Almost a year ago I celebrated a rather large birthday by treating myself to a holiday with a difference.
I set off with 16 other like-minded souls on a two and a half week cycling trip to a unique and beautiful part of India called Kerala.
Having done quite a bit of cycling before I thought I had prepared adequately for the trip as we would be cycling between 50-100 kilometers a day. What I had not prepared for was the mountainous conditions and the fact that my bike was not exactly built for the task of up-hill pedaling!! Everyone else had quite light weight cycles and not mountain type bikes like mine, and after listening to lots of cycling tales I quite soon realized they were all much more experienced than me-!!
After the first few days I began to feel my body getting into gear and it wasn’t too exhausting apart from the high temperatures. It fluctuated between hot-very hot and unbearably hot although in the mountain regions the air was beautifully clear and quite fresh which is just as well when climbing 6000ft! I got along well with everyone on the trip and they were most helpful when I needed a bit of encouragement on the grueling sections. Luckily there is always a back up van for the sick and worn out which I took on some days when I knew my legs had reached their limits.
We passed through some of the most spectacular countryside I had ever seen from rolling tea plantations, beautiful mountains and the most fabulous white beaches not to mention all the wonderful towns and villages on route.
At the end of the trip we were treated to a night on a rice boat, which took us on some of the hundreds of canals to be found in Kerala.
At the end of the trip I felt very lucky privileged to have been part of such a fascinating experience. What a wonderful way to see a country I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone with a sense of adventure. The food was terrific throughout the journey; I didn’t get ant tummy troubles and even lost a few pounds.
I have signed up for another trip next November, this time to Rajastan and Jaipur!
Pam Wedgwood