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My Bicycle Has Become More Than Just a Machine
January 16, 2009
I was cycling through Bombay traffic about 15 minutes ago and suddenly snap, there goes my front derailleur cable frayed into a throng of discombobulated threads. It made me think of the gradual process of wear and weakening that eventually leads to the point of breakage. The bike, somewhere down in my instincts has begun to take on a life of it’s own. When it breaks it reminds me that we all erode and age and causes me to confront my own human frailty and mortality.
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Reflecting on my Indian Travel in Bombay
January 15, 2009
I intended to get up again at 5 am this morning like I did yesterday. However, unfortunately today there was no mosquito to bite me and make me feel a bit strange and thus feel like getting up. Only my alarm clock which I was able to ignore twice. Eventually at 8 am I naturally woke up. I jumped out of my tent which is pitched inside the flat to dodge the mosquitoes.
Tags: SpiritualityBombayIndiaMindfulnesswritingpresent-tensefirst-personDavid KleinRouteMumbai
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8 Days at an Ashram in India Changed My Life
January 12, 2009
I feel a bit like I haven’t been telling the full story through the blog. This is mainly because I’ve had to do everything from Internet cafes and time, expense and technical limitations (Internet connection) are a factor. December involved a strategic decision to get off the main highway and spend some time exploring smaller villages and towns. Upon reaching the city of Bharoch I took a small road to find somewhere to camp.
Tags: AshramVagabondSpiritualityIndiaTravelSwamiReligionNermadaBharoch
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Getting a Massage With A Vibrating Dolphin in an Indian Temple
December 7, 2008
That evening I had an impulsion to cycle until it got dark to see if I would still find somewhere to sleep without really planning or searching for it or I would eventually be forced to cycle all night. I wanted to push the process to its limit. This is India, you can’t just camp anywhere. Every field was worked by someone from nearby villages. People seemed to lurk everywhere; stray kids with cricket bats, rabid dogs and religious wanderers behind every bush.
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Deploying Lateral Thinking Techniques Whilst Cycle Touring in India
December 7, 2008
I’ve had a strange last week. The urge to use some of my newly rediscovered lateral thinking skills has been bubbling to the surface. When I was in my late teens I found an early website online of design methods. I forget the name of the guy whose website it is (I think his first name was Martin), but its long been taken offline. However, it introduced me to concepts such as lateral thinking and Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies.
Tags: Indialateral-thinking
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A First Hand Experience of Extreme Indian Food Served by The Police
December 1, 2008
Is Indian food addictive I ask myself as I find myself craving it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Perhaps it is the amount of spice and flavour. In India they don’t seem to eat just for sustenance but for explosions in their taste buds. Every meal is a different adventure in food. The whole Indian experience is a bit like a macrocosm of the eating experience. One night I stayed with the police near Bikaner.
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Ups and Downs at the Mount Abu Hill Station
December 1, 2008
Experiences are so varied and often unique to anything I’ve experienced before. For example, being on a holy mountain, meeting an ascetic smoking opium with his colleagues then giving a packet of pineapple biscuits to Jain pilgrims speed-walking up the 22km climb to Mount Abu (they actually overtook me cycling at one point). I was in awe of the exotic palm trees and tropical plants, watching the monkeys frolicking by the road side.
Tags: India
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Gujarati Thali is a Metaphor for Indian Culture
November 30, 2008
I am in the Gujarat capital, Amdavad, spending a few days relaxing before continuing on to Mumbai. It’s a nice city to spend some time. I’ve been using Couchsurfing here and my hosts have really made the experience special. Of course, so has eating plenty of delicious Gujarati Thalis. Photo credit I’ve visited a friend at the architectural university. I strolled around the campus, attended his lecture and saw an exhibition of Krishna paintings.
Tags: ArchitectureAmdavadIndia
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Dealing with Air Pollution and Cultural Habits Whilst Travelling in Pakistan and India
November 9, 2008
I have noticed since entering Pakistan and India the significant drop in air quality in general. In Pakistan if I blew my nose I would get similar coloured nasal mucus to if I had spent a day in Central London. The air pollution is quite visible in even small urbanised strips. This is unsurprising as there are plethora of old diesel engines, fires and rubbish burning and smoking chimneys (from brick furnaces for example).
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You Should Go To India Just for the Golden Temple
November 7, 2008
I’m in India and I feel tired to be honest. It’s a good job that I have the opportunity to rest for a few days. Yesterday, riding to the Pakistan-India border I got delayed by load of super-rich looking Dutch classic car enthusiasts. After finally crossing I sat at a small kiosk and had a beer whilst waiting for the famous border ceremony to start. Hindi is buzzing around the humid atmosphere of this internet cafe.
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Is Pakistan a Step Too Far for A European Tourist?
November 5, 2008
I'm in Lahore after gradually making my way up here from Quetta. The mountains down from Quetta to Sibi were beautiful but in Sibi I ran into my police escort. They proceeded to ruin the process for the next few days. This meant that I couldn't do what I wanted, I had to stay in cockroach infested cheap hotels, I wasn't allowed to stay with locals or follow the usual routine of camping.
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Mesmerising Landscapes and Tragic History of Bam
October 22, 2008
I cycled from Kerman. I was scared. I’d heard nothing positive about the road after Kerman. Luckily as usual the negative hot air is hyped out of proportion. I met a great guy in Mahan who gave me a huge insight into the Iranian and Islamic way. He spoke good English and we chatted for about 4 hours.