Into India
03-12-2009
My Friend, My Friend
So border crossing day!
I thought this may not be overly straightforward for a few different reasons, your never quite sure that all your entry stamps and paperwork are 100% correct until you try to exit a country, having to explain that there are two motorcycles but only one person capable of riding them could be a headache and with Pakistani and Indian relations being somewhat strained, the six feet of no-mans-land with border guards from both sides staring at each other looked like a weird place to find yourself on a sunny Saturday afternoon. But as it was everything went pretty smoothly, riding one motorcycle to customs then running back five hundred yards to get the other, move down to immigration and do the same, then down to passport control, same again. After two hours we were finally waved to the exit gate, not leaving the compound before we had paid a visit to duty-free for a buy one get one free four pack of Heineken, mind you.
We had asked Trev for a favour in helping get Caf’s motorcycle to the city of Amritsar where we would hold up for a few days while we sorted what to do next. As we passed through the gate and officially into India we were greeted by Trev with a massive grin on his face explaining that our timings had been somewhat adrift but it was no problem as it had given him time to have a beer at the small eatery just outside the gate.
Welcome To India
Caf jumped into a cab and Trev rode off on Caf’s motorcycle while I follow up the rear on mine. It was a glorious day, and following Trev up the road with his t-shi rt flapping around in the wind and bare hands on the controls I felt like I was on holiday. We overtook turban clad men as we passed along palm tree-lined roads with paddy fields to either side but what caught my attention most of all was the women, riding scooters with their scarves billowing out behind them with what seemed like not a care in the world, it had probably been two months since I had seen anything so liberal. Before I new it we were in the middle of Amritsar, a city full of, well, everything. A billion people live in India and it felt like most of then were surrounding me as we dodged and weaved our way through the chaos to the hotel. Eager to check in, I was happy when Trev announced that he had already sorted us a room and all we had to do was sit down and order a cold bottle of Kingfisher, and then another, oh and again please waiter.
Welcome To India.
The route we took in Iran caused us to come across a great deal of building works and the remains of a distinct lack of it. The war between Iran and Iraq had certainly left it's mark along the Persian Gulf, but the people we met seem to be moving on and taking advantage of the economic success the country is experiencing at present (in some cities by charging us rates we would have expected in a reasonable hotel in central London.)
Bit of a disappointment really, UNESCO had got their hands on it 
These images are better than reality 
but we had a good picnic 
with a nice view
Landslip on the Black Sea Coastal Highway 
Feels like we're on a 2 week holiday still