Updated… Plan going west
Hi again and thanks to everyone helping out at this busy time. Thanks also for all your very welcome comments. Am in Gorakhpur in an hotel Tuesday night which was kindly sponsored by Kevin Moore Thanks Kevin 
.
I have had bad luck finding one in the last week. As grateful as I am to be able to stay in the Dhaba’s (as the restaurants are called on the highway) and sometimes I have to pay.. They are almost always noisy and I don’t get my quality sleep.
Anyway just over 40,400km have been run in 921 road days.
Here is my current thinking. Where to end India. Firstly I am aware it’s not advisable or even permitted to run all the way to the Pakistani border just beyond Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple, as an escort is mandatory and perhaps not allowed to run. This route takes me away from Agra where the Taj Mahal is located This is where I want to do my first sightseeing since Peru almost two years ago. So by running through Agra the city of Bikaner is perhaps a good place to finish India About 1,100km away from where I am tonight.
My Iran visa application is in progress at the moment. This can take over two weeks to process. The Iranian visa is crucial. I very much want to run Iran as I have so many wonderful memories from my cycle through there many years ago. The Iranian people made a huge impression on me and is one one of my favourite countries in the world.
As mentioned before my 6 month Indian visa qualifies me for a Russian visa. Normally a three month residence, including a tourist visa, much to my surprise allows me to apply. This I will believe when I have it in my hand!
Forgot to mention after I finish running India I will fly to Tehran,Iran and return to the Iran/ Afghanistan border at Mashhad. I will then run to Tehran to Tabriz. I will need a 30 day Iranian visa extension which I believe is easy enough to get.
India is a tough country to run mentally. Many people continue to torment me on the road and make so many of my rest breaks so miserable. I remember having similar experiences on my world cycle, so many people meddling and interfering. They uses to pull the gear lever thinking it was a brake! India does not seemed to have progressed in these last 35 years, it seems.to me.the country has stood still. I’m relieved I am not pushing Nirvana through here! I also read about the Irish cyclist Dean as mentioned in the Sunday Times article. On his website he talks of huge crowds gathering when he was assembling his bicycle in an Indian airport, They were also interfering with his bicycle parts. When I say interfering I don’t mean stealing, I mean mauling, poking, prodding and kicking tyres etc. He got angry and cycled away bicycle incomplete.
Every day I meet so many irritating people, many even stalk me on the road just to gawk.
They all say that they don’t meet many foreigners, well this is one reason many people don’t come to India, because of the harassment. They all say they want to help and that they are different to other Indians but I still can’t get rid of them.
I have started ignoring many greetings as it is best not to engage in small talk as this only encourages them. So you can imagine it is not very nice on the nice people and I sometimes feel a bit mean spirited when I enter a restaurant and look for a table in a corner facing the wall. Often this works as there are many decent people that can take a hint!
Thank goodness.for the lovely decent and considerate people I have met here. They make it a bit more bearable!
I look forward getting to. A sane country like Iran, a country very much misunderstood and often confused with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
From Tabriz to either Armenia or Azerbaijan but the latter has a prohibited $100 visa fee. And from there to Georgia to Russia.and into Europe. And the Ukraine. In Europe it’s a must I return to Brno and the stadium where I spent the most memorable two days of my life setting that 48 hour world record back in 2007. Calais,France is where mainland Europe ends for me.. So that’s my latest thinking.
Sorry for the lack of blogging lately as I have been swamped down.
I tell you one thing, India is not an easy country to run in or travel in! Crazy place. Food also very disappointing and they can’t make tea!
Thanks again, talk soon. Tony
February 12th, 2014 at 8:59 am
great update tony. it sounds like you are busier than ever both on and off the road. whatever route you take it will be great. the spot keeps us updated every 10 minutes!!! kevin
February 15th, 2014 at 7:56 pm
Saturday I had an enjoyable 42km run and finished in Faizabad.I found a really nice hotel at a good price and in a swanky restaurant I celebrated the 40,000km – 2 weeks late!
For obvious reasons holy cow and all that steaks were not on the menu. I will have to wait till I get to Iran for that! Total 40,551km for 925 days About 1,025km left in India. Next stop will being Lucknow about 3 days away. Many thanks to my host Thaps who has promised to spoil me in luxury.. I may take a rest day there… My second in about 2,000km
I enjoyed a delicious pizza,cokes,soup,garlic bread and esp ice cream
February 16th, 2014 at 10:47 am
Great read Tony, sorry to hear the Indians are driving you nuts. Hope you enjoyed your luxourious night in the hotel. Take care and roll on Europe
February 16th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
tony its nice to hear you getting some luxury for a change. my wife tells me you have made a re-appearance on facebook!!!! hopefully you find more friends and get more likes……whatever that means…..keep up the great work. kevin
February 16th, 2014 at 6:26 pm
Hi Tony,
Greetings from Co. Wicklow! Just reading about your remarkable journey. Best of luck on the next stage. We cycled through Iran on our way home a few months back and had a great time, as we finished up after five and a half years on the road.
Stay well,
Julian
February 20th, 2014 at 12:49 am
We are still following your progress with great interest. “When the going gets tough, the tough keeps going” is very applicable to you. You have our great admiration Tony. Wish you all the best for the rest of the journey.
February 21st, 2014 at 4:58 pm
Sorry to hear that about India as its a place i’d love to travel to and its also disappointing to hear about the food! I know some good Indian restauraunts we can hit in October to make up for it!