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“Do you want to go to India again?”

It was a late Saturday night phone call, late February, wet England.

“Yeah, sure – when?” I said.

“Err, Tuesday?”

It is very easy to say OK, and see what happens – again. An addictive bug we both caught since I had met Dean back on the Enduro India 2009 trip.

We somehow made it on that Tuesday, still having our valid Visas. We had only just come back from Mumbai in January, with Marion and MaryAnn on pillion. Christmas and New Year on Enfields riding through Maharastra and the coast. The Air India flight touched down in Delhi. Another giddy adventure had started.

Dean had been honing his excellent Hindi at the back of the plane with the flight crew. By now, and from experience, we had eschewed any “maps” getting lost in India; we were relying on verbal directions, usually Hindi, to get lost! We invariably arrived late, in the dark, to new destinations after a long hot day of hilarity, meeting strangers, Chai, and of course lots of curry. Tired, but happy.

Our last trip, 2015, was before Dean tragically died of cancer. I remember that he had left his crash helmet at the last guest house in Rajasthan (with hindsight sadly symbolic). So, riding back, dodging and ignoring the police, was our last Delhi traffic madness. It rained.

Jim Ellery

JIM’S ADVENTURE TIP

Learn a touch of Hindi – it will get you into, and out of, some very amusing spots.

ABOUT ‘ADVENTURER’S TALES’

A compilation of recollections in celebration of 10 years of Adventure Ashram, ‘Adventurer’s Tales’ is a true celebration of a decade of purposeful adventure by our charity partner Adventure Ashram, a small but mighty charity.

Complete with some great adventure tips, it not only provides handy pointers for when out ‘on the road’, but also some thought-provoking insights into the heart and spirit of adventure. Written with humour, passion and integrity, this wonderful book is a fine tribute to 10 years of Adventure Ashram. Click here to buy a copy.

If you are planning an adventure with Nomadic Knights, please consider raising funds for one of Adventure Ashram’s projects and help to make a difference to the people and places you explore. Anyone planning an adventure can choose to support Adventure Ashram.