India awaits

Day 1 (28th April 2006) - Leaving London

The Awakening
After frantic weeks of intense running; run preparation; sleepless nights, and growing trepidation, the day of departure arrived with a surreal sense of calm. I woke up and lay in bed for a while thinking that the next time
I sleep in my own bed, things could be very different.

Meandering through my flat, between washing machine, kettle, & computer was all rosy, until I hit the mountain of luggage that had piled up. The creeping bits and pieces had mutated to box loads of running kit, protein powders, electrolyte mixes, supplements and the Mother of All First Aid Kits (courtesy of www.Firstaid4sport.com). Getting all this equipment, a guitar, and luggage onto the flight, was not going contribute to a joyous departure.

The Great Luggage Fiasco
At the airport, the great luggage fiasco unfolded. The details of the palaver would bring tears to the eyes of an undertaker. To add to the drama there were rumours of flight changes to contend with. In the end we confidently explained that the boxes were full of medicines (we only implied that they would be for projects we would come across). We were very lucky; some sweet talking charm opened the luggage carrier.

Ninja's in the Night
On the flight, the ordeal of getting on board was all forgotten. At about 1am, like ninja's in the dead of night, Rahul and I crept through the snoring masses to join Stevie Young in the luxury of the premier section of Virgin Airlines. We eventually found him in a crevice of his seat (the

seats were that big!), and managed to win the flight attendants over with our fluttering eyelashes; they, in return, pampered us rotten. Rahul's mother told me that Rahul is a man of many talents - winning hearts and minds of flight attendants is definitely one.

Introducing Young Stevie
So who is Stevie Young? Young Stevie (24 years old) is a cinema photographer and filmmaker. Well, he will be by the time he finishes this trip. I have known Stevie since he was a wee whippersnapper of a kid growing up in Northern Ireland. We moved mountains to gain Stevie's

'mad-adventure-of-a-life-time visa'. He has never been to India before -so you are going to enjoy the freshness of a new pair of eyes to an amazing country.

Sweet Landing
We have blank canvas in front of us, with luggage loads of potential to paint with! We're aiming for a masterpiece 'Picasso' guys! We are seeking to make the best of what we have; to find a balance between you around the world, the run itself, and to the people we are about to meet.

Speaking on behalf of Stevie and Rahul (who are currently drooling into their tea bag sized pillows) I know that we are nervous, but extremely excited about the potential for this canvas.

We land into rush hour Delhi and a press conference in a couple of hours.

My pillow back in London is now thousands of miles behind me. New adventures and a large of amount of pain wait ahead.

Pete
Writing to you from Virgin Atlantic Flight, London to Delhi

Photo credit: Lindsey Block