Going down memory lane

From 3 February 2020, I will be taking on the epic challenge of cycling 4,500km across the entire length of India. Starting on the very southernmost tip in the city of Kanyakumari, I will end up 45 days later in Kashmir, almost in the foothills of the Himalayas!

My goal is to raise $450,000 for the Loomba Foundation. Each cent I raise will help to empower widows in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Day 22 (24th February 2020) From Katni to Rewa – 2,200 km completed (2,300 km left)

I’m really pleased that another day is done. I’m really close to the halfway mark after reaching 2,200 km today. Tomorrow I will be exactly at the halfway mark so that will be certainly something to celebrate.

Another foggy start

The start of the day was pretty grim again so for the first 20-25 kilometres it was foggy and misty. There was water dripping from my helmet and off my fleece which rather than being sweat was actually mist and fog.

Today we travelled from Kutni to Rewa and the road was pretty flat. If anything there was just a little bit of elevation but it was largely pretty flat. The winds were a bit mixed but they were mainly crosswinds and I’ll take a crosswind over a head wind any day, and of course I would prefer a tail wind.

Working towards a personal best

Sachin’s plan for me today was to do 4 sessions of 25km, rather than 5 sessions of 20km. The variation on the theme was that the last 5 km of each 25 km section should be done at around 70% to 80% effort. So I pushed reasonably hard for 5 km on each session (so that is 20 km in total) which is why my time today was good at 4 hours 12. Not a personal best but not far off.

The medic room update

My knee is scabbing over nicely and recovering well. It’s just a bit sore when I set off after a break and it’s obviously sore to kneel on but otherwise, it’s pretty good. My wrists and hands are still ‘paining’.

When Sachin last looked at my bottom he said it had developed an indent on both sides. When people used pens more often (we use computers, phones and other devices more these days) we used to get a mark on our finger from using the pen so much. Apparently my bottom now has a saddle mark from sitting on it for so long.

I dont want to tempt fate…

Pretty much always with lunch and dinner we’ll have a salad plate and there was particularly nice example of one of those at our lunch today. A bit of a salad tower and it was really delicious. I know that some people, foreigners usually, tend not to eat things in India that aren’t cooked and I don’t want to tempt fate but it seems like my constitution over the 15 years I’ve been coming to India has grown a little stronger than some people.

Taking a detour via Varanasi

The National Highway 44 (NH 44) would have generally been the most direct route to reach Kashmir but because we’re going to Varanasi, we’ve taken a turning off to the east. Therefore, we are now on NH 30 en route of course where we’re planning to meet up with a number of the widows that benefited from the funds I was fortunate to raise money for last time. The Loomba Foundation used those funds to train and then buy Singer sewing machines for widows to enable them to earn a living for them and their families in Varanasi.

Lots of memories today fuelled by music

Today in many respects was a day of memories. Memories triggered by music. I started with Dionne Warwick, with songs like ‘I’ll Never Love This Way Again’. The memory this time was of time spent studying in my bedroom (a place where I felt most safe) during my time at home in Coleford in the Forest of Dean.

My first teenage party

It also reminded me of my first teenage party in 1979 at the home of Theresa Cooke. A party where I was first introduced to alcohol and it didn’t bode well because I drank to excess. In fact I recall drinking to excess pretty much before anyone else had arrived. Perhaps therein lay the seeds of my later problems because that seemed in some ways to be the answer. It took away my cares, anxiety, stresses and worries.

Being ill and then ill again

Theresa lived in the old manse attached to the church, so the parsonage basically next to the church. I recall being rather ill (vomiting) in the churchyard rather early into the party. When her parents came to know that I wasn’t well, we couldn’t tell them that I had already been ill. They decided that I needed to be ill to make me feel better. I can still vividly remember them handing me a pint of warm water with salt in it. I then sat on the sofa between Theresa’s parents, Mr and Mrs Cooke, watching Match of the Day being intermittently sick. As I say not a great sign and my parents weren’t too pleased when I was driven home by the Cookes.

Ain’t no mountain high enough

The next memory was brought on by Diana Ross singing ‘Ain’t no Mountain High Enough’. The memories were of gay abandon in 1986-87 in Hong Kong driving back from a night out in Kowloon back to Hong Kong Island, where I lived with the two Nigels. I was standing up right in the back of the car with my head through the sun roof singing ‘Ain’t no Mountain High Enough’ at the top of my voice. That also didn’t bode too well.

There were also nice memories of Paul Kirkby from Honk Kong. I’m also still very much in touch with him and he acts as one of my wise counsel, so whenever I have challenges I often talk to Paul about them. He is a wise and sensible man.

‘Top of the World’ in Saint Lucia

And then the final memory came from The Carpenters ‘Top of the World’ song. In 2018 we went on an amazing trip to Saint Lucia with friends to celebrate the birthday of Andrew War. We played a Desert Island Discs game while there and the song that won the song of the holiday was Catrin’s choice of ‘Top Of The World’ by The Carpenters.

Delicious fruit salad

There’s also a picture of the wonderful fruit salad that Sachin makes for me at one of the breaks I had post breakfast and before lunch. The fruit salad includes, apple, banana, date, two different lots of raisins, walnuts, almonds, dried apricot, and also orange. I think that was all of them, but anyway, it’s absolutely delicious and I really look forward to eating it.

Chai is my fuel

Along with Sachin’s physio and the fantastic efforts of the team that I’ve got helping me, the one stand out thing that keeps me going day after day is Indian chai.

Barbers in the sky

There was also a fun picture of a barbers, elevated high up and rather precarious to reach as there are metal steps going up. There’s no barrier so you feel you can fall off at any time. The reason it was high up as Pawan explained is that its next to a dhaba and it was important that its high so drivers can see it when speeding by.

Citric dubha odours

I’ve talked about simple pleasures before and some things are just simple and not pleasures. I have become something of a connoisseur of dhaba latrines which is not necessarily something you want to become a connoisseur of. Most of them have special citrus odours that will linger long in the memory.

Where are my front brakes?

Sachin was horrified recently when he saw me lifting the wheels of my bike up and using the brakes. He said: “what on earth are you doing?” I told himI was checking which is the front and back brake. I said it was because I realised they are the other way round to how they are in the UK. He was horrified that after 20 days I still wasn’t clear which is the front and back brake. It’s a bit of a problem because if you apply the front brake too hard, it can skid away from you and you can go over the handlebars or fall off. You’re meant to apply more pressure to the back brake and I’m still not 100% sure! Anyway I seem to apply pressure to both of them equally and hope that’s alright.

I’ve just checked with Sachin and the back brake is on the right whereas in the UK, the front brake is there. I’m sure I’m going to be confused until the end of the ride so I need to be careful.

Physio on my bike and me next!

Sachin did a physio session on my bike today, where he dusted the chain down and then applied some dry lube. In the photo Sachin is dealing with my bike and I’m waiting for my physio.

Preparing for colder/wetter weather

Good old Atul in Delhi has been trying to source various winter clothes for me because it’s clear that I’m certainly going to need them as I travel further North. I’ve heard it’s been raining in Delhi so that was certainly not something I had planned for.

Trump and Taj Mahal memories

I’m actually watching President Trump at the Taj Mahal which I once visited with Deb and the boys, and I remember it was one of those great wonders of the world that it doesn’t disappoint and we were very fortunate to stay in one of the Oberoi hotels where all of the bedrooms had views of the Taj Mahal albeit from a bit of a distance. I remember how excited Deb was and sat on the bed and had called her mum to say she was looking out of the window and her views of the Taj Mahal so that was pretty special.

Maybe if I cycle quickly and get further North in India President Trump could join me for a few kilometres on my bike ride. That would be nice.

Thank you UPL 💖

I just to thank UPL for their fantastic support throughout this trip. They supplied a car, driver and paid for the fuel costs too. It has been a tremendous help so far as you can imagine as the car carries our equipment and our team of course. Thank you UPL.

That’s all for today.

Chris

💪 Why I’m cycling across India 💪

Unfortunately, many widows in India are very badly treated when they lose their husbands. As well as facing verbal and physical abuse, rape and the threat of being evicted from their homes, they often have no income whatsoever after their husband dies. 

This is where the Loomba Foundation comes in. Through their empowerment programmes, the charity provides skills training and other support to help widows become self-sufficient so that they can support themselves and their families. 

I’d like to ask for your support I am already more than half way towards raising $450,000 – I’d love it if you could help me smash my target. Your support would mean the world to me and would help to change the lives of thousands of widows and their families. 

If you are in India, you can make a donation here: 

Ketto (India) 🎁

If you are in the UK or elsewhere in the world, you can make a donation here:  

 JustGiving 😎

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