Mum paying her respects to Nandi.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
The here and now
Although I hesitate to contribute to my blog when I have not seen let alone cycled my bike for the past 5 weeks I believe a brief update may be necessary to let people know of my whereabouts. Unfortunately Delhi has been my home for three of the past four weeks and though this has been made bearable by the fantastic combination of Delhi friends, old travel friends, old school friends and not so old parents every pore in my body yearns for the escape from the engulfing noxious air of this city.
The weeks out of the saddle have made me soft, so much so that by the time of the departure of my parents I had returned to my south side marshmallow state and was committed to skipping Pakistan due to the unrest, flying to Dubai, ferry to Iran and continue from there. Despicable thought in retrospect. Thankfully due to the arrival of new and enthusiastic blood in the shape of Kieran and a "harden up" e-mail from a certain relation my lust for adventure returned, and my bones are aching for the return to the saddle.
After a series of quite remarkable coincidences which would prove to the most devout cynics that fate exists, the impossible was achieved, a 20 day Pakistan visa. Not enough to cycle across the whole country but it will certainly mean I can continue along the full distance by land, not ideal but considering the state of Pakistan it will do nicely!. I will not divulge the particulars which led to the issuing of the visa but the many gods who have helped me get so far continue to aid me in my travels, and I venture to an uncertain Pakistan certain of my well being.
All that remains to be done in Delhi is to obtain my Iranian visa which will hopefully be done by mid next week. This could have been done in Pakistan but not quite willing to leave everything to fate and the gods I believe a quick escape route may be necessary if things escalate while we are there. After the issuing of this visa I will return to my neglected steed up in the beautifully fresh air of Bhag Su in the Himalayas with a friend from Delhi.
Where i will wait for Kieran who has the less enviable task of cycling out of Delhi and up through the Punjabi plains to meet me a couple of weeks later, one hell of a way to start your cycle touring life! One can never dictate what will happen in the next 24 hours in India let alone three weeks but if all goes according to plan I will have safely crossed the boarder in to Lahore. Keep your fingers crossed!
For more information from now on you can check Kieran's blog at delhi2dublin.blogspot.com also there is a link to a charity site that he is doing his cycle for, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME AND WHAT I AM DOING but the charity sounds like a worthy cause so if you would like to sponser him and relieve some weight from your wallets don't hesitate
The weeks out of the saddle have made me soft, so much so that by the time of the departure of my parents I had returned to my south side marshmallow state and was committed to skipping Pakistan due to the unrest, flying to Dubai, ferry to Iran and continue from there. Despicable thought in retrospect. Thankfully due to the arrival of new and enthusiastic blood in the shape of Kieran and a "harden up" e-mail from a certain relation my lust for adventure returned, and my bones are aching for the return to the saddle.
After a series of quite remarkable coincidences which would prove to the most devout cynics that fate exists, the impossible was achieved, a 20 day Pakistan visa. Not enough to cycle across the whole country but it will certainly mean I can continue along the full distance by land, not ideal but considering the state of Pakistan it will do nicely!. I will not divulge the particulars which led to the issuing of the visa but the many gods who have helped me get so far continue to aid me in my travels, and I venture to an uncertain Pakistan certain of my well being.
All that remains to be done in Delhi is to obtain my Iranian visa which will hopefully be done by mid next week. This could have been done in Pakistan but not quite willing to leave everything to fate and the gods I believe a quick escape route may be necessary if things escalate while we are there. After the issuing of this visa I will return to my neglected steed up in the beautifully fresh air of Bhag Su in the Himalayas with a friend from Delhi.
Where i will wait for Kieran who has the less enviable task of cycling out of Delhi and up through the Punjabi plains to meet me a couple of weeks later, one hell of a way to start your cycle touring life! One can never dictate what will happen in the next 24 hours in India let alone three weeks but if all goes according to plan I will have safely crossed the boarder in to Lahore. Keep your fingers crossed!
For more information from now on you can check Kieran's blog at delhi2dublin.blogspot.com also there is a link to a charity site that he is doing his cycle for, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ME AND WHAT I AM DOING but the charity sounds like a worthy cause so if you would like to sponser him and relieve some weight from your wallets don't hesitate
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