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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 67 – 17th January 2019
– ODO- 8260 – 8397km – Location- Near Dharmapuri in the hills, India – Weather- 22-35 Burning hot I’m uninspired to write today. As I’ve left the mountains and pedalled deeper into Tamil Nadu I’ve been struggling with the attention I receive. More so than ever before I’m stopped every 10 minutes. Every scooter slows…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 66 – 16th January 2019
– ODO- 8118 – 8260km – Location- Nachimuthu Natrayan Thirukovil Temple, India – Weather- 22-35 Hazy in the morning but very hot in the afternoon Yesterday was the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Outside each house the women paint with coloured sand. Flowers and spirals in intricate patterns. Fast high pitched music, driven by…
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Bikepacking in a SHIRT?
After taking the Istanbul to Mudanya ferry I try out a new cycle touring look. Do you think it will
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 65 – 15th January 2019
– ODO- 8024 – 8118km – Location- Allinagaram, Munnar, India – Weather- 13-31 Cold above 1000m Today was my third off road day. My mapped route took me down steep gravel mountain bike tracks in Austria and Turkey. The day started on a high. I left the guesthouse I had been staying in nice and…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 64 – 14th January 2019
– ODO- 7896 – 8046km – Location- Guest House 13km short of Munnar, India – Weather- 22-31 Haze in the morning After a days rest in Kochi I headed towards Munnar. Famous for the tee hills surrounding the area. After my first two weeks cycling in India along the flat and overpopulated coastal highway this…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 63 – 12th January 2019
– ODO- 7825 – 7896km – Location- Santa Maria Hostel Cochin (Kochi), India – Weather- 19-35 Clear and Hot As I’ve moved further south into Kerala there are more and more people. Especially down by the coastal highway I’ve been following. That’s lead to some awkward situations trying to camp. The last couple of day…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 62 – 11th January 2019
– ODO: 7682 – 7825km – Location: A Highway in Kerala, India – Weather: 19-35 Clear and Hot Today I met Chidam for the second time. Sleeping outside a store only 800 meters from the abandoned building I was sleeping in. He’s cycling from Mumbai to the southern most tip of the country. He has…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 61 – 10th January 2019
ODO: 7565 – 7682km Location: A Highway in India Weather: 18-34 Clear and Hot As the sun began to set last night, my route began to merge with the coastline. During the day I’d caught the glimmer of rivers, pools and beaches from many bridges that connect the lowlands here in Kerala. My mind drifted…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 60 – 9th January 2019
ODO: 7424 – 7565km Location: Bekal Fort, Kerala, India Weather: 18-34 Clear and Hot Let tell you what I love about South Indian food. And oh boy have I eaten a lot of it. Another perk of cycling is that – even in these short equatorial days – I can easily eat three full meals…
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Ben Around the World Diary – Day 59 – 8th January 2019
ODO: 7275 – 7424km Location: Camping South of Kundapura, India Weather: 18-33 Clear and Hot Goa was decidedly Christian with its white and blue churches and busses of school kids in starched shirts and long trousers and skirts queuing up for mass on a Sunday. I can’t image what that feels like in 35-degree heat.…