Even from those who know me well, there seems to be some misunderstanding over my threshold for pain. During my perfectly delightful rest day in Mangalore, I received several emails from friends concerned about the rough riding and heinous hills. The fact of the matter is there were hills, undriveable roads and moments where I bonked hard. But the other fact of the matter is I'm at my most comfortable conquering a challenge and under a certain amount of pain. Lest we forget the revered Hindu God, Ganesh, known as the overcomer of obstacles and God of wisdom.
Now, I realize there are people in this world who spend most of their lives seeking comfort, or at the most, the status quo. But I'm in good company -- marathon runners, climbers, triathletes, general thrill seekers and a whole host of others who are fueled by often painful challenges. So, as much as I may like to write about the daily woes, I'm really painting a picture of my heaven.
This is why after one full day of rest in Mangalore, I started becoming fidgety. There's only so much walking about town, people watching and mango smoothie drinking one can do without feeling it's time to leave. I was fortunate to be riding out of Mangalore on a somewhat sleepy Sunday morning. Being a city of nearly 400,000, I fully expected to be swallowed up in the buses, tuck-tucks and usual road clog. I also fully expected an hour of getting lost. Neither which occurred.
I love the way Indian's give directions. Take this morning for instance, '
Oh, Udupi, yes for Udupi go straight.' And with a simultaneous flick of the hand in the general direction north. Well, if nothing else, there's nothing straight about Indian city roads. So I ride 500 meters to a 'Y' or sometimes a 'T' intersection or often a full 5-way circular junction and ask the next person I find,
'Excuse me, which way for Udupi?' Always, it's the same response, '
Oh, Udupi, yes for Udupi go straight.' And I follow the flick of the hand. With no city maps or other signage I can read, I've come to rely on these directions 100%. Indeed, I prefer them to any map and within a handful of minutes (and no wrong turns I might add), I found myself merging left onto the road to Udupi.
It's a fast flat 60 kays from Mangalore to Udupi and, if your'e early enough, well-shaded by an abundance of trees. Much of the road has been recently paved and, if not, the work is in progress. And just as I was delighting in the road quality and rural quiet, I came upon two trucks that had met head on still sitting twisted in the middle of the road. Sobered and more alert, I started to notice that indeed it's a narrow road.
Arriving at the Udupi turn-off much earlier than expected, I seriously cosidered adding another 50 clicks to take me to my next day's destination. But in a rare moment of discipline and effort to increase my cultural awareness, I turned right through the city gates to a forgettable hotel and then the famed Sri Krishna Temple. Udupi is a smallish city with nothing more than the temple, an unusual amount of women's shoe stores and astrologers galore. It's also known as the home of the famed Masala Dosa.
I did a bit of business with the AirTel people (where they told me my phone number was a lucky number), some banking (where I tried to stretch things out as their A/C felt particularly good) and was looking forward to experiencing a Masala Dosa from Udupi but then the strangest thing occurred -- I didn't feel like a proper dinner or dinner at all. It must have had something to do with the heat and short day of riding so instead I went straight for a piece of chocolate cake and watched Patch Adams on HBO. Now, if that's not entertainment in Udupi, I don't know what is!
Hope everyone is well! Ride Strong!
To make a donation to the Challenged Athletes Foundation please visit
http://raceforareason.kintera.org/julie To check out my summer tours:
http://www.ridestrongbiketours.com
