Pedalling out to the Airport

December 12, 2010

southwest by plane to Bangalore

Scrambled egg on toast - a rather English way to start the day and it seems like I've worked my way through most of Raj's menu... last night it was Mediterranean salad. In fact I've had no Indian food while in Calcutta. Weird that. Not to worry, there'll be plenty of opportunities for dal and roti for brekkie from now on.

The sun is out, which is the first for a few days and it'll be a better, certainly more pleasant ride north out of the city to the airport. It's about 10 km there I guess and there's loads of time.

It's ten o'clock and the ride appears less troublesome than anticipated and I go with the flow, which is fairly pedestrian. The rickshaw pullers actually do pull their wheeled chariots along here, on foot, with the pedal ones seemingly reserved for transporting various goods.

There are tram lines to watch out for, but vehicular traffic isn't speeding along and perhaps it helps that my route is along the smaller streets and roads leading north, according to my compass, and not some direct highway, if there is one. The streets are mostly lined with architecture dating back to the turn of the century and before and it's very British - a bit like my scambled egg on toast.

After an hour it seems west is the course to take and the streets I ride along become smaller. In fact they're lanes and the neighborhoods are likely ones less desirable to live in - homes are ramshackle affairs with rows of them erected right beside a railway line that - hopefully - is out of use. People are drying their washing across it.

Going slow, it takes me a couple of hours to reach the airport, but it's still only just after 12:30 and so there's time to kill aplenty. The bike stuff is mostly been taken care of - handlebars turned ninety degrees; removed the bar-ends and the pedals and pump; lowered the seat and loosened the bolts securing the brake and gear levers in case they get banged (they now twist easily, which might save them from snapping off). My four panniers and bar-bag have gone in a large black nylon hold-all bag I carry, ready for check-in.

My saddlebag containing the camera gear is my carry-on and it'll be eight 0'clock when the plane lands in Bangalore - probably nine before I'm out the airport and it'll be dark then. It's a shame my back light is kaput.

I just need to deflate the tyres and then we'll see what the Jet airline staff at the counter say about my excess weight.

With check-in complete I'm now just 1,340 rupees lighter. I was actually nine kilograms over the 20 allowed, but the clerk agreed to just charge me for five. Nice of him. The damage works out around 25 or 30 US bucks - can't complain at that. And no box required - the security man just wheeled it away after strapping the front wheel and handlebars to the frame to keep them in-line. It would be nice if it was this easy every time. It's how it should be. Fly Jet !

A long delay and an aborted takeoff make us pretty late arriving in Bengalaru, but my bike is one of the first bits of baggage to appear and the stuff is put back on it pronto. What a cinch. Still, it's gone 9:30 and the lady at the info' desk reckons it'll take 30 minutes to get to the first hotel. The city itself is over 30 km away.

The road is like the airport - new and pristine but there's no shoulder for a couple of kilometres and it would feel a lot safer if my back LED was flashing. I keep to the left and ride on the white line in the big ring to get there quick thankful there are lights along the route. After about 6 km a blue and red neon hotel sign is clearly visible above the lights of this smooth two-lane highway. Bingo.

The young guy on reception tells me there're no cheap rooms available, only deluxe, which would set me back three-and-a-half grand a night and I think yea right and make to walk away knowing he'll quickly say I can have one for the economy rate of a grand less and he does and I say okay. But it's really the smell from the kitchen that clinches it as I'm ready to eat my leather Brooks seat.

I'm now in a deluxeroom in the Presidency after enjoying a scrumptious mutton korma and a plate of tasty aloo-gobi with a couple of warm chapattis.

Today's ride: 21 km (13 miles)
Total: 1,685 km (1,046 miles)

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