Wake to our second day back on the plains and man it is frigid outside. We donn shell coats for the ride as the moisture on the fog is thick and there is no evidence of sunshine. Any resident of London would potentially feel right at home, but I am working through low shine depression even as we cycle out of town.
The guys in the hotel have talked us out of cutting the corner across to Chorgallia and then down to Sitarganj identifying that the road is poor and greater numbers of trucks make it less desirable. They instead direct us to follow the National Highway straight down turning at Kichha to Sitarganj.
Making a stop at Kichha a sugar mill town we attract locals like flies to a fry up, with very few conversing and lots of staring. I try at one stage to the get the crowd responsive, but continually blankly staring on I am saved from nightmares only by the fact that they are not licking their lips. Kids even get up on the town roundabout to peer over the heads of the crowd to watch us eat in the dhaba. I feel a bit guilty for the owner who spends much of his time trying to defend his unknown customers from the village children paparazzi. Threats of water jugs and even fake throws clear the crowd if only for thirty seconds or so. Not much tv in these parts, maybe? Thankfully the mob is friendly and when we depart we leave to general positiveness and a couple of biking hangers on.
Turning west we aim for Nanak Matta and it's Sikh temple but are feeling decidedly bruised from the varying surface. Trucks when heading in the opposite direction have enough force to drop a couple of km per hr from our speedos as they pass. Doesn't sound like much but when a road is flat and straight, the fog is wet and cold and your bottom feels tarnished it gets to you. The benefit in the hills is yes the climbs can be killers, but reward that with varying valley views and it makes it easier to focus on other things or the achievement of the micro goal. Long flats seem to draw out and out making the rural scenes blend with rural scenes.
We pull up short at Sitarganj locating a modern hotel on the road to Nanak Mattar. We pay for the deluxe to secure hot water to deal with the fog depression. Dinner in but the hot water, good bed, good tv and chai is sadly depreciated by the salty Dhal Makhani and unappetising rice.