My name is Sheila Jack and I am PA to the Principal of Meldreth Manor, a Scope school for disabled students with complex care and learning support needs. On 1 November, I will be leaving for India to take part in Scope’s India: Rajasthan Motorcycle Challenge.
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Well, one last entry, seven months on
Created by Sheila Jack | 19.06.2009 | 16:15
It’s been a busy week. On Wednesday a group of us who were in India met up again at the Meldreth Manor bike show. The guest of honour at our reunion was a brand new cycle designed specifically for wheelchair users, which we bought with the funds Mike and I raised from the Rajasthan Challenge....
Day 11 – Delhi to Home
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:17
Well, this is the last day and it’s off to the airport to catch a flight home and back to reality. Back to work and transferring these scribbled notes to the internet. If this blog encourages just one person to go on the India challenge next year then it will have done its job and I will be very...
Day 10 – Agra to Delhi
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:16
Another early start. Everyone was ready on time as we were at last headed for the Taj Mahal. Another day of smog and still the Taj looked magnificent. Nothing about the trip so far had been disappointing and the Taj was no exception. As we posed for a team photograph at the entrance I realised the...
Day 9 – Jaipur to Agra
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:15
We started the day with a different mode of transport as we swapped our bikes for elephants and took a trip to the Amber Fort at Jaipur. Two to an elephant for the long climb up the hill. We met our first souvenir sellers here and I was astonished at length of the bargaining process that resulted...
Day 8 – Pushkar to Jaipur
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:14
We allowed ourselves a lie-in and started out an hour later than usual. Unfortunately we then hit bike trouble and punctures and arrived in Jaipur for the rush hour, just as it was getting dark. Imagine London at its busiest. Hyde Park Corner plus. Then take away all the traffic lights, road...
Day 7 – Jodhpur to Pushkar
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:13
A shorter ride ensured we arrived in the holy city of Pushkar by lunchtime. For the first time we set out on foot. Pushkar is home to the world’s largest camel fair and this was taking place when we arrived. It looked like the backdrop to a Cecil B DeMille epic - a biblical scene, with tents and...
Day 6 – Jaisalmer to Jodhpur
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:12
Riding through India on a motorbike is by far the best way to experience it. You are in it. You can hear it, smell it, touch and taste it. I was on sensory overload. Enfields are relatively rare in this part of India and the sound of 15 arriving at once got us noticed. Whenever we stopped crowds...
Day 5 – Dhingsari to Jaisalmer
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:11
More sand. And more fun. Perhaps I should try motocross? Riding pillion on an Enfield certainly teaches you about posture. When we first started out I thought I was sitting up straight. Three days in I realised I wasn’t and my bum hurt. I learned not to slump. Another day’s riding brought us...
Day 4 – Mahansar to Dhingsari
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:09
From Mahansar we rode out and into the Thar Desert. We stopped at Desnoke to visit the famous Rat Temple, the only place in the world where rats are worshipped. Take my word for it - rats are rats, temple rats included. They look the same and they smell the same. Enough said. Riding on sand...
Day 3 – Behror to Mahansar
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:08
Nineteen people on 15 bikes. Followed by 3 mechanics in a jeep, then a bus carrying luggage, a doctor and Claire, our Scope fundraiser. We started the engines and within minutes were on busy streets. As we passed through each village the noise and bustle became more intense. This was the India...
Day 2 – Delhi to Behror
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:06
We were met at Delhi airport and taken by coach to our first hotel at Behror, where we were to pick up the bikes. I certainly hadn’t expected my first meal in India to be a McDonalds but it just goes to show motorway lunch stops are the same the whole world over. I ordered a cold coffee, just to...
Day 1 – London to Delhi
Created by Alex White | 13.11.2008 | 13:00
Somewhere on the M25 it dawned on me that this was for real. It was almost a year to the day since I had first heard about the challenge and now we were on our way. I was excited, but apprehensive and a bit unsure of what I had let us in for…
India Motorcycle Challenge
Created by Alex White | 27.10.2008 | 13:48
My name is Sheila Jack and I am PA to the Principal of Meldreth Manor, a Scope school for disabled students with complex care and learning support needs. On 1 November, I will be leaving for India to take part in Scope’s India: Rajasthan Motorcycle Challenge. Around 20 of us will be riding...
