Michael Eierle - Germany to India, Pakistan and Iran, Germany to Turkey - India - from Mumbai to Dohad

India part 4 - from Mumbai to Goa to Udipi to Cochin to Madurai to Munnar to Bangalore to Hampi to Aurangabad to Dohad

After the great tiring action with the reincarnation of the Honda in Mumbai we drove over good empty roads in two days down to Goa. In Goa we spent two weeks relaxing and doing nothing, except servicing the bikes. Goa was a nice place for having all kinds of good food, cheap beer and nice empty beaches when you find them. Normally the beaches are crowded with dogs, cows, vendors and Indian male tourists, trying to get a good show from topless girls. These guys are also not shy to sit in front of the girls, staring between their legs or follow them all the time in the sea and try to touch them. A real pain in the ass. Besides they are acting like birds while bride search. Best way to escape was sit on the bikes and look for lonesome beaches. For us Goa is not a place to spend beach holidays except you like parties and all kind of drugs. There are much better beaches for example in Thailand with easier people.

On the 15.03. we left Goa and rode on mostly new, quite good roads easily 300 km down to Udipi. In Udipi is a very holy Krishna temple. A couple of times a day hundreds of pilgrims pull a 6 m high wooden tower, packed with priests and other holy equipment, accompanied by loud noise (sorry music), around the temple yard. A temple elephant lead the whole procedure. After the lap the elephant parked the tower. But how this guy speeds this thing up, I thought he will flatten some pilgrims or crash the tower. Was good fun. We spent the night in the Vyarahar Lodge, okay for 4 Dollars US with a very little open park yard in front of the hotel.

Next day we head to Kozhikode. The 260-km were good to ride; sometimes the road was a bit bumpy. We had around 35 degrees C and 80% humidity, so packing the bikes was always the hardest job, you don't need a sweatshirt.

And the driving wind does not really cool down. But only little traffic. Kozhikode is nothing really special. We shared the room in the Seaqueen Hotel with thousands of mosquitoes for not really cheap 9 Dollars but with safe parking in the garden.

It seems that heat causes brain damages because the people here drive totally stupid. Pedestrians and bicycle rider (millions each) seem to misunderstand the bullshit with the untouchable. They act like unhurtables.

Further on good road, mostly new paved, we made our way down to Cochin. Before Ponnani the National Highway Nr.17 redeveloped to an ox cart and bicycle rickshaw racetrack for slight pedal pusher in the 39-kg league.

After 17 km and always a big question mark in my mind (was that a milestone with the yellow top and NH 17 on it or had someone left his curry with dal) the road changed back to original size. It always amazed me how many possibilities there are, when you ask for the right way. Couldn't find so much on my map. Remember: All roads lead to somewhere!

Finally we lost the Highway just before Cochin and (luckily) made a shortcut to Fort Cochin, our destination. Only ten minutes with a ferry and we avoided the whole town. Great!

We liked Cochin. Friendly relaxed people, beautiful countryside on the entrance to the back waters. We stayed in the Elite Hotel, cheap and safe parking for the bikes. We made a little backwater tour in a little boat through small water channels, saw water snakes and a lot of spices and herbs growing in the woods, normally you only know from the super markets at home.

After three relaxed days we head 150 km down to Kollam. Here we made the big backwater tour up to Alleppey, around 70 km for just 3 $. You can go back to Kollam easily by bus, but we changed after half of the way over to the boat back to Kollam. It's possible. It was a lazy, refreshing day on the sundeck cruising through woods of palm trees, passing lonely villages and Chinese fishnets. It's worth seeing. Kollam itself is nothing special. Because of the humidity and heat we took an A/C-room in the Hotel Kathika for 10 Dollars. Bike parking inside the hotel yard. But hide the stuff before otherwise they will sit on your bike, even when you advised them, they have to make sure that nobody will touch the bikes.

So, next day we drove to the famous Kovallam beach. In early times dream beach of Goa tired Hippies, today it's just a hotel packed tourist place like many others. This time, it seems, there was the weight watcher meeting of the year, section U.K. 35 degrees C, a humidity above 80% and so windy that we developed to sandmen within seconds on the beach. But good waves.

We stayed in a nameless guesthouse in the back for just $4. You cannot reach the hotels on the beach with any vehicle. After three days we had enough and the Cap was calling. The 80 km over a good road to Kannijakumari was easy. A tale says that a strong headed Virgin (Kumari) here was more than willing to marry Mr. Shiva. But this gentleman was very busy with meditation and didn't realize her. So she was addicted to strong penance and worship (seemed not to be German Lady) and finally he promised to marry her in the next life. She got so upset after this, that she threw the whole marriage arrangement into the see. And that's the reason why the beach down here is so colourful. And I thought it's because of the garbage. Good to know.

There are two little islands with a temple and a statue of Vivekananda, a former religion leader, which marks the southernmost point of India. There is a Gandhi memorial and the spooky Kumari temple (worth to see, men enter topless only) on the main land. Our sightseeing programme was done at the afternoon. There are plenty of reasonable hotels around, because it's a Indian pilgrims destination.

Here was our personal point of return. Next day we rolled along a very good road the 240 km in less than 4 hours to Madurai. It was hot, around 40 degrees. Every 50 km we needed a drink stop. No traffic.

Madurai is famous for its Meenakshi temple. This is the one with the thousands of colourful figures on it. Amazing. Otherwise a very busy, hot and humid city. We visited the temple and got the first rain after month. We took an A/C room in the Hotel Padman (with safe carpark) for 12 $ US because of the humidity, but close to the temple (and there is the hotel area) we could not find any cheap hotel with a safe carpark.

Covered in sweat we packed the bikes and disappeared to Munnar. Munnar has India's highest tea farms. And is one of the few quiet places. The hilly countryside is covered with green tea plants. The colourful spots in-between are the pickers. The whole scenery is a dream.

A nightmare instead: Rosi's Honda Dominator. Over with dominant. It needs more than 7 liter/100km and the engine stutter after 3500 rpm. It was fresh at night in Munnar and I got something in my mind like: burn it, heating material maybe is the only reason for existence. We changed the plug and cleaned the air filter, - showed no reaction. Help comes from Bahrat Petroleum: a poison green engine aphrodisiac that blows the engine through and increases the octane level a bit. That finally helped.

We spent two refreshing silent nights in the Aida Hotel (take the lovely little room on the back) for reasonable 7$ US. Munnar itself is an ugly little town in an expensive region. So the Aida is a cheap one, friendly, with family connection. On little roads we drove to Namakkal the day after. After the mountains it was very hot and humid. In front of us the sky was black and slowly we rode into a heavy storm. So we decided to stay in the new, clean and friendly Hotel Priya Towers (7$ double). Sounds bigger than it is. Bike parked in front of the hotel in a mini yard, they have security guard at night. Otherwise in Namakkal is nothing really interesting.

After 140 km we arrived in Bangalore next day, the Silicon Valley of India. Here the Indians do what the can do best, except making babies. No, not breast implants - software. All big companies in the world let Indians write their software (its much cheaper) there.

But we didn't need something getting written; we wanted something getting read. We went to the palm leaf library to hear something about our life and our future. Believe it or not: I have 88 years time to travel, Rosi 84 years. Enough time for lots of nonsense, great! We stood in the new Omshakthi Palace (22 $ US, safe carpark in the basement, more than less quiet) close to the railway station. It's nothing special but B. is not cheap. Bangalore was the most modern city in India for us. Even the relationship between men and women looked very western like. We changed the tires on the Guzzi after 20000 km there. Had Bridgestone BT 45 F on the front and an offroad tire from Bridge on the rear. The front was still okay and on the back was little profile left. But I was tired of carrying always the spare tires (sent with Rosi's bike) on the back. Attention: Having a tire change machine does not automatically mean that they use it!

On the April 4th we were in Whitefield, 30 km outside of Bangalore. Here is the Ashram (training camp for worshipper) of Sai Baba. I read some of his books and wanted to see him in person. Staying in the Ashram was possible, but ...no bikes in the Ashram, slimy guards advised us to wear long trousers and white clothes, men and women are mostly separate, advice this and rule that and advice here and rule there...

Kiss my Kate. Exactly what I like. Not willing to become prisoners and leaving our bikes on the street (man, don't touch it, or I touch you and that hurts badly, 97 times a day). We found a nice, cheap place in the village behind. So next morning at 5 am we went for the official audience. Waiting in long rows on stony ground with hundred others for hours and realized that special friends got much better places even when they came late - sleeping legs, pain in ass and back - once for Sai Baba.

Sai Baba came after 8 am. An old, tiny, friendly man with a good aura. I like him, but not the whole theatre around. Today was my 40th birthday and I got two presents: seeing Baba and not have to stay in the Ashram, yeah. At night big party with Rosi, Coke and vegetarian steak. Drug free we went back to our hotel along the Ashram wall and suddenly got a big flash. Here the piss streams of all taxi driver and street vendor find together and the smell spins everybody away. Bon appetite!

We started at 6 am on the 6th April because of the heat. It's more comfortable riding early morning. Easily made the 400 km to Hampi on good highways. We arrived there at 2 pm. Hampi is a city of ruins from the 14th century and lies in the middle of a weird countryside. It looks like giants have played with marbles and left them where they were. We found the scenery fantastic, mystic, sometimes spooky. It was hot and humid, lots of mosquitoes and tourists here. We met a nice couple from Switzerland and walked together 3 km to the monkey temple. Before we crossed the river in a round reed boat. Felt like chicken in a basket. 35 degrees, humid and only 630 steps uphill to the temple. That was the only sportive action then.

On Sunday was a big festival. Like in Udipi pilgrims pulled two huge (more than 10 m high) wooden towers, colourful decorated and packed with priests and holy stuff along the streets. Lots of people there this time and we nearly had a tennis arm from shaking hands all the time: hello, what's your name, thank you, give me rupee. Altogether we found the inhabitants of Hampi a bit strange. When I paid something I got the feeling that everybody stared at me and sometimes nearly felt into my wallet. But it is a very poor region; maybe that's a reason.

We stood in a nice private room with safe parking in the back for 2$ US and hung around here for 5 days. Officially no drugs, meat or beer in this holy place. Officially!

On the 11th April we made our biggest stretch /day in India: 600km from Hampi to Aurangabad without flatten something. It was already dark when we reached there. Aurangabad is a good starting point for the caves of Ellora. Hotel Modi Samrat was cheap and okay ($4.5), more than less safe parking, because the hotel stuff had to show the extra covered bikes to other guests all the time. We made big trouble but didn't really help. Indians are Indians!

And they need to look with the fingers, always. Next day Noelle and Tommy from Switzerland arrived and we spent a funny night in the dark oriental bar (no chairs) in the basement of our hotel.