[HowieUK]

Hi all,

trip is going well although I got sick for a few days - getting better now! Trouble is I'm stuck in Daman - resting up!  Beach is a dump - shame!

Only one internet shop there now, (the one in the RG has closed!) that is full of gamers and the kids are off school so I will have to wait to Pune to write up trip log and experiences.

Going to by-pass Mumbai I think?
Any thoughts on that?

Howie

PS will return PM's when I get better internet access!

Howie

[captmahajan]

HowieUK, on Oct 16 2006, 12:16 PM, said:

Going to by-pass Mumbai I think?
Any thoughts on that?
Howie

..always a good idea.

[Judi]

Sorry to disagree - but I loved Mumbai when I visited (the little I saw of it    I was sick by the time we arrived, and spent most of the four days in bed ).  

However, Howie - as you are going to be based in Pune (????? I think ?????) then you should have fairly easy access to Mumbai in the future, so maybe it's  not too big a deal to miss out on it now.

Hope you are recovering well.  Take care  

[YETI]

Bombay/Mumbai's worth seeing. Once.

You'll be dying for a beach and a bit of peace and quiet after that! Unfortunately, the beaches here aren't much better at the moment - the monsoon's washed up all manner of debris and there's no sign of any beach-cleaning going on just yet.

Still nice, though. The weather's really improved a lot this last week.

Give us a shout if you get to Arambol and fancy a pint, Howie.

[vinayverma]

Mumbai with a 500cc enfield is not much fun..I'm with you Howie..give Mumbai a miss and you won't miss much.
Would you be doing Ajanta and Ellora caves on your way to Goa? I would recommend that.
If you are heading south from Pune, maybe the first beach on your way could be Ganpatiphule. Check it out if you can.
All the best,ride safe and get well soon.
keep posting
Cheers

Edited by vinayverma, 17 October 2006 - 11:09 AM.

[HowieUK]

Hi All,

Been to Mumbai (or Bombay as everyone still calls it here in Gajarat!?)
a couple of times and as I know, big cities are no fun on a bike!

So I will bypass there and go via Pune to Goa although I just got email the job is no longer on (I told you the guy was a slippery customer! After all he is third top man at Coventry University on about a hundred thousand UK pound a year for sitting on his butt all day, you can never trust them guys unless it's seriously to their advantage but I have the feeling someone put the knife in for me as I tended to tell people there what I thought, as I came from a shop floor production machining background where people actually had to work for a living and moved into the "realms of academia" later in life!(No I'm not bitter ; ) ))

I will definitely stop by for a beer with you Doc in Arambol as I haven't decided whether to rest up for three months in the North or South yet (somewhere quiet with a fan and electric point for laptop and a bit of space to cook,but a rideable distance on the bike for a bit of action if required!)

I was also thinking of Agonda?
Any thoughts people?

Hopefully I will be able to check the site tonight otherwise it will be in Pune where I'm heading off to in the early morning and attempting to do it in a day (Fed up of these roadside motel places - so hit and miss!)

Cheers Vinay will also check out Ganpatiphule

Take care all

Howie

[priya]

Pity about the job offer Howie........guess that's what happens when you speak your mind and someone else has a guilty conscience!!

Sounds as tho you're feeling better seeing you didn't mention any further problems and are up to travelling again.

Happy travelling and let us know if you manage to catch up with Dr F.

[Judi]

Sorry about the job, Howie .......  and I quite understand why you are feeling bitter    However, hurry up to a good internet connection, so you can start telling us about your travels again, please

[HowieUK]

Not bitter at all. in fact the guy has put the thought to me that maybe I can do a better job of student recruitment than is presently on offer!
I know Cov Uni got ripped off in Africa big time by a recruitment firm and nothing was done about it! and now they are apparently associatiating with the same firm there that has changed names and locations!

Something wrong there I think, money passing hands maybe?

I love both Coventry and India ,so will try to make a difference.

I am a "Coventry kid" and want the best for the City and for future students that may attend there! (although maybe I will have to look at other Universities/Colleges) Some people have more power than me!

Howie

Judi, on Oct 17 2006, 09:56 AM, said:

Sorry about the job, Howie .......  and I quite understand why you are feeling bitter    However, hurry up to a good internet connection, so you can start telling us about your travels again, please

[Judi]

Hey, that sounds great!  I'm sure you could do a brilliant job at it ....... a real breath of fresh air, and your commitment to both places shines through.     Go for it .........  

[YETI]

HowieUK, on Oct 17 2006, 12:47 PM, said:

I will definitely stop by for a beer with you Doc in Arambol as I haven't decided whether to rest up for three months in the North or South yet (somewhere quiet with a fan and electric point for laptop and a bit of space to cook,but a rideable distance on the bike for a bit of action if required!)

Shouldn't have too much trouble finding somewhere like that in Arambol. A lot of the village is a pre-season building site at the moment but it's getting there, slowly.

I'd take my time on the way down and check out some of Maharashtra's fabulous beaches if I were you - just aim for the coast and stick to it; there's some practically undiscovered gems out there. Facilities will be minimal (if not totally non-existent) but you can't beat having a few kms of beach all to yourself.

Give us a shout when you get here. I practically live in the Dream Catcher on the beach. They do nice cocktails.

[HowieUK]

Hi Folks,

I made it to Pune from Daman in one go arriving eventually at eleven am, having set off at at nine-thirty the pevious night!

Reason being I had an altercation with the manager of the hotel in Daman who insisted that I arrived there the day before I did, even though I had a receipt from the previous hotel with the date on it that I left!!
Make sure you insist on receipts when you pay your bill as I had to get the police involved on principle, even though it was just 300rps involved!

Anyway I decided to set off there and then as I was also partly convinced it was the heat of the day that bought on my S&D due to lack of fluids.

It was a great ride during the night with less traffic although a little more scary on the roads, and stopping to ask directions at three in the morning was slightly daunting!

I haven't the time to go into all the details of the ride at the moment as I just walked for an hour in the sun to find a cyber café! Of course the one in the Rough Guide near my hotel was no longer there and the other one looked like a fifteen minute walk turned out to be a good hour! (I will get an auto rickshaw back!)
I will have one more moan the hotel Gulmohr in the Rough Guide is the pits and nothing like its description! I don't look for anything grand (quite the reverse!)  but this place is dog rough and about 800rps a night without AC, a board in the window where the curtain was strategically drawn over with a big hole in it and dodgy en-suite. I took it as I was so knackered after the bike trip and had rode round Pune's heavy traffic for an hour in the sun and had had enough!
Leaving on the next stage tomorrow morning!

Moans over for now! I will head back for the coast road then Doc, to check out some of the beaches in Maharastra, but I definitely want a fan and an electric point as I want to get my Laptop on-line via wireless (and be able to charge it) wherever I stay! Hope to see you in about a week in the "Dream Catcher"

Full report will arrive eventually on the trip but the best ride was definitely through Rajistan up to now!

Howie

[YETI]

Nice one, Howie.

PM me nearer the time if you want a couple of guesthouse recommendations. Failing that, just ask for Jamie in the Dream Catcher and they'll know where I am.

[kullukid]

Hi Howie, really sorry to hear about the job I know you were looking forward to it, but you don't seem to be letting it get you down, that's the spirit!
One observation I have made when in India is that "nothing matters" or at least not like it would if you were in the U.K. & you lost a job, in India you just seem to move on with ease.
i'll give you an example:
Last year I planned to fly to Delhi stay 1 night train to Amritsar stay 1 night train/bus to Mcleod stay 1 night, then catch the toy train from Palampur to Jogindernagar which was the main reason for taking this route, i've been on the Shimla toy train a few times & on the 1 upto Ooty so I was really looking forward to this 1.
From there I intended to bus to Manali stay 1or 2 nts then to Keylong for 2or 3 nts then continue round to Spiti & then double back on myself back to Manali for 2nts then down to Bhuntar where I had booked a flight back to Delhi for 2 nts, again this is something I was really looking forward to since the year before when I had planned to do it, but unfortunately couldn't due to a dam bursting it's banks just over the Tibetan border & flooding the whole area & destroying quite a few roads & bridges crossing the Sutlej making the area inaccessible, so I had put the trip off for a year. I had spent months excitedly researching & carefully planning my route transport etc like you do!

Here's what actually happened: I flew to Delhi only to discover the airline had left one of my bags (containing my sleeping bag which would be a neccessity in cold Spiti), back in London. The staff at Delhi airport said "tell us the name of your hotel in Delhi & your bag will be delivered by courier in the next few days we will ring you at your hotel to let you know it's on its way" I explained my travel plans & the fact that I would be in Amritsar the next day & Mcleod the day after. "No problem it is our responsibility to deliver your bag safely it will be sent to you by road courier" Hhmmm, i've heard those 2 little words "No Problem" before & didn't want to take any chances, so I told them I would wait in Delhi. After several pointless phone calls to the airport over the next 2 days I was getting nowhere so I thought I better take a taxi to the airport & get this sorted. Have you ever tried getting into Delhi airport without a flight ticket? Not easy! as you can probably imagine, anyway I eventually got an ARMED ESCORT! upto their offices somewhere deep in the airport. Luckily the airline woman I had filled the lost luggage form in with was on the reception & remembered me, after a long heated debate with no definite answers I was finally told the bag would arrive on a flight the following night & they would deliver it to my hotel in Delhi, which they did, I had now spent 4 nights in Delhi! Which were very pleasurable I might add. I was running late now so decided to skip Amritsar this time & press on to Mcleodgange, the previous year I had stayed at Pemathang in Mcleod, so this time I thought i'd check out Bhagsu. I booked into the seven seas G/H went upto the rooftop restaurant ordered a Malai Kofta & Mango lassi followed by Banoffee & sat & studied my itinerary. The weather at the time was wonderful in Bhagsu a complete contrast to the year before when it was constant mist & drizzle followed by an occasional torrential downpour. I like it here I thought, I could get used to this, maybe I could alter my itinerary ??? Let's see if I only spend 1 day in Manali which i've seen before anyway & 1 day in Keylong I could spend 2-3 nts here in  Bhagsu & still do the Spiti circuit in time.
Anyway 4 nts later i'm still in Bhagsu having a ball of a time, on the 5th night I told the manager who was from Palampur originally that I would be leaving early the next morn to catch the first train from Palampur to Jogindernagar, so could he give me a 6am call & arrange a taxi to Palampur. The next morning everything went as planned the taxi arrived & dropped me at the station for around 7.50am the train was due at 8.10am but I then discovered the ticket office didn't open until 8.30am. Oh well they'll probably let me pay on the train I thought & went & sat on the platform to wait to the train. It got to 8.30am no sign of the train but the station was beginning to liven up & the ticket office opened so I thought great now I can sort my ticket, so I went upto the little window & asked for a ticket, "sorry train delayed until 11am, you come back" was the reply, so I asked the station master if I could leave my bags in his office & went for a walk round Palampur & some breakfast. I got back to the station around 10.30am & retrieved my bags from the office & went & sat on the platform at 11.15 the station master came upto me & said "sorry no train coming, train cancelled", well when is the next train due? sorry no train coming today. Oh well I thought & jumped on a bus to Manali.
When I arrived in Manali I booked into my fave place the Sunshine Guesthouse, intending to leave for Keylong the following morning, that night I took out my itinerary again & thought I am really pushing it now if a bus breaks down or there are more floods or severe weather conditions I could miss my flight back to Delhi. Perhaps I should spend a few days in Manali & then head for the Parvati, after all i'd been wanting to do the trek upto Malana for quite a while, last time I was there the weather conditions weren't right. So this is what I did, I spent 8nts in Kashol & overnight in Malana & met some very friendly Israelis (YES IT'S TRUE!) who I trekked to Malana with, I had a wonderful time & got to visit another place I had always dreamed of.
Finally I had to leave Kashol, so the night before I rang & confirmed my early morning flight back to Delhi  from Bhuntar to Delhi, I got the 1st bus out of Kashol at about 6am arived in Bhuntar walked upto the airport gate where a man came running across to me to see what I wanted.  "I am manager of Jagson Airlines sorry no flights today", "Why?" I retorted "I only confirmed last night & was told everything is O.K."  "Technical difficulties Sir." The strange thing was there was no-one else waiting for this flight. "So how do I get a refund?" I asked. "From Delhi office" came the reply. "But I don't have time I fly home in 2 days & now I will have to take a bus to Shimla & set off for Delhi the following day" I said "Please wait Sir", he made a few calls from his mobile "O.K. I will arrange refund in 1 hour please wait here"So I pointed to a restaurant across from where we were standing "I will be here." I went in & ordered a omlette with green chillies & a chai, thinking well that's the last i'll see of him, while they made the ommelette I sat with a Jewish woman who told me she was waiting for the Shimla bus arriving from Manali, so I nipped out to the booking office next door & luckily managed to get the last available seat on the bus. I went back to the restaurant just in time for the ommlette been served, I just finished my food when who should appear at the door? You guessed the Jagson manager with a fist full of rupees, just as he finished counting it into my hand the Shimla bus pulled up at the side of us & I was on my way.
So getting back to the original point I was trying to make (Sorry Howie i'm not trying to hijack your post here but you know how I sometimes waffle on a bit!) bit by bit my original plans changed & I never got to visit certain places i'd been longing to see, I lost my luggage, I missed a toy train that I desperately wanted to catch & I missed a flight, but at no point did I panic or become annoyed or angry or depressed I just totally accepted the situation & moved on & ended up fulfilling other dreams by accident really, maybe it was just time for me to visit Malana, Jamlu the presiding deity had decided now was the time for me to visit, who knows? Maybe this is why India is called "Spiritual India" by some, because somehow it gives you lessons that make you more tolerant & teaches you to accept your lot whatever comes your way, whereas if you were in the U.K. or similar these things would agitate you & play on your mind for no real reason.
Anyone out there had similar experiences?   KK

[HowieUK]

I agree with you entirely KK!

I don't feel in the least put out by what's happened here although in England it would cause me a major panic!

I just arrived in Kolhapur and staying in the Woodlands Hotel (Up-market for me!) so will be in Arambal in probably two days (Doc!)

I decided with all the luggage I'm carrying it's too impracticle to drop in to beaches on the way as I have to keep the bike in sight?

The journey down the NH-4 was brilliant except getting out of Pune where I had my usual difficulties and loads of traffic even at 6am in the morning!!

I much prefer riding the Enfield at approx 80 km's per hour (that averages out about 50 k's per hour over a distance!)  on reasosonably good roads than at 10 km's per hour in the mountains (each to his own!)

Loving every minute! (except paying over a 1000rps for tonights B&B!)

Maharastra was probably my favourite ride to date better even than Rajastsan!

Love you all

Howie

[tstan]

Have a great run down to Goa, Howie.

When I lived in Northants in the early 70s, I often used to drive over to Coventry to visit a former neighbour who might have been the template for Manuel of "Fawlty Towers" though he came, not from Barcelona, but from Salamanca. Do people still call each other "my duck"? I thought that that was very quaint.

Enjoy a few Kingfishers with the good doctor! You are living the dream of all of us middle-aged motorcyclists who cut our teeth on Triumphs, BSAs, AJSs and Matchlesses not to mention Royal Enfields.

[YETI]

HowieUK, on Oct 20 2006, 03:08 PM, said:

I just arrived in Kolhapur and staying in the Woodlands Hotel (Up-market for me!) so will be in Arambal in probably two days (Doc!)

Erk! I'm just heading off to Palolem for a few days! You're staying in Arambol for a while, though, aren't you? I'll probably be back in 4 - 5 days or so, maybe less if Palolem's been totally demolished.

Sorry about this Howie - I hope you're still here when I get back. There's still loads of good, cheap accommodation to be had in Arambol. Rs. 200 - Rs. 250 seems to be the going rate. A bit more should get you a nice view.

[HowieUK]

Just arrived in Arambol!

Need a few days to get acclimatised for instance I have no clean clothes left and need to do a few things on the Bike!

So send me an email when you arrive back doc and we'll meet for a drink or two!

Let you know where I'm staying when I find a place!

Howie

[vinayverma]

That was quick Howie...
did you fly or ride ?
Cheers and enjoy

[YETI]

Will do, mate. Should be back in 4 or 5 days, roughly.

Sorry about this - bad timing on my part.

Palolem's nice, btw.