On yer bike!

What a long day. Its 21:30 and I’m typing this on the coach as we still have over an hour until we get to our hotel. We were due to get there before dinner and have a walk around town but we’re really late. We did a detour to drop off the bags for El Shaddai and I think possibly we got lost; I’m sure I saw the same place at least 3 times!

It really is just like on the movies. The roads in town are crazy. Hooting is incessant. There really are no rules… at least none that I can fathom! Road direction just seems to be a suggestion. Cows, dogs and people are all over the roads and I never realised you can fit an entire family on a moped.

We were supposed to be at the hotel for dinner but instead we stopped off to eat en route. We had a madras dopas which was like a crispy pancake made from rice/lentils with a couple sauces, and a potato filling. Very yummy and only cost one pound.

Back on the road now and we are continuing our drive through to Mysore. Its been dark for a couple hours already, so we can see all the lights. Buildings are literally covered with strings of lights.

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Phone battery died last night, but I’m charged up now and able to post this. Apparently our itinerary for some days has changed – so some of my morning posts may need to be updated by the time I get home in the evening! Chris has the basic itinerary at home so he will update that each day and I’ll add in anything else along with photos where I’m able to.

This morning we take to the saddle. It’ll be the first time in about a week for me. We’ll be cycling out of Mysore and riding on to the island of Srirangapatna, just to the north-east of the city.

Lying in the Cauvery River, Srirangapatna has long been a Hindu site of pilgrimage, but it is more famous for its connections with Tipu Sultan, the ‘Tiger of Mysore’. A thorn in the side of the British, Tipu posed a real threat to Britain’s imperial expansion in 18th century India. Allying himself to the French, his 17 year reign was
finally ended in 1799, when he was killed during the bloody battle of Seringapatam.

Our visit to his stronghold includes a chance to explore the old Summer Palace and Tipu’s mausoleum before driving back to Mysore. This afternoon we then head out into the surrounding Chamundi Hills, home to the towering Sri Chamundeswari Temple and the five metre high representation of Shiva’s sacred bull, Nandi, one of the largest in the country.

Our total cycling distance today is approximately 48 kilometres