Hot bike for sale
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear
Scorching!
Ok, so it’s not the best photo ever. My garage is rather dark.
But, there it is, my lovely import mountain bike from China.
18 gears. Dual piston shock fork. Rear coil shock. Shimano derailers. Twist grip shifter. Front and rear fenders. Awesome orange paint job. Wicked useful bell. Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: cycling, delhi, delhiwallahs drive like clowns, gear, india, mountain bike, roads
Of beaches and elephants
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear, notes
Since I read about the Andaman and Nicobar Islands almost eight years ago during my first backpacking trip in India, they’ve been third from the top on my list of destinations. I knocked off No. 1 (Cuba, and specifically Havana) and No. 2 (Madagascar) this year, so I’m going for the hat trick.
I leave next Tuesday via overnight train to Calcutta. From Calcutta, I fly to Port Blair, once home to the prison used by the British for undesirables during the heady years leading up to Independence.
I’ll be there for almost four weeks roaming about; I plan to return to the mainland by ship, a three- to four-day journey.
I’ve got a full list of story ideas to pursue, some of which will almost certainly be jettisoned once I feel the siren call of island life.
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: andaman and nicobar, beach, development, economy, emerging nations, india, islands, journalism, port blair, shenanigans, tourism, tsunami, wildlife
Window shopping for a machete
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear, photography
Deadly objects anyone?
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: kenya, kisumu, machete, photography, shenanigans, shopping
Technology is a mother…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear, notes
UPDATE: I have jumped on the University of Illinois public WIFI and I’m blogging from the parking lot next to Greg Hall. Apparently, it’s totally Comcast screwing with me. Damn Comcast.
I have spent inordinate amounts of time upgrading, growling at, fixing, wondering why its broken, crying over and finally giving in to technology in the last week.
Unfortunately, my normally stable, Mac-enhanced, technodriven lifestyle has been a mother of late.
This is my story:
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: comcast, gear, preparation, shenanigans
To live out of a backpack…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear, notes
I would like to think I’m a minimalist, that I don’t really need much. People who know how I pack probably laugh at that thought.
As I was laying out my gear this morning, to be stuffed into one 110-liter trekking bag and small day/camera pack, I took this picture. Then I decided to label it all, so show just how much stuff I’m going to be carrying.
Note: this includes almost zero clothes and toiletries.
Not quite all of my stuff
- Books. Travel guides to India, Kenya, Madagascar, Thailand, plus some entertainment reading and my Hindi textbooks.
- One pair of pants. I’m trying to limit myself to one pair of brown chinos and several pairs of shorts.
- Hand sanitizer.
- REI shell jacket. Water/wind proof, good for 40 degrees up to 85.
- Schlafly beer beanie. Soft material for packing fragile goods; nice for cold nights in highlands.
- REI Bug Hut Pro. Minimalist bug shelter.
- Reporter’s notebooks.
- REI mini multitool.
Continue reading this entry » » »
Tags: gear, minimalist, Panasonic, preparation, recreational equipment incorporated, REI, Schlafly, tourism
New phone number 623…
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear, notes
…no, I didn’t move to Arizona, which is the 623 area code.
I’m the proud owner of a Google Voice account. It organizes all my phones present and future with one number and allows remote access — even by Internet — to voicemail and text. I’ve actually had it for several weeks, but am only now publicizing the number:
623-AJA-DHAV
This will be my permanent phone number for as long as Google exists. Arizona was the only place I could get my AJADHAV handle.
Right now that number will ring my old cell phone, which will die when I leave the country. Once I’m overseas, calls to the 623 number will go directly voice, and I’ll be able to check the messages online wherever I am. Text messages will automatically go to my e-mail.
I won’t necessarily call back right away, but it’s the handiest way to leave a quick message or send a text.
And e-mails, of course, will continue to work at ajadhav@gmail.com.
Tags: gear, preparation
Hey mosquito, leave me alone
Posted by Adam Jadhav | Filed under gear
There are plenty of disease vectors that are serious enemies of the international traveler. Serious enemies. Nemesis level. Damn.
I’ve been vaccinated (or protected) against a lot: Yellow Fever, Polio, Typhoid, Hep A and B. And the standard U.S. MMR, tetanus, diphtheria, etc.
And I’m more than familiar with basic food and water precautions to fend off cholera, giardiasis and the like.
But mosquitoes still are a royal pain. I’ll be on Lariam (for malaria) as long as I can when I’m overseas, but the little bastard insects carry other diseases, including the infamous Dengue Fever, which is known as Break Bone Fever, due to unfortunate symptoms and pain.
Mom called today and asked about it. I told her not to worry too much.
But it’s a nasty threat. Hence why I picked up this fun little bit of protection at REI today.
Meet the Bug Hut Pro 1.
Eat it, bugs
Tags: disease, preparation, tourism
