It hardly seems possible but, after an exhausting, enjoyable, emotional trek, crossing hundreds of kilometres of southern India, we are finally on our way home.
Breakfast was early; we had to drive to Varkala to board the flight to Muscat which departed at 08:45 local time. By the time you read this, we’ll be well on our way home, looking forward to greeting you and doing our best cowboy impression. You’d think the airlines would provided extra-padded seats for cyclists!
In spite of the physical pain and the emotional roller-coaster we’ve experienced, we’ve had a lot of fun on this tour. But it was never about us. The reason for coming all this way was to inspire people to give generously towards two very important charities.
Bereaved Parent Support is helping people in the UK that have suffered the loss of a child. Suffering that I can’t even begin to imagine – unfortunately a number of the RideIndia2016 team can imagine it; they’ve been there. El Shaddai is giving a childhood and a future to many hundreds of Indian children that have had both stolen from them.
If you’d like to contribute to the work of these two charities there’s still time – just go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/CandyG and please remember to gift aid it too if you’re a UK taxpayer.
Thank you.
Thank you for your interest in our challenge.
Thank you for your support and your generosity to these causes.
We’ve done it! The last day of cycling is done and dusted. I almost can’t believe it.
Early yesterday evening we moored alongside a home stay which had beautiful orchids on the trees in the garden. We all climbed out and lots of photos were taken. The two houseboats were tied together and we all had dinner together.
Deepak with the orchids.
At bedtime we realised that the two single beds in our twin room had been made up with a single “double sheet and double blanket”. Very odd. Fortunately I had my sleeping bag liner, so I just used that.
You wouldn’t think you were on a boat!
We had breakfast on the rice boats as we cruised back to where our coach was waiting for us. After a very leisurely ride yesterday we hit the road to cover some serious distance again today.
Ready for the last leg
There was a school of children washing their breakfast plates in the water. As usual, they were happy to see us, and loved posing to have their photos taken.
After a half hour coach journey we saddled up for our last 85km. Climbing off the air conditioned coach, we knew we were in for a tough ride; it was only about 10am but it was already hot!
Again we cycled some quieter roads, surrounded by brightly coloured houses, dilapidated shacks, smiling locals and pungent smells. There was a lot of burning piles on their sides of the road today.
A lot of the ride this morning was along the coast, and brightly coloured nets dotted along with people mending them under the shade of the palm trees. We even saw dolphins out at sea!
Another ferry crossing, this time with slightly better condition seats, and then we had about a 10km stretch on the motorway again. One of the ladies commented that it felt a bit like playing a game of space invaders! Deepak took the lead this time. He set off at a much faster pace than we’d been enjoying the rest of the ride. I was determined to keep up with him and Ed, especially as the wind had picked up a bit and I could use them to as a wind breaker 🙂 I was also pleased to get off that road as soon as we could.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that backed onto the beach. Who would have thought it?
Our Lunch-time view
A couple more kilometres on the motorway and then Vishnu was back in the lead navigating the smaller roads again. The calming view of the sea and sounds of the ocean kept us company for much of the ride. Some of the roads were nicely tarred, some, tar was nowhere to be seen.
The last stretch was undulating hills. Finally we reached “Deshadan” (our accommodation for the last two nights) and cheers of jubilation and high fives all round signified the end of amazing achievement!
We made it!
Tomorrow gives us the opportunity to relax at the beach, swim in the pool or even do some last minute shopping!
2 more sleeps till I see my boys again!
Our total cycling distance today was approximately 85 kilometres
Today we had a really nice ride. After breakfast we hit the road at about 07:30. Riding through the centre of Fort Kochi this morning we went towards the beach road and then south. Following the coast we passed through a series of fishing villages and coconut plantations en route to the town of Alleppey, once one of the backwater region’s busiest ports.
A little of Alleppey’s colonial heritage still remains sprinkled amongst the busy streets and, on arrival, we’ll follow the canal that links the Indian Ocean with Vembanad Lake, one of the longest and largest in India.
It’s all very flat so it was easy going – the 60km soon passed. At one point we stopped at a road-side shop for a drink and a… well… break. Unfortunately the facilities were not really to my liking! Thankfully none of our hotels have been kitted out like that!
We have seen so many beautiful orchidsOh No!
Nearby to where we stopped there was a wedding taking place. These youngsters were happy to pose for a photo.
It’s hot and humid, but the last section was a 20+km stretch until we hit a t-junction. Knowing that we couldn’t get lost we could go at our own pace. Nich, Ed and I got into a good fast rhythm – it felt good to stretch our legs a bit.
Matthew and me waiting at the T-junction for the others to catch up.
We arrived at our hotel well before for lunch. Like most of the hotels we’ve stayed in, the entrance lobby seems to give an impression of grandeur. Alas, once you get to your room, it never delivers on the promise made. The electrics often leave much to be desired; near the start of the trip one of the girls even got an electric shock in the bathroom.
The view from our roomDo you like our light fitting?
After lunch we went for a wander around the local shops. This is not a particularly touristy area and I didn’t see anything I was looking for. Whilst walking back from the shops a bloke on a bike stopped next to me and tried to chat me up. He asked if there was anything he could help me with. I was very grateful to see our Explore tour guides sitting across the road, so thanked him and said I was just meeting my friends.
Deepak came over and asked what the guy wanted. He just laughed when I told him. He said I should have showed him my ring and said, “Married with 4 young boys, maybe in the next life!”
There have been a few changes to the itinerary over the time we’ve been here. If all goes according to plan, tomorrow night will be spent on a house boat. Presumably we won’t have wifi there, but I’ll update you as soon as I’m able to.
Our total cycling distance today is approximately 60 kilometres
Hey! We made front page of the local news paper a couple of days ago. Ok, the print quality isn’t great and you might not be able to tell it’s us, but it is! Apparently it was essentially saying about how we are travelling from Mysore to Varkala by bicycle to raise money for the street children. We made front page of the local paper!
Today had been left free for us to enjoy the many highlights of India’s oldest European settlement. So, no cycling, but it was still pretty tiring.
Home to the oldest church and the oldest synagogue in India, the port also boasts the majestic Mattancherry Palace. Originally built by the Portuguese in the 16th century, it was extensively renovated by the Dutch roughly 100 years later, earning it the title of ‘The Dutch Palace’.
After a buffet breakfast, 9 of us caught the coach to Community of Grace church, in Kochi. We went to their English service, so were able to understand everything. It was a really lovely service, We sang a number of songs that I knew, and a couple which were easy to pick up. The preaching could have been said in half the time as he repeated himself quite a lot, he was speaking on “conviction vs preference”.
We only had a few minutes afterwards to chat to some of the church members before we had to leave for our coach, which was a pity as we were invited to stay for lunch at the church.
A different county but felt very familiar.
Dodgy electrics are everywhere.We had a quick stop back at the hotel to collect some of the rest of team, then we were dropped off at Jew Town to go shopping as some wanted to buy some jewellery. From there we were taken to Fort Kochi to go to the markets. A few of us decided to find a place to eat first, we went to this lovely restaurant which overlooked a sea of cables! What a mess of electrics!
The lunch was divine. I had vegetable stew (in a coconut sauce) with appams (like a rice pancake), and a mango lassie to drink
A very satisfying meal for £2.50
We then wandered the streets for souvenirs, but if you showed any interest at all they just pestered you constantly! I didn’t like that way of doing things, so just walked out without buying anything.
From a distance we saw the famous cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, said to have been brought here by Chinese traders from the court of Kublai Khan.
After a walk to the huge nets up close, we caught a tuctuc back to the hotel. A remarkably less hair raising experience than our first ride in a tuctuc
Thank goodness!
Our total cycling distance today was approximately NOTHING!
