Where I Am and Where I'm Going

5200 miles ridden so far.

The route: Darlo-Northallerton-York-Beverley-Hull-ferry-Zeebrugge-Brugges-Antwerp-Maastricht-Verviers-Stadtkyll-Cochem-Rheintal-Bingen-Mainz-Frankfurt-Mains-Tauber-Rothenburg-Altmuhl-Eichstatt-Landshut-Vilshofen-Donau-Passau-Linz-Krems-Vienna-Bratislava-Mosonmagyorovar-Gyor-Komorom-Tatabanya-Budapest-Dunaujvaros-Baja-Backi Breg-Sombor-Novi Sad-Strazilova-Belgrade-Pancevo-Smederovo-Pozerevac-Petrovac-Bor-Pirot-Dimitrovgrad-Sofia-Plovdiv-Edirne-Istanbul-Beykoz-Kayagze-Sile-Karacaköy-Kaynarca-Adapazari-Bolu-Ankara-Cappadocia-Kayseri-Sivas-Zara-Erzincan-Erzurum-Horason-Agri-Dogubayezit-Çaldiran-Van-Ozalp-Khom-Tabriz-Bostan-Abad-Zanjan-Esfehan-Yazd-Shiraz-Firuz Abad-Bandar Abbas-Sharjah-Dubai

So here I am in Dubai, just about getting over the shock of the transformation from Iran to Dubai. I'm not very hung over - I took it easy on the drinkahol, as I felt pissed halfway down the first pint. I'm staying with a friend of my dad's in Dubai and luxury.

I still plan to get to India somehow, and the choices are to take a flight (which I'd rather not do), or talk my way onto one of the dhow boats which brave the seas to India. This is also slightly complicated by my friend Jonathan possibly coming to meet me in Delhi - if he is, I'll probably just get a flight. Although I could ship to Mumbai and get on a train to Delhi.

Anyway, for the moment I'm enjoying the chance to relax, and stop, and take stock. ALso, to eat some bacon, a roast dinner, drink some alcohol, all the luxuries available in a crazy place like Dubai. I'll be visiting the Burj Khalifa (world's tallest building) and I should probably check out the ski slope. A ski slope in a desert. It's midwinter and 28 degrees. It's only a short hop from Iran to Dubai, but the differences are profound.