India - Hospet to Dhule

ExploringRTW

Active member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
Messages
214
Reaction score
1
Location
Kent & Berkshire
12th to 18th March.

Left fairly early AM and started our journey north. Getting out of town wasn’t too bad and we were soon back on the same road we came in. This time there was no queue of lorries and we made good progress. Also for a change our estimations were over rather than under for the day so we would make our destination for the night, Solapur, in plenty of time.

The most apparent change was the drop in driving standards. As written in travel book, might is right on an Indian road and we both had to concentrate hard all day to ensure we arrived in one piece. Several times trucks, buses and cars coming the other was will pull out on you! Lights and horns are ignored and they all complete the overtaking manoeuvres with you braking hard!
Very tired we ended the day. We had only covered around 200 miles but it seemed just as tiring as a 400 mile drive anywhere else.

The next day was the same, poor driving and an overnight stop in Beed (Bid according to the maps and guide books!) before heading off to Aurangabad where we were due to stop for two days to see the caves at Ellora.
We were able to check in fairly early and used the tourist place in the hotel to book an air conditioned car and a guide for the next day.

The guide and car all turned up on time and we headed off. Our first stop was to what is called the mini Taj Mahal. This was a mausoleum made to one of the Raj’s mother. It was constructed after the Taj Mahal in Agra but is much smaller and as you can see in the photo’s, requiring some restoration.

Pictures of "Mini Taj"...

241787405.jpg


241787416.jpg


241787417.jpg


241787420.jpg


241787418.jpg


241787421.jpg


From there we travelled the 25 km to the caves. To call then caves is not strictly true. They are completely man made and look like very intricate stone buildings but they are carved from a single solid piece. There are some 30 caves here and each too around 50 years each to carve. The engineering performed was fantastic considering the work was performed some 1500 years ago and all obviously by hand.


Caves at Ellora...Remember these are all carved from a solid chunk!!...

241787422.jpg


241787412.jpg


241787406.jpg


241787425.jpg


241787748.jpg


241787740.jpg


241787737.jpg


241787427.jpg


241787428.jpg


241787746.jpg


The rock has been carved in the style of wooden roof supports!!!...

241787745.jpg


241787747.jpg


This cave was carved from the top down as well..so it isn't a cave as such.

241787744.jpg


241787743.jpg


241787736.jpg


This overhang is completely unsupported. There is a 150m cliff above it!!!

241787742.jpg


241787741.jpg


241787739.jpg


241787738.jpg


241788312.jpg


241788310.jpg


241788326.jpg


After spending several house touring the various caves we had a quick lunch (where Mike was charged an additional 10 Rupees to have an extra spoonful of coffee!!) before being taken to the water mill. The photo’s do not look that impressive but the site was constructed in the middle ages and uses under ground pipes from a reservoir some 5 km away.

241788323.jpg


From there we were taken to a small factory producing woven cotton and silks using old looms. The quality of the products were superb and extremely intricate. Most items taking weeks to produce.

241788321.jpg


241788322.jpg


Although we had had a great day we were all dog tired so it was a quiet evening relaxing.

The next day we travelled to Dhule. Not very far but the driving was getting worse and with the heat a tiring day.

241788316.jpg


241788324.jpg


We found an OK hotel and settled in. As we had arrived early Mike and I took my bike to have the new tyres I’d been carrying fitted. It all started off so easy but the crowds arrived and we were soon surrounded by 30 odd locals looking at the bike and our white faces!

241788314.jpg


241788318.jpg


The next day we had some niggley bike work to sort out including finding out why both our neutral lights packed up when took them from customs. Mike also had extra foot rests to be made to make Sylvia’s travelling more comfortable. My bike bits took most of the morning but all were completed fairly quickly, including the neutral light. The wire was hanging down loosely with a number of teeth marks in them. A mouse or rat had eaten through the cable when at the docks. Mike also had the same cause! There must be something particularly tasty about BMW neutral switch wiring.
After a busy day we headed for a restaurant that was recommended by the hotel. The food was excellent, apparently, but I had gone down with a touch of Deli Belly (Something Sylvia had had earlier in the week) and was struck with soup and plain rice, whilst Mike and Sylvia tucked into a big meal washed down with beer and screwdrivers. Not that I begrudge them it at all!!!
The last day of this update was spent writing this instalment of our story and packing the bikes ready for our journey north to Udaipur.

John
 
Last edited:
I KNOW U

I KNOW U .I SAW U PRATHM HOTAL AT SOLAPUR . U WANT ANY HELP PLZ MAIL ME
 


Back
Top Bottom