Monsoon touring India, and what about the camping!?

[John Peel]

I smile, when the age of mature cyclist's comes up in the media, for cyclist being 62 is nothing, but to the non cyclists being age 62 seem to mean that shortly you will be leaving this mortal world. World touring is only after all a series of day rides with rest day thrown in for good measure. But for the non cyclist starting out on his first ride can become quite a challange as Steve found out. and no doubt Robert will find out, if you check on the internet you will find so many old wrinklies some in there late 70;s still pounding the pedals heading into the great unknown. Anne Mustoe for an example who was 76 when she passed away unexpectly in aleppo, syria during one of her tours.

I know, I see so many people are out there much older than me enjoying life.

 

[slowmotion]

Tell me about it, I need to source testosterone as I go, seriously. I have all the paperwork from the GP but that’s no guarantee.

Pharmacies in India should be able to help. It's surprising what you buy over the counter. There are strange anomalies though. You can't get low strength Co-Codamol ( because it contains codeine), but they will offer you Tramadol. Wacky.

 

[John Peel]

Pharmacies in India should be able to help. It's surprising what you buy over the counter. There are strange anomalies though. You can't get low strength Co-Codamol ( because it contains codeine), but they will offer you Tramadol. Wacky.

I take thyroid meds too, but found I could just buy them over the counter in Spain with the letter I have from GP, I'm sure it will work out. I reduced my testosterone by half while on this tour, and after a blood test it turns out that I'm running at spot on. Makes you wonder hey. I did change my diet though while cycling, to less meat in the end. I now don't have any dairy, or red meat, chicken or eggs. I only eat plant based but I do eat fish. Seems the hormones in other meats and dairy were causing me problems. That said, I have put pounds on and not off due to mostly eating carbs, so thinking of knocking the plants on the head and going for a huge steak if I can find one instead

 

[tyreon]

Maybe I should open a new tab on this subject,but others looking here might help.

Still enraptured by internal Spain I think I might do another trip there. But getting back what-to-do? I can get my bike and myself on an easy cheap flight here(UK),but whatsabout getting one from Spain back to the UK. I wouldn't book a flight from say Spain-UK for fear of mechanical or physical mishap(plus I prefer to do stuff ad-hoc) I have an android phone. Would I say,arrive in Madrid then just find some single cheap flight back to the UK by this android phone,book it say? How easy is this procedure? How safe is it? What about printing the ticket? Is this easy procedure these days? How safe is this putting in my debit card details like such? Anyone with any experience here. I'm a bit backwards in the techno department.

 

[John Peel]

Maybe I should open a new tab on this subject,but others looking here might help.

Still enraptured by internal Spain I think I might do another trip there. But getting back what-to-do? I can get my bike and myself on an easy cheap flight here(UK),but whatsabout getting one from Spain back to the UK. I wouldn't book a flight from say Spain-UK for fear of mechanical or physical mishap(plus I prefer to do stuff ad-hoc) I have an android phone. Would I say,arrive in Madrid then just find some single cheap flight back to the UK by this android phone,book it say? How easy is this procedure? How safe is it? What about printing the ticket? Is this easy procedure these days? How safe is this putting in my debit card details like such? Anyone with any experience here. I'm a bit backwards in the techno department.

Last October I had to get a quick flight back to the UK for a couple of days, so I made it to Barcelona and used my phone to book a flight back to Liverpool.

Really easy and it’s not easy for someone to get your credit card details due to site encryption.

I put my bike and gear in Blue Box storage and spent a night in a hotel before my flight. I sent the hotel an email with my boarding pass attachment that I got when I paid for my flight, and asked the hotel to print it out and they did.

But I’m told you can just show the details on your phone at the airport.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Maybe I should open a new tab on this subject,but others looking here might help.

Still enraptured by internal Spain I think I might do another trip there. But getting back what-to-do? I can get my bike and myself on an easy cheap flight here(UK),but whatsabout getting one from Spain back to the UK. I wouldn't book a flight from say Spain-UK for fear of mechanical or physical mishap(plus I prefer to do stuff ad-hoc) I have an android phone. Would I say,arrive in Madrid then just find some single cheap flight back to the UK by this android phone,book it say? How easy is this procedure? How safe is it? What about printing the ticket? Is this easy procedure these days? How safe is this putting in my debit card details like such? Anyone with any experience here. I'm a bit backwards in the techno department.

During my touring days, I never had any problems booking adhoc flights, sometimes I have had to wait a day or so to get a flight that fitted into my onward plans, you can do some forward planning by checking how often flight leave for your destination from your prefered departure airport but it pays to check other airport in the area of departure, as many of the low cost flights leave from the smaller regonial airports.

Using a smart phone to book flights should be no problem. These days you should not need to print tickets, as it can be shown on your smartphone, however it pays to make a note of the flight Number, and the PNR number. Personally I dont keep my debit or Credit card details on my smart phone, but choose to enter them when I have a need. In main towns and cities just use the airline or their agent shop.

 

[Blue Hills]

On the tech point, I assume using the mobile network for such transactions is way safer than using free public wifi?

Where I think it would be advisable to use a VPN?

 

[tyreon]

Thanks for replies and assurance. Well,I'll give it a try.

Steve: Well,will look after you from time to time after the 8th(see how you are,how you're goin). My wife will probably say 'What you doing?' to which I'll say, 'looking where that cycling bloke is'. She'll then probably say 'what's he up to now' and I'll relate the moves.
Hope you have a good time. Nice and easy does it. Enjoy he sun and the open roads...drink it all in. TC

 

[John Peel]

Thanks for replies and assurance. Well,I'll give it a try.

Steve: Well,will look after you from time to time after the 8th(see how you are,how you're goin). My wife will probably say 'What you doing?' to which I'll say, 'looking where that cycling bloke is'. She'll then probably say 'what's he up to now' and I'll relate the moves.
Hope you have a good time. Nice and easy does it. Enjoy he sun and the open roads...drink it all in. TC

Cheers for that. From Southern France I will be through Monaco and into Italy by about the 14th March, so I just hope all this crappy weather clears up a bit so I can enjoy the coastline through to Genoa. I expect to have gone through Naples and across to Brindisi by the end of March early April, then over to Greece then Turkey by May, Mumbai by early June. Well, as I see it now anyway.

 

[Blue Hills]

Cheers for that. From Southern France I will be through Monaco and into Italy by about the 14th March, so I just hope all this crappy weather clears up a bit so I can enjoy the coastline through to Genoa. I expect to have gone through Naples and across to Brindisi by the end of March early April, then over to Greece then Turkey by May, Mumbai by early June. Well, as I see it now anyway.

when do you hit Sardinia out of interest?

 

[John Peel]

when do you hit Sardinia out of interest?

I don’t think it’s on the cards. Slight change in direction and now instead of island hopping, I’m going to cycle through Monaco and into Italy and follow the coast around all the way to Naples. Up to now anyway. It’s some really tough going after Gerona I’m told with plenty of climbing so steep and narrow that many have to get off and push a loaded bike, but I have no idea really. My target it to get through Italy and on to Greece. That’s the beauty of making it up as I go along and not having much of a plan, everything is subject to change What an adventurer.

 

[Blue Hills]

Will follow your progress with interest and cheer you on. I was vaguely aware of some sort of health issue but have only just read about you being hit by an articulated truck. You must surely be invincible. All the best.

 

[John Peel]

Will follow your progress with interest and cheer you on. I was vaguely aware of some sort of health issue but have only just read about you being hit by an articulated truck. You must surely be invincible. All the best.

Thanks for the cheer. Yes, my accident is one of the hardest things about this cycle, just being next to heavy goods vehicles really gets to me, but hey, I can’t wait to be heading on along that beautiful Italian riviera in a few days.

 

[tyreon]

Don't do Facebook and am bottom-of-class on techno stuff so have to comment to you on here.

Saw you were off again.

Revisited some of your trip on You Tube. Had to chuckle when you went thru that mud around Oxford. So depressing...but made me chuckle when seeing it. I think I would have gone ape. I am a defeatist. Wow! Lucky you went back and found that tent that came amiss. Again,it wooda sen me crackers: I hate goin back. Wooda cursed all and everything. Geee
Loved the trip from Irun to Madrid. That scenery and road: bliss. Heaven in every sense.
That bloody hub of yours(back in England). I think I wooda gone Basil Fawlty....but with a sledgehammer.
Carry on carryong-on.
Best wishes

 

[John Peel]

Don't do Facebook and am bottom-of-class on techno stuff so have to comment to you on here.

Saw you were off again.

Revisited some of your trip on You Tube. Had to chuckle when you went thru that mud around Oxford. So depressing...but made me chuckle when seeing it. I think I would have gone ape. I am a defeatist. Wow! Lucky you went back and found that tent that came amiss. Again,it wooda sen me crackers: I hate goin back. Wooda cursed all and everything. Geee
Loved the trip from Irun to Madrid. That scenery and road: bliss. Heaven in every sense.
That bloody hub of yours(back in England). I think I wooda gone Basil Fawlty....but with a sledgehammer.
Carry on carryong-on.
Best wishes

Oh I went ape alright. I had planned this trip for 2 years, my swan song, the last chance before I'm 60. 12 days of rain through the UK nearly finished me off on it's own . Oh mate, I had just ordered a full English and it had just landed on my table when I found the tent was no longer on the bike, that was the real downer, leaving that on the table and cycling in the rain back 6 miles in the hope of beating anyone else to a £500 tent and gear shed.

I'm out in Southern France now and working my way up to Italy, should be there in a few days, then follow it around basically.

Cheers
Steve