Field trip diary: India by motorbike

Royal Enfields sweeping through the Indian roads. © Iain Crockart

I love my job. It allows me to take supporters on awesome adventures while raising vital funds for the world's children.

Me in India © Iain Crockart

In 2009, I was lucky enough to visit southern India on the back of a Royal Enfield bullet. What an incredible feeling, sweeping up mountain roads, through tea plantations and tiger reserves, eyes peeled to catch a glimpse of India’s wildlife.

Royal Enfields © Iain Crockart

The whole trip was memorable, but one particular day stuck with me. 

We set out at sunrise for a long day's ride. As we swept down the mountain the mist cleared and I could feel the sun beating down and smell jasmine in the air as we drove.

Southern India © Iain Crockart

We stopped for some chai (a refreshing, sweet tea) and met UNICEF health assistant, Ms Indrani. She was distributing polio drops to children in the area.

Ms Indrani shows us her map 

Back in 2009, India was one of four counties that hadn’t eradicated polio and its devastating effects. UNICEF works with India's government on a large-scale immunisation programme to wipe out polio and other childhood diseases.

Talking to Ms Indrani was utterly inspiring, and to see UNICEF’s work in action was just incredible.


Now, in 2012, we've had the news that India has reached a major milestone in the history of polio eradication – 12 months without a single new case! 

Traffic in India

Our ride continued through mountains and busy towns, where we carefully negotiated traffic. I can still taste the lunch we enjoyed from a basic but delicious local restaurant. We watched women below washing their beautiful saris in a vast river before laying them on the rocks to dry, and boys playing games in the water, laughing and splashing, as we tucked into a delicious south Indian curry.

Discovering India © Iain Crockart