TravelStream™ news feed for member simonmain1 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/simonmain1 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:06:01 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236574680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236574680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236574680/tpod.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:06:01 -0400 India

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Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

Well it was outta Updiapur on the local bus for me and Melissa.  We had paid a bit more (well like 4 quid for a 8 hour journey!!) so the bus was relatively comfortable with seats and then little cabins above for people to sleep in - the locals seemed to cram 3 or 4 people into these little claustrophobic spaces.  About 2 hours into the journey we came to a halt on a mountain road.  I got out to see what was going on and there was a crash up the road.  A truck had lost its brakes totally and had ploughed into the side of the road.  The whole cabin was decimated (see pics) but the locals assured me the driver was OK and there was no sign of blood on the road.  It took 20 mins or so to clear the axle etc off the road and we were on our way again.  The buses in India are very like those in SE Asia, they just plough ahead relying on a super loud horn and a bundle of nerves to drive other road users out of their path.We had left to early for breakfast so by 2pm or so I was starving when we pulled into a little town for what I thought was a lunch stop so off I wandered down the road picking up samosas and fruit as I went.  As I sauntered back to the bus I saw it was starting to move off as it turned out this had only been a quick toilet stop and apparently Indian buses don't wait on you.  I jumped into the moving bus as it passed by to see a rather glad looking Melissa!We arrived in Jodpur in the later afternoon and managed to find a nice room relatively quickly.  After Udaipur Jodpur wasn't really doing it for us I have to say...it was just so hectic with people hassling us at every step we took so we resolved to take in the fort early the next morning and get outta there to hook up with the Scottish girls in Pushkar.  Taking in anything early in the morning was always going to be slightly tricky with ultra chilled Melissa but in the end we managed to get breakfasted and out into the streets.  The streets were awash with overflowing sewers; not shit type sewers but just wishy washy dishwater type sewers; my only idea on this was that they must only supply water to the city in the mornings which would make sense as the city consisted of 2 million people camped in the middle of a desert.  Jodpur is all about the fort which towers over the city majestically.  It was definitely well worth coming to town just top see the fort.  It even seemed that some Indian women were allowed to see the fort.  For the 1st time ever I had one of this little audio tour things for the fort and it was brilliant.I had put a deposit down on a bus to Ajmir at a tour office in the morning but we got chatting to a local who told us that this bus would drop us way out of town meaning we would then get ripped off getting tuk tuk into town for the link to Pushkar so in the end we jacked off the deposit and just headed out to the local bus station.  Within minutes of arriving at the bus station we were on a bus to Ajmir...so much so that I didn't even have time for the toilet.  It seems that locals just make way and seats for westerners when you enter a bus.  I think this comes down to the fact that the locals buy standing tickets so if you stump up the extra few rupees for a seat you will always get a seat.  Still it was a bit of a squeeze with our bags at our feet etc for 6 hours.  The locals were all silent until I went for a piss 3 hours in; when I got back on the bus Melissa was surrounded by locals vying for her attention such that she had already had to explain to them that me and her were engaged to be married.  It is simply amazing how lecherous the men can be and how this instantly evaporates the minute you say you are married to the girl in question. It turned out that we were surrounded by a bunch of jewelry salesmen who had been down at a camel festival punting their wares to westerners.  It was bloody amazing to hear them talking in English, German. French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean as well as their native tongues.  They didn't even try to sell us anything and were really nice, buying us tea and snacks in exchange for Mel rolling them cigarettes.  Every time someone educated came on the bus they made their way up the bus to try and chat to us.  I ended up with phone numbers and email addresses of half of Rajisthan.  We arrived Ajmir in darkness and then got a connection to Pushkar on a real;ly small and crowded bus.  Fortunately we met a nice lad from Delhi who made sure we got off at the right place and then lent me his mobile so I could ring the girls as the txt messaging system in India appeared to have given up for the day.  It was great to hook up with all the gang again.  Pushkar was a funny little place.  It seemed to exist mainly for Israeli's to go smoke wacky backy, eat falafel and buy clothes.  I phoned ahead to the girls hotel and sorted out a room for Mel and me but by the time we had eaten and made our way up to the hotel the owner was totally whacked out on something and didn't remember my phone call and had put someone else in the room.  He offered us a minging store room but in the end we all just squeezed into the girls room for a cosy nights sleep after an entertaining lassi on the roof terrace.   We got up at stupid o'clock in the morning and went to catch the sunrise followed by a jump in the tiny swimming pool for me and Angharad.  The sunrise was actually quite boring but meant we were up, packed and on the go by 9am.  The girls still had their driver so they shot ahead of us while me and Mel jumped on the local bus to Jaipur.  It would have been nice to stay and chill a bit longer in Pushkar but I have a feeling the scene would have started to get to me after a bit anyway.Pics
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236148980/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236148980/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1236148980/tpod.html Sat, 14 Mar 2009 00:57:25 -0400 India

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Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

I was very excited to get on with the Indian railway experience.  As I had just jumped onto Melissa's plans i took her ticket down to the station (avoid all the touts telling me I was at the wrong place and to go to their office instead) and asked to be booked onto the same train.  Not a problem it was but it was a nice surprise when we got to the train and found that the kind gentleman had shifted everyone around in the carriage so that we had top bunks opposite each other.  The locals seemed to think it was very strange that we should not be traveling in air conditioned first class but it seemed fine to me.  The quality was not quite as good as China with no bed sheets or anything but I had my silk liner anyway.  The usual snoring and people getting on and off all night prevailed but I had a great nights sleep as a result of my buff over my eyes and Dido in my ears.  We arrived early in the morning into Udaipur but already it was in the 30's.  Find a hotel was relatively easy, after checking out a couple of grotty places we settled on Panorama which had an ace roof top terrace and the room was only 7 quid a night with a view over the lake to the City Palace.  We should have bargained this down a bit but we just needed a shower and feed after the train ride really.  Personally I was sold on it by the Scottish couple walking out as we arrived who said they had been coming here for years and that it was the best place in town (well maybe not quite as there are some gaffs in town changing $3500/night for a suite with swimming pool etc).Soon after we arrived a bunch of ace Scottish girls (Angharad, Becky and Tina) arrived on the scene.  It was very bizarre to be sitting looking at the palace where Octopussy was filmed discussing the merits of Buckfast!!  Every night at 7 all the hotels show Octopussy, feels pretty cool watching the film and looking at the scene in real life at the same time.The Scottish girls were just a laugh a minute.  You would never mess with Becky, Angharad (my fav quote of her was 'it only takes 20 minutes to get drunk') was constantly smiling or singing and Tina is simply the most photogenic girl I have ever met. The second day there a couple Michelle and Steve turned up; Steve an ozzy and Chelle a Geordie.  All together we formed a perfect little group.Udaipur was just brilliant.  A very relaxed place to be.  I even got up early one morning and went with Becky to sample a bit of the old yoga.  I was pretty damn useless at it and the geyser running the show even said to me 'success is not important'.  Other than that we just bimbled around looking in the shops; me watching the girls buying clothes and jewelry.  Me and Steve went into the town proper one day and saw gun shops, butchers where they were slaughtering goats to order. One of the local lads in one of the little bars by the lake, we will call him Casanova, spent a few days trying to get us to 'play party' with him.  Eventually we agreed to. What a laugh we had.  We bought a couple of bottles of Indian rum (which was a nice treat as really I hadn't been drinking at all since getting out here) and Angharad showed us how to get drunk in 20 minutes.  We all ended up on top of a roof terrace dancing with the local guys till the early hours.  The dancing was all Bollywood style which as you can imagine I was a natural at.  There were no women there apart from the westerners which seems to be a bit of recurring theme in India...woman can only be out and about having fun until the age of 15 it seems.  Me and Angharad woke up on the roof terrace with the kitchen guys asking us if we wanted breakfast - no thank you and straight down to bed.After 5 days in in Udiapur it was time to say our goodbyes and leave. Melissa and me had been intending to head off to Jaiselmer to do some camel trekking but we had now run out of time to get up to Jaipur for the Elephant Festival so in the end we got a 7am bus to Jodpur.Pics
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1235986200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1235986200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/3/1235986200/tpod.html Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:59:18 -0500 India

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Delhi, India

Well, off Simon goes again.  The flight out to Delhi was great, exit row seat etc.  The transfer in Zurich amounted to a sprint through the terminal to the plane which was waiting for me to take off...made it with second to spare and even more amazingly my luggage made it as well.   I landed in Delhi at 1am and was glad I had had the foresight to book a driver through the hostel...there he was waiting for me meaning I didn't have to negotiate the scam merchants waiting outside the airport door.  It took us hours to get out the airport car park and was getting on for 3am when we pulled up down the dirt track that led to the hostel.  We then wandered up a few alleyways before arriving at the Smiley Hotel...we had to wake the night porter up and he just bundled (yes literally bundled) me into the room opposite reception...I wasn't too happy about this but my protests just resulted in him taking my bag and putting it into the room for me...so it was a fitful nights sleep as every arrival (all European flights into Delhi seem to arrive in the middle of the night) involved much talking outside my room.  I got up in the morning had some breakfast (free with the room but a very disappointing bowl of cornflakes and omelette sandwich...who the fuck comes to India to eat cornflakes with warm milk??) and went found the manager to see if he would change me to an upstairs room...he said 'of course you can have a new room boss' and took my money and passport info and then got his lackey to show me up another few alleyways full of sleeping dogs (and a guy with a bucket of blood from somewhere) to a totally different hotel!!  And such was my introduction to Delhi ...A walk down the street didn't help as it was just full of hawkers praying on the lone pasty Scottish tourist...where are you from sir?  I just want to talk with you...I don't want to sell you anything...oh yeah...well why you talking to me then you muppet...   In the end I went back to the hostel to regroup, thought I'll get on the internet and tell everyone how miserable I am and low and behold got talking to this girl from Devon...she was waiting on a German girl who was going to show her the way to the train station so I asked if I could tag along and that was me sorted with some friends.  German girl didn't last too long though...I called her 'Plan-a-Lot' cause she was one of those girls with a set of objectives and temples to see everyday.  Melissa ( Devon girl) was much more like it, she was happy to just bumble around aimlessly all day soaking up the real India .  Once you get out of the mayhem touristy part of Delhi people no longer hassle; except for the constant staring at the girls but that didn't affect me.  We went for a saunter down into some slums; some old man grabbed me and said he wanted us to go down take a look and then think about all this stuff they say in the western media about India being prosperous...goodness me, some people have a hard life but then again I saw many more smiles than you would walking through Didsbury on a Saturday afternoon.  All the kids were playing cricket.  One thing I did wonder though is where all the women were...the streets are just a sea of men...I guess they just stay at home all day...maybe they don't want to get their amazingly coloured sari's covered in the omnipresent dust that blocks nostrils.    Evening in Delhi start with a shower to was off the days dust and then progress to one of the numerous roof top restaurants where you can watch the cows meandering and dogs molesting from way above.  The food is just incredible....curry for breakfast, lunch and tea...all spicy with fresh nans etc.  And the restaurants are laid out so that you can chat to whoever is near and exchange travelling gossip.  I personally love all the old Scandinavian hippy types who have been coming here over the winter for 20 odd years.  I met one couple who had build a house in Pushkar and were very keen for me to go visit them...I was tempted till I spotted the swallow tattoo on the guys hand and then he started going on about how green my eyes are...   On the first night in Delhi we also met an Austrian guy and a girl from Hackney...as all the restaurants close at 11 we went back to the hackney girls hotel and got one of the hotel boys to got get us a bottle of beer each (these same hotel boys had kept knocking on the Hackney girl's door in the night etc when she had been there alone...being a women traveller in India is not that easy)...they did it but at double price (still less than 2 quid for a massive bottle)...Awe chatted till the early hours and then braved the hordes of dogs (who seem to sleep all day and bark all night) to get back and wake up the resident lads sleeping in the reception of the hotel to get in.   I didn't really get into the sight seeing in Delhi .  I went to the government house area which is so extreme to the slums it is hard to comprehend...all manicured and perfect with only rich Indians wandering around.  Some you Indian girls did ask me to come join them in their walk but I felt a bit weird as men here don't like westerners near their women so declined the offer politely.    Then it was time to start thinking about how the hell I was going to get out of Delhi...initially I was going to go to Varanassi where they burn the bodies on the Ganges but started to hear bad stories about that being a tourist trap so was going to go to the Taj Mahal but in the end I just decided to jump on the same train as Melissa and head down into Udapur in Southern Rajasthan...not the direction I was supposed to be going in but hey ho....Photos here
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198464060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198464060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198464060/tpod.html Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:43:41 -0400 Starting in Thailand...ending no one knows

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Ranong, Thailand

Well if Phi Phi was heaven what to call Phuket!!  It was like landing in a different planet, from the chilled atmosphere and cobbled streets to bustle, hassle (mainly from Inidian tailors trying to to get your business  - 'Hey mate, where you from'...yeah mate, I'm from Manchester and wanna buy a suit for my job...what job...), Swedish families on holiday and sex tourists.  Got myself booked into a reasonable gaff and went for a walk, was looking for a Thai mobile phone but all I could find was tourit tat.  So in the end grabbed something to eat and went to bed at 8.30 as had to be outside the hotel for 6 in the morning for my visa run to Burma.The visa run was a bit like a military operation.  I was picked up on time in a flashy minivan complete with air con and first class sound system.  I was 1st pick up and was starting to get very nervous as the bus gradually filled up with various sex tourists (mainly old but one Italian lad younger than me who I got talking to and was explaining the delights of Phi Phi to him when he interrupted to ask me if Phi Phi had 'lady bars'; I said no its not that kinda place and he said he wasn't interested...oh what a nice side of Thailand he's gonna see in his three months in town!!) but the last pick up was two young Austrian chicks who promptly sat next to me and one spend the entire journey falling over on top of me while asleep which was much better than some fat sex tourist.  So we drove like maniacs (with ethe exception oif a short stop for breakfast..spicy food for brekkie..mmm..not that sex tourists had any as they reckoned 'it wasn't clean'...is shagging some Thai whore clean?!?!?) to Rangon where we queued up and checked ourselves out of Thailand, we then boarded our little bus again anjd drove to the harbour where we boarded a fishing boat.  All passports then went to some Thai man who kept saying prayers all the time who got off at Thai customs and police checked (all at different little islands) and then we docked in Burma.  Once in Burma we went to immigration entered Burma and then left again immediately...getting our pictures taken (I remarked to this guy Jim that I didn't think they had such technology in Burma and he said (a little too loudly for my liking) well it's a police state isn't it.  Me and Jim went for a quick walk around Burma, not much to report except little kids following you trying to get you to buy Burmese dollars (think they are worth next to nothing except as souvenirs), whiskey, Viagra and opium.  All aboard the boat again and the guys who had accompanied us then spent the rest of the journey either trying to sell us Viagra or stashing the packets of Viagra they had brought with them in hides in the boat.  I never new there was such a trade in Viagra but I guess with all these sex tourists it's what goes on.  Off the bus again and back to Thai customs.  Just in time to watch a cattle truck packed full of Burmese refugees being unloaded!  Back into Thailand again on another 28 day visa, lunch and hurtling down the road to Phuket again.  All in all 14 hours of journey. The lad Jim was quite interesting.  At first I thought he was some posh southerner rich boy but it turns out he had been in the RAF for 16 years and 2 years ago had finished his stint so him and his missus had been sailing round the world for 2 years.  It sounded idyllic, dropping anchoir on reefs and going diving etc.  Apparently its possible to hitchhike around the world on yachts' as people are always wanting crew....better get a job when I get back soon or else... Met up with Cuz and Heather (Matt's friends who have a flat in Phuket) for a couple of drinks in the eve.  They had their little boy with them who was really cute..and apparently doesn't get bothered by mossies which is really strange when you think how soft a babies skin is!! Anyway, as Phuket didn't really seem like the place for me I had booked myself on a bus to Samui for the next morning.  This was advertised as 5 hours on a bus which sounded fine to me...I didn't get a government bus (like I did down from Bangkok as getting from the beach at Phuket to Phuket town just sounded like too much hassle...silly mistake).  So I get picked up exactly on time, we pick up everyone else very efficiently and then we just stop while the driver and his lady friend get out and talk on mobile phones and look at maps.  We do this (with some short loops round the block in Phuket town, regularly buying those flower garlands to go on rear view mirror for luck) for 2 hours and then another driver appears...we then appear to be getting somewhere only for the driver to stop at his house and go in for 20 mins and come out with his phone charger...Ok now we're off...nope, next we go to the local polling station so that our driver can cast his vote!  Eventually we get off and batter up the road to Surat Thami...once in Surat Thami we bypass the ferry terminal and go out into the countryside and get chucked off the bus into a sort of little holding terminal where they charge you 10p for a piss (not me I went in the bushes) and try sell you taxi's in Samui (for 600bhat when actually it costs 100).  We sit there for 2.5 hours, good place to meet people but not ideal when you spend 14 hours traveling the day before and wanna get to Samui before nightfall.  Eventually a big coach turns up, all our bags go on the downstairs floor and we all gho upstairs to settle down to the Bourne Ultimatum (2nd only to the beach in films they play in Thailand).  We then drive at 30mph for 2 hours to a totally different port.  Once we arrive there we get tossed off the bus at panic stations as the ferry is about to leave as indeed it is.  I can only think that the whole scam revolved around giving them opportunity and time to go through bags in the bottom of the bus.  Mine seemed fine anyway...and anyway I was up for the day as there had been no one at all around in the hotel to pay for my previous nights accommodation...the 1st westerner ever to rip off a Thai I suspect (tho the guesthouse was called something Australian so it probs wasn't even a Thai owner anyway!!).  I spent the ferry journey talking to a Zimbabwean man and his Belgium wife. Once at the ferry terminal in Samui everything went smoothly.  Taxi for 100bhat without argument was a 1st.  Shared it with an Irish fella and some lads from Bristol who had been here before so gave me lots of info.  The driver had no idea where my 'resort' was so we drove randomly for quite a while before he asked enough people and we found it.  The place isn't bad.  Fairly simple wooden bungalow but solid, clean and no rates.  Resort backs right onto the sea.  Saw the end of the united game and went to bed shattered...a bit of a shame as I had some missed calls from Ronan later on.  The rest of crew arrive tomorrow..but rumour has it Ang couldn't find her passport..I hope not..http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23622&l=9a70e&id=593001738
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198143540/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198143540/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1198143540/tpod.html Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:38:21 -0400 Starting in Thailand...ending no one knows

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Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand

Well after the cunning escape from the Blue Andaman and the sunburnt ferry trip we (grant, alex and myself) arrived in Phi Phi.  Everyone had been telling us how busy and expensive Phi Phi was so I wasn't intending coming here at all.  However, its not like that really at all.  A room (the cleanest and nicest I have stayed in with TV the lot) is costing 17 quid a night and food etc is the same as all the islands.  Phi Phi is the current party capital of this side of Thailand and there are parties with fireshows, singing comps, nutella eating comps etc going on every night if you wish.  You can even drink free buckets (evil inventions that contain a half bottle of spirits in everyone; stick to beer!!) if you are prepared to get into the Thai boxing ring for a fight!! Anyway, Phi Phi is really nice compared with Lanta.  It has a sort of European feel about it as you can walk around little streets with stalls etc.  Really nice after having to go everywhere by bike on Lanta.  It was pretty much wiped out in the Tsunami so they had a clean slate to start with which helps.  It can be pretty corny with Irish bars etc but also has some really nice beaches to just lie and read all day. There are sexy women everywhere.  Me and Grant have made a pretty good tag team chatting them up.  I've even reverted about 10 years in my Scottish accent running around with him.  We've had a nice little group of friends here.  Last night we all went out for a posh meal (with wine and everything - unheard of in Thailand!!) and then to Hippies Bar, the Reggae Bar and finishing up in Carlitos.  After this me and Liz from Rossendale went down onto the beach with a couple of beers and this American couple joined us.  We were sitting there having a chat and stuff and next minute she starts stripping off to have sex with this bloke in front of us!!  Called it a day there and went back up to the street and told all the Thai boat taxi drivers to get themselves down onto the beach to see a bit of 'fucky fucky'. Anyway, onwards and upwards I have to get a new Thai visa before making me way over to meet the boys so moving to Phuket tomorrow from where I can do a visa run. Phi Phi pics can be seen on:  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23386&l=2d86b& id=593001738
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1196164080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1196164080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/smm_goes_east/1196164080/tpod.html Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:13:29 -0400 Starting in Thailand...ending no one knows

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Bangkok, Thailand

In Bangkok now.  Got here about 5 hours ago and had a few hours sleep. Feel fine and been wandering around looking for a bag to keep my camera and stuff in as feel a bit vulnerable with that see through virgin one.  Got my malaria drugs from boots for the next few months. Just had some food from a little street stand.  Had some kind of chicken thing and something that I reckon was pork but was only described by the fella as 'veraaa hot'.  The whole thing only cost 50p tho!!   It was, so having a large beer in the internet cafe now to cool down. Someone has just asked me for a pen, so I've spoke to my 1st person in Bangkok that doesn't actually work here!! My 'Boutique Hostel' is quite clean with air con.  A few mosquito's around but they haven't even tried to bite me yet; must be immune!!Have spent the last couple of days wandering around the temples of Bangkok.  All very nice and shiny gold.  Saw the worlds largest reclining Buddha today.On my second from last night in Bangkok I went and met an old lad I used to work with, definitely saw the other side of Bangkok.  His friend likes the lady's of Bangkok and took us to a few establishments, definitely eye opening but I ran away at 11.  Got home and went to sleep but then woke up and realised I'd not had any tea so nipped out at 3 am and for some daft reason bought myself a double whopper with bacon and cheese meal...just what you need when you need to go to sleep.  Ended up drinking 2 litres of water and sleeping for 14 hours.  So today was a bit slow but at least the heat of the day had gone when I eventually got out and about.Getting really fed up trying to upload photos to this thing, you should be able to see them following this link anyway:Went watched The Beach in a pub and then some other crap film called Dejavu with all these traveler sorts in a hostel living room.  Didn't speak to anyone like!!My last day in Bangkok has been quite interesting.  I decided to go down the train station as I wanna get a train to Kanchanaburi (Bridge on the River Kwai land) tomorrow morning.  Jumped on the river ferry which was to get me most of the way there.  Got off a couple of miles down stream (managing not to get my ticket stamped...how these old habits die hard even when its only 10 pence; and it didn't even pay off as when I tried to use it on the return journey she knew it was from earlier and made me buy a new one anyway) and jumped off.  The walk to the train station was pretty good, through all sorts of little shacks with lathes and machine shops.  Each little district had different things going on; one would be pipes the next one sheet metal.  Everywhere you turn there are street vendors in these little wagons selling tat, noodles, whatever really.  Got to the station, by then walking with an English couple having a bit of a travelers sort of chat (you know, the where you been and all that), and these people employed by the railway company with official passes come up and try sell you overpriced tickets for the trains.  Everyone here is out to rip you off; but at least I managed to skip to boat fares today, eh!!  Anyway this girl comes up to me and tells me the standard train doesn't run tomorrow and that I have to get a tourist train instead...exactly what I didn't want.  I went to the desk and the girl there told me there were normal trains but not from that station (the original girl come up again and tells me desk girl is wrong of course) so off I go back to the boat again.I tried to go for some food in a street cafe but they weren't really having it...they just sort of ignored me, which was maybe just as well as I had no idea how the hell I was gonna order something!!  The other train station turned out to involve miles of walking through little streets along canals where the locals just have houses and little stalls backing onto the street or canal. Next to the train station (well it actually turns out to be little more than a piece of platform) was this massive market where it looked like people just sleep under their stalls, wonder if this would catch on in Didsbury...  Train is 3rd class only, nice and cheap at 30p or something for a 4 hour journey...most people seem to get tourist mini buses but am hoping there will be some other English speakers on it.  Not that I have much time for talking to people with my Errol Flynn book on the go...its like a biography of Liam Murray in the 30's!!Am eating very well indeed; I have even started buying bits of fruit off the street sellers, very unlike me to be eating fruit!!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216896060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216896060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216896060/tpod.html Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:47:30 -0400 John O'Groats to Lands End cycle ride

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Lands End, United Kingdom

At last we reached what should be the final day.  Despite our entire bodies aching from the previous day (this was the first day that my body did actually feel like it didn't want to do any cycling) we got up before 7 and packed up for the final time.   Fortunately Cornwall was not quite as hilly as the day before but it was still dammed hard work.  We did the 1st 30 miles without a break to Helston where I waited for the boys at Tesco.  Watching the lunches being served in the Tesco café we decided this could never match up to Morrison's so just got some pasties to fuel us to Lands End.    Once again Carl had a day of bad luck with the indexing going on his gears such that his chain kept coming off.  We reached Penzance about 2pm and met Dave with his kids Harriet and Toby.  We gave Dave the camera to take some pics of us as we crossed over the line (but somehow the wires got crossed, as they do with Dave, and he went to the beach instead) and set off again.  The run into Penzance hadn't been too bad so we ditched the thoughts of setting up camp before the final push to Lands End and carried all our stuff.  We were wrong; the ride out to Lands End was Cornwall at its hilliest again just to stretch our beaten legs to their absolute limit.  We did most of the last leg alone stung out as always with our own thoughts about the past 15 days going through our heads before meeting up just above Lands End to ride across the line together.  It was emotional if a little bit of an anticlimax.  We snapped the obligatory pictures and cracked open a bottle of sparkling wine before heading down to the beach for a pint while Dave took the kids into the sea.   It was now that it started to become clear that Phil and Carl were going to struggle to get home.  Angela had been trying all day to get them onto a train with the bikes and it was proving simply impossible.  Fortunately 2 very kind people came to their rescue:  Dave took all our stuff to Penzance and the bikes back to his house while Pete from Astek (GV's shipping company) offered to pick the bikes up from Dave's house and ship them back to Manchester.  Thanks to both of them.  It did mean that me and Carl had to make our own way from Lands End to Penzance.  We started hitching but then and open top bus came past so we got on that and went on an hour long tourist trip back to Penzance where Phil had got us into a dodgy little campsite in the middle of town.    After a quick shower in the portacabin it was time to get out amongst it.  We did all the Penzance night scene fortunately meeting a guy called Johnny who seemed to know everyone in town such that we ended up in a disco at the Longboat Hotel drinking dodgy drinks while watching Carl break dance.   The next morning we were awoken by the campsite owner coming round time and time again looking for the camping fees.  I went for a final Morrison's breakfast before we all got on the train, me getting off at Dave's house the boys going to Exeter where they had to pay 80 odd quid to get back to Manchester.   And that's it.   A final thanks to a few people: Absolutely everyone who sponsored us.  We all met our targets which is great. Stuart for meeting me in Laos and getting us all into this in the first place, without that meeting none of us would have even thought about doing this. Iain for lending me the bike. Angie for coming and meeting us and feeding us. Dave and Astek for sorting out the bikes and saving us a cycle back from Lands End to Penzance. All of the kind people we met on route who gave us discounted campsite fees etc. Morrison's café for fueling our journey.   The End.   Day 16:   Miles     57.15 Average           12.3 Hours on bike   4.38 Max speed       40.5 Total distance   1034.75  
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216809000/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216809000/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/simonmain1/2/1216809000/tpod.html Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:54:44 -0400 John O'Groats to Lands End cycle ride

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St Austell, United Kingdom

I woke up at 6.45 and immediately roused the boys.  We managed to be all packed up and on our way by 8.20 or so which was our earliest start for a while.  They were wise to us end to end types in the campsite as even though the woman who owned it wasn't there some bloke who was camping there came over in the morning to get some cash off us.    Since the beginning everyone had been telling us that Devon and Cornwall were going to be hilly but we thought we knew better having seen all sorts of hills in Scotland...how wrong we were...Cornwall is the hilliest place I have ever cycled by far.  There just never seems to be a stretch of flat at all, you just go up hills and then back down them and it just keeps going like that all day.  This day was definitely the worst (or maybe better termed, the hardest day) day we have had since the beginning.  Carl wants it officially stated at this point that he 'hates hills'.  The plan (formulated by Carl) was to avoid Dartmore but even though we tried to skirt around it on the map we still ended up on the plateau which meant for some beautiful views in all directions.   Not only was it hilly but it was hot as well; hotter than 30oC all afternoon anyway.  Our bodies are a right picture with all sorts of funny tan lines from helmets, gloves and cycling shorts.   Anyway, back to the day.  I set off powering up the 1st hill in the morning determined to try and get to Tavistock without a break and before the lads got there so I could chill for a bit at my mate Dave's house.  So off I powered and was going top dollar till I hit Oakhampton where Devon's useless signposting through me off track to start with (there is a real problem in Devon pointing you in the right direction and obviously this is made much worse by the fact that everything is hilly so even the smallest mistake causes pain).  Just as I was powering up the 'any routes' direction that turned out to be wrong the chain jammed between the two smallest cogs as I was changing down into a suitable granny gear.  Half an hour it took me to free the chain, covered from head to toe in oil I was not a happy bunny.  In fact this was the lowest point of the whole trip for me and I went into a right mood with myself.  20 miles of stupidly fast cycling later (I think this 'powering' resulted in me being so tired the following day) I reached Tavistock and tried to get hold of Dave but couldn't get him on his phone so ended up sitting on the grass basking in the glorious sunshine waiting for the boys to arrive.  It was time to eat some serious Cornish pasties given that we were only 5 miles from Cornwall so we did that and Dave came and met up.    Dave's house was right on the route over the River Tamar so we climbed up the hill out of Tavistock (this was where things started to get seriously hilly, every town sits in the base of a valley so that as you descend into the town you can see from miles off the hill you have to climb to get back out again) and dropped into Gunnislake where he lives.  After looking round his 'Grand Designs' project of buying a derelict house and barn we had some cream tea and set off again.  It was then that we encountered what has to be the worst hill of the entire trip.  It just went on and on and on.  I only just managed to get to the top without pushing the bike.  There was a fat workman at the top of the hill who said 'hello' to me, 'keep going' to Phil and 'I dread to see what the next one is like' to Carl.  Over the top there were some great views of Plymouth and the Falmouth.   The plan was to push hard to get to St Austell before the close of play to give us an easier cycle the day after and push we had to do.  The day was simply relentless hill after hill for 75 miles.  We reached St Austell, being surprised by a final large hill into the town, around 8.30pm.  By the time we had ourselves camped up (in this massive campsite with a swimming pool the lot) and showered it was 9.30 and we only just managed to make the 20 minute walk to the nearest pub to grab a great tea of stewed lamb and dumplings before literally collapsing asleep (Phil got to the tent 5 mins after me and I was already out cold) as we had resolved to get up early for the final push.     Miles     74.74 Average           11.5 Hours on bike   6.29 Max speed       41.6 Total distance   977.6  
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Crediton, England, United Kingdom

  We woke up a bit late in Greenacre campsite and had a chilled hour or two planning the route.  On the way out we noticed the sign which said Greenacre campsite; adults only...which made us laugh a bit wondering why a campsite would be adults only.   Myself and Phil went ahead as Carl had yet another puncture (number 6 or 7) and resolved not to stop until Taunton.  We reached Taunton on target and were on our way to Morrison's for a tea and scone when one of Phil's spokes went again.  Lucky we were in Taunton so we asked and found a good bike shop but it was going to take a few hours to repair.  This was the last thing we needed.  We sat in Morrison's and went for a walk to try find a new USB camera cable for me but it wasn't possible to find one for less than 15 quid (for a 1 pound cable).  We didn't have lunch as e still had all the steak and stuff from the bbq from the night before to eat.   Carl set off from Taunton before us thinking we would catch him up.  It was after 3 by the time Phil and myself got going.  It was going well till about 10 minutes in when I just lost the will to live.  The energy just went from my legs and I realized I was paying for the lack of lunch.  While after stopping and stuffing myself with licorice allsorts and anything else I could find Phil called and it turned out he had exactly the same experience a few hundred yards away so we met up and stuffed ourselves with steak butties.  It really was bizarre just going all fuzzy like that.  The weirdest part of the bizarreness was that we passed a Greenacre campsite with Adults Only on the sign and had both thought in our intoxicated low sugar state that somehow we had just done a massive loop around and ended up where we had begun the day again.   Carl was awaiting our arrival at McDonalds in Tiverton.  And what a surprise it was to find that Team Ronald was there with Ronald McDonald.  Phil and myself immediately got our pictures taken with Ronald.  We then tried to push onto Oakhampton but only got as far as a bizarre little place called Crediton.  Getting to Crediton we took a wrong turn which meant we had to cut across on some little c and d roads which was one of the best parts of the journey to date.  The quiet roads, views and houses were all lovely.  Crediton was a weird cross between Devon and industrial England; to this day I have no idea what people do there.  We stocked up on some pasta in the local store and cycled to a little campsite a few miles out of town.  The campsite was by a coarse fishing lake.  There were no facilities apart from a tap and toilet but there were lots of fisherman camped out for the night with beds and little buzzers to wake them up if they got a bite.  We brewed up our pasta and Carl shared out some white wine for us and washed ourselves down by the tap.   Miles     63.17 Average           11.2 Hours on bike   5.38 Max speed       34 Total distance   902.86
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Highbridge, England, United Kingdom

  We had the most amazing curry in Hereford.  We were all like animals devouring it before going for a pint of local ale and watching the Moto GP.  So there were lots of interesting noises and smells coming from the tents during the night. I was on alarm duty but had a fitful nights sleep and didn't pay much attention.  In fact by the time me and Phil had opened the tent door due to the escalating temperature Carl was already packed and ready to go.  It was refreshing to see blue skies and sunshine from the moment we woke up.   South of Hereford we had the best bit of cycling yet along the Wye Valley.  We coasted along without many hills to speak off under the forest canopy for shade.  We stopped at a little village for some drinks and snacks and it really was England at its best with beautiful cottages surrounding a lovely little park by the side of the River Wye.  All good things must come to an end at some point and soon we started to climb.  We encountered some of the steepest hills to date before descending into Chepstow.  The weather was amazing and stayed amazing all day; giving nice sunburnt knees to myself.   It was in Chepstow that things started to go wrong really.  I knew that was the lunch stop that I had been working towards all day but the other guys weren't so hungry so we battered straight onto the Severn Bridge (that was quite a magical cycle) thinking there would be stuff on the other side...but there wasn't...so I started out at pace towards Avonmouth to get something...how was I to know that Avonmouth is the arse end of the earth and has nothing but chemical factories, car showrooms and closed butty vans...so I kept powering along the A38 until I hit Bristol...even then food was allusive.  It was nice to be reminded how annoying the UK can be.  After all the hospitality we have been shown on this trip I asked the security guard in Sainsbury's to keep an eye on my bike for a second while I grabbed a sandwich...he told me no it wasn't his job and I should get lost.  I stormed off out naturally which enhanced my food issues even more!!  By the time I got food and called back to the boys I was now 10 miles and a different direction away from them.  We resolved to meet at the end of the day near Highbridge so I set off up the stupidly steep hill (all in all I reckon I climbed 1500m in the day) out of Bristol and over the Mendips.  Once off the Mendips there were horrible head winds the whole way to the coast.  By now I was a couple of hours in front (not helped by Carl having puncture number 6!!) so I scouted around for a campsite and once again we totally lucked out in Greenacre campsite.  The owner Mike Johnson not only gave us a donation but brought us down a couple of bottles of beer each (and allowed me to us his Wifi to write this up).  While waiting for the boys I went off down to Asda and bought a load of food for a bbq which we had by the tent. It was a late night to bed by the time we had the food cooked and I bought way way too much so we were sorted for steak sandwiches all next day.   Miles     87.67 Average           12.9 Hours on bike   6.47 Max speed       38.5 Total distance   839.69
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