HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM INDIA!

POST #6

LONG RIDE ON NEW YEAR’S DAY. “Happy New Year.” That’s the greeting we exchanged with hundreds of Indian villagers and townsfolk on this first day of 2007. All day we traveled north on National Highway 7, the main north-south artery thru India. Leaving the guest house provided by the Church of South India at 6:30 am, we pedaled further today than expected. Our lodging arrangements changed en route and a planned 120 kilometer ride turned into 140 kilometers—over 87 miles. Weary, we arrived on the outskirts of Madurai around 4:30 pm. Saddle time was 7 hours, 42 minutes…and we are feeling every bit of it this evening in our legs, shoulders, and backs. On the other hand, we have now covered 312 kilometers. That’s 194 miles out of a planned 2,000 total miles to New Delhi. You might say that in three days we’ve ridden 10% of the distance. Not bad for just getting started.

KEEPING SAFE ON THE ROADS. We want all to know that we are all healthy at this point and have thus far had a safe time on the roads. Few mishaps. It is true that buses and trucks sometimes pass by at high speeds within feet of us, but we know the Indian “rules of the road” and are but one of many types of vehicles and people on the roads. Bicycles are much more prevalent that cars in India. Animals also wander or are driven along the roads--donkeys, chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, pigs and, of course, the sacred cows. We are wearing iridescent yellow vests with reflective striping (they have our logo emblazoned on the back), not only for us to be well seen, but for us to be able to distinguish our riders from many others on bicycles.

A HIT IN THE VILLAGES. We also want our family and friends to know that our entourage is being well received and is, apparently, quite a novelty even in a culture that is itself one great novelty. Many people wave and greet us as we pedal by. When we stop in a village or town, we are swarmed by young people and men looking over our bikes and gear. People ask us about our purpose and Jose, Anand tell them in the Tamil language. No one has been rude to us; on the contrary, we have been greeted graciously everywhere so far. One person saw our entourage riding and slowed down his limbo to inquire. We stopped to talk to the man who turns out to be a high-ranking trade official from Dubai. He pledged support for Umri Christian Hospital. Imagine that: an official from Dubai contributes to UCH because he sees an international team from Canada, USA and India riding purposefully through the heart of India!

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