70 Minutes in Tibet and homesickness

The climb up to the Kodagu (Coorg) region was pretty epic. Fairly steady 6-8% gradients, but with temperatures around 30°C and 95% humidity, we were drenched. Truck traffic is forbidden going uphill on the road we were on, so traffic was comfortable, and the scenery was stunning, as we followed a gurgling river through mountain palm groves and jungle.

We stopped in Madikeri, one of the “hill station” towns of India, where the Brits would move during the summer to escape the heat, back in the colonial days. We wanted to try the famous Coorg cuisine, and in Madikeri is a well-known place called (conveniently enough) “Coorg Cuisine”. The ancient Coorgs were known as warriors so preferred a meat-heavy diet. We tried the pandhi masala (pork curry), and it blew me away with a very rich and spicy flavor. The rice-based akki roti is also very good; in fact, I prefer it over the other roti (chapati) that we most often get. (Sorry, no photos; Indian food is tough to photograph. I’ll keep trying.)

Two gentleman stopped us on the way out of the restaurant and asked us if we enjoyed the food; they said it was their favorite restaurant and they’d just driven quite a ways to eat there. They were really interested in our bikes and asked about our trip, our mirrors, and wished us a safe journey.

The thing to do in Kodagu is to stay at one of the many plantation homestays and enjoy the peace, quiet, and local food. So we decided to find a nice one to take a rest day.

The last few kilometres to the homestay was steeply graded dirt roads, so we had to walk. But it was worth it.

Steve walking through coffee fields towards the homestay.

Our gorgeous home for two nights.

The plantation has an observation deck where you can relax and listen to the birds and other sounds.

They have 30 acres of coffee plants here.

I have to admit this is not the first image that came to mind when I think of India. It’s like a whole other country up here, cool temperatures (we wore long pants!), misty mornings, and so quiet and peaceful. People in this area are also super friendly, and we got lots of waves and smiles on the road.

We took a plantation tour, and the women guiding our tour found some sapota (fruit) growing and gave us some.

Jackfruit growing nearby.

Our next day of riding took us through a Tibetan refugee camp in Bylakuppe. Here, the Mysore government has set aside some land for Tibetans living in exile since 1961 and built schools and housing.

The entrance to the Golden Temple. We couldn’t go in because there was nowhere safe to leave the bikes.

The nunnery.

Chicken mockthuk, a Tibetan dumpling soup that was delicious.

Being a Sunday, there were tons of kids and other folks hanging out, playing cricket and other games, attending services, and in a generally excellent mood. Many kids tried to get us to stop, a few pointed slingshots at us and giggled, and one super strong young man raced us on a single speed local bike and we couldn’t keep up. I gave him a thumbs up and he looked proud of himself. It was a really enjoyable day, and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face most of it, with all the smiles and waves we got. We don’t see any kids with their face in their mobile phone or sitting watching TV; it’s so refreshing to see people enjoying the simple pleasures.

We couldn’t make it all the way to Mysore today without overdoing it, but there aren’t any decent hotels along the way. So we found one that looks okay from the outside and is pretty cheap; it’s definitely not one of the nicest ones, but not the worst either. The western shower head was clogged up with only one pinhole of water coming out, and the bucket provided for the Indian shower had a thick layer of mold growing on the bottom and a horrible stench, so I had to unscrew the Western shower head and stand under the stream of water to get clean. But the bed is comfortable, the sheets and towels clean, and (after some back and forth when he refused to let us bring the bikes to our room) our bikes are locked up in an empty room that seems to be under renovation or something.

So tomorrow we should be in Mysore, and hopefully will see some other foreigners. We’ve seen exactly 8 other foreigners since we left Gokarna a week and a half ago, two in Kundapura at the temple festival, 4 in Mangalore at the mall, and 2 in Udupi at the really good vegetarian restaurant. We see tons of Indian tourists and tour busses, but no foreigners. Although we enjoy being off the (Western) beaten track, it will be nice to maybe meet some other international travelers. Mysore is famous for its month-long or longer yoga retreats, so lots of people come there for that. Perhaps we will find a drop-in class for beginners.

Home sickness

I’m still continuing to feel a bit homesick, a feeling that started up in Turkey and has come and gone since then. India has provided me with plenty of distractions from this feeling, but it is still there under the surface, and in quiet times pops up again, especially now that the holidays are in full swing.

We get a lot of down time in India where this feeling gets stronger because we end up stuck in hotels in these tiny transitional towns. It’s not like Europe where even the smallest towns will have a cafe, bar, or park where you can go hang out and people watch. There are no parks, very few bars, and no cafes, and walking around in the streets is not pleasant with all the traffic, open sewers, and trash. Come to think of it, it’s kind of like staying at a hotel in the US in a small town without a car. Unless we’re on the beach, there’s nothing scenic to see outside the hotel anyway, and all the shops are the same everywhere. So we just hole up in the hotel and do some planning and maybe write a blog. But I’m an outdoor person, and this just makes me stir crazy and start missing home more, with San Diego’s outdoor culture, my patio, and friends.

It’s also getting lonely not being able to keep connections. Even when we meet someone, we only have a day or two, and then it’s done. After 9 months of one night stands, I’m ready for long term relationships (just friends lol).

Finally, the daily challenge of finding a bike-friendly hotel is really starting to get to both of us. Some of the hotels just seem to have a weird problem with us bringing the bikes to the room, and no one can give us a reason why. The best reason we’ve ever gotten is, “it’s just not allowed.” So every day, it’s 50/50; they either say, “sure no problem”, or we have to have an argument. But, in India, showing anger will get you nowhere and will probably make things worse, so we have to do this every single day with as much patience as we can muster, at the end of a long day’s ride. Usually we will finally convince them, or they will give us a safe place to lock them (instead of their default answer of just park them outside). But it’s often enough to knock our moods down a notch. It’s like Groundhog Day; every day the same thing. And it’s enough that I fantasize about stopping somewhere long-term just so I don’t have to worry about having this daily argument anymore. Maybe it sounds crazy, but this fantasy feels so freeing!

That said, this is still the experience of a lifetime, and every day (especially in India) has been so unique and interesting and has taught us so much about the world and ourselves. I look forward to every single one of the upcoming countries, cities, beaches, natural parks, etc. And although the homesickness and daily frustrations will stick around, I can’t see us stopping anytime soon; we are here in the midst of India with so much wonder and excitement all around us. How can we leave this behind without at least glimpsing it all first?

So, I’ll repeat what we’ve said many times to all of our friends and family: we really, really miss each of you and are thankful for your continued support and friendship and encouragement. And, where are you going to come and meet us? 😁 Seriously, Asia is awesome; you should come!