To Bharatpur: cow patties, flies and smokestacks

March 25, 2016

Today is a long distance day made easier by the road profile and road surface. We continue on NH11 a 4-lane road with nice wide shoulders and plenty of trucker stops for food and drink. Only we have no appetites and it's getting hot. The Delhi Belly continues to plague Rachel and a little still for Patrick. Rachel has taken her cough to an all new level of hacking and spitting just like the locals. But we make our way to Bharatpur on cornflakes, 2 rolls of cookies and 4 bananas along with 2 liters of water with oral rehydration salts, and rest stops every 15-20kms.

As we leave Dasau, we see evidence of what we missed yesterday, the colored powder on the roads, and boys with red paint on their shirts, face and hands from Holi celebration. Today Rachel had a kid throw a stick at her and crashed into Patrick as he slowed down. This caused quite the commotion along the side of the road. Then further down the road a kid threw a rock at Rachel, again Patrick confronted the parent. We wonder if this is a new trend like we've seen in other areas as tourism increases or perhaps just a carry over from yesterday's throwing paint and water on everyone.

Though the landscape doesn't change, there was plenty to see along the road. First, there was about 10kms of Stone Cutting and Art Industries. Beautiful carvings from the sandstone, and big blocks of sandstone cut by massive saws. This went away and the next stretch we rode through 2 towns that seemed to be the Cow Patty Making Industry. Cow patties being dried along the road, on rooftops just about anywhere in the sun. Then stacked and covered with more cow dung into a little house with the sides decorated.

All along the way, people in the fields harvesting the wheat,and tractors and camels pulling wagons of straw. And we reach the Brick Making Industry area. We start seeing many smokestacks spewing black smoke drying bricks.

We are headed for the Sunbird Hotel. Rachel said she about cried when after cycling 122kms, the hotel was on the opposite side of the barrier and we had to cycle past to find an opening for the crossover, her energy about gone. But we made it, the room is very very nice, though small. The restaurant didn't have an ala carte menu instead was serving a buffet for 450 rupees. With no choice, Patrick had enough appetite to make the cost worthwhile, Rachel however, only had two bowls of tomato soup and chapati.

Tomorrow is a short day in distance, the wind potentially being a factor on whether the ride goes quickly or slowly.

Lots of sandstone carvers along the road east of Dausa. You can buy yourself a small shrine, an elephant or a complete temple.

Not sure what happened to the rest of this beast.

Air pollution. I wonder if they are "self regulating" here?

Cow patties and cowdung houses. We think they are stacks of dry patties plastered over with some more dung to keep them dry in the rain.

Today's ride: 123 km (76 miles)
Total: 14,952 km (9,285 miles)

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