Day 1: Tamil Nadu - from flatlands into the hills
Today was the first full day of our cycle tour - in the sense that there was a morning session, a lunch stop and an afternoon session - although in terms of time and distance it probably only counts as half a day really.
Yesterday we transferred by train from Trivandrum to Madurai, in Tamil Nadu state. My high expectations of the train ride were fairly thoroughly dashed. It was long, the train was crowded and noisy, the scenery en route was mostly flat and boring, and we only had half a window because of the way the seat row was aligned with a section of solid wall. On the plus side, the carriage at least was air-conditioned, and I did manage to get a few decent photos (mostly at Trivandrum station before leaving).
If I were the tour organiser I'd drop the train ride day in favour of an extra day in Madurai, which was fascinating, and definitely worthy of extra sightseeing time. This morning began with a 7am pre-breakfast rendezvous with a local guide, Prabhu, for a brief tour of the huge and imposing Meenakshi Temple, one of the holiest sites of the Hindu religion. (As non-Hindus, we were not permitted into the inner shrine.) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi_Temple
The temple celebrates the marriage of the goddess Meenakshi with the god Shiva, and the central themes are marriage and fertility. There is a huge hall for mass wedding ceremonies, a special shrine for childless couples to pray and make offerings, and a shrine for pregnant women to come for blessing.
After a hurried breakfast back at the hotel, we, our bikes and luggage were all loaded into the support vehicle for an hour's drive to our cycling start point - avoiding the Madurai urban traffic, as well as reducing the distance to ride across the baking hot flatlands before climbing into the cooler hills.
Even so, it was 11.30 and well into the midday 35° heat by the time time we actually started turning the pedals - after we had turned off the main road, bumped along a few km of gravel back roads through jasmine fields and ramshackle villages, and finally pulled up in the car park of what turned out to be a rural cinema complex - including, crucially before a long ride, toilets!
Below: Ready to rumble in the cinema car park 😁
One of the few black marks against an otherwise impeccably organised tour has got to be pitching the new arrivals straight into apparently one of the toughest rides - up 1000m climb in the middle of a blistering day. [Ask me again at the end of the tour whether I still think it was the toughest day!]
It was blood-boilingly, tyre-meltingly scorching. I couldn't make up my mind whether the northerly headwind was a good thing - more airflow to evaporate the sweat - or a bad thing because it made the riding harder work. Anyway, we took it very slowly and steadily, drinking plenty of water (the support crew always on hand to replenish our bottles), waving at the incredulous locals sensibly resting in the shade, and negotiating hazards such as goats, cows and local cyclists.
We were amused by the sacred tractor outside one of the temples.
All the while we could see the hills getting closer ahead of us - they were looking extremely steep and we knew we were both thinking "have I got to ride up THAT in THIS HEAT???"
Just at the point where we left the plain, by the first hairpin bend, the support crew had stopped in a rare patch of shade and provided us with bananas and a deliciously refreshing lime juice drink, served in real glasses! Cheers! Maybe this is going to be all right after all!
Then it was time to start the long, steady upward grind. The reward was the ever-widening view back over the plain as we climbed higher. The disadvantage was that we were now sheltered from that northerly wind, which made the heat even more stifling. When we stopped at an observation tower to admire the view, Caroline felt faint getting off the bike, and decided it was best to retreat to the support vehicle until the lunch stop.
Above: view from the observation tower back down over the plain.
Below: arty shot of the observation tower steps
Ironically, that was the exact point at which we rounded the shoulder of the mountain and got back into the wind, which was now much fresher as it was coming at us straight from the hills, rather than across the plain. Soon we reached the treeline with its welcome shade. Riding conditions became much more pleasant, and Caroline was ok to to resume riding after our packed lunch stop.
Road signs warned of elephants (I was disappointed not to see any); we passed the Indian Cardamom Research Institute; green peppercorns hung in bunches from trees beside the road; birdsong was everywhere.
At length Caroline sensibly decided that she had done enough for Day One, and took to the support vehicle again while Keshu and I toiled the last few km
to our overnight stop. The "Tranquil Nest" is a kind of hotel-cum-retreat-centre perched at the top of an insanely steep, twisty, cobbled driveway - which everyone except guide Keshu thinks I managed to cycle up, after Raju (our tour manager) videoed me powering up the last section; Keshu, however, knows better as he witnessed me walking up the first two thirds of it!
The cooler 1300m altitude, the breeze and the forest made things much fresher and nicer than on the trip so far. We made hot ginger drinks and then settled ourselves comfortably in one of the seating areas overlooking the forest, Caroline with her German homework, and me with my camera and longest lens trying to photograph the many singing birds. Satisfying end to an arduous day!
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