Hi,
Well the end of the year is drawing ever closer and it seems an age since I was in India on the final part of my Tri-Dangerthon.
Well sad that it is, this is the final post for this blog and I would just like to thank everyone that helped make this happen, my wife and family for supporting me and to all that sponsored and donated. The final total was £6,400, a little shy of my £10k target but a amazing amount all the same. So thank you once again.
So it's time to move on to pastures new and as I have had a year out from fundraising, I feel it's now time to go again. This time it is a full on fitness endurance challenge and yet again I'm looking for people mad enough and this time fit enough, to join me. To find out more about how you can get involved or just donate head over to -
Thursday 21 October 2010
Friday 19 February 2010
What the Papers Say.....
Hi,
Well it's great to be back in Blighty and back into full flow again. The trip was absolutely fantastic and I have now had time to reflect on what I saw, heard, smelt and felt while we blasted our way through 2500km in 10 days. I've made some life long friends and had some life changing experiences.
Please take a look at What the Papers Say and here is the link to all my photos for you to enjoy.... Click Here
Click on image to enlarge.
Check back soon for more updates and you can still donate if you haven't already. Thank You.
Rich
Well it's great to be back in Blighty and back into full flow again. The trip was absolutely fantastic and I have now had time to reflect on what I saw, heard, smelt and felt while we blasted our way through 2500km in 10 days. I've made some life long friends and had some life changing experiences.
Please take a look at What the Papers Say and here is the link to all my photos for you to enjoy.... Click Here
Click on image to enlarge.
Check back soon for more updates and you can still donate if you haven't already. Thank You.
Rich
Saturday 6 February 2010
The Final Days.....
It is now Saturday and the trip is over. We arrived at Lake Song, Kottayam at around 4.30pm to the sound of Indian drums playing and dancers dancing. It was very emotional and everyone was congratulating each other on the epic journey that we had just completed.
So let’s go back to day 6 where I last left off. We were about to leave Mysore and head for the Jungle Huts in Masinagudi. We were going into the jungle!! We passed through the towns of Nanjangud, Gundulpet, which the team thought there was a conspiracy going on there, as there had been an incident involving locals the past few years. Hangala and Toppakad were places we also rode through. We stopped off for lunch at a very nice roadside restaurant, before making way. The journey was a short 120km that took us through Tiger and wildlife reserves. Arriving at the Jungle Huts at around 5pm. We were now about 3000ft above sea level in the middle of a jungle.
Tuesday was rest day at the Jungle Huts and so we made the most of not having to get on the bikes. There were those that spent the day by the pool and others that were reading in the shade. I think for all though, it was a time to reflect on what we had all achieved so far and anticipation and excitement at what was still to come. The 3 of us along with a lady called Maud took an elephant trip in the late afternoon. We clambered into the waiting Jeep and went to the elephant reserve. On the way we stopped off to see a massive bull elephant being washed and scrubbed in the river. A talk on Tigers and their preservation was given that evening and then earlier night was had before the next day’s riding.
Wednesday and we’re back on the road and heading towards Kodai. The towns we passed on the way were, Ooty, Kotagiri, Mettupalayam, Annur, Somannur, Palldam, Dharapuram and Palani. A very long ride today of 295km. The first couple of hours were very cold and my fingers felt frozen. The roads were reasonable today and mainly tarmac. There were some twisty roads at the beginning of the day, with some straight highway across the planes in the middle. I came very close to having quite a big ‘off’, as on these fast straights at around 90kmh my back tyre had a blowout. The bike fishtailed down the road, almost throwing me off. I managed to hang on and bring it under control but don’t ask me how. I waited for the support vehicle who quickly changed the back wheel and a way I went again. The day ended with more twisties as we climbed up to 8000ft to what was the only US hill station in India during the war. It was a beautiful location and very well received by all after such a long day.
Up again very early for another long day of 300km. Today we’re heading through the tea plantations and more of the Ghat Mountains on what is the most beautiful day of the whole journey. Our destination was Thekkady. Passing through the towns of Udumalpet, Chinnar, Munnar, Pulianmalla and Kumli. The scenery was absolutely amazing and the pictures I have do not do it justice, it has to be seen to be believed. We had a number of stops along the way and even spent 20 mins laying on boulders in a mountain stream with my feet in the cold fresh water. Ahhh! The roads were very twisty with hairpin bends, which made for a fantastic day of riding too. We arrived in the dark at the hotel, 4Km short of Thekkady and I had to follow in Paul as the bulb that had been replace in my headlight still didn’t work. We had a well deserved dinner and beer on the roof terrace and chatted about the day we’d just had.
The Final Day! It seems to a flown by but at the same time I seem to have been riding this trip for ever. Leaving Thekkady and heading back down the mountains towards Lake Song, Kottayam. Coming down and the temperature began to rise and became very hot towards the end. In fact most were agreeing that it was the hottest day of the trip. 190km covered over some good roads and continuously beautiful scenery. We stopped off for a bite to eat before riding on again to the first meeting point 20km before the finish. We waited there in the stifling heat for all the bikes to arrive and then regrouped again 3km from the end destination. It was amazing to be part of that and to see all those bikes revving and their riders sounding the horns as we made a way through the town towards the resort. People were waving and the children were cheering. We had made it! 1100km on a classic design motorcycle in some extreme conditions. As for the bike, The Royal Enfield Bullet, it was the perfect bike for the event.
So there we are, my Tri-Dangerthon is almost complete. Apologises for there being no pictures this time but it's took me over 2 hours to get this posted. (connection not good) I will be back with a couple more posts and pictures over the next few days. For now I am just chilling and contemplating and I can’t wait to fly back and see my gorgeous wife and family.
You can still Donate and all your support is much appreciated. Please click on Donate Button throughout this blog. Thank you.
Cheers
Rich
So let’s go back to day 6 where I last left off. We were about to leave Mysore and head for the Jungle Huts in Masinagudi. We were going into the jungle!! We passed through the towns of Nanjangud, Gundulpet, which the team thought there was a conspiracy going on there, as there had been an incident involving locals the past few years. Hangala and Toppakad were places we also rode through. We stopped off for lunch at a very nice roadside restaurant, before making way. The journey was a short 120km that took us through Tiger and wildlife reserves. Arriving at the Jungle Huts at around 5pm. We were now about 3000ft above sea level in the middle of a jungle.
Tuesday was rest day at the Jungle Huts and so we made the most of not having to get on the bikes. There were those that spent the day by the pool and others that were reading in the shade. I think for all though, it was a time to reflect on what we had all achieved so far and anticipation and excitement at what was still to come. The 3 of us along with a lady called Maud took an elephant trip in the late afternoon. We clambered into the waiting Jeep and went to the elephant reserve. On the way we stopped off to see a massive bull elephant being washed and scrubbed in the river. A talk on Tigers and their preservation was given that evening and then earlier night was had before the next day’s riding.
Wednesday and we’re back on the road and heading towards Kodai. The towns we passed on the way were, Ooty, Kotagiri, Mettupalayam, Annur, Somannur, Palldam, Dharapuram and Palani. A very long ride today of 295km. The first couple of hours were very cold and my fingers felt frozen. The roads were reasonable today and mainly tarmac. There were some twisty roads at the beginning of the day, with some straight highway across the planes in the middle. I came very close to having quite a big ‘off’, as on these fast straights at around 90kmh my back tyre had a blowout. The bike fishtailed down the road, almost throwing me off. I managed to hang on and bring it under control but don’t ask me how. I waited for the support vehicle who quickly changed the back wheel and a way I went again. The day ended with more twisties as we climbed up to 8000ft to what was the only US hill station in India during the war. It was a beautiful location and very well received by all after such a long day.
Up again very early for another long day of 300km. Today we’re heading through the tea plantations and more of the Ghat Mountains on what is the most beautiful day of the whole journey. Our destination was Thekkady. Passing through the towns of Udumalpet, Chinnar, Munnar, Pulianmalla and Kumli. The scenery was absolutely amazing and the pictures I have do not do it justice, it has to be seen to be believed. We had a number of stops along the way and even spent 20 mins laying on boulders in a mountain stream with my feet in the cold fresh water. Ahhh! The roads were very twisty with hairpin bends, which made for a fantastic day of riding too. We arrived in the dark at the hotel, 4Km short of Thekkady and I had to follow in Paul as the bulb that had been replace in my headlight still didn’t work. We had a well deserved dinner and beer on the roof terrace and chatted about the day we’d just had.
The Final Day! It seems to a flown by but at the same time I seem to have been riding this trip for ever. Leaving Thekkady and heading back down the mountains towards Lake Song, Kottayam. Coming down and the temperature began to rise and became very hot towards the end. In fact most were agreeing that it was the hottest day of the trip. 190km covered over some good roads and continuously beautiful scenery. We stopped off for a bite to eat before riding on again to the first meeting point 20km before the finish. We waited there in the stifling heat for all the bikes to arrive and then regrouped again 3km from the end destination. It was amazing to be part of that and to see all those bikes revving and their riders sounding the horns as we made a way through the town towards the resort. People were waving and the children were cheering. We had made it! 1100km on a classic design motorcycle in some extreme conditions. As for the bike, The Royal Enfield Bullet, it was the perfect bike for the event.
So there we are, my Tri-Dangerthon is almost complete. Apologises for there being no pictures this time but it's took me over 2 hours to get this posted. (connection not good) I will be back with a couple more posts and pictures over the next few days. For now I am just chilling and contemplating and I can’t wait to fly back and see my gorgeous wife and family.
You can still Donate and all your support is much appreciated. Please click on Donate Button throughout this blog. Thank you.
Cheers
Rich
Sunday 31 January 2010
India Is Amazing....
> Well I’ve now been in India for a week and this is the first time I’ve been able to get an internet connection! This means that I’ve got quite a bit to tell you about what we’ve done since we’ve been here. When I say we, I mean myself and my two room mates I met on the first day.
So let’s start there. I flew from Heathrow on Sunday 24th Jan, arriving in Mumbai on Monday 25th. We then had a short flight from Mumbai to Goa. On arriving in Goa I then had my first taste of India with a hot and dusty bus ride which took about an hour to the hotel where we stayed for the first 2 nights.
Here I met Les and Paul for the first time. Les is from Liverpool and Paul is from Hertfordshire. It felt a bit like going into the Big Brother house for the first time and meeting the new house mates.
On the Tuesday we had our first outing on the bikes. A short 35km run to Arambol Beach and back. This gave us chance to get to know the bikes and in particular the unusual gear and rear brake setup. For any of you that don’t know the Royal Enfield has the brake and gears the opposite way to other bikes, so getting used to changing gear with my right foot was a bit of challenge to begin with. The fact that my bike had a fuelling problem and the clutch was slipping didn’t help!
Wednesday was our first long ride of approximately 160km from Country Clube De Goa in Anjuna to San Francisco Beach Huts at Palolem Beach. Going through the towns of Ponda, Molem, Kolem, Netrolem and Canacona. This broke us in gently while we still accustomed ourselves to the bikes. The roads were mainly tarmac with a small off road section of loose gravel and sand. As we were room mates Les, Paul & I agreed to team up and ride together. The beach huts when we arrived were, well, I’ll let you decide for yourself from the pictures. However, the beach was beautiful and after taking a dip in the sea, we sat and watched the sunset with a beer around the campfire, while ‘Doc’, one of the medics, played the guitar and sang.
Thursday was a 250km trip Murudeshwar, visting the towns of Karwar, Ankola, Yana, Osakambi, Sirsi, Kumla. Les had a small spill and broke the brake lever and bent his foot rest but other than that we managed to stay on route saw some beautiful scenery and arrived in Murudeshwa around 5pm. The Hotel here was luxury compared to the beach huts we had stayed in the night before. Murudeshwa was a small town with a picturesque bay and also has the largest Shiva staue in the world. That was an amazing sight.
On Friday morning we took off from Murudeshwa at 7.30am heading for the town of Shimoga. The trip was a gruelling 200km with the majority of that on some very arduous rough mountain roads. I’m talking about large, loose stoney roads with sharp up and down hill inclines. It was Pauls turn to have an ‘off’ and he hurt his thigh and chest in the process. Fortunately Les was right behind him and helped him out until the medics arrived.I had gone on in front and was unaware what was happening behind me. I waited at the next stop for about an hour until they turned up. We visited the largest falls in India, Jog Falls and the towns of Sagar and Ayannur. In Sagar Paul broke down and within minutes we were surrounded by curious locals. The rest of the journey went well and we arrived in Shimoga around 5.30pm. This town doesn’t usually see tourists and so we got a lot of inquisitive stares. After dinner we went into the town on a Tuk Tuk and we also experienced a local barber as you can see by my hair. The head message that barber also offered was very relaxing after the day we had had.
Shimoga to Kalasa, a trip of 180km was Saturdays journey. The roads we better today and we went through the towns of Muthodi, Balehonnur, Magundi. No accidents but Les’s bike broke down 3 times which put us back about 2 hours. Again we saw some unbelievable scenery and arrived at our destination in the dark and on top of that I had no lights! I followed in one of the team leaders for the final 5km! We didn’t look around Kalasa as we were staying a few Km outside at a hillside resort. Here we had dinner and again sat around a campfire with the Doc playing the guitar. Dormitories was the nights sleeping arrangements and at around 1.30am I woke up to the sound of around 30 other blokes snoring!
Sunday took us from Kalasa to Mysore a journey of 250km. After the first 120km of mountain roads, twisting through the tea plantations, we stopped for lunch before heading out on to the highway. From there on it was fast main roads which enabled us to tank on. Passing through the towns of Mudigere, Belur and Hassan. At this point I would just like to say that we are getting used to the road system and rules here in India but none of us can believe it. The rules appear to be – drive on the left, sound your horn at anyone in front of you, overtake whenever you like even if something is coming the other way and pull out of junctions when there is traffic coming! It makes it very interesting and just a little scary at times. All the villages that we pass through the children come out to the side of the road to wave to us as we go by. They get really excited and are jumping up and down and smiling and waving. We arrived in Mysore city around 5pm at a very luxurious hotel. (nice to have a little comfort) We went straight out to see the illuminations at the palace and then back for dinner. After dinner Unicef gave us a presentation. Paul and Les then went to have a look around the city and I just chilled out and chatted to some of the other riders on the trip.
It is now Monday morning as I type this and we are not setting off until 12pm today. A shorter trip of 120km a head of us to The Jungle Huts,. Masinagudi. There is a safari park there and we are spending 2 nights, giving us a rest day before the last 4 days of approximately 300km per day.
That’s it for now, not sure if I will get another connection or not but if I do I will post some more. Please don’t forget the causes that I’m doing this for and any amount of donations will be fantastic. Thankyou.
Rich
Sunday 24 January 2010
The Morning of Depature....
.....Aaagghhh, it's the morning of the day I fly to India. I can't believe it's here!
Here is a very short vid (before I'm even out of bed) ......
That's it for now, Click Here to Donate - Thank You
Rich
Here is a very short vid (before I'm even out of bed) ......
That's it for now, Click Here to Donate - Thank You
Rich
Tuesday 19 January 2010
5 Days and Counting...
Hi All,
Isn't it funny how the week before you go away everything goes beserk! With making sure I've remembered all that I need and getting work sorted out before I go, I think that's why it always seems manic, my head is spinning more than normal.
Well there are now only 5 days left before I fly and the nerves I beginning to kick in. It's also funny that whenever you're about to do something, buy something or go somewhere that has any significance you begin to see it everywhere. I was driving home last night and passed a pub called India. Last night on the TV was Gordon Ramsay travelling around, India and the night before Secret Millionaire had a special episode from...guess where, yep, India! Weird or what?!
Anyway, just a short one this time but I'll be back with a video update on Saturday, the day before I fly!
Isn't it funny how the week before you go away everything goes beserk! With making sure I've remembered all that I need and getting work sorted out before I go, I think that's why it always seems manic, my head is spinning more than normal.
Well there are now only 5 days left before I fly and the nerves I beginning to kick in. It's also funny that whenever you're about to do something, buy something or go somewhere that has any significance you begin to see it everywhere. I was driving home last night and passed a pub called India. Last night on the TV was Gordon Ramsay travelling around, India and the night before Secret Millionaire had a special episode from...guess where, yep, India! Weird or what?!
Anyway, just a short one this time but I'll be back with a video update on Saturday, the day before I fly!
Tuesday 12 January 2010
12 Days To Go
Only 12 days to go until I fly out to India. Please check out the video for more details.
Click Here to make a donation. Thank you for your support.
All the best,
Rich
Click Here to make a donation. Thank you for your support.
All the best,
Rich
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