News

Heppell in India - Day Two

Friday, 21 October 2011
Staff writers for essendonfc.com.au
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Essendon young gun Dyson Heppell recently returned from a trip to India as a part of the Red Dust Role Model Tour. Over the next week, you can follow his incredible journey via a daily diary from his life changing trip to the sub-continent.

Dyson’s diary:

"The seven day trip to India was an incredible experience. On our travels we saw many weird & wonderful things, amazing places and cultural experiences. We also witnessed first-hand the very real challenges faced by a third world country...”

Day Two – Sunday 8^th October

"We had a wakeup call at 5am from our Red Dust and Cricket Victoria friends who after landing at 3am made the executive decision that we should use the day of rest to head to the town of Agra to the see the Taj Mahal.

We stumbled into the bus and headed off on the 150km journey which in Australia would only be around one to one and a half hour trip! Not in India - it took more than five hours each way!!

The road trip was a remarkable way to experience India. The first two things that are most obvious were 1) the enormous level and scale of poverty and 2) that traditional road rules do not apply.

Between New Delhi and Agra we saw things that I could never have imagined. This included camels pulling enormous carts with oversized wool bales, trucks with decorative artwork carrying every cargo you could think of, vehicles jam packed full of people (one truck had more than 10 adults in the cabin), children with cobras in baskets on the side of the road, cows eating grass on the median strips while traffic whizzes past inches from disaster.

After six hours we got to see the Taj Mahal. It lived up to every expectation that it is one of the seven wonders of the world. It was spectacular and is absolutely a feat of human achievement.

Our guide told us it took 22 years to build and was a tribute to the ruler’s first wife who died giving birth to their 14^th child. The workmanship is incredible and it still looks as good today as it would have when it was built.

While in Agra we also visited the Red Fort, which is another amazing place and learnt about the history of the place.

Another five hours of travelling and more amazing sites we were back at the hotel for dinner and early night, ready for day three."

Click here to purchase Dyson Heppell's limited edition commemorative wine.

PLAYER PROFILE: Dyson Heppell

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Road rules in countries like India, Thailand, Philippines are only made to give the drivers something to break, unless you are a foreigner, oh. & Dyson I wouldn't like to be in a car that does 150km between 1-1/2 hours mate, great reporting

- Mark McLachlan (posted 21/10/2011 9:36:17 AM)

mark McLachlan, you are a blonk .. let heppell do his thing

- Darren Pigott (posted 21/10/2011 1:24:32 PM)

Dyson, you have summed up India very well. It takes me back to my ominous bus trip to Agra! On one outing, I counted over twenty men hanging off the side of a truck, and was amazed to discover just how many people you can fit on a bicycle! Angie :)

- Angeline Baron (posted 21/10/2011 10:31:10 PM)

jobs on!!!

- Nathan Smith (posted 21/10/2011 10:58:59 PM)

After just two editions of your travel journal, Dyson, I have to say it: You are already a better travel journalist that Dermot Brereton could ever be. Well done and keep the stories coming.

- Wesley Hull (posted 22/10/2011 8:45:27 AM)