After the Simlipal rest day I had an early start and just ground along the 4 lane national highway with a few fairly dangerous 2 lane sections with potholes, speed breakers (still painful for my “broken”!!  leg).
After about 40kms. or so I realized I would be doing the full distance to Kharagpur (160 kms.),  the only obvious place of finding a good hotel.  It was hot, 41 c., and I drank a lot of water and energy drinks. The route today also went through Jharkhand for about 30 kms.
Now I am in West Bengal and tomorrow will be in Kolkata.  Not looking forward to the inevitable traffic nightmare that is coming.  It will be a challenge.

Here in Kharagpur I looked on google and found a hotel (Kaushik), looked good, but they could only offer a non-ac room with no window.  Sorry but no thanks.  Farther down the road is Greenlands, nice, but very small room at 2,200rs.

I am so glad I did this, and my driver was excellent.  Total I guess this cost around 4,000 to 5,000 rs.

I was only able to see a very small part of this massive park and only a superficial idea of the tribal culture here.  It was a very tantalising glimpse.  The very popular BJD government of Naveen Patnaik seems to be making a great effort in improving the lives of the adivasis with grants for pucca houses, small solar panels, schools, etc.

It is a prime attraction visiting Simlipal to see tigers, elephants etc. especially at a place earmarked for that where the Forest Department places salt beside the water hole.  We only saw deer and monkeys but that was ok.

Lunch inside the reserve was similar to the tasty thalis I have had everyday in Odisha.  I would give this simple inexpensive vegetarian rice plate 10 out of 10.

Often (but not today) karela (bitter gourd) , my favourite , lightly fried is served.

After this delicious lunch I strolled over to another local eatery where this delicious looking chicken dish (wrapped in leaves) was being prepared over wood fire and as you can see in my photos being consumed by 3 local tribal lads along with this local rice made brew which seems to be a staple of the tribal diet, being sold everywhere along the way.

these guys are drinking the brew and sharing the chicken cooked in the wrapped up leaves over the wood fire.

This is the finished product and how I wish I could have tasted it, but I had just had lunch and had a mouthful of gutka and just could not have tried, and unfortunately I don’t think I will ever see this beautiful preparation again.  On the other hand, the fermented rice drink that the lady in the photo is selling, and I think is a sort of weak rice beer is even very often sold along the roads and highways.

• Yesterday was without doubt my worst day.  It was raining in the morning but by 8:30 it looked ok.  At around 11 a.m. I was crossing a bridge and hit one of those water disguised potholes and went flying.  A kind soul picked me up from the ground but I was a mess. I had some road rash but had definitely done something to my leg.  I found that I was able to cycle so continued on. Stopping for eats was another matter.  I could hardly walk at all, my right leg unable to bear weight.
  I eventually arrived in Boudh, my original destination and just managed to hobble a few paces.
•      In the morning it seemed so bad that I convinced myself I had broken a bone.  I looked up Orthopedic surgeons in Bhubaneswar, asked the hotel manager to book a car, and asked if someone could find me a crutch or walking stick.
•      I had in the meantime taken a painkiller, and that, along with some walking about had me feeling much better.  I don’t think I had broken any bones!
•      I felt almost euphoric and off I went.
  The leg is still giving me a lot of trouble, getting on and off the bike, and the curse of cycling in Odisha- dreadful speed breakers all the time- they hurt my leg.

Sister Jane alerted me to an article about me in Telangana Times from a week or so ago.  The guy had video interviewed me but I didn’t know that there was print article too.  Here is the link: https://telanganatoday.com/american-cyclist-james-stevenson-on-a-journey-to-explore-india-reaches-yellandu

Raining this morning.  Should I leave or not?

https://www.cyclingaboutindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_7167-scaled.jpeg

I noticed something I had never tasted nor heard of “baked rasgulla”. I love roshgullas! But baked? I ordered it but normal rosgullas arrived. I will have to let you know later how they were.
For my main course I chose mutton bhuna with lacha paratha (had to compare with Seaman’s Nest back in Goa) and plain rice. Excellent as was my chicken biryani for lunch.
With such an extensive and ambitious menu, and from my experience as a restauranteur (another life) I wonder how they can produce all the marvelous things on the menu.
Is there a genius in the kitchen? Or many talented chefs? I really have no idea. It is impressive though….at least from what I can tell.
When the “baked” rasgullas arrived, again they were the same. Did they expect I wouldn’t know the difference? (Beokuf banana). I was on the phone immediately and excuses, excuses, but I will not be paying for a baked rosgulla.
What a difference the change in the weather has made. The heatwave is gone and the temperatures very pleasant. I stopped after 115 kms. in Junagarh at another very fancy place (hotel Orion at 1600rs. I am prepared for basic, and probably will face it one of these days, squat toilets and all (very difficult in old age), but so far I have been more than lucky. Tonight is Hotel/Lodge Orian at 1600rs.

Funny how near borders, nationally and internationally traffic is less. I have experienced often, never quite as intense as my memory of Greece and Turkey in late sixties (believe it or not), and even here, between Chattisgarh and Odisha it is blissful cycling in this “no man’s land”.
Here is another sensational video of the same sort of donation but with the added drums….wow, this is good.