23th May 2018
Day 13- Sraubing to a Village Farm Camping ground (before Kelhem) 74 Kms…
    We woke up a little late today. The sleep we had in this camp ground was quiet relaxing. With our sleepy eyes we finished all our morning rituals, wrapped up all our things and rode out in search of breakfast. There wasn’t any restaurant nearby, but we found a grocery store that had fresh breads, fruits and coffee for a breakfast. It was very close to our camp ground and we were feeling so lazy, that we just walked with our bikes to that store. We had our breakfast in the sit out area of the store, bathing ourselves in the sun. By the time we started riding, it was already past 11:40 AM. Somehow we all were feeling a little tired. Not sure if it was due to lack of tree shades or it was the initial symptom of fatigue. Most of the route today was going through small towns and open farms. Even though there was an out pour of natural beauty everywhere, we were too tired to enjoy it. We were taking plenty water breaks today. We saw an isolated Ice cream shop in this quiet town and found another excuse to take a break. Maithili & Lalita had Ice creams and Strawberry Tart, while I had my orange juice. By then I had not taken even a single video shot and hence I took that time to shoot the surroundings. It was a pleasant afternoon and the ice cream shop was just next to river. The surroundings made us feel very calm. Most of our rout today was a gravel path. The day was quiet warm compared to other days. By evening we were completely tired and were desperately trying to find a place to crash. Our bike path crossed a railway track at one point and that gave us another excuse to take a halt. We waited for some random train to pass so that we could take pictures and videos. When the train passed us by, Maithili was waving at the train and acting like a kid fascinated with trains. It was lovely to see Maithili getting back to her childhood dream. We then rode on to a small town where we saw a guesthouse. But apparently when we knocked at the door, the manager there said that it was closed until next season. There was no other hotel in the vicinity. Finally Google came to our rescue and showed me two camping grounds in the next town. We were yet again excited. We had to scale a steep ascent over a hill to reach the first camping ground. The owner there was very friendly. He asked our whereabouts and showed us around explaining the tariff/facilities etc. However the camp site was too much crowded and the camping spot was full of mosquitoes. The shower/toilet facilities had time bound costs which compared to our earlier experience was way too costly and unnecessary. So we thanked the owner for showing us around and told him that we are planning to go to the next location as this one was crowded. With a smiling face he agreed to our opinion and went ahead to let us use the short-cut through his camp site that connected us to the main bike path. With that we moved on riding towards the next camping site which was 5-6 KMs away. We reached there very late in the evening and the registration office was closed. We rang the house door bell and to our surprise the owner lady came down with a smiling face. She helped get the registration done and showed us the camping spot. It was a farm house and a portion of her land was turned into a camp site. We saw hikers and cyclists having a good time there with their tents already pitched. It was a lovely, calm and spacious site. We chose a nice and quiet spot and pitched our tents. After taking a shower, we cooked our noodles on stove and had it with chips and fruits. By the time we went to sleep, it was very late in the night. Finally the day ended in a beautiful manner and we were extremely happy with the experiences we were getting.

24th May 2018
Day 14- Camping ground Kelheim – Herrnsaal to Bad Goging
    Yet again it was a lazy but beautiful morning. Somehow our fatigue level had not gone down yet. Finished our morning rituals and went to the breakfast room. Most of the cyclists were already done with their breakfast and were preparing to leave. The owner lady promptly came in to look after us if we have all the breakfast items present. She was a lovely host. After finishing with the breakfast when Lalita thanked her for the hospitality, she was quiet emotional and she hugged Lalita. While we were sitting there, one of the bicycle tourist was on his way out and Maithili spotted a cute little dog well settled in the front basket of his bicycle. Maithili immediately struck a conversation with him. He was doing this bicycle tour with his dog companion. It was lovely to learn so many new aspects of traveling and how differently people look at things. Bicycle path was just outside our campsite and so it was easier for us to navigate. Day was quiet warm and I was not able to deliver my strength while peddling. The route was very beautiful and was laid along the river. Am not sure if I missed any sign but then we came to a point where it looked like we were not on the right path. We took a halt at one quit junction in the forest and decided to check for directions. One route was going straight ahead and another was going in the hills. Me and Maithili decided to walk further on that narrow path to check if there are any sign boards. We finally found one sign that said, it is a forest sanctuary and the path is a walking trail. There was no one around to ask for directions. We then came down and decided to have a lunch break and take some time to think. We cooked our noodles and had them with chips and fruits. This break was much needed and quiet refreshing. After this break we checked Google maps and decided to go back till we reach the state highway. When we reached the highway junction I saw the bicycle sign that I had missed earlier. There was a bike path that was going parallel to highway but was going slightly inside the forest. We were very happy to have finally found the correct path. We started riding on this route which was unpaved and full of gravel, dirt and loose slippery soil. After some time the path started ascending and before we realize it took us deep inside the forest and the climb was never ending. After some time we decided hop down and push our bicycles up as it was getting very difficult to peddle. We kept on pushing for approximately 1 hour and then reached the top of that hill. There was a junction yet again and we got confused. We were really tired and so decided to take a small break. Luckily we saw a couple riding on their bicycles coming our way. Finding a human in such unmanned forested road is the best thing that can happen. We asked them for directions and that lead to a very much friendly conversation. The couple was from a village nearby and they were amazed to know that we are from India. They shared with us their travel & meditational experience in India. They have a dream to pursue meditation in India. They were really passionate while talking about their meditational experiences. They gave us the directions ahead and also briefed us about the hotels and camping grounds around. We bid them goodbyes and started riding ahead. The road now turned into a sharp descent and our bicycles turned into super bikes. It was a happy moment for all. We reached a beautiful town at base of that hill in no time. Road here on was really beautiful, taking us through small towns and green fields. Finally by evening we reached a scenic little town named Bad Goging. We were so tired that we were in no mood to find campgrounds. We simply checked for the hotels nearby on Google and went directly into one we shortlisted. Did all the formalities and checked in. The hotel was really nice and cozy. We washed our clothes and took bath and then went out for dinner. Walking in the town gave us immense peace after such a hectic day. We found one local sit out restaurant in the outskirts of this town along the river. The locals were looking at us with a little curiosity since now we were not in our bicycle gear and they must be wondering what we strangers were doing in their remote village. While placing an order the restaurant owner and a few folks asked me our whereabouts and I too happily answered. Sometimes it is an advantage to be in a bicycle gear, because people immediately understand and become very much friendly. I would definitely prefer roaming in bicycle suit than in casual tourist wear. Another interesting thing we observed at this restaurant was they gave us a black disc shaped device after placing the order. We need to take this and wait at our table. The moment our order gets ready, this device starts vibrating and blinking lights. We then have to collect our order from the counter and return this device. This is really a fun way to notify people. We loved this idea. After dinner we came back to our hotel, put all our electronics on charging, chatted about the day and went to sleep. It started thundering and raining in the night.

25th May 2018
Day 15- Bad Goging to Neuburg … 50 kms
    The day started with the sound of rain. We peeped out from our room’s window and the weather was cloudy but yet beautiful. It was raining light. We wrapped up our things, had our breakfast at the pantry and came back to take our luggage down. Stay here was very much comfortable and relaxing. Surprisingly all our fatigue had vanished and we were feeling energetic. The light drizzle was in fact quiet refreshing. The bicycle path was just behind our hotel and was going along the river stream. This path took us out of the town and into the long-wide green fields. Due to rain, we did not see many bicycle tourists today. Some parts of the road were accompanied by jungle patches and that set the mood for today’s ride. Every now and then I was taking out my camera to video log. At one junction while I was waiting for Maithili & Lalita, I met 2 ladies in their mid forties, doing a bicycle tour. They were looking out for the direction and they started a conversation with me. They were not happy with the rains today and they asked me for my opinion. To which I replied, “Am very happy with the weather today”. Sometimes I feel everything about our lives depends on our state of mind. If we are sad, nothing would feel right but if we are happy, then everything around us feels right. Today was my that day. Everything was feeling right. After around 15 KMs the route connected us to the main highway and there we found a super market at the junction. We bought our regular groceries for the day. The route then again took us inwards into the farm patches. At around 1:30 PM we stopped and decided to have our lunch. We parked our bicycles and came down to a grass patch where we setup our stove. Taking such isolated roadside breaks and cooking our own food was our dream. We are glad we fulfilled our dreams. After lunch we continued our ride and the bike path took us along the river. At one point the bike path along the river became so narrow that Maithili was feeling uncomfortable while riding. There was another bike trail just below on the right hand side which was wide enough. At this point Lalita was way too ahead of us and I was riding with Maithili as she was finding it difficult to balance on this narrow path along the river. We decided to get down on the wider trail and slowly walked our bikes down through lush green bushes. Since both paths were slightly going in different directions, I called up Lalita and asked her to wait at a point where both trails are meeting and then asked her to send her Google location on WhatsApp. This trail later joined a walking trail, where we saw many people running and taking walks. We saw a drinking water tap and halted to fill up on our water stock. Many locals were giving us friendly smiles and nods, indicating an appreciation for a bicycle tour. A middle aged gentleman stopped to have a friendly chat with us. The moment he learnt about our trip, he said “It was my dream to do a bike tour on EuroVelo 6”. He appreciated us a lot and gave us best wishes for the ride ahead. We learnt an important thing today. Its not because you live in a better country and better infrastructure that gives you the courage to do a bicycle tour. It is the sheer will that drives one to push the boundaries. Rest all are just excuses. We met Lalita at the next junction and started riding together. I had spotted a nice guest house in Neuburg very near to a Vietnamese restaurant. There was a reason for it. We had not tasted spicy food in long time and it was the Google review of the restaurant that forced me to find a guest house near this restaurant. We spent last 2-3 hours riding on a gravel-dirt trail, completely lost in thoughts of having a good spicy Vietnamese food. We reached the guest house well within the daylight. The guest house lady manager was about to leave when we arrived. She helped us carry our things to the room and got all the formalities done. We had booked a common 3 bedded large room. It was a nice & cozy room. By the time we reached our room, we were so tired that we just sat there on chairs for a while, started gobbling on the strawberries, cherries and blueberries without uttering a single word. It took a lot of strength to get up and go for a bath. Took bath, washed our clothes and got ready for the spicy dinner. Dinner at this restaurant “Sao Mai” was extremely delicious and well cooked. We had salads, prawns starters and Vietnamese spicy prawns rice. With our taste buds satisfied we came back to our rooms and crashed in bed. Wow what a day it was…