"The Crew"

Cliff "The Fixer" Burr

Terry "Hadrians" Wall

Herbie "Birdman" Malek

Andy "Drillbit" Truman

Day 14

Day 14 Friday 5/2/2010

Thekkady to Kottayam – 190 Km

The last day, all we have to do now is keep safe and finish the rally. Alex, the Team leader emphasised during the briefing that most serious accidents happen on the last day. People want their last ‘blast’ and get careless. We were warned that after yesterday there were to be no antics and to avoid any ‘offs’ all the team and the medics wanted to enjoy the last night party and not spend it in a hospital or even worse delivering someone to the ‘back door’ of the hospital. A great riding day, warm and with loads of great bends. Towards the end the traffic got busier and more aggressive an oncoming bus actually brushed my right arm at speed! The last 3km in was done I convoy, all horns blaring and people standing on the pegs. We entered the huge car park at the Lakesong resort; there were dancers and elephants to greet us. We had covered over 2000km, laughed every day, made great friends and we were all going home complete with bruises and some breaks.

I leave India knowing that I will go back. It is a wonderful country and there is so much more to see. I leave India with a little bit of India with me. I leave India with a little bit of me there, namely all my socks, all my undies and all my t-shirts which I threw away or gave away wherever I stayed!

DAY 13 - THURSDAY

Day 13 Thursday 4/2/2010

Kodaikanal to Thekady – 290 Km

Up at 5.30 (again) and another early start. We had to go back over the mountain range that we had used to get to Kodaikanal. Again we were up very high, with some sheer drops and some drops which although were severe were not an immediate plummet to the bottom. One guy did go too fast and locked his back brake trying to stop. He went through the gap in the barriers and definitely got ‘air’ between his bike and the ground. He sailed through a tree he tried to grab to save him and did not land until he was 50ft or more down the side of the mountain, his bike going too. That man must have lost one of his 9 lives that day. In another part of the road he would have killed himself. I found the concentration required on mountain sections mentally tiring as an ‘off’ there could be far worse than just chucking the bike down the road with you following it on flat roads without drops! The highlight of the day was riding through the tea plantations of Munnar. Absolute beauty of nature with natural streams pouring down the sides of the hills around and the tea being picked as it has been for centuries. By late afternoon we were on more forgiving roads. Coming towards a bend one of the Enduro Team was flagging us to slow down, obviously an accident had happened. I saw the road was extremely wet and at the side a guy was being fitted with a neck brace. Later we were to learn the brace was a precaution until he could be examined in more detail. Just a broken collar bone, the rally was over for him. We had various delays that day waiting of ‘offs’ to be recovered and so forth. The front riders would stop the rally at various points so the back riders and support could catch up. We could not have too much distance between the front and back of the rally so that support was always not too far away. At around 6pm Herbies throttle cable snapped and we had to wait for a mechanic. By the time we entered the Park Ferme at 7pm it was dark. No fun on these roads after dark as not all locals consider it to be necessary to use their vehicle lights at night!!

DAY 12 - Jungle Hut - Kodaikanal

Day 12 Wednesday 3/2/2010

Jungle Hut Masinagudi to Kodaikanal – 295 Km

Another early start and up at 5.30. Terry’s leg had not improved and he would not be riding the rest of the rally but he would continue in one of the support vehicles. A damp start to the day and a bit colder than we have been used to. We left at 7am and headed for the hill station at Ooty. After about 8km we encountered the climb, 36 hairpin bends, starting at 1250metres and we were at 1850 at the top. The whole day comprised of many climbs with loads of bends. We were 6000ft up and some drops next to the road were sheer for at least 1000ft. There were concrete barriers in some places but not all, and sometimes there were no barriers. Any loss of concentration or a bad corner would result in some unintentional off piste which could well be your last! There were some flat sections during the day with a couple of amusing sights. I looked to my right as I came around a bend and could not believe my eyes, there was a procession of around 10 Indian guys who were completely naked! It seems that they are part of a sect which gives up all possessions (including their undies by the look of things) and then go on pilgrimages! At another point I could see a lot of smoke coming from a field to my right with a large group of people watching the fire brigade putting out what looked to be some sort of pyre. A few hundred meters further along there were another group about to get a surprise; they were carrying an oversized stretcher on their shoulders complete with a corpse on top wrapped in a shroud. Perhaps that was the reason for the fire…… We arrived at 5.30pm to a nice hotel at the hill station of Kodaikanal.

Day 11

DAY 11

TUESDAY

REST DAY AT JUNGLE HUT

They have a spa!!! One hour of full body aromatherapy followed by a 45 minute facial. The price? The equivalent of 23 pounds sterling!! After lunch we went on open jeep safari. We saw loads of deer and elephant but not the elusive tiger! The highlight was being chased by a grumpy elephant. Got back at 8 pm in time for dinner and a presentation by senior guy for WCS explaining how the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised by Global Enduro help the tiger conservation in this region. Today I have finally caught up with the days outstanding on this blog. I hope you are all enjoying reading it. I enjoy the feedback when it is passed to me. This would not be possible without Megan, my daughter who not only designed and created this web blog but also updates it each time I send my Blackberry reports and pictures to her. Thanks Megan.

Day 10

DAY 10

MONDAY

MYSORE TO JUNGLE HUT MASINAGUDI

120 km

We did not have to leave Mysore until Midday so we took the opportunity to visit the outlet of the silk factory. An extensive shopping session was had by all four of us. The team meeting awarded ‘Dick of the Day’ to a guy who yesterday did not see someone’s tank bag on the floor at a garage (these bags have very strong magnets so when we chuck them on our tanks they stay put at all speeds). The tank bag attached itself to his exhaust pipe. He left the filling station and within a few miles the bag was on fire from the exhaust heat and he did not notice the flames as he rode along! Skid was awarded to Dave, a man who managed to control his bike on the motorway when it suffered a front tyre blowout at 110 kph, you have to be a good rider not to crash when that happens. We had an easy ride to Jungle Hut of around four hours. Terry could not ride as one of his legs had become extremely swollen over recent days and he found it hard to walk let alone change gear or ride the pegs as was becoming more necessary due to the state of the roads. I had one close call according to Herbie who was riding behind me. A car pulled from my left in a town turning right across my path. I hit my back brake and the bike went into a kind of speedway corner manoeuvre. I skid around the car and did not think any more of it until he mentioned it. At home you would think of it all day, here it happens all the time so it does not seem to matter anymore. Trucks still come around blind bends or over the brow of hills two abreast while overtaking each other and anything smaller has to find a way to avoid hitting them. It is still scary but becomes more of a thrilling game with time. We arrived at Jungle Hut Masinagudi after riding through the tiger reserves of Bandipur and Mudumallai. It is an Eco Resort which is a wildlife sanctuary. Even though tomorrow is a rest day we did not party. We were tucked up in bed before 11 pm. It must be an age thing!!!

DAY 9

DAY 9

SUNDAY

KALASA SILENT VALLEY TO MYSORE

250 km

I woke at 5 am, lights still out in dorm. I picked up my dirty kit off the floor and put it back on. No point in getting anything else dirty as I had not washed since Friday night in Shimoga and as you already know I may have been dirtier after a shower in that place! My motocross trousers are used every day and anyway as is my body armour this would not get washed for whole trip anyway. My socks and underclothes would usually go in the bin every night and my t-shirt from each day I give to the mechanics each morning. My bags get lighter day by day. It was a damp and cold morning and for the first time this trip I needed a motocross top on over my armour. It gets to be a routine now, sort kit on arrival at destination so all is ready for the morning as the early starts have to be calm. You cannot be doing anything other than ‘getting in the zone’ for the days ride and preparing your road book in the morning. The start is always a dangerous point with over 100 bikes all leaving the parking compound of the previous night. The roads to start were in awful condition with huge potholes and gritty surfaces, the rear ends skipped on bends and front forks bottomed out if you hit a pothole. Lots of blind bends as we climbed up the roads away from Kalasa. We left the mountains for the hot open area of the Deccan plateau heading for Mysore which is a wondrous city where the British had one of their summer seats of government during the days of the Raj. It was a great ride with sweeping bends and long stretches where we could run the bikes at full throttle. It still took us around 10 hours including a lunch stop (curry buffet - just in case anybody does not know that is all we have eaten since arriving in India). We arrived at a five star hotel, thank goodness, at around 5.30 and all the bikes had to be parked in a regimented line organised by a couple of uniformed me I could only describe as ‘Parking Wallas’. How they got that many people to comply after the couple of days we had just been through I will never know. We walked into the fine reception and had red dots put on our foreheads. Unfortunately the police had stopped our baggage support truck. All drivers are supposed to know what is in each bag of cargo they carry and he obviously did not. We all hung out in the small bar and then poured out into the nice seating area by reception drinking beer. Other guests coming in must have been horrified as we were a dirty, desperate looking group. The baggage arrived too late to get changed for a coach trip to see the lights being turned on at the Mysore Palace. I walked around in my filthy kit and got some very strange looks from the locals. A tuk tuk ride back then dinner on the lawn and a presentation by UNICEF on how the money raised by our trip will benefit the children of the area in the fight against AIDS. We slept well that night!!!

UPDATE ON POSTS!!!

Hello everybody,

Sorry for the lack of posting at the moment; where the team are in India right now there is unfortunatly not enough signal for Dad to send his adventures through to us :( Hopefully they will be sent through soon, but please keep checking for any news,

Megan

NEW POST BELOW - DAY 8

DAY 8 Shimoga to Kalasa, Silent Valley Resort 180km

Sent to my family in the UK:

DAY 8

Herbie, Terry, Cliff and Andy

I LOVE INDIA. The sights and sounds here are amazing. The countryside is so lush. Remembering back to pictures of farming in India as a child and thinking even then it looked as it would 100 years ago, here nearly 50 years on it is still the same. Today was only 180km which is less than the distance of the last two days but around 100km was off-road or on roads so bad that the depth and width of a pothole was big enough to bury an average size dog. We also now have to avoid monkeys and chickens as well as the cows and dogs. We were warned today that there are usually a lot of 'offs' (crashes) on this route due to the terrain. They were not wrong..... The ride was beautiful through lush farmland with crop field’s rich green in colour. There was a climb up a mountain with drops beside the road edge. Terry managed to miss judge a left hand bend and managed a sort of jump off the bike followed by a somersault. Alan who we roomed with on the first two nights tried to overtake an ambulance but the ambulance had to avoid a rock. Alan went over the edge, after about 20ft the foot peg dragged in the dirt and a large shrub stopped him and the bike. Colin pulled the bike off him and it took 8 guys to get the bike back up on to the road. A big crowbar straightened out the foot pegs. Joe the American firefighter ended up with his arm in a sling and one guy took a smack to his body armour in the chest and they thought he was having a heart attack. Luck had it that a cardiac specialist on the Enduro was close by and went to hospital with him. He is now OK. There were numerous other offs which made it a very long day. We reached Silent valley at dusk. Tonight I share a dorm with 18 other guys we each have a two inch thick mattress on the floor. Just one loo and one shower. I decide not to even bother taking my kit off and go to drink and eat. With any luck the beer will kill the pain of the day and help me sleep. I stayed out until most were in 'bed'. I took a sleeping pill and pain killers and jumped into my sleeping bag liner with my pillow. I passed out real quick. I have lost  my voice today due to dust inhalation and my ribs are thought to be cracked/broken following my "off" 2 days ago.  Up at 5am, another night of 4 hours sleep and 250km ahead of me. The funniest story of today’s ride was about a guy who rode through a town where there was a cow with a long rope around its neck. The cow had wandered over the road and the guy had rode over the rope without realizing it was attached to a cow and that it was caught on the bike and he was dragging a very reluctant cow down the main street. He noticed an old farmer looking very angry with a big stick (weapon of choice in India) chasing him when he looked in his mirror but had still not realized about the cow there was no way he was going to stop...someday this rally is like a moving circus. The most touching moments of this trip is seeing the children, they don't have much at all but are smart and clean for school, always smiling and exciting. Another very small girl blew me a kiss today, I blew one back and she went shy. This time I shed a tear........

thank you for all recent donations, very much appreciated :D

DAY 7- Murudashvar to Shimoga 200km

DAY 7

Murdashvar to Shimoga

Another early start, we seem to be riding around ten hours a day so far. Well we finally managed to keep the four of us together today. It was a 200km ride but an easy one. We saw jog falls which is the highest waterfall in India. We stopped for lunch there in an old quadrangle building of very small shops. An Indian lady cooked us two banana pancakes and an omelet that with three cokes and a good tip came to 90p. Local guys kept wanting their pictures taken with us while we were there.

 Every time we ride the locals are lovely they wave at us in every village and if we stop the kids crowd around. They want to shake hands and have their photo taken. They are fascinated with our body armour and keep touching it to see how hard it is. We were told that Shimoga is never visited by white people so we are of great interest to the locals; they probably think all whites dress like we do!!

When we arrived at the hotel the staff came to take our bags to the rooms, every one of them barefoot! The room was awful with sheets dirty from the previous 'x' number off guests, towels so grubby you would think twice before cleaning a floor with them. I left Andy in the room and went back to the reception. One of the organizer girls was at reception. I asked her to tell the guy behind the counter sheets & towels in the room were filthy. They sent up new (still grubby) but I slept in my sleeping bag liner with a travel pillow and used my 'emergency' travel towel.

Leaving town the next day was like driving though an earthquake zone or Beirut during the troubles there, except dirtier, unbelievable. Stories from people going out in the evening ranged from shops with no electric, just small Honda generators to people defecating in the street! The place was time warped.

thank you for all the recent donation, very much appreciated

Day 6!!!!!

DAY 6 - 29-31st

After my episode yesterday I kept the sweepers bike and felt good as new by morning. We had the morning brief, there are always three awards and you get passed the t-shirt of the award and must wear it over your kit all day. There is 'spirit' for good riding or doing things right, 'skid' for a spectacular crash and 'dick of the day' for stupidity. The presentations are hilarious as the antics are described prior to presentation. I won't go into all for each day but today’s skid was for a guy who had to ride a rut during dodging the trucks, he was going quite fast and before he could get out of the rut he hit a large rock and somersaulted the bike and himself. He was being patched up when I was in the evening surgery they have with Doc each day.

Rather than nicking our fuel today the local scallies decided to pinch one guys riding boots, another’s trousers, a girls body armour and Andy' swimming shorts! Mind you it's a bit silly leaving your kit on the balcony of your shack. Not sure if the original owners all left sign with kit saying please take but they might as well have done!! One of the mechanics lent the girl his body armour and got the spirit award for doing so. Someone found an old pair of boots in the road for the other guy. Joe wore his thermal longjohns to ride and Andy has been swimming in underpants every since!!

Today’s run started uneventfully riding though various villages it had been a very early start, up at five thirty and riding by seven thirty. We were to suffer the trucks again today and by the time we got to the start of a 21km line in both directions the temp was well into the 30's. I had thought since the start of the day that Andy, Terry and Herbie were in front of me and rode fast to find them. I was riding solo through the narrow gap between the trucks with at times only six inches spare on each side of the bars. 12km into the jam my clutch would no longer work and the lever was just flopping around. I got the bike onto the dirt at the side of the road. I had been riding the clutch to get through the trucks and on these bikes that happens in very hot conditions but the clutch cable had stretched as well. A sweeper arrived and radioed for a mechanic. Soon Terry and Herbie arrived with Terry's clutch also bust.

 It was 10.05 when he arrived and we were fixed and riding one hot, dusty and diesel dirty hour later. As we rode on any trucks that pushed in had their cabs bashed with big sticks by guys trying to control the lines. One driver punched a guy in the face who had tried to hit the driver through his cab window with a big stick! He went away holding his eye and then came back with a couple of mates who also had big sticks. Chaos broke out, it was hilarious. There was a great off road section, all uphill, with dirt, gravel, rocks and ruts. I stood on the pegs and blasted around the sharp bends overtaking all in front of me. As I came down the other side the going was tough and I knew that I would not make the next turn. I had a choice of an area covered in rocks or one with dirt and less rocks, I chose the later. I crashed with the bike trapping my left leg and a rock finding me ribs at the side, the only chink in my armour. The guys following pulled the bike off me. No real damage to the bike and I am only bruised. I just got too cocky. What everybody must realize is that you will crash on an Enduro. Riders have to come to terms with that and not be frightened. You always pray it will just be a few bumps and no breaks which would put you out of the rally.

We rode through small villages where kids waved and held out their hands to slap ours as we rode past. It is a big event when over 100 bikes and support ride through town. When we reached our destination at Murudashvar we were greeted by the sight of an 18 storie ornate temple and the largest Shiva statue in the word. The whole area had a mystic beauty about it. The hotel was clean, Andy and I were in an a/c room with a bed each complete with clean sheets!.... Today, while riding, a little girl with pigtails and glasses blew me a kiss. That little girl touched my heart.

thank you to everybody who has kindly donated recently, much appreciated

Vertigo Cured! :D

Picture sent straight from the explorer :)

"Here I am, up a mountain after a part of today's ride @ Saturday midday"

Very proud of you Dad,

Penny,Megan & Katy-Anne x

DAY 5

29th January

It was an early start for this first real day of riding from Goa to Palolem beach. Up at 5.45 and at bikes for 7am. There is not a spare minute as all kit has to be made ready for support truck, food eaten and getting riding gear on takes more time than just jeans and t-shirt. We also had to carry enough stuff for two days as the baggage support trucks could not get to the beach we were to stay on. 

Also the accommodation was to be primitive so sleeping bags and own pillows were required. Our tank bags and backpacks were full so we all also had what became known as 'African luggage', black bin bags or carrier bags strapped to the back of the bikes!!! We were by our bikes at 7.30am it was so hot even at that early hour that everyone was sweating just standing still. A local holy man gave us garlands around our necks and a dot of some red powder on our foreheads. We headed off at around 8.15. Three ambulances were parked ready to merge in with the group and there are four paramedics on bikes as well as a doctor. A whole team of mechanics on bikes as well as a spares and replacement bikes on a support truck were also there. The first 19 km were easy then we rode along a 19km road where large iron ore transport trucks were queuing facing our direction. After passing around 50 I started to count. I counted a further 360 trucks whilst avoiding oncoming traffic on our side of the road. The brown orange dust covered us and the air was heavy with diesel fumes. After 360 I had to stop counting because there were trucks on our side too. You had to get through the middle with only inches (literally) to spare either end of your handle bars, or go off road a ride the ruts in the dust beside the road surface not knowing what you were riding into through the smog of red dust. 

This went on for almost as long as the first queue, there must have been over 700 trucks in one big jam. Once the road cleared trucks in front would drive very fast and the dust was so thick you rode blind. Later that morning was a great off-road section of dirt and gravel track of around 5km I loved this part standing on the pegs (footrests) and hitting it at 80 to 90km per hour. The bike jumps and slides but at least you can ride the ruts rather than taking every jolt as you would at a slower speed.   We had a short break but where we stopped they had run out of bottled water. I wear a camel back rucksack which contains 2 litres of water which you can drink through a pipe which fits into my helmet. It is imperative to take on large amounts of fluid in these temperatures of 30C+ when riding these enduro rallies. 

  I had enough to complete the next stage which I expected to only take around another two hours as I had been riding close to the front of the field so far that day. The next few miles proved to be difficult my bike kept suffering fuel starvation and the engine would die on a whim, often when overtaking on hills leaving me stranded in the middle of the road with fast traffic approaching from both directions. By the time we hit a hill climb which was to climb quite high over a reasonable period of time my bike had died at least six times. Each time it had to be kick started or bump started as they have no electric start. One kick was never enough and the mechanics would arrive as they cruise the rally constantly to help me start it. On the hill section going up it happened four more times with the final time proving I had no petrol left. The mechanics arrived and called support. It then becomes apparent that around 30 of the bikes had had their tanks drained of around 75 percent of their fuel. Rumor has it that the 'un-security guard' the previous night had been advised by local 'mafia' to take a break while the theft took place. The mechanics waited for another rider with an empty water bottle so they could give me one litre of their fuel. Down the hill section my engine cut out at least 3 more time robbing me of engine braking on a gravel surface where a free wheeling bike with only brakes working would be a recipe for a crash. Within the next few kilometers the bike stopped continually until starting it only gave me a few hundred meters for all the effort of starting it again. In total it had died seventeen times. I was in body armor and heavy motocross boots with a full pack on my back. A sweeper (backup crew to pickup people left behind) came and swapped my bike with his and a support vehicle arrived with more fuel.

 I followed him to a garage 0.8km from our destination. There were bikes lined up to refuel in severe heat, I fill the new bike and knew I could ride no further without water which had run out an hour of so earlier. I went into the forecourt shop and drank .5 of a litre and poured the rest over me to try to cool my body temp. The support crew saw I was not able to ride. I arrived at the destination in the back of an ambulance to see the doctor. Overheated and dehydrated. Within a couple of hours after cold showers and rehydration salts I was feeling fine. I was allocated a shack on the beach and was to share my bed with a different guy called Terry! Please do not think I am loose, I was made to do it!!!.

Thank you to all those who have very kindly donated to the charities recently, much appreciated.

1st DAY ENDURO- My Fourth

Sent to my family in the UK:

26th January/27th

So that everyone can understand what we put ourselves through each day. This is how this Enduro works. Everybody is given a road book stating your start point, the approximate distance of today’s stage, the destination, the important towns you will pass through and then a route planner comprising of all the sections for the trip.
Each section gives a graphic showing a bend or crossroads or t-junction etc. Next to that is the approx difference in km since the previous section. Then a written description of the graphic, for example 'remain straight on this road' then an approximate cumulative km reading since the start of the day. In Enduro rallies such as the Dakar a road book similar to this is given to each competitor each night for the next day on a long roll of paper. This roll is then fitted into an easily viewed display mounted in the handlebar fairing which is connected to the wheels so that it continues to roll based on distance covered.
 
We get a book which we put in the transparent map case on our petrol tanks. (Very difficult to keep watch on) We have to constantly calculate the kms run against the odometer of the bike to find our way stopping when the page needs to be turned. Now about the bikes, most modern day bikes have a rear brake operated by your right foot and the gear change operated by your left foot, usually one click down for first and then clicking up through neutral to second then up each time for further gears. We are riding bikes where the brake is on the left foot and the gear change on the right. Also the gears are one up and three down. As you can imagine this is enough to confuse but with false neutrals between each gear it is a nightmare.
 
Now the other road users, there are cows and dogs constantly appearing in you path. The locals overtake on blind bends so you can turn a bend and trucks are coming at you on both sides of the road. They drive on the left but at a junction you can be indicating to turn right and a local will pull up next to you and then go straight on! Expect the unexpected 'it's all part of the Enduro experience'. Our test ride today was to a great beach with a road leading in full of local artisan shops. If you missed the hippy Californian thing in the 60's come to Goa!
 


I would also like to say a huge thank-you to everybody who has donated recently towards the charities, much appreciated.


:D (PICTURE FOUND AS EXAMPLE) :D 
 

My 3rd Day

Sent to my family in the UK:

25th January

I slept well and awoke to see a red sun rise over the Gateway to India. Spent ages repacking my bags as they had to weigh 35kg in total on the next flight from Mumbai to Goa. Ended up with 38.5 after filling my carry on backpack. Guess I will have to take my chances with excess baggage charges as it is unlikely that charm will work. Another hair raising trip of near misses to the airport.

The rest of the riders had arrived on the overnight from London by the time I arrived, and due to the number of us some had already caught the earlier flight to Goa. At the check in counter a baggage handler insisted on putting my bags on the belt and insisted my crash helmet go on as well. I told him that would definitely not happen. And stood my ground. Due to this distraction the bags went on with no mention of excess charge. I left the counter with him glaring at me...one small victory!!! I meet a couple of other riders in the lounge and soon boarded the flight for the short hop to Goa. All bags turned up which was a relief for all as everyone had all their boots and bodyarmour entrusted to the airline. Packed onto a very old a decrepit bus the trip of over an hour to our first overnight hotel was not too comfortable although the scenery was great and somewhat similar to coastal trips I have taken in Jamaica.

We eventually arrived after stopping more than once so the driver could spray his brakes with water as they were too hot to work correctly! As we dragged our bags down a dusty lane we saw the bikes for the first time, over 100 Royal Enfield Bullet 350's in neat rows. We waited in line to be allocated our rooms which would be for the next two nights. In almost all cases it was three to a room. I stood next to a guy called Alan who by coincidence was to be one of my roommates. As we entered the room I was not surprised that it bore no resemblance to the pictures we had downloaded to this blog from their website. There was a double bed and a double mattress on the floor, we both looked at each other and immediately decided to discuss sleeping arrangements later! We eventually found the 'third man', Andy, in the bar. We joined the table of guys he was with.

The ages of riders range up to age 71 with most of us being over 40. A spirit of camaraderie did not take long. We had a welcome meeting and were allocated our teams for the trip as well as a team leader from the orgainising road crew. The timings to start on the first day were to be staggered from 8am onwards with my 'Team Purple' scheduled for a 10.30 start. After a buffet style dinner we all sat around talking and drinking before retiring to our rooms.

I would also like to say a huge thank-you to everybody who has donated recently towards the charities, much appreciated.

More Coming

More posts coming soon from the explorer,

too tired too come up with creative writing tonight then eh, Dad? :D

My Second Day

Sent to my family in the UK:

Exploring on 23rd/24th January

The sound of this city is the car horn. The cars, pushbikes, motorcyles and various other contraptions jostle for position on every crowded road. There is a feeling of total chaos allthough I have not seen a single collision as they all seem to drive with an instinctive sense of last minute accident avoidence. The unusual little taxis are so cheap with a twenty minute journey through town only costing the equivalent of a pound. They often turn their engines of at red lights and only start them again after the lights have most certainly turned green. During this time you are more often than not approached by beggars. My breath was taken away as a woman came to the window with a maimed child in her arms its face totally burnt on one side by fire or some kind of chemical, its arm had been amputated half way down the forearm. I could not tell if it was a boy or a girl. This is a frequent sight and I am told by a friend here who comes from Mumbai that these children have been maimed by criminal gangs and passed from one woman to another as a prop whilst they beg in the city. Slumdog Millionaire is a true portrail of life on the streets of Mubai. You cannot fail to be upset by the cruelty.

I would also like to say a huge thank-you to everybody who has donated recently towards the charities, much appreciated.

My First Day

Sent to my family in the UK:

Arrived Saturday 23

I have arrived at the Taj hotel, Mumbai for my last bit of luxury before meeting the other 97 riders on Monday.

Security is very apparent here after the attack last year. The car which the hotel itself had arranged to pick me up from the airport had to have a check under the bonnet and in the boot as well as guys with mirrors checking under the car before we were allowed onto the front of the hotel. Then I had to put my crash helmet and backpack through an airport x-ray machine and myself through a met detector before I could get to front lobby of hotel! Since on Tuesday it’s a national holiday parties are happening under the "gateway" so there are armed guards outside everywhere! It is all very reassuring though safety wise :D. But been a busy day with lots of reasons to stay awake I'm very happy to of taken a few days to acclimatize because I'm finding it hard at certain times in the day. But it is already extremely exciting.

I would also like to say a huge thank-you to everybody who has donated recently towards the charities, much appreciated.

The Accomodation

Hiya guys,

Just wanted to show you some pics of the accomodation for the trip. I need to keep reminding myself its ALL part of the "experience".

But the views are stunning :)

DAY 2&3

Country Clube De Goa - http://www.countryclubedegoa.net/

DAY 4

Beach Huts - http://www.campsanfrancisco.com/

DAY 5

RNS Residency - http://nivalink.com/rns/index.html

DAY 6

Jewel Rock Hotel - NO website :(

DAY 7

SILENT VALLEY - http://www.greenplanetresorts.com/

DAY 8

HOTEL REGAALIS - http://www.ushalexushotels.com/hotel-regaalis-mysore.html

DAY 9&10

JUNGLE HUT & RETREAT - http://jungleretreat.com/index.html

DAY 11

The Carlton Hotel - http://www.hotelstamilnadu.com/kodaikanalhotels/carloton/index.htm

DAY 12

CARDAMOM COUNTY - http://muthoothotels.com/muthoot-cardamom-county/accomodation_county.html

DAY 13&14

LAKESONG - http://www.eastend.in/lakesong-accommodation.htm

DAY 15 - home sweet home :)

Charity Donation Fundraiser

During August we held a charity fundraiser event to collect donations towards the charities. I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who attended or those who couldn't attend but still kindly donated. The grand total that you helped me raise at the event was :   £2,100.00

This donation will be divided between the three charities,
(Rainbow Trust, WCS, Unicef)

MARQUEE -