Cycle Touring in India

I got my map at Stanfords on Long Acre in Covent Garden. they're usually pretty helpful there. Sorry ad441.. must have misread your post earlier. Ditto on the manali-leh highway although altitude sickness would be a huge issue I think. STE5 I think your man ad441 is right about madurai to kodai kanal and munnar... it's beautiful...And it's hot. I wouldn't set too many big days up for yourself.

P.S I MISS IDLY. It's a steamed fermented rice cake that you have for breakfast with coconut chutney and sambar... YUM!

No problem, yes - isn't there a really scary bit in the middle of the manali-leh route where you go into a valley but you're still at 4000 metres + at the lowest so if you get sick you're stranded? Defintiely not a ride I'd want to do solo.
In Sikkim I found 2000 metres was about the altitude where I started to notice it, though it affected me more off the bike than on it - while riding it just seemed like regular tiredness. But then I don't think I really cycled over 3000 metres at all and the leh road is all above that.

I totally agree about not setting yourself any big targets for distance or anything - I tried to look on cycling there as the most pleasant way to travel and see stuff most tourists don't get to, rather than as some sort of endurance challenge.

I love idly, It seems very hard to find good ones here - I think Ragam in Cleveland Street is probably the best I've had. I had a go at making coconut chutney the other day, didn't come out quite right.

Adrian