Merry Xmas!


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[Back on our Bike- India]


We have arrived back in India on the 18th December.

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[Thailand- Its a Holiday]


It was a wondeful 1 month in Thailand. Kind of makes it hard to go back to India!

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[And where is the Hotel? -North India]

Our heroes, if you rightly recall, were last seen heading for Varanasi. It turned out to be a rather eventful 5 trip. We stopped in towns to ask for directions and I swear within 2min we had 30-50 people surrounding us, like we just landed from another galaxy. We passed through towns that felt like it was a working heritage museum, the street filled with horse and carts and machinery running on an old fashioned system of fly wheels and pulleys, much alike the steam age. At dusk we had stopped, what appeared on the map as a major town, to only find that there was no hotel at all.

It was a long ride that day and I hadnt the energy to face the risk of night riding. Caught out we obliging accepted the kind offer to sleep in the store room of the telephone exchange office, next to the train station. I was sitting on a hard chair, eating a chapatti the guard ordered in for us, feeling grubby and tired while watching the 100s of insects circling the fluorescent light. Slowly I accepted the fact that we would be sleeping here tonight- one of us on the floor, the other on a hard wooden bed (no mattresses). Unpacked and ready to bunk down for a long night the telephone exchange officer bursts in and says 'come come' and within 45min we were settled in a large comfy room, surrounded by quiet, green gardens 20min outside of town.

It was all abit confusing amidst the broken English but it seems someone was connected to the sugar mill owner which had private rooms, which I can only assume are used for business clients. Put up in there VIP room, which was rather ordinary, seemed like a 5 star heaven sent room to us given our last option. :-)

After being woken for chai at 6am (groan) and soon after breakfast we found a local reporter and his photographer ready to interview us- they also wanted to know how such aliens ended up in their town of Bisalpur! And in true hospitality there was no talk of money, so feeling very rested and elated we started our new day riding day.

Varanasi is as smelly, congested and as ever resonating with dark vibes as I remembered in my last 2 visits. We did see the river dolphins (or Shael did) a few times which is amazing considering how pollution is in and added to the river daily. We probably staid here too long, if only because we couldnt decide what to do next. Continue in India or goto Nepal?

We escaped to Bodhgaya the place Buddha saw the light so to speak. I had a strong urge to get away from it all and in a few days I had jumped in on a Vipassana meditation course and sat in silence for 5 days. It really was a break I needed and it gave me the direction to goto Thailand for a month where we can also renew our Indian visa. The Buddhist energy is strong in Bodhgaya and it felt very comforting for me somehow. It was difficult to leave here as it was for me to leave Tibet.

So on 22nd November, with our bike safely parked in Calcutta, we fly to Bangkok.

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[The Indian Himalayas]

For the last month we have been touring in the mountains. Breathing taking sceneries where we found wonderful quiet locations to take it all in.

The highlights would be taking a Ski Cable Car in Auli to view India's second highest mountain called Nanda Devi (7816m). From here we road even higher to Govindgat, where we left our bike and day trekked to Ghangariya. (3150m)

This small village nestled snugly in the valley is the gateway to the Valley of the Flowers and the Hemkund Temple (4329m), another important Sikh temple. The Valley of the Flowers is astunning wide open valley with snow capped peaks around it and it didnt matter so much for us that we had missed the main flowering season. The climb to the Sikh temple was really tough (we choose to walk instead of hiring a horse). More great views and as an extra gift, courtesy of the wonderful Sikh tradition, we received free tea and dhal in the temple, which was just 'The Thing' after a 4 hour all up hill mountain walk.

And finally Badrinath (3133m), the very last town before the Tibetan border (some 40km away but the road is restricted to military). Thus we have more or less completely crossed India from the Pakistan border to the Tibetan border.

In Badrinath we did lots of day walks, where the sun was crisp and warm and the nights cold. As you do in the Himalayas we met a swami (Holy Man) living on a crest of a hill outside Badrinath. He was in silence for 2 years, meditating only in his steel box inside his hut. He was guided to come out and meet people but by November 2007 he is told to go back into meditation until 2011. I can barely meditate for an hour! :-) He says he is the 8th disciple of Babaji and in a pooja ceremony he initiated us into this energy line, which felt special to us both.

After 2 weeks of high mountain energy the snow line was creeping lower, so it was time to go before it started snowing in the village.

We are in Nainital (1938m) now for the last week, which is really the last vestige of the Himalayas for us. After a month of electricity shortages, no internet (how did I survive!) it is nice to have these comforts again and to be able to order something different on the menu, instead of the usual dhal, chapatti and dhal. From here we shall head out of the mountain ranges and south onto the plains, towards Varanasi it seems.

To ride in the Himalayas was as much a dream as it was, ummm... er, to say- interesting. Some 10 years of motorcycling experience and I have never had riding experiences like I did in the last month. The worse was around Badrinath, coming down the mountain where the road was at times purely mud, carved up by trucks, jeeps and buses alike. I think Paul Simon summons it up well in a song- 'slip sliding away, you know the nearer the destination the more you slip sliding away'.

We had endless stream crossings, once half the bike went under water, including the muffler, and I was worried for just one moment there that I would stall and be stuck in the middle of this fast flowing, freezing cold rocky stream. (click here to see a short clip of one of our (stream crossings)

And the bike has taken a beating, so many deep potholes and rocky uneven mounds in the road. We have had to re-weld the luggage rack 3 times due to stress cracks and replace 4 broken spokes in the back wheel... All part of the adventure I guess ;-)

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[Road Side Chai- North India]


As we left Amritsar we were treated with a most bizarre performance normally left for private side shows. On the national high way a Sikh was 'riding' his motorcycle in the left hand land by merely standing straight legged on the seat with his arms folded, his face a mix of concentration, peacefulness and devil may care daringness. He had somehow fixed the throttle with a device and he stood this way for many minutes, it was simply a sight that I wish our camera could have captured (packed away in the moment).

We meandered our way into Shimla (2200m), a hill station that was once created by the English to rightly avoid the Indian summer heat. It still has an English feel to the cottage based village but it is predominantly an Indian holiday vacation spot and somehow the atmosphere here didnt fit with us.
By a brief mention of the guide book Shael led us to Tattapani (means hot water) which was a delightful small village 2 hours north of Shimla nestled in a valley of the Himalayas. Natural hot (read VERY hot) sulphur springs were easily accessible and the place was just naturally quiet and chilled, with out having to try.

A few guest houses spotted the river and one could walk along the river beach and be peacefully alone with the nature. One of those places that rarely gets talked about but turns out to be a real gem when you arrive.

Over a number of days we slowly travelled via twisty mountain roads, cups of chai by road stands over looking green valleys, countless pot holes, landslides, small villages and monsoon rains to finally reach Rishikesh (on the Ganges river).

And can it rain! Rain is not the right word for it, and deluge would not be in anyway exaggerating. Our newly purchased wet weather gear (for motorcycle touring) was exactly that - wet with everything in, under and around it :-(

Although Rishikesh is known for its ashrams and numerous yoga centres, it is surprisingly alot busier and less shanti here than I expected. Which is a pity after having travelled through some remarkable and quiet scenery. We have discovered that India is not all noise and buses, once you have the freedom of your own transport!

Rishikesh lies at the foot of the Himalayas (we have moved east from Amritsar) and from here we will once again head up and into them.

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[Motorcycle Diaries - North India]

Onto the plains of the Indian state Punjab and the city Amritsar, with the large Golden Temple, home to the Sikh religion as the Vatican is home to the Catholics.

I had always imagined the Golden Temple to be simply a temple and not an entire complex including accommodation and a community kitchen that serves free meals 3 times a day to anyone, Sikh or not. The marble, with inlay of coloured stones and the mirroring of architecture has a beauty and grace comparable to the Taj Mahal. The large pond in the centre of the temple complex radiates a peacefulness that revives my soul after having to crash through the crowded and all too chaotic city streets.

We didnt expect to stay so long. Then suddenly we re-connected with our dream to ride a motorcycle through India. And thus started a new adventure for us. Buying a bike literally opened doors for us.

Once we were away from the tourist traps we met so many wonderful and helpful people. We had met the district magistrate to enquire about obtaining an Indian motorcycle license, and we ended up having dinner with his family. Sure, it was a little more formal by our standards but their kids loved it. Once we had troubles with our bike and we visited the first available mechanic. He spent a good hour on it, fiddling with the carburettor and spark plug, and because he couldnt solve the problem he didnt want to accept any money from us. Another time we had trouble looking for a steel welding shop. The tea (chai) man who works at night offered to come on the back of my bike the next day and he directed me through the city to our desired shop.

On the other side of the coin it has been really slow and frustrating in organising ourselves and the bike for touring. Confusing and often contradictory information from various people, the insurance agent who promises us a policy within 2 days that slowly turns into 7.

The BIKE. It is a 2006 model Machismo Enfield, a single 350cc thumper. What she has in good looks she lack in performance. (Max: 18Bhp, 27Nm torque) The brake technology is still from the 1950's, and for a 350cc it barely reaches 100km/hr, whereas a newer Indian made 150cc will do 100km/hr. But like the earlier models of Harley Davidsons the Enfields have a brand image that is hardly based on their reliability or performance history. But Enfields are currently the biggest bike in India and probably the only bike that can carry 2 people plus 2 extra backpacks. Thus we have an Enfield.

So we wont be travelling fast, (but that is nothing unusual here), I think on average we will make 30-50km/hr. But given the road and traffic conditions here that is fast enough, especially in our T-shirts and absence of helmets. Unfortunately, you have to ride like everyone is an idiot. They simply dont look, many vehicles dont even have rear view mirrors for christs sake. As I wrote earlier; (25th January) one can expect anything on these roads...

So after 3 weeks in Amritsar and hours of running around- we and the bike, now fitted with luggage racks, are ready to go. Tomorrow we head east towards Rishikesh.

I guess my biggest impression over the last 3 weeks is how we have met genuinely helpful people at the right time. And how many free cups of tea or soft drink bottles we have shared with Indians, simply in the joy of hospitality.

With the wind in our hair and the sun in our face we both look forward to travelling away from the busy tourist cities and into the country side.

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[With a New Traveller - India]

20th June: After 1 hour of drearily waiting to clear immigration in New Deli international airport a lady prods me to look up- and to my surprise Shael is already waiting for me behind the clearance desks. With big smiles and minutes later big hugs we meet again after so many months of planning and then waiting. ;-)

We ended up staying 1 extra night in Deli as it was not as unbearable as we had expected, so we did a little sight seeing of the Red Fort. We were lucky we were told, as a week before the temperature was the highest ever on record, reaching a scorching 49 degrees. I cant imagine how insane the city must have been then..

A bumpy, jaw jolting, bum bouncing 12 hour bus ride to Dharmasala, as the air-conditioned Volvo bus (which is just a bus you would expect in the west) was full, which meant we had to catch a 'super deluxe bus' which is anything like the name suggests..

As my previous experience in Dharmasala, it was very easy for us to settle here. Enjoying the nature, the circling eagles, the mist crawling over the mountains and the fresh breezes originating from the mountain peak backdrops. Monsoon has also very much started and does it rain here!…spectacular lightning and thunderclaps with solid earth smacking rain drops. The sun doesnt get to shine directly through much either but when it does, pow, the Indian sun reminds me that it is indeed the middle of summer.

Speaking of nature...I woke up once in the middle of the night to goto the toilet. Just as I had lifted my head from the bed I saw what must have been either a huge domestic cat or a snow leopard of sort stretched out over our kitchen bench, checking out what we had in the way of food. Just as my brain started to appreciate what it was seeing while the silent words of "what the fook..." were being formed, the beast silently, stealthily disappeared back out of our open balcony door. It had such a dark strong body with yellow piercing eyes that met mine...it seemed such a brief yet magical moment. (Since then we having been leaving out a token bowl of milk for our feline friend but till now we havent seen it since :)

On the 7th of July the Dalai Lama gave a free one week teachings on Buddhism. I must say it was really difficult to follow. Tibetan monks have a tendency to take 5 minutes to describe a point us westerners would do in one sentence. So yeah, it was rather dry and a bit dull for me. But when I was in Tibet and in the Dalai Lamas old bedroom in Lhasa, I felt so strongly drawn to see him then- so really I just came to be in his presence. Regardless of the mood I might have been in, every time I saw him walk past with his good humoured smile I couldnt help but smile in my heart and on my face along with him.

It has been a comfortable 3 and a bit weeks here now, enough time for Shael to settle in India and with each other. Feels like we are ready to travel and face, (or is that explore?) some real India now...

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[Back in Kathmandu - Nepal]

I choose to fly back to Nepal (10th June) only so I could maximise my short visa stay in Tibet. Turns out only Air China fly's international routes out of Lhasa, and only to Kathmandu, 4 times a week. Devoid of competition they can charge what they like... so they do!

But somehow it was worth is as half way through the flight the pilot announced we would be flying south of Mt Everest, passing it on our right. (I wondered why only 4 people, including myself, were sitting on the left hand side of the plane. It also never even occurred to me that I could be seeing Everest on this flight.)

Stunningly breaking through the cloud cover base, I could see the east, south and west faces. Majestically blue and white in the shinning sun. I was surprised to see that Everest has 2 distinct peaks and the base of the mountain (at least the parts above the cloud cover) is allot wider than I imagined. I passed the north-ish face on my overland trip to Tibet, so in my own odd way I have rounded Everest in the Buddhist traditional clockwise fashion (Kora).

Kathmandu is comfortable, easy going as ever. Certainly allot warmer and humid than Lhasa, but the lower attitude here makes it easier to sleep and my skin doesnt itch from the dry Tibetan air. Still I miss Lhasa... In fact I felt heartbroken when I left. I cant ever remember feeling this way about a country, not even when I left my homeland (Australia) in 1998.

This time its a short visit (my first time in Nepal in 2004 I staid 3 months) and only because I need to organise a new visa for India. With no real plan, I will just leisure around and probably re-visit some of the sites in the city again.

On 20th June I fly to Deli, and as luck will have it, Shael will already be waiting for me at the airport, as she arrives from Amsterdam in the morning. We plan to spend many months together in India. :-)

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