I am alive and back in Canada. Sounds dramatic, but this has been a dramatic year so far. I suppose the best place to begin is at the beginning.
As you know I had been training for our cycling trip to India and was ready for the challenge. I even got a new camera for the occasion. However, as the date drew close things began to go wrong. Maybe the cold I caught two days before departure thanks to our beautiful grand-daughter was a portent. However not knowing that and therefore undaunted- and with a good supply of cough syrup- I boarded the plane.
The flight was long and uneventful, although if you want Al's opinion he was frustrated with the stewards constantly bashing into his aisle seat with their carts and interrupting his sleep. And then there was the man sitting in front of him who had a chronic problem with gas. Al hates flying poverty class.
New Year's eve was toasted with a glass of sparkling wine at an altitude of 11,277 m , flying at 888 k/h over India. We arrived in Bangalore in good spirits and waited an hour for members of our group from England to at 3:00 am.
Because the van ride to Mysore was in the middle of the night it was cold, and it did not help that the windows would not close. The pollution did not help my lungs and I spent the majority of time in coughing spasms. And it was bumpy (shock absorbers would have been nice as the roads are NOT the best). The constant jarring and jolts to the kidney each time we flew over speed bumps was an adventure in misery - I won't even go into the added effects of the broken seats. Like you, I am familiar with speed bumps in parking lots however in India they were placed where ever, and not just one bump, but four in an row with only a few inches between - a sadistic washboard. And sleep forget it. The constant honking of horns in insane traffic made that impossible. It was best to give up trying to sleep and just keep the eyes closed. No surprise, moods were not the best upon arrival at the hotel, especially as we had to wait for our rooms to be prepared. And the opportunity to have breakfast while we waited did not improve things. Most of us opted not to eat as nothing was appealing.
The truly positive note was the people in our cycling group. It was a mixed group in age 20's to 70"s, and nationality - Canada, United States, Sweden, Australia, England and Scotland. They were friendly, engaging and easy to get along with.
More to follow.
As you know I had been training for our cycling trip to India and was ready for the challenge. I even got a new camera for the occasion. However, as the date drew close things began to go wrong. Maybe the cold I caught two days before departure thanks to our beautiful grand-daughter was a portent. However not knowing that and therefore undaunted- and with a good supply of cough syrup- I boarded the plane.
The flight was long and uneventful, although if you want Al's opinion he was frustrated with the stewards constantly bashing into his aisle seat with their carts and interrupting his sleep. And then there was the man sitting in front of him who had a chronic problem with gas. Al hates flying poverty class.
New Year's eve was toasted with a glass of sparkling wine at an altitude of 11,277 m , flying at 888 k/h over India. We arrived in Bangalore in good spirits and waited an hour for members of our group from England to at 3:00 am.
Because the van ride to Mysore was in the middle of the night it was cold, and it did not help that the windows would not close. The pollution did not help my lungs and I spent the majority of time in coughing spasms. And it was bumpy (shock absorbers would have been nice as the roads are NOT the best). The constant jarring and jolts to the kidney each time we flew over speed bumps was an adventure in misery - I won't even go into the added effects of the broken seats. Like you, I am familiar with speed bumps in parking lots however in India they were placed where ever, and not just one bump, but four in an row with only a few inches between - a sadistic washboard. And sleep forget it. The constant honking of horns in insane traffic made that impossible. It was best to give up trying to sleep and just keep the eyes closed. No surprise, moods were not the best upon arrival at the hotel, especially as we had to wait for our rooms to be prepared. And the opportunity to have breakfast while we waited did not improve things. Most of us opted not to eat as nothing was appealing.
The truly positive note was the people in our cycling group. It was a mixed group in age 20's to 70"s, and nationality - Canada, United States, Sweden, Australia, England and Scotland. They were friendly, engaging and easy to get along with.
More to follow.
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