MC.INDIA/JODHPUR JOURNEY 2011 no.5

7 February Jaisalmer - Jodhpur 333 km.

Birthday.

Wonderful to have dear friends and family who can tell one where one is located in time and space. If they had not sent a birthday greeting, I had probably forgotten that I today got, in our era 66 years.

HIP, HIP IN INDIA, HIP HIP :-) Dear Friend

We wish you many times happy birthday, we are confident that you will make it in excellent way, if not it's impossible. On the other hand, there is also a chance that you completely forget you have a birthday ;-) Heating greetings from us in Dannevang

Sincerely Svend Erik

In an email to some friends the day before my birthday, I wrote:

I sit a little bruised to the bone and tired on the bed and write to you about my camel safari.

It was exciting but also a challenging one's buttocks and back. It was a long excruciating night to lie directly on the fine sand that was hard as a board.

I struggled all night to keep the cold wind and drifting sand away from to creep into the quilts.-

Next morning I was totally broken.- Therefore I have just got a wonderful massage .- I shall pass on the road tomorrow, which again is a long ride of 280 km.

This birthday response I received then from Kirsten:

Dear Bjarne

Yes, but you'll probably also 60 + and wails alone, therefore, as much of the hull rigidity to the cold and inflexibility that all of us, where the mold will not fit with the content.

Is motorcycle now a really good idea Bjarne?

Sincerely Kirsten

Dear Kirsten:

MC is for me the perfect choice of transport physically and mentally because it's horsepower gives me some extra opportunities, challenges, speed, excitement and a huge freedom to see and experience the maximum in minimal time.

MC helps me get closer to nature, I feel it and can relate me concretely physical to it. The people I meet feel freer to go into a meeting than if I came in a closed bubble of a car.

I have chosen to travel around India. Since it is a safe country to travel around in, there will always be helpful people around, if there is an accident. My route is not very physically demanding and takes most of the time at normal unpaved roads. I also have this time chosen a less cumbersome and somewhat slower MC. I keep my safety vest at all times, even if it is hot.

I have all my MC Journey made sure to get all the vacinationer you have to have in the country, had a small first aid pack some extra syringes, Primcillin against respiratory fever Cirofloxacin for constipation with fever, Imodium for acute diarrhea, Ipren painkiller pills Auton aversive against tropical mosquitoes. Every day I have also taken Lactoghurt to create balance in my gut.

The danger in India is their road manners, which really requires that you are on the studs all the time and is quick in your reactions. It is a kind of anarchic traffic pattern that suits my temperament perfectly fine, but it is incredibly tiring and stressful.

Driving a motorcycle requires 100% attention. Exhausting but wonderful. When I describe my tiredness in the back, it is a direct description of what I feel, think and feel, so those who might. be inspired to take on a similar journey as me, know little about what is required.

It is clear that an older gentleman like me who push myselves to the limit get tired and fatigued. But it's also what I want. Namely, test my own physical and mental limits as I do not have the opportunity in my daily life.

You are absolutely right, I am no longer young with a streamlined shape. Therefore, this more relaxed MC ride that suits my current form, as I'm physically and mentally tried to fill before this journey, so that the content fills the mold fairly.

I chose to travel here and now while the form and content still go together and I still feel I am physically and mentally strong enough. - How long will I be that .-

Purely economic, I simply can not afford this MC.Journey, but again it is not common sense there have taken over but my senses are screaming to be aired.

On such a Journey, the MC will put your senses on edge and sometimes overloaded - but thats incredibly beautiful. - I can really feel the spring sun here in India is warming my soul.

The massage I received yesterday, has loosened up the last days tension, so I feel perfectly fine in the back and lower back this morning. So it's a really nice morning. I had told myself that this day should be in positivity spirit sign.

Meditation.

Over the years I have been influenced to put a certain symbolism in the day you were born and Anniversary. This symbolic energy, I have decided used to resume the meditation, which I left off many years ago.

Hatha Yoga, I never let go, it had done that all years to keep my body healthy. The slow meditative form of physical exercises combined with breathing, has always had a very positive effect on my mind. In my younger days I was so hyperactive, I could feel how Hatha Yoga affected and removed the inner turmoil in my mind and body.

I have also this time taken with my Mala with me. I again hoped that I could be influenced by the spiritual vibrations here in India. It would be healthy for me again to meditate, it will help me to fall even further down.

On this holy morning for me, I resumed my morning meditation ritual, right after my Hatha Yoga session. Just when I began to meditate a generator started making noise.

- Is it my subconscious there is the troublemakers .- Double-consuming to maintain concentration.

A little out of Jaisalmer, I see this wind park. I can see they are working on putting many more up. The wind is also a little storng here.

9:30 Kick start MC. and is heading for 'The Blue City "Jodhpur.

Many roads lead to Jodhpur, so I got the wrong way out of town. I had to cross into the countryside to find the smaller roads I chose to drive to Jodhpur.

I stop by some custom houses. The whole family comes forward and let me photograph them and their home. They show me proudly their animals and livestock. I unfortunately did not found out why the houses look like they did.

.

The son writes down their address in my dairy. With sign language I explain them by pointing to my camera and their addresses, I will send photos to them.

Enjoying my morning Chai among local.

Driving past the school children a few times since I'm not quite sure which way is right.

Encounter this Muslim grave.

The new asphal roads looks like black flattened forest snails that are rolled out in this dry desert landscape.

I enjoy having all the road for myself and I run a decent pace.

Again, sharing the road itself, which should I choose. Even with my more detailed Google Map printouts and compass, I must abandon reason and let instinct prevail. When I finally arrive at Jodhpur, I've been running about 40-50 wrong.

Cosy Guest house.

My young friend Sandy from Bikander also has a switch to a cheap and good Guest House in Jodhpur, according to him. They already have several times contacted me to know when I arrived.

After the last Hotel that Sandy had advised me in Jaisalmer, which was not quite good and since I also do not really liked their little too aggressive and unfair business practices, I would this time choose one of those Guest Houses Lonely Planet recommends.

I liked to find a more visually aesthetic place, although it would cost more. I needed to rest my professional critical and probably bourgeois aesthetic sense

The door and window to my room.

Rooftop restaurant.

I chose to try the 'Cosy Guest House', a 500 year old blue traditional house in the heart of the old town, on the hillside with several floors with a rooftop restaurant and a view to 'Meherangarh Fort'.

A beautiful old Guest house filled with Hindu paintings on the walls, just the thing for an old hippie like me. It was twice as expensive as last time, but incredibly healing for my delicate visual soul.

It was somewhat of a trial run MC up the very steep narrow streets with full packs. I could feel I was a little out of training. There's always a little anxiety in mind that the engine may not have enough power to cope with ascent.

I had just got into the Cosy Guest house with my luggage, because the rain came for the next 20 min.

Double click on the photo to see it in larger size.

8 February A nice calm blue morning.

Enjoying my morning chai on the roof and see the monkeys in the distance also enjoying the morning sun. The monkeys come namely into town every tuesday, they celebrate that day, the Hindu god Hanuman, also called the monkey god who symbolizes physical strength, endurance and devotion by giving the monkeys food.

I take some photos of the fort from an oblique angle and the fascinating prospect, beyond this pastel blue city.

Blackberry bush with beautiful flowers

’Meherangarh Fort’.

I tried to take the direct route from my Guest house, through the small residential streets farther up the mountain side, to reach up and over to the entrance to 'Meherangarh Fort', located in 125 meters height.

I really came to climb the mountain slope, then the path I try to follow, stop at a Hindu temple which was locked. Therefore I have to climb higher up the hillside to move forward. Here, some stray dogs and they will not move without a fight, that is, dogs barking and snarl.

The 7 palaces in the fort is located on the strip and not as Muslims, who are alone, they was inspired by.

On my way around the city streets among local residents, appeals to me directly, commenting and pointing at me. But it was not for me as a man and person, but my leather pants that catches their attention. They asked 'is it leader' - 'is it real leader' and some touch my pants directly and marks, if it really was leather and nodded recognition.

Here in Jodhpur I receive many more recognize glances from both men and women than I did in some of the other cities here in Rajasthan. It is of course most young guys.

It strengthens one's ego, of course, that the outside world thinks you are something special. Because I am the owner of these 25 year old retired leather pants. The lining is incredibly worn and is in tatters.

It is not true, I actually sat few days before I left and sewed the threadbare laser suffered together. I would avoid that every day of my journey was going to be a struggle just to get pants on.

They think leather pants are really cool and they like that they shine. Leather pants seems to be something special here, perhaps because they do not have and does not kill so many cows here in Rajasthan. Camel leather is probably too thick to make trousers. How many also need leather pants in this heat.

But my leather pants had been really comfortable to wear because they can also keep the heat and the cold wind out, although the weather some days during the daytime, has been up in 28 c. degree heat.

9 February MC. on the workshop again.

The day before I had noticed that dripped a lot of oil from the engine, so the host on Cosy came up with the address to the local Honda Service Center.

I went there 9:30 am. They thought it was again something with the gearbox and engine, I could get it back 5:30 pm.

4:00 pm. they call and toll me that they unfortunately had not had time to fix my MC. I would first be ready the next day 11:00 am. But they had my MC. all day and the repair of my MC. would not take more than 2 hours. So with the big words I toll them that for me it is incomprehensible that they have not fix my MC today. I make it clear to them that I need the MC next morning 8:00 am. I'm using big words again and then I got a second person on the phone, again sorry and says they've had several sick mechanics.

I make it clear to them that I would come down right away and get my MC back. I have decided that then the next town had to check my MC. As I stand there and demand to receive my MC a new manager who speak English. He tried to find out what happened and when he understands the seriousness that I had MC extradited immediately, the mechanic who had to do my MC this morning was back on my MC. And they would then fix it, before their closing time 6.00 pm.

The mechanic tells me that many of the parts there are on the 2 previous bills he again has to replaced with new ones. The major cause of oil leakage is that the part that holds all the rotating parts in the engine together is broken in one corner. This mechanic also disappear from sight a few times and again they could not tell me where he was.

This time, I saw with my own eyes that they change the parts and I receive the bags with inscriptions in which the spare part has been in and they gave me the worn engine parts in a bag. The mechanic believes that the latest Honda shop has not changed the parts with new parts.

'In his hand he holds the whole wide world ' Instead of this song, the advertisement on the wall at the Honda shop, more symbolize for me the swan in the ballet Swan Lake. A wounded Honda Unicorn for the third time.

Grueling episode. But fortunately, it is again not the large amount for me but incredibly time consuming and stressful. Total approx. 30 $. I avoided to wait one day extra. This would otherwise have been the third time because of MC.

The afternoon is gone and the sun has slowly said goodnight, without me really noticing it

Bjarne