Our trip with pictures:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/DnBIFXIux0FDrs0cDeV4XEJw
We were warned by Paunditji last night that early morning at 5:00 am another priest will come to do morning prayers. But we can sleep as long as we want. Sure enough noises started at the crack of dawn. Maybe even earlier. I tried sleeping through the noise. But at 6:30 am had to get up could no longer sleep.
We got ready and left by 8:30 am. I started walking right from the ashram. After walking for about an hour as we passed through a small village we got invitation for breakfast. Poha, Jelebi, Pakoda and Tea. I went to pay and the young man said. No no. We don’t charge Parikramavasis. We moved on. I was walking and Sunilji was driving. Since I am walking alone for few days, he staying closer in front or back. Though I am walking on smaller road the traffic is heavy.
Passed a large sugar factory. There was a long line of tractors with trailers filled with Sugarcane. All waiting to deliver the goods to the factory. I walked through a big town called Gadarwara. The traffic was very heavy and it took almost 45 minutes to cross the city. By 12:45 pm, I had finished 16.5 kms so I got in the car and we drove to a Dhaba for lunch. After lunch I rested for fifteen minutes in the car and started walking at 2:00 pm.
It was getting hot and I walked only till 3:15 pm and we drove to our night destination. We reached at 4:00 pm. I washed my clothes and had Tea. I was asked to help with making dinner. I said we can start after Tea. Just then a bus full of Parikramavasis came from Nasik. Since they cook their own food, we won’t have to cook. We will eat what they make. There are about 50 people, men and women. While the food is being prepared they are doing Satsung. I met the lady who organizes these trips. Very enterprising lady. She started as a passenger in one of these pilgrimage bus about ten years ago. She helps organize few more trips after first one. Then she found that the organizer was very strict with the pilgrims and she did not like that. She started organizing trip on her own and now she has a booming business. We all ate dinner at 8:45 pm and went bed soon after. They all had to get up at 3:30 am and leave by 4:30 am.
Today I walked 22.9 kms.