Great Arc Of India - July 2008
Hope you don’t mind me keeping you informed of the Great Arc of India Classic Car Rally. If I am cluttering up your e-mail inbox please let me know and I refrain from sending further Newsletters.
I am still waiting for confirmed on hotels and confirm bookings dates but it is still the intention to be flagged away from Cochin on 5th February 2009 for 22 days of high adventure across undiscovered India, climbing into the Himalayas on 27th February.
Under my guidance, and assisting me with the route, is old Indian Hand Jim Eyre. His Indian journeys complement the many journeys I have done in India. Knowing India well Jim is the ideal assistant of the survey team. Rod Cross who helped me on this year’s Arc will be further assisting with the route survey. The three of us have two jeeps with Jim and Rod spending three months in India finding the best route South to North possible. Jim stays in India to produce the road book returning after the rally. This I am confident will be ROARR’s best ever route.
The tents are being ordered from Jodhpur. They are quite special and are as large as many bedrooms 13’ x 13’! And as equally as luxurious with a 13’ X 5’6’’ Veranda.
India is not short of highlights and as a number of the rich sights of India lie close to the Great Arc, I have allowed deviation from the true Meridian of the Great Arc, 77’ 41’ to visit such fascinating places as Mysore, Orchha, Hampi, Pashmari, Panali Hills and Kaddam River.
I have chosen the hotels because they are indigenous, small and can be quite bizarre. Most are known to me from my travels in India but I have a few still to be visited. Livy is in charge of camping and hotels and she will be visiting them to arrange our accommodation.
It is proving difficult to carbon neutral the rally. It is not the intention to go on the web and pay a fee, but to find a proper initiative to support in India that is working toward reducing carbon. If anyone has any idea’s how we can contribute to this cause in India please advice.
Our visit to Nagpur to see the work of the young English woman Leah Paterson will be a fascinating insight to the work and dedication of this remarkable young woman who has given up a life in England to live amongst the lepers of Nagpur. Leah is raising funds to construct a hospice / hospital for out patients to provide medical care to women suffering from multiple medical problems.
Leah first charity "Start" was established to provide care and rehabilitation to women suffering form leprosy, and this she has been have doing for the last 8 years. "Start" addresses the individual needs of each woman, from housing, meals on wheels delivery service, clothing, footwear, medical needs to counselling, occupational training, provision of small income generating businesses, social activities and even false teeth.
Since "Start" has been operating in the slums of Nagpur city Leah has been inundated with requests for help from very needy women with additional problems such as HIV/Aids, mental illness, those who have been raped and abused.
The charity deals with cases which neither private nor government hospitals will cater for. This is due to the fact that many of their patients are alone; all hospitals in India will only admit patients if they are accompanied by their relatives, therefore the most vulnerable are completely excluded form hospitalisation when required. In addition to this the cases they help are quite often suffering from severe problems such as maggot infestation or severe forms of mental illness, or even the last stages of Aids. Such women have no where to go and often die alone and in extreme pain.
Not all cases will be terminal so therefore short term hospitalization will help them to recover. For those with terminal illnesses they will be provided with a clean, friendly environment where they can receive medical support enabling their last days, weeks or months to be as pain free and comfortable as possible. We feel strongly that as much as we can provide dignity in living, there should be dignity in dying.
To construct a single storey facility with O.P.D (out patient department) and ward facilities will cost £52,000 (41,60,000 rupees). I hope with our generosity The Great Arc surplus will go someway towards supporting this hospital.
Fuel Bowzer. This year the run to Bangalore we had no difficulty with fuel mainly because we went into a number of towns to cross bridges we were able to fill up before crossing the countryside again. The run from Bangalore to Hyderabad was much more wild country and we had fuel brought into the camp each day. It is even wilder north of Hyderabad and it is expected bowzers will be brought into camp. Once passed Bhopal the situation should improve. Fuel stops will be fully noted on the road book.
Wine List. This will be forward on the next newsletter, but I have found the wine suppliers to the Taj Hotels for Indian wine. Australian wine makers have transformed Indian wine and now the selection is as good as any of the new world wine producers. Those of you who know Indian wine will be pleased to hear the days of only having only Indian ‘Riveara’ Wine are over.
I have been offered a number of WW2 Willys Jeep by Uday who some of you will remember from the Himalaya Rallies. Uday has one of the largest collecters of Willys Jeep and his great passion is driving the jeeps and having them driven. If anyone is interested do contact me.
Three weeks ago I had the inspiration to drive to India in the MG! The idea was to drive the first leg to Kiev, leave the car with my Contract Manager’s family, since he is from the Ukraine, and then continue via crossing the Black Sea, across Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India.
Anyway at the Ukraine boarder but they would not let us in as I did not have the right documents. According to the Ukraine Embassy in London all chums and part of Europe now and open boarders. Certainly not! Still very Soviet and with no car papers except Green card Insurance, as advised, and proof of ownership but would not let me in. So drove to Bucharest instead.
Back in UK flying back to Romania in next two weeks to carry on the journey into Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India.
MG fine so far, just small problem with alternator, so will take out spare. Car enjoying the rest having covered 4000 non motorway kilometres across Europe.
Hope this is informative and please let me know if I am cluttering up your in box. Five entries still available.
Best wishes
Conrad Birch
