January 16, 2011
Nata (Nate) to Ratnagiri
more Konkan coastline
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When I open my eyes it's bright, but the sun is still low, just peeping over the top edge of the outcrop. Dawn.
My sleep wasn't great.
Nevertheless, my watch tells me it's time to get up with it being 8:00.
The guys from Bombay are setting off early and we chat over breakfast of buttered buns and omelette. The tea is sweet and has a hint of ginger.
The wiggly track back to Nata - Nate - confuses me and I make a wrong turn and get lost until it eventually reaches the very top of a climb on a rough farm lane where sweat drips off my face, but the views are super from a vantage point at the summit that belongs to the resort. I can see the sea.
After this I carefully freewheel back down, take another wrong turn, and then make my way to the correct one. It's all very hilly - up and down.
By the time I leave Nata after having some cold drinks and a chat with locals, it's noon.
As the days before, there's a blue sky and the road undulates wildly... crossing wide rivers when it drops... crossing barren terrain when it climbs. The inclines are ones that require my smallest gear and even then it's tough pedaling.
There's little sign of life.
At one bridge I stop and decide to get something to drink and eat from a small cafe and take out my damp sleeping bag before I do so and lay it across my bike so the scorching suns and slight breeze dries it out.
I have a veg thali.
On one long climb there's a small barrow with a hand-press on it and the teenager manning it has lemon juice on offer, so I have a glass and take his photo. His white floppy hat looks rather flamboyant and French, and somewhat old-fashioned.
Ratnagiri is on a slope and the 'deluxe' hotel is up most of it, but that's where I go as after sleeping on the beach I feel in need of a bit of something deluxe and it only costs me 750 rupees for a room without AC.
The local internet place is closed as it's Sunday, so I flop on the bed and watch live English football on TV after dining on a nice meal of chicken that had been barbecued. It's served with a white sauce.
There are three games back to back - Villa vs Birmingham, Liverpool vs Everton and Spurs vs Man U. That's a lot of football in one go.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 3,265 km (2,028 miles)
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