A Rajasthani Bimble

[Mongoose]

India has always been on my bucket list, so after some research, dodging at least one well organised scamming bar steward travel company, I decided on Vintage Rides to sort it out, provide the bike, hotels and grub and hopefully, keep Delhi Belly at bay.

First question to come back was "Is sir happy to share a room with another gentleman traveller"? Feck no. Did it once in France and he snored like a bleeding freight train for 6 hours solid. Another 450 euros is small beer to get some sleep and have my own bog.....just in case....

Question number 2 wasn't so much a question as a statement, letting me know that I'm the only Brit on the tour, the rest are French. Given that my last French lesson was around 40 odd years ago, this could be either a source of much hilarity or an utter disaster.

Gulf Air flight leaves early doors tomorrow, so I thought I'd throw a few words and pictures together as I go. Watch this space......

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[jeffa]

Im looking forward to this trip

 

[crumbles]

Are your wet wipes used..?

 

[simondippenhall]

Following with interest .


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[Big Si]

Have a good trip.......but don't mention the rugby.

 

[simondippenhall]

For what it’s worth I returned yesterday from a month in Pakistan and avoided any unpleasant stomach upsets of any kind (unlike others in the group).

I was very rigorous about washing my hands before any food including snacks , avoided any uncooked fruit, salad or vegetable and ice cream.

I did eat lots of street food, had chai and local food offered at temples.

So it may be dumb luck or it may be the precautions I took. It isn’t my strong constitution as in previous India trips I have succumbed to Delhi Belly.

Anyway good luck!


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[Mongoose]

A lovely email from Gulf Air asking if I'd like to bid for a business class upgrade. The minimum bid is £850 for the leg to AbDab and £390 for the 4 hours to Delhi that follows. It's a daytime flight and I've already booked the extra leg room seat over the wing, so don't see much point in blowing another £1200!

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[simondippenhall]

Good call Mongoose! I paid for an upgrade to B/class for my Tuesday return from Islamabad ….stand was told as I checked in for the 8+ hours flight : ´sorry there’s no food or drink on the flight as we didn’t load it at Heathrow’. Thanks BA!


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[EVskiy]

It isn’t my strong constitution as in previous India trips I have succumbed to Delhi Belly.

I nearly did in Nice the other week...

 

[Mongoose]

Blimey, it's been a very long 24 hours or so.

Stupidly, I forgot I had a tube of toothpaste in my rucksack, which triggered a security alert at the airport. Apparently, it tested positive for something (I spent the might on the crew floor of an airport hotel - so possibly coke from the bathroom sinktop?). I was taken to one side and told I'd be interviewed and subject to a "Full search". His hands were huge, I wasn't happy. Thankfully, they decided not to bother as it was rammed in there. Note to self, bag it up next time.

Arrived in Delhi at 4am and watched the day dawn. I say dawn, but the smog was that thick you couldn't see the sun. The pollution here is next level appalling! Almost 30 million people live in Delhi. The stench, the humidity, the poverty, hit you like a brick in the face. If the brick misses you, a car, scooter, rickshaw or tuk tuk coming the wrong way in 4 lanes of traffic on a 2 lane street just might instead.

Still, made it to the Red Fort after lunch after walking through so many beggars with disfigurements, deformities and missing bits I could have done a medical photo journal.

Briefing tomorrow and then on to pick up the bikes Sunday and first day on the road.

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[Mongoose]

Sooooo, day one on the bikes, but only after I'd seen a Mongoose yesterday. Proper chuffed to see it emerge from a hole in a wall.

Picked up the bike this morning after a fantastic mutton curry last night and the odd spectacle of the guide having to explain Indian dishes to the French lot. None of them had eaten a curry before, believe it or not.

The bike then: Well it's under powered, soggy suspension, awful brakes and rattles like an Edinburgh junkie at 9am. Great for the roads here though.

The first 20km or so were an absolute eye opener.......once we'd got through the bovine traffic jam on their equivalent of the M25 that is. Your hazard perception has to be on fire. Goats, cows, dogs and camels wander about willy nilly without a care. It's impossible to take the usual line on bends. Take a right hander on the nearside and you'll find yourself hitting an animal or sliding off on the piles of sand at the edge of the road. Take a left hander out towards the centre and you'll hit a truck/car/scooter head on coming the other way on the wrong side. The only way to survive is to bimble.

Rural India is shocking to the uninitiated ie. Me. No matter how many times you've seen Slumdog, it can't prepare you for 4 and 5 year old shoeless, filthy kids climbing on your taxi begging for money. Or for the three men and a fully grown sheep I saw on one Honda Hero 125. I kid you not. The filth, the poverty and the rubbish are everywhere. My eyes are sore and my chest tight after 2 days in pollution so bad, visibility from the top of my hotel was under 150 metres. I do feel guilty about being a foreigner with the wealth and privilege to travel, in a world where the cast system means that for the Dalits, or Untouchables as they're known, they face a lifetime of poverty with little if any opportunity.

Putting all that aside for a moment, great first day with a cracking buffet to finish. Aubergine curry, chicken curry and deal. That's my kind of tea.

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[Kitsilano]

@Mongoose (Fancy That!)
Thanks for Day 1 report and photos.

Always fascinating and for those of us who have been to India, it's a little like a homing beacon to go again.

Interested to hear a little about your interaction with the French riders (now that they have the benefit of a curry experience... ).

Ride Safely & have fun!

 

[gspod]

Friend of mine who worked in India a lot said they never drank tap beer, only imported bottled beer - and no ice.
Enjoying the write up.

 

[Redboots]

Interested to hear a little about your interaction with the French riders (now that they have the benefit of a curry experience... ).

Me too.
The French don't do spices. We used to have loads of fun putting a tiny smear of Daves Insanity Sauce on rim of their beer glasses
Its also why French food is generally bland.

 

[Mongoose]

I'd love to say the French are embracing the new food, but the consistent question seems to be "Is it spicy.......I don't like spicy". Lovely bunch of people who are happy to involve me in conversations.

Day 2 started early from our havelli and we soon found ourselves at a local salt lake which was a couple few km across and dry. My off road skills are limited, but I managed to keep it upright both there and on several tracks that were just loose, fine sand. My aris was twitching more than the front and back ends of the bike.

I've always followed ATGATT as a rule and have been passed several times today on the highway by guys riding Honda Hero 125's with a wife/gf on the back wearing just a sari and flip flops, no lid, at 50+mph. The rule here seems to be:

FFATT - Flip flops all the time
TVAT - Trackies, vest and trainers
TSKB- Turban, Shalwar Kameez, Barefoot

Any of the above are fine.....apparently.

There have been several near misses today with our group and on the road in general. Not surprising as having missed the exit at our junction, the tour leader just did a sharp u turn back down the on slip. Thank feck there was nothing coming.

Day two was Mandala to Pushkar, some 260km which took all day with plenty of stops. I'm getting to understand what David Beckham feels like as we're getting mobbed every time we stop by curious locals who all want a selfie.

A tough day in the saddle today, but loving the challenge.

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[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Terrific photos. Thanks for taking the time to post your report.
I love India and the Indian people. You've already seen lots of things, many more to come, insha'Allah.
My abiding memories of that wonderful place will always be the generosity and kindness of the people, the joy and hope that fills their lives despite the poverty in which many of them live and some of the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen.
If you get the chance do engage with the locals, they really are wonderful people.
Take care on the roads, lots and lots of care but enjoy your time, embrace their culture, relish the differences and take some time to stop and let it all sink in.

 

[Redboots]

... many more to come, insha'Allah.

Not really an Indian sentiment, that

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

Not really an Indian sentiment, that

204 million people in India might disagree.

 

[Mr Derek]

Thanks for the report and photos. I'm off to India for my first visit in January. Not for a motorbike tour, but for test match cricket with the Barmy Army, visiting Hyderabad and Visag. Can't wait, but not sure quite what to expect as mine is an organised tour.

 

[Mongoose]

Day 3: 200km to Jodhpur in 36 degree heat. It started off OK. My offroad skills are poor as my experience is next to nil. For some reason, our guide decided to take us off the highway down a dirt track loop, which was rougher than a badgers aris. I was 3rd in line of 9 bikes and I was starting to think he was overcooking it a bit at 50kph. The bike was banging and crashing all over the place. The guy in front suddenly hit a massive hole which threw him into a second, deeper hole. The third just spat him up into the air and off into a field. He was only wearing jeans, so there was a lot of claret and he's limping quite badly tonight. I'll give him his due though, he got straight back on. Sad thing is, it didn't need to happen.

This came after an epic lunch stop at which a guy ambled across and introduced himself as King Cobra. His job is to take snakes out of people's houses and the videos on his mobile were bloody terrifying!

We came across a brick works deep in the countryside at one point. The labourers were whole families shipped in from central India where work is scarce and in this country, if you don't work, you don't eat. They live in 1 room shacks provided by their employer and do 8 hours back breaking work each day, kids included. They're paid £20 per day per family. I left the place feeling quite emotional. The kids don't get an education, so they're born into poverty, live in poverty and will die that way too, barring a miracle. They were still laughing, playing and running around as kids do, but then they have no other reference points.

Staying in another Havelli in the city centre. The last 5km to get here was just insane. Imagine the Periphique in Paris, but with traffic in all lanes going in both directions and other vehicles trying to cut across at right angles all of them sounding horns. Exhilarating ride, but sweet Jesus.......

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