To Jalgaon: not everything is pretty in India

February 27, 2016

Today was a quick day, relatively flat riding arriving aat our destination by 11am. We are seeing trucks colorfully decorated again like in Kerala. More tractors pulling wagons on the road because this is an agricultural area. Cycling into Jalgaon was again in crazy traffic.

"Excuse me, excuse me" the woman on the red motorcycle says to Rachel as we are cycling the round about in heavy crazy India city traffic. Rachel stops, Patrick comes up and stops too. "I'm a journalist" she says and wants and interview and to call for her photographer to come to take our picture.

Hotel Plaza, where we plan on staying, is just across the street. "We'll wait over there" Patrick says. Soon the photographer arrives, interview and photos taken, and we check into the hotel. We join the list of other cyclists we know who have also had this fun experience in Jalgaon.

This family owned hotel is a perfect place for cyclists with a secure place for the bikes. The economy room for 900 rupees is big, bright and comfortable beds, but no hot water in this room. The friendly and helpful owner gives us chai and allows us to take a hot shower in the deluxe room.

We go out looking for a stationary shop to buy a padded envelope to send the thumbdrive with the pictures home for our friend Bob to download ad then return to us. The store is closed and we continue on to the shopping center and maybe find it there. Also, it's time for lunch and we are hopeful the food court will have something good. The huge shopping center is vacant except for a few sports shops and a "big bazaar" grocery and household items and clothing. We were successful in finding more museli but not an envelope. Patrick went out later and finally found envelopes, after 6pm we went to the railroad station just up the street to the post office. The main post office is far away and the owner of the hotel assured us that the PO at the train station was open 6-8pm and sent mail internationally. But that was not the case.

We will have to wait until we get to another city to mail the package.

Migrant workers camped with their camels.

After all the pretty pictures of the temple caves, today some of the ugliness that is also part of India. An open sewer, trash, dust and stench.

Pigs rooting through the garbage. Too bad they do not eat plastic.

Fried banana chips. They come salted or spicy.

The chimney is used to hold the fire, a large wok goes on top to fry the banana chips.

The Plaza Hotel comes recommended in Lonely Planet and is a great place. Still very good value (that often gets lost once a place achieves LP status), and a very friendly and helpful owner. As we make our way to the hotel a reporter on her scooter follows us for an interview. We might make the paper tomorrow!

Today's ride: 55 km (34 miles)
Total: 13,477 km (8,369 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0