DIamond and Ice Birthday Party

The Captain's Club Hotel celebrated its 4th birthday party in style with a huge "Diamond and Ice" themed party.

Nearly 400 fans of the hotel turned out to help us celebrate the occasion and most fittingly, ice skaters from the forthcoming "Dancing on Ice" TV show were also in attendance to add a little extra sparkle to the evening.

As well as celebrating the hotel's birthday, the aim of the evening was to raise as much money as possible for our chosen charities, the Cicely Foundation and The Royal Bournemouth Hospital Jigsaw Appeal, so many thanks to all who gave so generously.  The final figure raised will be published as soon as we have confirmed the total.

Further details of our chosen charities are available on our website; www.captainsclubhotel.com/charities

Pictures taken at the event can be seen here; www.captainsclubhotel.com/diamond-and-ice-party

Conde Nast Johansens awards for excellence 2011

The Captain's Club Hotel are pround to announce that we have been selected as one of  just three hotels that have made the finals of the "Most Excellent Waterside Hotel in the United Kingdom" category in the prestigous Conde Naste Johansens Awards for excellence 2011.

"Condé Nast Johansens (www.condenastjohansens.com) is an international mark of distinction. Trusted for 29 years, Condé Nast Johansens is the leading independently produced multi-media source for today’s traveller, sourcing hotels, spas and venues for leisure and business in the UK, Europe and the Americas. 

Each hotel is approved for recommendation following an annual inspection by one of the team of experienced inspectors. If a property does not reach Condé Nast Johansens standards it is rejected. This maintains the integrity and quality of the brand and therefore the trust of Condé Nast readers. "

Thank you to everyone who helped me achieve Bail.

The Victims

A big thanks to everyone who helped me gain my freedom again by making a donation.

To view the total raised, visit  the Streetwise website.

So I am on the inside. Richard from LV Had us arrested and put
inside. All three other inmates raising funds and thank you to those
friends of mine who have been really kind and want me out of here. I
just need lots more little donations as LV are match funding Richards
funds...... Everybody begging for bail. I am now on £635 but need lots
more.....help us to freedom
Sent from my iPhone

Well I am here in the dock and have just received my sentence.  Fortunately the bail money I have raised to date – thank you to Sarah, Chris, Kim, Jason, The Songbirds and Gary means that I have a reprieve until Monday – but only because I am working!  So please dig deep and help me get the bail money I need to prevent a long sentence….. I will be in touch again, from the inside! HELP!

Captain's Club Hotel director to go to jail!

Tim Lloyd, Managing Director at the Captain's Club Hotel has been told he must start his jail sentence on Monday 18th October - but don't panic, it's all for charity!

Tim has volunteered to do time behind bars to raise money for the LV Streewise Charity.
To "earn" his freedom he must raise £1500, and this is where he needs your help. Tim is relying on donations to help him acheive "jail bail".
Yes, we know there's a few who would rather pay to keep him there, but we're hoping that enough of you will want to see him released to allow him to complete his challenge and gain back his freedom!

If you would like to see Tim again, please give generously here; www.justgiving.com/tim-lloyd 

The Final Day

The final day on the mountain was to be a hard one, 6 hours of down hill, rocky, sandy scrubland and then rainforest. Myself and Louise Canny were so excited by the prospect of a cold beer and a proper loo that we did it in 3 and a half hours ………. Not quite sure if that’s impressive or worrying?! However we are met at the bottom by 4 of the children from the orphanage who give us petal garlands, bottles of water, juice and hot flannels. It was a fantastic end to a beautiful experience, one I will never forget.

Thank you to everyone who has sponsored me, supported me, encouraged me and willed me on.

Thank you everyone. Good night and god bless.

Seanxx

Day 5 - Challenge completed!!

Day 5 is the hardest slog of all. We have walked for over 10 hours, then we had a few hours sleep before setting off at 2am. We are all wrapped up but it makes no difference. Insulated water bottles freeze within the hour and the pitch black offers no distraction from the cold or how tired we are. We walk for 6 and a half hours to get to Stella Point, the tip of the crater. The guide tells us it's less than an hour to the summit but if I have learnt one thing it is that Tanzanians say everything is 1 hour or 1km.

Anyway, we get to the summit about midday, making it the 10th of the 10th 2010 at 10am UK time!!

There was tears, hugs, photos and a little singing from the guides. People say climbing Kili is a spiritual experience, I can't say that, but it is definitely and emotional one! Right now I just have to get off the bloody thing!!

Sean x

Day 4

Day 4 is the longest and hardest day so far. Worse thing is we know tomorrow will be longer!! But hopefully as some of it is downhill it will be easier. For the number fans out there at ground level my resting heart rate is 53 bpm, up here it is mid 80's, so it shows how much of a slog everything is! 

Anyway I know our manager is off to Egypt today so good luck with that! 

Sean

P.S. A plus point is our camp here has new long drop toilets as a while ago the old ones collapsed whilst a women was using them. Every cloud and all that ...............

Well after a horrible day where we gained altitude and then climbed back down so we only gained 100m. As the highest I have been is Southbourne Cliffs I struggled big time. Headaches, nausea, nose bleeds and on top of that 'African' belly. I just got to camp, ate and went to bed! I woke refreshed and ready to climb the barranco wall! I think we are all suffering in our own way, but it's all about keeping morale up and spurring each other on. Hopefully we won't be walking for 10 hours today, as tonight we only have a few hours sleep before we wake to climb to the summit!! Wish us luck guys!!

Sean

(n.b. To the bar guys I'm dreaming of Mojitos ....... hint hint!!)

Day 2 of the climb

Day 2 and we are partaking in what is meant to be the easiest day, but easy is a bit of a false promise! It’s recommended that you climb around 300m a day to acclimatise to the altitude and today we have done just under 1000m. I seem to be ok with altitude so, fingers crossed! However, the dust is really bad and coats your face and skin. Blow your nose and the “debris” is black. It’s impossible to stay clean even for a minute but somehow the guides and porters manage it.

Mountaineering seems to have systems for everything. Hydration system (water bottle) Sleeping system (sleeping bag etc) yet my Body system seems to be struggling! Though the veritable feast that’s made for us everyday soon boosts my energy!

Hakuna matata people, til next time!!

Sean

 

The end of a long day .....

Day one finds us trekking through rainforest for 10km, which is half way up Kili. The day starts off hot and sweaty and got worse through the day, though the porters seem to keep smiling and saying 'Hakuna Matata' which I didn't even realise was Swahili! But cheers of Jambo (hello) and Mambo (How are you) soon deteriorated to grunts and nods. We reach camp about 7pm and it's dusk. With the sun setting it was beautiful but lasts no time at all. The stars are incredible but it's too bloody cold to appreciate them!! We are all wrapped up in thermals and layers drinking cocoa, goodnight guys, sweet dreams. Sean xx

Day 3 - Today's the Day!!

 

Today’s the day!! I’m packed and set ready to go. Maybe. I think I may have forgotten something. My knee hurts. I have a funny tummy. My laces won’t tie. My trousers are too loose (yeah right!) as the excuses get thinner the realisation grows stronger. I’m actually going to be doing this. Today. Now.

Wish me luck people!!

Sean x

Kilimanjaro. Day Two

Day 2 finds us going back to the orphanage to take our gifts in and sit in on lessons. The education system is very different here (apparently I don’t really remember much from my school days!).

We then had a cultural tour which involved a visit to a traditional Maru hut, which is very similar to a Masai hut, and then we got to roast our own coffee beans. Without thinking I put 2 sugars in, but the others tell me it was quite rich!

After a typical Tanzanian lunch, which included a dish of beef and bananas?! Odd, but delicious none the less, we handed out our gifts to the children and we managed to play non-stop with balloons and stickers for a good few hours! Funny how such simple gifts can bring so much happiness to the ones who have nothing.

Anyway must dash. Time to pack, I’m starting a lil walk tomorrow ………. Goodbye for now!!

Greetings from Kilimanjaro - Day One

After a long old journey starting at 2am from the Captain’s Club with a pint of Aspell, we arrive at Kilimanjaro airport at 9.20pm Tanzanian time, it’s dark and warm and a tad chaotic but we are all safe and well.

Our first day starts at 8am with breakfast and a short (if not lethal and bumpy drive) to Peace Matunda. The orphanage has approximately 20-30 children, but 150 kids altogether are educated here, ranging from 3-14 years old. Some walk 2km to get here to start school at 8am! Puts my old 12 minute bike ride to school into perspective that’s for sure!

Anyway, must go, it’s playtime and its time to teach these kids rugby instead of football, although they all support arsenal instead of man u. Thank god for small mercies as they say ……………………..

 

Sean

 

 

Captain's Club Hotel Magazine
Our third edition of our hotel magazine is now out!

For those of you on our postal mailing list, you should now have received the third edition of our popular hotel magazine.  We hope you like it as much as we do!

If you are not on our postal mailing list yet, feel free to pop in and pick up a copy or read the interactive version on our website.

To receive future editions by post, add your mailing details here; postal newsletters

Another celebrity wedding at the Captains Club Hotel

The Captains Club Hotel played host to the Wedding Reception of Actress Julie Buckfield recently.
 
The Daily Echo quoted;
" Celebrities including Ant Mcpartlin and Suzanne Shaw celebrated the wedding of a top Christchurch hotel at the week-end. The well-known guests attended the wedding reception of actress Julie Buckfield at the Captain's Club Hotel in Christchurch.

The actress, who is the twin of Clare Buckfield former parter of Declan Donnelly, has appeared in Grange Hill and Hollyoaks. 

The luxury riverside hotel has been the location for previous celebrity weddings including actress and singer Suzanne Shaw's to DJ Jason King last summer. Pop stars Girls Aloud and Oasis have also chosen to stay in the hotel after performing to sell-out concerts in the BIC. 

Management at the hotel confirmed the wedding reception had taken place but did not wish to comment further. "

Do I really have to think of Christmas in July? Yes you do!

Christmas bookings have been coming in thick and fast and dates are beginning to sell out.

If you fancy having your Christmas party at the Captains Club Hotel - we'd love to have you along - but you need to get cracking if you want to secure the dates you really want.

Christmas party nights take place throughout December.
Pop over to the our website for further details and to download a bochure; Christmas Party Nights

WOW! Our Charity Ball raised £6600

It was a real night of the stars as the Captains Club Hotel hosted the first of its two Charity balls planned for 2010.

In support of the Cicely foundation and the Jigsaw Appeal for the womens health unit at the Royal Bournemouth hospital, the event was a fabulous success and raised £6600, to be split equally between the charities.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone who came along and helped make it such a big success.

And for those of you who missed out this time, our next ball is scheduled for the 12th November and has a "Winter Wonderland" theme. More Information is in the calendar of events section on the Captains Club Hotel website.

Civil Ceremonies and Weddings Open Evening

Are you looking for the perfect venue for a civil or partnership ceremony, or wedding reception?

We have revised our packages to make it even easier for you to choose the Captains Club Hotel as your dream venue.

We offer a personalised service with exceptional attention to detail to ensure your day is perfect in every way.

Why not come and meet the team on the evening of Wednesday 21st July, enjoy a complimentary glass of bubbly and take the opportunity of seeing the Waterside Suite prepared for a wedding reception and civil or partnership ceremony.
Further information on the Captains Club Hotel website

Best of the Best Awards

Tides Restaurant at the Captains Club Hotel won a much coveted award at the Best of the Best Awards this week.

The prestigious award for Best restaurant for fine dining was received by Andy Pugh (Restaurant Manager) and Robert Wilson (Operations Director).

"We are over the moon with this result" said Robert. "It's wonderful for the team to get the recognition they deserve for all their hard work." Robert went on to say that the Christchurch Food Festival and been really good for business with special offers filling the restaurant every day for the whole Festival.

Captains Club Hotel Magazine - second edition coming soon!

The second edition of the Captains Club Hotel Magazine is out in just one week.

If you would like to receive a free copy by post, now is the time to make sure your details are on our postal mailing list.

Request a free copy

Captains Club Hotel Video Tour

Captains Club Hotel Video Tour

Have you seen our video yet?
The video tour of the hotel is presented by Matt Evers from Dancing on Ice and has been receiving rave reviews!

Matt takes you on a tour of the hotel and shows what makes the Captains Club Hotel one of his "favourite hotels" in the world.

Visit our website to watch the video

Blog is to stay!

The purpose of setting up this Blog was to allow everyone to follow Robert's exploits during his Charity Bike ride across India.
Well now he's back it would be a shame to just close down the blog....so we've decided to keep it and transform it into the hotel's official blog. The morphing process has begun! 

The new blog will  feature snippets of news, feedback on our fund-raising efforts and pretty much anything else that takes our fancy - but we promise to keep the sales talk to a minimum!

We'd love you to follow our blog, so remember to book mark;  www.captainsclubhotel.blogspot.com

Oh, and if you DO want to hear about special offers and promotions, email newsletter subscribers are normally the first to know, so it would also be a good idea to add your details to our email list.

From Times Online, January 30

"A good value spa with river views, cheekily named treatments and first-rate, friendly staff"

Amanda Ursell from The Times, reviews the Captain's Club Hotels Spa

USP
The Captain’s Club Hotel to which the bijoux spa is attached is a strikingly contemporary, chic "pad" bang on the banks of the River Stour in Christchurch with superb river views from every room.

AMBIENCE
Men are not only "allowed" in this spa, they are positively welcomed which is ideal for couples taking a short spa break together. You can loll around and pamper yourself with treatments or thrash against the powerful jets in the hydro pool to get a full and exhausting workout.

There are three treatment rooms, a chill-out section scattered with big bean bags where you can go to flop after your treatment to prolong the spa effect, and a hydrotherapy pool facing the river.

QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE
 The spa staff, as with those throughout the hotel, were incredibly friendly but more importantly, compared to some hotel based spa employees, really, truly knew their stuff and their products inside out.
read full review at times online website

Last legs

After 2 days of 11 hours on the bike, the thought of getting up, let alone honing my bruised bum onto that bloody bike, filled me with dispair. However after more grey boiled eggs and sweet bread washed down with milky tea I was ready to face the roads to Kottoyam, not!
The grim reaper lead our team meeting before we set off, saying that historically this is the worst day for accidents. After putting the fear of Allah in us by warning us of Kamikazee bus drivers, hair pin bends and the most treacherous roads, none of us wanted to leave our hotel car park.
How right was the grim reaper though! Only 2 casualties. One guy came off on a hair pin falling 150 feet into a bush while his bike carried on until it hit the road below. Thank God I wasn't ahead of him. Imagine doing all this and getting hit by and enfield dropping out of the sky.
Concentration levels were so high we could not even think of having one of our delicious roadside lunches, we just wanted to get to our re group point in one piece, on our bikes, together. Coming off the bike with only hours to the finish line was not an option for us.
All 90 odd bikes met at 3.30 pm in a hotel car park. After a quick Doza with coconut chutney we donned garlands, flags, plastic buckets, wigs, anything to get us noticed. Like we needed to?!!Now we were ready for our curtain call. With the wave of a flag by man in a high vis vest, and a scream from a pea whistle we were off, together.
The roar of 90 enfields flowing through the last village beeping their horns with kids waving, and shouting "good journey good journey" was electric. I had goose bumps for half an hour. As the cavalcade drew to a halt in the hotel car park the welcome drums pouned" well done. well done. well done."( Well I thought they did)
Enfields were just parked randomly as everyone jumped off their saddles to hug each other, all of us were so emotionally charged there was hardly one biker that didn't have to wipe their eyes,if somewhat reluctantly. Everyone was here for their own special reasons, and after faceing and conquering their demons had finally made it through the most life enhancing journey, all to help people so less fortunate than ourselves.
It has been a true privelege to have done this journey, and I could not have done it without the huge support and encouragement that I have had from my friends and family.
Thank you so much, and bring on that Sauvignon and a Captains Club crab sandwich.
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

300k to Thekkady

The longest ride ever but filled with so much beauty. Another early start meant that we were on the road for 7am heading back down the mountain range that we spent 2 hours climbing the night before.
After a 2000 m decent it was time to strip a few layers off to get cool. This coincided with us finding a roadside stand that was making Doza; a rice pancake with spiced ghee and green tomato chutney made by man and wife in a back yard where they and their children lived underneath corrugated sheets. After swallowing precationary Imodium we set off through a cardomum scented valley for the Tea plantations.
Nothing can ever pepare you for the beauty of this area. Its as if Capability Brown designed mile upon mile of mountainous landscape. This is an ornamental garden of epic proportions. As we slalomed down through the mountains on smooth windy roads it was just like skiing on tarmac, with every corner giving jaw dropping beauty complete with the clean smell of drying tea leaves.
A long day meant driving the last hour in the dark. Not to be recommend given that half the vehicles don't have headlights and the ones that do (usually genocidal bus drivers) have them on full beam.
By the and of today I feel absolutely exhausted and the thought of another sore arse day makes me want to throw Harry off a cliff the way 2 fellow riders did on a hair pin bend earlier.Riders are fine, apart from one broken collar bone.

295k to Kodaikanal

We'll it certainly was long, hot and sweaty( no jokes please). Most of us were quite nervous this morning about the days challenge. When we were told that we would face 39 hair pin bends going up to Ooty with sheer drops of hudreds of feet. The main raeson for the early start is to avoid kamikazee lorry drivers heading down hill with no breaks!
As we all headed up the steep climb you could look back and see this amazing giant mechanical centipede of black enfields slithering up the mountainside.
After a cup of chai at the top made by Jon who looked more like a coalminer than a tea maker, we headed into Ooty. Not just another chaotic city, but with a definate colonial feel about it. The hillside is littered with beautiful villas and has an English school that Ken my fellow rider actually went to when he was 6.
After riding through pineapple groves for what seemed like hours we stopped for a veggie samosa,a squashed donut thingy and a coke....... Things don't get much better for lunch on the roadside here.
Seven hours of driving brought us to the foothill of our next major climb. This climb took us up to Kodaikanal 1800m above sea level. While temperatures dropped from 38 degrees to 10 we kept winding and climbing until I saw what must be the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen in my life. A huge lake and patchwork quilt of pineapple and coconut groves surounded by majestic tree covered mountains. We viewed this as if soaring like eagles ( with ears popping) above the cloud line. It was now so cold all the locals were laughing at the sight of their own breath, and the kids were pretending to smoke.
After a breif stop for deep fried chillies and charcoaled sweetcorn dusted with lemon and chili, we crammed our burning botox lips into our crash helmets and headed for the hotel. Please let there be a bath.... I would sell Harry for one right now.
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Rest day

Stayed up late last night around the camp fire drinking beer and whisky, so by 1am I thought it was a great idea to sing stairway to heaven.
So today I was extremely busy relaxing in the sunshine watching monkeys play and deers graze.
Tomorrow is going to be very challenging. We are heading high up into the mountains facing 39 hair pin bends before we reach Kodaikanal. We have been told it will be a long hot and sweaty day and we will need to be on top form.
Hoping for a good nights sleep.

Fw: Back to the jungle

A late start gave us the opportunity to spend a couple of hours exploring Mysore(head) and a chance for me to think about how lucky I am having the friends family and home that I do. This is the first time that I have been able to think of anything other than be safe on the road.
As I was without cash the first mission for my persnal tuk tuk driver was to find an ATM machine with cash in. Bingo machine number 4 had cash, so off I sped to the flower market, which was a vibrant vegetable and spice market with the odd marigold stand. You see what we regard as exotic flowers eveywhere in the country side, yet all you can buy in the flower market in minging marigolds on a rope? Anyway," tuk tuk man take me to a silk market, I need a made to measure shirt for my last night in India". My ride which resembled a ghost train ride in Blackpool,lead me to the indoor silk market. After whitling my fabric choice down from112 to 2 I was finally measured up.My plan of exploring more of the city was scuppered due to me being unable to pay for my shirt because I had left my debit card in the ATM machine. This led to, an over 18 ghost train ride back to the ATM machine, an interview with the bank manager, a letter from me to say sorry, and another ghost train ride (this time armed with my debit card) back to pay for the shirt!
Right, deep breath," take me back to my hotel tuk tuk man I'm late for mid day departure". No.It wasn,t happening. No matter how many times I said that I didn't want to go to the famous street that sold fragrant oils, and that I hate oils, or that I would never buy a fragrant oil,that I was allergic to fragrant oil he still tuk me there! I bought Jarnagada oil which is good for spots, from the only Indian man that I've seen with acne.
After being pestered, by an Indian playing Frere Jacques on a flute, to buy one, I started a wonderful stress free ride that took us to the beautiful elephant and tiger resereve of Masinagudi, where I whitessed the majesty of 5 elphants in their home land. We were warned not to stop, so we got off our bikes and took loads of pics.
They are just awesome creatures. This magical journey was through Tamil Nadu, the heartland of rural poor and the home of vegaterianism. This is why on arrival at our jungle huts we were offered beefburgers and a beer, followed by a supper of spaghetti bolognaise. This is the first time I have had meat in India......I'm sure it makes sense to somebody.
The people here are the poorest of the poor matterially, but they are without question the frienliest and most decent Indians that we have met. Tamil Nadu is my favourite part of India so far, it is heavenly.A friendly Wild West.
No casualties today apart from 5. Riders with the trots. Going to drink lots of beer and whisky tonight as the only thing I have planned tomorrow is a massage.

250k to Mysore

I had a surprisingly good nights sleep under canvas thanks to ear plugs not man eating Tigers. My room mate is off the road for 2 days after getting too friendly with a hedge on a hair pin bend and may have a broken wrist.
After a hearty breakfast of grey hard boiled eggs and curried eggs with rice we had a beautiful windy ride down through the coffee and tea plantations. The smells lilies in the country and incence inthe villages were almost hypnotic.
After a roadside chai break, where Suzie buys 4 of us bright yellow garlands for our bikes so that we can spot each other easier, we head onto the busier roads, driving through the Deccan plateau where the temperature is now reaching 34. These roads were something else. As the luxury of smooth tarmac builds your confidence and speed you suddenly hit half a mile of dirt track littered with pot holes the size of a hot tub forcing you over to the wrong side of the road. Some roads offering head to head challenges as everyone aims for a central piece of smooth tarmac to claim as their own, avoiding the empty hot tubs either side.
Your eyes are in a constant state of REM as you try to watch for these craters and still marvel at people washing elephants, naked monks taking a morning strol on the roadside, women carrying half of their home on their heads and suicidal cows.
As we headed into the sunset we reached the regal city of Mysore(arse). Mysore(knees) is an amazing city where the Brits had a government in the days of the Raj. However even in a big city like Mysore(eyes) a couple of bulls will just be standing on a dual carriage way just because they can.... Its mental.
Checked into a proper hotel thank God with beds, water and sheets but no luggage yet the truck is lost. I couldn't face going on the organised bus to see the palace. There was just no competition. Do I get in a bus with 80 smelly bikers with a driver that should be in court for attempted genocide to see the palace lit up?....m or do I have a bath?!
After a delicious lentil curry in the garden we had a presentation from UNICEF which just hammered home exactly why we are going through all this. It was quite emmotional for eveyone, to see children that we are actually helping, in a country where 2 in 10 children under the age of 12 have AIDS.
Shorter day riding tomorrow giving us a chance to explore Mysore(arse) in the morning.
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A journey too far

Today promised to be the best day of the challenge. However it started out as a day from Hell. Leaving Shimoga at 7am was trying to stop a living nightmare. The visibility was poor due to the smog, there were no lights, and still vehicle, people and animals sped around in random directions as normal. No lights, no traffic control sytem, no power and oh let's let all the farmyard animals out as well! On leaving the city I felt that I may as well have carried on smoking for the last 10 years with all the fumes I've inhaled.
Anyway we were soon out into the beautiful countryside ready to face a 200k ride through rough India's roughest terraine! I have never seen roads like it. These tracks tested even the most experienced. By the end of the day they claimed 6 accidents and wrote off 3 bikes. It was too much if I'm honest and the paramedics and mechanics couldn't cope with all the incidents. With sickness and accidents we have lost 12 riders at various stages. Those of us who were able to, rode beyond 40k of off roading on Henrys, enjoying a botanical overdose, with an equal dose of lime green parrots and mischeivious monkeys.. Its just awesome countryside that you just want to get lost in.
All the locals still keep beaming their smiles at us as we sweep through their little villages. Their happiness is so contageous you can't help but smile inside your helmet all of the time.They even throw rice and flowers at us shouting "good jorrrnee!"
Lunch stop was at 4pm..... Delicious tomato crisps and green chutney twiglets washed down with warm coca cola... To die for!
On arriving at our destination after sitting on Harry for 11 hours I was told that I was in tent number 6!!!!
I was about to protest when I realised that 30 bikers are all on the floor in the function room. It looks like there's been a national disaster and all the locals are in the community centre.
So after another lentil curry I'm going to hit the floor and hope that the idiot who thinks he can sing Stairway to Heaven out side my tent gets eaten by a tiger pretty soon.
STILL no wine!
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200km to Shimoga

Today has been the most fulfilling so far. After a welcome 6 hour sleep and a new pair of trousers and boots ( kindly donated by an eccentric chap who failed his test last week and couldn't do the challenge ) I felt ready to face my machine and where she took me. Suffice to say, at last, man and machine have bonded. So much so, that it will now be Harry (Enfield) in future.
She started at the first kick all day and purred along like a dream. I have to say I had the ride of my life. To go from Dante's vision of Hell with swirling orange dust and rows of lorries to what can only be descrined the Garden of Eden with hypnotic smells of spices and Eucaluptus, has been sublime.
It was an unbelievable ride deep into India's rural heart. It's hard to believe that rural country can be vibrant, but here it so is.Children run out onto the roadside to high five the spaceman bikers as they travel along at 40k, and it hurts! As soon as you stop to take a photo or a drink ( 3litres of water a day!) enchanting locals gather around to stare and ask what we are doing, and where are we from, and are in awe of digital cameras. It's so humbling.
After a day surrounded by all things beautiful, we hit the town of Shimogo, a chaotic town where few Indians go, let alone Westerners. You hit the town running with buses the bloody tuk tuks, pigs, cows, and anything that can move, just does, everywhere. The smell of pollution and petrol is stifling, but you can't help but smile because everyone is so happy with it. It's a fascinating place, and it has provided me with a nice turquoise cushion for Harry to help the bruised bum, but it will be nice to be back in the mountains of Karnataka tomorrow.
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250km from Polem to Karnataka

After a very restless nights sleep due to lack of alcohol, a bed that bagel would turn his nose up at, and constant noise from horns, cockerels, monkeys and kids, it was an early 6am start today. I almost couldn't do this stage because in the night someone stole my boots and bike trousers! So I had to borrow hand me down boots (size 13) and wear shorts until I could find some trousers.
It has been so demanding today that I am exhausted. We went through another dusty lorry train today filtering through hundred of trucks driving randomly. One leader gave up counting after 850 lorries..... Its bazaar. After ducking and diving with lorries we headed off road into the mountains. It was too long a route today to take time to appreciate because we had to be back before dark. The drivers here can't even see you in the day time! Arrived in Murudeshwar at6pm walking like John Wayne and in search of lots of cushions, to a hotel with mattresses and hot running water......and no alcohol! - must go on a mission.
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The Rally Begins

Oh my GOD! What a day. It didn't start off too well, what with me ripping todays map up thinking it was yesterdays, and then locking myself out of my room only to be totally rejected by what I thought was my new metal mate! I thought I would be kind and top her up with fuel first thing, and the thanks I got was she hurled me off onto the garage forecourt like a swatted fly just for trying to kick start her in gear. I pretended the whole thing didn't happen, after all only 30 fellow bikers witnessed me lying on the floor with her between my legs. After making up we headed onto the lorry highway. The longest covoy of lorries travelling in both directions, on an orange dusty road, you could ever see. A horrible dirty dangerous and noisy 10 mile ordeal never to be repeated. However, no pain no gain as they say, because this treachourous route eventually lead us to the most idillic lush countryside full of rice fields, palm trees and monkeys. Every village we drove through there would be lines of beautiful smiling children waving at us as if we were a royal cavalcade. These people live in mud hits but are so happy and so smartly dressed.
After 10 hours of biking and only 2 bikes written off, it was time to turn in to our destination for the evening........my beach hut.... with little or zero sanitation. Waste pipes held together with hair, and no water to wash in. However the sea is a wonderful substitute, I just forgot my hair gel! Sleeping on the beach tonight as the bed looks extremely dodgy, eventhough it does have a very stylish pink mosquito net and lime green brushed nylon sheets.
6 am start tomorrow but it promises to be beath taking. Time for a beer!
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Day one

No embarassing moments during the night after the curries, from any parties I'm pleased to say. Just as well because if I did have to get up in the dark of the night to head to the bathroom, it could have been quite a spectacle given the number of exposed wires hanging above the toilet!
At 8am this morning I have to say that the Royal Enfield Bullet and I didn't hit it off from the moment we were introduced. This dusty battered machine that was designed in the 1950's with a padded bench seat didn't look like it was build with me in mind, and obviously wasn't. The very term kick starting must have been derived from a frustrated biker like me who after the 6th attempt at starting it, did actually kick the machine after it morphed me into Basil Fawlty as he beat his car with a stick. However once I turned the key in the ignition she started 1st time and began purring like a contented tiger.Of COURSE I wasn't embarassed!
It was now that we began our bonding process on a 50 km spin through the colourful and chaotic countryside surrounding Goa. As we weaved our way through sacred cows and not so sacred people trying to avoid cars tuk tuks and change gear on the wrong side,we tried to fathom out the rules of the road in India. There aren't any. The only rule my bike and I could work out is that size really does matter. This means that apart from a skateboard we are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to having any right of way on the roads. Strangely it works because everybody respects the size rule... and everybody is so happy. No road rage here just happy colourful chaos.
Tomorrow we will spend about 8 hours together as we head to our next destination which is too remote to get our bags to.

Smelly 24 hours ahead me thinks sleeping on the beach with my mean machine.... Time for another kingfisher beer they're only 60p each!

Arrival

After a very long journey I landed in Mumbai at miday ish. At first I thought there must have been an earhquake that I didn't know about. All I could see was what looked like buildings and rubble piled up on top of each other all around the airport, like the recent images from Haiti. As we almost touched them with our undercarriage I could see that this was the slums. Acres and acres of shanty town, housing thousands of families in buidings, held together with rope, plastic and corugated sheets. From here we were manically tranported across country for another 5 hours until we rerached our resting point for the night. The bike adventure begins tomorrow! In the last 32 hours I have had 4 lentil curries and am sharin a room with strangers..........
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Check in

Having arrived at Heathrow, met up with our team leader Jamie, who in between mouthfuls of kettle chips because he has driven down from West Yorkshire non stop with nowt to eat, has tried explaining how difficult it will be on day one with our bikes. Apparently as the gears and brakes are on the opposite side to the bikes we are used to in uk we will get very confused and frustrated with the machines and will want to kick them into the Ganges. He has assured us though that after day one we will learn to love them? Let's see about that. Last year he said one man did 3km and packed the whole thing in and went home!I have suggested Jamie eats the rest of his chili chips before he puts me off totally.Time to get a beer.
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India

Just having some quality time with my favorite people. I am enjoying good old rack of welsh lamb with ratatouille washed down with Gevrey Chambertin. Only hours left and I'm packed and ready to face the challenge.
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With only hours to go before I head off to face my Indian motorbike challenge, I am extremely excited although a little ill prepared for the trip; I am told that I need a major top up on my medical bag!

I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to everybody who has supported me in the build up to this adventure of a lifetime. The support that I have received from local businesses and guests, friends and family has been overwhelming, and has helped me raise in excess of £6000 for the charities so far, with money still coming in.

While pursuing my challenge through India's rough terrain on a Royal Enfield, I will do my best to keep you all updated on my progress on a daily basis via a blog. Mobile network pending, you will be able to read all about my daily exploits by clicking on "Enduro India blog" on the top bar of the Captains Club web site.

So I bid you all farewell and I look forward to seeing you all on my return to the Club in February, but please don't laugh at the John Wayne walk.
Robert

Blog

Only 3 more sleep nights in my cosy bed before I hit the roads of India. I have been told that I need to do some major shopping in Boots before I go to top up my medical supplies. I will let you know how the Imodium and Beer diet works!

Blog

Watch this blog to find out the latest on my charity motorbike challenge through India.