– ODO- 12104 – 12227km
– Location- Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
– Weather- 18-35 Clear
Last night I picked a dusty campsite under a bridge. Now that I’ve left the mountains there are far fewer places to duck out of the way when the sun sets. Hence I played troll. Lots of the sand under the bridge was covered in rubbish, loose cloth and excrement (cow and otherwise) but a plateau over one side was clear and even had signs that a shepherd had camped out before me. As the last rays of sun cleared the trees and darkness settled in the water under the bridge reflected the fireflies flashes of white-green.
Over the first two days since leaving Bir I traveled 260km and climbed 2,700m. I was exhausted. I quickly ate, choosing more bread and peanut butter rather than firing up my stove. As I sat down a moped (scooty as the Indians say) passed underneath the bridge on the dusty track. I didn’t think much of it.
As I finished reading and dropped off into the first nods of warm sleep the light of several torches hit the tent. I lay back and took out my earplugs, listening as footsteps approached. I didn’t feel any fear. I sat relaxed and unzipped the tent to find 5 local men at my feet. I sat up with my head and chest out of the tent but legs inside. The guys seemed mainly bemused. I gathered that the older man was a security guard who’d spotted me. The younger man offered me roti but I declined. I needed a good sleep after my tiring ride. After about 10 minutes of talking we shook hands and they left.
Today I felt even worse. I hadn’t slept well with the occasional truck passing overhead and my hands had been bitten hundreds of times by mosquitos thanks to a hole in the mosquito net I failed to fix when I was in Delhi. Today I’ve set my sights on a hotel 100km away to get some decent rest.
