Updates

UPDATES

This is our kind of blog page where we'll post updates on our progress whenever we can find a keyboard in the right language..

(simon) 04/11/09 - Greetings to all from a sunny and warm New Delhi. Apologies that I haven't added to the site for a while but things have been a bit grim to say the least since my arrival. This has nothing to do with India the bike trip or the great people I know here but more to do with my employment status back in the UK. Anyway let's not think of that or them (although it's difficult on occasions) and think of the positives.

Today I'm hoping to not only type out a few words but also to add some photos to the gallery. I'm no computer expert (as you can tell I'm sure) but thankfully I have some help from Alex. The charity's website is www.asha-india.org and please check it out. They do some amazing work here in Delhi and hopefully the website helps explain that. To those of you that have donated can I say a BIG thankyou and to those that haven't please do so. I think that I will keep the site going and hopefully add a few lines over the next few weeks. The site might also be of use to any others attempting a similar trip in the future so guess it might stay on the www.

There's still plenty of time to donate if you'd like to or you might get me rattling an empty tin on my return. Thinking about it, a collapsible bucket would be a useful item for this task but I don't know if there is such a thing available or indeed, if one was foolish enough to want one, where would you purchase such a thing? If you're happy and able to donate on line and a UK tax payer, the gift aid bit certainly helps add to the total.

Richard has now returned to the UK and, as I pointed out, it was his second flight of this motorcycle challenge. This isn't strictly true as he also got to fly in Marcus's little plane whilst broken down in Germany. Richard's reply to my text (I did it by sms fearful of an IFA's anger) wasn't polite and as a result I won't repeat it on this entry! His Inafield is still very much in Turkey and I'm unsure as to his plans for the bike. Petrol..................match..................? It all sounds a bit grim not to mention expensive. I also had an email from him yesterday to say that the Bristol Evening Post were looking to do a story so let's hope that they don't ask him for any details because people won't wish to read about reclining seats, chilled wine and the choice of in flight movies! Humour? Me?

Carlos also made it down to Delhi recently for a 'couple of days' and stayed a week. He's managed to send back to Spain the spare helmet, heavy petrol cans and some other bits and pieces. He must be lighter by 25kgs or so but in my opinion is still too heavy. He calls me the bulimic motorcyclist! I have suggested to my little Spanish new best friend that he have some platform boots made so that when he starts to fall off next time he might be able to prop himself up ;-) I won't be there to help him lift it up again, again, again, again and again etc etc etc ;-) He's heading towards Nepal but then the 'plan' is less structured. He's still planning on reaching Australia!

Anyway, since arriving in Delhi I have managed to arrange the shipment of my Transalp back to the UK. This is being organised by Lalli Singh of Inder Motors and the bike will be crated up soon before starting its 2 month boat trip back to Portsmouth. My visa issue has been resolved (sort of) and shouldn't cause too many problems when I leave to head back to the UK.

I've also been contacted by Ian (wing commander) to ask if there's room in my garage for his bike as he's moving house. It's not a problem and there's room until the alp returns but it'll have to be taken there under the cover of darkness. What would the neighbours think? I have a reputation to uphold and can't go from being a World Adventurer McGregor wanabee to having a shiny red Goldwing complete with stereo sat in my garage. The shame, I couldn't live with it.

Ok, time to upload some photos.

Simon

(richard) 04/11/09 - It hardly seems possible but I have now been back in the UK for a week. The last few days in India went all too quickly and it will come as no surprise when I tell you how sad I was at leaving. The small amount of work I did for Asha has left a big impression on me and maybe, if I am lucky, just a small one on some of the great people and children I met.
The work that Asha does makes a difference at so many different levels of peoples lives and I am pleased to be able to help both personally and through the fund raising.

Now I am back its down to the hard work of collecting monies from the many generous supporters and in the next few weeks presenting cheques to both charities.

Some people have said I must be disappointed at not completing the whole trip as planned, and to a small degree they are right. However the trip was more about the experience and that is what will stay with me for years to come.

I understand that more photos will be added to the site soon and hopefully you will still dig deep to make donations to two worthy causes. Thank you for your support to date, and to the friends who supported me through keeping in touch with my long suffering wife, Tricia, whilst I was away an even bigger thanks.

Ps I am still talking to Simon!

(richard) 15/10/09 You really had to be here to experience the overwhelming nature of Simon’s arrival. I know he was quite taken aback by it and no doubt will remember it for years to come.

Correspondingly, you also really need to be here to appreciate the commitment shown by everyone who works with Asha and the desire to improve their lives shown by the people in the slums. As you know, my work has been with children age between 5 and 17 and the one thing they all have in common is that they want to be at school. Quite often it's not the children who do not make the effort to come but the parents who maybe need them to work instead. When they are able to come, they are desperately keen to learn and acquire knowledge in order to improve their lives. They aspire to such jobs as Engineers, Doctors, and Teachers etc. Although many may not make it, they still have the ambition and it’s wonderful to see. However, funding means that a permanent full-time teacher in the slum I work in is not possible. It depends on the efforts of a socially-minded highly intelligent part time lady, who manages to fit in 3 afternoons a week and will even help students outside school hours should they need it.

I have been fortunate to spend time with students of all ages and have had to face questions from the simple ones like, Your Name?, Your age? To the slightly trickier, Do you believe in God? and, Tell us about your life experience?

The whole thing is challenging and every day is different, if only because you never know how many students will arrive and of what age range. It makes planning any lessons pretty meaningless.

My mornings are still taken up with painting a classroom, (photos soon) and I now know how to paint sheep, clouds, ducks etc. Although I’m not too sure that my long-suffering wife will appreciate these skills in our next home!

The fundraising side of things remains important to both Simon & myself and for those of you who have yet to donate but have taken interest in the trip and updates then please show us by logging on to Just Giving and giving what you can. Both charities really need your money.

(simon) 14/10/09 I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I arrived in Delhi yesterday late morning and spent the next couple of hours battling through the heavy traffic from North Delhi to RK Purham in the south of the city. I am well used to riding around Delhi but to do it on a wide transalp was quite involved to say the least. I was only hit once thankfully ;-)

I awoke early from my HOTEL about 200 miles north of the city and set off. In preparation of this particular part of the trip I had put together a selection of my favourite songs on my ipod for the final ride in. The sun rose to my left and I was treated to a fabulous view of the beautiful countryside of India. The ride in was stunning and I couldn't have been happier.

I stopped for an omelette (so good I had two) and some chai before continuing on with the trip south. As I entered Delhi I thought that the traffic may've been good as it was late morning. How wrong I was! I remembered a good coffee shop in Green Park (area south of Delhi) and thought I'd sit out some of the heat have a drink and clean up a bit before my final ride in to Asha.

I changed into my Asha T-shirt I had printed to help publicise the event (I'd cleaned it the day before) and set off for my eta of 15.30 hrs.

Unfortunately my usual short-cut from this side of Delhi was a tad too narrow for the bike so I was 5 minutes late. I stood up on the pegs as I rode down the road to the Asha clinic to try and get a view as to my likely reception. WOW! I couldn't see the road. There must've been well in excess of 200 people waiting for me and as soon as I came slowing to a halt the crowd surrounded me and I was presented with numerous garlands of flowers. I was overwhelmed.

Once I'd managed (it was hard) to get the bike off the road and into the front of the office area things started to settle down a little. I was then taken off to the main meeting room where a press conference was planned and I got to meet with some of the Asha-supported students from Delhi University. Following this a private interview with the BBC before finding myself in Freddy's office with a much needed cold Kingfisher. I was home!

It was also great to see Rich and I was amused to hear that people thought we'd fallen out. That must be my humour I guess. Anyway we caught up briefly and are due to meet later on today to catch up properly, but he appears fine. Hairy but fine. If he returns to the UK looking like he does now it'll be the Big Issue, Special Brew and a park bench for sure! Humour? Me? ;-)

Anyway back to earth with a massive bump today but let's not think about that.

I hope you've enjoyed following my trip and I will be attempting to write a book with profits from sales (if published) going to Asha.

Please - if you haven't already - made a donation to this excellent charity, please do so.. I know first hand how far every penny goes over here so no matter how small it is, it really will help.

I will attempt to upload a few photos onto the gallery and will add to this site when I've worked out how the hell to get the bike home and try and remedy my current visa 'situation'. Wish me luck, I don't think it's going to be easy.

I now need to rest, catch up on some sleep and regain some weight.

The trip was 7,204 miles!

Simon

(simon) 11/10/09 Apologies to all that have been wondering about what's happened to me as I 've obviously dropped out from internet contact for a while but normal (?) service has resumed! There is a very good reason for this as I will explain............

My last post was from Quetta then it all went horribly wrong for a while. I have spent more time with the Pakistani police in the last few days than I have with the Uk one's in five years! I'm not that keen on them here either but I know that they're only following orders. I am still very much with Carlos (The bearded lady who smokes a pipe) and it has been very good to have someone to share the frustrations with.

We were under armed escort from Quetta on our route south to Jacobabad. We met some really nice people in Quetta including a German couple who had been on the road for 5 years in their VW bus. They had even incresed the size of their family whilst away and they now had two small children and were heading back home. Very interesting people!

We tried to find out as much information as possible about possible routes to Lahore and the one south was apparently the best for not only road condition but also security. I have heard this word 'security' every time I've tried to travel independently but they wouldn't let me. My lastinhg memory of pakistan will be TOYOTA as that's what's painted on the back of every Hi-ace I followed ;-(

The escorts in my opinion are by far the biggest threat to my safety with some travelling at 25mph and others thinking they're in a race with frantic arm waving by all passengers out of all windows and those in the back. I was confused by their wreckless and frankly dangerous approiach to escorting us so I can only guess what the locals would make of it. The joy of travelling by bike for me is the freeedom it gives and the opportunity to meet local people. When you're surrounded by armed paramilitary police the locals wouldn't come near us and I couldn't blame them. On a bike you're not in a metal box surrounded by smoked privacy glass you are very much riding with everyone else and the barriers are few. I'm sure there are a few fellow liked minded bike travellers reading this so apologies for stating the obvious.

The transalp has behaved fantastically during this trip so I was somewhat surprised to have a problem in the Kachhi Desert. The temperature was well in excess of 40 degrees as we stopped to take a photo of a gorgeous turquoise coloured river. On kitting up to head on I had no electrics. I was somewhat confused by this so took out my small multimeter and checked the battery which was fine and also the fuses. Everything was ok and it all came back to life again and ran as well as before. I was thinking of possible reasons for this and thought that it may possibly be the reguilator and rectifier which is a known issue on this model. The bike ran fine but the indicators then flashed irattically and the rev counter seemed to fluctuate. At yet another enforced 'security' stop the bike wouldn't start again with no electricss so I swapped the regulator to the spare I carried and it all worked fine. I was so happy that I'd brought a spare! We then stopped about 40 miles later for petrol and guess what? It wouldn't start again. So off with the luggage and then I found the problem...........I hate to admit it but a schoolboy error on my part! The bumpy roads had loosened the bolts on the battery terminals. How stupid am I?

Anyway the road into Jacobabad was (well as the town name suggests) bad altough it ought to be renaimed Jacobloodyterrible. We were taken to our Vip HOTEL which was about as different to vip as I could imagine. We were not allowed to leave the HOTEL and had two armed guards outside our room all night. We were pushing our luck by asking to eat in the restaurant downstairs but we m,anaged it and had the guards with us. They were nice guys and the food good.

We were awoken the next morning by a less than polite knock on the door at 05.15 for yet another days escorting. I threw teddy out of the pram later on that day having almost been knocked off my bike by the IDIOT (sorry police officer) who was escorting us. He was either drunk or drugged and had the crazed red eyes of a madman.

On entering the Punjab they again wanted to escort us but to their credit they were first class and caused no inconvenience to us or more importantly the other road users. We had lunch in their company and even helped bump start their car! Good guys!

We weren't so lucky with the second or third and as a result I pulled off the road and ordered tea. The fat sweaty Sgt returned and as I was talking to some children about cricket told me (In Hindi) to stop talking to them and go. He was less than polite and I told him no. I then returned to the tea seller and the Sgt took hold of me and shoved me towards my bike. A big mistake I thought and the crowd were amused by the foreigner pointing out to the Sgt the error of his ways. I went to pay for the tea only to find that the police had done so already. I was not happy. We continued on our way and on being handed over to our next escorts I made a point of paying the Sgt back. He was a typical bully and I would've loved to be able to communicate my thoughjts to him but I guess he understood I wasn't happy.

We arrived late into Multan and stayed at an expensive HOTEL but it was good to have clean sheets and a shower. We left there early the next day and despite the best efforts of the Police managed to get off without an escort. I used my world famous sense of direction to get us well off the beaten track (lost) and we saw a much needed side to Pakistan. The farmland and people were stunning and it was extremely refreshing to be able to see this at our chosen pace with no escort.

We rode all day before arriving in Lahore as the sun was setting. I say sun but I'm not sure if it did set as it was just lost in the pollution and smog. It truly is the most filthy city I have ever ridden in and believe me there's been a few. We arrived at the Wagah border crossing and it just appeared to loom out of the blowing dust and dirt. We were unfortunately later to see the border crossing from the Pak side so checked into the local goverment HOTEL for some much needed rest.

This morning we awoke early but were obviosly confused by the Pakistan time and OFFICIAL time (Yes, they have TWO!) and had breakfast at 09.45. The border opened at 10.30 and in no time at all we were in my beloved India ;-)

To celebrate Carlos bought me a much needed beer (first one since Rich headed back to Istanbul to sort out his bike) and all felt good.

I had a few issues at the border with my Indian visa but I will need to sort this asap and hope it can be done from New Delhi but I'll have to wait and see. Fingers crossed and all that. We will probably go our seperate ways tomorrow but will hook up in Delhi soon. Tonight we saw the ceremonial closing of the gate and tomorrow it'll be a vist to the Golden Temple which is about 3kms from our HOTEL in Amritsar.

To all at ASHA...........please put a Kingfisher in the fridge for me. I'm almost there!

I'm aiming for Weds and will type again soon.

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(richard) 08/10/09

Yesterday was my first full day working in the slums. Unless you can actually imagine sitting in a dark small house no bigger than a modern 2 bed terraced in which 17 people live then you may not fully appreciate how it feels. I spent an hour drinking Chai and talking about fashion (my specialist subject to those who know me) to one of the 7 children in the household, who at 16 shared her single bed with 3 other sisters. I was fortunate that the cooler was turned on as it was the middle of the day and although the temperature was only 32c, quite pleasant by Delhi standards, inside it was warm to say the least.

Organizing paint, ladders etc for a complete repaint of the local children’s resource centre and computer room in the slum I am working in will take a couple of days. The walls are damp and paint peeling, Not the best environment for keeping PCs etc, but lack of maintenance means the drains on the roof are always blocked and the rainwater just runs down the walls. Oh well, hopefully it will look a bit better when done.

The afternoon was spent with a chaotic classroom run by an excellent teacher with children making cards and painting pots to celebrate Diwali. As my artistic skills are limited but I can talk for England, I spent a great afternoon reading with students and holding conversations on the widest range of topics you can imagine. It’s clear that all the students and children really value the education they get and work so hard to improve not just their English but also their overall standard of education. They are desperately keen to learn more and love school. It makes an interesting contrast with life back home.

Hopefully today will more of the same and some photos will follow shortly.

(simon) 07/10/09 Greetings from Quetta! Quite what or how to explain what's happened since my last update would take ages and my one fingered typing skills don't allow me that much time and I'm not sure when the power next goes off for the enforced power cuts!

Leaving Iran was a tad painful to say the least. We spent what we thought was our last night in Bam although Carlos didn't make the most of our luxurious room instead returning at 02.50. The hotel manager also looked a tad sleepy in the morning so I guess I wasn't the only one with "beautiful eyes". Carlos (which I've recently discovered, ok made up means the bearded lady who smokes a pipe) said that he's been updating his site and seeing as he's been taking a great deal of photos and video you ought to check out his site (www.sinewan.com) or www.portalmotos.com. The last site is a spanish motorcycle site that you may be able to translate but has a feature on us at the mo and a picture of me standing like a longbow!

Anyway the trip from Iran involved police and military escorts for miles. We had to keep stopping and waiting and some units only escorted us for about 100 meters. The military units were very good and professional and the police..........well lets just say I'm not impressed with the Iranian ones either. By the time we reached the border we couldn't leave as the Pak side was closed. This was a bit of a blow as Carlos only had a 7 day visa and tomorrow was day 8. As a result we then had to sit around in a military post watching a few troops polish their guns before going out on night patrol. We were then escorted to a very friendly hotel and had a bit of an issue surrounding who was going to keep hold of our passports. After much discussion we won and with our bikes safely parked inside (yes really) the hotel we had some scoff and got off to sleep. The manager hadn't made any comments to Carlos this evening nor did he have any 'computer things to do'. I was glad!

We left early ish the next day and were at the border for opening time. The officer who stamps the carnets was late and as a result more sitting around. Then with stamps in the proper places we headed off to the customs building and then to immigration. I'm afraid I was less the British and we went to the front of the queue as if not we'd still be there. With all the checks done we returned to the bikes only to find that some light fingered Iranian had removed my bulb horn from the handlebars. I was so upset as this has been of great amusement to many including those wearing a green uniform and carrying automatic weapons. This in particular was a funny sight! I will endeavour to replace it asap.

We eventually entered Pakistan and everything started to seem familiar to me once again. It was like being back in lovely old India. We had tea, took some photos had a few stamps put in our passports and popped off on our merry way. We were aiming for Delbandin and made it for about 16.30. During the trip we saw lots of camels and riding with Carlos made me think he ought to change his website to withewan! It was mildly amusing to see him battling with the sandcovered road (?) and subsequent sand dunes and detours. I'm not saying he fell off because that would appear as if I was making fun of him but suffice to say I have a good photo of the underside of the HEAVY varadero (even heavier with his numerous clothes and lotions and potions).

We camped in Delbandin military post and went out briefly in the evening with our AK47 armed guard to buy some food. We both slept very well and the Pakistani people we have met so far have been stunning.

After starting at about 7.30 this morning we set off to ride the last 200 miles to Quetta. There were quite a few road checks and escorts but all worked out ok. The road (?) was challenging but it was a very enjoyable albeit bumpy ride.

Ok a tad more than bumpy but we arrived none the less.

I'm off to bed now and will look at the map to plan tomorrows little jaunt.

I'll type again soon ;-)

(simon) 04/10/09 Apologies for dropping out for a while but internet access and time has been a tad limited to say the least.

As you may´ve guessed from the map, my earlier saying of ´he who´s faster travels alone´ has rung true but has also changed for another reason. My border crossing into Iran was the 1st and now it¨s Sunday 4th and I am in Bam (southern Iran) 300 kms from the Pak border. The reason for this push to the border is Carlos my new ´best friend´. I first heard about him during the Inafields Bulgarian breakdown where we had great assistance by some local bike riders. Carlos (from Spain if you hadn´t guessed) had met them on his way through Bulgaria and they emailed our trip details to him in case we wanted to hook up.

Suffice to say no internet hotmail in Turkey etc etc etc and it never happened despite him emailing about entering Iran as a group due to the issues within the first 500 kms. Anyway I rode to Esfehan on my second day intent on having a well earned rest and catch up on some maintenance washing of kit and eating! I have lost weight!!!!

Anyway I logged onto hotmail to find an email from Carlos who was in...................Esfehan! I sent him a quick email and with the help of one of the nicest people I have met on this trip we walked to his HOTEL (The word HOTEL is always written in capitals due to and for the benefit of Mr Jones and his dislike of camping). On arrival at his HOTEL (4 star incidently) we discovered he had gone to my HOTEL (NOT 4 star obviously).

Once we had eventually met up and we´re unable to get a beer we went on a first date meal. Due to security concerns we decided to ride together but unfortunately he only had a 7 day visa so it meant my day off cancelled and ever onwards. To say I was in need of clean clothes and a decent shower would be an understatement. I stank! My wet wipes were not upto the job. Anyway I sat outside my HOTEL the next morning at the prearranged time and he was late. I thought I had been stood up and was thinking of checking back in. Anyway half ann hour or so passed and the Varadero turned up. We then rode together towards Yazd and about 100 miles further on to Anar. The delights of free camping once more we´re discovered and Carlos put up his new tent for the first time. Mr Jones will smile when I say that his tent was similar to my Moroccan one! Suffice to say it was not free standing but was tied in place. The night in the desert was probably the best free camping I have done and the site was fantastic.

Carlos has more kit than a family of four ought to take on a months holiday but the benefit of this is that his photos and videoing are first class. (Carlos's website is: www.sinewan.com. "Sin" is WITHOUT in Spanish- go figure, Mr World Adventurer Mcgregor :-). I did ask if Carlos had a folding bucket but thankfully he didn´t. We are now in a top HOTEL in Bam and I have just been swimming. The manager shook me gently by the hand as I was about to dive in and said ´you have beautiful eyes´. For once in my miserable life I was speechless. We leave tomorrow at 5 am to reach Zahedan for 9 ish and then we will ride the 500 kms Tin Can Alley route to Quetta. Wish us luck as according to the locals we may need it! Our arrival in Bam today was interesting with Ak47 military and comic police escorts (not the ones you get at hen nights)! It´ll all be in the book!

PLEASE PLEASE pass the details of this site to anyone you think might be willing to donate a few pounds to Asha. They are the reason I am doing this afterall and I really would like to make this trip I am currently experiencing benefit an excellent cause. It is certainly a challenge and one I am happy to undertake but hope that those reading this will put a few pounds at my charity.

Pakistan here we come!

(richard) 03/10/09 With Simon finding Internet access a bit difficult and also clocking up a lot of miles I thought this would be a good opportunity to spend some time doing an overdue and more detailed update than I have previously done. As you know by now the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 (to give it its full and proper title) has sadly given up in quite a big way. The German engineering from the earlier breakdown was fantastic,(thanks to Marcus etc for all their help) and it was a totally unconnected problem which brought the bike to a halt. The final diagnoses will have to wait until back in UK and I will of course let you know.

However as result of this all my remaining funds went in one single day and leaving me with a difficult choice to make and no money. At the last moment someone stepped in and agreed to cover the cost of my flight to Delhi and here I am.

My first trip to India was in 2000 with a newly formed holiday company called Blazing Trails, run by a lady called Suzy. We used Enfield Bullets to motorcycle just 1500kms around Goa and Southern India. In those days the trip cost £999, which I paid for myself. My fundraising target was to at the least match the cost of the holiday to raise money for WestonHospicecare. I was lucky and raised over £1200. It now seems a long time ago, since then there have been quite a few trips to India. All with the purpose of motorcycling around this beautiful country and in the company of Simon.

We have clocked up quite a few miles and in doing so have seen much of the poverty and hardship which so many people experience on a daily basis.

It had always been a long held ambition of mine to ride from the UK to India and Simon is always up for any challenge. The idea therefore of both of us doing a trip was not one that needed much thought. It was an obvious thing to do and what better way to raise money for 2 totally different charities at the same time. We could not have foreseen the global economic crisis, which has affected so many areas including fundraising. However, ironically it makes the need even greater. I anticipate that to date this trip (some call it holiday) will have cost me personally just over £3,000. My aim remains the same as in 2000 i.e. to raise more money that it has cost me. Presently we are still short of this but there is plenty of time to go. Hopefully next week I will be able to help with teaching English to some of the children in one of the slums that Asha supports. Those of you who know me will know exactly how much experience I have and also how good my handwriting is so this should be quite interesting and probably quite nerve racking. However I am only here for a few weeks, the people who live in the slums spend their life here so it does rather put it into context.

Although the trip was called Delhi “Bike” Challenge, my traveling buddy reminded me on a few occasions that it was and is a challenge and they can come in many forms. The challenge continues, for Simon he has the difficulties of Pakistan to face, and I wish I were there. However for me I will different challenges to face before returning to the UK.

For both of us the important thing is that you continue to read and enjoy our exploits, maybe thank yourself lucky you are not doing them or even wish you were. Not forgetting to log on to JustGiving and donate as much as you can afford to help 2 great causes who we both feel deserve support.

If you prefer not to log on you can easily call my office on 01934 524966 and speak to Sally who will be happy to help. Or why not go to Simon’s favorite watering hole, The Redan, where I am sure a sponsorship form awaits..

(simon) 01/10/09 Hi. My time's limited in this internet cafe so i'll try and type quickly. I awoke early having had a text from the delhiairwayschallenge2009 participant. As I couldn't get back to sleep I got up and was on the road by 06.30. The Turkish exit border bit was a bit of a mare but I managed to get into Iran where the experience there was first class! The details of the ride are basically 390 miles to Zanjan arriving at 19.15. I'm sooooooo tired!

During todays trip I've had a couple of ladys being driven in a car pull down their shawls (covering hair and face) and wave and smile excitedly at me. I've also run out of petrol (thankfully I had 2litres in my can), managed to avoid a head on collision and been passed a cake by another lady whilst she was sat in traffic in a taxi. Add to this having my jacket sprayed with confiscated perfume by a soldier with an AK47 and it'll come as no surprise if I say it really has been a strange day but quite eventful. Time is however limited and I'll go into more details in my book!

Heading south tomorrow but hopefully a shorter day.

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(simon) 30/09/09 Greetıngs from Dodgybıscuıt on the Turkısh and Iran border. Today has been one of my hardest bıke rıdıng days of my lıfe! I woke early feelıng a bıt bruısed and sore but followıng a spot of breakfast consıstıng of cheese olıves tomatoes and tea I was ready to leave Trabson. I set off at 8 and soon treated the bıke to a wash at a VERY busy roadsıde handwash statıon and couldnt (apologıes for punctuatıon and spellıng but a worn keypad and strange buttons!) belıeve how dırty the cars and buses were. The coastal road I was on seemed fıne. About 20 mıles later I turned left ın order to take a D road south and I soon dıscovered the reason for the dırty vehıcles! What a road or more lıkely not a road. If you would lıke to experıence what ıts lıke rıdıng ın the Hımalaya Ill let you have the road number and have a go! There was cold cold water mud and gravel lıke you wouldnt belıeve and as ıt clımbed ever upwards I then came to the snow. The aır was so clean and fresh and I was truly lucky to get to experıence such a fantastıc vıew from the summıt. The road down and up and down and up and around and round went on for ever and I was surprısed to see a Swıss guy at the sıde of the road wıth hıs Harley Davıdson. I stopped to see ıf he was ok and was soon joıned by hıs frıend and wıfe on another HD. Thıs group had managed to stay together and had also left on 090909 (take note Evans)! The chaps wıfe was a nurse and I had a roadsıde fınger ınspectıon and advıce on nıght tıme splınts (cant use them when rıdıng). A BIG thankyou to them all and I hope they read thıs entry. They were headıng ın the dırectıon I had come from and can only ımagıne what the bıkes look lıke now. I contınued on my merry way and stopped for a bowl of soup at 2pm before carryıng on. The orıgınal plan was to enter Iran on the 1st and I at least wanted to stıck to that. I had a fantastıc vıew of Mount Ararat as the sun was settıng and rode ınto thıs dusty border town for the last two hours ın the dark. I had my ıpod on and a bıt of u2 and van morrıson playıng helped keep me smılıng. The full moon and stars lıt up the snow covered mountaın and ıt was spectacular. Todays mıleage was ın excess of 350 and Im well and truly knackered and ın a faır bıt of paın and dıscomfort. The road ıs ın a terrıble condıtıon and Im ver grateful for my spotlıghts. Cheers Ian!

My travellıng companıon (ex) sent me numerous texts today about the nıghtmare HE was havıng ın Istanbul and havıng logged on to thıs sıte Im confused. The ındependant traın travellers last text saıd he was on a plane to Delhı! If the sponsored event was that easy I wouldve caught the Natıonal Express (wıth the jolly hostess) to Heathrow and got on a plane. Its hardly fıttıng Mr Evans and I trust your last text was a fıb (cant fınd questıon mark eıther).

So thats probably ıt for a whıle and I hope to succesfully enter Iran fırst thıng tomorrow and have a good stab at gettıng through the well dıscussed bandıt area of about 500kms. Not sure how the ınternet access ıs goıng to work out for a whıle but rest assured Im gıvıng ıt my best! As always................. No news ıs good news!

Im stıll unable to access my hotmaıl so a quıck lıne to my folks as I just want to say that thıs ıs a brıllıant experıence and remember Ive chosen to do thıs! Thıs ıs the last bıg trıp I promıse although I thınk I may have saıd that before! Vroom vroom blah de blah Iran here I come!

(richard) 30/09/09 I have just read Sımon's last update and can only hope he gets back on the road quıckly. Despıte the many caustıc and often unfaır comments you may have seen on the updates from hım, he really ıs a great travellıng companıon and I am sad not to be wıth hım at the moment. Maybe ıf I had been !!! I am stıll strugglıng wıth paperwork etc before gettıng back on the road. The plan ıs to contınue by traın or whatever but one way or another to complete the trıp.The challenge ıs not just about the bıke but the trıp and all ıt ınvolves. The people we met along the way have been memorable wıth more to come I am sure. Next day or so wıll hopefully sort my current problems and no doubt part me from more Turkısh Lıra! I would much rather be campıng and rıdıng but the ıf that ıs not to be then lets see what happens next. We are grateful for all the helpful ( and sometımes not so helpful ) comments and the money donated ıs all goıng to very good causes. More wıll follow from me when I know what ıs happenıng.Cheers for now and hope to see you soon Sımon! In closıng I would lıke to poınt out that at the many campsıtes we stayed at the empty beer bottle outsıde my tent were not mıne!!

(simon) 29/09/09 So where to start from a very eventful day! The begınnıng I guess ıs as good a place as any. I woke at some VERY early hour followıng the call to prayer and the cockerell that was just outsıde the Dolphın HOTEL ın Samsung. I had a slıght muggy head that I am sure was caused by the ´F´ ın Effe ıf you know what I mean! I thınk I must be gettıng old or that my ´dıet of champıons´ ıs not as good as I fırst thought. Anyway I set off at 9 and headed out on the coastal road ıntent on reachıng Trabson and beyond to make my fınal days rıdıng (weds) ın Turkey to the Iran border a lıttle less ınvolved.

As I was makıng good progress I took a break for coffee and a walk out on the pıer over the black sea. I was soon joıned by some college kıds and the local mental health patıent who prodded me ın the chest one too many tımes whılst slobberıng some gıbberısh at me. I guess ther Uk ısn´t the only place that has care (or lack of ıt) ın the communıty! Anyway thıngs calmed down and I bıd a cheery goodbye and set off once more. The coastal route was good but there were more bırds flyıng around than I have ever seen before. It was lıke a scene from the Bırds but alas one swoopıng bırds days are no more havıng collıded wıth the Alp.

As tıme was stıll on my sıde I stopped later for some lunch ın a coastal town and had bagels and a coconut sweet type thıngy. It was stunnıng :-) I then rejoıned the maın road whıch was a smooth dual carrıageway and pulled ınto an empty lane one and proceeded to get my speed to a mınd bendıng 55 mph or so. I saw the polıce (ın theır car) on the hard shoulder (facıng the wrong way ıncıdently) and looked at them before carryıng on for about 1km where I was stopped by another unıt.

I was SPEEDING!!!!!!!!!!!! I was fıxed up and ıssued a tıcket but I asked to see the radar gun or sımılar as evıdence of my crıme and guılt! I managed to pop my passport back ın my pocket from the bonnet of the polıce car and ıncludıng tıcket asked to rıde back to the sıghtıng vehıcle to vıew the evıdence. They agreed and whılst the devıl and angel we´re sat on eıther shoulder as I dıd a loop of the dual carrıageway the angel won the day and I returned. Sure enough the vıdeo playback showed me travellıng at 94 kph and the polıce guy was very excıted about thıs. I have sınce learnt that the speed lımıt ıs 99 for cars 88 for BIG lorrıes but 77 for motorcycles! That´s dıfferent to the Istanbul sıgn I read but that was for ´hıghway not dual carrıageway´!!!!!!!!

Anyway I then had to return to my orıgınal stoppers and the prıce of my offence was explaıned to me. Suffıce to say 150 US dollars or sımılar. I apprecıated theır honesty AND flexıbılıty and let´s be faır the good old Uk safety camera partnershıp rubbısh could lerarn a thıng or two from the Turkısh polıce! If you´re goıng to stıff someone fınancıally at least have the guts to do ıt ın person at the tıme of the offence rather than dress ıt up vıa a nıce letter wıthın a week or so. For all those law abıdıng cıtızens out there who would they send the letter to ıf you dıdn´t regıster the car ın your name? Do you thınk the dısqual drıvers and crımınals do? Anyway don´t let me get carrıed away and brıng back paınfull memorıes of prevıous employment! I then got out my ´travellıng´ wallet that had about 30ukp equıvallent of Turkısh, a 10 pound note, 13 US Dollars some Indıan Rupees and a cash poınt card that I know won´t work! Durıng the resultant dıscussıon my employment status cropped up and before you knew ıt the ıssued tıcket was no more and we all had our photo taken. Fantastıc!

I then popped along SLOWLY smılıng to myself that IF the Inafıeld had made ıt thıs far ıt MAY´VE got a tıcket too but let´s not push the story that far!

Anyway I entered Trabson a lıttle later than planned and was thınkıng shall I stop and leave early tomorrow or carry on? My decısıon was made for me a few mınutes later when a whıte taxı van reversed ınto me from a dıstance of about 2 meters and kept goıng backwards. My horn blowıng and shoutıng had lıttle affect but the pedestrıans soon stopped hım. I dıd not ground the bıke but suffıce to say the Alp ıs now well and truly battle scarred. The polıce attended very quıckly and we were just wıthın walkıng dıstance of the hospıtal. I had a cleary broken fınger on my rıght hand and thınk I´ve also broken my wrıst. My roadsıde fırst aıd popped the fınger straıght much to the dısgust of the crowd but what would they´ve done ın the hospıtal? I then set about gettıng copıes of the accıdent report and copıes of the other drıvers detaıls. Wıth the VERY kınd help of a fellow motorcyclıst at the scene I was taken to a backstreet bıke shop where the bıke has been patched up :-( He then very kındly took me to a good local HOTEL and I attempted to phone Carole Nash Insurance to at least report ıt. What a waste of tıme that´s been! I´ve had to call twıce already to hopefully get them to phone me back. I guess ıt´ll have to waıt untıl I return to the UK! They say thıngs happen ın threes and thıs ıs true ın respect of the alp and accıdents. Rıch drove ınto me once then reversed ınto me on another occassıon. I had thought wıth hım out of the way thıngs would be fıne!

Anyway my legendary typıng skılls are not as good wıth my left hand and I must go and get a beer. I can´t rısk the hospıtal x ray bıt as just ımagıne operatıng a throttle ın a cast over the next couple of countrıes: I´ll stıck wıth a bıt of dıscomfort.

In other news Rıch ıs apparently havıng a bad tıme ın Istanbul organısıng recovery for hıs bıke. Sympathy? Not bloody lıkely! :-)

(simon) 28/09/09 Greetıngs from the glorıous sunny coastlıne of Northern Turkey. There was a farewell to my travellıng companıon at our Bolu HOTEL thıs mornıng before he headed back to Istanbul and I carrıed on my merry way. A curent sıtuatıon prevents full detaıls beıng typed but rest assured folks all wıll become clear wıth tıme. If I manage to add a gallery to thıs sıte there mıght even be a photo or two! Anyway................today was a very cold rıde north east ısh and I arrıved ın Samsun at about 16.30 soakıng wet from the last 30 mıles of heavy raın or so. The 300 mıle rıde was uneventful wıth no cars headıng straıght for me, lorrıes goıng through red lıghts at speed or ındeed dıd I wıtness an RTA whereby a car left the wet road lıke the General Lee (from a Dukes of Hazzard scene) before landıng on ıt´s roof. Had those thıngs happened my folks would I´m sure worry (well I hope they would) and I haven´t even made ıt to Iran or Pakıstan yet! Anyway my dıetry requırements (now solo) have changed and as a result a few Efes and a bag of crısps awaıt me. My ´dıet of champıons´ book and fıtness dvd wıll also be out just ın tıme for chrıstmas. Cashıng ın? Call me Ewan or Charlıe ıf you lıke but there´s money to be made ın thıs adventure motorcyclıng thıngy. The local brew ıs good and I need to make the most of ıt before enterıng alcoıhol free Iran. My revısed ´plan´ wıll be to hopefully get back on the orıgınal schedule and I hope to enter Iran on the 1st Oct. There´s a few mıles to cover though and I´m hopıng that the weather wıll ımprove consıderably to aıd my progress although the Transalp ıs poppıng along nıcely wıthout Inafıeld delays. Ok, tıme to go and drınk some beer! Nano Nano

(simon) 27/09/09 Was it really only one day ago that I wrote the update below? Ah. Well, There`s a stıcker on the beak of my trusty 1100gs that reads...... He Who`s Faster Travels Alone! Wıthout wıshıng to go ınto detaıls that wıll become clearer wıth tıme I wıll be solo as from tomorrow. Our ınternet access ıs very lımıted, but this is another short update to say that: The last few weeks have been ınterestıng to say the least and the joy of onward travel for both wıth our Iranıan vısas ın our pockets has come to an unfortunate and noısy end. As you can ımagıne ıt has been a hard decısıon to make but one that needed to be reached none the less. My `plan` (was there ever one?) has been changed ever so slıghtly and I aım to rıde to the north of Turkey and along the coast before south East ısh and crossıng ınto Iran at Dogubayazıt. If the weather`s good and I`ve tıme a dıp ın the black sea wıll be a must! I wıll endeavour to update as often as possıble and let you know how ıt goes. The cave bookıng needs to be altered ıf possıble to reflect thıs change and I apologıse to those postıng on thıs sıte whoever you mıght be (Don`t tell them your name JONES) :-) Funny poem though! Keep the comments comıng as they really make me smıle! As a relıgıous chap ın Istanbul saıd to us the other day `see you ın paradıse`. I doubted very much that he was referrıng to New Delhı or ın fact ıf he had or was plannıng a vısıt. Relıgıon ıs a funny old thıng! Anyway ıf the Transalp makes any unwanted noıses from here on ın I won`t have the requırement to look ın the mırror to see the Inafıeld closıng ın. Noıses from here on ın wıll be my own! Ok ıt`s tıme to leave thıs rather pungent ınternet cafe that remınds me of the 1st lay by over the brıdge ınto Wales. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(simon) 26/09/09 We're now having a well earned rest by the beach having achieved our aim during our visit to Istanbul - getting our Iranian visas added to our passports. It went a lot more smoothly than other aspects of our trip.. We were first in the queue at the Iranian consulate yesterday, got told to knock at the door at 3pm (the consulate officially shuts at midday) - we did, and were handed our passports complete with visas! More soon...

(simon) 18/09/09 Well it's 15.00 and I'm back once more in the internet cafe but this time Richard's bullet is parked outside! It works!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you were all sat down for that piece of news. The reason that we've decided to not head on having left the shop about 10 minutes ago is because on the way to the Honda dealer this morning my speedo cable snapped :-( One was not available but will be there at 9 am tomorrow so by 10 we will be riding east. The cable is needed due to distance / working out mpg etc as we travel through the remote areas of Turkey Iran and Pakistan. Those who've ridden or own a Royal Inafield ( including myself) will know that you can't rely on theirs! These things are sent to try us I guess. Anyway the good news is that we will be back on the road a massive 8 days behind the loosely put together plan. Tonight I'm going to light a bonfire (not by the Enfield due to the possibility of igniting it) drink the remainder of my beer and get an early albeit 'refreshed' nights sleep. As you can tell from the bonfire quote it's stopped raining! Keep on with the posting comments bit as they really are quite amusing. I'll pick up the empties as we leave and notify the council that we won't need to be added to the voters list. Byeeeeeeeeeeee

(Simon) 17/09/09 I blame my parents for my current situation! Had they purchased me the Evil Kenievel stunt cycle I so desired as a child I wouldn't have rebelled as much as I did and motorcycles wouldn't be as much a part of my life (Read- obsession) as they clearly are. Had they acted more appropriately and not worried about indulging me my wishes the 'devils transport' wouldn't be as much a part of my life and I could now be sat at home with a nice warm cup of cocoa an empty garage but a nice sensible Ford Focus on my driveway. But no it wasn't to be and as a result I find myself trapped in a very wet southern Germany spending time with an idependent financial advisor and his '500' piece Royal Inafield jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle incidently had a few pieces missing (due to vibration) and some rather damaged pieces (due to owner neglect).

As you can no doubt tell, I am bored, sat once more in my local internet cafe and have just finished my second language class at the local college (to help pass the time). We also had a visit from the council first thing this morning and are soon to be paying the local council tax and will appear on the next published voters list.

As for the bike........................We were told (yesterday) that the ordered parts (from the UK!!!!!!) 'MAY' turn up in Ulm (about 60 kms away) today (Frii). As a result my 'Teddy and the pram' briefly parted company and another Royal Inafied dealer was located. He had all the required parts but was located North of Frankfurt. I set off at 11am and rode off with my usual high quality (not) map and arrived at 17.30. All parts purchased and then the return leg. Once the sun had set there was little to navigate by and the cross country route was difficult as I couldn't see the compass or map (although it's really not that good anyway). At 23.30 I made it to the campsite popped 2 or 3 beers down my neck and crashed. Rich (once awoken) informed me that he'd spent the day participating in a 'tourist' film for the local area / campsite and generally lying around and reading etc. 462 miles and a great deal of time in the comfy transalp seat. A long day but one that was much needed. All parts are now with the bike shop and the barrel is being rebored. It's pouring with rain but we should be on the road first thing tomorrow. If there are no updates for a day or two it's because we'll hopefully be riding east. As riding yesterday I remembered that there's a sticker on my GS back home that reads' He who's faster travels alone'. How bloody true that is!

If Charlie and Ewan we're doing this with us we could've got our mechanic to fix the bike or just used the spare one! If the parts were needed the support truck or helicopter could've popped to get it whilst we had our hair done or got pampered by the make-up artists. Oh well let's not be cynical, although whilst on that point our Dvd and book will conveniently be available from all good shops just in time for christmas. Let us also not forget the cologne I'm considering ' The spirit of adventure' or has that already been done by some actor type motorcyclist cashing in? Cynical? Me? :-)

No news is good news and we hope to be on the road tomorrow. Vroom vroom blah be blah or in Richs' case putt putt ding ding and hopefully not a BANG!

(simon) 15/09/09 I'm thinking that seeing as I'm spending so long in Germany I ought to enrol in a local language course! I have perfected the ordering of pizza and found out which shop sells the best and least expensive beer. German pills in plastic bottles with a screw top lid. Surely designed for intrepid motorcycle adventurers (but this duo are unfortunately going nowhere and as a result have too much time on their hands). The parts have been ordered today and I will hopefully ride off to collect them tomorrow from a place about 100 kms away. It'll be good to ride again and have an empty pillion seat as the lightweight (now there's a lie if ever I saw one) ifa is being a back seat passenger. The parts will then be taken to the engineers where hopefully they'll rebore the barrel and assemble the head with the new valve seats in place. Then Rich will be able to put it all together and we should be on the road again. I'm hoping to be moving again on Thursday but think more than likely Friday. We will then have to do some serious riding to catch up on lost time and get this trip back on track. I don't like having too many 'plans' but Rich has already booked his return flight from Delhi!!!! I'll probably arrive in India then have to leave again and reapply for another visa as I was only granted a 3 month one which at this rate may expire within a day or so of arriving. It is not a good idea to overstay your visa so there could be more hard riding to Nepal or a cheap flight. On arrival there'll be lots to do in respect of the bikes carnets and possibly shipping but I'll gladly worry about that then as it'll mean we made it! I'll hopefully type again soon with some positive news. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(simon) 14/09/09 What can I say! It's now raining and I've retreated once more into the internet cafe which is about 7 miles from my small cold and very damp tent. The campsite owner checked out our website and this morning kindly gave us 50 Euros for our charities. That caused some joy to an otherwise down trodden moment in the proceedings. Rich did pass comment on the ammount of German Beer I'd consumed on a sunny Sunday but it was like a much needed anaesthetic and helped pass the time. There was a swimming lake, bar and foolish people bungee jumping. I suggested Mr Evans have a go but attach the twangy rope thing to his neck and jump. At least then I could crack on and leave the Royal Inafield (preferably 6 feet deep) behind and Mr Evans 'hanging around'. The parts needed are a piston a rebore a couple of valves and then pop it all together and run it in on our way east. I have suggested that a reduction in weight ought to take place and seeing as Rich is unlikely to shed the required ammount in the next 48 hours (although he surely would if he was in India) I think it best that he leave his folding ten litre bucket behind! I am unfortunastely not kidding, who takes a bloody collapsable bucket on a motorcycle trip to India! I've yet to cast an eye over his other items but feel a treat is surely awaiting me.

A big thank you to all that have helped track down Royal Inafield dealers in Germany for us and we are hoping that Marcus (a Honda dealer wouldn't you know) is trying to locate the required items this afternoon and have them couriered to us asap. Fingers crossed that we may get this show back on the road on Weds afternoon. Watch this space. Ok it's time to head on and find my seat by the lake. I'll update soon.

(Simon) 14/09/09 Well, so much for speeding through the bits of Europe that we've already seen! Richard's bike started overheating before we'd even left the country, and on Saturday it broke down. I should make him write this section and admit that my comments about Enfields and our bike choices were spot on! Today we should find out about parts and hope to get hold of them tomorrow - with some luck we'll be back on the road on Wednesday. Cross your fingers again, please! Not a great place to be stuck either, but at least it's Germany, so the beer is good..

(Simon) 090909 The day has finally arrived and I'm packed up and almost ready to go. A few last minute things to do and then it's a few goodbyes and off we go. It is such a great feeling setting off in the knowledge that our paperwork is in order and as a result we only have to think about the route, bikes, traffic and from my point of view, at least TWO months with a financial advisor! At least we don't have a bike to bike intercom. Please if you could, pass our details on to all your friends and family and if they'd like to donate a few pounds I can guarantee it will go totally to their chosen charities. This trip / fundraising will (for my charity ASHA) help make a difference to the urban poor of New Delhi and help enable an excellent charity to continue in its work.

For those that know me well..........................vroom vroom blah de blah ;-)

(Simon) 8th September 13.00 hrs Ye hhhhaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The lovely Iranians have just this second approved our visa applications! We are sooooooooooooooooooooo happy AND relieved!

(Richard) 7th September! There are only so many times you can pack and repack your panniers before your wife says STOP. I think having all my luggage in the lounge was not best idea and a bit too much of a reminder that I am just about to set off on what people keep calling the Holiday of A Lifetime. Anyway the last 2/3 weeks have been pretty manic, at the point of writing this we are still waiting for our Carnet and my Green Card. However we do have Pakistan visas and that’s no mean feat. The bike has been sitting outside for the last few weeks. The MGB has had to go in the garage ready for the winter. It seems strange to think but that’s what it will be when we get back. The bike may not look a 21^st century piece of modern machinery, but she has character. Some people call it lacking brakes, electric start or even much power but I like it. Well at least I do now. How I will feel if we make it to Delhi is another matter. Anyway Wednesday at 2pm the talking is over. Not however the fund raising. We really hope that you will log on and besides leaving your comments will also donate a few quid.

Why not visit the office at 2pm this Wednesday to see us off? It's 91 High Street, Worle, Weston Super Mare, BS22 6ET.

We hope not to emulate Ewan and fall off in the car park..

(Simon) 25th August. Where is the time going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really mean it this time! We leave in two weeks and there's still a great deal to do. My crashbars have yet to arrive but the rest of the bike is done apart from a set of new tyres in the final week. Ian popped over last weekend (with 7 month old Owen) and we set about the wiring for the spotlights. I say 'we' but I mean him as I was relegated to tea maker and child care duties. Now that really is a worry. The wires are live and hanging out of the fairing and I've today had a text to say my crashbars are being posted from the Czech republic TODAY. Fingers crossed etc etc etc. Without the bars I can't bolt the lights to anything.

As for the trip 'planning' we both now have our Indian visas and our passports are currently in Birmingham hoping to be stamped up with the Pakistan ones. Our Iranian ones are still being processed and we hope to collect them in Istanbul. It hasn't all gone quite to plan but fortunately it's all getting there. We are both now really getting excited about the trip ahead. Hopefully the current political situation on our chosen route won't prevent us from completing it but we are ever mindful of how things are at the moment. More fingers to cross. Anyway that's enough for now and I'm off to check out the foreign office website for any updates. We need to make the most of the internet during this period because once on the road I really would like to avoid looking for internet access.

Oh and shock horror....................the financial advisor has at last typed something out. Well done chap!

(Richard) 29th July, Well this may have been a long time coming but at long last I am starting to get some updates on. We now have only 40 days left before the off and things are starting to hot up. I've been sleeping in garden for the last few days,trying out a fabulous new sleepmat called Exped Synmat, expensive but worth it and new tent which will hopefully be up to the job. Mrs Evans was delighted as it meant no snoring from me!

The bike just needs a sump plate fitted and a new MOT just for good measure. Despite Simon's concerns about the number of spares required for an old Enfield Bullet I get the feeling they would be easier to get hold of on the trip than a Honda Transalp. The Bullet has been geared down slightly and all being well should cruise at about 100kph,roads permitting. The bike really is quite standard apart from that so it will be interesting to see how it copes,as well as how the rider manages.

Fund raising has been slow to start but things are now starting to escalate. We have had local press already, soon to be followed by Local radio and if we can some TV coverage. Anyone with any contacts in that respect then do let us know.

I'll be out on the bike at the weekend to get some miles in, and also visit those nice people at J & S in Filton for some good wet weather gear, not sure if its for UK or the trip. More to follow

(Simon) 28th July- Where is the time going? The last month has been hectic to say the least but at long last things are starting to settle down and I've a bit of spare time hence this update. Most people could type out this blog thing in no time I'm sure, but my one fingered typing skills means it takes ages. So to do the update bit in some sort of order,

1. Still waiting on news of our Iranian visa application. Having seen comments on the lonely planet site we're not alone. We are still 100% confident of success and the backup plan is; there is no backup plan. This will happen! If you've a globe or world map to hand, check out the other possible routes. Route a. North of the Caspian sea through the 'stans' into North Pakistan (hopefully avoiding most of the swat valley for obvious reasons) then into India hopefully avoiding the chill of the Himalaya. Route b. Ferry from Spain to Morocco then North African coastline to Egypt then Jordan Saudi and Oman and hope to get a ferry to Mumbai. Both options are difficult to say the least and both would require additional efforts in relation to visas etc etc. Add to that the extra distance and time required (time we don't have) and you'll hopefully appreciate why we are only having positive thoughts ;-)

2. The transalp project is ongoing and I'm hoping to have the crashbars (once delivered) fitted in a couple of weeks. The bike will then be assembled, used on a short trip then restripped greased up and checked over. It'll be fine I'm sure. Richard's Enfield was recently checked over by Alex Castle of Frome. Alex is one of those nice older guys who just clearly love old bikes. He hasn't got the internet or any interest in it but if you know him and read this please pass on our thanks. He's a star. I think the guarantee on Richard's bike was 'it'll get you to dover'. He then said I think; "In a van". He had a smile on his face everytime he said anything about Richard's choice of suitable bike for the trip!

3. The reliant passed it's mot and is a hoot to drive. There have been a few performance enhancing modifications made to it and it's driven around (it's my only car) publicising this site. The '3 wheeled sports saloon' helped generate £22 to the total from a kind diver at Vobster Quay and an old lady at a village day. Most people appear to decline any offers of lifts in it so I get picked up by others for any nights out, FANTASTIC! This really is the best car I've ever owned. There have been a few faults since ownership but these 'incidents' have been rectified. Out of politeness I am prevented from explaining how I intended and set about fixing the lack of water in the radiator (it sprang a leak whilst out) but fortunately Des (Frome bike breakers) turned up and it wasn't quite so bad. The vehicle has a 'whale tail' spoiler which needs to be seen rather than explained. I'll try and arrange a photo on this site if able.

4. Richard is still reluctant to type anything out on this site despite my best efforts. He types faster than me but his excuse is that he doesn't wish to damage the site. I will put more pressure on him as this appears very one sided.

Apart from all that there's no real news. We are actively now trying to publicise the event and hoping that the sponsorship will gradually increase. Please tell as many people as you know about this site and why we are doing what we are. Both charities are superb and will hopefully benefit massively from this event. Please remember that 100% of all donations go to the charities concerned and don't forget that nice giftaid tax bit!

(Simon) 22nd June - It would appear having logged on that Richard is failing to type anything on this blog bit and is clearly leaving it to me and my one finger. I'll discuss this with him when we meet up later this week and maybe even show him the aforementioned digit ;-)

Well, the last couple of weeks have been a bit fraught with work things but I am now well and truly immersed in this once again. There is still so much to do and whilst we still have well over two months until we leave my list of 'things to do' seems to increase daily. I need to also say a BIG thank you to Ian (wing leader 1 judging by the comments) who has helped fit the panniers once more to the latest rack on the bike. He has a new baby at home and a very understanding wife (Hi Caroline) but even I thought I was soon to have a house guest. The new rack is so much stronger than the previous Givi one and should do the job nicely. I just need to now work out how to fill the extra holes in my boxes. Hopefully now I've saved his relationship and say how lovely his wife is he'll be allowed into the garage soon to help wire up some spot lights.

The bike had a run to Ripley for the HU meeting (www.horizonsunlimited.com) at the weekend and it went well with no issues. I took everything that a man needs to camp in a field next to a pub and had a good weekend. I'll be travelling a great deal lighter to India! The weekend was great and I met some well known motorcycle travellers and others who were just doing their own thing. The only bad thing to come out of the meeting was hearing that a couple have just been turned down for their Iranian visa. I think that the current situation out there may've been the reason and clearly hope we're not as unfortunate. I think we'll leave our official application for a few weeks.

Anyway we'll soon be attempting (and hoping) to raise some publicity and awareness of our charities and targets. Whilst on that topic if you see a man driving around in a brightly coloured (orange white and green) Robin Rialto that'll be me (well it will be if it passes it's mot tomorrow). Fingers crossed and all that. No rust though I guess?

(Simon) 4th June - I've been putting this Blog entry off for sometime now due to not wanting to get it wrong and cause damage to this website. For those of you that know me you'll appreciate my one fingered typing skills (yes that finger!) are not the best but more worrying for me is the lack of assistance from those clever people at ASHA who supervised my earlier entries, oh well here goes....................

I am now very much back in the UK and enjoying the cooler weather and catching up with friends and family that I haven't seen in ages. In regular updates from Delhi most days are now well into the 40's but not as hot as previous years when it has reached 50+. I experienced a summer like that out there and it's staggering. The people already have so much to cope with on a daily basis and then add the heat to that and I really don't understand how they do it. Interestingly there is a goverment policy that says if it's over 50 there's a day off! Guess what.........the temperature never 'officially' gets over that but I've seen 56 on my thermometer and even with a minor allowance for inaccuracies we should've all been off work. Things have been a little manic since my return working out not only the route but also our visa applications and the carnets that we both need for our bikes. Add to this the ever growing political uncertainty in certain areas of our proposed route and it all gets a bit complicated. I'm rapidly coming to the usual thoughts of what will be will be safe in the knowledge that Richard's on a slower bike is slightly bigger and thus an easier target! On top of all that there's the bike, I'm currently being pressurised (in a nice way) to put a picture of my Transalp on the site but the problem with that is it's scattered all over my garage. I'm in the process of assembling it and hoping to give it a test ride later this month and heading up to the Horizons unlimited meeting in Ripley. Say hi if you see me.

As for Richard.................well let's just say he's scratching his head with a persistent electrical fault with his bike which is causing concern. I've supplied him with the log in details for this site and hope that he'll type out some of his thoughts soon.

Anyway that's enough for today and I'll type again soon ;-)

(Simon, from Delhi) 24th April- A message to the 3 Uk guys I met at Lalli Singhs in Karol Bagh New Delhi today. Hopefully you'll read this and get in touch as it'd be good to hear how you got on? First time in India, hitting the ground running and starting a 9 day tour in the heat and chaos of Indian roads on bikes (Royal Enfields of course) that are a bit alien to you. I'm thinking you're a little crazy but what the hell.........nothing ventured nothing gained.

Incidentally I was at Lalli's collecting some spare parts for Richard's bike in preparation of our trip. I think he maybe a smelly travelling companion as there's not going to be any room left for him to carry a change of clothes or shower gel. Should anyone read this blog bit and be interested in biking over here you ought to give Lalli a call as he's a gentlemen and a bit ocd when it comes to his bikes which when you see the other things going on you'll be glad of. www.lallisingh.com

(Simon, from Delhi) 17th April - We're a bit concerned that some people are put off by being asked to split their donation between both charities, so we've amended the JustGiving pages to remove the request to split donations between both charities. We'd still love it if this happened, but we don't want to put people off donating altogether! Thanks to everyone who has donated so far, anyway - both charities are already past the £100 mark, so it's a good start.

(Simon, from Delhi) 8th April - the trip has been put back a day, so our leaving date is now 09/09/09 (quite fitting for some...) Simon

(Simon) 6th April 2009 - first update! I'm very happy, as from sunny India I've managed to buy a proper alloy sumpguard. Thanks, Ebay! Simon