Farewell, Kyoto...

Thanks for all the incredible memories.

Winding down

As I look to my last week in Kyoto - and Japan - it begins to dawn on me how many great people I will be leaving behind here.

Since starting Cycling Kyoto back in September 2012, I have met countless people who I not only consider acquaintances or riding partners, but also very good friends. I honestly couldn't ever have hoped to ride with a better bunch of people.

Although I have handed over control (mostly!) to two long-term members to ensure that the group will continue, hopefully for many years to come, Saturday saw what will probably be my last major group ride. We had a great turnout and it was a wonderful day of cycling. After finishing the ride, we all got lunch and chilled by the river with a couple of beers, before going home to prepare for the big farewell party in the evening.

Great riding, great food, great drink and seriously amazing friends. A perfect day all round.

I'm gonna miss these crazy people...

Earthquake

Just a couple of days following the 3rd anniversary of the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, we just had another relatively large earthquake (magnitude 6.1), on a different fault system much further south (and rather closer to Kyoto).

Despite being awake at the time, I actually didn't feel it, nor did my phone give me any warning (it was below the intensity threshold here).

Anyway, I'm fine! I hope those closer to the epicentre are ok as well...

Thesis: defended!

Finally got to defend my thesis today. I think it went well so I'm pretty positive about the outcome - I even got what seemed like a compliment from my academic supervisor!

Celebrations were summarily had, consisting of the company of a good friend and cycling buddy, a beer, a large bowl of tantanmen (spicy pork ramen) and a gratuitous parfait.

Now... to ride it all off over the coming weeks!

Done!

Thesis submitted! Time to tidy up a few last things, present it, defend it... and then graduate!

Meanwhile, I can go back to riding my bikes. A LOT.

...

Well apparently my Festive 500 plans have been changed to "Wake up with stuffy nose and scratchy throat; cancel all riding". Guess I won't be getting that second badge, in all likelihood.

Festive 500 approaches...

Been a really busy couple of months (and still is) with a whole host of stresses, but Christmas is nearly here and that means... Rapha Festive 500!

I have something really crazy and/or stupid planned this year. Stay tuned.

India, Part 5: Jaipur & Agra

This will be the last update - part five of five. I hope you've enjoyed the photos and stories. The trip was absolutely crazy, right up until the end - a true experience and a real adventure.

I thought it might also be useful to show a map of where, exactly, we went. India is mind-bogglingly huge: consider that it took us 17 hours by train from Delhi to Kolkata, for example.

I hope I can return to this amazing country sometime soon.

And so, to the final instalment...


Jaipur: Jaipur City, Amber Fort

Back in Pushkar I purchased an Indian-style shirt from a street stall. I put it on for the first time in Jaipur. I'm not quite sure how well it fits in with international fashion conventions, but let me just say: the Indians know how to dress in hot desert climates. That loose, long, light cotton shirt is probably one of the most comfortable things I have ever worn.

Agra: Taj Mahal

The trip back from Agra to Kolkata could probably have gone smoother. The plan was thus:
 - Drive from Agra to Delhi
 - Catch flight from Delhi to Kolkata
 - Arrive in Kolkata the same evening

However, the actual journey went something like this:
 - Drive from Agra to Delhi
 - Arrive late due to an incompetent driver
 - Rush across Delhi using the Metro
 - Miss our flight
 - Spend 3 hours attempting to 1) not get crushed to death in New Delhi train station; 2) buy tickets
 - Fail; buy tickets for the following day from black-market vendor instead
 - Try to check into a hotel in Delhi
 - Realise your passport is on its way to Kolkata with the one person who did catch a flight
 - Be refused check-in at said hotel due to the aforementioned passport situation
 - Be transferred between two police stations in an attempt to get an official statement
 - Ride three-on-a-bike through the streets of Delhi with a drunken cop who reeks of alcohol, who simply signs the hotel ledger then wanders off
 - Successfully check into hotel
 - Enjoy dinner in the only restaurant open at that time, which happens to be run by a hyperactive 5ft tall Nepali man with a ponytail
 - Acquire tickets from our black market vendor 30 minutes before the train departs
 - Catch the train, only to find our tickets for the coming 17 hour journey do not include bunks
 - Bribe the train conductor 200 Rupees to arrange bunks for us
 - Finally arrive in Kolkata... two days late

India, Part 4: Pushkar

Pushkar: 'Special lassi', Camel Fair

I'm a firm believer that in order to fully experience a country and its culture, you should make an effort to eat what the locals eat. Within reason, of course - I'm looking at you, Iceland...

Lassi is a yoghurt-based drink and can be either savoury (with cumin and other spices) or sweet (with various fruits, sugar, etc - for example, mint and mango are popular flavours). It is very tasty indeed and also serves the purpose of cooling down one's mouth after a particularly spicy meal. So when we got to the holy town of Pushkar, sat down for dinner and saw that the restaurant was proudly offering their 'Special Lassi', what else was there to do but order it?

It arrived, piled high with shredded coconut. The waiter, grinning from ear to ear, set it down on the table and disappeared off to get the rest of our food. Delicious (intensely coconutty!) and very drinkable, we each polished off our lassi in short order.

I think it was about halfway through the meal that the room started to spin. We all noticed this at around the same time. Then, as various other effects began to kick in, I think we began to realise that there was something other than just coconut in our lassis.

Yes, it turns out that in Pushkar - a holy town, like I said - there is quite the market for products that aid in meditation and enlightenment. This is completely legal, to the point where it's on restaurant menus... it's just not actually named.

The rest of the night could best be described as 'interesting' and also, unfortunately, 'largely forgotten'. Still, it's these unexpected experiences that make traveling so fun and rewarding... even if those experiences do come in the form of hallucinogenic yoghurt drinks.

Frankly I'm not sure quite how we managed to make it to the camel fair the following day, but I'm glad we did. I think I'll let the photos do the talking there, though!

India, Part 3: Udaipur

Udaipur: Jagdish Temple, City Palace, Saheliyon Ki Baadi 

Udaipur was a city of contrasts. During the day we wandered barefoot around Jagdish temple, with it's incredible towering carved walls, and navigated crowded streets by auto-rickshaw - dodging the occasional elephant in the process. In the evening we strolled around Saheliyon Ki Baadi garden with its extravagant water-features, then spent an hour in a dusty backstreet 'school' doing yoga with an old guru who defied his age. Then at night we retired to a suite in the city palace - still the residence of the Maharaja - to watch a stunning sunset from a private terrace, surrounded by by unbelievable opulence.

Only in India, I think, could you experience such diversity in only a few hours.

India, Part 2: Jodhpur

Jodhpur: Mehrangarh Fort, Siddhnath Mahadev Ashram

The plan was to take a 17-hour sleeper train between Amritsar and Jodhpur, but we very nearly didn't make it. We jumped on the train at the correct platform and I left Grecia in one of the rear carriages while I went to find the conductor to upgrade our tickets. Upon finding the conductor and showing him our tickets, he began yelling at me to get off the train - apparently this was not our service! After a frantic run down half a train's worth of busy aisles, I reach Grecia just as the train is pulling away from the station. We scramble to the door, throw our bags onto the platform, and leap off after them. Too close!

Thankfully we managed to catch the correct train (at a different platform, half an hour late) and spent 17 hours in surprising comfort before reaching Jodhpur in the early morning.

India, Part 1: Delhi & Amritsar

India is a visually stunning country, and I figure if I write too much, that will get lost amongst words. Besides, detailed descriptions of places aren't going to mean much if you haven't been there.

So instead of swamping the photos with words, I'm just going to post 10 or so at a time, over a few days. I'll throw in tidbits of writing with my favourite stories and experiences here and there, but not too much.

So just look, take in the colours and the sights, and enjoy.


Delhi: Red Fort

Amritsar: Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple

We were lucky enough to visit the Golden Temple during Diwali - India's largest festival. The place was packed - even more so than usual - with pilgrims and worshippers, many of them bathing in the waters surrounding the temple. Despite the endless thousands crowding the temple grounds, volunteer workers gave masala chai (spiced tea) and fried onion snacks to anyone who wanted them. Sitting on the floor of the dining hall, enjoying hot tea dispensed (half of it on our feet) by a remotely-operated drum being wheeled between rows, proved a well-needed respite from the unending hustle and bustle just outside.