Feb. 8 - Jalandhar, India
Wednesday, February 8 :: Jalandhar, India :: 150km today / 4054km total
Another slow morning, but I didn't feel too beat up from yesterday's big ride. After 16 pieces of toast (thinly sliced, but still a big breakfast), I rolled off, targeting Jalandhar, my friend Chandeep's hometown. An unexpected, long-awaited gentle tailwind cheered me up and I spun along relatively easily, singing to myself and out loud, knowing that the day would not be too tough.
I was riding along National Highway 1, and the road is great. Services of all kinds, very frequently spaced. Flat, wide, divided, with 2 lanes in each direction plus a paved shoulder. Great for cycling. Life was good. Still, 150km is 150km, and I had to work it. Eating, drinking, but nothing out of the usual for the day. I rolled into Jalandhar well before dark.
Punjab is certainly another side of India. Firstly, Punjabis are big on meat, and the menus are the most varied that I've seen in India, other than Goa (but that doesn't count). This is the Sikh homeland, and there certainly are a high percentage of Sikhs around. Sikhs tend to be a bit larger, I find, than other Indians - I'm guessing because i) they're not vegetarian and ii) historically they're a sort of warrior class (right, Chandeep?). There seems to be more money here, and large fancy hotels and party centres line the highway. And they're busy - I saw at least 5 BIG functions today, weddings or otherwise I'm not sure, but they were massively attended. Prices are a little higher than the rest of India, like maybe 20-25% higher. Finding cheap accomodation is tougher. There are many dramatic 4-5 star hotels along the road. And I passed 2 McDonalds! That makes a total of 4 that I've seen this ENTIRE trip. Not that McD's are a benchmark of anything, I'm just sayin'. Another difference is that many of the little variety stores sell juice - this is not a tourist area, so Indians are buying it, not foreigners, which is a first - I've had to scrouge to find juice in the rest of India, here it's commonplace.
Overall, I've enjoyed North India more than South India, and I'm hoping that Pakistan (having more in common with North India than South) continues this trend. I'm 80km from Amritsar, 110km from Pakistan, 140km from Lahore.
Another slow morning, but I didn't feel too beat up from yesterday's big ride. After 16 pieces of toast (thinly sliced, but still a big breakfast), I rolled off, targeting Jalandhar, my friend Chandeep's hometown. An unexpected, long-awaited gentle tailwind cheered me up and I spun along relatively easily, singing to myself and out loud, knowing that the day would not be too tough.
I was riding along National Highway 1, and the road is great. Services of all kinds, very frequently spaced. Flat, wide, divided, with 2 lanes in each direction plus a paved shoulder. Great for cycling. Life was good. Still, 150km is 150km, and I had to work it. Eating, drinking, but nothing out of the usual for the day. I rolled into Jalandhar well before dark.
Punjab is certainly another side of India. Firstly, Punjabis are big on meat, and the menus are the most varied that I've seen in India, other than Goa (but that doesn't count). This is the Sikh homeland, and there certainly are a high percentage of Sikhs around. Sikhs tend to be a bit larger, I find, than other Indians - I'm guessing because i) they're not vegetarian and ii) historically they're a sort of warrior class (right, Chandeep?). There seems to be more money here, and large fancy hotels and party centres line the highway. And they're busy - I saw at least 5 BIG functions today, weddings or otherwise I'm not sure, but they were massively attended. Prices are a little higher than the rest of India, like maybe 20-25% higher. Finding cheap accomodation is tougher. There are many dramatic 4-5 star hotels along the road. And I passed 2 McDonalds! That makes a total of 4 that I've seen this ENTIRE trip. Not that McD's are a benchmark of anything, I'm just sayin'. Another difference is that many of the little variety stores sell juice - this is not a tourist area, so Indians are buying it, not foreigners, which is a first - I've had to scrouge to find juice in the rest of India, here it's commonplace.
Overall, I've enjoyed North India more than South India, and I'm hoping that Pakistan (having more in common with North India than South) continues this trend. I'm 80km from Amritsar, 110km from Pakistan, 140km from Lahore.
posted by Graham Durrant at 5:35 AM
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