BvHHS: MC.INDIA / SRINGERI / KOLLUR JOURNEY 2014 no.7

22. feb. Bekal – Sringeri 242 km.

A sacred bull calf goes on the attack

I had stopped on my motorbike, on the small main street in Sringeri, a small Hindu Pilgrims Temple Town in the mountains of about 1000 m. altitude. I tried to find out the way to Doctor 's Heritage Lodging.

A sacred bull calf who probably have felt provoked by my motorbike deep rumbling sound, took a few quick steps toward me with the horns slightly lowered. I quickly turned MC. and drove into the parking lot I thought the sign referred to. The sacred bull came galoppende after me. I squeezed me in between a car and another parked motorbike. in the hope that the aggressive young bull could not reach me with his horn. The bull calf was trying to mass up on me. Sitting on MC. and with his back to the horn, I was a little helpless. Luckily there was a policeman who got the bull to get away. How holy and how lucky can you be.

I asked one of the policemen who stood in the lobby, if this was a Lodge. He asked me to sit down. I made clear to him that I did not want to sot down, but just wanted to know if they had a room available. They did not understand what I meant and I did not understand them. They asked me again about to take place. I just wanted an answer as to whether this was a hotel or Lodge, as it said on the sign outside by the road. Suddenly it occurred to one of the officers what I meant. - I was not a tourist with a police matter. - At the same time I realized that this was a police station and not a Lodge.

Eye doctor couple

Doctor’s Heritage Lodging ’Room with Daylight and View’

The arrow on the sign referred to a passageway that led to a newly built rear building that was converted into a lodge. The old front building was built in 1870 and was now turning to medical practices and housing.

I rented the largest room with 3 beds, since it had 2 large windows and turned right towards the sun. The door could be opened with a view of a coconut palm backyard. I was also alone at this lodge for the 3 nights I stayed there. The lodge had 10 rooms, which he and his wife drive together with their eye doctor practices.

The ride itself Bekal - Sringeri, driving thousands of winding roads, luckily they were in good condition. Only a few times the road was bad.

The weather was a little cooler here in the 1,000 m altitude - it's only about 1-2 degrees difference .

It is a very quiet little Temple Town that certainly lives by being near a Hindu Pilgrims Temple, where the local Hindus are looking for. But it 's not like in Northern India filled with holy sadhus , here it is the ordinary believers.

I met only 4 tourists , where 2 of them carried Hindu claddings , during my stay in the city.

Indian national problem 'Power failure'

After a hot, sweaty and tiring day at MC. it is nice with a bath. But there was a temporary power failure, so I had to take a cold bath.

One should always be prepared for power failure here in India. In the town of Mahe where I found myself at a luxury Hotel a few days ago and I until then, enjoying the coolness of the building and windfane sure unaccounted for. But after 4 hours without power in the afternoon heat, with the sun on your windows, it was unbearable to be in the room. At the same time, I had forgotten to make sure that my computer was charged properly, so after 2 hours it went dead.

The next day, here in Sringeri there was a power failure from 8:00 am. I decided this morning to visit Hindu temple and walk around in the very cozy and peaceful pilgrimage city. It was Sunday and there was hardly a person or vehicle on the street.

When I came back there was still no electricity. - But what a peace, what a silence I experience here in the middle of the town 1 pm. No sound from a loudspeaker, a dog, of any vehicle or from a generator. There is quiet as a tomb. It had not only pulled the power plug out physically but also mentally, time stands still, the total energy output is equal to 0

I use the silence to get in the yoga pose savasana ( resting position ) for 20 min. Waking up again into total silence and thinking - where am I lucky there just can take on this kind of MC. journey and also found a satisfaction in visualizing and verbally demonstrate the experiences I encounter on my journey.

Signs that tell me, now I totally on the wavelength of myself and surroundings, so I did not react negatively because of ' communication ' problems.

I wrote a couple of hours, but then it was getting too hot in the room and my computer was running die.

I would try to go down to the only Internet café in town that had open, maybe it had its own emergency generator. Sure enough, they generated power so I could plug in my computer and continue working during the cooling rotary windfane. The power came first 4 pm. Owner to my lodge told me that it was actually normal that there was a power failure every day between 8-9 am.

I have found out, that most power failure happen to the smaller more isolated villages in India.

Quiet Sunday morning.

Point and click on the photo to view it large

This Blog is aimed not only to you dear friends - but also to other global MC. freak

I have used my Blog to jot down thoughts and visual images of what I have seen and experienced in the 6 motorcycle Journey's I have taken the last 11 years, through foreign cultures. I have verbally been in dialogue with these visual experiences and pulled them on a leash as ' pearls' and sent them on to you.

- A friend of mine wrote - that my Indian rebates were inspiring reading and hit him like firecrackers. And photos as junk music.

My observations might inspire some of you who think it would be exciting to travel like me on a MC. journey despite age. My Blog provides little insight and some firsthand what it means to move quickly on a motorbike, through another culture.

Others of you, I can understand get a lot from my observations and think it's exciting just to follow my little daring journey through foreign cultures and what lead to surprises and misunderstandings.

The good thing about this digital age is that I with my visual trained eye can capture and transmit visual experiences in images that sometimes says more than words and to complement my thoughts.

I feel that this blog is driving me further and actually forces me to seek out the pictures and the stories. I'm like on a visual journey of discovery, what is hiding in totality, I can reach a little further into the details or visually looking at it from another angle. But I still have the MC. energy in me that drives me on.

My Blog is also a form of dialogue and some respond to this. - Here I am in India and writes and writes. Make an effort to communicate best so one's thoughts and visual images are seen and heard. I can not see, feel or hear who I'm talking to - which is why I find it hard to judge whether the fact you're bored and think I just slings banal uninteresting observations and stories in the minds of you and I really should shut up. - Those who think it, had already left my Blog .

As inaccessible Painter, I used to not receive as much direct response when the audience certainly feels ' Lost in Translation ' . But you always hope that more people understand and think that your message is interesting.

- But as I said , I write not only this blog for you friends . My blog is global via the Internet. That's why I also have translated each report to English. This means that if you Google the Motorcycle Journey India, one can find my Blog .

Via google status overview, I can see that my blog on Thursday d.13/3/2014 has been viewed 27 times that day and in 9 different countries, such as Denmark, United Arabiske Emirates and Colombia.

So my Blog is reaching out and currently has soon been seen by 17.000

BvHHS · Status › Audience
13/03/2014 11am. – 14/03/2014 10am.

USA 9

United Kingdom 6

Denmark 4

Israel 2

Peru 2

China 1

Japan 1
Philippines 1

Tawain 1

MC.India Journey ’Luggage’

his is my 6 MC. journey, so I have now I know how much and how little clothing and equipment I need to take along on a MC.journey.

Besides a wrench, I have given up taking tools with me. I in India I have always been quite close to a workshop or that there are some that can help. They usually have more experience than me. I also know that I can not always expect the best service, most are self-taught. So technical problems that have just been done by a young inexperienced mechanics may need to be re- arranged 200 km. later.

It does not cost much money and you will most get serviced immediately. So I take my motorbike workshop visit as part of the experience, though of course there are many of my workshop visits I would have been without .

MC. Equipment
Helmet
Carapace & Safety Vest (It protects shoulders and elbows )
Leather Jacket
Leather Pants & Leather Belt
Thin long-sleeved t -shirt (wool)
Trunks (wool)
Heavy Shoes
1 pair of socks
Thin + Thick leather gloves (Not this trip)
Jacket Lining / windproof (Did not need it on this trip)
Buksefoer / windproof (Did not need it on this trip)
Rain Jacket & Pants (Not this trip)
Thin + Warm scarf
Small Backpack (On my back during MC. Driving. To my computer and camera)
Short -tank back (Serve with its magnets to metal tanks)
Squid - rebounds (For tightening luggage stuck with)
Heavy MC. Chain lock (In India it is difficult to find a proper secure chain lock)
Waterproof Backpack Protects
Polishing cloth (To clean the helmet visor , door mirrors and lights)
Wrench (The only tool I have from Copenhagen )
Additional rear wheel hose (Rear wheel is very fragile and can easily puncture)

Clothing
1 Strong Cowboy Shirt
1 pair of Jeans
1 thin yoga / Pyjama Pants
1 pair shorts
2 pcs. Short Sleeve T -shirt (wool)
2 pcs. handkerchiefs
Swimming trunks
1 pcs. underpants (wool)
Thin / short Kimono
1 pair of sandals
1 pair of thin shoes
1 pair of socks

Extras
Thin sheets (Used where there is an extra sheet. Most places they do not understand that you do not like to have a dingy carpet directly against your bare torso)
Thin blanket (I have a hard time coping acquainted with acrylic blankets)
Surface Inflatable ( In India, most hotels mattresses little tough , so I have chosen to bring this inflatable surface of 2 cm. Thickness. I use it also as yoga mattress).
Inflatable Pillow (Important with a proper pillow)
Earplugs (In India, one can be awaken to a mosque, barking dogs, loud -speaking hotel staff, the noise of the rattling trucks etc.)
Towel (Small)

Cookware
Thermos
Plate
United teaspoon
Fork
Crisp fruit knife
Washing cloth powder

Personal Gear
Iphone ( GPS )
India map
Guidebook
3 pcs. passport photo
Log / Note Book
1 pcs. pensil
1 pcs. pen .
1 pcs. glue stick
1 eraser
Sewing
Head torch (Uses to read the books)
Led bikelights (Power outage or when walking in the dark, so the cars can see)

Toilet bag

Small First AIDS box (Extra syringes / patches / thermometer / tweezers)

Medicine (Yogurt pills stabilliering abdomen / pills for diarrhea)

These two abandoned colorful puppet characters I meet on my way from one Hindu Pilgrims Temple Town to the next. I wonder how long time they've been there on the sidelines and watched the world go by. They were approx. 60 cm. high. Have they attended an Indian sacred drama or are they just a visible sign of one of the daily life dramas. One of the wheels breaks down and they are therefore forced to leave these two dear people who probably had been part of the family. They would otherwise slow down the family on the way forward in life.

25. feb. Sringeri – Kullor 160 km.

The road from Sringeri to Kullor was a very pleasant trip, many long runs with soft path curves and not constant hairpins turns as it was when I drove from Mahe to Sringeri. The roads were mostly quite fine and there was very little traffic between these two temple towns.

Kullor do not have the same charm as Sringeri, as most of the old buildings have been replaced with newer and there were many new major hotel buildings, but it seems to be a more active pilgrim town than Sringeri.

I was lucky this time by finding Lalithambika Guest House with a balcony with a great view and it cost only 3 1/2 $ one night. When I looked over the ugly neighbor hotel, I saw flowering trees and palms in foregrounds and behind various rock formations. Ideally place to sit and write.

Around sunset time, there was an incredibly active bird life in the flowering trees. The room is huge and with its large cream-colored marble tiles it's remind you of a large public bathroom.

Unfortunately, there are not many visual view in Kullor that can capture my interest, so I'll just be 2 nights here in Kullor, although I from my balcony has a great view with lots of birdlife.

The important Hindu Mookambika Temple in Kullor is nothing special from the outside and unfortunately I don't have access to visit or photograph inside the Hindu temples.