I had my own camera crew with me at Ipswich Station. Well actually it was mum, waving her hanky like mad.
Yes! I am bored and the hotel does have an Internet cafe! Well, I say cafe, I meant room. Well, I say room, I meant darkened corner.
Heathrow is like being in another country already...
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Day before the big day
Well I'm off towards Heathrow very shortly, staying there overnight before getting on the 10:20 flight to Mumbai tomorrow morning. The rucksack is packed - yes, everything went in, though I am buckling slightly under the weight. Still, I had a good long session last night trying to work out whether I could justify the presence of everything in the rucksack, and save a pair of waterproof trousers I'm not entirely sure about, it all needs to be there, so it's all staying in.
The doxycycline even went down OK this morning - it turns out the key to taking the stuff and not barfing is to eat, which I thought I wasn't allowed to do.
Until the next time I post then! If I'm bored tonight at the hotel and there's an Internet cafe, it won't be long...
The doxycycline even went down OK this morning - it turns out the key to taking the stuff and not barfing is to eat, which I thought I wasn't allowed to do.
Until the next time I post then! If I'm bored tonight at the hotel and there's an Internet cafe, it won't be long...
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Poxy on the Doxy
Just what you need 48 hours before you fly out! My antimalarial, Doxycycline, is making me barf. Sorry kids, don't wish to be too gruesome, but hey, this is a racy and no-holds-barred account of my travels and I never said it would be suitable for younger or more sensitive audiences.
It turns out I need to eat and drink milk when taking a pill, the food and milk acting as a buffer and antacid. As a result I will now be taking a hundredweight of Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, a cow and a bowl with me.
It turns out I need to eat and drink milk when taking a pill, the food and milk acting as a buffer and antacid. As a result I will now be taking a hundredweight of Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes, a cow and a bowl with me.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Sunday, January 23, 2005
Great source of advice
Travel Independent - Everything you need to know has loads of great information I wish I'd found earlier!
How many elephants in a mini
My packing list, re-drafted to include new items, runs into four pages. Will it all fit into a 65-litre rucksack? Answers on a postcard please to the "You Must Be Joking That'll Never All Go In There Competition", c/o my house. The winner with the closest number of extra carrier bags I'll need to haul all this gear to India gets all the spare blister plasters I couldn't fit in my bag, some safety pins, and a copy of the Backpacker's Bible.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Smooth train ride
I'm on the train to go and see Cookie, Jo, Charlotte and any others of the Southampton crew that are around. Crew makes them sound the kids that hang around outside garages, and I think we're past that stage now - heck, I'm sat here in sensible shoes with Nik Kershaw on the iRiver, I think hipness passed me by completely.
Anyhoo (anyhoo is my favourite new word, superceding recalcitrant), the train is blissfully smooth and quiet, easing my hangover. Lots of wine got drunk last night in London. I missed the LU posse (really sorry) as time flew by and it was too late by the time I thought to head over to Westminster. There we go again. Posse. That really isn't the right word.
So the whole panic thing about going away has subsided... but I still can't believe I will be India this time next week.
Anyhoo (anyhoo is my favourite new word, superceding recalcitrant), the train is blissfully smooth and quiet, easing my hangover. Lots of wine got drunk last night in London. I missed the LU posse (really sorry) as time flew by and it was too late by the time I thought to head over to Westminster. There we go again. Posse. That really isn't the right word.
So the whole panic thing about going away has subsided... but I still can't believe I will be India this time next week.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Days in single figures
Scary biscuits. Where did that expression come from? Am I the only one that says that?
My to-do list has taken on a life of its own now - tick one thing off, and something else appears. Time is running out to sort everything out, so anything trivial is getting ignored! Still to do - half my kit list, money, travellers cheques, the last vaccinations, booking hotels... I'm a pig awful procrastinator at the best of times, and this is the worst of times to be a procrastinator.
Yorkshire was, as always, great fun, especially Saturday night, or as the police in Leeds apparently call it, Fight Night. We had a ringside view in Life Bar for a bunch of characters fighting each other, the bouncers, and each other again. And the women were joining in.
My to-do list has taken on a life of its own now - tick one thing off, and something else appears. Time is running out to sort everything out, so anything trivial is getting ignored! Still to do - half my kit list, money, travellers cheques, the last vaccinations, booking hotels... I'm a pig awful procrastinator at the best of times, and this is the worst of times to be a procrastinator.
Yorkshire was, as always, great fun, especially Saturday night, or as the police in Leeds apparently call it, Fight Night. We had a ringside view in Life Bar for a bunch of characters fighting each other, the bouncers, and each other again. And the women were joining in.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Can't concentrate
I need to get all this work done. I have less than three weeks before I fly out and I have to do half a million things - Wizwow stuff, packing, sorting first aid kit, more shopping, TEFL course, farewell beers with mates, walking the dog. Losing perspective. Cracking up. Have oversized headphones. Argh.
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Sleeping in Airports
The Budget Traveller's Guide to Sleeping in Airports provides info and ratings on sleeping in airports, something I was considering as an option for when I arrive at Mumbai. I get there after midnight, and then allowing for immigration, customs, losing my bag and getting generally lost, it'll be three until I'm fully checked in. Here's me also naively thinking that getting into to Mumbai after midnight would be really quiet because it was the middle of the night. Bloody idiot I am, ALL the flights get in then! I've then got a flight out the domestic terminal at 10:40 the same morning I arrive, down to Trivandrum, so have around five or six hours to kill. IndiaMike has also proved to be a very useful source of info, but every experience is different for every person, so who knows what advice to follow.
Mmm. Sit in the airport and try and find a chai and read a book, or get a taxi to the Holiday Inn and spend $100 on a room I only get to use for four hours but at least I get a shower... what to do?!
Mmm. Sit in the airport and try and find a chai and read a book, or get a taxi to the Holiday Inn and spend $100 on a room I only get to use for four hours but at least I get a shower... what to do?!
Radio belching
I went for my fifteen minutes of minor local recognition at BBC Radio Suffolk, and it all went quite well! Managed to get a good plug in for Aidcamps, and Salt of the Earth (the UK fundraiser for SCAD).
When I was sat in the green room outside the studio, I saw the red light was off (this means that the studio is off-air, such as when the news is being read), and heard the most gigantic belch come from inside the studio. Think the presenter was getting it out of his system. Then the red light came back on and he read some sports news. Then it went off, and I heard hacking, coughing and snorting. Red light back on, travel news. Red light off, throat clearing. By the time I went in, he had it pretty much under control.
Charlotte Cook is blogging, and she's only just been born. Clever baby!
When I was sat in the green room outside the studio, I saw the red light was off (this means that the studio is off-air, such as when the news is being read), and heard the most gigantic belch come from inside the studio. Think the presenter was getting it out of his system. Then the red light came back on and he read some sports news. Then it went off, and I heard hacking, coughing and snorting. Red light back on, travel news. Red light off, throat clearing. By the time I went in, he had it pretty much under control.
Charlotte Cook is blogging, and she's only just been born. Clever baby!
Friday, January 07, 2005
"I love you, Dad"
America has an obsession with it's dad. Many of the US movies and TV programmes I have seen over years now have convinced me of this. I have to wonder where this mass paternal conflict syndrome has sprung from, but the evidence is legion:
Luke Skywalker (Star Wars trilogy). Just wanted his dad to love him, even though he was a telekinetic despot in a big helmet. Got to achieve closure shortly before his dad snuffed it.
- Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones trilogy). Just wanted his dad to love him, though his dad was aloof, seemingly uncaring and disciplinarian. Gets to share his feelings with his dad after his dad gets shot.
- Neil Perry (Dead Poet's Society). So spectacularly failed in getting the love of his dad he shot himself.
- The Hulk (Hulk). This guy has such utterly buggered up issues with his dad, he keeps turning green and throwing nuclear powered tantrums.
- Superman (Superman). His real father incinerated by an exploding planet, he is resentful of his adopted father for forcing him to conceal his supernatural abilities.
- Martin Q Blank (Gross Point Blank). Goes back to his old home town to pour whisky onto the grave of his dead dad, signalling some history of alcohol-fuelled abuse.
- Fox Mulder (X-Files). Never quite forgave his dad for giving his sister to some aliens.
- Dr David Marcus (son of Captain Kirk) (Star Trek III - The Search For Spock). Alienated from his father, who only gets upset about this when David is killed by Klingons.
- Nemo (Finding Nemo). Small fish defies wishes of his overprotective father and ends up captured by divers, necessitating a rescue mission by father, ending in father and son making up.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Jabs and radio celeb!
Three more jabs today - Rabies, Hepatitis A and B, and Japanese Encephalitis. I also got a cholera vaccine called Dukoral that you have to keep in the fridge, that comprises a sachet of powder you have to mix with a small vial of liquid - all a bit complicated, but apparently tastes like strawberries. I'm willing to bet it actually tastes more like what strawberries would taste like if they tasted like medicine.
My best piece of medical advice so far - if you get bitten by a dog, take it with you to hospital, dead or alive.
I had a bit of a surprise today - I've been asked to go and speak on BBC Radio Suffolk this Sunday morning. My mum is a bit of a regular on that station, and told one of the presenters I was going out to India to volunteer last year - then in the light of the Tsunami, they've decided to get me in to talk about it. I'm hoping 1) I manage to plug the charity out in India so people donate some money to them, 2) I don't talk utter rubbish and make a tool of myself.
If you want to listen, it'll be on about 8:45 Sunday morning - you can listen over the web on www.bbc.co.uk/england/radiosuffolk.
By the way, great song of the moment: Supergrass, Kiss of Life. What a tune!
My best piece of medical advice so far - if you get bitten by a dog, take it with you to hospital, dead or alive.
I had a bit of a surprise today - I've been asked to go and speak on BBC Radio Suffolk this Sunday morning. My mum is a bit of a regular on that station, and told one of the presenters I was going out to India to volunteer last year - then in the light of the Tsunami, they've decided to get me in to talk about it. I'm hoping 1) I manage to plug the charity out in India so people donate some money to them, 2) I don't talk utter rubbish and make a tool of myself.
If you want to listen, it'll be on about 8:45 Sunday morning - you can listen over the web on www.bbc.co.uk/england/radiosuffolk.
By the way, great song of the moment: Supergrass, Kiss of Life. What a tune!
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Flippin typical
Just when I decide to sell my car*, I finally get a decent premium on my insurance. Duh!
* Ford Fiesta LX 16v 1998 R Reg, 2 careful owners, full history, 55000 miles on the clock, MOTd and taxed, dark blue, 5 doors, manual. Good little runner, reluctant sale. £1500 bargain for quick sale. Buyer collects, no offers.
* Ford Fiesta LX 16v 1998 R Reg, 2 careful owners, full history, 55000 miles on the clock, MOTd and taxed, dark blue, 5 doors, manual. Good little runner, reluctant sale. £1500 bargain for quick sale. Buyer collects, no offers.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Today's achievements
- I went to Barclays Bank to hand in some forms. Barclays are still practicing Victorian style banking, I swear I saw a wizened old man on a stool in the back of the branch, cleaning his quill. They have all of my money and they still charge me for every little thing they can. Does anybody actually like their bank?
- I watched a bit more of the Matrix trilogy backwards - I started with Revolutions and just saw Reloaded, then will see the Matrix. This way the trilogy gets better as you go along and makes more sense, and Keanu Reeves gets less annoying all the time.
- I decided that my favourite word at the moment is 'recalcitrant'.
- Got travel insurance from Endsleigh for the trip - at just over £300 not cheap, but quite comprehensive. Allows me to take two bungee jumps, swear at some Italians, and drink the local water at least once. Or maybe just that first one.
Airline food I hope I do get
These pictures blogged from the excellent Flickr, taken by a man who is documenting all of the food he gets on planes. Not a bad idea!
Monday, January 03, 2005
Lovely kit
Lifeventure equipment is lovely stuff. I have no idea if it is actually used by 'proper' travellers (whoever they are, I've not met any yet), but it has the appearance of the equipment of choice for the hardened traveller.
You have no idea what I'm on about. It's fine.
Everything is blue, everything comes in mesh bags, it all looks utilitarian and no-frills, tough and cool. Tough as in hard-wearing, not tough as in Magnum PI or Hannibal out of the A-Team. I've ended up with so much Lifeventure stuff I should get sponsorship. The only question is, when I saunter into some backpacker hostel in Oz, will all the other backpackers look at my equipment, tut, and mutter "tourist" under their breath?
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Map and blog
I've added a map to show the route of the trip, and I re-jigged my blog template.
Wow, you say. This is where it's at. Must come back soon if all the updates are this thrilling.
Wow, you say. This is where it's at. Must come back soon if all the updates are this thrilling.
Happy new year!
Things are looking up, I'm starting to feel nervous excitement, it's a new year! 26 days to go!
Cookie and Jo have a baby girl, Charlotte, and I got to tell Cookie he wasn't going to get a good night's sleep for at least the next eleven years, har har har. He says he's not letting her out until she's twenty-four, and she won't be allowed a boyfriend until she's thirty-two. Sounds firm but fair.
The USA ups its measly initial contribution to the aid effort in South East Asia. The DEC gets so many donations, immediately after Christmas, that it makes you proud to be British. I haven't heard that sodding Band Aid song in a week. Woo woo!
The Aidcamp is still going ahead. The charity that Aidcamps is involved with in India, SCAD, is assisting with the relief efforts in the disaster area of Tamil Nadu. I was given a very kind donation of a shed load of antibiotics by the family vet the other day, and even though the antibiotics are veterinary, they're still good for human use and will hopefully come in useful in treating the homeless in the emergency camps. I may also be able to offer my help, but we'll have to see - it just seems to make sense to help if I'm there and have the time to give.
Things I won't miss about the UK (but can't be certain of getting away from):
Cookie and Jo have a baby girl, Charlotte, and I got to tell Cookie he wasn't going to get a good night's sleep for at least the next eleven years, har har har. He says he's not letting her out until she's twenty-four, and she won't be allowed a boyfriend until she's thirty-two. Sounds firm but fair.
The USA ups its measly initial contribution to the aid effort in South East Asia. The DEC gets so many donations, immediately after Christmas, that it makes you proud to be British. I haven't heard that sodding Band Aid song in a week. Woo woo!
The Aidcamp is still going ahead. The charity that Aidcamps is involved with in India, SCAD, is assisting with the relief efforts in the disaster area of Tamil Nadu. I was given a very kind donation of a shed load of antibiotics by the family vet the other day, and even though the antibiotics are veterinary, they're still good for human use and will hopefully come in useful in treating the homeless in the emergency camps. I may also be able to offer my help, but we'll have to see - it just seems to make sense to help if I'm there and have the time to give.
Things I won't miss about the UK (but can't be certain of getting away from):
- UK politics - caught between the devil and the deep blue C, Labour and Blair in particular misinterpret widespread apathy and the death of the Tory party as a mandate to do what they please, including turning the UK into a clone of the US, a politically correct branch of Starbucks, where smoking, smacking obnoxious children and eating chocolate-covered salty lard are outlawed.
- Reality TV. Abi Titmuss is a tough cop / doctor who hopes to increase the value of her home by redecorating it with the help of Linda Barker, Handy Andy and Ant and Dec, winning new cans of paint by eating bug shit in a deep hole in the jungle, duetting with Peter Andre, and having a fight with Sharon Osbourne. Bleargh. Rubbish.
- UK Newspapers. Many of these rags, self-appointed guardians of our collective moral conscience, seem to have limitless power to expose, embarrass, plague and pester whoever they please, this persecution masquerading as a public service, and yet people keep buying them.
- The price of trains. On what planet does it make sense that it costs less to fly to Talinn than it does to get the train to Leeds?
- Rubbish celebrities. Overexposed, overpaid, undertalented, and still they whinge about how bad their life is as they whore themselves at film premiers, stick enough cocaine up their nostrils to down a rhino, stumble out of bars at 3am shouting at photographers, and blag free vol-au-vents at charity events. If you don't like your life, bugger off and get a real job.
- Football. Footballers. Football managers. Football programs. Footballers' Wives.
- Did I mention Football?
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