Day 9: Bombay to Vapi
I left Bombay in peak hour morning traffic. Along the Western Express Highway. It was in the west, but there was nothing express or highway like about it. Even though I was going in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic, it was still exceptionally congested.
The only thing nice about the city is exiting it!
Once you enter Gujarat, there is no sign of the ghats…
Near Boisar I met up with my motorcyclist friend Sandeep. Only on this occasion, I was on a cycle and he was in a car!
He was sweet enough to park my cycle at a vegetarian dhaba, pack me up in his car and treat me to lunch at a non-veg dhaba. Now that is what real friends are for…
Post a very long lunch, it was time to hit the road again. Fortunately, I could make up decent time with a strong tailwind till Vapi.
Along the way one thing struck me. Most of the dhabas were run by Muslims and with prominent ‘Vegetarian Only’ signs. Inside the dhabas, there would be multiple places where the tricolour would be placed. The dhabas run by Hindus on the other hand only had religious motifs. What would people’s reaction be if roles were reversed, I wondered?
After floundering in the dark for a bit, I finally found accommodation on the highway. The guy saw me on a cycle and immediately reduced the room rent. Without me even asking. Cycles make other people generous…
Dinner was a spicy chana masala. As I sat there and munched, I realised, in Gujarat, food was going to be the biggest challenge!
Ahmedabad 420!
You can check out the full day’s ride on Strava.