The last two days have been spent churning up the miles. On Friday we headed out of Udaipur refreshed but sad to say goodbye. Our destination was Jodhpur.
It was a 280 km day, mostly on good roads through largely indistinct countryside. In one area we dropped down a long stretch of tree covered road, a river running beside us to the right and walking pilgrims to our left; some stopping to wash in the cool waters.
Today we headed from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer, the final run in to the finish. The scenery changed from green to sparse bushland. Hardy trees and bushes, covered in sharp spikes lined the route. And some areas opened out into open desert.
The pilgrim have been ever present over the last two days. Their support vehicles and welcome tents blasting music and providing food and drinks. They are walking 500km over the next month to visit various temples. It certainly puts our adventure into perspective.
After most of the day on the road Jaisalmer fort came into view. Sitting atop a high mound the sandstone fort dominates the the city... and the surrounding area for miles around. Approx 400m at its longest part in a tear drop shape, it’s highest point rises approx 80m from the streets below.
We navigated the city streets, dodging cars, bikes and cows until we reached our hotel.
After a long soak in the pool of the Rang Mahal Hotel we ventured out for a rooftop dinner at the pleasant hotel. As the sun set on our journey we watched as it dipped over the city and the light of the fort illuminated it against the night sky.
Tomorrow we reach the finish line, until then... good night
Leaving our modest roadside motel in Modasa we set off once again. This leg was intentionally short with the aim being able. to explore the picturesque city of Udaipur.
The scenery rapidly changed from flat farmland to interlocking hillocks and hills; the good quality road cut through sheer rock faces, splitting all high ground in its path.
As we trudged our way forwards we passed numerous vehicles and walkers carrying matching flags. Tents at the side of the road played loud Indian music and people cheered as we passed. One over enthusiastic revealer leaped our in front of our Tuk in a well meaning attempt to welcome us into the party. As our brakes locked and we skidded around us he was treated to some terrified, knee jerk profanities, our hearts almost leaping out of our chests.
We arrived into Udaipur at 11am. After what seemed like an unnecessarily long discussion with the guards at the palace, we were granted access to the tourist car park. As we browed the short hill the city came into full view and wow, it didn’t disappoint! We’d known that it is beautiful but this was beyond expectations.
The Udaipur palace sits beside lake Pichola, an area of outstanding beauty and also the home of the Taj Lake Palace. The Taj Lake Palace sits in the middle of Lake Pichola and has been the home to royalty, more recently a luxury hotel and also the set of the James Bond movie Octopussy.
After our late breakfast we took a tour of the palace and bumped into a number of other runners. We share stories of breakdowns, long roads, terrible hotels and Delhi belly before going our separate ways to find hotels.
After winding our way through the narrow streets, down side alleys and through the city’s bazaar, we checked into the Hanuman Mandir hotel. Further round from the palace but still lake facing, the hotel had amazing views of the Taj Lake Hotel and the city’s palaces. The hotel was in the style of an Indian mansion, with enormous luxury bathrooms, manicured gardens and a shaded courtyard with a cool pool. Within minutes of getting our keys we were soaking our weary bodies in the turquoise water.
Although the Taj Lake Palace only takes dinner reservations from its guests, one of our party was able to pull some strings and an exception was made. We were picked up from the hotels dock by boat and ferried across the lake towards a welcoming party at the steps of the hotel. Sadly we’d not packed black tie but still did our best to dress for dinner. We looked more Indiana Jones that 007 but still cut a dash.
We started dinner in true Bond fashion with vodka martinis. Ian Fleming wanted to establish the character as a hard drinker and clearly a drink that is three shots of neat alcohol was his way of doing it... it’s about as tasty as paint stripper, but we forced it down none the less.
After a delicious three course meal in the lake view restaurant we enjoyed a tour of the palace; seeing where the king would meet his subjects, where he would meet his nobles and most enjoyably, where James Bond was filmed.
Our tour ended with a boat ride back to land and a rickshaw ride to our hotel. Today was a true bucket list moment, in a fairy tale setting.
Till tomorrow.... 😊
As we finished breakfast the valet brought out tuks round to the front. Full off coffee, eggs and fruits we headed back onto our route, refreshed by this welcome oasis of luxury.
Surat is an oil and gas and shipping town and the standards of the hotel and roads reflect the investment in the area. At least half of the other guests seemed to be engineers working on nearby projects.
We’d set a modest target today. Our aim was to visit the UNESCO world heritage sites in Champaner-Pavagadh archeological park and then stay the night.
We arrived at the ruins of the old city walls, still imposing as we drove through the high arches entrance way. The town is dominated by an impressive volcano; now dormant its wrapped in lush green vegetation but the ridge lines of subsequent eruptions are still clearly visible as steps rising up the slopes.
The centre pieced of the site are the two mosques. The larger of the two, the Jami Masjid dates back to 1508 bc.
As we’re travelled further north the temperature has risen dramatically. Today was by far the hottest we’ve experienced but the dark and airy hall of the mosque gave some respite from the oppressive midday heat. The gardens, tended by two local ladies, was beautifully manicured; the small, white crane type birds and the dozens of dragon flies giving a really mystical feeling.
We’d made such good time this morning that, leaving the heritage site, we decided to push further this afternoon. From Champaner-Pavagadh be headed for Modasa, a small town straddling the highway.
Cows have now become a much bigger part of our journey. Either lying in the road, blocking our path or being herded the wrong way down the motorway, much to our amusement.
The last hour of the road to Modasa was heading west on a dual carriageway though well kept farm land. Driving into a setting sun it would be easy to mistake our route for the A303 through Somerset on a summers evening. The sky glowing a powdery wheat yellow, a sign of the dust thrown up by the arid landscape ahead of us.
After a day away from our tuks we mounted up today with renewed enthusiasm..... the halfway point now firmly in our rear view mirror.
Before we’d arrived in Mumbai Charlie had created an outline plan for the final six days. He’d based the plan on us losing half a day battling traffic out of Mumbai today. As a result of staying outside the city to the north, we missed the traffic and were instead met with open road.
Our goal for today was the beach town of Daman. Due to our aforementioned changes around Mumbai we reached Duman by midday.
The town is in the midst of a number of significant regeneration projects, the most overt being construction of a beachfront promenade. In the last week this has been the most active construction site we’ve passed and really looks like it will make Duman a stunning beach resort.
As well as the new, the town is also home to two old Portuguese forts, one either side of the town’s estuary; their dark, high walls, sharp corners and ramparts cutting a formidable figure through the leafy streets.
Searching for somewhere to have lunch we ventured down the beach road north through Marwad, the neighbouring town. The tarmac soon turned to dirt and the dirt road soon turned into a mud bank, forcing us to retreat back to the main road.
Looking down onto the dark sands of the beach we were all saddened to see the high tide line strewn with plastics and other rubbish, no doubt much washed up on the tides. A stark contrast to the area of the promenade, which was immaculate. With any luck, the impact of regeneration will spread along the coast and lead to better waste management. The area has real potential to be a world class beach holiday destination!
After a very light lunch we decided to take advantage of our quick progress and venture on.
The road north is a very well maintained three lane highway. The jungle has slowly been giving way to temperate forest intersperse with open grassland and farmland. The temperature is rising and we’ve seen less rain.
This evening we stopped early enough to enjoy our hotel and have a few well deserved drinks.... but soon found out that it’s a dry state and beers are not on the menu. On the plus side the valet was delighted with our rickshaws.
Tomorrow is another tuking day.
First thing this morning Grant and I headed out to find a repair centre. By sheer luck we happened across two rickshaw taxis resting beside an underpass not far from our hotel. One spoke English and the other knew where the service centre was. The directions were perfect and, after a few selfies with passers by, we headed off to find Tuk Tuk salvation.
We arrived exactly where we had been told to and were pleased to find that the garage had just opened. They were highly professional, enthusiastic and quick. The item I mentioned in yesterday’s post was indeed the boot seals. Within 30 mins the old ones were removed, replaced by new ones and all crevasses, knocks and cranneys filled with grease or oil. We were so impressed we called Gareth to bring the other Tuk up for a once over as well. If you ever find yourself in need of a rickshaw service on route 48 north of Mumbai, drop by the service centre near the Shiv Shakti store!
Our maintenance done and with many more selfies posed for we left the garage and headed back to the hotel and then onwards to Mumbai. The aim for today was to see the gateway to India, the main train station, Leopold’s Cafe and the Taj Mahal Hotel.
We started at the gateway and were blessed with a pigeon shitting on Gareth’s arm (considered good luck in some cultures, not sure why he wasn’t happier). Many more selfies later and even one family portrait with Gareth standing in for some children’s parents, we saw the gateway and headed to the Hotel for a late lunch... and realised what an error we’d made in not staying there. Inside was pure opulence, we even considered sending for our luggage and changing hotels but the threat of traffic tomorrow morning made us see sense.
Leopold’s was rustic and had a certain charm but was not all we’d hoped for. The city hall and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (aka CSMT or Victoria Station) more than made up for it with their architectural beauty. Both neo-gothic buildings flaked with mature trees giving them the illusion of emerging from fresh jungle.
Our sight seeing done, we caught an Uber back to our hotel. We’d left our tuks behind today partly to avoid overheating and partly to take a rest from the stresses of Indian traffic. Now well rested, we start our journey north again in the morning.
Tuk Tuk, hooray!
We’d met fellow runners at our hotel last night. This morning their rickshaw had disappeared... and so had they. The hotel staff had warned us about crime in the area but none of us thought it could be this bad.
After packing our kit and making sure the guard was paying attention, we sat down for breakfast. Last night at dinner, the waiter had suggested that our order was too big and that we could share two main courses between four of us.... sadly he’d underestimated us and we retired to bed fed but still a little peckish. Ordering breakfast, similar advice was given “no sir, two eggs is very big, four eggs are too much”. Had they looked us up and down and decided to impose a diet? I guess we’ll never know.
After some gentle but sustained protest, we hit the road, each with four eggs and plentiful toast inside us. Our first waypoint Bhaja Caves then on to Mumbai. Within an hour we were relieved to see our fellow runners, with their rickshaw... it seems they hadn’t been stolen after all, they’d just left early.
First stop was Bhaja Caves in Maval District. The caves were carved out further by Buddhist monks and had become a home and temple for them but had since been abandoned.
As we left the main highway we were greeted with another winding road, this time sticking to the low ground. The hills were less dramatic and less frequent here but the scenery no less beautiful. Passing babbling brooks, small, crocked fields and the occasional livestock until finally we reached an open barrier beside a waterfall. The barrier was the entrance to the parking area and the waterfall seemed to be an attraction all of its own with tens of people gathered at its base to swim, wash and take pictures.
We parked on the road and headed up the steep climb towards the caves. About 100m up we were all surprised when two small crabs scurried past us on the steps. Reaching the top we stepped into the cave complex. They weren’t deep but had been carved out into what we assume were small bedrooms, each with a plinth left un-carved, presumably for a bed. The doorways were so narrow that we had to step through sideways.
The centre cave was hollowed out to create a prayer hall, approx 15m x 6m with a domed wooden arches. Presumably the wood is decorative as the rock seemed to be holding itself up.
After the obligatory group photo we set off back down the steps to the tuks. We arrived to find the police trying to move them. Apparently we’d parked in the no parking area and they wanted to push them to a more suitable spot. They were a friendly bunch and were very much trying to do us a favour. They’d seen the sticker on the side which show our start and end point and we’re full of questions about our adventure. After a good chat and numerous selfies with them we headed on to Mumbai.
Having accidentally (and briefly) driven on the Pune - Mumbai highway (strictly no rickshaws allowed) we arrived safely on the outskirts of Mumbai for a fuel stop. We took the chance to cool our engines. A quick visual inspection showed that our axel seals (I’m sure there is a real term for them, the seals that cover where the drive shaft meets the gearbox) had torn on both sides. Although not something that will immediately stop the Tuk dead in its tracks, this is something we need to sort before moving forward.
We limped through The traffic on the outskirts of Mumbai to a hotel north of the city. In the thick traffic people have been delighted to see two pink and yellow tuks being driven by sun kissed brits battling their roads. One car passed Carry on up Kerala and gave them a bag of sweets, plenty others rolled down their windows to talk to us.
Tomorrow will be spent getting the Tuk fixed and hopefully a little sight seeing. Till then, I bid you good night 🤙
We were sad to leave the comforts of the Mango Tree Resort this morning. Just after dawn we were greeted by the staff at the dinning area with coffee and boiled eggs. The latter being essential to get us through the first few hours of the day. Even Richie, the German Shepherd was there to wave us off.
After our first two hour stint we stopped to refuel. By sheer luck we found ourselves beside a cafe, even more lucky, it was open. So far this trip we’d not managed to find anywhere open before 1030 so this was a real result.
Despite our luck at finding the cafe, we were greeted we frosty stares from all the staff and fellow patrons. In situations like this I find it best to smile a lot, be friendly and complimentary... and it worked. By the time we left the managers mood had thawed, not a lot but enough to crack a slight smile and hopefully we left him with a better impression of us.
The day continued largely without incident , weaving through the beautiful hills south east of Mumbai. Our friends in Carry on up Kerala led, disappearing round tight bends in the road. Holes in the safety barriers fell away to reveal the valley floor hundreds of metres below. Looking ahead we could see scars in the cliff face, evidence of recent landslides that had tumbled from above, hit the road and continued further downwards.
Our final waypoint saw us climb further more to a hill top fort. As we walked though the front gates we were greeted by a canon, clearly the final defence should the entrance get breached. From the ramparts the views were indescribable. The fort was perched atop the highest hill in the area and dominated all it surveyed.
This evening saw us head back down to the valley floor, most of the day had been in glorious sunshine, a welcome change from the monsoon rains. Tomorrow we’ll wake within striking distance of Mumbai. 🇮🇳
We awoke this morning to clear blue skies. Our beach front hotel transformed from monsoon to holiday season in the course of a night.
After a hearty breakfast we started slightly later today and headed straight for the nearest service centre, some 45 mins drive North. The tuks have looked after us well thus far and today was our turn to return the favour.
Two hours later we set off but after less than an hour on the road we noticed that our team mates in Carry on up Kerala were losing power.
As we cruised down hill to a rough lay-by we passed a lorry who’s left rear tyre was bulging. “That tyre doesn’t look long for this world” I exclaimed.
Reaching the lay-by the four of us set about checking the spark plug, the air filter, fuel flow and air flow. We assumed that the engine was loosing power due to a lack of fuel or air flow or compression.
BOOOOOOOOOOM, 100m behind us the air was split by what sounded like an amazing explosion. We all leapt our of our skin.... Sure enough, the tyre hadn’t been long for this world. The lorry limped in behind us on its rims, the tyre completely shredded.
Our initial assessment in the vehicle was wrong. Grant tried to start her up again but as he tried to pull away, the vehicle stalled... the brakes were seized tight. Within minutes we had bleed the system and we’re back on our way, newly confident in our skill as mechanics / cuffers.
As evening drew nearer we passed a large group of teenagers playing cricket in the middle of the highway. We took this as a hint that the day was done and it was time to find dwellings for the evening.
By sheer luck we happened across the Mango Tree Resort in Bramhadev Nagar. Nestled in the jungle and home to a beautiful mango plantation, this is by far the most scenic hotel yet.
After an amazing shower we settled in for the best food we’ve had thus far. The evening made even better with the company of Richie, their German Shepherd.
Now for sleep. Let’s hope our brakes still work in the morning!
Happy Indian Independence Day everyone!! 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳
Today started slightly earlier, we woke up 60km inland from Route 66, had still not seen Jog Falls and had a long drive ahead of us to get to Goa.
The plan was simple:
1. Get up early,
2. Leave predawn,
3. See the falls at first light,
4. Head back to Route 66,
5. Be awesome all day,
6. Arrive at a plush hotel in Goa for a hot shower, clothes cleaning and a service for the Tuks
What actually happened:
Rising at 0530, we had the tuks packed and first paraded (pre driving vehicle checks... make sure everything is still in its place and unlikely to fall off, deflate or otherwise fail on us) by 0600.
Our hotel was across the valley from the Falls viewing point. Presumably the falls were directly below us. As dark was replaced with the early light of dawn we had a clear view of the other side. Fantastic, good visibility and we’re running on time.
The viewing point was 10 mins drive from our hotel. With the stealth of a pair of two stroke engines (lawn mover to the uninitiated) we crept out of last nights dwelling, careful not to wake the other Rickshaw runners who had arrived throughout the night.
Arriving at the falls at sunrise we were blessed with..... a fast moving fog that had completely blocked the valley, and our view. Now you’re just teasing us India.
Since the start of the run we’ve struggled to find places to eat in the mornings... today was different, we’d ordered boiled eggs last night to take away. As we gazed into the thick cloud our moral was almost instantly improved with a light breakfast of three boiled eggs each. It’s the simple things in life.
Traversing the same winding roads as yesterday, we sped down hill and over dale until we reached the 66. A 120km detour to hear the sound of an invisible waterfall was completely worth it; not for the anticlimax of last night and this morning but for the beautiful jungle and communities we saw on Route and the banter within our little open sided tin roller skates.
We were awesome all day... obviously.
We’ve just arrived at a plush hotel in Goa. The heavens have opened and we’re enjoying the hammering of the rain at the windows, gin and tonic in hand, looking out into the churning grey abyss that is the Indian Ocean.... Would it be lame to hit the hay this early?
