Homeward bound!

Currently sitting in Helsinki airport waiting for our connecting flight to Manchester. Spent yesterday travelling from Jodhpur to Delhi by Air India, then got dropped off at a backstreet hotel by a helpful taxi driver.  We asked to get food in the hotel restaurant which turned out to be a room with one table and a couple of picnic chairs - Jukesy had his usual argument about whether the curry came 'boneless' or not - 'yes sir, the masala is boneless but the korma is not'.  'Ok' says Jukesy, 'can I pay extra to have a boneless korma?'. Waiter says 'No sir, that is impossible'.  So, he went for the masala, which came on the bone! Classic!

Think it gave him a disturbed sleep as well, cos he alternated between laughing out loud, snoring, and then running on the spot like a labrador!

After a couple of hours sleep, we got up and took our last Indian taxi drive to the airport at Delhi, then a long flight here.  Think we're all ready for home now, but I'm thinking that by next week we'll all be sorry to be back!

Share the wealth

Tues 28^th Sept
I’m not saying McG is tight, but he is a good haggler. This “I’m not paying over the top tourist prices” position bore a discussion about sharing the wealth (not that we are financially wealthy) in a sort of Karma way. You share with people and people will share with you. You help people and people will come to your aid when in need. You know, what goes around comes around type of thing. Now, to my point. We are sat in Jodhpur airport waiting for our flight to Delhi. A few minutes ago we were all sat eating snicker bars when a well dressed middle aged Indian guy slowly walked passed us all and took a long lasting stare at my snicker which I had just opened. I promptly offer the bar to him. He reached over and snapped a piece off, then happily went on his way. Now we are running on the few remaining rupees and have to eat tonight, pay for a hotel and eat tomorrow. So, with a little bit of Karma, we just might happen on a cheap Delhi guest house with delicious but cheap chicken tikka masala, fingers crossed. Do I need to keep my fingers crossed if I believe in Karma? Lets see

4 toast, 6 toast

Have you ever tried to order an odd number of slices of toast? Tried to do this a number of times in different hotels but to no avail. One Indian waiter considered this request for several minutes, the mental cogs turning and the furrowed brow contorted, before deciding that "this was impossible". I could have 4 slices or 6 slices, or 8, 10 or 12 for that matter, but not 5. Ok, I will have 6 and leave 1. We ourselves debated this conundrum, and came to the conclusion that the toasters all have 2 slots - riddle solved.

Just when I thought my bruised bony ass couldn’t get any flatter!

Sunday 26^th Sept
Our last full day in Jiasalmer today. Rather than wait around for the Rickshaw Run finishing parade we decided to hire some motor bikes and head out to the sand dunes of the Sam Desert. After some pathetic, and to the amusement of the locals, attempts to ride the bikes up the sand dunes, we stopped and had a drink. We then all decided that, hey, I’ve never been on a camel, lets hire a camel each for half an hour. By this time it was midday and the ambient temperature was 42^oC with not a cloud in the sky. We decided from the outset that we would just take a 30 minute ride, just for the experience. The camels, mine called Babaloo, and his/her owner had different ideas and headed off with us all into the desert. Whilst the camel was walking, it was almost bearable on the Butt. But when the camel started to trot we all suffered a sustained pummelling to an already bruised and flattened gluteus. Once arrived at our desert destination we faced a torturous dilemma. Do we ask the camel guys to have the camels just walk back slowly in order to prevent further saddle pummelling, or do we trot back and get out of the midday sun. Yes, you’ve guessed it, we all have sunburnt bodies. We then headed back to Jiasalmer, found a gaff with a swimming pool and soaked away the rest of the sweaty afternoon
 

Some photos

Our journey explained!

Sunday 26^th Sept
Now we have completed the Rickshaw Run, here is a run down of our travels. We flew from Manchester to Delhi, then Delhi to Bagdogra. We then took a Taxi Jeep up the mountain to the start of the Rickshaw run in Gangtok, Sikkim. We collected our Rickshaw and departed Gangtok on Sunday 12^th September. We finished that day in Shiliguri in West Bengal and stayed 1 night.. We then left Shiliguri on the 13^th and finished just over the border in Nepal. We stayed in Kakarbhitta for 1 night. We left the following morning (14^th) and finished at Lalbiti, Nepal and stayed 1 night. We left mid morning and finished at Hetuada, Nepal and stayed 1 night. We left early morning (16^th) finishing in Kathmandu at 9.30pm. We stayed in Kathmandu for 3 nights. During this time, we took an early morning mountain flight around Everest. We left Kathmandu 6am on the 19^th and finished just inside the border at Bhairawa and stayed 1 night. We crossed the border back into India at Sunali, passed through Gorakhpur and finished at Lucknow and stayed 1 night. We put our Rickshaw on a train and sent it to Jodhpur. We took a train to Agra and stayed 1 night (23rd). We then took a sleeper train, overnight, to Jodhpur, arriving at 7am (24th) We then set off for Jaisalmer at 9am, and arrived at 4.30pm, completing the Rickshaw Run. We stayed in Jaisalmer for 3 nights and then left by Train on the 27^th going to Jodhpur stayed 1 night. We then took a flight from Jodhpur to Delhi stayed 1 night. Final flight Delhi to Manchester via Helsinki on 29th.
7 flights
3 train journeys
Thousands of Kilometres by Rickshaw
13 nights in India
7 nights in Nepal
A naked eye look at Everest
5 breakdowns
3 very flat and bruised hairy arses.

What a pair of plonkers!

After Tall and Small bought traditional Indian outfits from a guy in the market at Lucknow the pair of plonkersonly turned up in my room the next morning donning the delightful outfits. They duly informed me that they would be wearing the outfits for the rest of the day. I pleaded with them to look in the mirror and accept that they were making a fundamental fashion faux paire. They did not heed my advice and proceeded to wear the carry on costumes to one of the world's most beautiful monuments.

The Taj Mahal!

Like a pair of escapees from a local looney establishment they boldly walked through all the beggars and hawkers to visit one of the most special places on the planet.

Despite being accompanied by the two looney tunes, the place was very special, and a must for anyone visiting India, its pretty mesmerising and can probably only be truly appreciated by actually visiting it!

Mr Jukes proceeded to do 'David brent' type poses around the grounds, I think even some Japanese tourists were taking photos of him, at one point a crowd gathered to see his famous Zoolander pose.

Timbo kept getting comments from local Indians about how regal he looked, looked more like a little fat gadgey in a skirt to me!!

Anyway probably one of the experiences of my life if I hadn't been with those two halfwits!