Indirectly to Jamalpur

November 28, 2010

exploring more byroads

The clothing I washed with lemon-powered Wheel and hung out on a line on the balcony yesterday afternoon as soon as I arrived at almost three is still dripping wet this morning, so it'll just have to be put in a plastic bag and pack it in a pannier for now. What do cyclists do when they only have one jersey?

I want an earlier start than yesterday and it's getting on for seven now, and it's grey out there.

Today's goal is Jamalpur - probably 50 - 60 km from here. Not too bad. Still going west, but as I said, it's all made up as I go along. The place looks quite big going from the size of the dot on my Nelles map, so it's bound to have a bed for tonight.

Wait. A change of plan. Someone just emailed to inform me about a palace at Dhanbari. Quote: 'Since you're in Haluaghat tonight, I would suggest keep going south towards Tangail past Jamalpur. There's a 19th century nawab palace there at Dhanbari (between Jamalpur and Tangail) turned into a hotel/resort that might be an interesting place to stay overnight.'

Sold.

Last night's dinner was really breakfast as that's all they offered - my mistake for walking into the place. What redeemed it was a yogurt-like desert that they had in the battered fridge; small plastic tubs the size of those old Wall's ice cream ones. It had a slight lemon twist to it and was sweetened, with the sugar crystals adding a slight soft crunch. Wonderful. Anyway... this morning I eat the same old same old, but have another of these yummy yogurts (doy, as it's called here) and now feel ready to bike to the palace for a bit more decadence.

I ride through waking Haluaghat and spot a few barbers at work shaving customers and pop in one to take a snap. Of course, as usual, everybody wants one. There's about 10 people surrounding me and a couple hundred metres along the road I take a snap of a tyre fitter who's busy at work.

The road south itself is wide and there are some buses whizzing along it. The surface is good, if a little course and rattling my panniers with the size of the aggregate being larger than normal. My speed is around 25 km/hr. The reason I know this is because a motorcycle cruises beside me with the rider asking those what's-your-country-type questions and after that he tells me that's what his speedo is reading.

I pause at a few places where taking a photo seems like a good idea, but reckon Mymensingh could be reached anyway by early afternoon (maybe even one, if this big-ring tempo is maintained).

A brick works is one such photo stop and after leaving my bike on the verge, I walk down to the action. There are who knows how many grey blocks drying, long long rows piled up, waiting to be fired and irreversibly turned red.

The whole process is here before me - from guys digging out the soft clay to others loading it onto tricycle-barrows to take it to the pug mill, to men wheeling the rectangular blocks towards the tall smoking chimney. It's all manual, apart from the belt-driven mill. And it all looks bloody hard work, and some of the workers are not even teenagers. One has an eye missing. It's getting me down.

The palace is enough to get me going south, so that's where I'm heading and my compass confirms it. Mymensingh is the place I ask for, but the distance keeps varying when I do.

It's still grey, just slight rays of sunshine peeping through. Just.

Mango juice seems like very good idea as it's now 10:00 and I've reached the town of Phulpur - not shown on my crap Nelles map - where I can see the orange-coloured bottles stacked in rows along with Sprite in a corner shop-cum-tea place.

The regulars soon ask the questions, ask me to sit andthen tell me how far it is south to Mymensingh. Then I see there's a junction here. West is Sherpur.

My Bradt guide comes out - something I'd forgotten all about - and it says the palace at Dhonbari is north of Tangail, a town my Nelles does actually show. Then I see it's south of Sherpur and Jamlapur. Change of plan. West it is to Sherpur, my original goal. It's 38 km according to the first milestone.

This road west seems better, less wide, although there are now buses to contend with. They don't mess around. Trees line the route, forming a tube-like canopy that has the capillary attraction effect of sucking me along and an hour later and I get to a junction and wonder where to go.

It could be Nakla. It could be anywhere. There are few signs in English. Straight is the way to Sherpur a guy says. The smaller road on my left goes to Jabalpur. 'Byroad' one man says. That's the one for me.

It's quiet with no traffic and again there are trees all along it's left and right verges and the people are as friendly as always. Some look surprised. Some shocked. Many shout greetings. This is out-of-the-way Bangladesh. It's the kind of road I envisaged riding on. Straw is strewn along it in 20-, 30-, 50-metre stretches, which finds its way into my derailleur and sprocket.

While pulling it out I notice my carbon bottle cage is cracked. No idea how that happened.

Around these parts the flat bed on the back of the sturdy tricycle trailers that you find everywhere in Bangladesh is colourfully painted - something I haven't noticed elsewhere. You can see the photo below - nice paintwork - and they all seem to have the same scene of a road bending through countryside. Being so nice, it seems a shame to damage the decoration (some are very worn) and many of these trikes are basically used as people carriers. I see one with around seven sat on board. The rider has his work cut out, poor chap. I feel for him. You see a lot of hard work being done here.

The route turns to a dried-mud trail. It's smooth, except where motorbike rear wheels have turned it to dust. It eventually comes out on big road and Jabalpur is to the south.

Not far now, across a wide river and some railway lines and then into the chaos of town.

It's about 2:30 - early, but late enough for me today.

An old building gets its photo taken before the Star Plaza is reached, where I get a nice clean room for 400 taka - which although more than last night's absolute bargain 250 taka, is still a snip.

The nawab palace at Dhanbari will have to wait. There's always tomorrow.

Tonight it's Chinese food for dinner as the restaurant is on the floor below and after sweet and sour shrimp I find a sweet shop along the main road that I will take south in the morning and get myself another doy (yogurt). They're addictive.

Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 1,126 km (699 miles)

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