Mark's Blog

Some images of Merrion.

I thought I'd try out the image upload facility on this blog. With the swanky new digital camera, I hope to be adding visuals to my posts when I (eventually) get to India.

Here's a photo of Mark Ellison playing the mandolin just before helping me to move all my stuff out of Merrion. There's a video clip of this as well, with the stacking boxes and packaged belongings in piles all over the living room. There were sore legs The next day, I can tell you. Andrew Kelly very kindly offered to give my stuff a home until I come back in the basement of his house.

Here's Ailish wearing a scary mask that we brought back from Nepal a couple of years ago.

Delays and Frustrations

After working furiously to get sites out the door and classes prepped and finished before my flight date, I now discover that there's going to be a frustrating delay.

Even though I have my shots, flight, ticket, passport and money I don't yet have a Visa. Today the Indian Embassy took my passport with the visa application and told me that I'm not getting it back until Friday 30th. Then I phoned BA and they don't have more availability to Dheli until February 5th. In one morning I went from preparing to go in four days to not going for another two weeks and it costing me €100 extra on my flight price to boot. The first encounter with Indian red tape. I'm sure it won't be the last.

So, homeless in Dublin for two weeks, some of my friends gathering in Toner's on Sunday night to toast my departure and I won't be actually leaving for a week and a half later.

On the bright side, I extended my stay by another week when I changed my flight details, so I'm coming back on the 29th now and only lose four days off the entire trip. I can also confortably get the new village site done (details soon) rather than completing it in a mad rush, which is what I was looking at. I have more free time with Ailish and may go visiting freinds around the country while I'm wating.

Goddam beauracracy.

Conclusions and preparations

Moving out, after four years of living at Merrion Street, gives me the opportunity I've been looking for since I got back from India last, in 1995. Time to go back. This time to the places I didn't get to see last time. Dharmasala, the source of the Ganges, the Himalayan foothills and possibly Ladakh.

I've put up this "blog" so I can keep an account of my travels. Suggested by Jean, my sister and inspired by Raymond, who's just got back after his epic trip all the way down the South American continent.

If you'd like to be updated every time there's a new post, just send me an email and I'll add you to the list.

In the meantime there's a website to get out the door, a flat removal to complete and all the prepping for four months away.

more soon.. (and I'll tart the site up a bit.)