As I mentioned, we had been invited by Sarah’s friends, Marc, Maxi and their two children Sebastian to come and stay. These guys were just great. It was so nice to be able to kick back and not think about things for a while. Marc has a keen interest in restoring old vehicles and was in possession of a restored Enfield. It is a beautiful bike and it confirmed my resolve to try and bring one of these bikes back to Australia. I’m in the process of researching how that can be done. If anyone has any advice it would be appreciated.

There was one funny story, not funny at the time but in retrospect I had to laugh. I was using Sebastian’s laptop to do some work on the blog, everyone else was upstairs watching some Dutch comedy (does that even exist?), right next to me was a cold beer waiting for the conclusion of my tasks. I finished the final sentence, reached over to grab the golden beverage and proceeded to spill the beer over me, and unfortunately the laptop. I quickly turned the laptop off and over. After a while a turned the machine back on. I thought everything was ok, then when I started to try and type, I found that a couple of important keys weren’t working, among them the ‘space’ bar. Now you could probably get by on a computer without some of the keys working even if its a letter like Z (unless your American) but the space key is pretty important. So shit! Way to take the funshine out of my day.
It was interesting to note that my first instinct was rather childlike, the first thought that crossed my mind was ‘ Just pretend it didn’t happen’ but unfortunately being a 28 year old man this option wasn’t open to me. I was feeling really bad at this stage, just because of the kindness that had been shown to me by Marc and his family, I have been thinking that a guest should be a gift to his hosts, so that they will want to repeat the kindness to someone else, It also made me remember our previous ill luck. So i dutifully spoke to Maxi and informed her of what happened. They were really cool about it and thankfully we were able to find a solution. I think they still like me…maybe.

So we spent a few days chilling, Sarah got her hair cut, Doug said he didn’t like it. Marc and I talked about Enfields, politics and good books to read. Then it was time to move on, next stop Rishikesh.

He recommended two in particular, which I also would say a worth a glance. One was ‘The Argumentative Indian’ a history of heterodoxy (objective discussion against the excepted line) in India and what it means for present day India and the other was ‘City of Djinns’ which is one mans account of a year spent in Delhi. It was quite fascinating to find that Delhi used to be one of the greatest cities in the world, and it was only recently due to the decline of the Mughal empire, the British occupancy and partition that created the city that exists today, which from reading is almost unrecognizable from what it used to be. Have a look.

Enjoying Lunch - Photo Courtesy of Sarah Van den Daele

In the past people have talked to me about the theory that people create their own realities. When I used to hear this I used think they were full of s$#t. But now I’m not so against the idea but I guess with a difference.

I do believe that people can and do create their own reality but it is a reality created from the existing Reality ( I use the capital to denote the objective reality). I hope that makes sense.

Let me explain. There is Reality that exists for all of us, it is the same for everyone and we share it. Then individuals take that reality and perceive it differently dependent on their frame of mind or mental state. So for any given event, people will perceive it differently but that difference, can in general be plotted on a spectrum with the actual event in an objective sense being the anchor and peoples perception or reality of the event being placed to either side of the event on that spectrum to a matter of degrees. There will be outliers of course but we are talking in general and I believe this can be allowed and the argument will still carry weight.

Now lets use for this case the words positive and negative with the connotations good and bad. So when something happens we perceive the event, which does actually occur, as being either positive (good) or negative (bad), based on our prior experiences, our mood, how hungry we are right then etc. This then becomes our reality. A Real event has occurred but we have changed it to fit our perception of what we expect at the time.

This also applies to people, we perceive people the same way, we put them through our filter and they may become something that in reality they are not, this can be good or bad. Every action they perform, gets put through this filter, and you build a picture of them. But you must not forget, that this picture gets sourced from the big Reality. Let me give you an example, you could be a very positive person, who always sees the good in others, a glass half full type. You then meet someone who in Reality is a lets say for want of a better word, a shit. He performs an action in Reality, which you perceive, because of your positive outlook , as being further up the positive spectrum, than the actual action is. I believe that if these two people were to continue to interact eventually the negative action would become apparent, there would be a slide down the spectrum, past the Reality of where the person sits on that spectrum then into a negative perception. Where it will become harder and harder for you to change your perception of that person.

But I think knowing all this is great because it gives you an option, I believe that it is possible to train yourself to be objective to perceive the true nature of events for what they are and have empathy for other people. To stand outside of your own previous conditioning and develop a greater understanding of how events are linked. Then this might sound strange but to then condition yourself, as this takes time and will, to look for the positive and ignore the negative, to see the best in people. This I believe because we reflect back to people images of themselves and everyone in this life is striving to be understood on some level whether it is the freedom to be left alone or the chance be perceived as something better than they believe themselves to be. In a word to be free, free from the restrictions that they, those around them and society has placed on them. This is an idealistic thing to write about, and much harder to do in practice because it requires anyone who takes this path to drag themselves out on their own, to not play the victim and take responsibility for their perception of the world.

To agree with this, you have believe that there is positive and negative direction in life, in our actions. We can communicate these things and we share this reality. I’m going to remove the good and bad tags here and just say that positive means beneficial and negative means not beneficial.

Ben.

This is what I have been singing in my head lately.

If anyone knows how to add a simple music player to WordPress, that can source music from the web and just play it as audio on the blog, could you let me know? I have seen it done elsewhere. FIXED!

Diarrhoea.

Heres a bit of what we are all missing out on now there is no video camera. This was filmed in Bangalore. Enjoy!

So after the adventure with the train, I saddled up and rode out to the front of the Railway station and waited for Joshua to arrive. Joshua, is a friend of my parents, he is the Pastor of a church, along with his father, in a city near Delhi. My parents had given me his contact details in case I needed any help, he had before put me in touch with another guy in Kerala who had assisted us dealing with the police.

Now say what you like about Christians, but in my travels and especially here in India, its been a bit of a strange coincidence that a lot of the people who I have met and offered to help, have been Christians. If you can get past them trying to convert you, which is not so difficult, as long as your honest with them. You really encounter some really sincere and great people. I grew up with it, so maybe its easier for me to deal with it than other people.

So God’s soldier, Joshua, rocked up, jumped on the back of my bike and we proceeded to head out of Delhi. The time was about 7.30 at night and dark. Delhi is not a fun city to be riding through at anytime but when its dark its even worse. There was dust and people everywhere.

I don’t know if I have talked about riding in India in detail but the road is just a nice smooth (relatively) place for everyone to enjoy. Im not joking when I say that people are everywhere. And not just people, cows, trucks, bicycles etc. Whatever you can imagine is enjoying the wonder of tarmac. And its unpredictable, which means you have to be constantly aware of whats going on. A kid on a bike, will decide he wants to cross the road, go right then change his mind as you approach doing at least 4 times his current speed. Two way roads exist only in movies and possibly your driving exam ( If this rumored test actually occurs ) It can be anything from 4 way and up. Vehicles literally come at you head on. Oh, and anything behind you does not exist. Hearing the horn behind you, indicates something has possibly materialized and you might need to get out of the way. Lines on the road are just decoration.

We finally arrived safely, and I got to meet Joshua’s lovely family, including his beautiful daughter Hosanna. I was the first white person she had met. So instead of being happy to meet me, she would burst into tears on sight. This improved by the time I ended up leaving, she could bear to be in the same room as me. Joshua’s wife also made the best Chappatis I have had so far.

Doug arrived a few days later, fresh from Radjisthan. We were going to spend some time in Delhi proper that same evening with friends of Sara’s who had invited us to come and stay. Before we left for there, I headed out to get some stuff for my bike, only to return to find Doug reading the Bible out aloud with Joshua’s father. He looked a bit bewildered by the whole experience, he told me afterward that he hadn’t read the Bible in over ten years. It would have been a bit of fun to try and prolong the experience for him but that wouldn’t have been fair to him. I think he was pretty scared.

So after the recent events, Doug and I decided to part ways for a little while. He took off with his girlfriend Sarah for a while, dirty weekend on the canals. And I stayed in Varkala to help a Scotsman by the name of Mark buy a bike. Doug and I had organised to meet in Rajisthan, in the north, and Mark was going to join us for a week or two but in Varkala he fell for a German (girl) and set of to chase her in Chennai.

Leaving Varkala beach, was pretty difficult. I met some great people there, had some great conversations some even with beautiful girls. We left by the coast road which runs between a canal and the beach. Palm trees, waves crashing. Paradise.

I did a cruise on the canals with Mark, not quite as romantic but pretty damn good then headed to Fort Cochin for a couple of days before heading North. Fort Cochin just felt like a different India, everyone was relaxed and helpful really chilled. There are these amazing trees there, they are huge and just emanate peace. Across the road there was a large oval and everyday the young Indian guys would be out there playing cricket. I sat there drinking a beer, with the trees, watching cricket being played in India. Felt right.

By the way I had a go and hit a four for Australia.

Riding around Fort Cochin on my bike just felt great, you feel like a bit of king, you might look like a cock but too bad and all the Indians stare at you. If you stop, they touch everything. You, the bike, your bag, I dont know why but they seem to get something from the experience.

But anyway to get to the North I had to put a my bike on a train to Delhi, this was a harrowing ordeal. I am getting really attached to my bike, I miss it if I have to put it into the shop, I dont like other people touching it and leaving it with other people stresses me out. Ill be honest and say it, I’m falling in love with my bike.
So having to entrust my bike to the rail guys was not enjoyable, I had heard horror stories, Doug had even told me that when his bike had come off the train, they had broke a mirror and he was lucky, another guy had his whole front wheel smashed. So I payed the guys extra to be careful and then jumped on the train, praying to the God of motorcycles that travel on trains, I think he’s called Sanjeev.

The trip was pretty uneventful, I did get in an argument with the conductor because I had asked for a cabin and they gave me an open berth, It wasn’t his fault but his way of dealing with situation was just to repeat himself every time I began to speak, with the stress of the bike added to his behavior I was going to snap until another Indian helped calm things down, which was appreciated. Sometimes you just want someone to listen.

So after two exciting days on the train, Valium helps with this kind of ordeal by the way, I arrived in Delhi and get of the train. I ask the rail guy where my bike is and he points me to the other end. I lug all my gear down the other end. No bike.
I’m telling myself to remain calm but there is no sign of my bike. I walk back with my gear and the guy says it musnt be on the train. What do you say? This is just India. Finally I meet another guy and he tells the porter to help me and we get to the other end, where there is one locked carriage, they open it up and inside my bike with a couple of new scratches and littles bits of green paint on it.

I never want to do that again but at least I have my bike.

Ben.

Loading my bike.

Over the last few days I have tossed around ideas for possibly keeping the video aspect of the trip going. I really enjoy the interaction I get when asking people questions in front of the camera. It causes me to think about the things im asking just as much as the people im filming, unfortunately after doing a few interviews and little films recently, I think it is going to be just too hard, without a laptop to edit on it just becomes too cumbersome to try and upload off standard internet connections.

But that said the other day I interviewed a guy called Seva, he is one of a group of people involved in a community project called Soulmakers. Now I have really tried to upload the video because some of the things that came out of that conversation were just great.

Seva talked about just doing, not thinking about it any more but doing and the responsibility that comes from making that choice.
Most of you may not know that I did not really want to leave Australia to come on this trip. After returning home after 4 years, I realised how much I loved being home and that I had good friends there. I didnt get reverse culture shock, far from from it, I realised how lucky I am to have such place to return to. Im not trying to compare this against anyone but this is how it felt for me. So when I had to leave for India, it was not with as much excietemnt as I might have had at one time. I had these feelings when I left Moscow, and they were confirmed when I arrived here that I have travelled so much, I have seen amazing things, met wonderful people and lived a life that I should be and am so thankful for but I have also had so many of the same conversations, been in so many places and after a while it just becomes all the same. Sometimes I just dont have anything to say to people, but i know that I have genuine care for others and love of communicating. To tie it together, I had come to the conclusion that I have a head full of theory but now is the time to apply it, not for anyone else but for me. To finally do. And if what I am doing is right, it will come out, it will be seen. When I think about this I become more content which is a feeling that has been missing for some time in my life. So, when I hear Seva talk about this to say these exact words, it was just another confirmation, that there is direction in life and I can grasp it right now.

I could, if I chose, continue the life of the traveler indefinitely but what joy would it bring me, I will continue this journey in India and definitely make the most of it but i know, that I am ready to invest and to take on responsibility. Its the difference between reading a book on life and actually living.

Much love
-Ben

This is an older post from when we were in Kerala:

I realized the other day, when we had risen above the jungles of Kerala and were overlooking a spectacular view that I love riding my motorbike. This is something that is hard to understand unless you have experienced it. I said to Douglas at the time that this is how I want to travel from now on, already thinking of other countries and the possibility of traversing them on bike. It was not long after that, some days, that Douglas and I saw a family of wild elephants feeding in the jungle. The only reason we came across them was because we heard one calling and noticed a large pile of dung on the road. We pulled over and waited for them to reveal themselves, there was nervous tension while waiting as there was also an element of danger, being so close, and when we finally got to see them it was like a reward, that we were doing something really special. I cant help but feel that you are more removed from the environment around you if you are traveling by car or bus.

Maybe it was two years of living in Moscow or maybe in a past life I was a slab of granite or something that was just lying in the sun, whatever it is, I just love the heat and the sun. even when Im frying like a forgotten sausage on the barbie, Its not like I hate it it, I might not be enjoying it but there is no active dislike. I just love the feel of the sun on my face.