The Mad and the Bad

Someone told me I’d regret being home as soon as I arrived, but it didn’t work out that way at all. Summer in Britain is green, cool and wonderful. Summer fruits, Wimbledon on the telly, opera (we got invited to Glyndebourne), the forthcoming Hadrian special at the British Museum, a trip to Yorkshire and the lakes and a ride with my friend Dave along the river Exe and the Devon coast. Compared to all the cities I’ve been through, London is quiet and so clean you can actually sit in a cafe and count pieces of litter, there are so few. Now I understand a little better why so many Syrians and Iranians think Britain is the Promised Land. I thought I might be disgusted at the sight of so much flab on display after months in countries where everything is under wraps, but in fact I was delighted to see people dressing how they want to dress, free to show their bum cleavage, tattoos, earrings and all and no one to tell them they cannot or should not. This mildly vulgar behaviour, these Hogarthian scenes on so many streets in summertime are what make us who we are. Life can be tough here and that’s how people let off steam. These tattoos are badges of freedom and rebellion which would not tolerated be tolerated in an Islamic country. One bad thing that stills seems to be developing in Britain is a very authoritarian bureaucracy, these weird stories of people arrested for the most minor things or who get into trouble for failing to follow some petty rules or procedures. It’s very alien and un-British and flies in the face of our reputation for common sense.

It’s also been a great pleasure to get back to a little social drinking, and enjoying the odd snifter or two on my own, to be honest. Alcohol’s not an easy thing for people to manage, it takes a few years to get to learn how to handle it and still the cost to society is high, but being able to drink is one of our great freedoms.

The bike’s had a bit of a facelift. I decided I’d tried it with drops and found its good and bad points and that straight bars would be better. Much better in fact, especially off-road. Though it’s set me back about £300, it’s a great improvement. I’ve been able to set it up the way the bikefit computer program recommended, that is, with the handlebars and seat in exactly the right position. It’s a bit symptomatic of that collective madness that’s swept over the country to do something just because a computer told me, but the computer’s right – the bike is far more comfortable now and feels even more as though it’s set up for me. Hopefully I’ll have less back trouble.

Plans for part two of my ride are coming along well. I’m waiting for the China visa with bated breath. Trailfinders (travel agents) think it will be OK. I’ve got Kyrgyz and Pakistan visas in my passport. I’ve got a flight to Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan on August 4th and a yurt reserved in the back garden of a good backpackers place in the middle of town near the beer hall. Chris Scott is joining me in Kashi for the Karakorum Highway ride in September, and David Crute is keen to join me for the Ladakh circuit in October.