Today...

Kumly provided a dull morning. With nothing of particular interest in the village itself and no immediate friendships to be had, life was dull. At lunchtime a stroke of genius washed over me and i made the decision to hire out a small mo-ped for the afternoon to explore. The ensuing afternoon saw a lift in spirits. The backlanes around the Western Ghats bustled with interest, excitement and originality. Even the rain failed to dampen spirits as my little wheels splashed along through the, sometimes sizeable, puddles. Life was good. The evening picked up too with a chance meeting with some Germans who provided my evening's entertainment. My little wheels or 'The Hog' was not so impressed and put up a beligerent non-effort all the way home from Thekkady. Only when i noticed the lack of fuel in the tank did the problem become clear.

Next day...

More of the same with a leisurely breakfast accompanied by germans. Later led to a longer, more adventurous ride with many an atmospheric tea stop and chance meetings with confused locals: ('what is this crazy Saib doing riding through my village on that peice of crap??!'). The weather was kind too. Glorious sunshine dominated the cool mountain afternoon. Progressively more challenging road surfaces, calling on some advanced mountain biking skills to negotiate, also provided me with some excitement and 'The Hog' with a thorough workout.