mop top india head

coming upto rishikesh by train I sat on the train
and realized how much india had changed.
the wealth from the top has trickled down
and reached the masses in many ways.
my train was busy with middle class Indians and
a few travellers. it was along cry from my early days when
I took me a day of wrangling to get the ticket issued and
then a hard wooden seat as I had invariably been given
the wrong class.

on this occasion I had decided to go with the middle
class Indians to get back amongst them after delhi's 'scene'.

it's my favourite way to travel the train. the transience of everything mirrors back so
much of my life and experience. fun looking out at the affluent new houses
staring down at the effluent new houses by the riverbank
awash with plastic and crud. This really is the land of opposites and extremes.

having got to haridwar in the night
it took a little mad conversation to realize
that we cant go in one taxi as that's against the rules.
i.e. they have a monopoly and know how to rip the traveller off.
feigning disgust and acting my best I put on my
dr Livingston routine and told them it was pathetic.
how can you get annoyed over 3$?
eventually I was streaming my way past the river up
and by the Disney hotel( I shit you not) and the water theme park that has
been erected for the rich. Then by so many lovely weddings illuminating the night
with madness and light. Eventually I got to rishikesh or is it Tel Aviv?
anyway I was the only Englishman in an area that had about 100 Israelis
all celebrating the end of yom kippur. So it was indulge and bulge
those of you who know india know what it can be like!!!
(more for another time)

anyway I got a room with arather nice solo Israeli traveller
and am spending the few with him sharing
its a pretty place here, with the bridge and all.
its obviously changed so much since the mop top
scousers made it famous
you cant throw a cat without hitting some yoga teacher
or ashram.
-------------------------------------------------------

bo

birthday

hello all

well today is my birthday.

at 38 i have been travelling 'solo' for 22 years.
yes i am an old fart whos young at heart.
at this time 38 yrs ago my older brother was outside the small house i was born in
asking my mums friends if he could call me batman as he didnt want a brother called peter.

i've been blessed to visit over 50 countries
in my brief time on this planet

its still beautiful

thanks for following me

much more soon

bo

lullaby

a small excerpt from my completely new journal
which is rather odd as i never kep a journal.
iam fortunate in that i can recall everything thats happened
almost!

I feel that in many ways back home we are asleep, anaesthetised from
the realities of the planet. Society's trick is to keep us dulled
and away from seeking real answers,meaning and fulfilment.
When i travel I 'wake up' and see the dawn, feel raw to the earth
ans sky -all the pain and wonder of life hits me and passes through'

i'm in rishkesh now.
ohh dear beatles what have you done!

more soon

bo

lumbering mass

still in delhi now

the shatabdi express is the very fast version of the
japanese bullet train. (It actualy moves at 60 miles an hour but
for india that is very fast indeed!)
It's an experience as its full of rich indians who are overweight and get
almost everything done for them. Yes folks its all about the cash on that vehicle.
So each time i come here i try and get at least a journey on it just to juxta pose
it's internal existence compared to the realities outside the window.
there is something quite sick about it actually.
fat folk moving around on a bubble of air conditioned metal
while outside folk scrape to make ends meet.
in many ways i can see the parallels with the rich in the west.
we all live in debt and the rich float above looking down in a bubble of
anaesthetized nonchalance.
the staff onbaod had to work flat out as in my 5 hrs from amritsar to delhi
we had three meals of quite a good quality. they also served drinks and pandered to the rich folks demands. the extreme difference between rich and poor here is very obvious
whereas in the uk we hide it behind debt and a stiff upper loin cloth.
the lady next to me for the first half of the trip was a doctor who had just moved to canada.
we talked of corruption and the billions that are creamed off here by the elite
as the poor cant even get a meal.
a little bit like how the us government gave over 110$ million to build
the superdome donw in the hurrican hit south and yet folk havent even got
enough to rebuild homes or for basic eminities.( will someone please wake dreamland america up
to the realities that it shares alot of the third world issues with india!!)
anyhow the other guy next to me was a website database cha who did some work for the
uk companies in leeds and yorkshire my hometown.
small world hey?

so we ate too much
felt fine in the ac
moaned about the long journeyish?
then the rich had their bags moved by coolies
and i walked off back into the screaming mass of humanity that dwells
on the sidewalk near the entrance to the olde world charm that is the
indian railway station

you have to come here
soon to see it before its all gone

bo

olde delhi

its been a day of sweat ,walking and even more walking.
yes delhi really is hotting up. a walk around olde delhi is always an experience and an insight whe
you look whrere there was once a temple there now stands a mc donalds. another temple hey?
i had a full day of visiting then went on what can only be called a fantastic underground system
from olde delhi to new delhi. clean mean ac transport machine.
hard to belive that it used to be a mad struggle to get from a-b(it still is but its easier now!)
then on for a quick pizza at the moern mad pizza hut which beove it or not you have to book as its so full of rich indians talking english and trying to be western.
tonight i shal watch a game in some ac wonderounge and then go off to the north for some fun on monday.

more soon

bo

sweaty betty

hi all

i am sweating my cobbs off here in delhi

this is the earliest i have been here in the late season and its still too hot
this place is changing very quickly.
macdonalds etc...
it seems to be beggin season full on here at the moment also
much more than when i was last here some months ago
in a move to beat the heat i shall be going up north
alas my ankle is proving to be somewhat of a problem
possibly it will go down in the heat
buti cant get very far with my back pack and
day sack
so its probably a hill station
up past rishkesh

of course i may have to watch the match on sat?

who knows

more fuckwhittery from the edge
soon

bo

punjab pete

well folks i'm here in sweaty olde punjab and i must say its charming!
the roads are great the seikhs are charming and the place is generally very laid back.
the seikhs have a huge work ethic and itshows on the infrastructure.
Also they are extremely warm open and friendly.
I cant recall a religion that allows acess to its deepest religious area with so much charm
warmth and welcome. The golden temple really is a nice must see that i fully recommend.
Believe me tehre arent many of tose about.
I walked around the temple inside and out with my cam and most folk just smiled and welcomed me
alone.
I could have eaten with them but instead i went to photograph the kitchens and the cooks.
such a lovely spot to get away from the heat.

i am blsting back t delhi for a few days to reconsider my next move.
ive almost accomplished everything on this part of my journey so i'm
going to regroup and work out more skullduggery in delhi.

more soon

bo

Dr mahoons squint clinic

yes folks I am staying in a small overpriced place in chandigar
near the famous doctors squint clinic.

Thos place is trully bizarre.
wide open streets..everything is miles apart
rich indians many of them seikhs
walk along the shopping malls and look at overpriced western clothes shops like
adidas and reebok,also lots of silly copies.
it never ceases to amase me how they strive to lok
and act like us. jeans cars hair breasts skin colour face
talk walk shit etc.....

amasing the power of the western culture.
I actually ate at subway which i woulld NEVER
do back home but it had some nice curry mixes here.

so i am off to amritsar in about an hr or so.

let me know how you all are and if you are still finding this fuckwhittery interesting

more soon

bo

ryder cup

hi all
i have just waatched europe retain the ryder cup again.
(In between trying to scare a troop of monkeys off the
fence near my room)

it's getting a wee bit cold up here
good to see that its 30 degrees C in chandigar
I hope that all your weekends are nice and relaxing
as mine have been watching footie and smiling at the wildlife.

I hear interesting things from chandigar
it was actually designed by lecorbusier(spelling is terrible i know)
so i am looking forward to a new experience in india.

Then it's onto the amritsar and its history of seikh holiness.

more soon

stay warm

bo

repeat

this is the second blog ive done today
the last one was cut off by a brief power cut.

i'm in simla now
which is similar to oxford in the hills of the lower himalaya.
this place was built by the british to house
the empire on the hot monsoon days that come here
in the summer.
its a cool alititude hill station that is
a little cold and a little creaking in its
attempts to maintain the order that the
empirialists created.

it does have some classic old buildings that date
about 200 yrs oldand an old church called christ church.
monkeys everywhere, pretty cheeky too.

my ankle is kinda sore so i think no
trekking and a move to a slightly warmer climate.

so its looking like chandigarh
then onto amritsar
for the golden temple.


im a little dizzy and may have a smal ear infection but
i can tell you of that soon

anyway better get this on the web before i lose it al again

it shal be a tad more interesting soon

bo

random converse

this is an actual conversation i had last week while i was on the bike.

I pulled over for a rest and a drink in a smal village
above the place where I was staying.

'molestation sir?'
'I beg your pardon?'
'molestation!'
'not for me thanks!'
'no! molestation sir?'
'really i am fine!'
'no, the meaning of this word sir?'
'in what context?'
'the meaning of which this word is coming from?'
'Yes but can you show me the article'
he then showed me the article that he had seen in the paper.
I tried my best to define what this school teacher may have done.
he looked on and thejn turned to his collegue.
'Messing sexually with the minor'
only india can offer this off teh wall oddity

-------------------------------------------------

i walked into an empty post office.
waited at least five minutes patently for the chap working over the
counter on his computer.
he looked up annoyed and asked me what i wanted.
I need to know the rates for parcels,' I asked.
he looked at me and said that i should be at the next counter.
i walked over and waited.
2 mins later he walked over and looked at me and asked
'yes please?'
the same guy ? it was monty python incarnate.
ony in india hey??

bo

handsome and bright

can you belive it?
this is the new cream to make you whiter in india
talk about gross cultural ignorance and greedhead nonesense.

well i am moving tomorrow down to simla.
its geting a wee bit chilly here.

there will be more stella fuckwhittery from there
now i need to catch a movie and pack some stuff
its the bus for me

till tom

bo

movies

now that i can see my ankle i have been able to get back on the bike.
Yesterday I wnet up the valley looking for possible climbing routes
for a future time. The bike(another model now) was slipping out of gear
and i was having to adjust for cows, shep, people etc so it was
a good tester for my ankle.

The weather is glorious now so i
had a lovely time gently caressing the hills with my enfield.
On entering the pass not too far from the end of the valley I noticed a commotion
on the left. Some three hundred folk were congrugated with all manner of
technical equipment. I pulled over and investigated, camera at the ready.

Within tow ticks I found myself on a movie set. The director invited me on and they
allowed me to observe the shinnanigans and commotion.what a fascinating experience watching ego and technology move into action. there seemed to be two people for ever task. everyone needed a private unmbrella holder and even a telephone dialler! This being india
were the labour is cheap the meant that almost everyone had some form
of slave or fetchit.

I stayed for 20 mins walking amongst the technicians and shaking a few hands.
it was an interesting site but after my time on movie sets some ten years ago
down in hampi(another story) i soon tired and jumped on my bike and headed into the hills.
the valley here really is lovely and i managed to find a few paragliders gently riding the hills
anbd enjoying the sun.

very nice

bo

fidel castro

saturday night was an interesting experience.
I had heard of this small palce some 7 kms
south of whre i am that showed satellite tv and premier league
football live. So i got in a suicidal rickshaw and sped over ther
for the kick off.

On arrival I heard this crazy roar from the crowd and on walking in
i was deafened by full speakers blasting my head off from
one of the main football grounds in London. Bizarre!

I met a scot that I had bumper into up the high passes
and iordered a drink. The strange thisg was this place could have
been any local anywhere in the uk. The obvious difference
was that when you look to the left of
the screen you had the himalayas and some amazing views.
not quite what wwe have at the three horseshoes hey.

just as i thought things couldn't get any better
they closed the curtains and a gian screen appeared for the second game.
the volume went up and everyone settled down for a few hrs of footie.

Of course this is the himalaya and soon almost everyuone in the joint
was rolling a joint smelling the whole joint out. It's alwasy
odd sitting in a public area watching several of the underbelly
figures skin up with absolutely no fear
or regard for the law.

Before long the whole place was adrift in hash fumes.
Not being a partaker I observed the atmosphere alter into
a more chilled amsterdam vibe. Then across the bar
i noticed a weak looking figure with the white beard
and frail hands.
Imlloed at the scot next to me and said, 'either you have slipped me so
me of that shit or else thats fidel castro.'
He looked over and with a stoned stupper burst out laughing.
'fuck me, i knew that old git was laying low but this is rediculous.'

The evening went on in a simlar vein with the sublime
trying to outdo the rediculous.

--------------------------

epilogue

last night he was sat behind me again.

i belive he is following me for advice on the present social
impending crisis to hit cuba. I'm not for talking......

hop along mcdougal

with a leg like long john silvers
I have been walking around the town with
most folk looking at me like i was naked.


It looks as though the sweeling will take a while to go down
but i am doing fine.

woke from an amazingly deep sleep this afternoon which is very usual for me.
so im going to be up for a while tonight.


----------------------------------

observations

coca colas only uses

killing bad stomach bugs

cleaning silver and old rusted metal

------------------------

why so much noise in india?
(after riding the enfield i have come to some more conclusions!)
why you need a horn!

-indians are used to so much noise so if you dont
honk you arent there?
-indians are partially deaf
-indians have no give way ideas or habits
-indians have little road sense
and i mean those coming onto the road as paedestrians also
-its a free for all(cluster fuck) with a few chances to get there

im sure there are many more

well is shall have to replan my route through parvati valley and get some ideas
as to the next three weeks or so

shall be online tom

stay smiling

bo

flying

today it rained. I dont care as its been a lovely few days for me here.
in many ways i feel quite satisfied with many of the things that i have done.
I went for a walk around the markets today. Sadly after leaving a small shop
i went flying on the wet grime that characterises so much of the small
areas around these mountain towns. I keeled over in the rain and didnt move for
a sec not sure if i had broken my ankle. luckily no!

The great thing was after a few secs a few kind indians came rushing out of the shops
to assist me up and shake me down. lovely folk so nice.

'sir you must come to my shop and wash your hands!'

It's sprained and I wont know how bad till tomorrow.

C'est la vie

i should go and rest now

stay well

wherever the sun is shinning

bo

Royal enfield 'bullet'

The big bomber

For those of you who are not familiar with the Enfield motorbike
I can tell you it's one of India's most endearing road features.
Gifted to the Indians by the british this wonderbike can be
hjeard up and downt the land blasting its sound, something
between a helicopter and a tractor.

Well yesterday was my turn to be free on this mechanical beauty.

My guest houyse owner took my word when I said I was going to
rent a bike and immediately offered me one of his three. He took
me over to his front drive and gave me the oldest meanest looking
motherfucker that you have ever seen. This thing had to be the
chain smocker of all enfields. It looked like it had been set upon by
several drunk rednecks with basball bats.

He started her up and then gave me a go. It was a no go for me.
These babies are much different to your normal back and the
gearing was all lose and old. Five times later I had it going only to
get to the gate and let her stall again. Not bothered I let in the clutch and
drifted down the hill and began my odyssey. For five minutes before it konked again.
I had a whole family watch me as I wrested to get it into neutral.
Ten mins of messing around burning hands and tired legs and I moved
it off onto the mad roads of manali.

Few folk can ever have felt the freedom of the unadulterated road
on an enfield. The traffic was mad for the first few miles. My sphincter had
a very good work out trying to undserstand what to do as two trucks overtook on
a blind hairpin as I was coming around the turn. Not to mention the cows,chickens
children,goats and all manner of farmhouse attire. There's notrhing quite like shitting yourslef
a the sight of a cow slowly blocking your way as you try and hammer on all breaks and force the bike through a 2 foot gap.

Soon enough I was out of the city and away up higher into the thin air that rims the valley.
Truly free, hair blowing, ebgine blaring and my smile bigger than the empire state I found
it completely exhilirating to be back in tyhe saddle after a 4 year break. The last time
I had been in Nepal with a piece of shit yamaha where as now I was on a big
boy blating through the passes.

I stopped along the way for drinks and often to get the gears working again as
they were old and alittle lose to say the least. It was a little like a lucky dip trying tofind neutral again!! But the road called away into the distance and I followed beaming along.

I eventually got to a small viallge called naggar which has a castle on the top that has been renevated. I parked at the bottom and walked up the steep slopes to a fantastic wooden place on the hill. Behind it I walked through a small town that was seeing swift development.

I looked up and there on a balcony was a smiling face asking me what I was looking for.
Within minutes I was up talking to him about renting houses and trekking in the
high passes that surround the kullu valley. Sadly he had lost his father ten days before so
we sat and talked about life and the transient nature of it all for some time.
It was a very moving time and we shared some of our experiences before I took off and
drove back up the valley.

I stopped at a strange shop that managed to catch my eye as it sold /down home made
mountaneering equipment. AS I walked in the owner came from nowhere and started teling me of his times with the world's great climbers,(he also had pictures to show me of them!) WE sat and chatted for a while about the changing valley and the face of climbing today. Nice, relaxed and comfortable.

Tehn it was on and oof back to my home village for the evening movie and meal.
I was flying and the sun still shinning had burnt me as I flew through the cool
waterfall air before I began the steep ascent upto vashisht.

With less than 200 meteres to go I thought I had done it
with hardly a gear missplaced. Then as I came round the lst corner a huge cow
had decided to blockj the road! I pulled up stalled and it took me ten mintues
to get the beast back on the road. Yes that cow had beaten me and taught me a vital lesson.
always watch out for cows on blind hairpin bends in india. I wonder how many bikers have been
caught out by that one.


hmmmm

Bo

the little guy

I have just come back from a rather nice hike to the higher base of the
waterfall that i visited the other day. it was nice and early,
refreshing like a cup of tea and there wasn't a soul in site.
I walked past a new school being built by local people for there children!
Yes I think this is what made me think once again about the sense of community these
people have. Out here for the local who isnt milking the toursit this is
a hard back breaking existence with the reward of life and a short respite from more
work that will continue untill death. Yet, these folk seem to be able to rise above it.

I am a rich tourist-For years I ahev called myslef the walking dollar
as in effect that is what we are. We bring some 'hope' and at the same time we
bring inevitable distruction greed and false pretense in that our fast food
fast life fast no spce existence will bring us somehow closer to being complete.
Much of what we have and give to the world appeals to the simple urge we have to eat
consume and maintain before the next drought, famine etc... that need has been hijacked by
greed heads that run or is it ruin our beautiful planet. It's not easy here as I moan about my 18hrs across the passes or that fact that I have a back seat on a bus, but when I look out at the masses that work in absolute squalor with no silly pension plan car or mortgage I see that the simple life is in many ways much better. When we have achieved food warmth and shelter and safety for our family we often become indulgent with the surplus that we generate leading to what we have now. I am rambling but due to my own experiences I really do empathise with what the 'common man' i.e. 99.999999% of the planet have.

in your day try and think of those half naked folk who toil on the worlds highest passes
for 10p an hour putting down asphelt manually in all weathers.


i have changed


it is the only constant


b

monk on a motor bike

In the mood for the hills I headed south along the valley floor.
Although raging development has made it into somewhat of a race for
construction rights the valley is still somewhat of a beautifull place.

I even found a holiday inn which was rather trippy being out here sat amonngst
the hills. Eventually I found the small village that I had been looking for;
Jaget sukh. This small place is fast developing and famous as it has a british
pub owned by a a brit that shows premier league football. Yes my team maybe
arse attack bad but i fancy a long session with one eye on the mountains and the other
on the tv. All you football fans understand the calling? Don't you?
anyway, i had my ten rupees shave and the hitched back to town on three separate
rides with people smiling the whole way home. A quick feed and then a walk through the
markets and a rickshaw back up the hill where it's a bit cooler.

i'm a bit too tired now but will fill you in with some inner observations tom

bo

small rain thoughts to pass

I woke this morning to see that the mist had descended from the
peaks to blot the valley out below.typical english weather came down
and was eventually burnt away by the sun.

I spent the other day on a small hike to the waterfall round the back
of of the hot spings here on the valley wall. Very nice walk indeed!
when i got there pristine glacial waters housed all manner of
wildlife. Dippers dipping, dragonflies flying, wagtails wagging.
I just sat there and read played in the shallows for an hour or so with
my trusty kiwi/oz companion who has now gone back to sweaty delhi.
what a lovely time. The valley is home to all manner of beast. Looking up
you can see eagles and hawks in the heights patrolling for the odd carcas.
the waterwall seemed to go on for ever and the rocks each side seemed to be
ideal for sport climbing. more virgin rock here for the fit and luney!!

It made me think of the distance we have put between nature and our
unsustainable life back home in the west. WE have fallen away from what was once a rather interesting marriage with the wild. Living in boxes, moving in boxes, motivated by fear and wants we are divorced from the chance of some kind of union with the cycle s of life.
Theres much more to this theme ....

lets hope that the power stay on and i can write more later

i am off for a walk now to a small village some miles south.

stay smiley

bo