News from Jupiter
From My Notebooks In 1977: In Assam At The Manas Tiger Project
March 16, 2025
Thursday January 13th After morning ride with Debroy, back to tent, a meagre breakfast (one egg and a chapati between us) and packing. To see the Beat Officer, a curiously evanescent character whose ornate English phrases are unequal to the thoughts he tries to capture. “I will be performing my utmost to render your visit…” and so on. But his answer to all questions […]
From My Notebooks In 1977: Nepal to India
March 10, 2025
Still in Nepal, we’re moving across the lower reaches of the Himalaya to the Indian border. First, I wanted to visit Darjeeling, famous as an outpost of Empire and for the tea that bears its name. After that we intended to enter the state of Assam, and visit two tiger sanctuaries, Manas and Kazirenga. Assam was politically sensitive, and tightly controlled. It has a tribal […]
From My Notebooks In 1976 and 1977: Nepal
March 2, 2025
I feel the need to emphasise that these notes, taken directly from my notebooks, were intended simply to remind me of thoughts, events, impressions which I might otherwise have forgotten. They were never intended to be seen by anyone, and much of what I wrote would make little sense to a third party. Nor was I particularly concerned with my choice of words. This is […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: India to Nepal
February 22, 2025
This might be a good time to imagine yourself in Kathmandu, with no TV. Friday, 31st, to Pokhara Into Nepal towards Pokhara. First flat road then mountains rise up steeply before me, a rich red-brown village, houses of adobe, top half white, lower half terra cotta. Frames painted in almost black brown, and intricately fretted wooden shutters. Echoes of Ecuador, Colombia. Poor Nepalis wear […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: New Delhi to Kanpur and Gorakhpur
February 16, 2025
I’ve come up the West coast to the capital where, as usual, I look to Lucas for help and shelter. Here, word for word, is what I put in my notes. New Delhi, Monday 27th November Swiss couple very flattering outside American Express. Give me address in Geneva and invite me there. Lucas friendly (after funny business with wrong number} and I’m installed in […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: From Baroda to Ahmedabad to Udaipur
February 9, 2025
Friday More lorries, front wheels collapsed, nose-dived into ditches and culverts. Tribals with three camels, each with upturned bed on top of their belongings. Women leading them had each breast separately wrapped in pink muslin slung over top of sari at midriff. Cows with horns [pointing] in every direction, like the printed characters in Hindi writing. In Ahmedabad a sudden outbreak of handcarts – everything […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: To Poona
February 2, 2025
In case you haven’t been following me during the last year or two, I am reproducing, word for word, what I wrote in my notebooks on the journey that led to my books, Jupiter’s Travels and Riding High. I arrived in India at Madras (now called Chennai) earlier in 1976 and have been travelling round the south of India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). It’s […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: Back Down India’s West Coast
January 26, 2025
Leaving Bangalore behind I ride back down to the west coast. To Mangalore at 10am. Road good and bad, but much traffic. Often 40 – 45 mph. But last section bad, and overall average 25 mph. In M’lore at 5.45. To see Mr. Srikant. Stiffening steering head worrying. Thursday, November 4th Regreased steering head with new balls. Noticed that front brakes might need relining. […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: Coffee in Chikmagalur
January 18, 2025
[It’s November 1976 and I’m working my way slowly up the west coast of India. In Bangalore, Gopinath invited me to accompany him on a visit to a friend of his with a coffee plantation in Chikmagalur, which was also Indira Ghandi’s constituency. I only got to know the friend as Cyril.] He’s a passionate man, and a very striking figure as he appeared on […]
From My Notebooks In 1976: The Emergency In Bangalore
January 11, 2025
Sunday, October 24th, 1976 To Mysore. Help the Germans down the hill, holding their bike with my brakes and engine. [I wish I could remember how we did this.] Then in wildlife reserve my first wild elephant wanders across the road. In Mysore, at govt. guest house, meet three Indians and wives. We go to Brindavan Gardens, under the dam, 10 miles out. Very impressive, […]