One of Those Days
Andrea and I had plotted to catch the Alibaug Ferry from Mumbai and then ride our bikes to Janjira Fort near Murud and back. I had kayaked most of this section of coast last year and I was looking forward to covering the same section on the bike. However, it was one of those days when nothing seemed to go right.
We were told by the Ferry company that the first ferry was scheduled for 6.00 am so Andrea and I met in Bandra at 5.10 am and waited for my driver who was 20 min late. We then raced south arriving at the ticket office a little before 6.00 am only to find the shutters down. We were then told that the first ferry was at 6.15 am. The shutters opened at little after 6.15 am and we purchased our ticket.
We then queued above the ferry watching the crew go about their morning routine. They started by washing themselves in typical Indian fashion with boxer shorts on to maintain modesty. Next was their their clothes followed by a scrub of the toilets on the Ferry. We loaded on to the ferry at 6.45 am before following out another ferry at 7.10 am, an hour an 10 minutes later than expected.
The ferry ride was also slower than expected and we were on the bikes, after a trip to the filthiest toilet in India, at 8.30 am. This was an hour and a half later than planned and it was getting hot.
We set off at a reasonable pace, bouncing through the many potholes and rough sections on the road. I then heard my tube patch kit bounce out of my tool bag. I picked it up to find my bike multi-tool missing as I had left the bag slightly open. Then my seat started to squeak and after another series of bumps the seat shifted placing unwanted pressure on my prostate. Great start to the day and me with no tool to fix the seat!
When India takes away, sometimes it gives. This time the gift was a bike repair main who had an appropriate alum key and my prostate will be forever thankful! My prostate and I were so appreciative that I offered 100 INR for his services. He refused and we eventually agreed on 10 INR as suitable recompense. We should have purchased the alum key as later Andrea's handle bar vibrated loose.
We continued on but the road was rougher than expected and our speed was down. It was getting hotter and we hit Kashid Beach, our 50km mark, after two hours to refill drink bottles and eat disgusting carbohydrate gel washed down with coconut water and almonds
The road ahead consisted of flat sections followed by short climbs over headlands. The temperature peaked at 35 degrees with the humidity at 78% giving a "feels like" temperature of 45 degrees.
I was well and truly cooked when I reached Murud only to remember that Janjira Fort was a further 4 km. We rode on and found a restaurant overlooking the Fort for a much needed fresh lime soda "sweet, salty and masala" as we sat in the shade enjoying a nice breeze and looked out at the beach and Fort
We rode back to Murud, which was a total of 75 km from our start point at the Ferry. I realised that I would not make it back to the Ferry so I started organising a vehicle to get us back with the help of a very friendly shopkeeper. So much for may plan of riding to Janjira and return! Andrea, feeling much better than I, pressed on to Kashid Beach.
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| Andrea unloading from the ferry |
We then queued above the ferry watching the crew go about their morning routine. They started by washing themselves in typical Indian fashion with boxer shorts on to maintain modesty. Next was their their clothes followed by a scrub of the toilets on the Ferry. We loaded on to the ferry at 6.45 am before following out another ferry at 7.10 am, an hour an 10 minutes later than expected.
The ferry ride was also slower than expected and we were on the bikes, after a trip to the filthiest toilet in India, at 8.30 am. This was an hour and a half later than planned and it was getting hot.
We set off at a reasonable pace, bouncing through the many potholes and rough sections on the road. I then heard my tube patch kit bounce out of my tool bag. I picked it up to find my bike multi-tool missing as I had left the bag slightly open. Then my seat started to squeak and after another series of bumps the seat shifted placing unwanted pressure on my prostate. Great start to the day and me with no tool to fix the seat!
When India takes away, sometimes it gives. This time the gift was a bike repair main who had an appropriate alum key and my prostate will be forever thankful! My prostate and I were so appreciative that I offered 100 INR for his services. He refused and we eventually agreed on 10 INR as suitable recompense. We should have purchased the alum key as later Andrea's handle bar vibrated loose.
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| Loading bikes, a horse cart was our last resort for our ride to the Ferry! |
The road ahead consisted of flat sections followed by short climbs over headlands. The temperature peaked at 35 degrees with the humidity at 78% giving a "feels like" temperature of 45 degrees.
I was well and truly cooked when I reached Murud only to remember that Janjira Fort was a further 4 km. We rode on and found a restaurant overlooking the Fort for a much needed fresh lime soda "sweet, salty and masala" as we sat in the shade enjoying a nice breeze and looked out at the beach and Fort
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| Loading bikes after finding Andrea |
We rode back to Murud, which was a total of 75 km from our start point at the Ferry. I realised that I would not make it back to the Ferry so I started organising a vehicle to get us back with the help of a very friendly shopkeeper. So much for may plan of riding to Janjira and return! Andrea, feeling much better than I, pressed on to Kashid Beach.
Initially a larger "Matador" rickshaw was suggested but the local drivers were not keen because of the Dussera Festival. After considerable effort on the part of the shop keeper, a Tempo was organised and we set off.
e.
We caught up with Andrea at Kashid Beach about 16km down the road. It was a huge effort from her given the conditions. We squashed into the front of the Tempo and bounced our way along the road to loud Hindi music. To make matters worse, the noise from the horn made it sound like it was installed in he cab with us. At least I didn't need to peddle the Tempo
An hour later at 3.15pm, we were at the Ferry terminal having just missed the prior sailing by a few minutes. The next boat was 45 minutes away so we purchased a ticket for the A/C cabin and waited. True to form the ferry was 30 minutes late when we set off. We relaxed in the A/C after a long hot day where nothing seemed to go right but I didn't regret a minute.
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| Our precious A/C cabin ticket |
We caught up with Andrea at Kashid Beach about 16km down the road. It was a huge effort from her given the conditions. We squashed into the front of the Tempo and bounced our way along the road to loud Hindi music. To make matters worse, the noise from the horn made it sound like it was installed in he cab with us. At least I didn't need to peddle the Tempo
An hour later at 3.15pm, we were at the Ferry terminal having just missed the prior sailing by a few minutes. The next boat was 45 minutes away so we purchased a ticket for the A/C cabin and waited. True to form the ferry was 30 minutes late when we set off. We relaxed in the A/C after a long hot day where nothing seemed to go right but I didn't regret a minute.
