The Walk
“You can boast about anything if it’s all you have. Maybe the less you have, the more you are required to boast.”
This book is not a chronological narrative about walking across India. I did that as I went, sharing my experiences through Twitter. It’s like adventure haiku and a few excerpts should suffice to recount the walk.
- > I’ve arrived in the glorious madhouse of India. Excited and daunted about beginning the walk.
- > Munched by mosquitoes, sweating a lot and a bit overwhelmed. Tomorrow morning I begin.
- > Ridiculously hot. Dreaming of lovely fresh mornings on my way to the South Pole.
- > Played village cricket. Maintained England’s reputation: caught in the deep for 0.
- > Passed an elephant on the road today!
- > I now have a stick for whacking evil dogs.
- > Think I was guilty of underestimating this trip...
- > Sleeping in a rice field tonight. Rice for dinner.
- > A moon shadow, bats and the stars: a peaceful side to India at last.
- > 300km down and no blisters – yet.
- > BEEP! BEEP! Indian drivers driving me mad.
- > Slept in a temple. Coracle fishermen at dawn.
- > Hand washed my clothes. How long after returning home before loading the washing machine becomes a hassle again..?
- > Policeman told me I was beautiful. I replied, “No, Sir, it is you who is beautiful.” He liked that! Different to conversations with UK police...
- > First blister.
- > Filling a popped blister with iodine hurts a disproportional amount.
- > Water crisis until teenagers drove 20km to fetch some for me.
- > In an internet cafe using Google Maps to plot a route into the mountains: easily the best map of India I have found.
- > Spent last night with a lovely family. Best curry yet. Thank you for your kindness!
- > Watching policeman try to control traffic. Chaos! Too many chiefs..?
- > I’m getting old and soft: the weight saving gained by cutting my toothbrush in half is now outweighed by its irritation factor.
- > Enjoyed watching cricket on TV at the tea stand this evening: Pietersen (Bangalore) v Flintoff (Chennai).
- > Beautiful hiking today, climbing up through coffee plantations. On foot beautiful usually = hard though. Tired.
- > The road is behind me. The beach is empty and white past the palm trees. Ahead, only the sea. I can walk no further. The sun sets. The End.
- @al_humphreys #ThereAreOtherRivers
