Hellride Highway 7
30/03/2012 18:50
Index:
- roof tent toilet
- Police chatters
- Traffic jam at the highway Nr. 7
- Children from Childien
- Storm at the gas station
- Shower for the tough one
- good bye cooling fluid
- also good bye shock absorber
Roof tent toilet
The night at the Indian Oil petrol station was quiet apart from the two mosquitoes in the tent and the nightly toilet run, which is in the roof tent always very annoying. (We think at the moment on a roof tent toilet with flushing... please send any idea to roman@nicolumbus.ch :o)
The day started well ... the cooling water does not leak anymore, the sealing action which has transformed me yesterday to a kind of Marsman (The coolant is bright green) has succeeded. Even the tire with a 5mm diameter hole is repaired by us . What a surprise:) hi hi But then it began ...
Police chatters
Yes, yes, the beloved police, your friend and helper ... But this guys are particular talker! As many as three times we were stopped today, yes, even pursued with the bike! We did nothing wrong except that we carried a gasoline canister on the roof. It seems the police is bored here and it is such a fun to annoy tourists ... Tsss
Traffic jam on Highway No.7
As if all the massive holes in the extremely bad street would not be enough, suddenly dozens of trucks appears in a queue! What is happening, we ask ourselves and pass on the first possibility the queue. As this seemed to take no end and traffic appears on the other side, i overtake beside the street on the dirt :-) This stretch of earth end soon, but not the truck line.
A little further on we make out a possible cause! Three trucks have jostled and now block the way for oncoming traffic. Nothing works, everything stands! Great once again the Indians have demonstrated brain. If the whole Traffic jam is handled like that, then we will be stuck here for ever.
And so it is ... nothing is going forward. If there is one is traffic knot solved there is already another ghetto at the next corner where Indian stubbornness meets Indians stubbornness.
Children from Childien
An India experienced friend hit the nail very well, someone has probably mixed something up in translation: INDIA namely properly called CHILDIEN and the residents are CHILDREN and not INDIANS. That, in my opinion, would explain many things. Thank you Martin for the tip ... :)
Storm at the gas station
Due to the delay in the traffic we can make it in the first darkness to a gas station where we set up our camp for the night. We are currently cutting the cauliflower when the first raindrops come. Yes, first rain for us in India, our first rain since 2 months. But then really strongly.
The storm grows in intensity, the canopy above us licks and the first water drops swirls into our stove. I get just the tent closed before it begins to rain like cats and dogs. We save the table and our food in the only dry place which is the little toilet house.
A true appetite increaser our cooking space, but we are not picky and take what we get. We eat in the car our delicious vegetable stew. Yummy!
Shower for the tough one
A small anecdote to our simple life: Simple and Efficient are our days. I am always astonished how easily you get used to different situations and adapt to them.
Today we are lucky and a shower is available, it is not really a nice shower, but the ultra-dirty room in the pump station has running tap water and is tiled. So perfect for a wash, even if only icy cold water is available.
Even our toilet habits could be more comfortable ... This morning we had to find a bush next to the highway and I was not the first one here... dozens of "legacies" were distributed around the bush... nice :) But I assure you, your wimp at home, anyone can get used to such small inconveniences. :)
Good bye cooling fluid
Heater is cold, coolant temperature shoots up = problem! Bonnet up and we face the green disaster. It looks like minced Mars-Men. A leak in the cooling water hose again, this time so big that it almost emptied the entire cooling water. DAAAMN, WE HAVE JUST CHANGED THE LIQUID... WE COULD HAVE JUST FLUSHED THE 50 USD BILL DOWN THE TOILET = SAME RESULT!!!
=> The tube was re-edited and we were able to mount it again ... Now we just drive around with water again! FANTASTIC :(
Also good bye shock absorber
YES, this highway is really shit high three! Please excuse my choice of words. Finally I have a free stretch ahead, 5 kilometers without significant pothole and then there is this fourfold speedbreaker in the middle of nowhere. No house, no school, nothing is here! NOT EVEN A CURVE, NOTHING, REALLY NOTHING for what you should brake. Of course there was also no sign so I rushed with more than 70 km/h into the four hills of 15 or 20 cm hight.
Swearing, I immediately realized that something was wrong ... The bracket from the left front shock absorber is broken, the shock absorber hanging freely around. AAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, I could just kill the Indian who give the inspiration for this senseless speedbreaker. AAAAARGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!
But what can we do? We go back to the next town, first fill our stomachs and then get the shock absorber out. A welder is found quickly, which re welded the bracket back to the frame professionally. (Costs. 200 Rupees = 4.00 USD) And off we go .... Bruuuuuuummmm!
LINK TO THE PHOTOS: click here