Feb 14
Some roads are as nice as the Autobahn, others are basically stones and dust with an occasional bit of asphalt. This can change within 2 meters, so alertness is very much needed. You get used to dodging the holes all the time, but on a bike without suspension, it is still far from comfortable.
Feb 13
After a short 15 kilometer, I passed a beach that I could not resist. There is time in the itinerary, so I checked into a beach-side hotel in Anjarle and enjoyed the water and the nice food.
Feb 12
In Kelshi, I found a room at a coconut and mango farm. For dinner, they prepared me a fantastic meal with chicken curry, rice, chiapati and mango chutney. All ingredients were from their own farm, the owner ensured me, including the rice.
Since this was not a real restaurant, the desk was placed in the middle of the room, where I could have my meal. The owner took a lot of interest in my eating, and was watching me from his chair all the time, as to make sure that I had everything I needed. A bit awkward yes, but his way of doing his best.
Feb 12
This is what it looks like in Bankot. Too many people here are living far below the poverty line. It is not pretty and I think India will have a hard time improving the conditions for so many people.
The road here was hard to find, because there was no road. Thanks to many helping hands I found my way and continued South.
Feb 11
This ferry brought me and my bike from Rajapuri to Dighi. The little boat was stacked full of motorcycles (some wouldn even fit and were hanging partly outside, secured with a rope), people and my bicycle had to sit on the roof for the crossing.
Feb 11
To Murud today, the last town (a fishing town) that is easily reachable by car, since this is where the road stops and there is only a very small ferry to get to the other side. I think the contrast here is stunning:
Feb 10
An early rise today, in order to catch the first boat to Mandwa and to in the hope of getting to a room somewhere without having to cycle through the hottest part of the day. Ended up in Revadanda in a beachside hut.
Although still close to the city, the sights on the road and especially in the towns are something completely different compared to home.
Also, a stranger over here attracts a lot of attention from the locals. They want to know everything, and of course a picture:
Feb 09
An early-morning flight brought me to the city of Mumbai, where it was still dark outside. Plenty time for building-up my folding bicycle, that had survived the flight, packed in a large backpack. Quite funny that the police in front of the airport where the most interested in my proceedings and commenting all the time about how much they liked the bike.
When daylight came, it was time to dive into the Mumbai Monday-morning rush-hour, which went surprisingly easy. This huge traffic jam looks like an absolute chaos from a distance, but from within it is not as bad. People are actually looking what others are doing: If you make a move in a direction, they give you space to do so. You should act predictable though. Indicators are not used here, everybody just sounds the horn all the time so that others know where they are. It works, but makes a hell of a noise…
It was not easy to fine the way close to the airport (I have seen many corners of the slums surrounding it), but eventually thanks to many pointing fingers I found the way to the highway South and to the hotel, very close to the Gateway to India (and no, not the Taj Mahal Hotel):
Aug 08
The most high-tech aquariums that I have seen so far, and a good final bit of the workshop that brought me over to Australia this time:
Aug 03
Close to the destination Townsville, Torrens Creek (population: 15) was the last overnight stop. Basically just a pub with not much else around.
Aug 02
After waking up in the morning, the wind started to pick up more and more. So much in fact that my small dome tent was struggling to stay upright.
Being in an area that has not seen any rain for more than two years, all this wind resulted in a small dust storm. After stuffing the tent back in the car, I decided therefore to move on and skip the races. Further into nothingness…
Aug 01
Something interesting here: I go to a really tiny town, 87 kilometers from the place I came from and 130 kilometers from the next town, only to find out that the next day will be the only day of the year that this town of 20 souls in the middle of the desert will welcome another 600 people for the yearly Corfield Cup, a horse-race.
Of course, some old-timers already arrived early, so they could bet on the horses, and more importantly: drink a lot of beer… This made for a really interesting evening with some real Australians from the Outback.
Jul 29
This is camping at it’s best: only one caravan on an otherwise empty (and free) campground in the middle of Outback Queensland, near Blackall. Fantastic stars, many of them shooting. Bu what is there more to wish for?
Jul 27
The distances are long, but the roads straight. Lots of time for looking around! It doesn’t look like it on the photo, but there is so much to see.
Jul 24
Up the Noosa River from Noosa Heads to Harry’s hut today. In the most narrow parts, there was virtually no ripple on the water. That, combined with the tannin-rich water made for a mirror-like water surface and a kaleidoscopic effect that was very spectacular!
Jul 23
Today, after a short car-trip North, some time for some walking in the Tewantin State Forest, where lots of gum-trees grow.
Jul 22
With a lot of unexpected rain in the afternoon. Pictured are the Glass House Mountains, before the rain.
Jul 21
After waking up, this beautiful view greeted me after I opened up the window-blind: in Australia again!
Jul 20
Or Lion City / Singapore. After a 12-hour long flight and some extra sleep at the airport I had plenty of time to explore the city. The temperature-humidity combination felt brutal; Over here, your glasses get fogged up when you get out of the train and onto the platform!
Since modern cities are not really my cup of tea, I was lucky to find the China-town and later Little-India. In the first I had a fantastic lunch of chicken-rice at the Maxwell food stalls, where so many people had lunch that sharing a table was not an option but the only possibility (after standing in line for ordering):
Dinner in Little-India was something completely different again, but this time at a table on the sidewalk. The dish: chapati with lamb, with a barley-lemonade on the side:
From the look of the people, this area could easily be mistaken for India: almost no non-Indians in sight and certainly not as ordered as the rest of Singapore:
And on the way back I realized that the people complaining about the crowds in the train really should take a look at this picture. More people on this train would have been nearly impossible. And it apparently is quite the normal thing here: no-one says a thing about it…
