Up & Down; Up & Down; Repeat

Another cycling day (for everyone else anyway  ☹️) so it was up, fresh and enthusiastic, grab a breakfast and collect bikes. Today was to be a long 81km day in high temperatures.  It started quite cool and with just a bit of level cycling through town to start, it turned into a 20km descent, so all layers were worn. The descent was pretty steep and very twisty with characteristically bad roads comprising sections of bumpy tarmac, unpaved washed out rubble, and potholes you could park a tandem in. Fine for the riders, they could pick their way on the smoothest bits, but a tough journey in the bus. Nearly lost a few folks at the unexpected junctions as they weren't keeping together and staying behind the support bus. I could tell that Jomy the driver was getting a bit cross. Eventually we turned off onto narrow(er) country roads, or what passes for roads in these parts, and (who would have thought possible?) the surface became even worse. Navigation was a nightmare; even following the planned route was tricky. We're talking REALLY rural here. Thank god I'd taken a lot of time to download all the offline maps to my ViewRanger app along with the .gpx files for the rides, before we came out here because I had the best nav system of all and was relied upon to keep Senthil the guide, and driver Jomy on the right track. Just as well I'm an experienced Support Driver (from times spent supporting the BP Coast-2-Coast charity rides)!  The going was extremely slow due to surface and terrain. It was up and down like Cornish & Devon back-lanes! Absolutely exhausting for the riders and for me, constantly bracing myself in the bus whilst tracking progress. Many refreshment stops were made to regroup and folk started to drop out as it became clear that we'd never make the full distance in the time available. Lunch break for me was spent, not eating, but fixing Anne's bike which had lost a brake shoe (I had a spare). We watched a local picking peppercorns from vines by the roadside, and saw many patches of said crop laid out to dry in the sun. Eventually all bar one decided to load the bikes and take to the bus (and Anne did state that it was an easier ride on the bike than in the bus!). She did very well and completed 27.2 miles under tough conditions. The one bloke, Tom, who kept on riding, overshot the hotel and was eventually hailed in the dark. All ended well but today's plan was too ambitious. The environment was however, truly beautiful. 

Tea Factory Tour “ Rest Day”

Woke up and was alarmed to find I was on my last pain killer. Whilst there has been incremental improvements each day, it's now 7 days since the accident and I still need a crutch and a stick to walk
... oh so slowly. The pain is starting to localise to just in front of my left sit bone and left groin as well as deep bruising. Not sure what exactly happened to my leg, apart from the impact, but there are some tendons that have sure been over stressed! Sneezing is agony and my leg jerks up when I do. Explain that!
Anyway, the day's activities started at 10:30 when we mustered for a ride up to the tea factory and museum. Senthil, our guide, appears to be well known to the factory management (here, Munnar, is his home town after all) and gave us our own brilliant personal guided tour. And we were allowed to ignore the 'no cameras' signs. It was a fascinating place and of especial interest to fans of unguarded rotating machinery and flying drive belts that you could get really up close and personal with. The smells were fantastic. After a tea tasting session and a picnic lunch, we inevitably visited the factory shop and guess what we bought. Yep, tea! Those that fancied it rode back to the hotel. Clearly I didn't, and Anne kept me company. Not allowing our feet to touch the ground, Senthil had arranged a doctor to check me over and recommend a Ayurvedic massage. Hmmm. A doctor, Jim, but not as we know it. 3 pokes at my bruised hip and he said yes, I can have a massage. I don't want a freakin' massage, I want another crutch and a painkiller resupply! He tried to locate another medical doctor but by his time it was late Sunday afternoon so no luck. And no luck here in rural Munnar for a crutch. At least Arun (our other driver) managed to get a pack of prescription-only ibuprofen/paracetamol tabs from a side street stall! Then it was back to the hotel to dose up, chill, shower and get ready for drinks at 7.

More Tea Vicar?

Today commenced early with a mass start from the hotel in Palani through the chaos and out into a major road. It was busy; it was hot. Well not for me; I see all from the window of my air conditioned cocoon. After not too long we turned on to minor roads and continued along at a pace on the flat. Jomy the driver (and my personal security detail and carer!) bought fresh watermelon from a roadside stall and this was well received at the first break. The ride continued for 27 miles, pretty much on the flat, before reaching the Wildlife Reserve where you are not permitted to cycle (tigers!). We rolled through very rural farming country seeing fields of onions, cabbages, bananas, rice paddies, coconut, all with a string of shacks and stalls along the way. There was even a short break at a crocodile sanctuary. The crocs were pretty unexcitingly immobile, but a couple of monkeys put on an impressive porn show right in front of us with at least 3 positions from the Kama Sutra. No shame!
We all drove up through the reserve with a lunch stop at a local restaurant where the food was so good we all ate too much. Once clear of the reserve, at 1000m, the bikes were unloaded and the highlight of the holiday began. The road climbed steadily for 16 miles with no break in the gradient through magnificent sandalwood plantations and, more dominantly, tea plantations with wonderful scenery. The temperature dropped with the gain in altitude and all was very pleasant. What a fabulous ride, it was so disappointing not to take part. There was a break part way at a tea stall where everyone had, unsurprisingly, a cup of tea. Pretty locally grown I'd wager! At the top of the climb we waited for the riders and watched a troop of Nilgiri Langurs, a shy species of  so-called Old World Monkey, which are endemic in this area of the Western Ghats.  They are classified as ‘vulnerable’ due to habitat destruction. Anne summited the climb at 2000m around 16:45 which left 7.1/2 miles of descent and flat before reaching the hotel. We were now risking running out of light (twilight at these latitudes is very brief and light fails very quickly) so Anne decided, having done the hero section, she'd join me in the bus for the descent. Wise decision as it was almost dark when we reached our destination. At the point Anne joined me in the bus there were already 5 other riders in the broom waggon for various medical and physical reasons, so no shame there. It was rush-rush to get showered and down to tea, then back to the room for laundry duties and bed. What I would have given to have cycled today with Anne. Hey-ho, such is life.

p.s. see what passes for RAC Recovery in these parts!

Valentines Day, Love to Ride

Up, packed, and breakfasted, off we set at 09:00. The day starts with a manic steep descent through town, back the way we arrived yesterday. It's like living in a video game!  The steep descent continued for 16km weaving around the contours of the valley side, careering round hairpins and affording hazy but magnificent views. The road was protected with random sections of Armco and random sections of concrete blocks and the rest was just, well, open to the drop. And boy was it a drop!  The air was cool so all the riders had layers donned as not much pedalling energy was expended. The road then started to climb in the same manner varying in width from single track to a bit more than single track. I exaggerate. It was really almost 2-way in places. We had a refreshment stop at the top of the hill at 24km (1750m) and all were coping with the 8km undulating climb, helped by the cooler temperatures. Anne even spotted a Common Green Forest Lizard, a species, unsurprisingly, common in these parts. 

Traffic was light(ish) (for India) but the buses and trucks were a challenge (Anne said not for cyclists, but it sure was for us in the bus). Oncoming traffic in the middle of the road round blind bends was normal, it was oncoming cars and motorcycles on our side of the road that were the scary ones!  It was a wild, white-knuckled descent for an amazing 28km from the stop, again with precipitous drops, and was almost impossible to stay ahead of the riders. Hairpin after hairpin challenged life itself and piles of rockfall debris added to the excitement. This was followed by a long level section where we tried to get ahead of the lead riders. In such circumstances the group had strung out so we had a stop with just 6km to go to regroup before riding into the heat of Palani at 320m. It's around 34C outside! It was a truly awesome ride both in the bus, but especially in the saddle. Riding myself still feels a long way off. Walking unaided would sure be nice. Little by little things are improving but I still can't bear weight on left side. 

Anyway, we checked into the hotel had lunch and changed then headed for the "Rope Car".  We couldn't get there by minibus so we all piled into tuktuks, 6 at a time! When we got to the funicular we realised that we all had to take off our shoes and walk barefoot on the street in the queue which would take an hour before joining a tour that could take 3 hours. Nope. A line has been crossed. Look at the ground!  My feet are not equipped to walk barefoot in that filth ... with crutches. And it's 18:30 already!  And we haven't had tea. Leroy and I baled, quickly followed by everyone else!  We had an intriguing walk back of 800m (on crutches too!) through the crowds and the stalls and the pilgrims and the noise and even a deafening dance troop. Far better entertainment. And I feel the walk has done me good. Still can't put any weight on left leg though. 

And Anne cycled 40 miles today, and loved it.  

p.s. the bus pic is the most modern bus yet seen. It's decorated with heart-shaped wreath of balloons for Valentines Day. For the purposes of balance, I'll include a more typical bus pic later. 

Rest Day, Kodaikanal

Wow, I managed to get out of bed, perform my ablutions, and get dressed without a single gasp, yelp or scream. This is real progress and it feels as if it is starting to heal, albeit slowly. After a superb breakfast of fruit, masala dosa, and various other savoury and sweet dishes, Leroy (front man on the recumbent e-tandem) leant me his spare walking stick. What a difference, with 2 supports, I can now walk ... slowly and carefully. No more wheelchair! I retreated to the room to catch up with laundry duties, admin, and book reading (with a bit of light physio thrown in). Anne reported for the guided walk around the town of Kodaikanal visiting the local shops where she bought baggy elephant print trousers and a holiday present for me : a walking stick with a spiral carved wooden shaft and a brass (?) handle. They all had a lovely lunch whilst I waited until the bhaji stall outside the room fired up. But, when walking back from the town, Jo was attacked by a monkey who tried to steal her bag. In the process of defending her possessions, she tripped and twisted her ankle so she has now got my new stick and I'll keep Leroy's. 🙄

Another Day, Another Bus Ride

It's Wednesday 12th and another chair-carry got me to breakfast this morning (bless 'em all) and then I managed to hobble painfully to the bus on my single crutch. The descent of the precipitous, cobbled, hair-pinned driveway was as scary in the bus as it was for the riders who had to walk it. The location here at Tranquil Nest is truly beautiful with constant jungle birdsong, and tree frogs calling. It was another tough ride today for the cyclists with plenty of short breaks on the narrow winding road as it progressed upwards through the Western Ghats. We saw typical sights of women carrying great bundles of firewood and water carriers (not at the same time!) on their heads, and men carrying huge bunches of bananas likewise, with enormous hooked blades hanging from their waists. Anne lost her Dog Dazer at one point but was relieved to find it had been picked up by a following rider, especially as Claire was actually chased by a dog later!  Finding a lunch stop was a challenge as there were so few areas where you could pull off. All were rubbish strewn, but many were discounted due to piles of human faeces! We eventually found a place and were almost immediately surrounded by a troop of monkeys which had to be kept at bay, especially when one tried to get into the bus!  After the picnic lunch we continued climbing quite steeply again until reaching the hill station town of Kodaikanal. A busy and chaotic metropolis, it assaulted the senses on all sides. We turned off and drove around its big lake to find the wonderful hotel that would be home for 2 nights. Good WiFi, lovely staff, amazing food, and we get a disabled room so all is good. We are at 2100m so it's like a warm summer's day in UK. In fact, it was quite chilly come evening. The wonderful nurse Erica (tandem stoker) came round and kindly poked, prodded and manipulated me before dinner and seemed reassured that there were no obvious indications of underlying tendon/ligament detachments, just a softness in the tissues in the injured side compared with the good side. This, and the fact it has not got any worse, is good news.  Time to celebrate with a trip to the restaurant for beer and a fab meal. 

And Anne says she rode all the 28miles quite comfortably. I should give her my Garmin to carry!

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round & Round

The support vehicles were loaded with the bikes after an OK breakfast and we mounted up for a transport to the start of today's ride. I can see why. The traffic was manic, as usual, until we reached the dual carriageway anyway. It was just a compete jumble of buses, trucks, cars, bicycle rickshaws, tuktuks and small motorbikes (with up to 4 on board or a ladder or milk churn or hay bale or cooking pots) within which pedestrians casually walked around. Nobody ever seems to get hit; it just works and although it was rammed, there was never any gridlock! Once on to the dual carriageway it was a clear run with a concrete separation barrier and vehicles driving on the left .. mostly .. not always. No lane discipline, no sense of priority other than 'who dares wins', overtaking or undertaking, all is fine so long as you sound your horn.
We arrived at a shaded start point in a small habitation and the riders set off initially on level roads in hot sun. Then very shortly the gradient stepped up as the narrow, precipitously edged, reasonably well surfaced road rose steadily for about 24km at c.5% into the Western Ghats. It looked a fantastic road to cycle ... from the window of the bus! Anne assured me that it was, despite the several buses that came thundering down. We saw monkeys, heard haunting bird song and passed through the occasional tribal village (one with a knife maker forging blades by the roadside) and miles of light jungle. The temperature dropped with altitude and is now quite pleasant. No aircon needed. The 'hotel' is a beautiful, rustic, bungalow based establishment in a fantastic forest setting in the middle of the Ghats at 1300m (after today's start at 240m) . Anne, I'm happy to say, thoroughly enjoyed it and found the going quite fine. The heat was a challenge initially but the gradient was quite doable at a steady comfortable pace, especially as the temperature dropped as the climb progressed. I'm gutted I couldn't have done it too. The only problem for me now is that there is no wheelchair at this place and it's too far to walk to the bar and restaurant i.e. more than, say, 10m. I'm confined to barracks ☹️. But wait. I'm told the boys are going to wheel me up on the baggage cart! And so they did, lifting me to the table in my chair. A real Maharajah's entrance, to much applause. And a return carry in the chair after tea all the way to the chalet. What a team.
p.s. Anne cycled 21 miles from 230m to 1300m. (She told me to put that bit in)