THE TRIP HOME PHOTOS AND SOME BORING STUFF

Feb 2001

We are probably stranded in the middle of nowhere and cant get near a computer to give you an update. Either that or we are having too good a time and we could not be arsed. Later!

----------24/02/2001(Shane)----------

We lost Kevin this morning about 200km from here. I'm sure he will turn up. We left word with a few of the locals in the towns we passed through to have a look out for him!!! I''ve finally got around to(had to) trying to get some sponsporship: If anyone knows anyone who can help do let me know.We will see if good old Gerry Ryan can help. Here is the mail I just sent to him. Hi Gerry, I've been in India for a month now and I'm in need of a wee favour. My story is as follows. A month ago I packed in my job as an electrical engineer with the good old ESB. Two of my friends(Kevin and Brian) did likewise with their jobs. We came to India with a plan to buy Royal Enfields and drive them home. Our route was to be roughly: Bombay, Goa, Delhi, Katmandu, Everest Base Camp(we are not quite up to the full thing), Delhi, Leh(Indian Himalayas), Kardung Lah(highest road pass in the world(5603m)(in Kashmir but not quite on the firing line!!), Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Israel, Greece, ??, Europe(no exact route), England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, The West Coast and finally finishing up with a major session in "The Pub" in Dooagh on Achill Island on the August bankholiday weekend . We are well on our way. We are the proud owners of Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc motorbikes(class in the old fashioned kind of way). I have clocked up 3,300 kilometers in the last 3 weeks. We arrived in Bombay on Jan 25th, arranged the purchase(with the help of a bit of "baksheesh" and some good old "chancin yer arm") of our bikes. We collected them a week later and life has not been the same since(what a month we have had, "literally amazing). We spent about two weeks in Goa cruising from beach to beach (really beautiful places and dirt cheap). From Goa we were supposed to head North towards Nepal but instead we headed South. Yesterday I watched the Sun set from the Southern Tip of India(Cape Comorin) and first thing this morning I watched it rise from the same spot. I had the Bay of Bengal on my left, the Indian Ocean in front and the Arabian Sea to my right and I was surrounded my hundreds/thousands of Hindus on their pilgrimage. We are finally heading roughly in the direction of home but in the via Nepal sort of route. Right after all that I will finally get down to business. I have been documenting most of the trip on video camera(Sony Digital 8). My problem is that its so amazing and there are so many things to see that I am using up tapes at a rate which I cannot afford to maintain. I have roughly 8 hours of footage already.( Believe me some of it is class) Basically I need a bit of sponsorship so I can afford to keep filming and hopefully film even more. I plan to make a documentary about the trip when I get home but my funds wont extend to all the tapes I require(they are about 8/10 squids a pop and thats a huge amount of dinners out here). What I need is a bit of publicity so I can attract a bit of sponsorship. I should have got my act together before I went but that would have been to easy. Our trip motto is that "Indecision is the key to Success!". Whats in it for you? Lots, I can ring you once a week(or once every two weeks-or whatever) over the coming 5 months from wherever we happen to be at the time and fill you in on all the latest. At the moment we have lost Kevin. We mislaid him on the road about 200km ago. I have just sent him a mail to try track him down. I'm sure he will turn up in the next few days!. Either he took a wrong turn or we did I'm not sure which. Currently we(I think Kevin is here somewhere as well) in Madurai heading towards Bangalore. After chilling out! the whole way down(from beach to beach) the West Coast of India(from Mumbai down) and stopping off at the Southern tip (to top up on our spiritual needs) we are now heading for Nepal to get the adrenalin going again(actually the roads over here keep that going the whole time-I wont even start on that as there are just to many incidents to recall). We are all Whitewater Kayakers and myself and Kevin Paraglide so Nepal promises to be class. I think I better stop now. By the way we also have an internet site which we try to update quite regularly. The address is www.oocities.org/fromindiatoireland . My mail address is shanet@ireland.com . Hopefully you can help. It would be a shame for everyone else if we failed to bring back a sufficient volume of footage todo the trip justice. Nothing could ever even start to explain how amazing it is over here but a few extra squid to buy extra tapes/ tripod etc. would help. Possibly Maybe, Shane T. "Namaste" , "The divine within me honors that within you". PS Since this was written we have found Kevin. Dont ask how. Apparently some locals stopped him and told him the had seen us heading this direction. Things just happen in India!.Sent on 23 Feb 2001: Hi Simon, How are things at home? Have you been fired yet? Have you burnt down the house? Have you killed Richie? The news here is pretty good, but at the moment Shane is missing in action. We stayed in Kovalem the last two nights, and this morning, Shane went off to get his bike serviced. Kevin and I went on to the next destination (about 90km further on), and arranged to meet Shane there. No show, so he probably stayed put (it was quite late when he got going this morning). The news so far is that we are going the wrong direction! Somehow we have arrived at Cape Comorin, at the southern tip of India, nothing but a lot of water between us and Antartica! I think the last news you received was that we had left Goa. We keep getting trapped in one beautiful beach after another. We spent three days on Palolem, one at Colva, three on Om beach, Gokarna - we were only supposed to stay two, but the "special" lassis were too much (lassi is a kind of drink!), and then drove for three days to Kovalem, where we got some well deserved R+R. The accomodation in Palolam and Gokarna was pretty basic - beach huts. At least in Palolam, there was a bed and electricity, but on Om beach, the huts had nothing! The drivers here are maniacs. Shanes has some class video footage. We travelled about 200km the first day, 360km the second arriving in the dark into Cochin, ("What does not kill us makes us stronger" - quote from ShaneT), and then travelled on to Kovalem, where we stayed two days. Kovalem was nice, but a bit touristic. Myself and Kevin headed down to the cape this afternoon, and arrived here in time to see the Sun set at the southern tip of India. We'll have to stay put until Shane appears! That's all for now, Brian F.

23/02/2001(Shane)Right get out your map of the world, put your finger on the most Southern point possible in India and thats where we are. We decided to take a slight detour and head in completely the opposite direction to where we were supposed to be going. We just watched the sun set over the sea and we are going to watch the sun rise(over the sea) in the morning and all from the same place(class). This place is cool. Its one of the main Hindu spiritual centres in the world. When you sit on the beach you look left to see the Bay Of Bengal, in front you see The Indian Ocean and looking right you see the Arabian Sea. I'm even feeling a bit spiritual myself. I have even carved myself a little Om on a piece of coconut I found drifting on a beach in Kerala called none other than Om beach(as per last mail). Well I'm off for an early night as I have to get up early to see the sunrise. We start heading roughly in the direction of home tomorrow. Everest here we come. We hope to be in Katmandu for Paddys Day so hopefully RTE will cover out parade through the town on our Bullets with our little tricolours flying behind. See yas.

!!!!FROM SHANE-19/02/2001!!!!

Howya,

Yip your right its really tough out here. We are still heading in completely the opposite direction to where we are supposed to be going. We should be in Nepal in about 3 weeks so I'll give your mate a mail and ask her what the story is. We spent the last few days living in bamboo huts on "Om Beach" in Kerala(I think). We had no leckie and no jacks and slept on the snad on straw mats. THe only way to the beach was by boat or by a 10Km dirt track. Really class place and at only 70p a night what more could you want. Yet again we got trapped there for longer than expected. We are on the road again and clocked up another full days near death experiences yesterday. Too many incident to explain but one I particularly remember was when we were driving on a busyb dual carriage way in the dark. I was in the outside lane cautiously looking in my rearview mirror for those mad fuckers in the big /tata trucks and buses when this truck comes doing about 50/60 on the fast lane s of the dual carriage way. I only bare noticed him in time to get out of the way. Fairplay to him/her (actually very few women drivers at all) as they had their lights on but the fact that they were going the wrong way down the dual carriage way did not help. Many many more similar stories but time nis money(ohh wait no its not as "I'm on me holidays". Well anyhow we need to clock up some big mileage today so I better get on. Be seen

Hope all is well,
Talk to ya soon,
Lots of everythinf,
Shane T.

!!!!FROM FORDIE!!!!

Spent the last three days here. Nothing happening at the moment. I just spent the last two hours watching the local community haul in their evenings fish catch. Very enjoyable. Guess I'll be having fish for dinner.

The plan is to move on tomorrow morning into Karnataka (the next state down from Goa). We'll probably stop in Gokarna, another idilic beach about 150km to the south of here. It looks like we will just keep travelling south until we reach the cape, and then turn north again.

Blondie

----------14/02/2001(Shane)----------

Well its getting really tough over here. We are now on to our 4th beach and the worst thing about it is that they just keep getting more and more beautiful and more and more relaxed. The accomodation is terrible and really expensive too. We have rented two bamboo hut just beside this horribly beautiful beach for a staggering 133 rupees each per nnight. This correspond to roughly 1 pound 25p in Irish pounds. How we are going to hack the pace out here I do not now. The beautiful beaches, the amazing sunsets, the food(ohh the food), the beach huts, the cheap beer(75p a pint). Ohh how I wish I was sitting at my desk in front of my computer!!!? Thats all for now I off for a big dinner for 1 pound and a beer for 75p and I think I'll have it in a beach restaurant where I will watch the sunset. Ohh and I think I'll drive there in my short and shades and my classy 500cc motorbike with my tricolour flowing behind in the evening breeze. Shane T., We are now on to our 4th beach and the worst thing about it is that they just keep getting more and more beautiful and more and more relaxed. The accomodation is terrible and really expensive too. We have rented two bamboo hut just beside this horribly beautiful beach for a staggering 133 rupees each per nnight. This correspond to roughly 1 pound 25p in Irish pounds. How we are going to hack the pace out here I do not now. The beautiful beaches, the amazing sunsets, the food(ohh the food), the beach huts, the cheap beer(75p a pint). Ohh how I wish I was sitting at my desk in front of my computer!!!? Thats all for now I off for a big dinner for 1 pound and a beer for 75p and I think I'll have it in a beach restaurant where I will watch the sunset. Ohh and I think I'll drive there in my short and shades and my classy 500cc motorbike with my tricolour flowing behind in the evening breeze. Shane T., "Sorry About Us" ...

----------13/02/2001(Simon)----------

Fordie has met up with Shane and is introduced to the rapture of motorcycling in India cities, see his email to me below...

Hi Simon,

Met Shane, just after I sent you the last mail. He had been to the bike shop while I was at the internet cafe. I went back about 4pm and met him finally at 5pm. Got the bike paperwork finalised, and the bike sorted. It's some bike. A bit difficult to describe the feeling of getting onto a bike that big, infront of so many spectators, and not knowing how to handle it properly (the brake and gear pedals are on the wrong side!)

We went back to the hotel I was staying at, and headed ont later for some dinner. Hit te sack about 11:30pm. We decidid to try to get out of Mumbai as early as possile, so Shand set the alarm clock for 5am. Some time diring the night I heard the alarm clock ringing, and thought, that can't be right, checked by watch, and found it was only 1am. The time on the clock was wrong. Shane reset the alarm, and I dosed off. When the alarm finally went off, I checked my watch again, and found it was 4am! I could have bloody killed him. I know he has been here a while, but you don't forget how to use an alarm clock that quickly!

We finally left the hotel about 5:30am, and headed across the city, and got separated along the way! Luckily, we arranged to meet at a definate place in Mumbai. Finding it was a bit of a nightmare. Everyone gives directions when asked, even when they havn't the slightest notion where you are going! The trick is to ask as many people as possible, and try to get two sets of matching directions!

Heading out the highway, (the N17!) we had breakfast about 9am, and finished up about 6pm. Epic journey. Shane had a puncture on the way. The valve came off the tube, so we did out tyre-wallah impressions, and changed the tube. Later he had another flat, and the penny dropped. There was a nail in the tyre! Another repari job was done, and we headed on again.

Later that night, we stayed in a hotel in the middle of nowhere. Ended up in the local beer-bar, which we were brought to by a rickshaw. The driver was told not to take any money from us, by the locals in the petrol station, where we had asked for directions to the bar. He didn't know where it was either, and had to ask directions himself.

The bas was class. Got invited to go up to one of the hill stations, but I don't know if we will have time.

Thats all the news for the moment. My bike is due its first service, so we will probably head into Panjim tomorrow, and then head south.

All for now,
Brian F.

----------08/02/2001(Simon)----------

Fordie has landed in Mumbai and is aimlessly wandering around looking for the two lads. He sent me the email below...

Hi All,

I've arrived here in Mumbai, and everything is fine for the moment. I've just been up to the bike shop to sign the paperwork for my bike (the lads have already looked after most of the ground work). I've yet to meet the lads. The last I heard from them, was that they would meet me either today or tomorrow, noon at the bike shop, but no show today. Hope they get here tomorrow, or I'll start to get worried!

So far, I arrived about midnight irish time (5:30 local time), and had to get a taxi to the hotel. Had no idea where to stay, so just put a pin in the Lonely Planet guide to find where to stay.

The taxi ride was a bit of an adventure. Even tho' it was almost pitch plack outside, none (or very few) of the vehicles on the road had lights on at all! The Taxi driver was a bit of a maniac. On the way to the hotel, another driver passed on the potside, peeped furiously, and then cut in turning left, and rearly taking the taxi and the pushbike on the inside, out of it! I think all india motorists are a bit on the suicidal side.

I arrived in Coloba about 6:45, and the first hotel I picked was full, bit said I could return at 10am, and they might have somthing. I want down the road a bit and found another. Checked in and went for some breakfast. Returned about (:30, and went for a kip. Woke up about 4:30, headed out so see the sights.

Today, I'm just bumming about. Mumbai is a filthy city. It is also huge (heading for the second largest city in the world). I don't think the boys will want to stay here for too long!

----------07/02/2001(Shane)----------

More communications from India!!!! I'm in Mumbai again!!!(3rd time) to pick up Fordy while Kevin rests on the beach. I lost the toss.


____________________________________________

Hi its now Wednesday and I have just arrived in Bombay after leaving Goa first thing yesterday morning. I missed Fordy in the bike shop so I will have to track him down later! There are only 50 million people in Bombay after all. Neither myself or Kevin wanted to come back up to Bombay so we decided the best thing was for one of us to come back up and pick up Fordy. We flicked a coin and I lost(ahh to think I could have been sitting on the beach). All the full moon parties are on in Goa this weekend so I want to get out of here as quick as possible. That would involve finding Brian?. Why did we not just make him get a train. Well the journey back up to Bombay was just as epic as the one down. My emergency swerving manouvers are coming along very well. On the journey up I narrowly missed(to name a few),dog,cow,person,Tata Truck*10(at least), Tata Buses(too many to count-well I actually had a slight brush off 1(just a tiny scrape on the bike), water bufallo and even a feckin monkey(where he came from I'm not really sure). I really do not know how we made the journey down in one go. I am wrecked today even after splitting the jopurney between two days. It sounds horrible but it was actually pretty relaxing when you did manage to find a patch of empty road(very rare) and it was always challenging. I have learned to expect tata trucks to come around blind bends on the wrong side of the road and for everything possible to literally jump out in front of you.I'm actually getyting used to using the ditch as a hard shoulder. The few days I hads in Goa were class. Its a really chilled out place. Everybody has their motorbike and they all drive around in shorts and tshirts. There have not been any big parties yet but we are having a great laugh. We are meeting loads of people. Allot of really sound people and a few absolute fruitcakes as well. I just realised again that I'm sitting in Bombay while Kevin is lying on the beach (grrrr). I spent 8 hours driving yesterday and the same today. Bombay is huge and I got lost on the way in. When you get lost you really get lost. The people that live here dont even know how to get to most places. After about 30 different! sets of directions I finally got two that agreed and found the place. Now I have to travel the whole way acroos the wrong side of the city to where Fordy is staying. Ohh I want to be in Goa. Now I better get out of here get some food(Its 4pm and I've been driving since 8am without any food). Mmmmm., food. Yip the food over here is absolutely class. I love it. I have been eating only vegetarian dishes and I have not even noticed. Such a variety and it all tastes really good. We have bumped into loads of tourist who are avoiding the local food. What a waste. If you ever come out here take the risk and try as much as you dare. We are pretty much getting away with it so far!!. On the way up yesterday I stopped at a tiny little restaurant for food. No one spoke english so I just had to point at pots and nod. I dont know what i got but yet again it was really tasty. Enough I here you say. I'm off for that food. "Keep her lit", Lots of everything, Shane T.

Later, Shane t.
____________________________________________

----------07/02/2001(Simon)----------

Kevin send details of the bike ride from Bombay to Goa.

Hi Boyz, Just a quick update on the goings on out here. Picked up the bike last wednsday night at 7.00pm. It was mad driving in Bombay in rush hour, we had a massive crowd of spectators around us to see us off. So we found a hotel a little out from the centre and stayed there that night. Next day was such a buzz, unbelivable, we started riding at 6.00 in the morning and finished at about 10 that night covering almost 600k from Bombay to goa. (By the way forde that is where we are now). So we broke the riding at night rule. Traffic here is hard to explain, I was run off the road 3 times by buses and jeeps and the like, but that is not as bad as it sounds. You just have to be aware that if you don't get off the road you will have a large bus run over u. Also I nearly hit a pedastrian. The fucker walked right out in under me and I had to serve at the last minute to avoid him. stayed on the bike and then had to swerve the other way to avoid a couple of other guys. A lot of abuse was then shouted at me in Hindustan as I sped out the road. Fuck them!

Also we got lost in the dark and ended up taking a dirt track through a forest for a few kms to get back on the right road. It was a bit worrying cause we though we were running on fumes at that time, but we are getting better milage than we expected so that was ok. A classic manouvere was then preformed by shane and I. This guy on a moped indicated right, this in itself is unusual. I was right behind shane at the time, shane was right behind him and we were all pass ing a something that was turning left. Idid not see the guy indicating and shane reckoned he must be overtaking. He was actually turning right and stoped in the middle of the road. Shane squeezed through on his inside at the last moment leaving me vere outside him. I think I scared the life out of the poor guy cause I looked back 500m down the road and The guy was still stopped in the middle of the road. But we made it here, and here is very very cool. We haven't been on the bikes that much since the first day.

It is going to be a really nice journey home.

Bye for now.

Kevin,

PS Package holidays to goa are very cheap at present if anyone is thinking about coming out!

----------03/02/2001(Shane)----------

More communications from India!!!! The journey to Goa.


____________________________________________

Hows it going, We got the bikes they are really class. Royal Enfield Bullet 500cc. We picked the bikes up last Wednesday evening in a shop in the center of Bombay. We basically were given the keys and told where the nearest petrol station was. If you have ever seen Bombay traffic you might be able to relate to our experience otherwise just imaging chaos,complete and utter chaos, and then imagine jumping up on a bikes you hacv enever ridden before with the brakes and the gears on the opposite side to what you are used to and the gear shift in reverse also. We had a hguge crowd around us as we were packing up the bikes for tyhe first time and they were highly entertained by our attempts to negotiate the traffic!. IT was a very worth while experience, completely difdferent to anything I have ever done. Its more like, actually it not like anything its got a class all of it own. Well we made it that evening to our hotel covered in sweat and pumping with adrenaline. The Bombay traffic buzz, class. Its standard to drive like a complete lunatic and you are expected to blow your horn at least once every few seconds. Lights are and optional extra that few people choose, there are no lanes, traffic lights mean nothing, no one has rearview mirrors and they dont bother looking around. Enough about \bombay and on to National Highway 17 (RThe road to Goa. The most challenging, entertaining, dangerours, intense, relaxing, enjoyable, memorable, scary day I have ever had was last Thursday. We had just got the bikes on the wednesday evening and got up at 5.30 to try get out of the city ahead of the worst of the traffic. We were on the road by 6.30. Once in the traffic full concentration is required at all times, it really great, you basically hacve to drive as erratically as you possibly can so that you blend in with the rest of the traffic. Once out of the city(only getting lost a few time) we got onto the highway. Basically its a bouncy two lane road with the odd pothole, not nearly as bad as I had expected. However the traffic on these road it like nothing I can even start to describe. Might is right and we were at the bottom of the hierarcy. Tata trucks favourite place to overtake is on blind bends. Kevin was run (literally) run off the road 3 times and I had to bail for the ditch at least twice. Pedestrians just wander out in front of you. Kevin pulled of the most amazing swerve manover I have ever seen avoiding a pedestrian(I still dont know how he missed the guy). The scariest was when some guy on a scooter in front of me stopped suddenly in the middle of the road. We were doing abou 60Km. He indicated after he had stopped to turn right. I only had barely enough time to slam on my brakes blow my horn and barely missed him as I swerve to his left. Kevin who was right behind me had to do a similar manover except he swerved just to yer mans right. It was like synchronised driving. We basically both whizzed by yer man at the same time one on each side. THe porr guy must have had a heart attach. Too many other incident to even get into. I was basically on a buzz(you had to be to survive) for the whole 16 hours we were on the road that day. I wont even go into the driving in the dark. Its a day I will always remember and I dont think I coukld ever explain it properly. What a day. Later, Shane T. PS THe beaches here are class and the suntan is coming along nicely. PS Who its this Fordy guy thast keeps mailing us.

Later, Shane t.
____________________________________________

THE RIDE HOME PHOTOS AND SOME BORING STUFF