Udupi

I Leave Mysore and Robin in peace and head for the beach and the sea breezes of Udupi....
Traveling west through Kodagu & onto Mangalore where I switch buses... No airport yet in Mysore so I opt for local buses... The prospect of a 7 hour 320km Journey bums me out and unaware of the thrills ahead, I chuck my fishing rods and camera in a bag and jump a rickshaw to the bus depot in town... buses look well battered... everyone looks happy tho' ;o)

Dam bus signs are all in Hindi but I ask around to suss out the one... smiles go miles here... that coupled with saying everything in a dodgy Black Country/Indian accent seems to get results... Bus is ontime... sweeeeeet!

The drive is fast and furious... Maximum respect to the drivers here..... bombing through the thin mountain roads... blind corners... horn horn horn... dust... smells... pit stops for local snacks... you need to do this trip if your passing through... its a great way to see karnataka even if it was all a bit blurred.... difficult to do pics doing 90kmh on a bus round a mountain... I already covered half the journey in " The road to Madekeri" when I was going a lot slower...
road signs make no sense here...the ones you can read are wrong... the speed bumps that appear and slowed us down in the van now enabled take off in a bus!! wahhh!

I met up with friends later that evening at a fisherman's bar near the harbor... The fish smell around Udupi & the markets is well intense... bit of a stomach churner for the faint hearted or those drinking the night before...

The sky is a wash with fish eagles diving for snacks, it was an amazing sight sound and smell... back at the bar I ate a nice omlette washed down with local rum and headed back to get some
sleep.





Fish Fish & More Fish

Market Day
Udupi Harbor




Next day... after a nice breakfast of papaya, igli and coffee I checked out the fish markets...

Maaan last night the smell was intense but today its 10 x intense... Being a fisherman myself im pretty used to the familiar fish stench...
but this was beyond stench... where is smell o vision when you need it!


I caught a small ferry boat from the harbor... to a small deserted island about 40minutes away... did a bit of sunbathing.... fishing... Had a few...caught nothing major exept the sun on my shoulders.... dam its hot here... a lot hotter than Mysore... and more humid... i was smokin!!!

I roasted my arms to a suitable lobster colour & packed up fishing when i'd caught enough little un's for the house cat.
I headed to my digs... Tonight its a Hindu festival.... Saint Madhwacharya lived and preached in a temple in town over 700 years ago.... some things remain today.... including the tradition of the race of the chariots... I'm looking forward to this... sounds epic... jeeees.....sounds biblical!!!!..
Ok ive heard that your not allowed to take pictures here....so... let me get this right..
it was in the 700 yr old scriptures that not allowed to take Nikon camera to help support and enlighten the world to great spectacular and visual event.... hmm! ehh??
i didn't think so....
so.....
Off to bed now...
Show you tomorrow ;o) xxx