Far and Away


......your passport to adventure
Sikkim Image

     
March 13, 2009
In This Issue
India-Last Day
Sikkim
I'm a Geek
Our Blog
Wobblin' Sprocket

Who's Going

Dear Robert,

Follow along in the Wobblin' Sprocket as we head to the far North of India to check out Sikkim, India.  Sikkim is sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan.  It's small.  About the same size as Corsica.   If the biking is like Corsica, it will be big enough.  We leave Washingtont DC on March 27.  I would hope to have something on the blog no later than April 1.

While we are going to the far North, there is still a day left to consider taking advantage of our $300 discount offer on our tour in Southwest of India.  Our "In the Garden of the Gods" tour is 14 nights and, after the discount, is $1995.  The tour date is October 31, 2009. 

Everyone is welcome to join us on the Wobblin' Sprocket, Facebook and Twitter.  We also just set up a "customer area" to the website. It's not intended to be a secret society, but what's in there is mainly of interest to people joining on a tour.  If you have been on a tour or are currently signed up, please register and check it out. 

Be careful out there.  It's already been a lousy Spring for accidents.  We wish both Mariette Vanderzon and Jane Hudnall speedy recoveries.  Mariette was involved in very bad bike - car accident in Arizona and Jane was injured in a fall in Florida.

On a brighter note, congrats to CJ Vandevelde for taking stage 4 of the Paris to Nice stage race in France.  That was quite a turnaround as CJ crashed in the opening prologue.  What a difference a day or two can make.

Ride Safe
!

All the best,
 
 
Signature


 
India - "In the Garden of the Gods"
India Spice Plantation









India can be intimidating.  It's not for the faint of heart.  But it's also a lot more than I ever imagined.  I especially like the roads that are lined with spice and tea plantations.  Our tour is scheduled right after the monsoon season, so things are blooming; there is water coming off the mountains and everything is green.

It is a place where life frequently is not easy, but it's also a place where life flourishes and the spirit overcomes.  It's a place of overwhelming contradictions.  Wealth amidst poverty; beauty amidst grit and grime.  My first and lasting impression is that one can find whatever they want in India. Nothing I ever write will convey the essence of it.  I suppose that is one of the things I like about it.     
............
Say What? - Where R U Going?
Location of Sikkim
Sikkim.  Another part of India.  Sikkim was a Monarchy until officially incorporated as the 22nd state of India in 1975.  It's in the Himalayas but the climate ranges from tropical to alpine. 

The highest peak is Mt.Kanchendzonga, the 3rd highest mountain in the world at 28,156 feet.  There are 9 mountains over 20,000 feet and 8 glaciers in Sikkim.

The original inhabitants, the Lepcha, number about 50,000 and speak their own language.  Lepcha script can still be found today in some newspapers.  The Lepchas called Sikkim  "Nye-mae-el"  or "Paradise".  Sikkim is also known as "The Last Shangri-La".  

New Website
 
website imageIt looks very similar on the surface, but our new website is vastly different under it's skin.  It has bee converted to Joomla, a content management system or "CMS". 

You can now upload and download pics, a customer forum has been added (where questions about your tour are answered) along with a chat room so you converse with other customers in real time.   

Tour customers should register and check it out

Far and Away Cycling
571-275-2814
travel@farandawaycycling.com
 

+++++ India Subscriber Special +++++
  India-14 nites - "In the Garden of the Gods"  - $1995*.
Discount Registration Page
(must use for discount)
Offer Expires: March 15, 2009
* can't be combined with other discounts