generally be west bound traffic. Closing the lanes involved several levels of blockades. The first couple blockades were men with automatic weapons. That would be enough to convince me. People here are a bit more persistent. By the third intersection the authority figures were caning motorcyclists and cars in a friendly sort of manner somewhere above verbal reminders and below blows that would leave marks on the epidermal point of contact be it human or metal. After a few intersections of this there still remained a few persistent folks headed westbound in the left hand lanes. At the next intersection a lorry parked across the road seemed to deter the final stragglers. I'm surprised some enterprising souls didn't leverage the sidewalks to bypass the obstacle. Given the persistence otherwise I find myself hoping they did and just outside the narrow window of visibility available to me.

So both westbound lanes are clear - where does all that traffic go? Why head on into the eastbound lanes of course - with no indication to eastbound drivers. I never saw a road sign, police escort, or any indication to eastbound drivers to expect head on traffic. The first indication was the head on westbound traffic itself. And being winter it was dark and foggy. These are the makings of a thrilling drive. Heading westbound in eastbound lanes going headon into traffic rounding a blind curve to the left and staring into the headlights of at best a motorcycle and at worst a lorry. Then the land of diversity sprinkled in a few more variables. Intermittently we were passing vehicles (liberal usage) on the left and right heading both eastbound and westbound. Vehicles shrouded in darkness included bicycles, human propelled four wheeled carts, horse carts, camels, and a few pedestrians sprinkled in for good measure.



Under good conditions we followed a lorry. Other times we followed another car or a motorcycle. Talk about nerves of steel - riding a motorcycle into head on traffic at night with limited visibility. I heard someone use the word "brave". We'll just go with that.

Oh, and the rally? Approximately a dozen classic cars of various international origin cruising along around 40kph intermingled with multiple modern support vehicles. More Sunday cruise and less Baja 1000. I was wondering what they would do about pedestrians walking in the road when rally racers came tearing through. Eventually the road closing idea broke down and we all cruised along together.


Out and about on the roads otherwise we found some of the most ferocious speed bumps I have ever encountered. They clustered in groups of three to five and unlike the recently described stone steps well worn by foot traffic these somehow retained mountainous jagged edges. I've cycled and jeeped through rock gardens that were smoother than these speed breaking mountain ranges. The speed bumps are a response to a recent accident where a lorry driver plowed through town over speed bumps and killed around a dozen people. This is another sample that suggests immense value placed on human life.

I have to wonder if local horse/mule/camel advocates conspired to erect these speed mountains in an effort equalize the rate of travel and pace of progress. This sounds outlandish to write; I can only imagine your skepticism at reading it; still I think you'd find it similarly viable after being here for a while. This is squarely in the realm of plausible relative to other conspiracies featured daily in regional newspapers.


I guessed marks on the camel neck were a form of branding. It was described to me as :customization". PotAto/potato. Ground effects on your car, carvings on your camel.

Away from all of this is the welcome serenity of an agrarian culture. One may own up to 12.5 acres of irrigated land and no more. The rules about irrigated vs. non-irrigated (residential) and composite totals got confusing but I *think* residential land does not count against the 12.5 acres. I steered clear of the nuances of backyard and container gardening. It was time to step away from complexity and revel in the simplicity of the natural growing season.





People monitor the land to chase away roaming herds of wild buffalo. These beasts are allegedly a nuisance to people and danger to crops despite what their size might suggest. I was told it is illegal to kill most wild animals and punishable by stiff fines. So people monitor the land and chase away the beasts. This doesn't sound like a bad retirement job.



Look at that nice consistent planting. An elder near my father's age reported that mechanized farming arrived in his generation. I saw some older tractors but no three wheel tractors so I suspect only a few decades delayed from the US. A quick easy answer from Google isn't as readily available here. And besides it is fun to observe, converse, and inquire. Ideas, opinions, and perceptions are part of the adventure and frequently come at the cost of only a simple question.

There are several brands of local tractors which I do not recognize. There is the occasional familiar Farmtrac or Massy Ferguson.

Its nice to see the simple mechanical efficacy of the hand pump still employed.



Every pump prior to this was actively in use. This idle one just happened to be the first photo opportunity.

Amid a much simpler life I still found DishTV (two satellites in the picture below). The allure of moving onscreen images appears universal.



Kids and adults alike appreciated games and photos from a world away displayed on a small iPhone screen. Two boys, Abhishek and Arun, were brave enough to take up the touch screen game controls and become the first to bridge the gap between our worlds. Photos from around India were particularly popular. Rebecca the Ironwoman was the most shocking drawing visible and audible gasps. Pictures, in this case, were worth two thousand words - one thousand for each of our languages.

This reminds me of the visitor/host arrangement from bike touring. A visitor shares what they can typically in the form of stories, pictures, and novel gadgets. A host shares what they can typically in the form of hospitality and accommodation. Ever opposing human desires for adventure and stability grease the skids of negotiation.

Delhi and Gurgaon India

I caught up with Lal for a second whirlwind tour. In my first 24 hours in Delhi I slept two hours.


The tour started with the mughal ruins of Qutub Minar. The tower and ruins are an amazing appearance. Walls are carved with beautiful scenes and inscriptions. I find the native scripts elegant and captivating.



The tower is impressive. History of the tower includes several destructive lightening strikes. The top floors were replaced with marble and then destroyed by lightening again. I wonder if there was ignorance of lightening rods or just a preference towards reconstruction.



Script and carvings on the walls are just beautiful.



Then we proceeded to the silence of the Bahai House of Worship. We were batch processed in and encouraged to remain silent. Somehow the one and two year olds, and some adults, were unconvinced. Particularly entertaining was the Chinese Deaf Delegation. Guides repeatedly requested silence and no pictures in both Hindi and English. One delegation member signed the same to the group with little effect. A guide engaged one deaf photographer and the deaf standard bearer charged in defending the hearing impaired. It was quite a mixing of culture, communication, and the changing times.

The building itself is modeled after a lotus which holds great significance across multiple local belief systems.






The view eastward from the temple was both beautiful and bothersome with a blanket of smog covering the city.



Next stop Khan Market and Big Chill Cafe for delicious italian food. Khan Market felt nice. I'm beginning to think there is something simply human and organic about nice shopping and eating districts world wide.






Then we toured India Gate, some houses of government including the Supreme Court, and Connaught Place.

Later in the night (morning) we went out with local contact who were finishing their coverage of US business hours. We found a great rooftop restaurant and ensuing conversation. This also came with late unhealthy food and drinks which I'd pay for the next day. I'm usually pretty careful about diet and sleep to keep on track for energetic daytime adventures. I caved once, had a good time, and got a refresher on the merits of my routine.


After a first round of restorative rest we went exploring in Gurgaon and Delhi via foot and metro. The capital city appears much more western. Communication comes more easily and expats are plentiful.

It's great to find universals joys. Someone has a nice wheeling setup complete with snorkel.



We heard good things about Kingdom of Dreams as a collection of all parts of India. It looked promising for shopping and a show but the timing just didn't work. There was a photo shoot going on and very nice to see the models and coaching.



Then we headed off on the metro. Apparently the local metro was built in just a few years. Construction continues in efforts to reach even more communities. As an outsider I find the metro a tremendous asset. $3 for a day pass and stations near most major attractions. I suspected before and believe even stronger now - extra bonus points to cities with robust metro train systems.



We exited metro at Chandni Chowk. It was an impressive market and allegedly not best place to reveal an expensive camera phone. The market was truly impressive with the array of people, products, and presentations. In hindsight I'm disappointed to have no pictures of this experience.

We made our way through the densely packed market and on to Red Fort.



Unfortunately a stairway to the wall was roped off. Don't mind the bunkered gun covering the entrance :-)



Sultan's "Peacock Throne" rested here while he held court with normal people.



Columns are quite cool. There are artifacts from four(?) cultures in the columns. The one that caught my ear and eye were flames carved into the top of the columns from Persian influence. Persian influence featured several times in the fort.



This is one of two coverings for watching monsoon rains. A channel in the middle of the floor ran with water. The contrasting bunkhouses in the background were built during British occupation.



There is a mosque inside the fort. Orienting the fort toward Mecca as required would conflict with the geometry of the rest of the fort. Solution? Build a wall around the mosque so the geometry aligns with everything else. Inside the walls align the mosque as required. Interior design at its best. Imagine what these guys could have done with Caulk and modern building tools and materials...






Interesting designs on the walls.






Marriott Courtyard Gurgaon was home away from home for this trip. I really like the room layout. The "shower" was subtly downset from the rest of the bathroom. A glass wall keeps the room bathed in light. This is so much warmer than the typical American shower stall.



I found a nice perch on the fifteenth floor for working and writing. The metro train track runs through the picture about 2/3 of the way up. I find it infinitely entertaining to watch tractors, bicycles, Suzuki and Mercedes cars roll by slums and skyscrapers alike - usually on the left.



It was interesting to experience a call center in Gurgaon. They provide local opportunities that would not exist otherwise.