WE HAVE BIKES!!!!



Yes, we are now the proud (?) owners of a couple of Bajaj Pulsar 150s...I know, smaller than what we were looking for, but they just didn't have very many 180s available. We also decided against the Enfields for reliability and fuel consumption reasons (though we would have loved to be riding Enfields :)

Yesterday was very tiring....everyone wants you to ride and then buy (you have to beg for a test ride in the UK, but these guys here just let you take the bike....well I did leave A in hock at the shop :). We wanted to look first and then invest more time in the ones that had potential. I must have spun the wheels and checked the bearings and lights on a dozen bikes, but not all that many made the grade. You could just wipe your hand on the underside of the main case on most of the Enfields and come away with fingers full of oil.The one bike that didn't do that - a Machismo that I really liked (A LOT! I was dreaming about it last night!) - was in need of so much attention that we just didn't want to risk it - some corrosion around the valve hole on the rear wheel, no battery - so we didn't know what lights were working, the rear indicators were missing, the front brake didn't work at all...the switch gear was a mess (broken bits, etc.).

Another thing that I think swung us away from the Enfields was chatting to these 2 chicks outside Inder Motors (this is Lalli Singh's shop, and he has a great reputation with Enfields on the web and in the guidebooks) this morning. They had just finished 3 weeks on the backs of their husbands bikes, and they had had a great time. We asked them about the bikes and did they have any problems kickstarting them and the first thing they said was that they kept cutting out....hmmm, not a good feeling at all. One of the places on the web also said that they need new a new chain/sprocket about every 5000 miles...that is 3 (?) times on our trip? No thanks :) Petrol consumption is also quite a bit more than the Pulsars and when petrols is $4 a gallon (admittedly only 55p a liter :) and we are doing this on the cheap....a ride on the little 150 thumper and the decision was easy :) Seeing what we are here to see is more important than being seen on a cool looking bike :)

Anyway, the bikes!!!! A's bike is a blue 2002 Pulsar 150.One owner, only 1100 kms since new!!! It's not even run-in yet. It is in great shape and it is amazingly easy to ride...even when the gears are a bit wacky (neutral at the top, down 1-2-3-4-5). It's naked (just the way she left, and loves, Black Beauty :) so she feels right at home :) Mine is a black 2006 Pulsar 150 DTSi (which means it has 2 spark plugs instead of one). It also had one owner, and it's done 9000kms ... and definitely feels like it has had more use than the blue one, but it's still good. Mine has a little bikini fairing. They both ride about the same, thumpy little singles :), and they both have good brakes - single discs in front, drums in the rear. The gearbox is a bit sloppy, but it works. Oh, A's is kickstart only and mine is electric and kickstart (one plug is hooked up to the electric and the other plug works on the kickstart...cool, eh? :). We tried to get the 2007 180DTSi model, they had one used one in the market, but it was a bit pricey (for what it was), and it had been sold by the time we got there this morning. Oh...these 150s should do about 45kpl, so with the 15 liter tank that's a 675km/400mile range - excellent!!!!

I will say we are crap bargainers!!! But those guys were not giving any quarter and we were running out of time. Not that we got ripped off - A's bike was GBP360!!!! Try getting a 125 in London (or the UK) in that condition for that kind of cash....it won't happen :) Mine was a bit more, it being a bit younger, but still a good deal at just over GBP500 :) We got some spares and an oil change for A's bike (the oil hadn't been changed since 2003) - one clutch cable: ~50 rupees (60p?), one sparkplug: ~50 rupees, one oil change (with premium Castrol oil :) : 200 rupees (not even 3 quid!!!!)

All in all it was a great experience. We are very happy with the bikes - it was a 25km ride back to the hotel, through city and ring road (what passes for an A road :) traffic AND I was starved (I only had a bowl of porridge for breakfast, and anyone that knows what I am like when I am hungry... :):):) we both arrived with huge grins, very triumphant (that was a nifty piece of navigation and I am very proud of myself :)...and then we went right to the restaurant for veggie rice, chow mein and momos, now my stomach is happy, too :)

We will catch you all later, thanks for reading :)

No bikes yet....

but we are working on it!!! And photos, too. We had a great day looking around and trying to decide which are the bikes for us. We have seen some lovely Enfields and a new model Pulsar 180 (with the SG650 copy tail lights :). I rode a pair of Machismos and the new Pulsar...they are all decent rides.
Sometimes we want to be sensible and get a couple of Pulsars....sometimes we are very much desiring a pair of Enfields...and then when we are torn, we think about geting one of each and switching off on alternate days :) We will decide tomorrow and let you know....we want to sleep on it and see which bikes we dream about riding. Goodnight....

Namaste and greetings from Delhi.

We have survived another day. It is wild here, people are living on the edge everywhere, you see a shadow, then it moves only to find that it is someone sleeping in the darkness. Delhi smells, the ammonia from gentlemens toilets fills the air at any intersection or area where there is something to urinate against. It is dirty, dusty, noisy, there is litter everywhere, imagine if nobody used the bin at home and you threw all of your waste into the streets.... Cows wander around the streets, blending with rickshaws, pedestrians, cars and buses, you learn to cross the road by stepping out into the traffic and merging with it. There is no space. There were pavements once, they are now unrepaired, dilapidated, distant tales of British influence that are now decaying with the filth in the streets yet somehow there is also an impression that the streets have also been reclaimed again by the masses. People are getting by using whatever means they have access to, these vary from trading in something as small as a few nuts, making popcorn, samosas, shining shoes or conning tourists into market areas to earn commission. There are children begging, some are genuine, some are sent out by their parents, even the locals cannot tell who is genuine and who is not, money is to be made in any which way it can. Not all of Delhi is like this, when you move away from the more touristy areas, Connaught place and Paharganj, it seems to mellow a little. Moving into the South of the city to visit the dentist today gave a different perspective, buildings are more regal, better maintained, people are more civilised. There is a definate gap between the affluent and those that are poor, being poor here is very harsh, being poor here means living on the breadline....... There are dogs with scabs and sores, people with scabs and sores, they both equally scavenge.

Travelling on the Metro - It is new, modern and clean, people wear polished shoes, are neatly groomed and are fashionable. How vastly different to those that travel above ground that wear the cheap open toed sandals. The Metro represents India's modernisation but it is obvious not everybody is being taken along with it.

One thing that strikes me is the determination that people have to survive. People must come to this city because they have dreams, dreams can build great things but this needs to be helped along with some opportunity... it is apparent that there is inequality in this.

We have just escaped from the hustle of the centre, it is refreshing to be in this Tibetan enclave, I feel as though we are cheating a little because it seems far less Indian than everything else so far and we have come here to see India. I will confirm whether this is accurate or not in the future :-)

Thought we were lost???

Not hardly :) Just enjoying our adventure!!! Sorry...but this is a long one...

It is totally wild here - so many people, all doing whatever they please, whenever they please. It has been very interestng being so obviously different than everyone around us - we are targets.

On Sunday we headed to Karol Bagh to check out the motorcycle market, on the way we popped into the bicycle market...which was not as interesting as I expected, oh well. The motorcycle market was amazing! It's about 4 square blocks of motorcycle related sales - some shops just sell motorcycle cables, nothing else. Lots of places selling things to customize the bikes - seat covers, racks, etc. There are tons of the newer bikes - lots of Hero Hondas and Bajaj, a smattering of Yamahas and, of course, some Enfields (but not as many as the modern commuters). Both old bikes and newish bikes - the new model showrooms are nearby, but not in the market area. In the afternoon we found another market with fabrics and tailors and watched them as they repaired 2 stuff sacks that I had brought along (they are better than new now, and only 50 rupees :).

The next day we went to the Tibetan colony north of Delhi - We needed to get out of the horror (?) of Paharganj. It was not easy to get to..or so the autorickshaw guys would have us think...but we discovered the metro and then had a bit of a walk before we found it. And we were both immediately happy. We found the place we wanted to stay and then I wanted some momos - steamed dumplings. My mistake...I was most of the way through them (they were delicious :) and I broke a piece of my tooth off!!!! Scary, to say the least, but it wasn't painful, so we continued out sighseeing adventure and the back to the hotel...where I promptly called the US Embassy (they are good for this sort of thing :) and they directed me to a dentist. One phone call later and I had an appointment for the next day. Then we went to get tickets to Casino Royale :)

This morning was a bit of a rush, we overslept and then packed up and moved all our kit up to the Tibetan colony. After a quick banana pancake breakfast, we hopped the metro back to town and got an autorickshaw to take us to the dentist.For some reason I am not fazed by anything - I usually panic at the dentist and I was very calm. The dentist was GREAT! She numbed my jaw, cleaned up the mess, filled it up with new amalgam and I was on my way. Hey, I brough my dodgy teeth to India and got them fixed, nearly as good as new, and only 1000 rupees - about 12GBPs!!!! Then more sighseeing (of course :) at India Gate but we all the sudden got really tired and we headed up to the hotel and had a bit of a lie down. Now we have had a fab dinner of fried rice and veggie momos and we are letting you all know what we have been up to :)

We were planning getting the bikes today and leaving tomorrow, but the dentist visit changed that by one day. Tomorrow we will do our best to get good prices on the motorbikes and get out of town as soon after that as possible. More news as it happens...all we know is that we are heading south...

Firstly - We are here and safe :-)

We have spent a long time travelling but it has been worth it, we got use rials for the first time too! A smile at the airport bought us a friend and we immediatley had access to some very useful information. I am not ashamed to admit that when sitting in the back of the "cab" I felt afraid for a while. Everything outside of the window did not seem to have any structure or familiarity and I was wondering for a moment how much of what could be seen was different to what I expected, the irony in this, is that I did not know what to expect at all in the first place, I think that this is where the shock lay.

Woohoo!!!! We have ARRIVED!!!!

We packed up on Friday morning, got a ride to Heathrow with D&B (with a nice stop for lunch :). Check in, fly...wow, we are in Oman! And it's beautiful and warm! Sit around for awhile, back on the plane (Oh my goodness!!! spectacular views - we live on a beautiful planet)...and we are in Delhi!!!!! We hooked up with a really nice Aussie woman and she made our cab ride in a a purely pleasant (and relatively safe!) experience! The driving was tons of fun :) We checked in and went off to find food - we had a great walk, found the cafe we wanted and had a splendid dahl. Life is SO good we can hardly stand ourselves!!!!!

Wooohooo!

Today is a great day! It is my last day of work :) and we fly in ONE WEEK!!!!!!

I just spent the last night of my 4 weeks of homelessness crashing with friends. It may sound strange, but it has been fantastic, I am really glad I imposed on them :). Life is so busy I never get to spend decent time with my friends, but it has been brilliant. I have had great conversations, fantastic meals and a lot of solid sleep :) I think it's actually helped to reduce my stress (mosty work, only some about the impending trip :) - well, it would have been a lot more stressful staying in an anonymous B&B for 4 weeks, I know that. THANKS M&C and A&L!!!!!

We took my neatly groomed nephews to London this weekend in order to spend some time with them before our departure - I wanted it to be a day that they would remember. I am sure that this was achieved :-) One of the joys of being around children is seeing them discover the world that surrounds them, hearing their questions, seeing the gaze on their faces as they respond to the new. This results in an opening of your own mind and seeing things from a fresh perspective. My nephews are wonderful and I love them dearly, they are great to be around and they are well behaved for children of their age. I like to spend time with them although it is often not as frequently as I would like :-(

I am going to miss them when I am gone....

A train to Euston, a window seat. Green fields, brown fields, the Grand Union canal, a ruined castle, cargo cranes, the Mcvities factory, fast carriages and thunderclaps, tunnels and bridges......How far are we from CF?.......Hot chocolate and brightly painted walls, being posh and napkins.......Riding atop a double decker, streets from above, people walking, building facades of Angels and men.

The Thames, THE THAMES!

Waterloo bridge, Embankment, The London Eye, BIG Ben, the Houses of Parliament all golden in the sun and large boats, small boats, party boats. Trafalgar Square, crowds and busy roads. St James Park and nitrous boots, war heroes and Victoria, railings and the Coldstream Guards. Stamping boots, swords, guns and a brass band. March march march. Smiles. A map, rehydration and energy, another bus, fancy window displays and Anti Climb paint, traffic jams in Kensington, frustration, too far from our destination. A brisk walk, piggy back rides, fun and laughter.

Arrival - the middle of the Earth.

Dinosaur bones. Huge and glorious skeletons. Dropped jaws and holding hands. Millions of years between us and them. Roaring T Rex and bloody teeth. Crowds and crowds and the shuffling of feet.

Mirrors of illusion, bendy necks, long eyes and stumpy legs.

Tiredness. London tunnels underground. Heading home and nobody moans.

Memories and dreams created............


.....Thanks to K for making it happen.

Time is running out!!!!

The weekend was just packed!!!!

I will let A tell you about our day surveying transportation methods with three monkees and a load of dinosaur bones :)

The highlight of my weekend (besides the pint of Broadside toasting the purchase of A's new hat :) was putting up the tent. And what a tent it is!!!! It's gorgeous and so light and should pedal itself up the 5000 meter passes on the Friendship Highway :)

Two weeks to go. Did you read that? TWO WEEKS TO GO.
That is not long my friends.
I feel like we need more time to get everything sorted.
I feel like the two weeks will not be over with soon enough.

Need sleep. Nighty night.

Can't we go yet????

Mentally we can't wait to get out of here, but there are a few minor details that we have to sort out...

• I need some more jabs (don't remind me!!!! :)
  
• We have to sell our motorcycles so we can buy new ones in India :)
  
• All the goodbye parties :)
  

I am burning the candle at both ends to finish work and the strain is showing! We read emails from our friends that are already touring around India, and some other India blogs, and we want it to be our turn!!!!! Patience, patience...it's only 2 weeks tomorrow that we fly!!!!

A Great Weekend!

A nice lie in on the Saturday morning! In the afternoon we gave Black Beauty (A's moto) a decent scrubbing in preparation for selling her (sad, I know). Wow, blindingly shiny chrome!!!!! That BB cleans up nicely :) We then hopped on my moto and ripped it to London-town to meet up with our friends. My birthday bottle of Bollinger was produced and we toasted not only my advancing years, but our imminent departure as well :) We then spent the rest of the evening eating pizza, watching fireworks and generally enjoying the company of some friends that we are really going to miss while we are away.

After another nice lie in on Sunday morning (we were a couple of bed princesses this weekend :), we woke to the smell of fresh coffee, partook of a lovely breakfast and ripped it back to MK....with A taking the controls for the section of backroads she knows so well and loves to thrash :) When we got back, instead of the planned soaking of A's mosquito net in permethrin, we got on the computer and FINALLY booked our accomodation for our arrival in Delhi :) Besides these 2 nights and the 2 weeks at Christmas that we are hooking up with some friends in Kerala, we have nothing booked in advance - we are going to go where the winds take us.

Sunday evening we got in the car and followed the masses of MK to Campbell Park for the fireworks...it's nice that they are sending us off with such a celebration :):):)

It's Monday morning now and we have had some great sleep this weekend...why are we both so tired and in need of a holiday??? Good thing we have one planned, eh? :)

I can feel my freedom coming and it feels like it is going to slam into me with a huge head on collision that will blow me off of my feet, I can just tell. My thoughts are frequently preoccupied with what I am leaving behind, what it means to leave my home town of twenty eight years having only ever spent three months away from it in one go. I think of all the people that I know or faces that I have become accustomed to seeing. There is the woman that I often see walking alone when I ride to work, she has amazing silvery hair and the widest smile, she always says "Good morning" depsite my not knowing her. The cashier in the supermarket who always politley makes small talk and we laugh, the library attendent who never seems to smile so I try to make conversation, the barmaid/man at the Nags Head and the guy who always sits alone in the corner of the pub, smoking and watching the punters come and go. I think about these people and how they are likely to be doing the same things when I am not here. I am fascinated by these people, I am interested in the routine, I shall no longer be part of these habits or routines. Urgh, now I am feeling morbid because I have not told them that I am leaving (Not that I know them personally) I wonder if they would notice and/ or whether they would think me dead........