Friday 28 September 2012

With the Sun in my Left Eye.

And so with the sun in my left eye I turn round and push the bike back up the bank of the river.  Twas ever thus.  The day had started out on a most promising fashion when I eluded the youth who ran the dive I was staying in.  He had quite ruined my afternoon and evening by treating me as his pet "Engleesh" and bringing around a succession of his dodgy mates.  Any way I managed an essential repair on the bike - the front changer had stripped a thread - with the help of a nice chap in an electrical shop and a hacksaw blade.  The gears were working again.  So the next day I set off following the red line on my map - meaning a track - on a reasonable road to a town where I hoped to cross the river.  I found the town I needed after 40ish k and then asked for "Bhopalapatnum"  Everyone agreed it was this way and for once there was no doubt about the directions.  I continued on along what really was a track, and then a cart track and finally a path into the forest.  After a few minutes getting more and more worried in an ever deepening forest I reached a river.  I couldn't cross, there was nothing to the left, therewas nothing to the right, I had to turn back.
Bhopalapatnum obviously means Grandma's House or somesuch.  The locals didn't have the faintest about the town I wanted to find.  So I have chosen another town and another river crossing point.  Much pointing, head wobbling later it became clear that I was lost and so were all the denizens of this region.  Much pedalling and sweating later I put my bike on a bus and returned to Warangal.  With smiles and "told you so's" the guys at my old hotel gave me my room back and I settled back in.  Decision now taken - head the 400+k's to the coast and go that way.  It all adds a lot of distance and will mean long hours in the saddle but it is possible and I won't have to leave a trail of biscuit crumbs to find my way........

A river in my way.

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