Day 3: Tuesday, Feb 1

Today's route: 9:20am from Malshej Ghat after filming and photographing an amazing sunrise ‘til 7am from the top of the water tank on the retreat property (with the permission of the staff, of course). Nice start, then got slowed down and rode out much later than anticipated. Rode ‘til about 12:30pm, then took the jeep and arrived in Takli, somewhat ahead of our goal for the day around 3pm.

Weather: Must have been close to some 40 degrees, wind is coming right from the front and even downhill we have to push hard. On top of things, Wiebke’s exposed body parts starting to look like a tomato. Sun, sun, sun and little shade from trees or anything else on the way.

Cycled: 32km on the NH222 towards Takli, which was supposed to be downhill for the next 40km. Well, that wasn’t quite the case. We panted, started using our Ortlieb caps instead of the helmets with little ventilation and I (Wiebke) ranted but still stopped ever so often as the scenery and the people we saw were just too good to just pass by. But this has got a downside to it as well, as the balance between finishing early hours to avoid the worst heat and documenting our journey in pictures is not an easy one to get right.

Didn't cycle: As it became harder and harder for Wiebke to ride in the sun and the mountains would just not end, we decided to hitch a ride again. Some three lorry (truck) drivers said ‘no’, so we got a private jeep again and drove some 70km through the next couple of ghats (mountain passes), happily leaning back in the car, eating the driver’s packed lunch box empty and sleeping off until we reached the nicest dhaba we’ve seen so far. Beds were used as seats and wooden boards were put across them to         make for a table. Beautiful ceramic pots were used for holding the drinking water and the kitchen looked really clean. It so happened that we came to sit next to the table of the owner of the place, Papu. In no time we ate his lunch too until ours arrived, ate more and took off with Papu, who arranged accommodation for us at a hostel for government officials. What a welcome into Takli!

Ate & drank:
8:30am: Aminos with water, chai (typical Indian tea with lots of sugar and even more milk) and upma (sticky rice dish with chillies in it) for W. and Paha for K.
On the bike: plenty of nut and Enersol with water breaks, any excuse to stop in the shade on a hilly incline
1:30pm: lunch box of the driver of the jeep with roti and veg curry
2:15pm: dhal tadka, mix vegies, roti, 2l water
9:00pm: dhal, veg curry, rice, roti, 1l water

Highlight of the day: The beautiful setting at the Dhaba outside Takli. Indians certainly have a different sense for aesthetics and beauty but this one was just inviting and beautiful.

Health Check: Wiebke heavily frustrated, seriously sun burnt and exhausted on all levels. Need Wiebke’s long-sleeve tunika couriered to a location on the way somehow, applying the sunscreen is just not enough...

Stayed at: A small room with one single bed in a hostel for government officials in Takli. Kalyan slept on our therm-a-rest mats on the floor, lucky Wiebke got the bed. Cost 200rs without receipt, paid to the caretaker of the property.

Day 2: Monday, January 31

Today's route: Started out at 8:15am from Murbad, Maharashtra, happy to tackle day 2. Finished at 1:15pm arrival at Malshej Ghat retreat, then taking a few km extra ride with the jeep to show us where we need to head next day and that it’s all going to be downhill. After dinner we took some pictures of the sun setting with the stunning backdrop of the Malshej Ghat rock formations. Can clearly see why Bollywood loves filming so many of their romantic dance scenes here!

Weather: cool morning, nice fresh breeze before the midday sun started heating up to some 35 degrees

Cycled: 40km still on the very nice and relatively new NH222, terrain getting hillier and hillier as we came close to the Ghats (mountains) - first test of  mountain crossing skills and no, I (Wiebke) didn’t quite pass it (yet).

Didn't cycle: Sneaked in 19km on a chartered jeep for 400rs (negotiated down from 500rs). Fun ride through to the top of Malshej Ghat with the very friendly driver & his friend who came along for company. They took us right to the only hotel around, explained all the sights and which Bollywood movies were filmed around here.

Ate & drank:
7:30am: 1x chocolate meal replacement each, a drink of Amino powder for proteins (and to shape the muscles we’ll be building mixed with H2O
10:00am: chappati, soya masala, egg burghi, vada & bajji (deep fried vegies of some sort), 2l water at roadside dhaba
on the bike: nuts & 1l Enersol with water each
2:00pm: drink of Amino’s with water, water
3:30pm: dhal thaka (very buttery, yumm!!), egg fried rice, alu (potato) capsicum, 2l H2O
9:00pm: jeera (cumin) rice and curd (yoghurt), buttermilk (K), 2l H2O

Highlight of the day: Scenic views and sunset at Malshej Ghat.

Body check: tired after all the up & down of the rocky mountain formations of Malshej Ghat but fine otherwise.

Stayed at: Maharashtra Tourism Government something Retreat with Flamingo Restaurant. Cost 1042rs for the super deluxe room with balcony and view to the lake below.

In the media: Hitchhikers guide to rural India's needs

January 23, 2011 Only now we discovered that the last part of the three part series about tghf has already been published here quite some time ago, on December 25. It's kind of funny to read this article one month later and still being stuck in Mumbai. But what's time anyway?? The concept of marking time is such a normal thing and yet, it still seems a strange one to me every now and then. What is time?? Why do we measure it?? How would life be if we couldn't refer to something as having happened yesterday or as about to happen tomorrow?? (Interestingly, the words for tomorrow and yesterday are the same in Hindi 'kal'. They can only be distinguished by their context.) According to Wikipedia 'time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects.' Further down in this definition it states 'An operational definition of time, wherein one says that observing a certain number of repetitions of one or another standard cyclical event (such as the passage of a free-swinging pendulum) constitutes one standard unit such as the second, is highly useful in the conduct of both advanced experiments and everyday affairs of life.' Everyday affairs of life can be measured like that, compared, judged... You can make out a 'delay' or the opposite, something happening 'on time'. Like our plan to start our journey on December 15, 2010. By that measure, we're 1,5 month late. But late for what?? In the context of what?? Have we not progressed because of our missing this 'deadline'?? Gosh, sometimes it drives me crazy when I start using language more consciously. What are we doing to ourselves, I ask myself at such moments? We produce so much pressure, raise so many unnecessary expectations, create irrelevant havoc for ourselves and others. And all of that for what??? Whilst my German mind still argues with Chronos, the numeric, chronological time with its 'time is money' grimace, India (and Kalyan) teach me the art of Kairos, the 'right or the opportune moment'. Quality versus quantity… And so the days and weeks pass by whilst our friends get used to seeing us again after having announced yet another day of departure. Illness, missing parts, unfinished business, more illness, parts still missing. A tiring game at times for a German mind but a wonderful and rewarding one when even I can let go and enjoy what's right in the moment… And now, it seems, the right moment to get back onto our bikes has arrived after all. Bombay will see us leaving, the NH222 is awaiting us and getting back into the countryside will be a welcome change. Thanks to everyone hosting us over these past weeks ever so gracefully, calming my restless mind ever so patiently and leaving no doubt that whatever we do (and when), you guys are there for us without fail!! Links: To see where we're headed at any time, click on our Journey Map. For your chance to win the Ortlieb cycling bags (only 3 days to go), click here To read the article in the Alternative Online, click here.

Optimizing in the Maximum City

January 15, 2011.

first of all sorry for not blogging for such a long time. it seems that short facebook updates come easier when on the road than the 'proper' blog post but rest assured, we always do our best to stay in touch regularly one way or another.

they say plans work but only till the battle begins. our plans don't seem to be working, so the battle must have begun! ;-)

we were supposed to start riding on the 15th of december. however, things took longer than anticipated at protovillage (the sister project the glass half full is intricately linked with). at protovillage, our first tangible goal was to set up a rural enterprise that treats the available water and distributes clean drinking water to all the 500 households... an enterprise run by the villagers, for the villagers. all the things that needed to be done to make this happen, including innumerable surprises, pushed the time line by about 20 days. and we were quite happy to push it because of the kind of impact it promised. and on the 31st of december 2010, we celebrated the end of the year with the first trial run of the water treatment system. so the delay in riding out was totally worth it!

right now we are in mumbai. this is where we will be riding out from. the past week or so here has been such amazing fun, meeting a number of incredible people who so kindly went out of their way to help us prepare for the trip. we've started our stay here with presenting at an evening at bombay hub with two other riders cycling for a cause and it is from here that synchronicity again and again leads us to meeting awesome and inspiring entrepreneurs from corporations and social businesses taking an interest in our project.

on a couple of occasions we had to carry the bike on top of a cab, and on both, we had to explain the purpose to the cab drivers. incidentally both were from the state of uttar pradesh, a state in which we were thinking of mostly using public transport, for safety reasons. but both of them gave me their phone numbers and said they will ask the people from their respective villages to expect us and to ride along with us. they insisted that there's absolutely nothing to worry about, and that people from UP will love us just the same! so the cold winters are going to be gently warm thanks to the rural hearts! while we are super excited about that, we are taking some extra time to make sure we get a few things sorted out, so we don't have to look back once we hit the track.

hovering in and out of the bombay hub, we've been working on a couple of things in the last few days - we've been refining the research templates that we will use to collect stories from the villages that we pass through. we're working on the process or a list of must-do things (in terms of safety) every time we enter a new district in any state. we found some partners on the PR bit so that we generate a little buzz around what we are setting out to do. also, we seem to have found the solution for the audio/visual data logistics problem while on the go. meanwhile our friends and believers started contributing what they can to keep us going on our 'km sale' put out on www.tghf.betterplace.org.

of course, there've been the usual 'Indian' health issues as well, which still need sitting out. last but not the least, we still wait for the front carriers for our cycles that've been shipped from boston and are due to arrive here in mumbai any day. while this extended prep time is adding to the delay, it's creating the essential peace space inside us. we needed this time indeed.

summing up for now - we are determined to ride out coming week! are we excited!!!

To participate in lucky draw please incl your contacts

January 5, 2011

To participate in the lucky draw for the Ortlieb cycling bags, please make sure to let us know who is supporting us so generously, especially if you are sending us a charity SMS to 81190 or if donating anonymously via betterplace.org.

Simply follow up your donation with an email to info@the-glass-half-full.org with your name and if you really want to make it easy for us include the date and how you donated (SMS, betterplace.org or direct donation). The lucky draw is still on until January 31, 2011.

So, don't miss this opportunity and participate now. With the current number of participants, the chances to win are pretty good ;-)