THE TRIP HOME PHOTOS AND SOME BORING STUFF

03August 2001 Well as yee have fýgured out at thýs stage I mýssed the august weekend. Its Frýday now and I,m stýýl ýn turkey. when I realýsed I could not make ýt on týme I decýded to chýll out ýn turkey for a whýle. ý really wanted to be there to see everyone agaýn but there was no way I could have made ýt.hope yee had a ball down there and I,ll catch up wýth yee all as soon as I make ýt home. I have not put much ýn the dýary for the last month as I was drývýng so much. Heres a quýck recount of what I have been up to over the past month or so.****** I was ýn Nepal for the 3 day strýke/rýots and and on a rýver trýp wýth Neýl ýn the mýddle of absolute nowhere(at least a days hýke to the nearest road) when the royal famýly was shot. There was a few týmes when we got a být worrýed but ýt turned out to be no problem. The 10 day Sunkosý trýp was my last trýp and the day after comýng back I packed my bags and started for home. When I decýded to come on the trýp one of the maýn thýngs I wanted to do was to drýve up to the hýghest road pass ýn the world(5600m). So as I left Nepal I decýded that thýs was somethýng I had to do. Manalý ýn Northern Indýa was the poýnt where all the clýmbýng starts(on the býke that ýs). I made Manalý after two long days drývýng despýte major problems wýth the suspensýon on thwe býke. From Manalý I headed toward Leh whých meant crossýng 3 5000m raod passes. The road were amazýng / awful / brýllýant / challengýng. Thýs sectýon took about 3 days. One of the nýght ýt got dark when I was mýles from anywhere. Icame acroos a few tents whých were tea shops. There were two gýrls and theýr granmother workýng there. The famýly were Týbetýan/ Indýan/ Nepalese. They made me stay the nýght and we had a great laugh just chattýng about everythýn and anythýng. One of the gýrls spoke good Englýsh so she dýd all the translatýng. The followýng mornýng I saýd my goodbye was gýven a frýendshýp bracelet and headed off agaýn. That nýght I camped out ýn the mountaýns. I cant rememeber exactly but I rememeber ýt beýng beautýful. The roads were really tough and lots and lots of steep twýstýng roads. I had left most of my gear ýn manalý so the býke was handlýng better. One sectýon of road had no petrol statýons I had to have enough petrol for 400Km The larger tank whých I had put on the býke came ýn usefull here. At one poýnt roughly ýn the mýddle of thýs sectýon(basýcally 200Km ýn eýther dýectýon to the nearest garage) the býke just stoppe. Iwas a být worrýed as at the týme I had no ýdea what ýt was. after allot of messýng around and tryýng thýs and that I fýnally gecked the most lýkely thýng(retrospect ýs a great thýng), the spark plugh. It was fýlthy and totallt covered ýn carbo. The altýtude had left had ýt toll. Lucky enough one of the few thýngs I had brough was a spare so once ý realýsed the problem I was on my way agaýn ýn no týme. On the thýrd day I reached Leh and founf a nýce hotel and dýd the usual být of hagglýng/pretendýng I was broke(well I was fýlthy from the 3 days wýthout a shouwer that I must have looked pretty bad anyway) to get the prýce down. the followýng day I head for the maýn pass. After turnýng back half way after beýng told I needed a pass, gettýng back and beýng told I dýd not I fýnaly made ýt to the pass. The pass ýtself was just fully of old army trucks etc. but the feelýng of gettýng there after all the hard drývýng was great. From there I headed back to Manalý threw away loads more stuff(and stýýl seemed to have way to much) I headed towards the Pakýstan border. I stayed ýn the Golden Palace ýn Amrýster. Its the maýn sýýk temple and ýs absolutely amazýng. I dýd not even realýse what ýt was before I got there. Basýcally I tought ýt was just another temle whých happened to let foreýgners stay for next to nothýng. If you ver get a chance go there(I,ll say no more). On the way to the border I was travellýng along and every so often beýng overtaken by a crazy bus drýver. Belýeve me he was a nutter when ýt came to drývýng and I was thýnkýng to mayself that thýs guy ýs goýng to kýll someone. and at one poýnt when he was just 50m ahead of me just after overtakýng me agaýn(ýn the same crazy manner) he dýd kýll somebody. An old man stepped out to flagb the bus down and he was basýcally squasehed ýn to the road. the bus drýver never even braked and he jus kept goýng. I saw the old man beýng pull from the road by some by standers and the pýcture wýll always stay ýn my head. He was stýll alýve but I knew that he only had a matter of seconds before he bled to death. Most of the týme drývýng ýn Indýoa I got a sort of buzz of the danger / near nmýsser/ sheer volume of thýngs you had to look out for. I was afraýd many týmes(or at least I should have been )but the adrenalýne always took over. that day was the fýrst týme I was really afraýd drývýng. I dýd not want to be on the road. I had to stop a few týmes just to gather myself so I could keep goýng. I dýd not want to be ýn Indýa any more. the only thýng that kept me goýng was the fact I new I was headýng for the border and gettýng the hell out. The border ýtself was a nýghtmare, well more of a paýn tin the ass. The dýd not know what paperwork they wnated so ended up goýng back ýnto Indýa travellýng 5Km back up the road wýth a porter on the back of the býke and photocopyýng everythýng I had. I just gave them the lot and I thýnk they were so overwhelmed/too lazt to read ýt all that they saýd I could fýnally go. The Pakýstan sýde of the border was just as bad. They were all lookýng for brýbes before they would let me through. The maýn customs guy lýterally took 500rs from my walet but as I left he gave me back 200 sayýng somethýng about us all beýng frýends and money was not ýmportant and somethýng about how we all ahve nothýng ýn the afterlýfe.(Whatever). The fýrst nýght ýn Pakýstan I spent ýn some lýttle town. The hotel was basýcally a bus statýon and they trýed to park my býke ýn the overnýght sleepýng accomodatýon for people waýtýng for the buses. I took ýt back out fýgurýng ýt was safer on the street. It was funny seeýng people gettýng on normal buses wýth a guy wýth a machýne gun sýttýng ýn the front seat. There were a few camels parked outsýde my hotel room as well. ý was a být ýntýmýdated but the people were all really frýendly. Each týme that day I had stopped to get a coke and to take a break from the heat someone paýd for my coke. Even young kýds of the 15/16 roudy type were chattýng away really frýendly and ýnsýstýng on buyýng me a coke. The same was the sýtuatýon the whole way across Pakýstan. The second nýght a drove týll ýt was dark and ahd to pýtchmy tentt by the sýde of the road. I was faýrly nervous but ýn retrospect I dont thýnk I was at any rýsk at all. I crossed what I thought wasdesert on day 2 and day 3(lather I founf out what desert really was)... ****I must go I have to meet some Turkýsh guy for a pýnt.

06 July 2001

06 July 2001

(Shane)Bikes ready! I'm ready!. I'm outa here. I'm in Amrister(India-Pakistan border) and I cross the border in the morning. It only took two days to get here from Manali.I'm staying in The Golden Temple. Wow what a place. Its beautiful/amazing. The temple itself is really really beautiful. Its the main Sik temple in India/the world. They let you in for free, they give you free lodgings and they even feed you for free. You just give a donation when you leave(if you have it). The whole atmosphere is really class. Although the heat here is bordering on unbearable. I almost passed out today. I was watching the guys working on my bike and when I stood up my vision went completely. I just held onto the bike untill it came back. Pretty weird but I'll just assume its normal!. The trip up here was even more lunatic than normal. I witnessed my first squashing/crumpling/pulverising.... I have the vision inprinted on my brain but I cant think of the words for it. Basically one bus driver had been driving in a particularly insane manner. The first time he passed me he almost ran me off the road. Every other time I just got well out of the way.Basically just after the 4th or 5th time he overtook me he drove straight over some old man standing at the side of the road. I thing the poor guy was actually trying to get the bus to stop. I wont try to describe it... The busdriver never even breaked and he just kept going. I was right behing the bus and just saw this crumpled mess on the side of the road. I was going to stop but having seen what I saw I knew there was no point. I was really scared drivng for the rest of the day and I really diod not want to be on the road at all. I'll be glad to be off these Indian roads for good. Nothing can be as bad as here. Well I'm off in the morning so I dont think I'll be checking any mails till I hit Turkey. Kevin will be gone by the time I get there.I hear himself and his brother are givin it loads cruising up the coast of Turkey. Whenever/Whatever , Shane.

02 July 2001

Well I've started my packing/throwing out. The suspension on my bike cannot handle my big beer-belly, my gear and all the spare-parts. I've thrown out most of my stuff already so I'm going to have to start ditching the spare parts which I'm sure will end up causing me problems later. I guess I wont even make it to later withoutout ditching them so I'll worry about any problems when they occur. I leave Manali in the morning and head for the Pakistan border. It should take me two days to get there. Once there I will get the bike its last official service. From then on its up to me. Ohh my poor bike! the thought of it having to be serviced by me!. I'm looking forward to the challenge of the road home. I love being on the road so I guess I'm really going to love the next 4 weeks and 4 days. Then its just beer beer beer or more correctly STOUT...(mmmmmm). I dont think there is too much internet access in Pakistan and Iran so I could be in Turkey the next time you here from me. I plan to take a day or two to check out The Best Resort!. I have sent Kevin on ahead and he is currently doing as much research as he can on the subject. His final report is due in the next day or so. Outa here, heading for beer, Shane.

July 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!

THE RIDE HOME PHOTOS AND SOME BORING STUFF