Almost over

Well things have been sorting themselves out, slowly. What have I been doing, well, what I said I would do, bugger all "I'm on holiday". Of course things happen on holiday so here is some of them.

My Birthday toes

Sorry Spot you get them too

On the beach with some lovely Ladies

In Mapsua day before Dawali

For Sale (was hoping sold but not yet)

Mermaid Barbie

Barry and Faith getting ready for the slow ride

Custom Bike

But cornering?

My favourite

Remember the egg last year? think it's the same people

All the Customs at Royal Enfield Rider Mania 2013

And the fast response fire department, on Enfield's of course...

So yes I have been to another Rider Mania, Had a birthday, and got tickets home.....

"YES I Am Coming Home." this time.

I fly on the 13th from Bangalore and end up in NZ on the 16th. I will be in New Zealand till the 24th of Jan and hope to make my way around the north island and see everyone. On the 24th Jan I will fly to Melbourne and start looking for work, bit broke now lol...

So to recap...

Leg 1: South East Asia

Bike: Suzuki GN125 called Gracey

Cost: $500US in Ho Chi Minh City Sold: $200US in Hanoi Bit spent on maintenace
Insurance: $3US for a 12month Vietnam insurance. I only had to present documents at borders and to 1 police man and the insurance was not questioned. Yes the insurance would not work if there was an accident but it is valid enough to show the police.
Countries: Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Loas
Kilometers: 6,200km About that as no speedo so used google maps to work it out.

Leg 1.1: Holiday in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka

Bikes: Rentals 2 scooters and a Pulsar 135

Cost: About $15US a day
Insurance: Rentals so covered (maybe)
Kilometers: 1,759km, Total 7,959km

Leg 2: India, Nepal

Bike: Hero Honda Karizma 225 called Mule

Cost: $800US in Chennai Sold: Well given to Walish man I meet in Nepal.
Insurance: $9US for 12month India insurance, was only looked at the border.
Countries: India and Nepal
Kilometers: 15,000km, Total 22,959km

Leg 3: UK, Ireland, and Northern Europe

Bike: Yamaha Fazer 600 called Thoralen

Cost: $1400US in London Sold: Bugger all.
Insurance: $370US for 12months, it still wouldn't have covered me but it did keep the police happy. Only ever showed them when getting Tax for the bike. Got a $90US refund when I cancelled the policy.
Countries: England, France, Belgium, Netherland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Litherania, Poland, Luxemburg, Wales, Ireland, Scotland.
Kilometers: 22,000km, Total 44,959km

And the latest

Leg 4: India and Nepal, Again

Bike: Royal Enfield Bullet 350 called Faith (by previous owner)
Cost: $1100US in Goa. Sold: Not yet
Insurance: ran out a while ago did not get any more.
Countries: India, Nepal
Kilometers: 21,000km, Total 66,000km (ish lol)

  I find it funny that I spent 6 month riding Australia and did 32,000km now have done around one and a half years in India and done 32,000km lol. There is a bit more in India then Australia though.

 Well what do you say after all that. "Did anyone want anything? I'm on the way back from the shops."

Enjoy Your life 

 

Back in Goa for a holiday

Where I took off from for my Tandem paraglide with Steve.

19/10/13

   Headed out early hoping to get down to the NH1 and along there as far as possible.... took over 1.5hrs longer than I expected to get to the NH1 at Phagwara. Partly because while coming down a ruff piece of road my chain came off, possibly on a high edge in the road. So I fixed it up and carried on. Once on the NH1 I thought it would all get good as the road from Amritsar to Jalanhar which is marked on the map as a normal road is a lovely dual carriageway. But from Phagwara for about 100km is under construction even though on the map it is marked as a completed motorway... this is India. I only made it down to Ambala so hopefully get a bit more distance tomorrow.

Just on the side of the road a while before the motorway

20/10/13

Headed out early and the road is finished, mostly, a lot of McDonald's along this road and they seem to be targeting rick India's. Now there are enough of them but all the McDonald's are in the middle of no where so they are building a shopping mall at each one to bring in customers lol. Of course at $5 for a burger and fries you could feed a family for a few days on that much. Turned off a bit early and ended up going down back roads till Sonipat for a while. Bent my Carrier a bit on some rail track that was beside a track in the long grass. Did not come off but it is a bit bent now. Finally made it back to the motorway at about Bawal then made it down to about 80km north of Jaipur

he is small but you see the Rickshaw parked over the line of the middle and outside lanes......well it is on a jack and the driver has taken the wheel to be fixed lol. If that was NZ, Oz, UK it would be a pile of bits scattered along the motorway, or in the impound. But This Is India lol

 

21/10/13

   Headed out early for Jodhpur... when I got down to Beawar I discovered that it was the same distance to Udaipur. I had found a lot less information about Jodhpur so I asked a local man running a chi stall if Jodhpur was worth visiting and he said Udaipur was better. So I just kept heading south instead of west.

  Had a lovely meeting with some local farmers at one stop. They where doing the hay stacks and saw me parked up. They eventually came over and ended up showing me what the crop was (not sure lol) and how heavey the bundles where (not as heavey as a conventional hay bale). Also showed me the tractor and disks. Hen at the next stop meet a family getting some water with a kid (baby Goat) they where a bit scared of me until the father turned up.
  I made it down to Udaipur easy enough but it did take a while to find a place to stay.

Family with Kid

Where is Devgarh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devgarh,_Rajasthan With a population of 16,500 I'm surprise to see this. Very clever. Made me stop and meet the family above. While recharging my phone using my laptop on the side of the road.... lol lucky they never come near and I had put it under a bush a bit. I would have been embarrassed trying to explain why I had a laptop out on the side of the road if they saw it.

Udaipur photo that got loaded in the wrong place... and the remove/size bar has disappeared.

 

 

22/10/13 to 23/10/13

   Went for a walk around the town and the lake (a bit), also a boat trip around the lake, and the Palace. I have to say the Palace is one of the best organised and rebuild monuments in India, well worth a visit), although the entry is INR100 and INR225 for camera so I did not take my camera in. It is a bit strange pricing but worth taking the camera in I think.

Bloody graffiti this is the only time I have seen it since Europe, and to do it in such a beautiful town.... grrr

 Temple near the Palace

Temple near the Palace

View from the old wall

Another one in the wrong place. This was not far from Goa in south Maharashtra

24/10/13

   Headed out early for another day on the motorway... made it somewhere near Surat.

25/10/13

  Leaving early meant not too bad down to Thane (near Mumbai) once there I found the motorway to Pune was actually and Express way so no Motorbikes aloud, grrr. So I decided to take the NH17 straight down. Till the turn off to Alibag (don't miss it it is under construction and you end up doing a 50km return trip if you do) the road is shit. After getting back to the right road I made it a bit further down when it started spitting so I checked into a hotel, not before you say pussy. I had to cover bags and self if I keep riding and would have only gone for about another hour as it was getting dark. Also when it rain it pissed down so I would have stopped in a shop and waited any way.

26/10/13

   Another early rise....but this time a lovely ride down through the hills along the coast, although I did not see the sea very often if at all. It started raining at one point but I just put everything under covers and rode on, without putting my wet weathers on, jeans needed a wash anyway and they where dry within the hour.

  Very happy to arrive in Arambol. Stopped and had a chat to Dean then came around to the hotel Judy stays at and got a room, then off to Relax Inn for a lovely stake for dinner (have not had one of those since, since last time I was at Relax lol.

26/10/13 to (12/12/13)

   Yes getting ahead of myself a bit here but if you look at this time the last couple of years you will see what I am about to do... but if you are too lazy to look. I will be eating, sleeping, relaxing, watching TV/movies, playing games, socialising, listening to music, playing with my self, maybe even playing with others if they ask nicely lol. Birthday tomorrow which is why I'm doing this, party time, hehe.

Enjoy YOUR life

In Bir heading south

4/10/13

   Woke up and thought yes here we go.... but no the clouds came in. So went for a ride up to the take off point and ended up chatting to a guy and thought wait why don't I go to Ameritsar and come back when the weather is a bit better.

Mum what is this called

I think it is a vine

With cool buds/flowers

And berries afterwards

5/10/13

   So headed out after helping some friends to find the hotel I was staying in as the police where in the village checking for Tibetan hostel with guests who do not have a permit to stay in the village.

This meant I was a little later going and so when I got to Pathankot and spotted an Enfield shop I decided to stay in the hotel next door and see if they could help with the timing. But either they do not know how or did not understand what I was after so I stopped them playing and left. I think they are just use to working on the new ones now.

6/10/13

   Headed down to Ameritsar 4 lane road being built so a shit ride really.

7/10/13

    I decided to head around by cycle rickshaw to see the Golden temple etc. was first time in a long time on one, I normally walk. Then in the evening went out to the border for the show, I have to see it from the other side one day. Later in the evening while moving the power board I pulled my phone off the table and face first onto the tiles.

Golden Temple

Durgain temple

The border show/close

8/10/13

   So I decided to stay another day and get a new screen for the phone (INR3,500 and now it says T mobile at the top, funny how I am getting an England/Europe made screen in India and it probably still cost a lot less than getting it fixed in UK or Europe would have, but that is labour costs for you. And now there is no water damage to it after washing it in Nepal)

09/10/13

   Set off along NH1 towards Kartarpur intending to head to Hoshiapur and up to Jogindernagar... But I took a wrong turn onto the road heading up to Pathankot. So changing the route a bit I turned off at Mukerian and through Talwara to Dera. He road from Talwara through Dada Siba is lovely little ride with very little traffic and I recommend it to anyone in the area. I decided to stay in Dera because the sign for the rock temples said Monolithic rock temples and that sounds interesting so will head there in the morning before checking out and heading to Bir again.

Bit like Angkor Wat

And loved the fog

Earthquake damage from 1918

The Baba Dog giving spiritual advice for all. Rest your mind lol

Weather not there yet

 

10/10/13 to 18/10/13

   Sorry for being so slack with the blog. Since Leh when I realised I only have 3 months left of my trip I wanted to be on holiday. I have finally made a Para glide in Bir so heading south tomorrow and will hopefully be in Goa for my birthday and a holiday before heading home. This means the blog will probably become even slacker lol.

  Anyway the ride back to Bir was nice and relaxing after doing the rock temple in the morning. Had a wonderful mist at the temple. Then the weather still had not improved enough here for a long fly so headed over to Kullu to see Antony and the festival which was on at the time. Very interesting doing 2 nights at the festival one on my own and then one with some young single Indian guys..... definitely see it differently depending on who you are with.
  Got back to Bir early today and got to go for a fly. Was awesome and well worth waiting for the better weather.

 Sorry no photos from fly yet.

 

Enjoy your life 

 

PS. It has come to my attention that some of the people who receive my blog by email are replying to that email. This is a no reply email if you can I would love to read any replies you have sent so if you can forward them to my email I would love it. Yes all 3 years worth please lol. No seriously all of them.

In Bir heading Ameritsar

18/09/13 to 03/10/13

   Yes I know I am getting slack on the blog posts. I hung around in Dharamsala till about the 29^th visited the Dala Lamas winter palace and meet up with a group of people I know from Ladark and Goa. Then decided to go to Bir for a last chance at Paragliding the Himalaya's. Well here I have meet up with others I know from Goa and broken down and been for a ride.

   When I broke down I was with the bike wondering what to do when a Kiwi I had meet in Leh walked along so told him my problem and he gave me a ride down to a mechanics. We chatted to the guy and he grabbed some things and started riding up with us. At one point he stopped so we waited and he re-appeared with a passenger. Then he stopped again and said he would meet me at the bike.... I waited for about an hour and decided to have a play myself. I got her going but not well and decided to try for a guy I had been told about that was 12km away. I made it down to the main road and stopped..... got her going and made it a bit further. Then a couple of Indians on a bullet pulled up for the second time and the passenger offered the riders services as a mechanic (again) and again the ride just sat there. Then a waiter/shoe repair guy I had meet in manali or Leh road past and recognised me. He said he would go to the mechanic and tell give him my number, he also said that it was down hill after the rise ahead of me. So I pushed the bike up and while riding down the other side saw the waiter talking to other. Oh and also rode past the first guy who had come to look at the bike but not turned up and the other one who had offered his services but never helped, I had no intention of giving them any money now.

   Once at down I was only about 5km from Jodindernagar and looking at another rise so just kept pushing after that rise was down hill to town and just a small push up to the mechanics, only about 2-3km of up hill pushing. The guy went over the spark plug lead and through the fuel line making sure all was flowing right. Then checked the timing and just put a slight amount of grease on the spindle then she was going again...not 100% but good enough, INR50. Man the roads I pushed the bike up definitely look steeper riding down than they did pushing up.

   The weather has not been good for paragliding and even though I have been here 4 day so far it looks like it could be up to a week before I could go so will head out tomorrow.

From Dharamkot

Monastery in Bir

Chi Shop view just south of Bir

Lovely ride and came around a corner and had to stop and take a photo.

Something just seems not right? But hey This is India....

 

Enjoy your Life

 

 

Near Dharamsala

08/09/13 to 17/09/13

Got up, got packed and decided I could not be bothered leaving as it looked like it might rain lol.

This did mean I was ready the next day to go. Setting out down to Kullu where my accelerator cable decided to break. So changed that and got back on the road. Lovely ride through the lower mountains with forest everywhere. Got to Jogindernagar and it started showering. So I stopped to use a hotel as shelter while putting on the wet weathers (I had not even done the bags). Of course the man asked if I wanted a room and so for a laugh I had a look.... After a Chi to see what the weather was going to do I decided to stay the night lol.

Nice spot as long as it does not land slide

Sometimes it does, near Dharamsala

So next morning a nice easy 113km ride into Dharamsala and up to Bhagsu. Once checked in the rains came. It seems to be doing it every afternoon storms roll in and the cold comes down the mountain coursing hail some times even. It has cleared up in the last 2 days which makes me think of staying a bit longer.

 

Temple Bhagsu

 

With swimming pool

Around the ridge

And not as cold as I thought it would be

Veiw down the valley from one mountain

 

Enjoy your life