15th Feb to 2 March
After our extended break in the UK over the Christmas period, we were finally off again.
Over the Christmas period thinks had changed personally for both of us. Mike and Sylvia, who he met in Kenya, were seeing a lot of each other, with them flying backwards and forwards between the UK, Germany and Switzerland to see each other. I had met Karen in the UK and we were having great time and were getting on really well, so leaving this time was a very different scenario and difficult compared to July 2005 for me.
For Mike it was easier, as Sylvia was going to join us in India a couple of weeks after us and would be travelling with us over the next leg.
Both of us arrived at Heathrow with excess luggage. This was all spares and replacement parts. The main constituent, volume and weight wise, were a new set of tyres which we weren’t able to purchase in India.
The first shock for both of us was the excess luggage charge. £23 per kilo. I was 15 over and mike was 30! The guys and girls on the check in desk were helpful as they undervalued our weight so we ended up paying much less than the full price but it did hurt a lot.
The flight we had to India was a cheapie which was a 10 hour stop over in Zurich, were we met up with Sylvia for the evening before heading off to India the next morning. The flight was uninteresting and eventually we could see the lights of Mumbai as the plane came into land. It was late at night Indian time and dark but soon as we approached the cabin door, the heat wave hit!
All was going smoothly through immigration and we quickly picked up our luggage, then we approached customs. Waiting at the ‘green’ gate to go through we were approached by a customs official who asked, what was in the box. ’Tyres, for our motorbikes’ we replied. Then we were directed to a different point, and to another customs official. Same question again, same answer then again. Then we were told we should not bring tyres into the country this way. They should come freight. So we said that they were for personal use and not commercial so it was ok to bring them in. So the conversation went backwards and forwards for a while, before the supervisor came over and said we had to pay import duty. As the conversation wasn’t going anywhere we said how much. So after asking us for receipts, which we didn’t have, they asked for the value. So we told him and the ‘duty’ came back at £70. Ok we said, but we need a receipt. The supervisor came over to us a again and said that there was a lot of paperwork and that for cash and no receipt it would be a lot cheaper and easier all round . So 'OK' we said how much, £50...bit more negotiating £35. This was agreed and I was taken into an office where a policeman just put out his hand. Mike and I pooled our wallets and we only had £30. So we gave that to them. The policeman wasn’t happy but I said that was all we had. He went to the customs guy and in the end that was acceptable… Welcome to India!!!
We picked up a taxi and headed off to the hotel we had booked for the night.
Taxi Loaded with the spares...
The taxi ride didn’t take to long and we were at the hotel. Whilst I was booking in for us the taxi driver was talking to Mike and said he new hotels much nicer and cheaper, why were we staying here? So as we had only booked the night Mike took the drivers mobile and asked to pick us up as 12 then next day, and after our first curry in India we settled down for a few hours sleep.
The next morning we had a relaxed breakfast and the driver took us to hotel, which was full, and the next, then finally one called Sun ‘n’ Sheel which had rooms. These were OK and I knew from my experience trying to book rooms over the internet there weren’t many reasonably priced rooms available if at all!
We checked in then headed off to the brokers to start the process of clearing our bikes. The taxi driver took quiet a while to find the place and after several calls to the brokers we arrived!
The brokers was in the centre on Mumbai, just over the road from what was called Victoria Station but is now called CST. A very impressive railway station built by the Victorians and a combination of St Pancras meets India!
We arrived in their offices and told us what paperwork we needed and the problems they foresaw with both bikes on a single Bill of Laden. They thought they should be able to get the bikes cleared for Friday but more than likely it would be the following Monday.
As it was Saturday there was not much else to do so we headed off for a McDonalds we had seen over the road ( I Know, don’t say it, but when you have curry to look forward to every meal for the next two months, you’ll do the same).
The MacDonald’s was same as everywhere else in the world inside but the ones in India do not sell and beef products! So it was chicken or veg…anyway refuelled we decided to head back and get ourselves sorted out for Monday.
On the Sunday jet lag hit us so we spent all day in the air conditioned room watching films at it was getting to around 30C during the day and high humidity.
On Monday we were up early and had booked the taxi driver we had at the weekend as we liked him but he failed to show and after a couple of annoyed phone calls to him we told him to forget it and we booked another taxi. In the meantime, waiting for another taxi he turned up. So after an awkward conversation and him hanging around us for quite a while he finally left.
The taxi driver turned up and we headed off to the shipper to get the original Bill of Lading for the bikes. The shipping agent were very helpful and we were soon heading back to the brokers office with the papers and after a handover we were refuelling at MacDonald’s before heading back to the hotel.
The hotel we were staying at was starting to get us down. The bathroom left a lot to be desired for the price and the staff were fairly rude and hanging around for tips a lot of the time which was becoming wearing so we started to look for other accommodation. After some hunting Mike found some space at a Comfort Inn which was much nearer to the centre of town. He reserved the room and the driver we had used the previous day picked us up and after a short stop at a gift shop we arrived at the hotel.
When we got there, all be it a little later than planned, our reservation had been cancelled by them as we din't arrive exactly on time and there was no room. So after getting annoyed a room was found and we settled in before heading back into town to see the new Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore film.
The cinema was old but the price was cheap. The film as I’m sure you will know was lame but the only surprise we had was an interval whilst they changed the film rolls which is something neither of us have seen for a while!
The hotel had only a room for the night but the owner assured us that space would be found but we had too pack up as they expected us to move to another room which turned out not to be the case.
We had arranged to meet the brokers again today and on arrival, the news was good, they expected the bikes to be released tomorrow and asked us to arrive at their offices by 10 am. With finally good news to see the bikes again our spirits were up and we ended up spending a pleasant evening playing pool at a local bar and visiting Pizza Hut which turned out to be curry on a Pizza base!
The next day we arrived at the office at 10 and were taken to the docks by an old guy to get our Id’s completed to enter the docks. On the was we saw first hand some of the poverty in Mumbai. There were a large number of shacks built up against the dock wall and against walls on the other side of the road. At one point we were both sure we walked opposite to a dead man whose head and body was covered in a blanket but whose legs were completely covered in flies. The smell is indescribable.
Once our id’s were processed we went back to the office where we were met by John who was our customs broker. He took us back to the docks and into the customs house. The best way I can describe this place was warehouse scene for a drugs bust in an American film. There was a large warehouse with a few tables in the middle and some sofa’s. The broker left us in the chairs for quite a while whilst he got the appropriate stamps, photocopies and finally when the customs official was free we squeezed into a small car and to the warehouse holding our bikes!
As we approached the warehouse the entrance it was surrounded by lorries and as we entered we saw thousands and thousands of sacks of sugar. All stacked up around the warehouse. The heat from the bags was something else, along with the flocks of pigeons overhead which seemed to fly constantly from roost to roost . Not being Cr*pped on was not an option!
The bikes were in a secure area which was sectioned off with steel bars. Inside the bikes were filthy. They looked like they had spent years in a barn, with thick greasy dirt covering every surface and the smell of bird poop and rat urine thick in the air.
It was very sad to see the bikes this way.
The first view of Mikes Bike...
Anyway, the custom guys checked the serial numbers, had a quick look into the panniers, and the bikes were locked up again whilst the final release documents were signed by the customs boss (whose office was ½ mile away from the docks!) and the release papers were issued, and we returned to the bikes.
Along with Sugar, grain is stored there and whilst waiting for the keys we watched some very healthy rats move about the grain sacks.
As food stuffs were stored in the warehouse we were officially not allowed to start the bike in the secure room. We pushed the bikes outside. The alarms were still working but once outside the batteries on both bikes would not turn the engines. The warehouse manager kindly offered to jump off his scooter but there was not enough oomph to get either bike going. As it was getting late we pushed the bikes out of the warehouse and the broker spoke to some of the guys who worked there and they found some jump leads and we were able to get Mikes bike started after we had let it charge for a bit.
The car used to start it was a new one due to be delivered to a dealership so the driver went and we tried to jump my bike off of Mike’s but it was not having any of it so we used the jump leads to jump off a new car in the secure compound (The jump wires were run under the fence) and in between trying to look innocent as security and some of the managers drove by my bike started but every time the jump leads were removed from the source battery my bike died. This happened a few times and as it was almost dark we pushed my bike to the entrance so we could clear the gates before the closed.
During all the starting problems Mike removed his crash helmet from the storage bags to find it had kept a mouse or rat home for the past couple of months and that the ear pieces from his autocom were missing!!!!
The brokers were great they were still with us and trying to arrange for a mechanic and a new battery for us.
As I waited outside of the gate Mike went off to do the last of the paperwork with one of the brokers, one of the security guards at the port gates arranged for a cup of tea to be brought to me, and the other guy from the brokers found a mechanic and tried to get a battery for me.
The guys were not able to find a battery as virtually all bikes here are 125’s there is nothing that has enough power.
In the meantime one of the owners of the brokerage had phoned his brother in law, Khusroo, who has a F650 Funduro and had his office just around the corner. So after a brief chat with the brokerage owner I, with a little help!, pushed the Dakar to his shop where I was able to leave it for the night. Khushroo arranged to meet me at his shop at 11 the next day to sort out a battery . So much relieved I returned to the brokerage and Mike. After many thanks for help we returned to the hotel with Mike following me in a taxi.
The next morning we met Khushroo and he took us to the market. After several hours without any luck we had lunch at a Muslim curry house in the Market area which was recommended by Khushroo. After a great lunch we headed out again and I eventually bought a battery and Mike found some earphones that could be soldered to his Autocom. By the time we had bought all of these it was late again, we passed our thanks to Khusroo and we headed home.
The next day I was Khusroo’s office and tried the old battery which he had on charge. No luck, the old battery was completely dead. I tried to fix the new battery but the terminals were reversed, so with the help of Khushroo’s staff extension leads were made up and I was finally able to bring the bike back to the hotel.
After a quick clean to bet the worst of the remnants of the pigeons and mice from the bike, we both started on repairing bits on the bike as mice had nibbled through some cables and we had autocom and mp3 cables to replace as well.
Over the next couple of days was spent getting the bikes ready and Sylvia arrived from Switzerland. Mike had some changes to make to allow Sylvia to sit on the bike. Although it was hard work in the heat the hotel staff were fantastic and kept us fed and watered and were always willing to run errands to get us odds and ends.
My bike boots "Suffered a bit in storage"
In the evening we had a couple of meals with Khushroo and his wife which made our Mumbai experience something we wil both always remember. Finally ready to roll to Goa
John
After our extended break in the UK over the Christmas period, we were finally off again.
Over the Christmas period thinks had changed personally for both of us. Mike and Sylvia, who he met in Kenya, were seeing a lot of each other, with them flying backwards and forwards between the UK, Germany and Switzerland to see each other. I had met Karen in the UK and we were having great time and were getting on really well, so leaving this time was a very different scenario and difficult compared to July 2005 for me.
For Mike it was easier, as Sylvia was going to join us in India a couple of weeks after us and would be travelling with us over the next leg.
Both of us arrived at Heathrow with excess luggage. This was all spares and replacement parts. The main constituent, volume and weight wise, were a new set of tyres which we weren’t able to purchase in India.
The first shock for both of us was the excess luggage charge. £23 per kilo. I was 15 over and mike was 30! The guys and girls on the check in desk were helpful as they undervalued our weight so we ended up paying much less than the full price but it did hurt a lot.
The flight we had to India was a cheapie which was a 10 hour stop over in Zurich, were we met up with Sylvia for the evening before heading off to India the next morning. The flight was uninteresting and eventually we could see the lights of Mumbai as the plane came into land. It was late at night Indian time and dark but soon as we approached the cabin door, the heat wave hit!
All was going smoothly through immigration and we quickly picked up our luggage, then we approached customs. Waiting at the ‘green’ gate to go through we were approached by a customs official who asked, what was in the box. ’Tyres, for our motorbikes’ we replied. Then we were directed to a different point, and to another customs official. Same question again, same answer then again. Then we were told we should not bring tyres into the country this way. They should come freight. So we said that they were for personal use and not commercial so it was ok to bring them in. So the conversation went backwards and forwards for a while, before the supervisor came over and said we had to pay import duty. As the conversation wasn’t going anywhere we said how much. So after asking us for receipts, which we didn’t have, they asked for the value. So we told him and the ‘duty’ came back at £70. Ok we said, but we need a receipt. The supervisor came over to us a again and said that there was a lot of paperwork and that for cash and no receipt it would be a lot cheaper and easier all round . So 'OK' we said how much, £50...bit more negotiating £35. This was agreed and I was taken into an office where a policeman just put out his hand. Mike and I pooled our wallets and we only had £30. So we gave that to them. The policeman wasn’t happy but I said that was all we had. He went to the customs guy and in the end that was acceptable… Welcome to India!!!
We picked up a taxi and headed off to the hotel we had booked for the night.
Taxi Loaded with the spares...
The taxi ride didn’t take to long and we were at the hotel. Whilst I was booking in for us the taxi driver was talking to Mike and said he new hotels much nicer and cheaper, why were we staying here? So as we had only booked the night Mike took the drivers mobile and asked to pick us up as 12 then next day, and after our first curry in India we settled down for a few hours sleep.
The next morning we had a relaxed breakfast and the driver took us to hotel, which was full, and the next, then finally one called Sun ‘n’ Sheel which had rooms. These were OK and I knew from my experience trying to book rooms over the internet there weren’t many reasonably priced rooms available if at all!
We checked in then headed off to the brokers to start the process of clearing our bikes. The taxi driver took quiet a while to find the place and after several calls to the brokers we arrived!
The brokers was in the centre on Mumbai, just over the road from what was called Victoria Station but is now called CST. A very impressive railway station built by the Victorians and a combination of St Pancras meets India!
We arrived in their offices and told us what paperwork we needed and the problems they foresaw with both bikes on a single Bill of Laden. They thought they should be able to get the bikes cleared for Friday but more than likely it would be the following Monday.
As it was Saturday there was not much else to do so we headed off for a McDonalds we had seen over the road ( I Know, don’t say it, but when you have curry to look forward to every meal for the next two months, you’ll do the same).
The MacDonald’s was same as everywhere else in the world inside but the ones in India do not sell and beef products! So it was chicken or veg…anyway refuelled we decided to head back and get ourselves sorted out for Monday.
On the Sunday jet lag hit us so we spent all day in the air conditioned room watching films at it was getting to around 30C during the day and high humidity.
On Monday we were up early and had booked the taxi driver we had at the weekend as we liked him but he failed to show and after a couple of annoyed phone calls to him we told him to forget it and we booked another taxi. In the meantime, waiting for another taxi he turned up. So after an awkward conversation and him hanging around us for quite a while he finally left.
The taxi driver turned up and we headed off to the shipper to get the original Bill of Lading for the bikes. The shipping agent were very helpful and we were soon heading back to the brokers office with the papers and after a handover we were refuelling at MacDonald’s before heading back to the hotel.
The hotel we were staying at was starting to get us down. The bathroom left a lot to be desired for the price and the staff were fairly rude and hanging around for tips a lot of the time which was becoming wearing so we started to look for other accommodation. After some hunting Mike found some space at a Comfort Inn which was much nearer to the centre of town. He reserved the room and the driver we had used the previous day picked us up and after a short stop at a gift shop we arrived at the hotel.
When we got there, all be it a little later than planned, our reservation had been cancelled by them as we din't arrive exactly on time and there was no room. So after getting annoyed a room was found and we settled in before heading back into town to see the new Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore film.
The cinema was old but the price was cheap. The film as I’m sure you will know was lame but the only surprise we had was an interval whilst they changed the film rolls which is something neither of us have seen for a while!
The hotel had only a room for the night but the owner assured us that space would be found but we had too pack up as they expected us to move to another room which turned out not to be the case.
We had arranged to meet the brokers again today and on arrival, the news was good, they expected the bikes to be released tomorrow and asked us to arrive at their offices by 10 am. With finally good news to see the bikes again our spirits were up and we ended up spending a pleasant evening playing pool at a local bar and visiting Pizza Hut which turned out to be curry on a Pizza base!
The next day we arrived at the office at 10 and were taken to the docks by an old guy to get our Id’s completed to enter the docks. On the was we saw first hand some of the poverty in Mumbai. There were a large number of shacks built up against the dock wall and against walls on the other side of the road. At one point we were both sure we walked opposite to a dead man whose head and body was covered in a blanket but whose legs were completely covered in flies. The smell is indescribable.
Once our id’s were processed we went back to the office where we were met by John who was our customs broker. He took us back to the docks and into the customs house. The best way I can describe this place was warehouse scene for a drugs bust in an American film. There was a large warehouse with a few tables in the middle and some sofa’s. The broker left us in the chairs for quite a while whilst he got the appropriate stamps, photocopies and finally when the customs official was free we squeezed into a small car and to the warehouse holding our bikes!
As we approached the warehouse the entrance it was surrounded by lorries and as we entered we saw thousands and thousands of sacks of sugar. All stacked up around the warehouse. The heat from the bags was something else, along with the flocks of pigeons overhead which seemed to fly constantly from roost to roost . Not being Cr*pped on was not an option!
The bikes were in a secure area which was sectioned off with steel bars. Inside the bikes were filthy. They looked like they had spent years in a barn, with thick greasy dirt covering every surface and the smell of bird poop and rat urine thick in the air.
It was very sad to see the bikes this way.
The first view of Mikes Bike...
Anyway, the custom guys checked the serial numbers, had a quick look into the panniers, and the bikes were locked up again whilst the final release documents were signed by the customs boss (whose office was ½ mile away from the docks!) and the release papers were issued, and we returned to the bikes.
Along with Sugar, grain is stored there and whilst waiting for the keys we watched some very healthy rats move about the grain sacks.
As food stuffs were stored in the warehouse we were officially not allowed to start the bike in the secure room. We pushed the bikes outside. The alarms were still working but once outside the batteries on both bikes would not turn the engines. The warehouse manager kindly offered to jump off his scooter but there was not enough oomph to get either bike going. As it was getting late we pushed the bikes out of the warehouse and the broker spoke to some of the guys who worked there and they found some jump leads and we were able to get Mikes bike started after we had let it charge for a bit.
The car used to start it was a new one due to be delivered to a dealership so the driver went and we tried to jump my bike off of Mike’s but it was not having any of it so we used the jump leads to jump off a new car in the secure compound (The jump wires were run under the fence) and in between trying to look innocent as security and some of the managers drove by my bike started but every time the jump leads were removed from the source battery my bike died. This happened a few times and as it was almost dark we pushed my bike to the entrance so we could clear the gates before the closed.
During all the starting problems Mike removed his crash helmet from the storage bags to find it had kept a mouse or rat home for the past couple of months and that the ear pieces from his autocom were missing!!!!
The brokers were great they were still with us and trying to arrange for a mechanic and a new battery for us.
As I waited outside of the gate Mike went off to do the last of the paperwork with one of the brokers, one of the security guards at the port gates arranged for a cup of tea to be brought to me, and the other guy from the brokers found a mechanic and tried to get a battery for me.
The guys were not able to find a battery as virtually all bikes here are 125’s there is nothing that has enough power.
In the meantime one of the owners of the brokerage had phoned his brother in law, Khusroo, who has a F650 Funduro and had his office just around the corner. So after a brief chat with the brokerage owner I, with a little help!, pushed the Dakar to his shop where I was able to leave it for the night. Khushroo arranged to meet me at his shop at 11 the next day to sort out a battery . So much relieved I returned to the brokerage and Mike. After many thanks for help we returned to the hotel with Mike following me in a taxi.
The next morning we met Khushroo and he took us to the market. After several hours without any luck we had lunch at a Muslim curry house in the Market area which was recommended by Khushroo. After a great lunch we headed out again and I eventually bought a battery and Mike found some earphones that could be soldered to his Autocom. By the time we had bought all of these it was late again, we passed our thanks to Khusroo and we headed home.
The next day I was Khusroo’s office and tried the old battery which he had on charge. No luck, the old battery was completely dead. I tried to fix the new battery but the terminals were reversed, so with the help of Khushroo’s staff extension leads were made up and I was finally able to bring the bike back to the hotel.
After a quick clean to bet the worst of the remnants of the pigeons and mice from the bike, we both started on repairing bits on the bike as mice had nibbled through some cables and we had autocom and mp3 cables to replace as well.
Over the next couple of days was spent getting the bikes ready and Sylvia arrived from Switzerland. Mike had some changes to make to allow Sylvia to sit on the bike. Although it was hard work in the heat the hotel staff were fantastic and kept us fed and watered and were always willing to run errands to get us odds and ends.
My bike boots "Suffered a bit in storage"
In the evening we had a couple of meals with Khushroo and his wife which made our Mumbai experience something we wil both always remember. Finally ready to roll to Goa
John
