India-Sri Lanka-India

My road : Chitradurga, Hiriyur, Shravanabelagola, Mysore, Hunsur, Bylakuppe, Virarajandrapet, Thalasseri, Kozhikode, Trichur, Kochi, Trivandrum, Cape Comorin, from 03-13 to 2005-04-5.

On March 13th I start up my second year with as much of enthusiasm, always this craving to roll and to traverse the world. At the difference of my first departure, I have a year of fact road and necessarily that helps me. I get going again by a long step, near of the 150 kilometers, passing can one to say of an expressway for India, to country ways if this is not worse, and with all that, mechanical boredoms (punctures and passing of chaine). The heat not helping, I continue the get up bed at 5 o'clock 15 to leave towards the 6 o'clock. In 3 days I rally Mysore. This will be the place where I will celebrate this first bicycle year as well as my 41 years old. For that I pass a superb evening to the Parklane Hotel, an excellent one to count that I recommend. Mysore is especially famous for the palace of the Maharadjas, something exceptional by his architecture, its ceilings, the beauty of its rooms, its glassware. Everything is preserved and kept closely. Other characteristic of the city, this is the Devaraja market with an unbelievable variety of fruits and vegetables, where the colors and the perfumes are a treat for the eyes and the mouth. But to Mysore a thing goes especially horrible for me while noticing a man sit on the ground that tries to cross the street, for no motorists or cyclos, will not deign to stop itself for give him time. On the contrary one will sketch on him by the right or the left, going even to toot the horn it as for that it releases fastest possible. The Indian one is sometimes really difficult to understand.

At present, the cape Comorin stands out to the horizon. It remains me more than to rejoin the Oman sea then to follow it and then I could discover it. In road towards the Kerala, I wished done halt in the Tibetan refugee camps to Bylakuppe. Here live people that were able to escape the Chinese vice, some come even to relate me their escape, after several days of walk, trying to preserve their liberty, passing to the breadth of the riddled border of armed military officers. This is also the occasion to discover the Golden temple, a structure of a very big beauty by its gilts and its paints (their fineness, their quality, their precision, the required work). That brings me also to escape me earlier towards a country that attracts me, while mixing with these people, in changeable of cooking. The coming the day following a near personality of the Dalaï Lama does me to remain with them. Of there I continue my road to the breadth of the Kodagu, sprinkled region of forests from which that becomes again a true pleasure to roll, while being at the calm, so to speak alone on the roadway, without traffic, without pollution, crossing small hamlets, meeting children leaving for the school. To my passage they remain immobilized, the big open eyes, of their small hands they reply apprehensively to my hellos. But immediately to have surpassed them, they liberate loosening themselves the commentaries. Returned there, the heat became terrible, the shower is passed to the rhythm of 2 to 3 a day. It becomes even difficult to be cold it, nevertheless one looks for it, for the water of the containers is passed tepid indeed hot. Evenings come, the simple one does to remain on the bed, while hoping the rest, one feels the drops to escape and appear alongside the body.

I come therefore to pass to the Kerala, and to rejoin the coast of Malabar. This is the last state before touching the one of the cape. I continue to find me in a dense vegetation, principally palm trees and coconut palms. The road being the principal one descend towards the south, the traffic becoming again infernal, going in all the direction, in front of to distrust all this that surrounds me, for nobody does not take care to me, I wonder sometimes if one sees me. This is at myself to assure that nothing does not arrive me, and to avoid clash. Of this region springs a variety and an unbelievable quantity of fruits. In permanence alongside the road, the stalls are outfitted with grapes, bananas and mangos of different types, pineapple, lemons, apples, orange, and of others that are not any my knowledge. This descent will be marked by problems to repetition with the bicycle, producing itself soon everyday, with the tires that it is necessary to sew up on the flanks and especially punctures. That will go to the height by a tyre out and necessarily an explosion returning the all outside usage and having to have recourse to the bus. All that brings me to be woory to attain the cape, for no replacement piece cannot find itself. I come then to modify my itinerary, while eliminating a climbed one back up by the Tamil Nadu towards the coast is and Madras, my road south will finish there. Not to discover it would be a big disappointment and every day I try to set off again with a bicycle of the better possible one. I done passage to Trichur to the moment of Pâque and discover the processions on friday holy one in the streets. A true Christian fervor is present here. The stop to Kochi does not remain something exceptional, there springs a big harbor activity with freighters, harbors containers, oil. Alone Fort Kochi is calmer and more pleasant with the huge plaice of the fishermen, and all the activity of the spice. Small warehouses escape the odors of all this that will come to perfume and give pleasure to the cooking Indian. The south of Kochi is marked by the backwaters, all a network of canals, of lakes in the middle of the coconut palms. A trip by boat allows me to take advantage of this special environment, and of a totally intact nature. Behind all my boredoms, fortunately I will be able to traverse a long step, beyond the 150 kilometers to arrive to Trivandrum. At this time I am only one day before the cape. The need to put back the bicycle in state always remains impossible, I set up then my hopes on the Sri Lanka. Since Jaisalmer, no encounter of cyclist took not place. In Trivandrum I make André's acquaintance, a follower of the native lying bicycle of the Quebec and left Vietnam. It has a long advance on me since he approaches his sixth year by bike. My last step will be done on April 5th and at last to be able to discover the cape Comorin. This is a huge joy to arrive there and a big satisfaction. With the cape North, I rallied 2 extreme points, with a distance of 10.000 kms rode between the both. I take the time to savor this moment while remaining on the spot 2 nights, and of course while marking to remember it by the photo, with the entry door indicating "welcome to Kanyakumari", but also with the statue Thiruvalluvar, the feet in the water, that seems there in supervision on the places.

Before climbing back up, I must do a jump to Sri Lanka for formality. The remainder bicycle in India limit the stay. I have the luck to be able to supply me in pieces. The return to Delhi is done by train, quicker than the bicycle but that asks nonetheless 53 hours of patience. I can rediscover my friend Shubho and his family. Remains me at present to prepare the continuation of journey while prepare the bicycle like a new and request a visa. A long other road itself track, traverse the Himalaya in the north part of India, pass to the Pakistan to leave me through the Karakorum Highway to Kashgar in China and then to get Beijing.