Wednesday 6th May
New Dehli
Today is our last day in New Dehli, and I am sure glad I’ve got this far, and under my own steam. Must be careful today it’s going to be a long one before boarding the aircraft, and then a long journey which will obviously put a strain on my health. With care I will make it home! My leg has not improved a lot, although it does ease at night, in fact the wound still has puss under the scab so I have re-dressed that. Used some of our iron rations for breakfast this morning and made a trip to Shankar Super Bazaar to get some Tea to take home. Mr Lal seemed to want us to vacate our room so we packed our bags, being as weight conscious as we could and stored them in the corridor and took ourselves off for a mango-shake. Settled in the hotel for a long wait, we have budgeted our rupees so we do not have to change money at the airport, we heard that it was impossible to do that in a limited amount of time. Time passed slowly, as we lunched at the milk bar.
Then took a ride to acquaint ourselves with the route out of the city to the airport and eventually we packed the bikes and with a photograph outside Roshan Villa with Mr Lal as our final goodbye! we were off to the airport 5.15pm. It took about an hour on busy rush hour roads and long barren stretches nearer the airport. Luckily we were let into the airport building so we could prepare our bikes in solitude. The departure lounge was empty when we arrived, but slowly it started to come alive! as we dismantled the bikes watched by all the cleaners.
Waiting for our departure got us talking to other travellers including an Irishman who had just completed a C T C tour which didn’t sound if it had been all that successful! He was using a conventional Claude Butler bicycle. We also spoke to a Yank! who was exporting embroidered denim clothing out of Kathmandu to the States. He was getting the renowned craftsmen here to embroider ordinary denim garments. We squandered our last final rupees on vegetable patty and tea and got to the check – in at 10.30pm. Once again they were weight conscious and I had to remove 1 pannier to get down to 22 kilo which they accepted. Managed to get my backpack into that pannier and use it as carry – on bags with my handlebar bag. Picked up some duty free and paid 17 dollars and used my last 3 dollars for a snack.
We had to identify our stored baggage before boarding at 2 o’clock and took off at 3.30am. It was a 41 ⁄2 hour flight to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) through the night. I tried to sleep but was not successful and at Riyadh we were not allowed to disembark, and it is supposed to be a wonderful airport, so I was disappointed. Stayed l1 ⁄2 hours and the next leg, 51 ⁄2 hours to Frankfurt was in daylight, bright sunshine, no cloud, but we were very high and the haze prevented us from seeing below.
An omelette and chicken dinner was served and more time was passed later watching a film. Eventually we were over Europe and I was heading for home! Not in the same way that we had planned at the start of the trip, but then I have nobody to blame for that other than myself.
I went! and I done it! against advice to the contrary. I’m unsure what the consequences will be, but it will probably be unfavourable. What credibility I had – if any with my family and all my lifes friends and associates is probably lost for ever! Landed at Frankfurt and all the passengers disembarked for connecting flights. It is now almost 12 hours from Dehli and time to say farewell to Doug, my companion for the last 4 weeks as he flies back to the USA. A rather sad one in a way! as we must both have some regrets. The boarding of the London flight didn’t take very long and within an hour I was off over Holland and the English Channel and “HOME!”.
The thought crosses my mind now, I wonder if Helen did get the Telegram? and if she managed to confirm the arrival time from the information I gave her, and will she be there to meet me? I expect she’s worrying whether some major disaster has brought me home early.
