the next instalment

hello all
i'm in the uk for a while
shall be back on the road in feb
egypt
jordan

look back for more

bo

ok uk what

hi all

so ive been back over a week
naaah
this western life is not the realisty we all
need. I ve been blown away that folk are still coming back to this site
thanks and i shall update it soon.

namaste

bo

sanitized tube

so i took my sanitized tube in the ether. crossing
towns i want to see and missing folk who may never know me.
all was quite, conditioned and quick. for a moment i was lulled into thinking it
is sanity but then again the sirens song always seems good to those that jump!


back in the uk it seems so quiet.
clean, controlled, spacious and controlled.

i must have done this thrity times and yet the marvel of
coming through the time zones and the strange
cultural portal never ceases to amase me.


in a way i ask,' did it happen?'
was it real so far, distant, mad and fantastic.?

its all out there waiting for you!

bo

cycle

well folks
this trip is almost over but the cycle goes on!
As most of you sleep i shall be winging my way across
the globe back to a similar time zone.

AS per usual its been a more than amazing trip.
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time and patience to read
this garbled script. All the typos and bad
grammer that really aren't a part of my literature
normally could be found here as i just sat and pored it out.

Also thanks to all the many thousands of folk who
were behind the scenes. The myriad indians that slaved to take this
silly fat white carcas overland.

the sound track for this trip cannot be found in any shops
but you can illegally download it all using some bit torrent clienb

let me know if you want the tracks

i may also be running travel tours in the future so stay tuned
if you fancy a go at the madness of asia or africa

the next posting should be the epilogue and also
some pictures for your fun viewing

cheers

bo
-----

p.s all comments welcome

leave your emails

rick shaw

yes my name is not rick shaw but if you have been to india then you know it could be
as everyone wants to know me as richard shaw
i guess you have to be an india traveller to get that one.

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

Well folks
today i did something that i never do
i shopped. I have never wanted to nor do i want to again
as its such an empty rediculous thing.
i mst have used half the richshaw drivers and also
unbelievably i got them to use the meters.
my teeth nearly fell out on that one.

these guys are merciless when i gets to trying to barter
i guess im getting on a bit and know the ropes somewhat.,

but when it comes to shopping
well its a waste of energy
when all around have nothing

goodness knows how folk back home
with cash do it
they have the amount that i have in rupess in dollars
and they can have anything they want
talk about hollow

anyhow

im beat

more before i fly

bo

Ganges back

I've thought about rafting on the Ganges for many a moon
so for my b'day I decided to give it a whirl.

this lovely river is green here
strange how it glows
I can recall it from varanassi being dog shit brown
but over here it still has the charm of its source and
doesn't contain the pollutants that are found further down stream.
I found a very pro outfit who have a joint
venture with a western company
the equip is good and also the people seem to be very well prepared

it was just myself and a south African girl who were on the trip
so I liked the idea of some solace on the river away from the hoards.

we met in the morning and drove north for 45 mins
before dis embarking and being givend the basics for rafting.
they had a neat machine that worked off the battery to blow the
baby up so it was nice to just relax and see the guides
not have to blow it all by hand.

the boat was nice and the tow other folk besides us and the driver
were apprentice Indians who were new to the rafting trade.
so we got on and into the main current.

the Ganges has a strange kinda south American feel to it when you get away from the roads
and folk who inhabit it. Monkeys on the shore and all manner of birds.( I even saw some
hornbills on my way back which is a big first.)

the river is 23kms from our boarding point back to rishikesh
a few grade three rapids and also some shanti small stuff that you can chill on.
so we paddled
we got wet
we got cold
we got warm
we smiled
screamed with fun
hailed the river
got wetter
and eventually I decided to just get in and drift
this green river just let me in and I flowed with the current
for about half an hour.
half an hour of mellow observing and spending time
watching the greenery.

when I eventually got back in we found our way to
some rocks that folk jump off

I felt like a 12yr old again in the rivers of England
when I walked off a 20ft drop and screamed to the river
yummy. Very nice

when we eventually got to rishikesh
I could smell humanity in the river
smell the folk
the incense and they waste


time to have a chai and watch it all
from the banks

I have a cold now and a slight ache
but the price of being reborn and
anew is worth it

om

bo

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......