After leaving Edapally at 6:30 am, bounded for Chavakkad today, taking the Edapally-Panvel Highway, little did I know that I would be cycling 35 km post Chavakkad and staying at an unknown place. My planned stop for today was Chavakkad but while I was having a coconut drink at a roadside stall some 5 km before Chavakkad, I asked someone about the place and was suggested to stay at Guruvayoor instead, 4 km ahead of Chavakkad.
When I arrived at Guruvayoor, the scene was different and there was no single-room occupancy in the whole area. Double rooms were expensive as it is a pilgrim centre and the police has ordered not to offer rooms to single persons. Although I found two lodges which agreed to give me a room but they were quite expensive for my daily budget. After exploring the city for about two hours, I thought of heading towards another city, Ponnani, which I had to pass the next day. Ponnani is 29 km from Guruvayoor.
After I arrived in Ponnani–a small place and nothing much in the city–I again thought of moving on, and after about 4 km, found a tourist home where after bargaining, sealed the deal for Rs. 300 for a single room. This area does not have a particular name but it falls in Ponnani only. I have already covered 35 km extra, 119.5 km total for today, gaining a lead for tomorrow’s ride to Kozhikode.
