Todd and a Pakistani customs official inspect the vehicle tag numbers before crossing into Pakistan.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A lonely calf provided more than 15 minutes of entertainment to Neil and Adam during the team's drive toward Keylong.

Journal and photos by Neil Dana

Today the sun decided to shine, and it made the drive back across the Himalayas towards the Indian and Pakistan border a dreamy drive. We woke up really early today, about 4:30 a.m., and were on the road by 5 a.m. A few hours after we left, we started ascending the pass, and it was gorgeous. It was also extremely dangerous as well, with sheer drops of a thousand feet or more to certain death, not to mention narrowly scraping constantly along the narrow roads amongst huge cargo trucks. Every corner you come up to, you need to honk your horn and go very slowly. It is a one-lane road, and sometimes we had to back up until there was shoulder enough to pull onto so the truck going uphill could pass. The whole time the trucks are passing our cars, we are looking over the edge of a very long drop off and praying that the cement or rock won’t give away. And luckily, it hasn’t.

Aside from the sketchiness of the road, the beauty is overwhelming. You can see down the entire valley, filled with pine trees, wild flowers, horses, cows, snowcapped mountains, and windy roads dissipating into the distance. Along the way down, Adam and I stopped for some masala tea and chatted with a local man who had his vending station right next to a waterfall. What a lucky place to work from. This was not your average job in India. Later on, we came across the cutest calf as well. We stopped and mooooed at him for 15 minutes. He would mooooo back and we would mooooo at him, and so on for a while; it was really funny. I guess you had to be there, but it was so serene and peaceful we just couldn’t get away from the little guy.

And of course, a day this beautiful can’t be filled with pure pleasure, there has to be something that goes awry, and sure enough it did!

Nancy, our sweetheart mountain biker, loves to get to the top of mountain passes and speed all the way down in front of our convoy, and then we pick her up at the bottom. Well today, she decided to take on this mountain with super windy curves, construction workers, death defying cliffs, and all alone! We weren’t scared for her though, actually just really stoked for her; she loves this!

So as we drive down the pass and enjoy the amazing scenery, we finally come down to the bottom of the mountains to Manali and go to the gas station, where we normally would all go and meet to fill up. Well, when we arrived 2 ½ hours later, Nancy wasn’t there! So we started looking around for her and weren’t worried because we thought she must just be somewhere we didn’t see previously. But after 30 minutes of searching, the worries really began. Adam and I checked back up the mountain, and Todd went to check the hospital, and Colin and Justin checked on past the town, but no one was having any luck, and I was really beginning to actually contemplate the unimaginable. It is amazing what your mind can do to you in these situations.

I started thinking about all the cliffs and hairpin turns and thought there was a possibility she got nailed head-on by a truck and went over the edge and got seriously injured, or even worse, died! I mean come on, there is no way she could actually die, that is crazy!! No way!! Well, after an hour of searching, the crazy thoughts start becoming more and more scary and possible. We were showing people her picture that we had on our laptops, and no one was recognizing her.

Finally, Todd radioed us and told us he found her, phew!! I guess she had missed a turn over a bridge, and went the wrong way. The funny thing was that when Todd arrived and found Nancy, she was wondering where the heck we were the whole time! But as soon as she saw Todd’s face, she knew we had been looking for her and asked , “Am I in trouble?”

And boy oh boy, we would have scolded her if it had taken us a half hour to find her, but since it took over an hour and we all started having such vivid imaginations, we were all ecstatic and happy to see sweet Nancy alive and very embarrassed, and even with some tears.

Neil

Nancy pauses during her long downhill ride from almost 18,000 feet at Khardung-la Pass, the highest motorable road in the world.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Vehicle D3 peers over a huge gorge on the drive from Leh to Keylong. It's quite a drop down to an icy river.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The convoy at the top of the highest motorable road in the world, Kardung-la Pass.

Kardung-La is said to stand at 18,300 feet, but our Garmin GPS indicates 17,600. Locals say the GPS is correct.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Neil stands in front of the world's highest polo field here in Leh. It's at around 12,000 feet.

Journal by Colin McAuliffe, photo by Nancy Olson

Recent readings

The following is a list of most of the books that I’ve read since Australia. I say “most,” because I’m sure I forgot some of the less-significant ones. I read a lot, and sometimes some books don’t make it into my long-term memory.

Jetlag Guide: Moldavia
This is a hilarious spoof on guidebooks. It tells you everything you need to know about the fictional country Moldavia, a land without modern dentistry. It’s a great read, although you wouldn’t really read it cover to cover, which is kind of nice because you can open it to any page and have a good laugh.

A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
This is one of those classic British Empire ex-pat novels. Kind of in the same vein as Burma Days by Orwell, it deals with the relationship between native Indians and English subjects, often talking about “the club,” another theme that lays heavy in Burma Days.

Sometimes A Great Notion, Ken Kesey
This is a pretty good book, although a bit of a hard read. It centers on the life of a few generations of a family in Oregon. It starts off a little slow and confusing, but picks up towards the end. I think Kesey was taking a lot of LSD when he wrote this one, because it’s really all over the place.

East of Eden, Steinbeck
I liked this one a lot; it’s one of those books that’s really hard to put down. Apparently it is semi-autobiographical. But it is very typical Steinbeck, sad ending and all.

The Drifters, James Michner
Another good one by Michner. Much different from the other books of his that I’ve read, although still very gripping. Written from the very believable point of view of an older guy that befriends a group of hippy-types during the sixties in Europe. It takes place in a lot of places I’ve always wanted to visit, like Spain and Turkey, so I really enjoyed it.

First They Killed My Father, Luang Ung.
A young girls’ first-person account of the Khmer Rouge invasion of Cambodia. We picked this one up from an annoying kid in front of Angkor Wat who was crying her eyes out because we wouldn’t buy her book. Well, Adam bought it, and we all read it. It’s OK.

Children of the Killing Field, Various Authors
This one is a compendium of various survivors accounts of the killing fields. It’s OK, although all the stories are pretty much the same. I bought this one from another little kid in front of Angkor Wat, who, early in the day, drew a picture for me. I tried to turn it down, knowing that it meant that I would have to buy something from her, but when I walked away, she gave the picture to Chanda to give to me. So I was stuck. She asked me my name and I told her it was Jellybean Joe Joe. She asked if I wanted to buy a book, and I said No. She then asked if maybe later, I would want buy one. I told her probably not. Anyway, on our way out of the temple I hear her yelling my name, “Jellybean Joe Joe! Jellybean Joe Joe!” I tried to escape, but to no avail. She cornered me and began trying to get me to buy her book. I didn’t want it, and she started to cry. I hopped in the car, and within minutes I was surrounded by about a hundred kids berating me and flipping me the bird, all calling me a liar, and there, right outside my window was the girl who had drawn the picture, crying her little eyes out. I’m still not sure if the tears were genuine, but they were enough. So I bought her book, thinking it would get me out of that predicament, but it didn’t. I sat there with kids yelling at me for another twenty minutes before we could get out of there. It was an ugly scene, but hey, I got a book out of it.

Among Insurgents, Shelby Tucker
This is the most interesting non-fiction book I’ve read on this trip. It’s about two guys who, in the late eighties, decided to walk across Burma, which at the time was totally illegal, and pretty much still is. Within a few days, they run into a rebel army and end up spending their entire time in their company. Tucker is pretty much insane, but his writing gives people a glimpse into a part of Burma that no one really gets to see. Of course, it really doesn’t paint a very good picture of the Burmese government.

Stranger In a Strange Land, Robert Heinlin
One of the best SciFi books I’ve read in years. In fact, I think it’s one of the best books I’ve read this whole trip. Truly insightful and interesting, and it’s in that Billy Joel song “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” The book has some great lines in it, and Heinlin invented some amazing vocabulary for the novel. Most notably the verb Grok, which Neil and I use all the time now.

One Hit Wonderland, Tony Hawks
This is a comedy/travel book by an English comedian who takes a bet that he can get a chart-topping single within a year. It’s pretty funny, and definitely worth a read. I found my copy in a Bangkok bathroom.

Filth, Irvine Welsh
Written by the guy who wrote Trainspotting, I’m sure this is a great book, however, It is seriously hard to read. It’s written pretty much all Scottish slang, and after about 20 pages I gave it up for an easier book.

Then and Now, Joseph Heller
Well, I’ve always wanted to read Catch-22, but I never find it in book exchanges, and I’m pretty cheap as far as buying books is concerned, so I have yet to get to it; however, I did manage to score Heller’s autobiography, Then and Now. It’s pretty good; unfortunately it draws a lot of parallels between his life and the characters in his books, but since I haven’t read any of them, that whole part of the book passed me by.

Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins
The master of sentence construction and dirty mindedness, Robbin’s books always entertain me. He always manages to somehow fuse seriously intense subjects with copulation and debauchery, and he does it well. His descriptions are great, and the characters are always interesting. This one deals with the theme of everlasting life.

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
I borrowed this book off of Nancy. It is a total chick book, but very good all the same. I can totally see it as a movie with Oprah as one of the starring roles. In fact, I’m surprised it hasn’t been shot yet. Anyway, it’s set in the civil rights days and deals with a group of women overcoming this and that. Good stuff.

Bel Canto, Author’s Name Forgotten
Got this one from Kathryn in Bangkok. It takes place in a fictional Latin American Country. It’s all about opera and kidnapping, and it’s pretty good. In fact, I couldn’t put it down and was very pleased with it, until the end, which is no good at all. Maybe you shouldn’t read it.

Holidays in Hell, P.J. O’Rourke
This is a hilarious collection of travel stories, all written by a comedic genius/madman. O’rourke’s travel stories do not take you to the average places, but rather to more interesting locales such as Beirut. This one is a definite must-read.

To The Hilt, Author’s Name Forgotten
Standard bubblegum mystery stuff. Based in London and Scotland. The kind of book that has a cheesy glossy picture of the author in a silly English outfit on the back cover. Nothing worth remembering, but it kept me entertained for a few nights.

Anyway, I know there are a few others too, but I can’t remember them at all, so I’m sure they are not worth remembering nor mentioning.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A vehicle reaches the crest of Lachalang-la, at 16,600 feet.

Journal and photo by Nancy Olson

This "journal" comes to you in the form of a press release, and it is early. The release is for a few days from now, but since this is my journal day, and since I haven't written a journal yet, here you go:

KEYLONG, India, Sept. 19, 2004--Drive Around the World and Land Rover Certified have driven over the highest motorable road in the world. At a proclaimed 18,320 ft, Khardung-La is the highest mountain pass on Earth.

After driving more than 25,000 miles through 22 countries since Nov. 1, 2003 on their yearlong Parkinson’s Research drive-a-thon, the LONGITUDE Expedition team headed north, and up, into the Indian Himalayas. In this part of the Karakoram Range, the Indian Army is always on guard to protect the high-altitude borders it shares with Pakistan and China. A drive up to the Khardung-La required a special permit, and the expedition team was greeted by smiling Indian Army troops and tough-as-nails road crews working at the summit.

Signs all along the paved and winding road remind travelers to drive safely, while other strategically placed signs give insight to the immense pride of the engineers, road crews, and military who build, maintain, and protect these “highest roads in the world.”

To reach Kardung-La, the Drive Around the World convoy of four Land Rover Certified Discoverys and eight crew members traveled 362 miles north along the well-known Manali-to-Leh Route. This road, the second-highest in the world according to India, traverses four 16K-foot-plus mountain passes, with the highest, Kanglang-La, topping out at 17,590 ft.

The team had previously spent three nights at 5,000 ft, with a final night at 11 K feet before hitting the high altitudes. The team says they experienced first-hand some of the effects these high altitudes can have on the human body.

“I feel really bad,” said Take Me With You! guest Matt Candelaria, 36, of Los Angeles, Calif., at around 16,000 ft. Candelaria is traveling with the team as their guest throughout India.

Experiencing symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness, which indlude headache, dizziness, nausea, euporia, and diminished appetite, Candelaria just wanted to “lose altitude.”

The quickest way to do that was to continue ahead to Leh, which sits at about 11,500 ft up in the Indian Himalayas.

The roads were narrow and crowded with slow-moving trucks and buses, but the team climbed and descended easily, clearing all the mountain passes before dark, and reaching their destination at Leh just after nightfall.

In Leh, the team and Candelaria adjusted to the high altitude while researching permits for the Khardung-La Pass, just 16 miles to the North.

“This area and several others near India’s borders require a special travel permit,” said expedition leader and Drive Around the World founder Nick Baggarly, 36, of Upland, Calif..

With permit in hand, the team, including Candelaria, but minus three who were feeling mild altitude sickness, drove the steep switchbacks up to the summit at Khardung-La. Their GPS and altimeter reading 17,700 ft, the team questioned the validity of the road’s 18,320-foot claim.

“The locals and the tour guides here say the pass isn’t really 18-three, but who cares,” said Baggarly. “This is the highest we’ve ever been, and we’re out of breath. The guys who built these roads are amazing.”

From Leh, the team is headed through China, Krzykstan, Khazakstan, Russia, Alaska, and Canada, before their expected return in Dec.

“This is one of the most beautiful stretches we have driven on this expedition, and we’re soaking up in every minute of it,” said Baggarly. “As much as we want to get home, we know we’ll miss these places when the journey ends.”

LONGITUDE Expedition team members include Baggarly, Chanda Baggarly, 33, of Visalia, Calif.; Todd Borgie, 35, of San Gabriel, Calif.; Adam Burgess, 31, of Saratoga, Calif.; Neil Dana, 31, of Danville, Calif.; Colin McAuliffe, 25, of New Paltz, New York; Justin Mounts, 31, of Witchita, Kansas; and Nancy L. Olson, 31, of Southlake, Texas.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Todd plays on a suspension bridge that hangs over an icy river. He and Matt and Nancy jumped in harmony to get this thing to bounce and sway dramatically.

Journal by Todd Borgie, photo by Nancy Olson

The morning started out as a modest driving day from Mandi to Keylong, a meager 219 km, but you had to earn these kilometers…more on that later. I was still on a buzz from meeting the Dalai Lama, so all was good! A 9:00 a.m. rollout was planned, and we were going to have a nice driving day into the Northern Mountains of India, the foothills of the Himalayas.

I rolled out of bed first, as I had some maintenance to perform on the vehicles, Matt and Nancy were real troopers to volunteer to help out. I thought an hour and a half would be plenty of time to complete the required tasks and return to my room and have a shower before departing, but I was wrong.

The maintenance started out with tightening of lug nuts, checking air pressure in the tires, and filling them as needed (the work adds up with four vehicles). The final task was to extract a quart of oil from each vehicle and replace it with fresh oil. One of the sponsorship agreements with Mobil 1 was to not change the oil during the entire 50,000 kilometer expedition. Every 15,000 kilometers, we extract a sample of oil and then mail the sample back home for analysis. Despite some of our best efforts, the oil has been accidentally changed in two out of the four vehicles. When we have taken the vehicles in for maintenance, the nice mechanics often assume we want to the oil changed in addition to whatever else we asked them to do. This happened when we took one vehicle into a dealership for an alignment check, and then another time when we took the vehicle in for an engine service light. Now we have stickers everywhere saying do not change the oil, and one of us usually acts as a sentry in order to protect and maintain our agreement.

Anyway, with two of the vehicles especially, we have watched the oil get blacker and blacker. It was getting to such a stage that Mobil One suggested that we remove a quart of old oil and replace it with fresh stuff, they went on to suggest that we overfill the vehicle, for a reason I am not so sure about. The dusty conditions that we often find ourselves in have contributed to dust in the engines and the engine oil.

Generally, when we take oil samples, we have a little pump that Mobil One provided, plenty of tubing to run down into the oil pan from where the dipstick sits, and little 100ml sample containers that screw directly into the pump. However, the best we could do for containers for oil samples were one-liter water bottles, and these did not have the same size mouth or threads for the pump, therefore we had to fill nine 100 ml sample bottles and pour them into the one liter-bottles (one quart is about 950ml, and one litter is 1000 ml). The process was tedious enough, but then the rain came; uffda! However, after that painful experience, I know how to do it much quicker now!

We extracted the quarts out of the vehicles with the oldest oil first. Unbelievable! This oil is the worst I have ever seen! The oil samples came out like soft-serve chocolate ice cream. Ugh. There were clumps, but I didn’t see any metallic shavings, so that was good news.

With our sluggish way of taking samples, the rain, and that fact that we could do only one vehicle at a time, rollout moved to 11:00 AM. I thank, Nancy, Matt, Neil and Adam, for their help with this process, despite the fact we only got two vehicles done.

I am glad that we were able to put fresh oil in, but leaving the oil in as it is makes me nervous. I hope Mobile One will continue to work it’s synthetic wonders and keep our engines running smooth until we arrive home.

Anyway, we rollout at a rainy 11:00 a.m., but not as rainy as when we were working on the vehicles, I might add. The drive was beautiful! I have always heard that the Kashmir area was amazing, and now we were headed to it.

Once we got on the road, the scenery drastically changed from our Delhi days. The area was not as densely populated; the road paralleled a clean rushing river, and the pedestrian suspension bridges that spanned the rivers were fun to play and bounce on. However, the roads were windy, and the drop offs were abrupt, offering new challenges to driving in India.

As we started to ascend the 13,000 ft pass, the conifer forests and the rocky rugged mountains made me feel almost as if I was in the Pacific Northwest, another factor that increased my homesickness after more than 10 months on the road. As I mentioned earlier, the drive was only 219 kilometers (135 miles), but this took us about 10 hours. As the crow flies, the distance was much shorter than 135 miles due the many switchbacks that gradually lifted us from 5,000 ft to over 13,000 ft.

One of the greatest things about the last couple of days was the fact that we were out of the hustle and bustle. Despite the fact that there were always people asking you for money, the crowds were not as intense as they were in Delhi, and the headache of doing business was much reduced, although the variety of food and services was diminished as well.

It was almost unnoticeable how the auto rickshaws disappeared as we headed into the hills. Although these Vespa-turned-passenger-carriers were a great way to get around in cities, when you are driving with them they seem like traffic mosquitoes. Their agility on the road enables them to buzz around you with great ease. However, when there are so many of them buzzing here and there, you don’t always know where they will end up. They will pass you on the left or right or whatever way they can, another complication on the roads in India. All this to say we have left the headaches of the city behind and now were are in the mountains, with crystal clear streams and snowcapped peaks and John Denver on the radio--a very nice change!

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

We met Coen several days ago on our way to Dharamsala. Then, today, we met him again. He's made quite a bit of progress. As we did when we saw him the first time, we fueled him up with Red Bull and wished him much luck. We're all headed toward Leh, so there's a chance we'll see him on our way back through the mountain passes. Coen is riding from his home in Holland to China.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A Delhi auto rickshaw driver and son.

Photo by Todd Borgie

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Nancy's latest stray closes his eyes against the pain as he is picked up to be carried into a Nepalese veterinary clinic.

Journal by Nancy Olson, photo by Matt Candelaria

Delhi, Delhi, Delhi…We at Drive Around the World know we’ve been in one spot too long when our weekly journal day rolls around more than once. This happened in Bangkok quite often, and, frankly, it’s no picnic trying to come up with interesting things to write about when we’re not actually driving.

I described my impressions of Delhi in my September 2 journal, so I won’t bore you with that again. We’ve been venturing out into the hot and sticky weather here each day, taking auto rickshaws to various markets for shopping and errand running, and we usually get charged exorbitant fees. Delhi has turned me into a very rude bargainer, and of that I am not proud. On more than one occasion, I have told the driver off for charging Chanda and me triple or quadruple what he would charge a local, and on another occasion I just handed him twenty rupees and walked away as he screamed about the other eighty rupees he wanted. The nerve!

Occasionally, I have the good fortune to meet a sweet little street dog who lifts my spirits and allows me a brief escape from the hustle and bustle going on about me. The dogs here in India are bigger, healthier, prettier, and more pure-bred-looking than those of many other countries. We refer to them lovingly as “third-world dogs”, and we love them. Two days ago, for example, I met a yellow Labrador retriever puppy. He was beautiful, and he was wandering the streets alone, so I decided to befriend him. When I first spotted him, he was being scolded and chased off by a mean-looking chef holding a butcher knife! Yikes! So, I scolded the chef and led the dog to a safer loitering area. He was so cute and friendly that I ALMOST kept him. The reason I didn’t? A fear of commitment. Dogs like that one are at least a 10-14-year commitment, and I can’t make that step. That’s definitely a good thing, too, as it has prevented me from taking on strays in nearly every country we’ve visited.

A few days ago, as you might already know, Matt Candelaria and I took a short weekend trip to Kathmandu in Nepal. The trip was too short, but it was great. By the way, I have Nick and Chanda to thank for making my dream of visiting that city a reality, so, “Thanks, Nick and Chanda!” Matt’s journal (Sept. 5) explains the curfews, Maoist insurgents, the city, and the mountain flight, so that saves me from including a description here. What he didn’t tell you about is the dog we met on our first day out in the city.

We were walking down the street, taking in the sights; Matt was eyeballing cool clothing for his girlfriend, and I was drooling over all the camping and climbing stores, when we heard the most woeful cries up ahead.

In the gutter in front of one of the shops was a cute little dog curled up into a little ball, his head down, rear end immobile, and front paw lifting up and down rhythmically. Careful not to receive a bite from the obviously scared and hurting pup, I tried to comfort him and feel for broken bones. I was certain he must have been hit by a car and had his hips busted or dislocated. But everything seemed intact. I didn’t know what to do. He was cute, scared, and helpless. Matt and I could not stand to see him suffering, yet we couldn’t walk away and pull the out of sight-out of mind trick. Matt stood by the little fella while I ran into a bookstore to get a map and directions to the nearest veterinary clinic.

Because he was covered in mud and cold, I wrapped him in a newspaper and held him to my chest. We hopped in a taxi and rode some 10 minutes to a vet; it felt like a half hour. The pup screamed at every bump. When we arrived at the clinic, it was closed. Fifteen minutes-or-so later, a young girl opened the doors, and ten minutes later, a kind-looking man approached. He took one look at the pup and said, “Looks like canine distemper,” and walked away.

I used to work for a vet as a kid, and I spent a year selling veterinary diagnostic equipment for a company called IDEXX Laboratories, so I wracked my brain trying to come up with the symptoms and treatments for distemper. Nothing. I know we vaccinate for it in the states, and I know it’s a dreadful disease, but that’s all I cold remember. Is it neurological? Yes, I think it’s neurological.

Anyway, I asked the man about the treatment. He said that, in this advanced state, they cold try to treat the disease with medication for seven or eight days, and it would cost a lot of money, and the dog would probably just suffer and then die, anyway. The best and most humane treatment would be to have the pup put to sleep right away. The cost? Five hundred rupees, or around $8.50 US.

Matt and I couldn’t stay in Nepal for eight days, and I didn’t want the dog to suffer a minute longer, so I walked into the back room with him and put him on a counter to await the lethal injection. A skinny man met us back there, and I held my dog while he attempted to put a huge-gauge needle into a vein in the left forearm. He must have had 200 cc of death in that huge syringe. He couldn’t find the vein (duh, the dog was extremely dehydrated), but he kept sticking it in and pushing the fluid in under the skin, anyway. I was becoming furious with him and yelled at him to knock it off. Matt walked away toward the window in the corner, unable to witness the needle and the little doggie’s impending death. Finally, he switched to the other arm, found the vein, and administered the drug. My dog reached around and landed a final death-nip to my hand before he went under. I was an idiot for relaxing my grip on his head, knowing from experience that dogs are instinctually programmed to fend off death by biting. The dog was just barely out before the skinny man picked him up, put him on the floor like a sack of potatoes, and covered him with the newspaper. I flashed him a dirty look for treating my dog so roughly. And that was that.

I handed a 500-rupee note to the kind older doctor, and we left. I must admit that I was a wreck for the next 20-30 minutes. It wasn’t even my dog, really, and yet I was crying over him. Had he been curable, I had great plans to keep him and smuggle him to India with us. He was going to be my little riding companion, because he was a perfect traveling size. But it wasn’t to be, and it’s probably for the best.

It was a rotten way to begin our Nepalese adventure, but the mood soon changed, and Matt and I had a wonderful time in Kathmandu.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Remember these? Anyone born after about 1980 won't, but you oldies will. Pull-tabs. They still have these on the soda cans in India. Seen 'em on the fake Red Bulls, Coke, and Sprite...For you youngsters, the reason they are discontinued is because the standard operating procedure was to pull off the tab and stick it inside the can. I guess a few challenged individuals ended up choking on them or severely injuring their innards. But we here at Drive Around the World still like to put the tabs inside our cans...we like risk...and danger...

[Photo by Matt Candelaria]

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Todd visited this hospital in Delhi, and he also spoke with a Parkinson's specialist. Todd's words: "Dr. Behari was great; we had a fantastic meeting. She told me of how she decided to become a neurologist, and she discussed the local Parkinson’s organization PRAN (Parkinsonisms and Related Disorders Awareness Network) here (and lamented the fact information about it was not yet available on the net). She told me why so many people wanted to cover it up, and she invited me to her weekly clinic on Saturday. It was great that she took the time to meet with me. You can read more about the interview soon on the Parkinson’s page.

[Photo by Todd Borgie]

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

The blue deity, Vishnu, rides past on a float in the Krishna parade in New Delhi.

Journal and photos by Neil Dana

We moved hotels into another part of not-so-New Delhi, and there are all kinds of hotels and shops here. It is filled with people and noises all the time, especially when the speakers across the street are blaring music and advertising. I must admit, I do love the music they play, but all the ads and prayers in between are a bit annoying when it is so loud! The music is fascinating, and the voices are so melodic and sweet that you become entranced by it all. This is India, and there is music blaring everywhere. I had been hoping to hear this the whole time I had thought about coming to India. In Varanasi, we found some live musicians playing tablas and sitar, and that is what I had hoped to find. Here in Delhi, though, it is more difficult to find.

This evening, we had a pleasant surprise though. There was a parade filled with marching bands and floats and hundreds and hundreds of kids and adults screaming and singing. The Krishna festival, which has been going on for throughout the month of August, is supposed to have its finale on Tuesday; however, last night they had a parade. It was great, and it was passing right in front of our hotel. The parade came in waves, too. It would start with some police clearing the way, then the marching band with drums, trombones, trumpets, baritones, and whistles would march down the street with lights carried above them, which were electrified by a wheeled generator that a few people would push behind. Next the floats would start with different statues of Vishnu and all kinds of deities represented. The women, men, and children were all dressed up in very fancy outfits and painted faces. It was extremely colorful and predominantly orange, since that is the color for Krishna. Eventually it would die down, and then the street would be somewhat darker and quieter, but then five minutes later another procession would come around. This happened about five times and lasted for a little more than an hour.

Kids were running around smiling and slapping five with me, and whenever I would try to take a picture of anything, five to ten kids would jump in front of my camera and make it next to impossible to take a shot. It was pretty funny. They were really aggressive, and some of the shop owners would come out and yell at them and shoe them away. Unfortunately, Justin had his wallet stolen from his pocket while he was shooting. The kids are very sly, very courageous, and very annoying. It really is too bad, because they are so cute, too.

Amidst all the action from the parade, the people and the children watching would stop by a man standing on a bench who was pouring out water from a pitcher, hold their hands out and get a drink. Everyone was thirsty and sweaty and panting heavily. It was quite a scene. No matter where you go in India, there is always something interesting to stumble upon. The Krishna festival is just one of the many.

Neil

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A view of the Himalayas from the air.

A view of the Himalayas and the wingtip of our Budda Air aircraft.

[Photos by Nancy Olson and Matt Candelaria]

Journal by Matt Candelaria

Just got home from a weekend in Nepal. Unfortunately, the LONGITUDE Expedition decided against driving through Nepal, so I decided to fly there and take the "Mountain Flight" to see the mighty mountain. Nancy joined me on this weekend get away. When we arrived in Kathmandu, I quickly understood why it is not good to drive though Nepal. There was a curfew imposed, and on the cab ride of five kilometers to the hotel, there were around 8-10 stops from the military that was stationed at pretty much every major street corner in the city. We were the only people besides the military and a couple other cabs coming from the airport. I was anything but comfortable.

The next day, we there were no Mountain Flights, so we hung out in Kathmandu. There was a curfew at 2 p.m., so we had to do our shopping early. The town did open up from 5-7 p.m. for dinner, so at least we were not completely trapped in the hotel. The next morning we finally got the Mountain flight.

Mt. Everest is really amazing. I looked in the cockpit, and we were at about 26,000 ft, and the mountain was still above us. Really amazing. We were flying on Budda Air, and at first I thought they were doing a really great job. They let everyone in the plane (16 of us) go up to the cockpit one by one, and the copilot showed us Mt Everest. It seemed
really cool. I didn't take many pictures, because I figured I would do that out the side window when we finally got there. Turns out, we should have been snapping away, because we were probably 10 miles from Everest when the plane turned around and headed back to Kathmandu. I was really disappointed, but at least I got to see the mountain.

We had to leave for the airport early that day because of curfew again, so we spent the day waiting around Kathmandu Airport. We met a couple of nice ladies from Australia and Israel, which really helped pass the time. We had spent so much time talking with them that it was sad to say goodbye.

Strangely, when I finally got back to familiar old Delhi, I felt at home for a moment. I guess I just felt safer because of the way things were in Nepal. I didn't like being in a potential revolution.

Matt

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

A Kathmandu street. Typical of the last several countries we have visited, Nepal's streets are crowded with tuk-tuks, pedicabs, and hawkers trying to sell anything and everything they can to tourists.

Here, Nepalese men charm snakes with their seductive music.

This musician sang and played music with his friends during the curfew, at Nancy's request. It was a great way to stave off boredom and learn some Nepalese culture.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Colin has gone native here in India.

Journal by Colin McAuliffe

Well folks, I’m not really one for museums. Most works of art in art museums don’t hold my attention as long as other peoples’, not that I don’t find them interesting. I read really fast, so at the displays in history museums, I breeze though entirely too fast. When I travel, I very rarely visit museums, unless they’re extremely special, and here in Delhi I found one of those museums: The Museum of Toilets.

Yes, I know it’s hard to believe, but in one of the most unsanitary metropolises on this planet there is a museum dedicated strictly to the porcelain throne. It cracked me up. I mean, I think only 30 percent of Indian families even have toilets.

The museum was started by a man who has made it his life’s task to bring sanitation to the Indian Nation (giggle). He has built toilets all over the country, including the worlds’ largest toilet compound, somewhere in southwest India. One of his main goals is the abolishment of what is known in India as “manual scavenging.” Manual scavenging is practice that pretty much all of us westerners would find disgusting. You see, in India, a lot of people have what are known as dry latrines, which are basically just a bucket that you poop in. Anyway, these scavengers, who are members of the absolute lowest caste of untouchables, come along, pick up your ablutions every night, and then dump it out in a field somewhere. It’s an entirely unhealthy and unsanitary practice, not only for the scavengers themselves, but for all people, because the feces ends up in people’s water systems. You can see why they are trying to abolish the practice, and untouchability in general.

The museum itself contains donations of various toilets and bathroom objects from more than twenty countries. They had some extremely interesting stuff there. For instance, they had a replica of a French king’s throne that actually was a toilet, complete with ashtray and cup holder. One of the more amazing items in their collection was an American-invented toilet that, rather than using water, electrically zapped your excrement into ash. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let me use it. I was also a little disappointed when I used their bathroom and it was just a normal toilet. You’d expect more at a museum dedicated to the thing. They had some great handouts, and of course, a guest book. I was shocked when I read through it that nobody had made any jokes or puns at all. Most of the comments, and there were a lot, were extremely lame. Things like “Very interesting” or “Wow, I never knew there was a museum dedicated to toilets.” So, Adam and I took it upon ourselves to spice that book up. So I wrote something along the lines of “Great museum, by far the crappiest place I have ever been in my life.” I forget what Adam wrote, but I’m sure it was funny too.

Anyway, there isn’t much to do in Delhi itself outside of shopping, so if you are there, you absolutely must visit the museum of toilets.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Much of Todd’s time is spent visiting embassies and attempting to get visas for the team. Here, Nancy and Take Me With You! guest, Matt Candelaria, wait to pick up their passports from the Kazakhstan embassy in Delhi.

[Photo by Todd Borgie]

Journal by Nancy Olson

Uh, like, we’re in Delhi, and stuff. Delhi is, well, pretty much indescribable. What I mean is, I can describe it, but you still won’t get it. I guess I’ll just try my best.

To begin with, Delhi is hot. I mean, Delhi is Africa hot, and I am hereby changing the descriptive term “Africa hot” to “India hot.” I’ve never been to Africa, you see, and I know for a fact just how oppressively hot India is. So, India is the new hottest of hot spots. While in India, we have to dress fairly conservatively so as not to draw too much attention. T-shirts are ok, but long, loose pants are a necessity. We sweat a lot, and that means we drink lots of water. The plus side is that hot weather decreases the ol’ appetite.

Delhi is crowded. All of India, with more than a billion people, is very crowded. All of these crowds migrate to the streets together, so driving here is more difficult than anywhere else I’ve ever been in my entire life. Even in the rural areas, people flock to the streets in droves and avoid moving over to the shoulders at all costs to avoid stepping into dirt or grass. It seems they’d almost rather get hit by a car or truck than move over into the dirt. They march their livestock down the middle of the road, they ride bicycles and mopeds, drive tuk-tuks (they’re called auto rickshaws here), maneuver pedicabs, walk side-by-side, sit, nap, play cards, dry their corn, park, poop, pee, stand, and even roll (we saw a “holy roller” all stretched out and rolling steam-roller style down the street once) down/in the middle of the road.

In the city here in Delhi, traffic is a mess. It’s like full-on, no-holds-barred bumper cars. By now, most of the team has been involved in some form of auto rickshaw accident. Matt and I were in a rickshaw that barreled into the back of another because his brakes went out. We had to hop into a new rickshaw. Colin’s cab ran over a pedicab and then hit a little boy. The boy was ok, and Colin ended up paying some rupees for the pedicab’s bent wheel, but relatives of the boy beat up the cab driver. We’ve all witnessed accidents, but luckily nobody has been injured. Auto rickshaws are the best form of transportation, because they can maneuver through tight spaces, and in Delhi, there’s nothing but tight spaces. The rickshaws zip down back alleyways, around buses, through crowds, onto sidewalks, through red lights, and past traffic jams while the passengers hold on for dear life. Diesel fumes are choking, so a lot of breath holding goes on in Delhi.

Delhi is smelly. I’m not being rude; I’m just stating the facts. There isn’t a lot of progress, so far, in the sanitation department in India, so garbage, and sewage, is often seen and smelled in the streets. (Again, with the highest population in the world, sanitation is a foreseeable problem.) I once saw a cow with its head in a dumpster, and it was chewing on a plastic bag the way a country cow might chew on hay. Poor thing. Cows are holy here, and they have free rein to wander the streets pooping on and eating everything in sight. In Varinassi, I saw a big cow poop on a baby cow. Delhi actually has far fewer livestock/poop/garbage in its streets than Varinasi did. There were cows and poops at every turn in Varinassi, but Delhi is relatively cattle-free, at least in the most crowded areas. Regardless, Delhi has a garbage problem. I bought an ice cream once, and I asked a local where I cold deposit my wrapper. He pointed to the ground and insisted that I put it there. I refused. He thought I was nuts. He looked offended. For whatever reason, even when I am surrounded by mounds of garbage, I still cannot bring myself to litter. I once put a plastic water bottle on a pile of garbage in Varinassi, and I still feel bad about it. Sweepers come through and pick up the piles, but it just ain’t right.

Delhi is friendly. People here are genuinely friendly, and I feel relatively safe in the city. I won’t walk around alone at night, but that’s just common sense, no matter what city I’m in. Men will jeer and stare and make lewd and offensive comments, but not any more so than in many American cities. We just need to steer conversations far away from marital status, etc. For the purposes of my stay here, I have a boyfriend/husband/fiancé, depending on the situation. People everywhere are kind, as long as the subject of politics is avoided at all costs. When we leave Delhi, it is the people whom I will miss the most. They’re wonderful.

Delhi is a fine place to visit, and the shopping is good, but it’s not somewhere people like us want to stay for more than a couple of weeks. Being here for two weeks (plus) is too hard on this restless crew. As much as we have enjoyed our stay, it will be nice to get moving again! You can’t tie down a band of vagabonds…

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Justin poses with an Indian cowboy at "Rodeo" restaurant in Delhi, where the team celebrated Chanda's birthday.

Journal by Todd Borgie

Delhi is certainly a bustling city. Actually, I am quite impressed with how spread out it is. I have continued to work on visa acquisitions, so much of my time has been spent going to and from embassy row here in Delhi. Embassy row is beautiful! Large, expansive compounds with manicured lawns, flowers and trees. It is not easy to walk from one embassy to the next, as they are so big. It is a pleasant switch from the horns, crowds, and hawkers of Connaught Place.

Although Embassy row is nice, it will be much nicer to finish our business there. Completion of this business will mean that we can freely finish the Asian leg of our journey. All of these visas make me long for the Americas, where visas were never required. All we had to do was show up at a border, and they would stamp us in and out with out any problem.

In Asia, we find ourselves paying hundreds of dollars, per person, to be admitted to countries. What makes matters difficult is that some of these countries require exact dates of arrival and departure. This isn’t so difficult if you are arriving by plane, but when you are trying to project where you are going to be in two months on a vehicle expedition, things are a lot tougher (floods, vehicle problems, Maoist rebels, etc). We are managing, but the logistics become quite complicated. We seek all the flexibility we can but are forced to work within the system when necessary.

Only a few more visas to go, and I will hang up my visa hat, and none too soon.

After doing visa detail, I switched back to working on Parkinson’s Disease awareness. I met with Dr. Maduri Behari today. She is the Head Neurologist at All India Institute of Medicine (AIIMS). I was able to get in touch with her by a contact given to me by our friend, and champion, Mr. Sabharwal.

Ever since we left Bangkok, I had been chasing down Parkinson’s leads in India. I found several organizations, but they had all been in the South of India. I have e-mailed and phoned organizations and doctors all over India, but because of bad or unused e-mail addresses, changed phone numbers, or other limiting complications, I was never able to talk to anyone within the Parkinson’s disease community, that is until now.

Dr. Behari was great; we had a fantastic meeting. She told me of how she decided to become a neurologist, and she discussed the local Parkinson’s organization PRAN (Parkinsonisms and Related Disorders Awareness Network) here (and lamented the fact information about it was not yet available on the net). She told me why so many people wanted to cover it up, and she invited me to her weekly clinic on Saturday. It was great that she took the time to meet with me. You can read more about the interview soon on the Parkinson’s page.

The evening ended with a team meeting to discuss the upcoming schedule, expedition updates, and what needs to be done between now and when we leave Asia.

After the meeting, the team finally got around to celebrating Chanda’s “29th” birthday at a place called Rodeo. The team ate Indian tacos and burritos (no beef available) served by Indians wearing cowboy gear. It was surreal, but a perfect way to celebrate. Now we have celebrated every single team member’s birthday while on the road. If we don’t hurry up and get home, Neil will get a double doozie.

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Nancy spoke to this nice Seik Muslim near the Taj Mahal. He owns a radiator repair shop. People of his religion can be seen throughout the streets of Delhi, too. Their religion varies greatly from the Hindu religion of many of the other Indians here.

[Photo by Nancy Olson]

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

Unity is our strength... They all struggle down the crowded streets together, as one...

Journal and photo by Neil Dana

Wow, I must say, arriving in New Dehli is like nowhere else in India we have seen before. There are traffic lights, nice vehicles on the road, Mc Donald's, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays, shopping malls, upscale hotels, and fewer cows and less mayhem in the roads. In fact, we arrived at 3:30 a.m., so there weren't any vehicles on the road. It is like stepping back into America, well.... sort of. There are still tons of Indian people running around and constantly trying to sell me something or beg for money or food, and you still have to watch your step for cow dung. It also really depends on where you decide to go. You can go to Cannought Place, which is a big circle in New Dehli that has all kinds of pubs and nice restaurants to eat at, or you can go to Old Dehli and many of the various markets and step into small alleyways filled to the brim with people selling silks, saris, antiques, jewelery, pipes, and whatever your heart desires. Old Dehli takes you right back into the heart of the Indian lifestyle that resembles the rest of India we have visited so far. The streets are filled with so much traffic, people, and rickshaws, that it just all stands still together......I guess that is what they mean by unity here in India?

We are staying at the YMCA, and it is an alright place. Your breakfast and dinner are included in the price you pay for staying there, which is pretty steep, and they still charge you 100 rupees to use the gym or pool. Every morning you can hear whistles blowing and people doing their exercises with their swim caps in the pool. It is just a few blocks away from Cannought Place.

The rickshaw drivers here are pretty good at trying to rip you off. The trick is to get in without negotiating a price, and when the ride is over, just give them what you think is fair, and then walk away and don't look back. It has worked every time for us, although the ladies have more trouble with it than we do.

Today, I spent most of the day lying on the cement floor of the Land Rover dealer about 45 minutes outside of Dehli. Justin, Adam, and I were waiting around all day for an itemized list of all the work that needs to be done on the vehicles. The problem is that one of our vehicles is at another site, and that is where the information was being delivered from, yet their fax and email wasn't working. So they eventually called and we sorted it out. I was feeling terrible, had a minor fever and the runs, so lying on the floor was the best remedy. India has had its fair share of sending me to the bathroom. I always knew coming here would give me the runs, and it sure has. I haven't had anything real serious, just super hot burning fire liquid streamline poops every now and then!!!

So now that we are in Dehli, we have some time to chill here and get a lot of work done. I have to edit tons of photos and catch up on all kinds of emails. We are getting our visas sorted out and taking care of the vehicles as well. Justin is running around getting the press lined up, too, so we have our work cut out for us. I will go and explore Dehli in the coming days. Until then, enjoy yourselves and next time you go pinch a loaf, smile for me and appreciate how good and solid you have it.

Neil

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.

On the way to Delhi, we stopped at our first Indian McDonald's. Can't say we enjoyed it too much. Everything was spicy and, well, just weird. No beef eating in this country, so they have a Maharaja Mac instead of a Big Mac. I think it's chicken...or mutton...

Journal and photo by Matt Candelaria

Well, here we are on Sunday again. I end up going to the Taj Majal again with Chanda and Nancy, because, what the heck? They really stick it to the foreign folks
for $17 dollars a person. I figure this is once-in-a-lifetime stuff so I am trying to ignore costs as much as possible. Turns out this is terribly easy here in India, with the value of the Rupee to the Dollar. I quickly pack around noon time and grab yet another Pizza Hut pizza (such a wonderful thing to find some normal food), and we are off to do some sort of photo shoot before we leave Agra for Delhi. We end up along the River with the Taj Majal in the background and, lucky us, the D1 starts running rough. Turns out one of
the plug wires is failing and we need to fix it. We find a nice bit of shade off the side of the road, and of course the entire world is there to watch. At this point, the Agra journalist that was doing the photo shoot needs to leave, but before he does, he warns us to be careful because this is not a safe area. I have been put on guard-the-tools duty, and let me tell you we needed someone watching over things. There were a half dozen kids poking and prodding at everything. At one point I catch one of them with his hand inside the car. The very same little kid I catch climbing on top of D1. He just will not go away. I am watching him very closely, and while Nick is somewhat distracted making Iridium phone calls this little fella has his eyes staring directly at his pockets. It seems clear
that these kids are up to no good, especially this one little fella. One of the other kids motions towards one of the other children and says "pick pocket"; now I know there is concern. Nick is now starting to get fed up with these little brats and keeps trying to get
the kids to go away. Nothing seems to work, and he finally grabs a can of WD-40 and sprays it towards them. Not AT them, but in their general direction. This seems to work for the most part. I now stand guard with the WD-40 can, and it seems to keep them at bay, at least 10 feet away or so. Looks like we managed not to loose anything, at least this time.

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