# Second Leg of my trip: Kolkata to New Delhi, India- 1,700 km



## ronnie simpson (Nov 9, 2008)

I think some of you may have read about the first leg of my trip, from Hong Kong to Bangkok. If you want to read it, it's here:

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=495949

Here's what happened after the first leg:

In Bangkok, the bike shop broke my rear derailleur hanger, so I had to find a new one, but luckily there was a big, really nice Cannondale shop there, so it was no problem. I also met a Dutch/ Israeli girl, and spent about a week with her, so I think i'm going to Rotterdam, Holland this summer. Go to Thailand. That place rocks.









My bike and gear at the Bangkok airport.

On March 8, I went to the airport in Bangkok and boarded an Air India Express flight to Kolkata, India. If anyone on here is interested, Air India only charged by the kilo, for excess baggage, and they gave me no hassles whatsoever with my bike box. Since I was 20 kg overweight on baggage (bike and gear weighed in at 50 kg), I paid approximately US $40 in extra baggage fees. The airport in Bangkok is extraordinarily nice and modern. There is no evidence at all of the airport being seized in November and playing such a vital role in a revolution. Fortunately, the rebels left everything intact and damaged nothing. Not only is the airport nice, it's ridiculously expensive. I paid nearly US $10 for Burger King, which was the cheapest thing in the terminal. The rest of Thailand is a good value, but the airport is surely not. Anyways, I boarded a plane and flew to Kolkata. Leaving clean and pretty Thailand was a stark contrast to where I would be landing. As the plane descended, I got my first view of India. Run down buildings, smokey haze, many roads and structures in disrepair, and extreme poverty. This was all before the plane landed. Once the plane landed, they pulled up an old school staircase (no modern terminal thing) to the side of the plane, and I got off the plane. I was kind of surprised, because all of the tractors and machines used on the runway appeared to be old farm equipment. A Massey-Ferguson tractor maneuvered the plane on the runway. An old military bus ferried all of the passengers from the plane to the actual airport building, which was an old British Raj era building. I immediately felt like I had stepped about 80 years back in time, just by being in India. Once into the airport, I had my passport scanned and stamped, and then claimed my baggage. As I wheeled my big box of gear and my bike box out of the baggage claim area, I was stopped by some airport security agents who wanted to scan and then re-scan my two boxes. They also asked me several questions. I told them that I planned to ride to Mumbai (about 2,400 km away). They told me that it was not possible, and that I would need to take a bus or train. Whatever. Apparently, showing up with a bunch of gear and a bike at the airport in Kolkata and saying that you want to ride across India constitutes suspicious behavior.









My big bike box in the cab at the Kolkata Airport, before enjoying a leisurely cab ride to Sudder Stret. Or not.

After exchanging some currency, I walked out of the airport with an Australian guy and a French guy. We had purchased a pre-paid cab ticket to Sudder Street for 270 rupees (50 rupees = 1 dollar). Once I loaded my boxes into the cab, we all got in, and the cabbie said "excess baggage, 300 rupee extra". In my time in Thailand, everyone just told me how much the people in India try to get you for any extra money that they can, so I immediately called B.S. on the cabbie's demand for the 300 rupees. Then he said "200 rupees". I was like "no, no extra rupees." The cabbie explained how my box was too big and heavy. The heavy box was in the trunk, and my big bike box was only 18 kg. Then he told me that gas was really expensive, and I just told him it was at a 5 year low. Finally, he said "ok, 100 rupees". I was so pissed off by this point, that I had gotten out of the cab and wanted nothing to do with the guy. I politely told him exactly where he could put his 300 rupees, and the other two got out of the cab as well. As the other two guys got into a different cab, I broke out my bike and gear and assembled everything in the parking lot. The disgruntled cabbie watched the entire process, as well as about 100 other Indians, who completely surrounded me, giving me no room to even breathe. Nonetheless, I got my bike together in almost record time, (it was getting dark), and then took off. Before leaving, I made sure to acknowledge the cabbie. He didn't look amused. As I started pedaling, it was almost dark, so I hurried. Then the guy at the exit of the airport said Sudder Street was 22 km away. Sh--! I would be lying if I said it was anything less than traumatic, riding across India's second largest city (14 million people) in the dark. I got brushed by a white sedan, barely rear ended a rickshaw, and got run off the road by two buses and a cow. But I made it. By the time I made it to Sudder Street, I was on such a high, that it all seemed worth it. I wouldn't change my first 3 hours in India for all the rupees in the world. That day will always stick out in my mind. This pretty much set the tone for the rest of my time in India. Chaotic and overwhelming, but in the end, memorable, educational and very positive. Moreso after the fact than during it.









Bike parts all over the Kolkata Airport parking lot, and a crowd of Indians watching me put it back together. Build a bike with 100 people standing all around and tell me how you feel afterwards. Stressed out, perhaps?









The crowd of Indians who watched me assemble my bike, next to the finished product.

Once on Sudder Street, I lucked out and got a room at probably the coolest guest house that I have stayed at in my trip. "Hotel Paragon" is this run down dump of a hotel with sun-starved cement slab rooms that look like prison cells and a grumpy manager. It does, however, have one of the coolest, most social roof tops in all of India. As I traveled, I realized the place is notorious and really well known. On any given night, there will be about 30 people on the roof, from all nations and all walks of life, just chilling on the roof. I had some really good times and really good conversations there. I ended up staying 4 days instead of one, so that I could do some volunteer work for Mother Theresa's organization, at one of her homes for the dying and destitute. Many of the people at Paragon are volunteers. That experience will forever stick out in my mind. I won't go into detail, but I saw things there that honestly put every single thing into perspective and almost make you question your place on the earth. I won't call it fun by any means, but it was a great experience. After seeing a lot of the people there, it made me realize how truly fortunate I am to be able to do the things that I can do. For the rest of my life, whenever I start to feel sorry for myself for any reason, I need only think about those old (and not so old) men, to realize how good I have it. I also toured around Kolkata for a couple of days, seeing a lot of the big sites there. I saw the Victoria Monument, Kali Ghat, and the Indian National Museum. The Museum is the largest natural history museum in all of Asia, and I highly recommend it to anyone. I went to Kali Ghat (a really famous Hindu temple), on Holi ( a huge Hindu religious holiday), and that was an experience, to put it mildly. Being in a room with 200 Hindus who were really fired up about something, as a goat got sacrificed was something that i'll never forget. I came out with a red dot on my forehead, paint and flowers all over me, and no more understanding of the Hindu religion than when I entered. Also, in Kolkata, I talked to enough people to change my mind about going to Mumbai. Apparently, in between Mumbai and Kolkata, there is nothing to see, whereas if I rode to Delhi, it would be a cooler route, and I could possibly go to Pakistan. I talked to an American who went through Iran and Pakistan by bus, into India, and he said it was do-able. This was 4 months ago, though.









My bike in my room at Hotel Paragon in Kolkat. Tragically, my Vietnamese rice farmer hat would not make it out of Kolkata intact. RIP Vietnam rice hat.









With some kids in a park in Kolkata. This was after taking my first ball in cricket.









Train station slums in Kolkata









Some guys I worked with at Mother Theresa's in Kolkata









Pretty impressive street fire during Holi, in Kolkata









Possibly the best food staff in all of India. That's Taj Continental in Kolkata. 3 chapati and veg curry was 22 cents.









Inside the Kolkata Museum. Awesome museum.









The beautiful Victoria Monument in Kolkata.

After 4 days, I left Kolkata, bound for Delhi, instead of Mumbai. Delhi was 1,500 km away over the highway. That first day out of Kolkata was really hectic, but I made it out intact. Almost. My beloved Vietnamese rice farmer hat that I had carried for 2,500 km did not survive Kolkata. I don't know if it came off on its own, or was "helped" off of my bike (the leading theory.), but alas, it was gone. The outskirts of Kolkata had the worst, most in your face poverty that I had ever seen. Straight up slum conditions like you see in the movie. I felt really sorry for the people, but I also didn't in a weird way. First off, something about me, i'm a very sympathetic individual, but i'm also a realist. A lot of the people here, especially the men, don't make their situation any better for themselves and their families. A lot of the people here deficate right outside their front doors, and just throw their trash anywhere. Instead of walking 10 meters to poop, or throwing the trash into a bin, or in the corner, they just allow their home to be a filthy mess, and literally invite disease.Also, a lot of the poverty is definitely very graphic, but honestly, are you ever going to amount to anything if you do nothing but sit around and smoke hash and opium all day long? India is like a drug emporium. The people have figured out so many ways to sit around and get high without working, that it's really not a surprise that many of them are super poor. Some of the people had caught on to the idea, and had nice and tidy homes, while their neighbors would be living in the worst conditions I had ever seen. It had nothing to do with money. I saw A LOT of people living good lives with no money. You can live here with no money, but many of the people have not caught on.









Leaving Kolkata, headed for Delhi, some 1,500 km away.

I had hoped that the air quality would get better in leaving Kolkata, but it didn't, to say the least. India has, what is by far the worst quality of air that I have ever breathed in my life. Way worse than China. At least in China, when you get out of the huge cities and the Pearl River Delta area, it clears out. Not in India. 300- 500 km from Kolkata, it was still a smokey mess. It's like the whole country is on fire or something. Anywhere in the country (that I saw), if you look off in the distance, you will see the horizon clouded by smoke. You can not see more than a few km in any direction. I have been coughing up phlegm and black stuff for a month now. On the up side, I have had the most awesome farmer blows of my life.









It was like this for 20 km's one day. It was so difficult and disgusting to pedal through. I had other times where it was equally as smokey.

The people in India are pretty friendly, for the most part, but they have no manners. It is without a doubt, the rudest culture that I have ever seen in my life. For example, as I would struggle into a hotel, trying to open a door while managing my bicycle, a person would walk up and rather than spend 2 seconds helping me out and holding the door open for me, they would just try to slide by, and let me hold the door open for them. This happened many times. Not a single person ever extended the common courtesy of opening a door for me while I struggled with my bike. I always hold the door open for people, but the favor was never returned. When you go to a restaurant, even if they speak English, you can say please, thank you, etc etc, but never get anything in return. When you pay and leave, they usually never say thank you. It's weird. It's nothing wrong with the people, and I don't mean it as an insult to call them rude, it's just that they have not been taught any common manners, as far as I can tell. Different culture.

The traffic is the worst that I have ever seen in my life. Way worse than Vietnam. I saw no less than a dozen totaled vehicles and wrecks during my time here, and I saw multiple dead human bodies on the road. Very graphic. The people here are the most reckless and inconsiderate drivers on the planet. That was my biggest challenge with India, was surviving the roads. I got run into a ditch one day by an oncoming bus that was on my shoulder, with 2 wheels off the road, forcing me 6 feet off the road. The bus was going about 100 km/ h and just laying on the horn. Unbelievable. Also, I got bumped and touched by countless rickshaws, cars, and other bicycles. What made me possibly the most angry was when my right bar end got hit by a large commercial truck from behind, going about 100 km/h, which turned my handlebars and made me shoot off the road. I was all the way on the shoulder, and the truck was literally passing me so close that he touched me. I can't believe how the drivers here have no regard for the lives of others. Life and death is an every day thing here, that the people are de-sensitized to endangering their own life or that of others. Very frustrating. In the end, I felt relieved more than anything to reach Delhi, and be done with cycling across India. I liked the country in a lot of ways, but I would not consider it ideal for a touring cyclist. The pollution and traffic make the place way less than ideal for a bike. Just my opinion, though. I will probably come here again one day, but it will be on a bus or train. Not on a bike, that's for sure. Not only having o regard for whether you kill someone, I have some serious hang ups with Indian culture. For example, I watched in horror as a man beat his wife on a street corner, and no one even cared.









Hotel room bike art with a bottle of Hayward's 5000 Super strong Beer









Hotel room bike maintenance. My bike always sleeps in my room, and it hasn't been stolen after 6 countries.

India is very chaotic and fast paced, which is something that takes some getting used to. At first, to be honest, I hated the place, because I was constantly getting run off the road, everything was dirty, it smelled, and the people were rude. Once you get used to that, and become more comfortable in India, you can really understand it and look beneath the surface. At the end of the day, it's just like any other place on the planet in that people are going about their daily lives, just trying to survive. It's just so different and unique to anywhere that i've ever been to, and that's what I think gives India such an immense appeal and mystique to travelers. I can understand why people come here several times in the course of their lives, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up being one of those people. Once you get to know some people, and realize that their culture is just so different to ours, and that they will act differently as a result, you begin to like the place more. I met some really cool and genuine people, but I also felt like a human ATM a lot of times.. While I hate to make broad generalizations, I still have a feeling that most of the people who were nice to me only wanted my money. If they knew how little I actually have right now, maybe they'd pick a different person to target. Who knows.









Typical India. The people beg for me to get a picture with them, and no one smiles at all. Haha.









The only traveller that I met on the road. No bicyles, just one motorcyclist from Belgium, named Luke.









I was in the country side one night, as a storm rolled in. Cool picture though. I had nowher to stay, so.....









I squatted a building next to a farm. The roof kept the rain off of my tent, while another small building kept me from being seen ad bothered.

I had some really good times here, though. I had a lot of days on the road that were very pleasant, with no drama, good meals, maybe meeting nice people, or what have you. Unlike other countries, though, where I found myself having a lot of really cool experiences with the locals, I found most of my good experiences coming from hanging out with other travelers, and less with the locals. I try to be as open minded and trusting as possible, but I kept getting burned so many times. Like if you hang out with someone, and you think it's a real experience, and then afterwards, they try to hit you up for money. What is that?

As far as the sites that I saw, after Kolkata, I took a 4 day trip to a city called Bodh Gaya. This is the spot where Prince Siddhartha Guatama sat under a Bodhi tree and achieved enlightenment, thus becoming the Buddha, more than 26 centuries ago. The caves where he sat for 6 years without food or water (believe that if you want to) are nearby. The tour guide said it so matter of factly, that it was funny. He was like "Buddha sat there for six years with no food or water. Some people don't believe it, I don't know why." The coolest part of Bodh Gaya was the temple that marks the spot where Buddha sat under the tree. It is the single most holy place in the Buddhist world, and as such, there are Buddhists that have made pilgrimages from everywhere in the world to see this spot. The Dali Lama himself spends two months of the year in Bodh Gaya, and the rest of his time mostly in Daramsala. When you think about going to India, or hear about it from other people, everyone talks about how "spiritual" the place is. This was the first place that I felt a real spiritual energy. When you go to that temple, and there are about 1,000 devout Buddhists around, all on their knees praying, with the Buddhist chanting music and all, you seriously feel this energy. Take that with a grain of salt if you want, but I definitely felt something. It was kinda cool.









By far the most spiritual place i've ever been to. This temple marks the spot where the Buddha became the Buddha.









This picture sums up cycling alone in India. Everywhere that you stop, a crowd gathers and just stares at you. I mean absolutely everywhere, usually surrounding you 360 degrees. It gets really tough and frustrating, mentally, because sometimes you just want to be alone.

From Bodh Gaya, I took a two day trip to Varanasi, which was my favorite place in India. Arguably, the highlight of going to Varanasi was when I could not find a room one night, and right when I was about to set up my tent, I found a road side "dhaba", which is like a truck stop that you can eat dinner at and then go to sleep. It was completely dark when i arrived, so I took dinner and then went to sleep. This truck stop was in "Bihar", India's murder capital and poorest state. One guy was a real ******* and made me feel really uncomfortable, but everyone else was cool. I think the guy was drunk, or on something, because a few hours later, he was pretty nice. This was a turning point for me in my India trip, because I met several cool truckers who had nothing to gain from me at all, and they knew it, so they just hung out. We talked as much as we could, but just genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Playing cards, showing me how to roll Indian tobacco and then chew it, stuff like that. One of them spoke some English, so I got to talk to a lot of the guys through him.The next day, I made it to Varanasi, whichi is arguably the oldest living city in the world, dating back more than 3,400 years. It lies on the Ganges River, and was supposedly the first place where marijuana was cultivated, hence the name "Ganja or Ganga". The stuff is widely available, as well as hash, and bhang, which is legal. Everyone comes to Varanasi for the riverside "ghats", or temples. There's something like 80 major ghats, but the main one is the burning ghat. It is where approximately 200 Hindus are cremated every day, and then dumped into the Ganges River. It is the most auspicious way for a Hindu to die. The reason behind this is that when you are cremated and then dumped into the Ganges, (the holiest of rivers), it will guarantee a good reincarnation, and that your next life will be good, washing away your past life's sins, and blessing your reincarnation. You can rent or hire a row boat and paddle up and down the river, which is really nice at sun rise or sunset. My favorite part of Varanasi was walking around the city's narrow alleyways and corridors. It has to be one of the most unique and enchanting cities in the world. Out of every place I have ever been to, it is probably the most fun to wander around in. It's just a continuous maze of people, vendors, food carts, cows, cow feces, motorcycles, drug dealers, funeral processions passing by, and lots and lots of armed cops. After the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India is on full alert for more terror attacks. There is a huge golden roof on a temple there, and the government is afraid that the muslims are going to try to blow it up, so there's hordes of cops with 12 gauge shotguns and AK's walking around. Metal detectors in the street, stuff like that. Kinda weird. One of the other highlights of Varanasi was the "Shanti Gueshouse", with it's awesome 24 hour roof top restaurant and bar, full of travelers. It's a very social place, and a lot of fun.









The burning ghat in Varanasi









Some of the riverside ghats. This is where you see that iconical picture of India where thousands of people are bathing in a river. It's because the Ganges is so holy, that many Hindus bathe in it to wash away their sins.









rowing the boat with the boat guy. I went on my boat ride with 3 really cool people from San Francisco. I met more Americans in India than in SE Asia for sure. Lot of English as well.









Very typical Varanasi street scene.

After Varanasi, I took a 6 day trip to Agra. It was supposed to be a 5 day trip, but I took a wrong turn in Kanpur, and ended up in Orai, 138 km out of the way. Orai ended up being quite unique, as they never ever see any foreigners there. At my hotel, after about 30 minutes, there is a knock on the door, and it's the local news station. They wanted to film me and take pictures of me. After an interview and all that, they had to verify my passport and some other things, as well as look over my bike to make sure that I was actually traveling like I said I was. It was a government news station, and they were apparently on very high alert of any foreigners in the town, after 26/ 11, which is what they refer to the Mumbai terrorist attack as. Kind of like our 9/11. The next morning, when leaving Orai, I was eating breakfast on the street, when I noticed two guys taking picture and video from across an intersection. Weird. I had my own paparazzi. The guys from the night before were on a motor bike and trying to be secretive, so I just walked up to them and started talking. They were cool, though, and showed me back to the main road. I also had a kind of negative experience here, though. I had gone out at about 11 o'clock at night to find some chai (tea) and a dessert thing. Everything here closes really early, so I had to walk pretty far, and apparently I ended up in a Muslim neighborhood that I shouldn't have really been in. While drinking my chai, I had 8 guys, 3 with shotguns, surround me 360 degrees and start asking me questions. LIke, where I was from, where I was going, where I was staying, what my room number was, etc. They seemed far less than friendly, and i kind of realized my own vulnerability and mortality in this experience. Combining this, with Pakistan, which is deteriorating by the day, I decided that I would just fly to Turkey. I don't think I need to be alone in the Middle East as an American right now. I've already been shot in the Middle East once, and i'll feel like a real dumb as* if I go there and die. When those guys were surrounding me, I kept my cool and drank my tea, but I kept thinking that if any of those guys had any ill will towards me, I was in trouble. Leaving Orai, I had to take a 62 km "detour" to make it back to the right road that I needed to be on. This was the hardest 62 km of my entire trip. 22 km of that road were under construction, and I had to push my bike a lot of the way. It was this dirt road with massive rocks covering the whole thing, road construction machines, mud ruts, everything. It took me 3 hours to complete 22 km. (13.5 miles) Weak.









My bike in front of some pretty cool old Muslim ruins. These *should* be from around the 15th century, built by the Mughal Empire, who also created the Taj Mahal.

Once in Agra, I got a hotel room that was right behind the Taj Mahal. The roof top restaurant had a great view of the Taj, and instead of just staying 1-2 days like most tourists passing through, I stayed 4. The 6 days trip from Varanasi to Agra took so much out of me, mentally and physically, that I needed those 4 days to really relax and feel good again. India wears you down. It just takes the life right out of you sometimes, it's so overwhelming. I toured the Taj, which was incredible. Trust me, it's every bit as impressive as you are led to believe. Seeing the craftsmanship and the sheer size of it, up close and in person is a really nice experience. If you go, get a tour guide to walk you around, it's worth it. I met an English guy named Nick, whose girlfriend was in the hospital with e coli, so we hung out a lot over the course of 3 days, but my favorite thing that we did was take a 5 AM rickshaw ride across Agra, to the other side of the river, and sit on the river bank, looking at the Taj, as the sun came up. I'll never forget those mornings looking at the Taj, having some really cool conversations, and watching the sun rise. The rickshaw driver's adorable son would bring us chai after a few minutes. We went there 3 days in a row and started bringing other people there as well. A kid with a camel let me ride his camel for 30 minutes for 3 dollars, so I got some really touristy photos on it. Camels are cool.









First view of the Taj, from afar.









My guest house in Agra was really fun. Very sociable. The guy next to me was the Indian rickshaw driver, Rahul, whom was actually super cool.









Me and Nick in front of the Taj with some local kids, at sunrise.









This guy was the most awesome mountain bike rider i've ever seen. Nick and I witnessed him ride his single speed bike through the shallow part of the river there 3 days in a row, on his way to work. In his work pants, nonetheless. He did it so nonchalantly. Really quiter incredible. I filmed him do it one day as well. Maybe i'll put it on youtbe or something.









This 12 year old kid in Agra puts those kids in Slumdog Millionaire to shame. Coolest kid i've ever met. He's on commission at every place in town, and acts like a little guide, recomendig restaurants and what not. He's loyal though. He found out I got ripped off one day by a 10 year old, and went up to the kid, pimp slapped him, handed over the Taj Mahal souvenir and took my money back. I didn't really expect all that. He was yelling at the kid like "don't overcharge Ronnie!"









Kamal, the travel agent who booked my ticket to Istanbul was cool. He let me ride his 1954 Enfield motor bike all over town. Shifter was on the opposite side. Weird. Clutch was shot, too.









Camel ride in front of the Taj









Trying to make it look like i'm standig on the Taj Mahal. I love that building. Absolutely love it. While on the subject of mass government spendig, we should petition Barack Obama to outdo the Taj Mahal with the economic stimulus package. Step up Obama.









Monkeys are everywhere in Agra.

From Agra, I took a slow and difficult two day slog to Delhi. I had faced a headwind for the last half of my time in India. Even right now in Delhi, it's really windy. The last two days to Delhi, and the second day out of Varanasi were the worst. It made it absolutely horribly difficult to cover 130 km every day, but whatever. It felt even better every day when I reached a hotel and took a shower each night. Now I am in Delhi, from where I will be flying to Istanbul, Turkey in a few days. From Istanbul, I have not decided my exact route yet, but I am headed to the Tour de France, and then plan to fly from London to Atlanta in August, to be home for my brother's wedding. I love you bro.









Massive Muslim mosque on the road side, headed to Delhi.









Sheep traffic.









India gate in New Delhi









The fort in Agra

In the end, I enjoyed India, but I need more time here. I just began to understand India and enjoy it, and it's already time for me to leave. India is so overwhelming and chaotic that, at first, you don't like it. Once you get used to it, and it slows down for you, is when you can begin to appreciate it. It is so incredibly differnt and unique in so many ways. So intriguing; in my eyes, that is it's biggest appeal. I love you India. I will see you again.

My India trip by the numbers:

Crashes: Amazingly, 0

Flat tires: 2

Broken bike parts: Part of my Crank Brothers clipless pedal broke off, but it's still usable on two sides.

Distance pedaled: 1,700 km

Days for Journey from Kolkata to Delhi: 23 days, 14 on the bike.

Illnesses: 0. I had diarrhea a few times, but then again, I was drinking the tap water when bottled water was, incredibly, not available.

Total trip distance now:

400 in China in December
4,400 from Hong Kong to Bangkok
1,700 from Kolkata to Delhi

Roughly 6,500 km pedaled to date.

See you in England! I'll probaly make a post in Central Europe. Sort of like split Europe into Eastern Europe/ Western Europe.

To anyone reading this:

I would very much like to write some articles for cycling magazines, and/ or journals, that would pay me for my contributions and submissions. I have contacted every single magazine that I could find an email address for, including the one that someone in my last post referred me to. Not a single one has contacted me back. I also tried contacting Cannondale, but with no reply whatsoever. If anyone can help me get in contact with a magazine that would pay me for content, I would be extremely grateful and appreciative. I am putting pretty much everything that I can into this trip, but I am going to run out of money in Europe, I fear. It is my dream to see this trip through, so if anyone can help hook me up with paying literary work, it would mean so much to me.

Thank you


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## Simonns (Mar 25, 2004)

Amazing!!


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## Swthrtsuzy (Sep 1, 2008)

Simply wonderful experiences, pictures & writing. You're very lucky to be having such amazing adventures. Many safe & spectacular miles to you on your journey.

I don't have any contacts with publications, but maybe you should try the Express-News, or another local periodical (Guessing you're from SA from your "favorite trail"). I'm sure that you could do a "hometown" hero sort of thing, and maybe the Associated Press would pick up the story & it would go from there. There's also magazines such as National Geographic that might be more interested in your stories than Dirt Rag. Just a thought. Good luck.


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## Fusion (Jan 28, 2004)

Another awesome write-up, thanks for sharing this amazing trip with us.


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

One word: WICKED!
You are doing something I've dreamed about since I was young: Touring Asia on a Bike.
From reading your story, I feel that I was there on the trip too.


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## Atomik Carbon (Jan 4, 2004)

*Maybe you should post a Paypal account...*

some of us might be inclined to kick in a few buck to keep this going.....


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## radair (Dec 19, 2002)

Killer stuff, Ronnie. Best of luck.


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## LandoCommando (Feb 26, 2009)

That is a lot of pedaling


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## forkboy (Apr 20, 2004)

This is the best story around here for years.

It's a great read - keep rolling!


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## sooner518 (Aug 1, 2007)

wow great read. part of me wishes I was doing something like that, but I just dont think I am wired to do something like that. 

If you have a paypal site, I'd throw a few bucks your way.......


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## MK_ (Nov 15, 2004)

Awesome. That's a totally different perspective on India that you typically hear.

Best of luck with getting into a magazine.
Check out: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/
That site is full of people like you riding bikes across the planet and posting up their photos and write ups. I'm sure some of them got published, maybe they can offer advice on how to get your foot in the door.

_MK


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## zeeduv (Jul 30, 2007)

I check your page every day hoping for a new entry, really enjoy reading about your travels. Very inspiring, makes me want to get out there and do something extraordinary as well. Looking forward to more. You rock.


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## Keatan (Apr 23, 2008)

I look forward to all your posts. Can't wait for Europe!


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

Wow!


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## Exodus11 (Aug 21, 2007)

awesome! i got your blog on my rss feed so i can read whenever you post something new up. cant wait for Europe.

happy riding


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## William42 (Oct 29, 2006)

Fantastic! I've been looking forward to this for awhile now! Can't wait to hear the next one!


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Thanks for the tour Ronnie. Absolutely amazing. Felt like I was there with you...... but glad in some ways that I am not. Not sure I'm wired for that kind of adventure.

Looking forward to the third leg of your journey. Be safe, man.


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## mat347 (Oct 4, 2008)

WOW!! I'm jealous of you.

You have some balls to be able to do this kind of trip.

I can't wait to hear about more of your journey. Keep it up and be safe!!


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## dirtdrop (Dec 29, 2003)

Good stuff as usual. Keep it up mate.


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## Sentiment (Jul 6, 2008)

Bloody nice mate. As an indian born in america, i've got to say that everything you said about indians in india is true. Quite sad, but people are quite inconsiderate. It probably stems out of the invisibility of being one brown face in a mass of 1 billion people, and the massive competition for rising out of poverty. 
It looks like overall, you had a good time there though, and I hope the rest of your incredible journey bears you well. Keep on pedaling my friend.
-Sentiment


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## kirkB (Mar 21, 2005)

I would highly suggest focusing on outlets other than Bike related magazines.

They typically pay very little for unsolicited editorials and most of them don't have any real travel stories and the ones that do are about 2 pages long. Your epic journey needs more space than that.

The good side is that while the bike has afforded a much more intimate way of traveling and connecting with the places you have been, it is not so central to the story that only bike riders would enjoy. Your story would fit in a ton of general interest publications, everything from those free airline magazines to any travel related pub.

With all of that that said, I would not even worry about getting anything into any magazines (at least not until you are done and back home and have more time) because they are too much work for too little funds. What you need is to get the most funds for the least amount of time spent. 

I think that the best course of action is to first make that PayPal call to action on your site larger and more prominent.

Then I would start posting on more forum sites like this one, but not only related to bikes, and travel sites, sites specific to the countries you are in, backpacking sites, etc. Your story is of interest to many people, just be sure to post about your travel in a passionate way (like you have done here) and not in terms of sales or fund raising so that people are not put off. This will drive many more people to your site and hopefully get them to donate.

I would also suggest posting more often to the sites that are receptive. While I am interested enough to have added your RSS feed today, many users simply dont know how that even works. Smaller and more often posts will help with the traffic generation.

I would also try to play up the donation part to make it a bit more fun - maybe adding links like "buy me a beer" or "buy my dinner" etc. This will help people understand that they if they can give even $1 dollar, it will be beneficial and put to good use.

That is my overpriced 2cents worth.

Good luck, have fun, and I can not wait for the next round of updates.


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

Thanks for sharing another chapter of your journey with us.


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## Padre (Jan 6, 2004)

What??? Broken Crank Brothers? <--sarcasm


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## sherijumper (Feb 19, 2007)

Thanks for sharing ! That would be an awesome experience !


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## beefmagic (Sep 17, 2005)

Fantastic write up. Thank you. It made my day reading this. I suggest as well that you set up a paypal acct. so people can contribute.


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## LDH (May 27, 2007)

great story , be safe and keep it up. Your two threads are better than anything I have ever read in a bike magazine.


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## Zillon (Sep 24, 2007)

Keep it up, Ronnie, and remember to watch your back out there.

I've been following your threads from day one. I'm stuck here in dreary central PA yearning to get out and travel myself. I'll just have to stick with doing it vicariously through you for now.


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## GoGoGordo (Jul 16, 2006)

*On the up side, I have had the most awesome farmer blows of my life.*

Ronnie,
Congrats on making it across India. :thumbsup:
I look forward to reading more about your life adventures!!
GoGo


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## Jerk_Chicken (Oct 13, 2005)

wow


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

You went through some of my old stomping grounds. What an amazing and effective job you did with pictures and narratives...very impressive! I was in Kolkata last year for a month. That place never ceases to sadden and yet amaze me.


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## musky (Jul 21, 2007)

For all of you that are suggesting Pay Pal....he does have a link on his site to make a donation. Link is in his signature! Help him out! I did!


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## pspwesty (Feb 27, 2006)

It has been great reading about your trip Ronnie. I would love to do something like what you are doing, but know that I don't have it in me. Best of luck out there.


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## CaliforniaNicco (Oct 13, 2008)

you rock


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## zrm (Oct 11, 2006)

Very cool trip. I've been to India a few times and have come to love it, despite it being one of the dirtiest places on the planet :skep: . I'm glad you got to go to Bodhigaya. I've spent a fair amount of time there (I'm a practicing Buddhist) and it is my favorite, most inspiring place. (BTW, the Buddha did not go _without_ food and water for six years, he went with _minimal_ food and water in an attempt to see if severe asceticism was the path to enlightenment. He found that it wasn't) The statues of the emaciated buddha are representative of that period.

Did you get splattered with paint during holi? The place is nuts during holi :lol:

Varnassi is also very very cool, the ghats (nothing like having the ashes of your dead relatives raining down upon your head to get you comfortable with death:thumbsup and the old city Deer park where the Buddha gave his first discourses (the first turning of the wheel of Dharma) is near there and a very spiritual place, although much different than Bodhigaya)

If you get a chance, you should go to Dharmasala. It's a bit of a tourist trap in some ways but the Tibetans are a very warm and friendly people. Strangely enough, I had the best vegetarian lasagna I've ever had in my like in a restaurant owned by a Tibetan lady there.


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## mtnbkrid (Jan 30, 2004)

Wow, thanks for the write up. I visited India in 1981 and it changed me forever. Your post reminded me of so many memories. Like the time I was in New Dehli and was walking to the main train station. As I got closer I picked up a rag-tag band of beggar women and children. After about 3 blocks the crowd had grown to about 30 or more all of them begging, "rupees,rupees". One brave one reached out and touched my backpack. That startled me and I jumped and shouted "back off"! Of course their reaction was to breakout in laughter and giggling. Kind of hard to stay mad at that. I turned around and walked into the station and they drifted off to beg somewhere else. It does take some getting used to, but what an experience!


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## baker (Jan 6, 2004)

Awesome! Thanks for letting me live vicariously through your writing!


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## redmr2_man (Jun 10, 2008)

if that's not Passion, I don't know what is. Amazing writing, pictures, and description. Thanks for letting us in on your amazing trip.

Hope you can make it for a full trip, looks just absolutely wonderful.

+1 on the paypal account man. Seriously


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## ronnie simpson (Nov 9, 2008)

I read all of the posts that everyone posted up. Really encouraging and heartwarming to hear so many people say such nice things about my trip. Thank you.

As far as the ideas for getting published, branching out to non-cyclist type pubs, etc, i'll definitely be looking into all of that. I really hope to begin generating income while traveling, so i'm probably going to post up here in Istanbul for a few weeks and do a lot of work to try to get some articles published or something, as well as try to get a job here, to cover room and board.

Thanks again to everyone for their support, kind words, advice, and contributions to my trip. It really means a lot. I've got a lot of ideas on where I want my trip to go from here, but I don't know exactly how things will progress. Thanks again for everyone's kind words and support. Will post up more updates soon!

I have a paypal account set up on my web site. It was down for a long time, but my brother put it back up a few days ago. If any one wants to toss a few bucks, feel free. Europe is expensive! Especially after coming from India, haha

You can go to www.openbluehorizon.com, and there is a button on the front page that says "Donate". You can simply click on that button, and it takes you to a paypal page that puts money into my brother's account. When I need cash, he can do a Western Union money transfer to me.

Thanks again everyone!

Ronnie Simpson


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## GreenLightGo (Oct 24, 2006)

Ronnie - great write up, again.

This pic you posted of the smoggy Indian road, brought back many memories from the four months I spent in Pakistan, that road being virtually identical as the one between Rawalpindi and Islamambad.


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## shelbster15 (Nov 5, 2008)

Now this is a passion thread!


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## kieron (Apr 6, 2007)

that was really interesting. i have to say, i think your comments about the Indians in the slums were a little off the mark - are you aware of the caste system in india? it is so incredibly debilitating to be born into the lowest casts that it's no surprise these people resign to shitting infront of their dwellings. overall, totally fascinating. i've read your first and third installment to and it's all so inspirational! 

so thanks, kieron


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