August 13, 2011 GMT - A new trip!

An open invitation to everyone subscribed to the UK2India blog for the next trip!

February 18, 2010 GMT - India - Mumbai & the end

The final stop of my trip. Mumbai, largest city in India, huge port to the West. The city where I thought I'd have the best chances of painlessly arranging for the transport of the bike back to Europe. Oh, but how wrong I was...

February 16, 2010 GMT - Indian shipping agents

A typical day in Mumbai, trying to arrange the shipment of the bike back to Europe. This blog entry was written on the day of the events and is published at a later date just to keep blog entries in chronological order.

February 12, 2010 GMT - India - The road to Mumbai

Leaving the warmth of Gandhinagar behind, I travel for two days to reach India's largest city, fighting with the cultural and survival challenges India throws at me all along.

February 10, 2010 GMT - India - The Gandhinagar days

India - the Gandhinagar days. Gandhinagar is the administrative capital of the state of Gujarat, a city designed and built in the 60's. It's also where the home of Chaitanya, Anjana, Mahavir, Alok and many other people that made this leg of the trip worthwhile is. I take the time to recuperate and spend some quality time with them before taking the road south.

February 05, 2010 GMT - India - Gujarat

Gujarat, where the Indian leg of the trip started looking up... finally breaking the "tourist" treatment by meeting Gujaratis and accepting their endless hospitality. Good days in the Nal Sarovar bird sanctuary, recovery of our health, getting back to Ahmedabad, meeting a magnificent group of people in Gandhinagar, being chaperoned all the way to Jamnagar, some publicity, lots of bewildered looks, exploring the coast of Gujarat, seeing free Asiatic Lions and crocodiles, the sole captured male pregnant leopard in the universe, loving nature on a deserted beach, getting our chins up, having a highway accident and recovering with a little help from our friends.

February 03, 2010 GMT - India - Delhi and the road south

Surviving Delhi, receiving the good doctor and traveling south through Rajasthan.

February 03, 2010 GMT - India - First day in Amritsar

Out of Pakistan and into India. A sea of people, some of them too willing to jump on the bike, others polite and courteous, crowd control at the border with the local propaganda minister shouting at the hooligans to shout against the evil enemy even louder and then some more chaos in the Sikh pilgrimage city of Amritsar.

This is INDIAAAAA!

January 04, 2010 GMT - Pakistan part deux - Islamabad and getting to the border

Traveling without police escorts - a welcome change. Being taken in by a lovely family in Islamabad, getting some time to relax, my first tyre puncture, a splendid wedding with good people, checking out Lahore and, just like that, getting out of the country. Next stop, India.

January 03, 2010 GMT - Pakistan - Taftan to Lahore

Leaving Iran behind, I find myself traveling with a group of 3 other bikers into the whizzing, mystic land that is Pakistan. This is what happened from the moment we set foot in the Taftan border till we reached Lahore, one long week later.

December 31, 2009 GMT - Iran - Bam & race to the border

Installment VII - and final - of the Iran saga. My last few days in the country - relaxing and gathering my thoughts in Bam, meeting other bikers, throwing very un-Alex-like tantrums over Sistan-Va-Baluchistan's police conduct and (yes, it came to this!) FINALLY getting out of the country while (silently) using language that would make a sailor blush.

December 29, 2009 GMT - Iran - Lut desert

Installment VI of the Iran saga - playing in the sand* in the Lut Desert, enjoying the peace and quiet of the desert night (if only...), meeting children & taking the road to Bam.

*Yeah, it doesn't sound so cool when you have a stuck 300kg bike to pull out...

December 29, 2009 GMT - Iran - Shiraz

Installment V of the Iran saga - the very super jumbo ultra fabulously fantastically beautifully splendidly exquisite (not) Shiraz.

December 28, 2009 GMT - Iran - Yazd

Instalment IV of the Iranian saga - the desert town of Yazd, meeting other travellers for the first time, doing the organised tour bit, frolicking around with another biker for a change and, inevitably, getting confused.

December 27, 2009 GMT - Iran - Kavir desert & Esfahan

Installment III - crossing the Kavir desert and reaching the cosmopolitan Esfahan.

December 27, 2009 GMT - Iran - Tehran & Semnan

Iran - installment II (Caspian Sea, Tehran, Internet censorship, Semnan police incident)

December 17, 2009 GMT - Iran - Tabriz

Admiring leftovers of past grandeur, visiting stunning deserts, pondering religious propaganda, meeting the fantastic Iranians that will never give in, crossing freezing mountain passes and convincing the police I'm not a spy, here is the blog entry I chose not to publish until I got out of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(1st installment - Tabriz)

November 08, 2009 GMT - Out of Turkey and into Iran

The last days of Turkey, a not-so-eventful border crossing and the first impressions of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

November 02, 2009 GMT - Turkey itinerary
In one of my initial blog posts I had a planned route picture, showing a more or less straight line...

October 30, 2009 GMT - It's raining ticks, halleluyah

After Diyarbakir (home of the illegal PKK separatist party and that's the best I can say about it), the road heads north through some as-of-yet unfound mini-Cappadocia and then onto lake Van, for lots and lots of rain and even more waiting.

October 26, 2009 GMT - Munzur Vadisi milli parki

Lots of off-roading and exploring on mountain roads, first free camping, thoughts on philosophy and another drop of the bike. Same old, same old.

October 24, 2009 GMT - Nemrut Dagi

The ups and downs continue. Fantastic mornings turn into crappy afternoons and vice versa. This trip is with no pretences any longer turning into an exercise to defeat my own fears.

October 21, 2009 GMT - Entering Eastern Anatolia

Leaving the Meditteranean behind, the trip takes me to the eastern part of Turkey, approaching the border to Syria. Balances begin to be found again after the major upheaval of having a companion and then not...

October 18, 2009 GMT - Mistakes, tourists and kindness in Cappadocia

The week in Turkey with Ping-Yi in a rather more relaxed pace than usual still had a few surprises in store and certainly a lot of strong feelings.

October 10, 2009 GMT - Before the break

A few more days in Turkey, before taking a relaxing week-long break in Cappadocia.

October 07, 2009 GMT - On the road, finally!

First days of the trip in Turkey

October 03, 2009 GMT - Leaving Europe
Finally... after a long and bizarre list of mishaps, annoyances and other temporary roadblocks that I am tempted to, but...

September 26, 2009 GMT - Red tape
...with no white knuckles :-( From dict.org: Red tape, (a) the tape used in public offices for tying up documents,...

September 20, 2009 GMT - The road so far
This is the updated itinerary plan, with the green part already done (in 3 days nonetheless!). So the rest of...

September 20, 2009 GMT - Leg 1: London to Athens
Unbelievable, but it actually takes 2 days on the road to reach Ancona, Italy from London. I left London on...

September 12, 2009 GMT - One step closer
My last Saturday in London was meant to be nice and relaxing... NOT! This is how the story unfolded: After...

September 11, 2009 GMT - Anticipation
No permanent address & no income. Yep, I'm really getting into my travelling skin now. I thought I'd put a...