Sorry for the delay, Internet has been shit for a long time.
21/12/11 to 6/1/12
Well lots more sitting on the beach doing bugger all most of the time, saying that tho I did go up to a country fair thing which was brilliant. When I entered there where some boys playing an interesting refereed game of bull rush, sort of bit different than when I was young, better in some ways. Then there was a stage where they had different shows and quiz etc, also probably one of my favourite areas where some school kids was showing their projects. Most where about environment like catching rain water and filtering it for use, or putting excess into the local well. Then there where food charts and apparently cow poo can be used as a mozzie repellent, the 2 girls with that one had made incense stick from cow poo and coconut fibre, which I had learnt in Vietnam is a good repellent. My favourite project tho was 2 boys who had made a spy plane from some plastic, mounting a camera on it and remote control ability.
Why do the Americans spend millions on these when 2 Indian boys can make on for about $5
As this was a very Indian fair, only 3 other foreigners there, the couple who told me about it and some guy with a guide, I made sure I ask each group of kids a question in English just to make them answer questions in multi language. Actually the teacher at the first one told one of the boys to talk to me and tel me about his so I thought I would do the same for all the others.
There was also a room full of these art pieces made out of rice, leaf, stones,etc
There was also an adventure play ground sort of thing with rope climbs and balancing logs/ropes over the river. Lots of different stages had women doing the chanting, clapping, dancing thing, and a stage doing full costume dances of myth etc.
The women doing the chanting, clapping, dance
Then more sleeping, drinking, eating swimming and walking. Although I did go for some rides one a couple of days before leaving to check the road I intended to go through on the way to Hampi. Although after riding up it I had to change that plan as it has mines along that route meaning the road is shit and there are miles of trucks rowed up parked on the side of the road waiting to be filled/emptied meaning it is basically a one lane road for 2 lanes of traffic.
7/1/12
Finally made it out of Palolem but without my new IDP, oh well I'm sick of waiting, have to get on if I want to make it to Varanassi before I go to Nepal. The road to the mountains was pretty busy although not as bad as the one I test road yesterday.
Once in the mountains the roads became a lot more fun and as I could corner faster than most/all the other traffic the only problem was getting around the slow stuff in the twisty sections, definitely nice to have the armour on again although having the bike loaded doesn't lead to to much fun.
After the police in Vagator forced me to remove the India flag i had i the bike i decided to make a replacement using as laminated sheet of A4. Unfortunately it did was a bit big and got blown around a lot breaking the stand for the silver fern.
Notice anything different, yes I've lost another silver fern flag. Bugger.
I made it to Hampi in the dark as the road works after the hills was bad and slow, also the fact that I had been told everything from 300km to 750km for the distance from Palolem to Hampi. It turned out it was about 450km, one of my longest drives so far.
8/1/12
Road off in the morning for the further temples marked on the map, and discovered that the Indians are just as bad at making maps as they are at reading them, or knowing where anything is. So after being lost for a while and ending up at a library, where the security guard said “yes” when asked if this was where the stone Chariot was, it wasn't. I eventually found some temples using the old and reliable method of following a tuk tuk that had a tourist in it lol.
The temples and ruins are pretty good here definitely worth a look.
There was something picking at the back of my brain saying this was the wrong place lol.
This road sign is part of the reason things can be hard to find lol. Can you tell which way which temple is?
Yes i know not much explanation with these but hey it's one in the morning and for the first time in ages the Internet is working well on my phone
9/1/12
Went up the hill to watch the sunrise which was great, even though there where a lot of people there, and a heap of monkeys showed up for there morning feed from the tourists. Then spent the day walking around all the closer temples which where amazing.
Kwality
10/1/12
Road out toward Pune mainly on the being constructed 4 lane, 2 each way, NH50 towards SolapurPune and found a place eventually north of Mohol, 190km from Pune.
Had a whiskey while watching the sunset from the roof of the Hotel, then after dinner got invited to join a group of locals. They where all rich ish for the area and one guy had a vineyard, so when he found out my parents have an Avocado orchid he want to show me his place and made me agree to meet him at 930am.
11/1/12
Waited around till 10 for the grape man to turn up, but he didn't, so headed out through lots more road construction. Once in Pune I found that the place is very full, peak season and all means high prices as well. After a lot of hotel visits all saying that they are full I found one that had a room. It is the most expensive room I have stayed in in years ($40US), and isn't as good as the most expensive of India up to tonight ($13).
Then while riding around I went over a bridge that apparently you cannot go over between 0700 and 2100, so after the Police checked my Aussie licence and I argued a bit , I was told to go in the office where the boss ish man said I was a bad boy and that there was a fine for riding over the bridge out of hours, yes I knew where this was leading. After looking at 4 other officers in the room he said the fine was INR500, to which I laughed at him and said “show me how much the other bikers had paid?”. I told him that looking at the other officers for confirmation of the fine amount gave away the fact that it was just a bribe, so he said “well how much have you got as you have to pay?”. So I pulled about INR60 in 10's out of my small change pocket and put it on the table, to which he laughed. I said “that's all I had, that's why I was heading into town, to get money”. So after an apology's to all the offices I gave them my business card to help explain what I am doing in India, they didn't understand when I said I was in the country to go for a ride, and we talked about cricket for a bit then I was allowed to go. A bit lucky really, I think, as there was a reasonable number of bikes there with no riders so I guess locals have to leave the bike there till 9pm, tourist just pay.
Oh and on the way back to the hotel I went to see my other brother Ronald and had a fillet o' fish, hehe, and saw my first ever orderly cue of Indians, I really didn't think it was possible but they can cue, once in a life time anyway.
Well the plan from here is north through Raj, Agra, Varanasi to Nepal. and this part is definite, fly to London in early May,
Enjoy your life i am
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