Cycling in 4 states on single gear cycle 4: Belgavi to Lokapur (108 kms)

4: Belgavi to Lokapur (108 kms)

✪ Riding across rural Karnataka!
✪ Influence of Marathi in Karnataka
✪ "Yargatti" village- O Yara, gati kitthe?
✪ "Sorry, we could not help you for stay here!"
✪ Riding 18 kms more for finding a lodge!

Hello all. Sharing joy of solo cycling in 4 states completed some time ago through this article. 26 September! I left Belgavi at 6:30 am. Today is the third day in this expedition. Yesterday I had good rest after passing through Chorla ghat. Now onwards I will have easy roads till the end. Before leaving, I inquired a little about route out of Belgavi and then left. Navratri festival has started. I think today is the second day. I saw some festival scenes in Belgavi. I passed by Belgavi bus stand and fort area and crossed Mumbai- Bengalore highway and reached Belgavi- Bagalkote highway. This road is passing through Belgavi airport area. Wonderful flat road! Large lanes. I saw a board alerting about thick population near the road. Today’s ride is small actually. I will stay at Badnur/ Kadampur after riding 89 kms. Due to the flat road, this distance will be easily covered.

Early morning time and nice road! Getting good speed. As I crossed villages near Belgavi, the traffic got reduced. After passing through mountains and forests Yesterday, today it is flat roads! Now there are farms and plain terrain in place of mountains and forests! Also no rain and clouds- mostly the sky is clear!

(All articles with photos can be read here. My experiences about trekking, cycling, running, meditation and sky watching etc. can be read on my blog.)

Continued the ride along with enjoying new area. Here on the road, distances are mentioned in English and Kannada. Seeing Bagalkote name often, I learned to read Bagalkote in Kannada! Also I felt that the letter "B" in Kannada looks similar to a duck picture. A few people are inquiring about my mission on the road. Now I am used to it. As I am passing through interior Karnataka, people are more curious. After some time, I saw the road climbing a little. There are some hillocks and the road is crossing them. A very small ghat is there. Beautiful scenes! Now I am getting good downhill. As I have been riding since 3-4 days, I am getting good speed.

 After around 60 kms, there is a village named Yaragatti. Here names are funny! After some time I felt to take another energy break. I halted at a small tea- stall in a village. I took tea and biscuits. The hotel person inquired about me and when I told him that I came from Maharashtra, he started speaking in Marathi! I had felt that as I had come much interior, here people may not be speaking Marathi. But there are people. And still the district is Belgavi. Left after a quick break. Smoothly completed remaining distance to complete 89- kms and reached Kadampur village at 12:00 pm. This is a moderate village. It has some population and it is located on the highway. I was not able to contact any person or any organization here. Even people in Belgavi were not knowing anyone here and even people from further halts also did not know anyone. I inquired at one hotel on the road, then he told that there will be stay options. The hotel person was helpful. His hotel was actually a small stall. But he immediately realized my mission and nature of my tour. Then he called his friend and asked him to provide me stay in Gram Panchayat room. Here there are no lodged. But still I was told that there will be arrangements for staying here. So I saved my ride on strava app. Took the break. I kept my luggage on the cycle, but stayed in his hotel. Then I also went to Gram Panchayat. But even after trying for more than two hours, I did not get any room in Gram Panchayat. And also not in any school. Here there are no lodges and some "hotels" are actually only restaurants. I took meal in one and even told that person that I just need some space to rest. But he was not willing. And another person was willing to allow me to stay in his small stall, but he did not have any arrangements. Finally after trying for 2 hours, I decided to move on.

But that hotel person was feeling sorry. He told me, "Very sorry, we could not help you." I finally learned that I can stay either at Yaragatti, which was passed earlier- 20 kms back or at Lokapur, 18 kms further as there are many lodges for sure. Finally moved on. Yaragatti name is funny! I almost could listen in Punjabi- O Yara, gatti kitthe, gatti? (Oh dear, where is speed?) It was difficult to restart the ride after it was all but completed. Mentally also it was difficult! Stop- start ride is always difficult. But I have no option. And 18 km distance is not that much. So I left and started pedaling and slowly got speed. I had to make three small steps of 5 kms each. This way pedaled and reached Lokapur within an hour. Lokapur, district Bagalkote! Today I completed 89 + 18.5 = 108 kms! Unexpected century ride it is! Densely populous lanes, roads with dirt around and dust! But this looks like a town. Here there is also a bus stand. I found many lodges. It took some time to locate a low rate lodge. But finally in the evening I found one reasonable lodge. I removed my luggage from the cycle and got fresh. I could bath, albeit with cold water. But finally now I can rest.

In the evening, went for early lunch. That hotel person also inquired about me and after coming to know that I am from Maharashtra, he also spoke Marathi! Here in interior Karnataka, this Marathi person is running a hotel! I took a light meal and returned for rest. Yesterday I was staying at a posh lodge in Belgavi and today in a very ordinary hotel! But I can see discipline of South India. Even though the lodge is very ordinary, it is clean and neat. Today I could not interact with any organization. But I could talk with many people on the road. And had a century ride, thanks to that extra distance! But one difficulty is there. In this expedition, I am not finding time to do my official work on my laptop. Till Yesterday I was engaged with people for much time and considering this, I had informed my clients for translation that I was in fact unable to take up even that much work as I had already informed them. I had requested them to allow me to skip urgent work and also had provided them alternative arrangement. Therefore although today I had lost much time, there was not that concern. But considering nature of interactions and extent of dialogues in this expedition, I feel that it is going to be difficult to do my professional work on my laptop. Let's see how it goes. 

 

Next: Cycling in 4 states on single gear cycle 5: Lokapur- Bagalkote- Kolhar (71 kms)

(Thanks for reading! You can enjoy the photos on the blog link given above. You can also read about my experiences of trekking, cycling, running, meditation, sky watching etc. There. If you wish to get updates of such activities, you can contact me. Niranjan Welankar 09422108376)