37 kms Palolem to Karwar, Karnataka

Today we got up super early to catch the coolest hours of the day to cycle from Palolem to Karwar in the state of Karnataka. We left from our hotel in Goa at 6.30am. The weather was really nice and cool and the sun had just started to rise. Our first stop was the ATM in Canacona just 2 kilometers away because there are no ATM's in Palolem. We had 10 rupees and some change left so we were cutting it pretty close. 

Cotiago wildlife sanctuary. Went there two years ago but this time just passing by.

We were cycling at an all right speed. It was fairly flat. There was just some bigger hills but also nice downhills. I enjoyed cycling so early in the morning when it was not so hot. There are little signs on the side of the road of how many kilometers to the next town so I once timed our speed and it took 20 minutes to go 5 kilometers. I was able to look at the time so frequently because my Canadian Lulu Lemon t-shirt has a pocket on the side that fits my phone perfectly. Great design! :)

We crossed the border from Goa to Karnataka at 9 am that's two and a half hours after we left Palolem. This is the main highway no 17 or something going along the western coast of India. There was very little traffic as you can see so Mum doesn't need to worry! Plus we have helmets... 

Jason with our luggage in hotel reception

We got to Karwar town center at 10.15 am. We looked for a hotel for a while. Some of them were pretty gross so kept on looking until we found this nice and clean hotel for 500 rupees. The room we have now is probably the nicest one we have had so far on our trip in India. 

Had some lunch in a local restaurant. We ordered South Indian thali and chapati. 

Karwar town is actually quite a bit smaller and quieter than I thought. I was expecting a loud Indian city but it's not so bad. We walked around the market, a great chance to get some pictures...

Spices for all the curries. Masala, korma, cinnamon.... The bright yellow and red powders at the front are for the holy marks on their foreheads.

Color powder is sold everywhere! 

Tomorrow morning there is the big Hindu festival Holi. People throw color on each other. Based on what we have talked to people it is going to be crazyyy..can't wait!  Today I'm wearing a white shirt so a shopkeeper told me to rather wear black tomorrow cause white will not be white after tomorrow.. We also bought like 20 of these bags of color powder because Jason gets easily overly excited.

Because of this Holi festival there are a lot of strange looking figures walking around town. This guy was making some bird noises and just five minutes ago a group of skeleton masked guys with drums walked by the internet place we're in. One of them was wearing the Scream movies mask. All the shops are closing as well cause tomorrow is a holiday and the town seems very quiet (to be in India).

Looking forward to tomorrow and seeing all the color being thrown at people. We are a bit unsure what to do with the cycling because by the time the Holi festivities are over it will be afternoon and very hot for cycling.