Karnataka, Kerala and the Finish
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Karnataka, Kerala and the Finish
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Day 12 -- Kozhikode to Fort Kochi
The End. Well, there's plenty more to write, but it will have to wait until after food and beer! Until then, I'll just say we arrived unscathed, 6th out of 70-odd. Result.
Day 11 -- Mangalore to Kozhikode
Our Kerala-licensed tuk tuk crossed the border into her home State. A fairly grueling 240 km in 8 hours along some packed Kerala roads, which the bus drivers mistook for highways! But we made it to Kozhikode at about 3 and went for as swim on the beach where Vasco de Gama landed all those years ago. Good for relieving stress. Then we hit a restaurant for a South Indian feast of tamarind fish and dry pepper prawns. Very different to the other curries we've had so far. 210 km tomorrow and we're all done.
Day 10 -- Goa to Mangalore
Travelled a lot further than expected today, about 370 kilometers in about 11 hours. Apart from the last part from Udupi to Mangalore, the road was much better than we remembered it from 2 years ago (this last part is the first time we're covering the same ground) so we pushed on from Udupi to Mangalore. We found a business hotel and got a very fiery dinner feeling pretty satisfied all round. Thanks to the big push today, we have 230 kilometers tomorrow and 210 kilometers to finish up on Thursday. Tomorrow we'll stay in a town called Kozhikode (Calicut) famous for its Keralan cuisine and beaches, as well as the place where Vasco de Gama is said to have first come ashore in 1498. As well as the `city of spices.' A fine selection for (touch wood) the last night on the road!
Goa
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Goa
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Through Mumbai to Goa
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Through Mumbai to Goa
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Day 9 -- Goa to, er, Goa
By popular demand (that's you, Finbarr!) hav added some more pictures of Goa. We took it easy today, started with a visit to an old barber shop for a trim and a cutthroat shave, a must in this part of the world but avoid the head and neck massages. then on to the beach (nice but crowded and loads of hawkers) for some sun and sand. While we were there, a dog took a pee in our tuk tuk, which we took as a sign it really needed a scrub down. it needed a scrub down before we started in Rajasthan, but we never got round to it. While it was in the garage, the mechanic greased the wheels and suspension, as well as tighten the silencer bolts and cluth cable. So we should be good to go in the morning. It was quite an amazing washing service, the whole thing scrubbed and valeted for 2 dollars. Which makes me wonder whether water is priced properly here, given the amount they used. BUt the car, literally, has never been cleaner.
