On The Road

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Having cracked across India at a bit of a lick I find myself in the middle of Kolkata. As noisy and chaotic as all the other towns and cities I've passed through in India and lacking much in the way of 'Western Tourist amenaties" The scale of the city is monumental so its impact on eyes and ears is proportionally scaled up. Not really my style for R'n R so will be flying out to Thailand tomorrow. Bike boxed. Flight booked. Cannot wait for somewhere more peaceful and hopefully to be taken at a much more leisurely pace.

People sleeping and washing in the streets. Litter everywhere. Shabby buildings. Appalling plumbing and wiring. How is this consistent with India being the worlds' 4th? biggest economy? I admit to sounding like a traveller more given to package holidays on the Costa Brava but I really have found this part of my trip quite trying. Pathetic I suppose but there we have it. At heart I like a nice quiet clean rustic idyll and it bloody well ain't here!

11'000Km on the same tyres and still no punctures! Now that is amazing. Parts of the last 200km have been on seriously broken road so the fact that my arse and tyres have survived is something of a mystery.

All in all the trip is continuing to go well if a little challenging at times. Looking forward to meeting up with Lin in December.

5 and 1/2 months out. And it's going to be at least another 4 'til I get to Melbourne. No sweat!

Nick/Cyclopath

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Comments

[Jackie Bloom]

WOT...???
cant understand how my adventurous & , I thought a seasond traveller on roads less familiar to a package deal type experience,could not appreciate the sights & smells of the subcontinent!!! ( perhaps I'd better put a pea under the 14 matresses I got in 'specially for you! ) Still, when you finally get to Oz there'll be hardly any traffic at all...a danger if you run out of H20 or get a puncture or both !!! Looking foreward to your arrival Love J xxxxxx