Thailand, Malaysia and off to be the wild man from Borneo!

So flying into Thailand was something I didnt really want to do. But from India and Nepal, these days there is no way out unless you fly or you sail. The great dream for overlander's these days lays only as a dream . To all ye old hippies who did it in the past, I hope you enjoyed every bit of it while it lasted. On the positive note though, I flew from Kathmandu into Bangkok. It was actually a good feeling to get into the subtropical zone of the globe. Kao Sok Road is something to really be missed as well, but if you like drinking beer and getting some young Asian gals or if you prefer "ladyboys'', this is your place. I spent 2 days here, I stayed at a cool little guest house called the Apple, quite nice and some great travelers here too. I then headed south on the overnight train to Chaiya, (the Thai's only recognise this town if you call it Ahhh, Chaiyaaaaaa) with some Austrian friends I made, we drank beer and drew pictures and hung our body's out of the windows in the moonlight of the 3rd class carriage where there were only a couple of locals riding in our carriage. 3rd class tickets are cheapest and best, you can even take the seat off of the chair and lay it on the floor across the aisle way if you fancy a comfortable sleep.

So the story goes, I was headed to Chaiya to give a 10 day meditation retreat a go, they call it Vipassana. 10 days of learning and practicing meditation with no speaking, 2 meals a day, a natural hotspring and a bamboo mat and a wooden pillow to sleep on. Wow what an experience this was, on so many levels im so happy to have sustained to 10 days and experience what I did experience. At the end of the 10 days, as hard as it was at times, I even got up at the talking circle on the last night and spoke to everyone of my story and experiences. Ive never felt this kind of happiness within my self before, along with mindfulness, trueness and overall wholesomeness and well-being. It was a great experience and Ill be sure to support and talk to anyone who is remotely interested in doing such a thing. Its a great insight into Buddhism too.

After we were all allowed to speak on the 11th day, I had no idea what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. On the main road waited people from the retreat to catch the bus further south to Krabi, the majority, 6 or 7 of them were keen for a cool place to chill, maybe party a wee bit and hav good times. I thought I wanted to go North and experience the trip of the Mekong River, but I learnt so much about life and its impermance on the meditation, that when the bus stopped on the highway I jumped on and headed south. This was quite a difficult thing for me, I felt so stranded, it was as if my compass kept spinning around in circles on the map, but I knew I was in great hands. So the next couple of days on Railegh beach and Tonsai were some of the best chilling days Ive had for .... well probably since Nepal or in Shrinigar on the Houseboat.

6 days of greatness, with Sanne (Sunearth) , Dev (Old man river) , Melody (Creative goose) , Ti Shan (Friend Chinese), Ersin (Crazy Turkey) and David the Dreaded monkey, all we pretty much did was go for swims, go for a trek, eat, chat, eat again and by 2 pm we'd meet on the beach have a great picnic, play guitar, the melodica, sing, draw, chat, do some bouldering and climbing, maybe go for a swim again and keep the chai tea brewing consistently. Ahh the good days!!!!!

Well they did continue, as everyone parted and went their separate ways, Sanne and I decided to join forces. Completely spontaneously we had some Ideas and well, the bus was expensive so we hired a scooter, saddled up with my Afghani donkey sack, got the tent and the cooker and hit the road. Wow it was an awesome adventure, and a camping vibe ive never hit before. Camping in and under dwellings, the best one was in a buddist temple which was inside a cave. The monk told us to sleep there, so we did, we also slept under the roofs of places like a reggae bar and the huts in the palm oil plantations. The good times.

We then headed to Malaysia, to Georgetown, Penang. Where coincidentally we timed it right to meet up agin with Dev and Melody, hiring scooters again and exploring the realms of the national parks and sites and ohh the most amazing sunsets. Then (Im cutting it really short now) to Kuala Lumpa and staying at La Village, its like an old squat, some amazing travelers and a working creative hub for people on the move. Sanne and I sadly then went our separate ways, Sanne to go to the North of India and myself to Borneo.

Sorry for not writing and catching up on the blog for my reader, im a slack ass for sure on this thing, but when you travel and live so much in the present you tend to stay away from places with the tinternet.

Much Love and when I return home one day, ill do something a little bit better, maybe even write a song or two and or post up some drawings..... just wait how about re reading and then translating my bad writing into English.

Much happiness to you all.

Leh in the Himalayas

Caught in the crazy floods in Leh and surrounding villages, last few days we have been helping clear the local houses and infrastructure of mud, so many people died up here, we were camping in the tent the night the storm burst its buttons, we were forced to pack our stuff and head for higher ground. we camped the next 5 days in the back of a truck as the bridges had been washed out either side of us. the chaos hit Leh and only the hard core travelers stayed to help out with the clean up. Amazing time, but now while we help we wait till the road to Srinagar is open. Nicci C has headed south but Brould it stayed on!!! The moon riders have some new members to join the crew and a German on my Africa twin! I'm loving this traveling and crazy adventures, ill extend my visa soon to get an extra 15 days to cross the Himalayas to Nepal. Were all safe and happy and look forward to more wild adventures ahead. Much love!!!

A slice of death

Wow, absolutely incredible, North India definitely is a place one must go to in their lives. We have made it to Leh crossing some of the highest passes in the world, and what a crazy adventure it has been, Nick and Brould have been chucked right in the deep end learning how to ride in the Himalayas on some of the craziest roads Ive ever been on. The passes, landslides, river crossings, mud baths and old enfields traversing across this landscape has been more than mission, but in India anything is possible. The Himalayas are mind blowing and as of tomorrow we get our permits to get up into the Nubra Valley. I just had breakfast with the world record holder for reaching the highest point on land on his motorbike, he also has a record for riding his bike from the very south of India to Leh in 5 days. his a gun and creates such amazing doco's for National Geographic and so on. A true adventurer!!! Apart from the never ending running bowls we all survived the ride with little damage but the ignition coil on one of the bikes failed due to a fall in a river crossing. Im not going to go into the nitty gritty of the many stories along the way because certain people will kill me, but its all good fun and all part of the experience.

I'm starting to think where to from India as my visa runs out on the 22 of August, but an idea is to now head across the Himalayas by foot, hitching or riding on local buses (getting rid of all my motorbike gear) to the Garwhal areas and Kumaon region and then across to Varanasi, then noth into Nepal, get into Tibet and cross China, then to find the Mekong River and get a local canoe and ride the river vibes all the way down South East Asia to Cambodia. A little research to do but ill just let it happen organically.

Incredible India

Just a brief catch up to let those who care know that im out of Afghanistan in one piece and super happy to be in India.

Wow right now I have the Himalaya's just outside my window, they are monstrous and so beautiful. They have this presence that with such power and awe. Im in a place called Manali right now and today is the exciting day where we go out and get ourselves a good deal to rent some enfields. Its a bit of a hassle and the paperwork and prices up here are all a bit to dodgy. Renting is the best option to head down to Paravati Valley and then up to Leh and across the highest motorable pass in the world. This is going to be one hell of an amazing experience and I cant wait to get out there.

Joining the team... I met Nick, Brould (Lochi) in Delhi at the airport. Man it was so good to see nick again, was almost to years since ive seen him. I snuck into they're fantastic hotel room and lived up like royalty for two nights with an enormously delicious buffet breakfast. Wow Dehli's something else.... After a a couple of days of sussing out the Indian vibe on the surface and getting to know the people, money and how everything interacts and functions, we decided not to get motorbikes in Delhi as for first time learning for Nick and Brould, its probably no the wisest decision.

We bought a nigh bus ticket for Manali and it was time to get out of the extremely humid city which is quite chaotic and crazy. Catching public transport now is great, you get such a different feel and quite intimately getting to know local as you share and swim in each others sweat. Some great experiences in Dehli.

So the bus ride was a killer and especially for Nick, he caught the "Dehli Belly" as they call it and got so sick. I luckily had a beautiful Amsterdam woman called Q sit next to me on the bus, we had great conversations all night. She really loved the idea of what our plan was and she wants to learn how to ride a motorbike too, so she will join me on the back for a week before she has to head back home. Im hoping ill be able to enjoy the back seat ride for the first time as im sure she will learn how to ride pretty quickly... well i hope so.

Nick has picked up from his sickness and his appetite has grown greatly, we'll just have to take it easy and sooth the belly's with slippery elm. I got sick from some Afghan water but slowly slowly everyday my bowels are getting better and better!

So the mission is on today to get the bikes, to tech 3 people how to ride, pack the bikes and head off... Thats the idea anyway, I dont know how far we will get....

So Im out of beautiful Afghanistan in one piece and in Incredible India. I could stay here for months I think.

Much Love to ye all

Its a sad day for me and my dragonfly

So with the little choice I have and the expense of other options like shipping and flying my motorbike with money I don't have to India. I have found an Afghani to buy my Dragonfly and then I shall now fly from Herat to Kabul and then Kabul to India. Hopefully with the cash I get I can afford to buy an old Enfield and join the great Mr Cassey and continue the wild adventures of this overland travel experience in India.

Afghanistan is amazing, I am having such a good time, apart from not being able to head into the Mountains due to the Taliban or even traveling out of Herat. But the people and their smiles and curiosity and hospitality is great. We are camped in a dust bowl on the river south of Herat, its a great spot apart from the winds which constantly cover everything in dust and sand. We have the Spanish Military looking after us too and they are trying to find out all options possible to get the Spanish crew out of Afghanistan.

Every now and then you hear a bomb blast or some firring but we are pretty safe here. However its time to leave as you never know who is and where the Taliban are. Its been a fantastic experience here but in a day or two I fly to Delhi. I'm really looking forward to it.

I hope I haven't worried to many people about entering Afghanistan, I'm kind of happy they didn't let us into Pakistan, because where I wanted to go I could have easily have disappeared. Afghanistan is actually safer that Pakistan right now and all the boarders.... who knows what could have happened.

So I'm safe and well but its sad to part with my dragonfly.... very sad, I may have a wee cry now but to be honest its not the materialistic connection, its all the travels we have shared together and great experiences we have shared.

Farewell my dragonfly..... I'm going to miss you.

Blowing in the dust of the 16th century

Ok Afghanistan is very interesting and very amazing at the same time. Were back in the 16th century but the heart of Herat is a pearl. Pakistan visa in Afghanistan is still impossible to obtain. Tomorrow we risk crossing Taliban country from Herat to Kabul. There are three choices but really only one. And still that one road to the south passes through the homelands of the Taliban's capital Qandahar. The other two routs take two to three weeks to cross as the roads are gravel and cross the monstrous arid mountain ranges where alot of the Taliban rule in certain areas. We spoke to Spanish Military yesterday for up to date info. Its all very interesting and quite crazy, and very hot and dusty. I hope we live to tell the tail. Much love.

Afganistan ......

So its been impossible to get my Pakistan visa from Iran, Iran has been great but the desert and the hot winds blow alot of energy out of you. Changing a tyre in the heat of the sun costs your body about 3 liters of that very precious stuff were full of... water! Its crazy, but traveling with these new Spanish friends and their 4WD truck is great, we now enter Afghanistan and try to get into Pakistan from that way. Its proving to be a mission but we all want to get there, well especially in the north and away from the troubled regions. So now Amparlo, Davod, Husain, Manu and I travel further east from Mushad in Iran and enter the lands of Afghanistan. We are all trying our best to get across as safe as possible and have done and are doing research into the no go areas. It'll be ok, im a little nervous but I feel quite excited at the same time. We enter on Monday.

Ill try and keep in contact as much as possible.

Much love to ye all!!!
Marty and the Dragonfly

The adventures are getting a little crazy in the Middle East

So Im in Tehran Now after a fantastic adventure through Southern, central and Eastern Turkey which was amazing. Turkey is a fantastic country full of so many beautiful places and people. So many stories to share but now things have got a wee bit twisted in Tehran as I cant obtain a Pakistan Visa to get across into India. The Pakistanies are being more than unwilling to help, ive tried and tried and its a no go. So soon after I gave up I was trying to find the place to upgrade my transit visa to stay in the ever exciting and crazy Iran for a month longer till I worked out a plan, but then some beautiful Spanish people traveling in a big old 4WD truck came into my life at exactly the right time. They have just arrived from Africa catching the ferry from Dubai to Iran and are heading up to the Stan's. Im going to join them, its going to get a little hairy and scary but its all going to be worth the adventure. Im feeling it on this one, Ill try keep you posted but the tinternet is becoming harder and harder to come by. Ill be in Tehran for a couple more days maybe while we sort out visas. Then who knows whats going to happen????

Pic time

Seeing i cant keep up with the blogs cause things have got a little crazy i can put some pics up from Italy to Istanbul!!! I write in my personal diary normally everyday but its hard to find and spend time on the net.

storms a brewing in the very east of Italy

Some great deciduous forests in Slovenia

The castle in the cliff and cave systems Slovenia

Jess snow ploughing it through the Croatian alps

The incredible sunsets over the Adriatic sea in Western Croatia

Omis, Croatia, great camp spot on this amazing river



Beautiful estuary southern Albania

the plank of wood ferry south Albania


Jess's stinky bottom needed some airing out!

Furry faces Greece


Furry faces Greece


Good times a cruising

The hot springs we found east Greece, this place
was FANTASTIC!!!

Istanbul!!!

Havıng a wobble gobble of a tıme ın Turkey

Okay blog tıme! It is quite dıffıcult but I know that I need to take
tıme out of these fantastıc tımes to keep ın touch with you all.
Everyday ıs a page length of storıes and ıt’s really dıffıcult to start
because there ıs so much to wrıte!

I’m ın Turkey now and stıll need to catch up on the whole leg of the
trıp from Venıce ın Italy to Istanbul ın Turkey. Is so dıffıcult because
I camp out all of the tıme and don’t stay ın hostels where there are
computers and other methods of communication!

So we had a great stay ın Istanbul. I was hobblıng around town and
checkıng out the scene wıth Hakan, Joe and Jess for the fırst two
days. I was stayıng at Hakan’s sısters and couch surfıng. Istanbul ıs
a great cıty, where; as they say, the east meets west! The Mosques
and Bazars were fantastıc and the general hustle and bustle vıbe
was quıte energetıc! Joe left for Thaıland, and then the next nıght I
dropped Jess of at the airport to fly back to Italy to eventually return
to her homeland: Scotland. That nıght, despite being somewhat
emotıonal, I physically returned to my independant travellıng vıbes.
This made me thınk that the best tımes ın lıfe are those that are
shared. But my experıences were to change from thıs poınt on,
every decısıon ıs mıne and every path I take from thıs poınt on ıs
also mıne. So that’s why I headed down a small dırt road... What I
anticipated to be an independent lonely trip. To my astonishment I
began sharing the road wıth a huge pack of stray dogs. I saw one
gıve me ‘the look’. I was ready for that pack... But suddenly, more
came out of the long grass! They love motorbıkes and chasing cars!
It may be the adrenalin rush from running alongside something with
a motor! With aggression and butterflies in my gutt, I gunned ıt!
Fortunately I left them all in a traıl of dust... From a safe distance, I
could visualise theır snarly faces after they admitted being beaten
by The Dragonfly with Marty! This made me smile a smile of
accomplishment. When you’re alone out here, it’s the small things...

Sleepıng that nıght ın the forest, hearıng howls and barks ın
the dıstance, I became a lıttle worrıed. The realities of what could
happen to me and The Dragonfly when confronted by a pack of
dogs in the middle of the nıght were in the forefront of my mind.
The thing I kept stumbing upon mentally was that I needn’t be out
here uncovered, unprotected as I was provided with an ‘offer’ to
stay ın a prıson that nıght. This came about when I asked a man at
a store earlier that day for a suggestion of a nıce close campıng
spot around the lakes. Suspiciously he called the Turkısh army (I
dıdn’t realıse at the tıme that this was what he was doing). This
must have been to suss me out or somethıng. The man at the shop
saıd follow thıs man he wıll show you a nıce camp place. He took
me to the Turkısh army where none of them spoke englısh. The
men offered me some Chaı and tried to persuade me to
sleep ın a cell. I was a lıttle pıssed off wıth them because ıt was
gettıng dark and I dıdnt want to stay ın a lockup, so I left. How
stupid did they think I was to fall for something like that? They
weren’t at all happy that I decided to leave before the night was
through!

I headed back to Istanbul the next day to sort out my motorbıke and
in an attempt to get my Iranıan vısa. I randomly stopped by Genc
Moto. Genc was a great lad! He was once a free spırıt on two
wheels, just lıke me. He was excıted I stopped at hıs shop. Tea,
coffee and bıscuits were served, not to mention a good chat and
good business (from me). I got myself a new rear tyre for 170
Turkısh Lıra whıch ıs super cheap! I’m almost certain that this won’t
happen agaın! I also purchased spare chaın lınks and more oıl. I’ve
got everythıng ready for the rough road now! I went down to see the
lads ın the workshop to fıx some bıts and check thıngs over... I
must admit here that Mu and Mustaffa´s help was unbelıvable! They
were great guys and everyone was keen to help.

We ended up spendıng about a day and a half on the bıke. I
could go ınto detaıls about the mechanıcal issues with the bike,
but it’s not the time or place as my ınternet bıll ıs rollıng over!
Inevitable and most importantly everythıng ıs runnıng super smooth
and the only ıssue ıs a lıttle movement ın the front suspensıon. Mu
reckons ıt wıll last alot longer ıf I don’t go off road too much! Genc
was great he took me to stay at hıs house that nıght and we ate
some delıcıous turkısh take out! Great chats and alot of remınısıng
flowed through the night, uninterrupted due to not needing to cook!
We told of adventures and travels... Hıs apartment out of town was
beautıful and had a great vıew. It was well worth the travels out
there!

Man Im lovıng the Turkısh food, everythıng you put ın your mouth ıs
great, real kebabs wıthout the lebanese breads lıke you get ın the
western world. Isklander ıs my favourıte dısh so far but soon
Antakya ıs on the lıst and they have around 585 dıshes local to
theır area. Woooo man... So much to look forward too! Sorry Gıany
I couldnt stay a vegetarian ın Turkey because the lamb ıs too good!
Maybe from Iran onwards I’ll return to those eating ways. I’ll just
remind myself of the scare and fear of almost dying ın Morocco. That
should help me!

Well I’ll now take you back ınto Istanbul and onto my issue of the
Visa. I had to send 30 euros to Wolfgang Porshe (how fake a name
can you get!?) This I found was a setup to allow you to transfer
money ınto an agency for Iran ın Germany. This was inevitably
because the Government won’t let you send money dırectly ınto
Iran. I needed a reference number... Much easier said than done!
This was lıke an ınvıtatıon number to get the vısa. It cost me 30
euros to get this and then another 30 pounds to make an
International transfer. What a hassle!
Eventually Nazı at key2persıa got me sorted and I got the number
and went to the Iranıan Embacy. They saıd ıt would be two workıng
days. I consequently had to make another bank transfer to pay for
the Vısa whıch ended up beıng more complıcated than required
due to a mıscommunıcatıon. Then I went back to the Embacy to
prove ı had paıd the required amount. The man at the desk ordered
me to sıt. At thıs stage I was a wee bıt frustrated and ın my mınd I
was thinking “why??? Why do they want to questıon me about what
ım to do there???” I could feel that this again was going to be
another long day of waiting and answering questions. I had
previously made frıends wıth a young Iranıan lad tryıng to get out of
hıs conscrıptıon before the man at the desk told me come over.
Weeeee heeee!!! There ıt was! 20 mınutes and I had my Vısa. I was so
happy!

I made good frıends wıth some people at the hostel too. Namely
Sımon, Jody, Sıtarı and Mr French man; Gırod. Good company ın the
harmony hostel, I bargıned wıth them to let me stay for 10 lıra a
nıght after attemptıng to camp on the coast of Istanbul (a spot
where some other Aussıes on the road had told me about). I was
moved on by the local Polıce, however am still baffled as to how
they found me! It was a huge old abandoned sıte.

Oh and did I mention, Mr French man was great? He was a doctor and dıd some
healıng work on my broken bone... He was great. He had hıs feet ın
a puddle of water as he was doıng hıs Reıkı and the energy he got
was even more intense than he had saıd! It worked well!
I headed for Ankara to stay with Hakan and hıs family. This was
after a faıled attempt to get my Pakıstan Vısa. I had one horrible
day there where I thought I might have to turn back as it was more
than difficult to take an alternative route and ıt would cost me loads
of money that I couldn’t afford! But that nıght some magıc
happened and the lads from Horızons Unlımıted gave me the
thumbs up for the possıbılıty to get the Pakıstan Vısa ın Teran; Iran.
So there’s no other choıce! I have to do ıt and I’m goıng to get ınto
Pakıstan!

I had to hıt the road. I’ve been ın the cıtıes too long now and need
to see Turkey. Thanks to Hakan and hıs beautıful famıly I left wıth
such great vıbes along wıth some melt ın your mouth home made
baklava that Youldagould made and was so happy to hıt the raod
agaın! I was headed for Pamakalı, the lımestone structures by the
Ancıent Roman ruıns. That fırst day’s where I was headıng South
West was great! Everythıng was full of positivity and I was feelıng
the groove and living the dream. The storms were brewıng as I was
passıng some ıncreadable ısolated harsh landscapes. I had to pull
the tarp out at one stage as the raın was full on and quite heavy. As
ıt slowely passed over the lake that I stopped at, the colours were
amazıng and there were crabs ın an ınland lake. Could this be???
Are there fresh water crabs?

I hıt the road to dry off, stoppıng by old castles and ruıns from tıme
to tıme and watchıng locals do theır thıng. I turned off a less
trodden path to find a camp spot in the hills. There were tents from
tıme to tıme and sown patches of wheat and shepherds’ looking
after their flocks way up ın the hılls. That nıght I camped ın a
beautiful spot, watched the sunset and cooked up a warm and
hearty stew. I had a great sleep. No noıse at all to interrupt this. I
was happily out of the hustle and bustle. ı was happy beyond
words. This was the night I needed to rekindle the spark in my
amazing trip across the world. These nights and days pop up just
when they need to. I was passionate again. Loving living the
dream...

I woke up the next morning to a pack of dogs running towards me ın
the tent. The barks were deep and powerful, these one meant ıt.

To be continued.... sorry I need some food, I’ll try to keep up and
catch up wıth where I left off from Italy to Turkey.

Okay, okay! I guess I should let you all know that I’m safe and well
and having a fantastic time... My leg with all this swimming is going
great, ı reckon another week or two and ı can go rockclımbıng!
Okay well maybe that’s a little ambitious. But that’s just the type of
guy I am...
Much Love to you all.

Feeling fine just like a nice hot cup of dandelion

Ohh right, wooo yeah!!!

The news as it is, I got the wretched plaster off yesterday as this nutcase of a male Italian nurse came at me with a squealing grinder, he must have done it a million times cause he just didn't give a shiat. Pretty scary, so the clamps came out, ripped the plaster off and down to radiology to get another xray to check all the bits of bone are in the right place. I was expecting my leg and especially my foot to be much more stinker than it was, the amount of dead skin on my skinny leg, full of black hairs was very appealing, it made me hungry! So a very nice nurse who'd remembered me from last time, took Gianny away to sort out the paper work, she was so kind that she asked Gianny of my economic situation and only made me pay for the xray. Very kind and compassionate woman.

I had the xray and once again they covered my balls with a lead mat so I can still have babies some day, then I waited around and saw another orthopedic doctor who looked at the xray for two seconds and then explained in Italian to Gianny what was to happen. He said not to put wait on it for another two weeks, then get a splint cast and slowly start to walk on it on the third week from now.....this man had no time for anyone, it was all about routine, Id had enough, I wasn't feeling the vibes, I dont agree with these western ways of medicine. I've already been walking on my foot with the plaster on, the sole of it was like material by the time they took it off. Chantal was teaching me about the chinese ways of healing bones and they encourage you to walk on it from early days and put herbs on it and they change the cast every 3 to 4 days. Its very different to the western ways. So from the xray you can still the fracture quite clearly, it is mending but I still need to treat it very delicately. Im going to do what I feel is best but be gentle with it at the same time.

Im keen to hit the road, I got my rear wheel back, the lads at the Honda shop bent it back into shape, filled in the dent, replaced the inner-tube, and tyre and the bearings and balanced it all for 90 euros. Not too bad at all. My Karma has been quite good lately. So Ive given my bike a good make over now, I've cleaned her all up, oil change and regular maintenance stuff and the only issue is two links in the chain are really stiffening up. I tried to loosen them up but when you take of in low gears and when the dragonfly is under tension she make a clonking noise. Ill just keep working at loosening them up.

I went for a wee ride today, first time since the accident and many mixed feelings were flowing trough me. Both a little fearful and sensitive but also pretty excited to get back on the road. I took a bottle of wine to my savior who took me to the ospitale the morning of the accident, saying "grazie mille" which is "thanks a thousand". So tomorrow Im planning to leave Gianny and Miskey and this beautiful place in Paradisso to make it to venice where Ill meet up with Jess who I stayed with in France. Its going to be fantastic to have the company and to share the good times with but it will also be great to have Jess there if my ankle does something its not meant too. Im glad I bought my motorbike boots of ebay now, they really hold my foot in a very good stable position, so as long as I take it "Shanty Shanty" slowly slowly then I shouldn't put much strain on it at all.

To the very beautiful Gianny and Miskey who have been here for me in this time of healing, I cant thank you both enough, you are both far to kind and your good Karma will come around, "for every action, there is a reaction" one of Gianny most recited quotes in an Indian accent as well as very best! Its been fantastic to stay with you both and share this time with you, although I bet you'd both wished Id just piss off somewhere else sometimes. Through the good times and the not so easy, all round I have learned so much from you both and about myself. It really has been a great experience breaking my leg (who'd ever say that in their lives?). It has been quite an Ironic experience also as I first came to Paradisso to help out on the farm, but it flipped right around the other way and Gianny and Miskey ended up looking after me. I have many great memories that will stay with me forever, and I really enjoyed watching Spring unfold and the forests come to life too. I had many great days of observing life's beauty and much learning and reflecting from all the valuable lessons and great conversations we shared. And opening my mind to the world of amazing cinema works, we got well into Tony Gatlif movies. Fantastic! Thank God you both speak english. I cant thank you enough for helping me out in every way possible, your hearts are as wide as the worlds! So grazie mille to you both on every level. Im going to miss you both but you will always be with me.

Oh and I finished Shantaram, cheers for that Robin, your a legend, and yes it continues on its own journey now as I have already passed it on already! What an incredible book. Fantastic read if someone keen for an epic and crazy adventure!

So shanty shanty, ill be heading up to Venice tomorrow and then head across the Balkan countries towards Turkey and into the east. Ill try put up posts when possible. But as they say "no news is good news"!

Unwittingly spending time in Italy

So yes, time in Italy is now going to be a wee bit longer than I'd initially planned: for reasons unknown, I now sit on my bony little bum and put my leg up. I'll get to that later as the story unfolds; a chronological series of events that lead to my current bum-sitting situation. A word of warning though- seeing as though I have the time to write I have actually written a bit of a lengthy blog. You have been warned. If you’re feeling lazy, there are a series of pictures that tell a thousand words- you could just check them out and try to piece the story together in your mind...

Wet from the inside out; I arrived at the French/ Italian Alps to Shanu's place in Cuneo. I took a welcoming hot shower, changed into some nice dry clothes, and had a wee catch up. The night before that Jess, Nicco and I went to a crazy DubStep Party in the French Alps, which, combined with the crazy elements I’d endured on the road and very little sleep, I needed a nap so I could be present. I hadn't seen Shanu for at least two years! It was so great to see him again- considering his amazing energy for life! He is living in a pretty cool apartment that entails a collage of amazing photographs from all different cultures and landscapes from all over the world.

Shanu at his flat in Cuneo - peace out brother!

I stayed with Shanu for a great couple of days where everything happened spontaneously and we had such a fantastic time. I love spontaneity, the way it takes you into places of the unknown. Who knows what will happen; when, where or why? When you arrive somewhere with prepared plans, you hold expectations, and if they do not transpire, you leave yourself open to disappointment if they vary from the original predicted assumptions of that journey. So having no expectations leaves you open to the greater wonder of life and opens things up to be much more exciting and exhilarating. Bring back the spontaneity of life I say!!!

After many great meals, chats and walks around beautiful Cuneo on the very west of Italy; neatly tucked in just under the Alps, it was all about reminiscing the good times... and then continuing them! One night Shanu thought we were cooking dinner for his friends, but this was not the case as they took us up further into the mountains again where snow was still lying cold but now dirty on the ground, to a wee pub/ home style restaurant. I can’t remember the name but it was a fantastic place; so warm and inviting- it felt just like a home. It was very popular amongst some very amazing Italian people too, they even squeezed in a band downstairs later on, which I could hear but not see. It was so tight and intimate and was great to mingle with some beautiful Italian people- all in all; it was a great night out. As the bar closed we scored a ride home with Ilaria. As with most things in my life- it turned out to be a pretty funny mission. Let me explain why. Ilaria was really paranoid of the cops and tried to bypass them by going the back way home, but in the crazy effort to avoid them in every way possible, we passed a pull over point at a roundabout and had to stop. While pretending to have her seatbelt on, as it was broken, as well as having had a drink or two, she thought she was busted. Anticipation and anxiety filled the car. Luckily all was sweet in the end. She just showed her license and said she hadn't had anything to drink. Off we went while I slyly held her seatbelt falsely in place.

Small village up from Demonte

Waking up the next day, it was quite late and we had a phone call from two of Shanu's friends Valta and Monica inviting us up into the Alps to visit some of their friends that they thought we would like and relate to. So we prepared something to eat and jumped on the bike and headed into the Alps once again (I thought I was finished with the French and Italian Alps by this stage of my journey but they must have held more adventures for me to experience). This place was amazing though, honest rural Italy in the Alps, with the delight of snow that had just cleared away from the valley but still covered all the north facing slopes. The lands facing south were singing whilst waking up and having a big stretch as the new shoots of this year’s season was budding and sprouting back to life.

Helena's beautiful house was up in the hills from Demonte, she had a beautiful family and was quite an eccentric woman who was a Felter amongst many other personas. She had an amazing banner symbolising religions and political symbols from various religions from ancient times to the present. She brought them all together to symbolise a united people; one unified race. This piece demonstrated her belief that we should not have these symbols that describe or dictate our being, as it is vital in this world to live as one amalgamated body of humanity. It was very beautifully done and would have taken much time and effort. She also made many crazy hats and felted these amazing jackets, like Old Russian Soldier Guard jackets and many other interesting fancy dress type clothing; all made out of felt.

Helena's beautiful felting piece

We ended up starting out on a little walk, which enduringly turned out to take the rest of the afternoon. No one was complaining though, it was amazingly beautiful. We walked along this small donkey track on the side of the mountain to the next small village which was a fair distance away. We had many great conversations in broken English and Italian, but a good lesson for Aja and Seria who were learning English at school. With a mid way stop for a well deserved beer, and making friends with Baboo the humble bee, we took off in the late afternoon back home, nicely tipsy as the sun slowly fell on us as we continued walking. I really enjoyed walking in the fainting light and as night fell upon the amazing sky. The shadows of the mountains grew to meet out feet. By the time we got back, it was certainty dark and we stayed for a meal which ended up being an all night long. It was so beautiful hanging out in an Italian home, it was very warming, with home-made breads warmed in the fire and some fantastic soup and salads. This combined with beautiful company and I was certainty happy to enjoy my time there.

Seria and Valta taking in the spectacular views

Walking back up the hills with everyone.

That following day Shanu and I went to visit his parents Adriano (Plifiu) and Laura, they were a beautiful couple who were potters, and are very amazing potters at that. With their house set up like a train, it was very beautiful and contained many amazing art pieces. Their home had very earthy and proud home-made feeling. As a couple who worked and lived a humble potter’s life together, I could feel their love and passion for life with one other. They also have just started a blog which is worth taking a look at http://www.studiopotterpeveragno.com/. They called some great friends of theirs for me after a very delicious lunch, and organised for me to visit some dear friends of theirs Gianni and Miskey who lived up from Assisi in a place called Paradiso. They needed some help on their property, and so I was happy to visit and help them out. So I had one last night at Shanu's in Cuneo and then I was off to head towards the exciting and more warming Mediterranean. Cheers for all the good times Shanu, I had a great time and it was so good to catch up again, you’re great mate!

Laura, the bandit and Adriano (Plifiu)

So I headed towards Genova. Oh my, what an insane mission that was! There was a slight chance of precipitation from the South East when I was leaving but as I headed closer and closer to the ‘Med’, over the mountains stood a massive dark cloud that filled the sky and it was heading my way. Lightning strikes were being thrown everywhere and the thunder was a deep and an overpowering tremble. I hadn’t seen a proper storm in ages. It didn't give much warning before it pissed down, so hard that it even hailed, I rode through it all and as I was following a smaller road by a creek line, I was watching the water rise. With the insane power of the storm, my waterproofs did not live up to their name. They seemed to do nothing in the face of this rainfall. I was so wet and cold and in complete awe, everything that was not in my pannier boxes was wet. I thought sarcastically to myself: "I love it when that happens!" It was tough riding.

The roads became flourishing streams of mud and debris from the surrounding forests. But I didn't want to stop; well actually there really was nowhere to stop! If I did stop, I would have just got colder and colder. I don't think I could have got any wetter than I presently was, so I pressed on. However, my bike ended up stalling up a hill as my petrol ran out. It was too difficult while I was riding to switch the fuel tap to reserve, so I was there trying to balance the bike with no hand brake with all my gear. It was so heavy that it seemed to want to pull me back down the hill as the road was washing beneath me with the gushing rainfall. What a struggle! This was a nightmare! Why must my petrol run low right there and then? I believe that I handled it quite well. Despite a few negative thoughts I didn't lose my shit. It’s all about the power of the mind. I switched over to the reserve tank and waited until the petrol started to flow into the engine again and then cranked her over and over and over till she eventually started and I was off. Phew!

My surroundings and the landscape around me were turning green- the beauty that follows a storm like the one I just experienced! There were green plants all around; therefore I sensed that I was getting closer to the Med Sea. Rolling over the last of the hills I could see the Mediterranean in the distance and the clouds started to disperse, revealing the much desired beams of warming sunshine. What beauty! I was in a much more excited mood now as I had made it to the Mediterranean Sea and the sun was shining. I was so happy so it wasn’t hard to forget about how soaking wet I was. I picked up some fuel, lubricated the chain and headed along the coast in an attempt to get as close to the Cinque Terra region as I could before sunset. I followed the Coast Road the whole way and it was an absolute delight. Although riding quite slow up, down and around the Coast Line, it was an absolute pleasure. I was trying to bypass the highway too, so I could enjoy the coast road. Fortunately that unpreparedly ensured that I pass through the centre of Genova. Now that was an experience!

It was a crazy race- a hundred thousand scooters were at every set of traffic lights. I was forced to weave in and out of so many cars as they lead the way in their modes of transport. Scooter riders are mad! I guess it’s just what they are used to. So I got in the roll of it too, travelling up the side lanes of traffic and weaving in and out. I finally made it through Genova and hit the coast road again. I made it to a small village called Moneglia, there I found a nice camp spot right on the coast, close to the tunnels that connect the coastal villages. I set up camp and cooked some food and hung everything out to dry for the night. It was such a peaceful spot hearing nothing but the crashing waves of the Med Sea on the rocks beneath me.

Looking back to Moneglia along the beautiful coast road

The next morning I woke up, packed up and set off to do one of the famous tourist things that everyone does in Italy- the walk of the Cinque Terra. It’s literally a 9km walk of the five villages along very small tracks up and down the edge of the coast line and in and around the small villages and farming areas. The walk was beautiful and I was blessed to meet some lovely people along the way. There were lots of tourists! It was a pretty tough walk too, made more difficult by me carrying a back pack filled of my key essentials that I didn't want anyone to nick off my bike. It was seriously heavy, becoming progressively heavier with each step. It was the first time I'd left all my gear on the bike and just hoping that no one would help themselves. But everything was sweet. The walk took the rest of the day. By the time I got to Riomaggiore, I realised that I took the wrong track, consequently walking a couple of kilometers into the mountains and through a lot of private properties.

I eventually found Riomaggiore and caught the train back to the first village Monterosso where I had already sussed out my hotel suite for the night where I could get some well deserved R&R. That night was amazing! I had the best views of all. The famous hotel on the headland had a tombolo connected by a small spit to its headland. On the very end there was a little dwelling that I squatted in for the night, cooked up some amazing chickpea pancakes filled with some veggies and forageable free foods and a bottle of red. I was so happy after a slog of a day walking and walking with the weight of my pack. The views were amazing and it was like I was on my own private island. Increasing the spectacular view was the full moon rising in the distance later on that night. I was so happy to be chilling on the Mediterranean.

The next village is Corniglia

I really enjoyed the harvesting of the free foods too. I called it "The forage of the free foods". There were so many herbaceous plants growing everywhere, like wild spinach, heaps of different types of Brassicas, rosemary, oregano, sages ... even citrus fruit was found in some places. I loved finding the free foods, picking them fresh and creating some wholesome healthy meals with them. There is so much more to learn though. What I'd love as an introduction to a country is a botanical guided tour of forgeable free foods. Now that would be grand!

The view from my private hotel suite on my private tombolo

I woke realising that it was time to make tracks, recalling that Gianni and Miskey were heading to England in the next few days. I really wanted to meet them, so I followed the coast to Pisa. I rode all the up to the Leaning Tower, got a picture and had a little walk around. I then had some lunch before deciding to keep moving. There were too many tourists for my liking, which considering the fame of the Tower was quite understandable. I was then off to Florence, and from Florence I took a small, yet beautiful road through the country side to Siena; a very amazing old city. Siena was very beautiful and produced some fantastic gelato! I then headed east to Perugia and Assisi to find my way to Paradiso. It was a bit of a mission to find Gianni and Miskeys house, consulting locals as to where they actually lived, heading to their recommendation, then not finding their house, then starting the little cycle all over again. I was heading back and forth, back and forth. Fortunately my positive vibes still existent, therefore, I finally found their place in the Italian darkness. I was so happy to have got there. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Gianni and Miskey, they are such beautiful people and live in a very special place overlooking the Subasio Mountain where Saint Francis spent much of his time talking to the birds and connecting with nature. He was an amazing man for his time, one of the first pioneers of ecology itself, connecting nature and people for centuries to come. There is a lot to learn from St Francis and I might write more up about him later.

Eh, I made it to the leaning tower of Pisa!

So, in my role as a helping hand in Paradiso, we got into work, pruning fruit and olive trees, burning off many branches of pine and other tree branches got up high for some acrobatics while chain sawing. Eating fantastic foods and being in great company, I was surrounded by blissful sounds of nature. Their house was restored from an old ruin filled with worldly goods and much beautiful art, therefore I was very happy to stay and help out.

Okay then, let’s do it- let’s get down to the crunch of the story! AKA: The sequence of events that lead to me being in my current consequential situation. Gianni and Miskey were off to England for a couple of days and I was going to house sit in this beautiful place until they returned. I was putting off catching the train to Roma for a couple of days, but this one Friday morning I woke up early and said to myself "Today is the day, the day I shall go to Roma and fight barbarian gladiators in the colosseum!" But on my way a terrible something happened out of the blue. It was around six in the morning. It was still dark but I was on my way to Assisi to catch the train to Roma. Winding my way through the valley, everything felt good; just like normal, or even better as I just done regular maintenance on the bike the day before. Anyhow, taking the bends as I normally do at a regular speed, I felt my rear tyre roll over and mush into the hard tar of the road. It threw me over to the left side of the road as I was taking a bend to the right. Heading for one of those metal barriers that stop cars from falling over the edge, I somehow got the bike to turn the other way, somehow just missing the metal barrier that would have twisted me and my dragonfly in ways unimaginable. I hit the grass with a huge thud, then felt my body come into contact with loose gravel. I then fell and slid along the tar until my dragonfly and I eventually came to a stop. It all happened in slow motion and I remember seeing individual sparks from the bike as it was scraping beneath me. I got up slowly, a wee bit shaken and saw the pants I was wearing. “Oh no!” I thought as I had borrowed them off Gianni without telling him because mine were still filthy from working with pine resin. So my first thoughts were about the pants, then I walked to collect my bag and a part of my helmet. Deep in thought, I was contemplating about how lucky I was. Suddenly, my foot felt sore and as I tried to walk on it, it kind of clicked. I've never felt something like that before, I thought to myself. I picked up the bike, got her in neutral and started her up. I thought: shit, I better go home and get some ice on it, then, like a kick in the nuts, the insane pain really kicked in. I saw some drivers lights at the next farm and rode the bike slowly towards the lights as I felt I had a flat tyre, I parked the bike hobbling to the man saying "Assisi! Do you go to Assisi? I need ospitale, ospitale". I could see the mirrored reflection of pain and fear from my eyes in his. It was pretty painful.

Without hesitation we took off to hospital where the nice old man dropped me off. It was a horrible trip, I felt every bump and it took forever to get to Assisi. Ah! I just wanted the pain to stop. The nurses in emergency took me in and cleaned me up, before we got all the paperwork done. Luckily I had my European Union card in my wallet for all the formalities to be completed. I sat and suffered in my own pain, they offered me drugs but I refused, I felt I needed to feel what it was like to have this pain and suffer in it. I'd never felt pain like this before. I had to wait for the x-ray man at radiology to start work at 0730, so I endured and suffered on the hospital bed in emergency. No one spoke English at that stage but I had a fair idea of what was going on. The x-ray man came in and took me through to the x-ray room. I sat on the table in my undies and he took the X-rays. I could tell from his mumbling, grumbling and his soft touches as he manoeuvred my foot in the right position for the adequate x-ray shot, that all was not good. "Non bello" he said. And I thought hmmmm.... He showed me on the computer the breaks. It wasn't just the sprain I was hoping for. At this stage my ankle had a lump three quarters of the size of a tennis ball coming out it.

Need I say anymore other than “Ouch Ei Mumma!”

I knocked the very edge off the top

of the arch bone too.

They pulled me into the corridor where I waited and waited. I ended up having a rather nice picnic there as I had a pre-packed lunch ready for my day out in Rome. I also had a good chance of getting into my book Shantaram where I could potentially be taken on an adventure through; an adventure that I could only dream of at this stage. At least it partly took my mind of the pain. The nurses were organising a transfer to Perugia hospital, where some foot specialists were. I consequently experienced my first ever ride in an Ambulance. It wasn't the best as the roads after winter are a bit hole-ridden and in need of repairs. The doctors scared the shit out me, surprisingly speaking English, saying:

"We're just examining the X-rays now to confirm if you need an operation".

All as I could think was, “think positive thoughts man... all will be okay, there will be no operation, you will just have to rest up for a couple of weeks with a plaster.”

I don’t know why I look so happy, Jesus man,

you just broke your ankle and your foot!!!

It was all okay as there was no need for an operation. The staff just set it in plaster and took another X-ray to make sure it was set and I was free to find my way back home. But I had no crutches to walk with and the hospital didn't supply any... Another mission in the works!

I figured out where I had to go to get the crutches, which was a mission in its self. I had to get myself a wheelchair and I did the runner out of emergency with it, an ambulance was leaving at the same time so the garage doors opened and I was out. The warm sunlight gave me some much needed praise for the day, but there was a second boom gate. The ambulance went through and as I was trying to come to terms with being a cripple and work out how to wheel the god damn chair! The security guard closed the boom in front of me and was yelling at me in Italian. I was on a mission! I limbered under the boom gate. I needed to get some crutches! While wheeling as fast as I could, I shouted back "Non Parlo Italiano, no, no, no, I need to go!" The security guard was shouting at me and jumping on the phone to notify his colleagues. Too bad buddy, I was off. It was hard work wheeling myself around and up a slight hill and not knowing my surroundings. I felt useless and weak, and, I guess.... like a cripple. I came to terms with myself as a cripple and was soon okay with it. I just needed some crutches to get home with. Asking people for the place to get crutches from by miming was funny but it eventually got me there. To my surprise and gratitude, it wasn't that far from the hospital. So I got the crutches at 50 euro cents a day and started to wheel myself back to the hospital. What a mission! Halfway there a brother in a brown cloak and a white roped belt started talking to me in Italian and then wheeled me all the way back to emergency where I returned the wheelchair like a good saint.

You thought the adventure was coming to an end right? Wrong! The journey to get home was even more of a mission. Here goes the explanation... I caught a bus to the Perugia train station. At the bus stop the bus driver decided to take off really quick as I was trying to exit the bus and I fell to the ground helplessly. Everyone shouted at the bus driver, I really wanted to shout too but I didn't say a word. This hurt. I got off and put my bag back on my back and crutched my way to the train station. The train didn't arrive for ages so I waited and waited. It finally came and by the time it did, there were so many people ready to get on the train that I didn’t think they would all fit! I waited until the end and then once again helplessly tried to climb the enormous steps to get into the carriage door.

It made me think: man, it must me so tough for disabled people to do this every day! Eventually we arrived into the little town before Assisi, so I got off the train and jumped on the next bus that came. I didn't even look at where it was going. I didn't care. What a blessing! It took me right up the top of Assisi, I got off on the main road which was great and then it was time to hitch. I had to climb up the hill for a bit longer, it was very enduring and my back pack was heavy. I dreamingly said to myself: "A beautiful woman will pick you up and take you all the way to the front door at Paridiso". And that is exactly what happened! A woman with a birth name of Gaia picked me up. She definitely was an earthly goddess. She ended up living over the other side of the valley to us. And yes she took me all the way to the front door, helping me and carrying my heavy pack. I was dreading walking up the driveway from the main road, it’s not the easiest or shortest driveway to walk up. I was so grateful and so happy to be home, although it took me over ten minutes to pull my ripped pants off. I actually spent the entire day at the hospital in my undies, it was great!

I rested up until Gianni and Miskey returned on the Sunday. Then together we went to a Classical Indian concert, following my lengthy and detailed explanation of everything about the accident over a late lunch. The music was incredible and lifted my spirits. I am very much looking forward to India still, despite it possibly being a little later than first planned. Gaia was there and checked to see how I was. The following day she brought me over some calendula, hypericum and some secret Swedish herb infusions to mix up and put on my open wounds. It all looked a bit mucus-like and scary, but right now, it’s healing quite well. Thanks Gaia. Oh and it was the first time I'd ever had to give myself a needle, in the belly, which was due to continue once per day, every day for the next three days. This was to stop the blood from clotting or something like that. The summation is that it’s not a pleasant experience!

The Classical Indian concert

Kind-hearted Gianni and Miskey have let me stay and heal up here in Paradiso which is full of so many of life's great creations. It’s great here, in the wilderness and surrounding farmlands, where the birds are singing and where we have the time to see the beauty in everything: the clouds, the birds, the trees budding and blossoming, the sunsets... I am very grateful by the beautiful nature all around us. Gianni is good at “photo-shopping” the clouds too, he has this special remote control where he has the ability to move clouds so we can enjoy the beautiful sunshine while we eat outside. I’m very happy to be here given the current circumstances. If something like this happened in another country like Pakistan, God only knows what would have happened to me or how I'd be dealing with a broken ankle. Right now I’m in Parasiso and will be happily resting up here until my ankle has healed, or until Gianni and Miskey can’t stand me- whichever comes first. They may get sick of me wearing my kilt and elegant morning coat around the house and subsequently kick my booty out of here. No, just jokes... I’m blessed to be here and to be resting up, I can’t thank you enough Gianni and Miskey, you are both such beautiful people and so, so, so wonderful, generous, warm hearted and full of a great energy for life. For all of you followers, I happily recommend that you check some of Gianni’s work at http://www.paradisoart.com/, they are amazing pieces!

One of the following days after trying to come to terms with what actually happened, I began to try to reason with myself on an unknown level. Gianny and I went to the farm to see if my dragonfly was still there and ended up discovering that I had a blow out. My rear tyre had a missive split in it and then we noticed a massive notch and a bend in the rim. Gianny walked and I hobbled to investigate the crash scene, and after much confusion we tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

The only explanation to the notch and bend in the rim was that a piece of steel had to of done it and that somehow this culprit piece of steel got itself lodged in the rim and smacked the tyre. It must have burst as I was taking the turn. Close to the scene was a construction site where a house was being built, this is where the piece of steel must have come from. So the conclusion we came to was that in the dark the morning of the accident, I rode over an oddly shaped piece of steel (maybe in the shape of a C or a U), which flicked up and smacked into the rear rim. The pressure of that knock split the tyre, and wobbly woo, off I went. Considering what could have occurred, I was so lucky that the damage was only as it was. The outcome could have been much worse. But more of the Crime Scene Investigation Unit (Giany, his friend and me) might find more to the story when we finally get the bike home and take off the tyre at a later stage.

On a deeper more philosophical level of reasoning, why has this happened to me right here, right now, on this part of my journey, in this moment in time? I still don’t know the answer to this. Sometime these questions find an answer at a later stage in life...

Maybe the Subasio has the answer???

As well as being in such a beautiful place here, I am surrounded by healing properties all around. The two waterfalls on the property have slippery slides of limestone as the calcium has built up over many years. And ironically, calcium is the basis of my bones... Below the waterfalls is a special plant called Equisetum which has an ancient lineage from the carboniferous period. This plant possesses the highest concentration of Silica of any plant on earth. The Silica has a vast amount of healing properties. For instance, for me right now, it promotes bone health by contributing to the maturation and stability of the skeletal system. The Silica aids the cohesion of molecular proteins found in the body's connective tissues, so it is very useful in the treatment of broken bones and fractures. Yep- that’s just what I need. Now I need to do some research into how to prepare it and try and get down to the creek and the bottom of the waterfall with my crutches. Oh wait! Gianni has just returned from the health shop with it in a tablet form. Fantastic!!!

It looks like I’ll be in the cast for about a month, so there is a fair bit of time to do some catching-up on ideas and maybe plan some of my future endeavours.

Resting it up in my kilt

To a more happier healthy healing in Paradiso....