Day 19 Nashik to Gondedumala

Distance walked: 378.7km by Pankaj 313.2km by Mike
Not sure of the exact totals but it is greater than NZD5200 or INR250000

The day started at Dwaka Chowk where a number of Pankaj's friends had gathered to see us on our way an 2 of them walked with us.  The nice thing was that a good number of donations went into the bucket before we started.   Dwaka Chowk is a large and extremely busy roundabout that is now underneath the Mumbai-Agra expressway.

As has been the case everyday so far the sky was hazy.  I had noticed that in one of the movies set in India I saw (was it The English Patient) and it is the case in reality.  My attempts to get a photo of the dark orange sun as it sets have been defeated by the auto filtering on my phone.

The first 2 kilometres we had 2 people walking with us and the first 5 kilometres had a lot of heavy traffic so it wasn't a fast start. As far as the edge of the city the road ran alongside the expressway which was above us on piers.  I loved this auto-rickshaw cut down to be a vege cart

A reporter wanted to do an interview and was expected to show up on the roadside about 11am as these things always turn out it was noon before he arrived.  Daryl was driven out by Paraj so he coud interview all 3 of us.  The majority was done in Mahrati so that was up to Pankaj.  We moved on down the road now 27 degrees and with the bright sun felt hotter.  We found this tyre repairers shed at Lahamagewadi where we at the lunch Pankaj had brought out for us.  On getting up we discovered there was a restaurant right next door we couldn't see because of the high ground from the direction we came.

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It was only 4.4km from here to Gondedumala but it was very hot and one more rest break was taken at Cafe Raigad in Wadivarhe which was one of Pankaj's regular stopping places in his truck driving days.

On arrival at Gondedumala we went into a restaurant to get some shade. I am always a little startled when I  see swastikas. They are very common in India often appearing on the sides of trucks. It is one piece of western baggage that stays with me.

Daryl had somehow been given a shirt a size smaller than the one he tried on. We stopped here overlooking the Godzvari River while Daryl went in to do the swap - and came back with my hat I had been unable to find in the morning.

After this it was off for a shave and massage before shopping in Ozar and going out to the HAL township. This is where MIG jets are built and Pankaj's family have owned a store here for 44 years.  Another welcome with shawls and Nehru hats and a generous INR3800 in the bucket.

Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Day 18 Mohadari to Nashik

Distance walked 354.7km by Pankaj 289.2km by Mike
Not sure of the exact totals but it is greater than NZD5000 or INR250000
Hopefully tomorrow I will get a total of what has been banked in India.

The start of the day was at 8.30am in a valley at the foot of a large hill. While it had been 17 degrees a few kilometres closer to Nashik here it was 11 degrees and a cool wind blowing. Once walking it was good but definitely colder than in the air-conditioned car which is a change as usually outside is much hotter.   There was a quarry near to where we started and as we passed by there was a huge blast of black smoke from around the sheds.  I presume it was a large diesel engine starting up as it was a long way from the quarry face so it wouldn't be blasting.

By 9.15 the temperature had climbed to 17 degrees.  Coming through Shinde Toll Booth I found this highly confused vehicle.  It has a diesel engine and it certainly doesn't seem to carry petrol and it does ave police logos on the side.

This canal which went under the road near the toll booth is over 200km long and provides irrigation water for a large part of the Nashik district.

  By 10.15 we had covered 7km and reached Palase where we found a cane juice seller when we needed a rest. Very refreshing.

Our crossing of the Darna River was made easier by the bridge towards Nashik being closed and traffic diverted over the old bridge, There was no work taking place on the bridge and I can only assume that theremust be a structural problem - perhaps some of the piles washed out during the flooding in the last monsoon.

 From here our walk ws through the city towards Dwarka Chowk (circle) near the centre of the city where we change direction to head southwest towards Mumbai.  After16km we were rather tired and found a rather swank restaurant for lunch.  I thought we were getting toasted sandwiches as in NZ but what we got was a sandwich made using toast  I had cheese, Pankaj had vege wich turned out to be tomato and cucumber.

Early in the day Pankaj had expressed doubt we would reach Dwarka Chowk today which I couldn't understand as it was only 22km to wherever Google thinks the centre of Nashik is from our start and I didn't think Dwarka Chowk could be far from there.  As it turned out it was 2km closer and we finished walking about 2pm.

Paraj arrived about 15 minutes after us and it was off to the old part of Nashik for shopping.  I found silk for Fiona in a shop which had the whole rainbow so I now where to go if there is another trip. Next was a search for trucks for my grandsons.  Failing to find anything that looked properly like the India trucks with their beautiful hand painted decoration I settled for auto-rickshaws.  It was then on to a clothing store where I bought a very nice green shirt and red trousers to wear for Diwali etc back in Wellington.  The trousers will need Fiona's loving touch as to get something that wasn't too tight on the calves it is ginormous around the waste.

The nice part of the day came when we went out in the evening to be welcomed officially to Ozar.  One of the shop owners took a bucket and walked around the other shops asking very directly for donations.  The bucket finished up containing over 5600 rupees.         

Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Day 17 Dodi Bhudruk to Mohadari

Distance walked 334.6km by Pankaj 269.1km by Mike
Funds raised NZD4959.04 or INR247952

Paraj arrived about 7:30am at Sangamner to pick us up.  With all the events happening I never did get a tour of the sugar plant.

I'm not sure if ANZ or Capgemini are responsible for the delay today but having answered all his emails last night there were several that had to be answered before we cold start walking.  We still managed to get to Dodi Bhudruk by 9am.  It was a very pleasent 11 degrees and a very light breeze so walking was very pleasant for the first hour.

There is a lot of dairying in this part of India but the herds are very small.  Some have only 1 or 2 cows, 4 is the most common and the biggest I have seen is 6 cows.  9.4km were done int first 2 hours bringing us close to the turnoff to Sinnar.  Sinnar is the largest town between Sangnamner and Nashik and has a large commercial area as well as a good sized market.  The expressway does a loop to the west of the town but the fastest way for us was straight through the middle.  Once off the expressway it felt very hot as there were trees lining the road that provided no shade but did make an effective windbreak.   We had a reception waiting for us at Sinnar 15km from the start.

After the welcome we were taken to a restaurant where I had a cheese dosa.  I found this much ncer than the ones with potato Pankaj had been ordering for me. It is a major frustration that Pankaj does not know how to describe the dishes on the menu. There may be all manner of delights I just don't know about.

There was a cricket match going on at the local ground which is at a crossroads. The road to Shirdi goes west from here and there were a large number of pilgrims heading to Shirdi coming towards us from this point for the rest of the day.  Some looked very sore. 

Shortly after rejoining the expressway we stopped at a bar. We had now done 20km and the temperature had climbed to 27 degrees.  Pankaj was horrified when I posted a picture of the beer on facebook.   For the second time on the trip Pankaj has pulled me away from a person who was giving a donation saying they are drunk.  That may have been true but they were acting in a respectful way and I will accept there donation and blessing for the trip as readily as I will any other person.  We are all born in the image of God and it is not for us to determine the merit of a persons donation.   I was also unable to explain to Pankaj why our walk is a pilgrimage. To him a pilgrimahe must be to a holy place.  To me a pilgrimage is any journey undertaken in the name of Christ and I certainly see raising money for schools in Wada as Christ's work even though I won't be making any attempt to convert any to Christianity.

The last 2km were down a steep hill.  The drivers coming up the hill were behaving very badly - at one point there were trucks 3 abreast including 1 on the gravel shoulder. Motor bikes would force us to step back as they went up the inside of traffic on the shoulder.

We are now at Paraj's house at Ozar where we will stay for the next few days. Daryl is looking bright and chipper but I don't think he will be walking with us again.

 Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Posted at 6pm on 19 December from Ozar, India

Day 16 Sanganmer to Dodi Bhudruk

Distance wlaked by Pankaj 311.6km Distance walked by Mike 246.1
26km to today.

We started early with a visit to Daryl in hospital at 8am.  He had drunk very little overnight so we were not optimistic of him being discharged today.

On the road at 8.45am when it was a cool 13degrees. There were several bridges on today's walk but all had wide shoulders so easy crossing and none of them had water flowing. One river bed had many walls dug in it and I wonder what happens when the rains come.

Our first break was after 11km at a very nice restaurant that I thought was called Hotel Taste Joy but as I was leaving notice the three chilis I thought were a logo made the letter N so it was Hotel Taste N Joy.

From here the road climbed through a wide gorge. The old road had zig sagged up one side but the new road goes straight up the middle. It wasn't a big climb but there was no wind so it got very hot.

As we got to Karhe at the top of the hill we were ready for a lunch break but there were no restaurants for a long stretch so instead of 16km before lunch it finished up 20. My body was really feeling the stress especially the ankle I broke.

There were trucks parked at gas stations with oversize loads of machinery on the way to the port at Navi Mumbai. One lot was for Nigeria and some transportable stone crushers for USA.

After lunch our route was through the village of Nandor Shingote a say from the expressway. This was the main road before the expressway was built. It must have been a nuisance for the village having all that traffic going through the middle and it would have been another choke point for traffic. It was then only another 4km walk to Dodi Bhudruk were we finished a 26km walk having caught up the distance lost visiting Daryl the previous day.

When we got to the hospital Daryl wanted to leave immediately even though the hospital said they would like him to stay another day. Surprise discovery was that the hospital care was being paid for by a donor.

We went to a restaurant in the country where I had a very nice Chicken Murglai which was made mild and I very much enjoyed. Daryl mostly ate sweet corn soup having tried chicken kebab dish but the chicken was a little pink so the restaurant cats got it.

 Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Day 15 Gunjalwadi to Sangamner - Halfway

Distance walked 285.6km by Pankaj 220.1km by Mike

Today we reached the halfway point in the walk. However our plans will have to remain flexible as Daryl has been admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis.  He is recovering but we don't know how long it will take and we can't leave Sangamner until he is fit to leave hospital.

This mornings plans did not go well.  First the car we thought was coming at 7:30 arrived at 8:30 then we had to wait quite a while to see Daryl's doctor.  I seriously questioned him about the antibiotic he was using as it isn't usually used for gastroenteritis and it also has diarrhea as the first listed side effect.  The antibiotic was changed.

We got to Gunjalwadi at 11am.  The first section was down a beautiful gorge on the old road so very little traffic and great scenery.

Looking down into the valley we are heading to.  The view was nice but rubbish dumping meant the smell was awful 

The new road has been made straighter by large embankments and cuttings.  It is also longer and less steep.

Cliffs at Gabhanawadi 

The road descends 130metres from Gunjalwadi to Gabhanawadi.  The old road we walked in 4.2km.  The new road is 5.7km.  We made it through to the net village, (the name began with J but goggle doesn't acknowledge its existance before taking a rest break.   Then it was on to just after the Hivargaon toll plaza for a late lunch (which was too hot - chilli wise - but ice cream compensated) with 12 km done.  We managed another 4 km to Vaiduwadi which is near to Sangamner by 3pm.

Daryl was pretty sleepy and the doctor was not available so we left him and went home for a rest before heading back at 6 p.m.  Daryl said he wanted a Big Mac and fries.  We couldn't manage the Big Mac but we did get some friesand after eating some he looked the happiest I have seen him since he became unwell on Saturday.

We went to a very flash looking restaurant but the food was ordinary.  Wanting a break from chilli I ordered a vegetable fried rice from the chinese section of the menu.  It had chillis.  However the late of fries I ordered for starters was good and after eating a quarter of the fried rice I had enough to see me through the night.  The meals here are always too big and I never finish them.

Final item is signs.  This road sign one was near Gunjelwadi and is one of the best I have seen.

Somehow I never to remember to photograph one but often on the back side of direction signs it says "ALWAYS OBEY TRAFFIC RULES" or something similar.  Given that Indian drivers ignore almost all the rules that amuses me.

This sign was common around Mumbai and Pune.  It is Gandhi's glasses and refers to his vision of a clean India.

  Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Day 13 Bota to Gunjalwadi

Distance walked  276.4km by Pankaj 204.1km by me 56.1 km by Daryl.
Funds raised NZD 4953.84 or INR 247692

I awoke feeling refreshed and healthy and ready to face the day. - which I started on the wrong foot as when Pankaj appeared at 7:45am I said nasty words abut him and Daryl going off to breakfast and leaving me behind.  Turns out Pankaj had changed rooms, Daryl was now as crook as a dog and breakfast wasn't provided so would be taken at a restaurant on the way to the start. So I was wrong on every count. 

It was a much cooler day - 10 degrees C at 6am and reached a maximum of 27 so walking was much much easier.

The start was about 105km from Nashik so I was looking out for the 100km milepost but somehow missed it.   However here is 99.

Within in less than a kilometre of starting we came across a large group of pilgrims, all wearing orange hats on their way Shirdi.  We crossed to the other side of the road as we didn't want to get caught up amongst them.  We walked along side them for about 5km when they stopped for a break on the outskirts of Ghargaon.  We took our first break about 500m further on.   The bridge at Ghargaon even had a footpath so crossing the Mula River was no problem at all.

The fuel light was now on in the car but it seemed that getting diesel was not going to be easy.  We had passed the last petrol stations on our side of the road at Ghargaon and even when we got to Sangamner the petrol station had run out of diesel.

We took the next break at Bhagwat Mala - quite frankly just a dot on the map with a few dhaba (Indian equivalent of a coffee bar).  From here the choice was to either follow the expressway or go onto the old road. The distance both ways was about the same.  We went onto the old road where it climb a hill past a temple.  Punkaj remembers it well from his days travelling betwen Pune and Nashik when this was a major choke point for the traffic as trucks crawled up the hill on a rather narrow road so even for Indian drivers passing chances would have been few.

We took lunch at a place that wasn't even a dot on the map.  Just 2 dhaba next to each other on the side of the road.  We stopped at the first but I think it was a bad choice as I took one look at the toilet and decided I could hang on - Indian squat toilet with no water supply - need I say more.  Daryl wasn't eating and I just had tea and biscuits, Pankaj and Mr Cricket ate up large but they are used to India. 

The walk after Ghargaon was very rural.  The villages were tiny and the traffic though light by Indian standards was still heavier than on most rural roads in New Zealand.  There were dhaba every 2 or 3 kilometres throughout the day so no problem taking a break.   They varied from swank with marriage halls to pretty basic.

Chaff stored in stooks for feeding cattle

Two cattle with birds on their backs and a goat

We arrived at Gunjalwadi about 2.30pm.  The distance had been signposted all day by Dr R.S. Gunjal Institutes.(I think a hospital but I have no idea)

Mr Cricket then drove us to Sangamner.  Daryl was looking very poorly and really wanted to go to bed but Pankaj insisted that we did some shopping and went to the hair dresser.  I have stopped shaving myself and once a week Pankaj and I go in for a shave and head massage.  Sometimes they do the back shoulders and arms as well.  It is a very relaxing way to finish a long days walk.  We are staying at the guest house at the Sangamner sugar works.  It is a very large co-operative plant.  I have heard different figures for production but it is millions of kilograms of sugar a year.  The local MP in the Maharastra (state) Parliament, Balasheb Thorat has some part in its running and also the adjoining technical institutes with 10,000 pupils and a dairy co-operative.  This morning we were taken to meet him and went though the usual formalities.  There were about 100 people waiting to talk to him. some wanting to invite him to weddings, but we were whisked to the head of the queue and given a private reception in his office before coming out for the gift of shawls and flowers .

I asked for chicken  and rice today for lunch.  And that is what I got. Lumps of fried chicken and a bowl of rice - not doing well in explaining simple western food for delicate stomachs to the cooks here. 

On a more concerning note Daryl is still unwell and has been taken to see a doctor by Pankaj.  They are concerned he has become dehydrated and are giving him IV fluids.  I don't think there is any intention to admit him to hospital.

About the route we are walking.  It is a bit of a zigzag.  From Mumbai to Airoli (midday of day 2) the direction was north east.  From there to Dehu Road (day 8) it was south east and then east to Chakan (day 9).  From there we have been heading north.  On Monday when we walk to the sugar plant we will have reached the half way point.  From here to Nashik the direction in northwest, then southwest to Bhiwandi - which is only 2 days walk from Mumbai.  From Bhiwandi the route goes north to Wada.  If we fall behind we will take a short cut saving one days walk and bypass Bhiwandi.

Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/school-of-walk in New Zealand or direct to 06-0574-0833554-00 or  https://milaap.org/fundraisers/givealittle-schoolofwalk in India

Day 12 Narayangaon to Bota

Distance walked 254.6km by Pankaj 184.1km by Mike 55.1km by Daryl

This blog is fairly short - and 2 days late.

In the wee hours of Friday morning I was struck down by the dreaded Delhi Belly. I don't know why I didn't think to get pills for it in New Zealand - I guess I was optimistic.  Fortunately Daryl had some and by 10am the symptoms were under control.  I was still very weak.  I did not walk and only had water with electrolytes all day.

The good news part of the day is that the pharmacy in Narayangaon donated a replacement for Dayl's pills and electorlytes.  I spent the day in the car with Mr Cricket while Daryl and Pankaj did the walking.  I do remember Daryl getting into the car for a break at some point for a few kilometres.

Evidence that we don't really know what we are doing.  With less than 2km to the finish Daryl and Pankaj walked on saying for me to direct Mr Cricket to the finish.  I managed that but they weren't there.  When they had seen about 100m of gravel where the old road turned off the expressway they stayed on the expressway.  Going back to the expressway we went down the slip road not being sure exactly where Daryl and Pankaj were.  It was a dead end.  Mr Cricket is very good at backing and roared up the road in reverse at good speed. 

The night was spent at a very small guest house somewhere near Alephata.  The gardens were delignhtful and the beds comfortable but in typical India fashion the plumbing leaked so the floor was wet in the bathroom and most of the power points didn't work.