I do charity work.

Every Sunday I accompany my friend, Diabetic Tony, around the local bars in our little village in the Sierra Sur region of Spain's Andalucía and whilst doing so one sunny Sunday in November he mentioned his ambition to visit India but had never had the opportunity to go there with a travel companion.

Well, after a few bottles of Cruzcampo I announced that I have a friend in India, Amit Chhabra, who had given me an open invitation, when we met in Hong Kong, to visit him and his family in Indore...

So that was it, before I knew what I had let myself in for Tony was planning a backpacking trip around India by train. Now, I know that 60 is the new 30 but backpacking? I've even had to buy a silk liner.

Of course, Tony has a great interest in food as I do and the recent Rick Stein's India TV series had stirred his sub continental ambitions.

So on 17th February 2014 we set off on a trip taking the AVE from Cordoba to Madrid then Iberia to Heathrow where BA will deliver us safely to New Delhi and all things being well we should arrive back in Spain on 20th March.

Initially, Tony's wife said she'd be pleased to have some peace and quiet (I think she actually said she'd be pleased to see the back of him) but now that our departure is closing in she's not quite so sure.

Meanwhile, I called my Mum in England to tell her I was going away to India for a month or so and got the usual reaction, 'oh, people get murdered there, you know' but we shan't take any notice of that as she said the same thing about the internet once.

Our train journey starts and finishes in New Delhi taking in places en route to Mumbai (Bombay) - Goa - Kolkata (Calcutta) where we hope to see glorious sights and taste wonderful food.

So if you would like to follow our journey taking in the places we visit and the food that we experience then you can do so here. And by the way, Tony (he has a fancy camera, don’t you know) will no doubt take a shot or two of trains, for the trainspotters amongst you. 

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Whatever your circumstances are there is always somebody worse off than you, no matter how bad you feel and in this respect it is in my nature to endeavour to raise money for worthy causes.

Until recently I was living in England’s Lake District which gave me the opportunity to raise funds by yomping* across Morecambe Bay (whilst the tide is out, of course).

The Big Stride, Wellies Required, etc., all yomps raised money for Everyman – stamp out male cancer… which are the ones men generally ignore, prostate and testicular cancer.

Anyway, whilst enjoying life in rural Andalucía I have decided to do something that even I think is a real challenge = Dry January 2014.

Can I stay off the booze for 31 days? I think I can but wait a bit… what about my existing charity effort of meeting up with diabetic Tony every Sunday for his weekly tipple… and then there’s Burn’s Night on the 25th…  oh dear, I have fallen off the wagon already.

And if by chance you would like to support this effort by donating to Everyman and Alcohol Concern then you can do so at my fund raising page: 

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Phils_Dry_January

*yomp

BRITISH. informal

Verb: gerund or present participle: yomping

1.(of a soldier) march with heavy equipment over difficult terrain.

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