TO NAMAKKAL

POST #8

FIFTH DAY RIDING. Today was our fifth day riding north from Nagercoil and Kaniyakumari at the southern tip of India to New Delhi. We rode 74 miles from Dundigal to Namakkal. We are striving to make it to Bangalore by Saturday. Bangalore is a major cit in India, called the "Silicon Valley of India" for its computer technology centers. We had the best ride day yet. The wind was at our backs and it seemed like we were riding on the clouds.

VILLAGE TO VILLAGE. The names of the villages and towns we are passing through on our 2,000-mile trek northward are quite interesting, but they come and go with such frequency that they are starting to run together. We are weary when we arrive at our destination for the day. We shower, rest, eat dinner, and retire for the evening. But each place and the people fill one's senses. Whatever the community or village or farm or industry we pass by, it is insightful and instructive.

OUR SUPPORT. Our journey would not be possible without our Indian team members. Sanju "Gope" Sumadre (far right) is not oly a professional driver by vocation, he makes all sorts of arrangements to make our riding smooth, supported, and refreshed. Gope is from Yavatmal in Maharashtra, near Umri. We are also supported by Sathi Sam (next to Gope), the Hospital Administrator at Umri Christian Hospital. Sathi Sam is from Tamil Nadu, the stat through which we are now passing, and his ability to translate and talk to local folk has been invaluable. He will leave us in a few days, replaced by another host in another state. We appreciate his guidance and help. In the photo, our Tamil Nadu riders are Anand and Jose. All are healthy. All are safe. We press on.

Here are a few more photos....

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