After a couple of chill days in Palola, we were ready to set off again. Dalma was a bit hesitant, but game for the trip. We paid up, collected our bikes, and headed out.

The road south was generally better. Split lane highways and reasonable traffic. There was lots of roadwork and some sections of windy roads with pushy traffic overtaking on the wrong side of the road on blind corners, but it was mostly good. There was one section that was a spaghetti tangle of traffic going in every direction. Dalma is, for all her apprehension, a remarkable rider.

We were learning to stop more regularly. We stopped for a breakfast of water and peanuts purchased from a roadside stall. A little later on, we stopped and did some roadside calisthenics. These help.

On the road

The Guerilla, for all its hype, isn’t to Dalma’s taste. The seat angle is uncomfortable for her and makes her legs numb, resulting in more breaks. However, it is lower and less intimidating for her. For my part, I’m loving the Himalayan 450. With my experience in the 411 model, it’s familiar, but with a more powerful motor and more riding tech.

We had thought of going to Gokarna after all, but we would have arrived after an hour and a half of riding. We headed instead for a town called Murdeshwah. We knew nothing of it except that it had the world’s third tallest Shiva statue. We arrived at our hotel and went out to see it.

It was tall. We joined crowds of Hindu worshippers and we were corralled past opportunities to donate, holy water dispensers, opportunities to donate, opportunities to buy indulgences (we think) and opportunities to donate. We wouldn’t say it was beautiful or particularly awe inspiring. It did remind us of how organised religions generally are commercial enterprises. Point out one religion, just one, that doesn’t tell you that donating money is the key to salvation. The collection plate on a Sunday may have been changed for regular bank transfers, but god or the gods, or whatever, do seem to need a lot of ready cash.

Anyway, it’s not our place to cast aspersions. We are guests in this country. We collected our shoes, ate a late lunch in an empty but excellent restaurant and headed back to our hotel. There didn’t seem to be a lot else to do. We whiled away a low key but pleasant evening and headed for the sack.