Update from day 4-6 of riding across India!

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Day 4. A more relaxed day. Only 34 miles to do. We watched them harvest coconuts. All you need is a loop of rope round your ankles and a sharp knife to cut the nuts free -and the skill, strength and years of practice to shin up a vertical palm trunk. Once we were out of town the roads were markedly quieter. For some miles we cycled on the banks of this river which we enjoyed. We saw people making bricks in the age old way, trampling the mud and putting it into a mould, taking it out and leaving it to dry in the sun.

We arrived in Thanjavur in time for lunch. We had some very good samosas and “chats” wth a nice balance of spices. We rinsed through our kit then took a tuktuk to the Big Temple. It’s impressive. The suggestion of how they got the 50 ton stone on the top of the tower is that they built a ramp 6.1 km long!

Day 5

63 miles. A mostly enjoyable ride. Few busy roads. We were out of Thanjavur before it got busy. On the way out a local cyclist, Joshua, joined us for a couple of miles. We enjoyed the chat.

We continue to buy water as we go. We stopped for lunch enroute in a busy cafe. For 4 tasty samosas, 2 litres of water, a coffee and an Indian tea, it cost exactly £1. We cycled past all these clay horses. The are used as part of celebrations at temples.

Day 6

64 miles to Madurai

It was pleasantly cool when we set off, around 22 but as usual it gradually heated up to around 30.

We enjoy our interaction with locals. Many give us a wave or a thumbs up. Some come along side on a motor bike and we try and have a conversation. This morning a car past us and stopped a little way up the road. A lady got out and gave each of us a small packet of biscuits and her husband wished us well. We devoured the biscuits this afternoon.

At a water stop a man in a shirt and dhoti led a bull into a field and left it to graze. He came over and turned out to be a web developer. He has worked in UK but came home to give some thing back by helping locals gain computer skills. He said the bull is basically a pet. “You have dogs, we have cows, but they are also a God.”

We went for miles with these red and black flags and quite a number of police. Apparently the state governor was going to be passing.

The geology is changing. This fort or temple is on the largest mound we have seen in 260 miles. We also got a glimpse through the haze of the mountains starting.

A macaque by the road, others were in the trees above. When we arrived at the hotel Al’s front tyre was soft. He removed 3 separate thorns. It’s a busy city.