Day 12 – Udupi to Murudeshwar, Karnataka (Kanyakumari to Leh Cycling)

First 1,000 Kms covered

I have completed my first 1,000 km of ride today. Starting from Udupi at 5:55 a.m. in dark, before the sun came out, I had already covered 18 km of today’s ride. I guess it took my legs 1,000 km of cycling to become strong and they don’t ache anymore. Today’s pitstop was Bhatkal but I found nothing special in that city, so I moved on further 10 km to a small town called Murudeshwar.

First 1,000 Kms covered
First 1,000 Kms covered

Before Bhatkal, I had to go uphill as Western Ghats again came in my way but when I reached up on a plateau, I got a view of a lifetime, with the Arabian Sea on my left and green Western Ghats mountains on my right side. Coming downhill was like flying as my cycle speed reached 40 km/hr.

Mahashali Temple
Mahashali Temple
Time for snacks in front of sea
Time for snacks in front of sea

Somewhere mid-way, when I was riding, I heard a loud noise from a bus that passed by. It was a school bus and I saw many hands and heads peeking out of the window of the bus, waving at me. These gestures from people always keep me going. I have been noticing from the last few days that now people of all age-groups are motivating me as they nod their heads, smile and give me thumbs up when I pass by. This really makes me happy and the aches in my body fade away.

Western Ghats
Western Ghats in view

I came to know when I reached Bhatkal that this city has 42 mosques. When I was in the starting phase of my day today, with the beach just 20-30 metres on my left, I stopped by a food shop for omelette. The guy there told me about Murudeshwar, so I made up my mind there itself of making a night stay at Murudeshwar. It is a small village with very simple life and people living on minimal necessities. I liked this place a lot. Today, I cycled 103.5 km in 6.5 hours, which included all the stoppages in between.